Still not ready to face the music, Tyler turned to Daredevil. "So, now that you can speak, tell me... How did you get in here? Like, I know you could join me whenever you slept, but this is a first. Your body outside just seems lifeless."

The Panther looked at him as it turned its head sideways. "I just wanted to come. And I pulled very hard. I don't know?"

Tyler sighed internally. He's still just a child. Then he scratched Daredevil's head before adding. "No worries. Now, I think we have left our friends outside waiting for long enough..." Getting up, Tyler said, "Do you think you can also leave on your own, or do you need my help?"

Daredevil looked pensive for a few seconds. "Uh, I came through a tunnel in the skies. But it's gone. I don't feel my body anymore, so I'm not sure..." The panther's fiery eyes looked at Tyler pleadingly. "Can you help? I didn't plan this far ahead."

Gears started turning in Tyler's head as his divine sense covered everything around him. More specifically, he was focused on the cub's physical body outside.

In the past, when Tyler had just developed his divine sense and looked at people, he could feel most of their bodies and get a pretty good feel for their levels through the amount of energy constantly circulating inside them. At first, this was a bit horrifying as no one really wanted to see everything about everyone. So he stopped paying attention to each and every person. Tyler had learned to apply filters to his divine sense.

Then, when he stepped into the Qi Transformation Realm proper, he could sense a lot more. On top of the Qi circulating in one's body, Tyler could see the individual meridians and follow a single particle of Qi through someone's entire body. He also realized that most people's foundations were severely lacking at that moment.

At this stage, he could also get a sense of other people's souls, something he had learned to attack before he could really see it. Most mortals felt like their souls were tied to their hearts. As if the moment one stopped, the other would be reclaimed by the world. It was also at that time that he had really seen his first death.

The souls of all the wolves he had killed had been shattered with his Ten Direction Sword, so he hadn't really felt their deaths, and their alpha had been the first time Tyler had noticed something different, so, in the fog of war, he had missed it.

When he killed Luo Pang, however, he didn't use the Ten Direction Sword in an attempt to better understand this phenomenon. The man's soul had still shattered into a million pieces, but it was what came after that had interested him. He had seen the soul's energy flow back towards the earth, and as far as he could track it, it kept flowing downwards.

The next leap in his divine sensing journey had been after he had woken up from his post Sword Sect battle injury. Tyler assumed that it had been caused by what he assumed was his Soul Shattering. All the laws became much clearer, with very few things escaping his senses.

With this, understanding the laws and manipulating them became so much easier that it should've been criminal. Tyler already had a good grasp of the winds, and what created thunder, so the lightning from his churning emotions in his inner world was also swiftly grasped.

That wasn't to say he could just use lightning or generate lightning attacks. He hadn't actually found a way to create enough charge change to generate it intentionally. Unless, of course, he successfully used his domain. When that happened, the laws within his inner world now appeared outside, and the fury of lightning came with it.

Tyler had long realized that these were initially his mind trying to make sense of an emotional response, but in his inner world, the metaphorical became real. Thus, while his domain was one of Storms, it differed greatly from nature's. While “winds rise, clouds surge, and lightning ensues” still applied, it wasn't the Law of the Storms. If Tyler had to name it, it would be something like the Law of Heartstorms or something.

Settling down on a name was easy for Tyler. It's not like it mattered much. If the name felt right at that moment, it was good enough because it came directly from the heart, and that was the end of it.

Considering Tyler couldn't summon the storms or expand his domain without being in a specific emotional state, the storms were much weaker than if he could simply manipulate regular storms. But, if he decided that it was a problem down the line, he could always just fix it.

All that to say that, when he had just passed into the Qi Transformation realm, he could feel other people's souls, and after seemingly shattering his own, he could see the world's laws in much more detail. With that came a drastic change in how he perceived souls.

Any and all mortal souls had been like an ethereal presence in their hearts, like a miniature version of themselves hidden deep within. That stayed true until one unlocked the Soul Forging part of the system. In other words, they became aware of their own souls and built a shield around them to shelter them from the world.

