After returning to Sturm Hill Hall, and getting back from my night of drinking with Lord Icefall and Guildmaster Sinclair, I hit the ground running. One of the first things I did was experiment with the Spiritblood Ink in order to adapt it to the Hidden Lamp Seal. I also modified the seal, so it would account for the mundane senses, including smell. I wasn’t going to make that same mistake again.
Of course, in order to put in the Spiritblood Hidden Lamp Seal, I had to get rid of the old Ghostfire Hidden Lamp Seal. Since I only had a day or two left, I decided to let it fade away on its own. There were potential drawbacks to breaking the seal, and while the chances of suffering from those drawbacks was astronomically small, why take the risk? With a bit of patience, I would get what I wanted anyway. There was no need to force things.
Corie, Leroy, and I spent the first day back home resting. While we still cultivated and trained, it was lighter than usual. A lot had happened to all of us on this trip, and we needed some time to just relax and decompress.
Other than experimenting with Spiritblood Ink, I spent my time writing up the manuals for my disciples’ cultivation techniques. I focused on the Energy Condensation stage for now, since they wouldn’t need the manuals for the Foundation Establishment stage for a while yet.
I also spent that time making plans. The trip to Rosewood City revealed a weakness in Sturm Hill Hall. While the wall that surrounded it was enough to keep animals and low-rank First Circle magic beasts out, it wouldn’t hold up to anything stronger than that. In short, we were vulnerable and that made my neck itch.
I walked around the property, designing a formation to keep it protected. I would have designed a magic circle, but I didn’t know enough about Lumina’s magical theory to do that. At least, not enough to create a magic circle that would satisfy me. That left using formations, which were weaker than magic circles, but at least I knew more about them
The formation I came up with would create a powerful defensive barrier around Sturm Hill Hall, as well as shoot up a flare into the sky. The flare would warn others that we were under attack. Unfortunately, the formation required twenty of my thirty remaining mana stones. My heart clenched at that, but I was willing to pay the price if it ensured our safety.
Even so, the formation would be a weak one. I didn’t design it to last forever under a sustained assault. I designed it to last long enough for help to arrive. That meant I would need to make arrangements with House Icefall and the Icefall Adventurers Guild. It would probably require something similar from me in return; a defensive mutual aid pact. In short, we would help each other face off against certain threats that we couldn’t handle on our own.
Assuming Lord Icefall and Guildmaster Sinclair accepted such an arrangement.
Of course, I would only use the formation against threats that my friends and I couldn’t handle. Given our level of power, we could face off against any threat in the First Circle. Hell, we could face off against a small band of wizards or a small horde of magic beasts in the First Circle. We could even deal with many threats in the Second Circle. However, we would need help dealing with anything beyond that.
On the second day back from the trip to Rosewood City, Lorelei arrived at Sturm Hill Hall. While she didn’t explain how she convinced her parents to let her stay at the manor, she told us that they had given their permission and their blessing. We were all happy about that.
I was happy because that meant I could keep an eye on both my disciples. Lorelei and Corie were happy because they now lived together. And Leroy was happy because I told him that I would stay put for the time being and stop running into danger.
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When the Ghostfire Hidden Lamp Seal had almost faded away, and I readied to inscribe the Spiritblood Hidden Lamp Seal over my dantian, I had Leroy and my disciples observe the process. Not because I was some kind of exhibitionist, but because the experience would be good for them. It would also double a lesson, since there might be times where they would have to use the Hidden Lamp Seal themselves.
Not only did it hide one’s cultivation base, but the Hidden Lamp Seal could also hide one’s Circles. If done right, it could allow one to appear weaker than they actually were. I didn’t know what situations my disciples might end up in, so it was better to prepare them for all sorts of possibilities.
Besides, I wanted to give my disciples a preview of what to expect when they formed their dantians. Leroy already observed my aura and my cultivation base, now it was their turn.
The four of us gathered in the yard outside of Sturm Hill Hall, which we used as a training yard. It was early morning, and the sky was overcast today.
I made a mental note to build a proper training hall in or around Sturm Hill Hall, after my House recovered its fortunes. Sturm Hill Hall was just a “hunting lodge” by House standards, but it was also the base of operations for House Sturm’s activities within the Icefall Region. Why not turn it into a proper base? That wouldn’t be for a while yet, but it didn’t hurt to prepare for the future.
“What are we doing out here at this ungodly hour, Master Gabriel?” Corie grumbled.
It was so early, that we hadn’t eaten breakfast, cultivated, or trained yet. The Ghostfire Hidden Lamp Seal had almost completely faded away, and I wanted my disciples to be there when it happened.
“Master Celestial Thunder,” I said, correcting her. “I told you to call me that in private, Corie.”
Corie threw her hands up in frustration. Meanwhile, Lorelei covered her mouth to hide a laugh.
“Ugh,” Corie said. “Why do we have to bother with these stupid names?”
I glared at her.
“These names are not stupid,” I said. “A cultivator’s cultivation name has significant symbolic and spiritual significance. Not only will the name affect your development as a cultivator, but it will also affect your karma and your fate. Don’t mock them.” I glanced over at Leroy. “When you form your dantian, I suggest you take up a cultivation name as well. Since I’m technically not your master, it wouldn’t be appropriate for me to give you one.”
Leroy nodded.
“Do you have any advice on what kind of name I should pick, young master?” he asked.
“Think of what kind of path you want to take,” I said. “Think of the kind of cultivator you want to be. That should give you some ideas. A cultivation name could also be seen as a kind of promise.”
I pointed at Corie.
“Take her name, for example. When you fire an arrow straight up into the sky, it will eventually fall back down to the ground. No matter how much strength you put into the shot, no matter how much magic you use, that arrow will always return to the earth. It is just a matter of time. It will never reach the heavens.” I pointed to the sky. “A celestial arrow defies this fate. Not only will it escape the confines of gravity, it will escape the shackles of time and fate. It will escape this mortal realm, and reach the heavens above.”
I turned towards Corie, who stared at me with a stunned expression on her face.
“At least, that’s the goal,” I said with a grin. “Whether or not Corie succeeds depends on her skills, her talent, and her luck.” I turned back to Leroy. “However, you don’t have to pick a name as ambitious as that. Choose one that is important to you, one that means something to you.” I studied Leroy with my divine sense. “Speaking of forming your dantian, you’re almost there. The trip delayed things for a bit, but I estimate that it will only take you a week at the most.”
Leroy nodded, and put a hand over his dantian region.
“Yes, I thought the same as well, young master,” he said. “I feel like I’m on the verge of something.”
“Good.” I paused for a moment. “Let me know when you reach that point. I want to be there, just in case something goes wrong. I’ll also give you temporary access to the meditation chamber, to speed things along. The quantity and quality of mana in the meditation chamber is perfect for you.”
Leroy’s eyes widened for a brief moment, before he gave me a small smile and bowed in thanks. Allowing a retainer, a servant, to use the meditation chamber was a big deal. Only members of House Sturm were allowed to use it. Giving Leroy permission to use the meditation chamber was a great boon.
“Master Celestial Thunder,” Lorelei said. “I have a question. Why do all our names begin with the word ‘celestial?’ What’s the significance behind that?”
“It indicates that we are part of the Sky Piercer Peak of the Blossoming Lotus Sect,” I explained. “Think of it as a particular bloodline or lineage within a House. While we aren’t blood, members of the same sect are considered family. Your master is your parent, the rest of the older generation are your aunts and uncles, and disciples of the same generation are your brothers and sisters.” I shrugged. “This was how it worked back on my original world, and still does I assume. Different peaks, different lineages, were connected in different ways. For some, it was a martial style that was passed down throughout the ages. For others, it was a particular cultivation technique. It varied.”
Lorelei tilted her head.
“What about our lineage?”
I grinned.