This usually happened at the Sea Formation stage. Once that happens, the soul migrates to different places depending on the person. For the Cultivators of the Heavenly Heartspear Sect, for example, their souls were located deep in their hearts, with only one of them, the exception, who had it in his heart.

While it seemed standard, it wasn't the majority that kept it in their hearts, as Tyler had seen some people in the Sword Sect have their souls in their stomachs or their heads. From what he could tell, his own soul was anchored through his acupoints, culminating way outside of his body. It was a completely different situation than everyone else.

With this new ability to sense souls, Tyler could also get a rough idea of someone's soul defenses and if his Ten Direction Sword could or couldn't deal with the person in question. It was a simple math equation at this point. Unless, of course, you had unknown treasures in your spatial storage device that Tyler wasn’t aware of.

One thing to note was that regardless of Tyler's powers, he couldn't actually peek inside a person's soul, no matter how weak. Unless he shared a soul bond with them, like Daredevil. It wasn't for lack of trying, but he felt like a magnetic force was slightly nudging his divine sense away every time he tried. However, he didn't dare try this on mortals, as that would probably kill them.

Back to Daredevil's body, Tyler saw his bloody body and winced. He had done this. Then, after overcoming the residual shock from his actions, he dove into his spirit beast's body and went looking for his soul that was also located in his heart. What he saw inside, however, almost stopped his own heart.

Daredevil's Soul was gone entirely.

All of it had been transferred to his inner world. It was odd because usually when something's soul was gone from its body, the person died. Even in the past, when Daredevil visited Tyler's inner world in his dreams, his soul stayed firmly anchored into his own "soulcore". It was like an echo of the cub's dreams was visiting, not his actual soul.

Unsure what to do, Tyler turned to the cub and said. "Don't worry, I'll figure something out. Now, I must explain some things to the cultivators outside before I can fix you properly... Again, I'm so sorry you have to deal with any of this. Since we met, it seems like all I bring you is pain and suffering."

Daredevil smiled and turned around. "Then it's settled. I'll go get myself a treat. See ya later!" The panther said as he headed to the pool of Serene Dew. The cub really liked that water. Tyler may also need to drink some liquid epiphany soon to figure out this Star in his soul thing.

Then, he turned his full attention back outside, and no matter how far he looked, he couldn't find the white rabbit and could only see a few random spirit beasts moving about along with the cultivators from the capital.

For Tyler, everything felt completely normal. It was everyone around him that had suffered. Stepping out of what seemed like a mini crater, Tyler addressed the four cultivators sitting in a circle around Daredevil, clearly recuperating as most of their injuries seemed to be healing. "Everyone, I don't know how to express how sorry I am for this... I... Something went wrong, and I completely lost control."

Seeing one of the men who accompanied the Baron gear up to speak, the leader threw him a look, which silenced him. Then, the Baron spoke up. "Master Cultivator, please, call me Kevin. We intruded into your territory and demanded that the tribulations be safeguarded from outside interference. It would seem that there was a mountain in front of me, and I could not see it. Were we not here, perhaps none of this would've happened."

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

Tyler shook his head. "Kevin, we don't know each other at all, and from what Daredevil tells me, you saved his life just now," Tyler said as he stared at the cultivator who had just attempted to speak, lightning coursing through his eyes. "So, please, tell me why you did that?"

Taking a deep breath, the man answered. "I only did what was right, as I am a Baron of York. We came here uninvited, and I wouldn't stoop so low as to hurt a spirit beast younger than my daughter simply for being connected to an incident."

Nodding, Tyler said, "Noblesse Oblige..." He was mumbling, and no one really understood what he said. Then, Tyler continued. "Then, as a mark of respect, let me refrain from using your first name. You've shown me nothing but kindness and put your values above your own well-being, even against your own sect mates. In my eyes, you deserve the respect your title begets, Baron. So, first things first, my name is Tyler. I am nothing but a wandering cultivator."

Kevin Pratt, the Baron of York, bowed to Tyler as he answered. "Then, this Baron greets you, Tyler, and welcomes you to York. If this one may ask, what brought you to this side of the world?" He had been groomed all his life to navigate difficult conversations, and this was one of them. This cultivator was clearly on the more eccentric side, but his powers couldn't be underestimated. A single mishap during his meditation led four Sea Formation cultivators to almost perish.