“According to my first masters, your grandmasters, the disciples of Sky Piercer Peak aren’t connected by a particular martial style or technique or bloodline. What binds us is a promise and a philosophy. In the struggle to achieve immortality, it is so easy to lose sight of one’s goal. Many become distracted by material wealth, temporal power, or their baser natures. They lose themselves in earthly matters. The ‘celestial’ part of our names is a promise to ourselves to remember what matters; a reminder to never lose sight of our true goal. We must remember to focus our attention on the heavens above. The path towards immortality is a long one, and it is easy to lose one’s way.”
I shrugged.
“That isn’t to say that you should forsake everything you love in the mortal realm,” I said. “Immortals are still people, after all. I know that more than most. However, focus on what’s really important. Don’t let petty matters weigh you down.”
Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
“What about revenge?” Corie asked in a quiet voice. “Does that count as a petty matter?”
“It depends on the revenge,” I said. “In your case, no. Your father wronged you and your mother. He should pay for what he did. Resolving that bit of karma might even help your cultivation. Just don’t let revenge become your everything. Friends, family, beauty, joy. Don’t forsake these things for the sake of getting even.”
Corie nodded.
I glanced at the Ghostfire Hidden Lamp Seal with my divine sense. It was seconds away from disappearing.
“Now then, while that impromptu lesson was an important one,” I said. “That wasn’t why I called you out here.”
“Then why are we out here?” Lorelei asked.
As soon as she asked that question, the Ghostfire Hidden Lamp Seal disappeared, revealing my cultivation base to anyone who cared to look at my aura. Both of my disciples stared at me, their eyes going wide.
“I wanted to give you a glimpse of what it means to be a cultivator,” I said. “You two have already seen what I can do. I wanted to give you a chance to see what I am.”
“So much mana,” Lorelei whispered.
“It’s like looking into a bonfire,” Corie said. “How is this even possible?”
“Cultivation,” I said with a grin. “And this is just the beginning. Currently, I’m at the Energy Condensation stage, which is equivalent to the First Circle. I will only get more powerful from here on out. With focus and dedication, it won’t be hard for you to achieve the same.”
I saw a fire ignite in my disciples’ eyes. Good. That was what I wanted. By showing them what they could become, I hoped to inspire them to greater heights. While neither of them had slacked in their training, it was hard to believe in something unless you experienced it yourself.
“You’re saying that we can be like you?” Corie asked.
“Yes,” I said. “And I’ll advise and guide you along the way.”
I started to take off my shirt.
“What are you doing?” Corie asked, her cheeks turning pink.
Lorelei averted her eyes and didn’t say anything.
“If others see your cultivation base, it could cause you problems,” I said. “The Houses will want to take that power for themselves. The Tower of Magic will want to study you. The inquisitors from the Church of the Sun will suspect you of possession or demon worship. To prevent this, I’m going to show you a way to keep your cultivation base hidden. It might save your life one day.”
I finished taking off my shirt.
“But is it really necessary to get naked for this?” Corie asked.
“Relax,” I said. “I’m only taking off my shirt. And yes. The Hidden Lamp Seal needs to be drawn directly over your dantian region. Observe carefully. You might need to draw this for yourself or for others in the future.”
Lorelei looked at me again, though her cheeks were red.
I drew the Hidden Lamp Seal over my dantian region using the Spiritblood Ink. As I did this, I explained how the seal worked and the principles behind it. The strength of the seal depended on the materials used, one’s power, and one’s understanding of the universe’s laws and principles. Despite their embarrassment at seeing my naked chest, my disciples listened attentively. Leroy did as well, since it would benefit him too.
First, I showed them the original Hidden Lamp Seal, before showing them my modifications and the reasons behind them. I also showed them the hand seals necessary to complete the Hidden Lamp Seal, repeating them a few times so everyone could memorize them.
Once everyone learned them, I did the hand seals for real.
“Seal!” I shouted out when I finished, pouring my mana into the Spiritblood Hidden Lamp Seal.
The seal burned as the ink sank into my skin, becoming a tattoo. When it finished, I examined it with my divine sense and let out a satisfied grin.