Having resolved himself to try and mold himself a bit more to the new customs that were everywhere in this world, Tyler bowed his head back just a tiny bit and added. "In the spirit of your noble heart, I will be honest with you, or at least, as much as I am comfortable being shared with your sect master. Does that sound fair?"

When those words left Tyler's mouth, he felt a divine sense coming. It was one he recognized—Mister Orleander. It would seem someone failing a tribulation and his domain appearing had drawn the attention of the Keepers of the Red Dust.

Splitting his attention briefly, Tyler told the man he was welcome to come. At this juncture, how could he ever forgive himself if he couldn't forgive someone else for their errors while getting carried away by something fundamental to their path? So, in that moment, he forgave the man and allowed him to come.

He hadn't forgiven himself in the slightest for killing Kenshiro, but forgiving others was a start.

"Also, don't be alarmed, but a friend should be here momentarily, and I think he'll want to hear the whole story as well," Tyler said to the Baron and his underlings.

A tall man in green and brown robes materialized a dozen meters away from Tyler as if waiting to be introduced. "Had you not said anything, these young gentlemen would've never known I was here. Greetings, Baron and Lords. Now, please, go on. Ignore me." Mister Orleander then pulled out a chair and his Sect's iconic book and started writing.

Tyler saw the faces of the four cultivators stiffen when they realized who had just appeared. He couldn't help but feel for them. It would seem, no matter how low-key he attempted to be, it wouldn't work out very well.

Turning his attention back to them, he started his tale. First, the sanitized version of the events of Veridian Peaks. Tyler essentially told them that he had pissed off a few young masters, killed them when they attempted to ambush him, and then had the whole sect chasing him—which he survived.

Then, he explained his journey through the forests of this unknown country and the Heroic Tales of Daredevil, ridding over two dozen villages of their rogue cultivator problem. At the same time, he was mainly just following the panther. For some reason, Tyler did not feel comfortable sharing that he had been knocked unconscious for months.

Following this, he told everyone of his encounter with the slavers, Jake and his village, the Dancing Winds Sect, and the Undead of the Phantom Legion. He kept the details of the Life and Death Root to himself, only hinting at the fact that whatever was causing the land to die had been dealt with and, with time, everything would return to normal.

Then, he added the details of his deal with the Thunder Emporium for the mortal village and that Bralok Thunderpeak would most likely visit soon. Tyler turned to Mister Orleander as he added. "You know things... While I understand it's not really your place to talk about those things, what's up with the Slave Trade in the capital? If any of these guys' Sect Elders are as righteous and upright as the Baron here, I would assume it would have been long gone?"

Glancing up from his book, the Soul Shattering cultivator remarked, "We tend to ignore people’s requests for information. However, for you, I'll make an exception." Orleander paused, shut his book, and fixed his gaze directly on Tyler. "There's a particular Soul Shattering cultivator responsible for this—the Firedome Duke. The Spear Emperor, Draco, has a soft spot for his younger brother and won't take any action against him. However, he has mentioned that anyone else is free to address the issue, but they must be prepared to confront his brother's extensive network and formidable abilities."

Tyler nodded, feeling that another divine sense was clearly paying attention to their conversations. He'd have to ask the Ascendant later. For now, he turned his attention back to the Baron. "So, that's my story in the last year. It won't excuse me for losing control here, but at least now you know who I am. Now, let's get down to business. All those treasures you guys lost because of me. How much were those worth altogether?"

With a Soul Shattering cultivator treating Tyler with such respect here, the underlings didn't even dare to make a single move and let the Baron deal with all of it. "If added all up, probably around ten Celestials."

Tyler thought about it briefly and decided to just pay the man. He grabbed 8 Celestials and 200 Spirit coins from his inner world and shoved them in one of the extra boxes he had kicking around. Then, he made it appear in his hands and tossed it to the Baron. "Here. Ten Celestials." Tyler paused for a bit and decided to add something on top. "Do you have three small empty potion vials sloshing around?"