Oh yeah. This was much better. Thanks to the Spiritblood Ink, and my increased realm, not only would the seal last for a full three years, it would hide my cultivation base from anyone at the Fifth Circle or below. That was almost everyone in the Solarian Empire.
Those at the Sixth Circle or above tended to seclude themselves, either to focus on their wizardry or to conduct magical experiments. They were like the old monsters back on Spirit Earth, beings who far surpassed the rest of humanity. The chances of me running into one of them was low.
After I finished examining the Spiritblood Hidden Lamp Seal, I turned to the others.
“All right, lesson’s over,” I said. “Let’s eat. I’m starving.”
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A few days after I showed the others how to draw the Hidden Lamp Seal, I sat atop one of the trees that surrounded the grounds of Sturm Hill Hall. After carving out the sets of formation flags from the chunk of Brightwood, for a total of three sets, I used them to create some mana gathering formations around the manor.
Since Sturm Hill Hall’s rooftop ended up being unsuitable, even with the formation flags, I decided to set two mana gathering formations in the tallest trees I could find in the area near Sturm Hill Hall. One was for me, while the other was for Corie. Since her affinities were Air and Wood, this was perfect for her. At first, she found it awkward to cultivate in a tree, but soon she grew used to it.
It was less ideal for me, since I had to set up my formation closer to the ground. That way, I could take advantage of the Water mana present in the ever present mist of Gloom Mist Forest.
I set up a third mana gathering formation in the area of Sturm Hill Hall that was heaviest with Earth mana. This was for Lorelei.
In addition to the mana gathering formations, I used the formation flags to set up obfuscation formations around our cultivation spots. Getting distracted by something or someone while cultivating was a surefire way to suffer from cultivation deviation.
Cultivation deviation was nasty. The higher one’s cultivation, the worse the effects. At best, a cultivator needed a bit of time to fix the deviation. At worst, it could cripple a cultivator in body, mind, and soul. It was best to avoid cultivation deviation altogether.
I also gave Lorelei and Corie permission to use the meditation chamber within Strum Hill Hall. While Corie would benefit less from it than Lorelei and Leroy, the quantity of mana would still help her. I set up a schedule so all four of us could use it without conflict.
As my disciples, Lorelei and Corie were honorary members of the family. At least that was the argument I would use with my parents when I saw them again, and they found out about all the shit I had been up to.
It might work, if I explained the context. Or it might not, and then I would be in big trouble.
Things would get even trickier when my parents realized that I gave a retainer access to the meditation chamber, even if that access was temporary.
Yeah, that wasn’t going to be a fun conversation.
Today, I consumed my remaining mana stones and all of the mid-ranked First Circle mana cores in one go. Since it was just a matter of time until I had to face my parents again, I wanted to become as powerful as possible in the shortest amount of time. This meant pushing some limits that shouldn’t be pushed, but as long as I wasn’t too reckless, I would be fine.
No matter what, however, I needed to be careful. Building a solid and stable cultivation base took priority, even if it slowed me down. There wasn’t any point in cultivating fast if I had to spend time dealing with impurities and instabilities in my cultivation base.
Thankfully, since I could purge the impurities from the mana cores I consumed, this wasn’t an issue for me. Aurora helped me as well by further refining the mana I gained from the mana cores and the mana stones.
With her help, I barely managed to reach the fifth small realm of the Energy Condensation stage. The pool of condensed mana inside me grew large enough to become a lake of condensed mana. Aurora swam about in my dantian like a cat with a ball of catnip. I think she even started purring.
After I stabilized my new realm, I opened my eyes and grinned. Reaching the fifth small realm of the Energy Condensation stage marked a milestone for me. The small realms of the various cultivation stages could be broken up into four broad categories. Low, mid, high, and peak.
Low referred to the first three small realms of any given stage, mid the middle three, and high the final three. Peak, as the word suggested, meant the apex of any given large realm. It was the most powerful a cultivator could become in a large realm without stepping into the next one.
At the low Energy Condensation stage, I was more powerful than regular mortals. However, a large enough group of them could still kill me. Now that I had reached the mid Energy condensation stage, I could take on a small army of mortals by myself and win. Whether I used spells, martial arts, or a mix of both, it didn’t matter.
Mortal weapons could still hurt me, however, so I still needed to be careful. They wouldn’t hurt me as much as before, but it was better to avoid them altogether. When I reached the peak of the Energy Condensation stage, mortal weapons in mortal hands would stop being a problem altogether. Only magic, magical weapons, or mortal weapons in the right hands would be able to kill me.
However, now that I reached the fifth small realm of the Energy Condensation stage, I could use sword mana. Unlike using metal mana, which relied on a wizard’s affinity with Metal, sword mana relied on one’s cultivation base and one’s understanding of the mysteries of the sword.
Most people learned how to use sword mana in the mid Foundation Establishment stage at the earliest; the sixth small realm in particular. However, I was so awesome that I could use it a full large realm early.
I cleaned away the impurities that clung to me, using a technique I recently developed, before hopping down from the tree. I grabbed my sword, which I had left at the base of the tree.
Now that I could use sword mana, I wanted to test out several of the techniques I had been itching to use for a while now. It was noon now, so I had plenty of time to have fun.
Hmm, it would be a good idea to invite Leroy along. Since I figured he would become a sword cultivator in the near future, it wouldn’t hurt for him to observe me when I used these techniques.
I searched around with my divine sense, and found him in the yard in front of Sturm Hill Hall. He was training. A quick glance told me that he was close to forming his dantian. So close in fact, that observing me might be the catalyst that pushed him across that threshold. After all, Cultivation was about comprehending and understanding the universe in addition to gathering mana within oneself.
Even if that didn’t happen, it paid to be prepared. I collected the formation flags using my mana, and headed towards the impromptu training yard. I found Leroy practicing forms for a sword fighting style favored by Earth wizards. What was it called again? The Earth Blade Fighting Style. That was it. This style made great use of the increased strength and endurance Earth wizards gained when using Earth internal magic.
Hmm, after Leroy entered the Energy Condensation stage, I would have to teach him the Celestial Sword Style. It was the martial style that the sword cultivators of Sky Piercer Peak practiced. It had been created by one of Sky Piercer Peak’s founders, a sword cultivator who ascended and became a Sword Immortal.
While I wasn’t a sword cultivator myself, the sword was still one of my primary weapons. One of my first masters, Celestial Blade, taught me this style. After he and his wife disappeared, I studied it on my own.
The Celestial Sword Style had different forms for each cultivation stage, including the stages of Immortal cultivation. The Sword Immortal who created this style continued to develop it even after ascending. While I never learned the highest levels of the style, I made it quite far before I died.
Technically I shouldn’t teach the Celestial Sword Style to Leroy, since he wasn’t my disciple and therefore not a member of Sky Piercer Peak, but it would be a waste not to teach it to him. I mean, neither of my actual disciples used the sword, so who else was I going to teach it to?
That said, I wouldn’t be surprised if he learned the Celestial Sword Style and incorporated it into his own personal fighting style. That was what many of the disciples of Sky Piercer Peak did, including myself. While the core style remained the same, each person expressed it in their own way. Different branches extending from the same trunk.
“Leroy,” I called out.
Leroy finished with his current set before answering. While I waited, I threw down the formation flags to create a mana gathering formation. Putting it down now would give it time to gather the necessary amount of mana, should Leroy end up forming his dantian today.
It would have been better for him to go into the meditation chamber, but Lorelei was using it right now. I didn’t want to disrupt her cultivation.
“Yes, young master?”
“Follow me,” I said. “I can use sword mana now, and I think it would be good for you to observe me while I practiced a few techniques.”
I saw a gleam of anticipation in Leroy’s eyes. He witnessed for himself just how powerful sword intent was, and sword mana was orders of magnitude stronger.
The two of us headed into Gloom Mist Forest.