Raising an eyebrow, the Baron opened the box, confirmed the coins, and was surprised. Just like that, he had gotten ten celestials. He wasn't sure why Tyler wanted a few empty vials, but he produced the requested empty potions.

Receiving what he had requested, Tyler sent the vials to the pool of Serene Dew next to Daredevil and filled all of them up. He felt like simply paying them off coins wasn't fair. He had injured them and shattered some of their family's treasure. From what Bralok had told him, this stuff was worth a lot, but most importantly, it was scarce.

"Here. I feel like just buying you guys off is not enough." Tyler said as he tossed the Baron and two underlings a potion of Serene Dew each.

Curious, the Baron looked at him and asked, "What is this?"

"Serene Dew," Tyler said with a neutral, seemingly unperturbed face. "While I would be fine paying off random people for their lost treasures for something I did, all of you protected my companion through my… Accident." With that, lightning sparked in his eyes as he stared at the one man without the potion. "You're lucky the Baron is an upright person."

When hearing that this was Serene Dew, the four people almost couldn't believe it. At least that's what their face told Tyler. So he added a few words. "Don't worry about the Serene Dew. See it as my thanks for preventing any harm to Daredevil and the coins as reparations for your treasures."

The Baron bowed his head. "Many thanks, Tyler. This dew is extremely precious and can't be bought with coins most of the time." After the man had spoken, everyone else followed suit and bowed their heads to Tyler.

Feeling that this was a nice wrap to this whole situation, Tyler asked. "So now that the Tribulation failed and the Phantom Legion is dealt with, what's next for you? Do you plan to report all of this to your sect?"

Speaking for the whole group, Baron swiftly raised his head. "We're still going to have to confirm the situation with the Phantom Legion, and we'll probably have to investigate that village you spoke of, The Wandering Reed Village. Not that I don't trust the Emporium, but they are merchants, after all." The man paused, "But yes, I will have to report everything to the sect elders. Including your involvement."

Tyler nodded. "That's fine. Just know this might cause you guys some trouble. Everything I touch seems to die. The last time someone got involved with me like this, three Soul Shattering cultivators died in Veridian Peaks. Just to be clear, this is not a threat of any kind. Hell, I'll even talk to your Sect Master if he visits."

The mention of their sect master so casually caused the Baron to feel a bit awkward, as his face showed. However, it was Mister Orleander who spoke from the sides. "If you want, I can speak to Old Draco. He's a pretty good guy. Just don't kill his sons, because if you do, what Lo Tang did in Veridian Peaks will seem like child's play. He would rather die fighting an Ascendant than let his son's murderer go free for even a second."

Tyler turned his head and looked at the old storykeeper. "Sure. Unless his sons run a slave trade, they should be safe. Because that's my next big thing. Ridding the world of slavery. Or something. Have not completely figured it out yet."

As he finished speaking, Tyler observed Daredevil's fires flare up before they normalized once more, this time with a lot more blue. His soul form honestly looked like something pulled out of the underworld. It almost looked like a Hellhound, but feline!

Seeing as the panther had finished absorbing the Dew and seemingly gotten some insight, Tyler refused to put this off any longer. "Now excuse me, gents, but I have a panther who would love to have its body back." Tyler moved towards Daredevil's immobile body before adding. "Oh, and I don't think I need to say that I don't know how this will play out, so... Maybe it's time for you guys to go? Unless you want to risk a repeat of my domain expansion?"

The face of the Heavenly Heartspear Sect turned pale, and were about to bolt away, but Tyler stopped them. "Oh, one last thing. You guys got a blank Token I can use?"

Mister Orleander perked up again and threw Tyler a blank token before asking. "Can I stay and watch a bit? We can talk later, privately. If you don't mind, that is."

Tyler didn't even need to think about it, and he nodded. "Well, Baron Pratt. It was nice meeting you. If you ever need anything, feel free to come find me. I owe you a lot more than Serene Dew, and a bit of coin can do justice."

Observing all four cultivators leave after stepping onto their swords or spears to fly, Tyler pushed open the door to his cave.

The foxes were still alive and asleep.