Cultivation is Creation

From another world?

I couldn’t help but smile. "And what makes you think that?"

"If it was just the strange techniques," Han Renyi began slowly, "or even your obvious lack of knowledge about certain aspects of our world, I might have assumed you were some ancient rouqin trying to come back to life. But the energies you use..." He paused, and I could feel him gathering his thoughts. "They're not just different from rouqi, they're fundamentally alien to everything I know about cultivation."

I stayed silent, letting him go on, I was curious how someone from this world interpreted what they'd seen.

"First, there's that blue energy," he continued. "The one that healed my wounds in the alley. It felt... pure, almost holy. Like what the old texts describe when they talk about the Celestial Sovereign's healing touch.

"Then there's the red energy," he went on. "The way it interacts with those patterns – those 'runes' as you call them. It's like nothing I've ever heard of, and trust me, I've read on all the different abilities of the past Rouqin, even the demonic ones."

I felt his consciousness hesitate before addressing the final energy type, and if it had been possible for a mental voice to take a deep breath, I'm pretty sure he would have.

"But it's the third type that really gave it away," he whispered. "The one you used against Zhang Ruiyang at the end. It was... it was almost like rouqi, but more... more..." He struggled to find the right words. "More complete, somehow. More real."

I leaned back against the wall, considering my response carefully. Through our shared senses, I could feel his anticipation building, almost taste his desperate hope for confirmation of his theory.

His response actually surprised me. "Yes. In the past, some of our highest-tier Rouqin were selected by the Celestial Sovereign for journeys beyond our realm. Some would return stronger, changed by their experiences. But most..."

"Never came back," I finished for him.

It wasn’t unheard for a high-level cultivator to use their inner world as a training ground, selecting the most promising inhabitants for special attention. They could literally create their own army, trained exactly how they wanted.

"But now, with the Celestial Sovereign gone..." Han Renyi's voice carried the weight of an entire world's despair. Then, suddenly, it brightened. "But if you were able to enter our world, that means you must know a way to leave it!"

I held back a sigh. How do you explain to someone living in a dying world that yes, you could leave, but you couldn't take them with you? That their entire reality was essentially a construct within a construct, and that "leaving" it would mean something very different from what they imagined?

The silence stretched between us, and I felt him slowly beginning to understand.

"It's not that simple, is it?" he asked quietly.

"Traveling between worlds isn't as straightforward as I would like it to be," I admitted, trying to soften the blow while still being honest.

He absorbed that for a moment before responding with a deep mental sigh. "Then there really is no hope for the Starhaven Realm..."

I perked up at that. Unlike the cultivation world, this world had a name – an actual, specific name. This was a common practice for inner worlds, it was another piece of evidence supporting my growing theory. If this realm also had a spirit like Azure...

"Speaking of hope," I said carefully, "let me ask you something. Have you ever heard of an entity that serves as a guide or caretaker for this realm?"

"You mean like Astralis? The Immortal Boy?"

Now that was interesting. "Tell me more about this Astralis."

"He was the Celestial Sovereign's divine messenger," Han Renyi explained, his voice taking on the tone of someone reciting a well-known legend. "But he was more than just a messenger – he was the Sovereign's right hand, his most trusted advisor. The stories say he appeared as a young boy with stars in his hair and golden eyes. He had the ability to appear anywhere in our world instantly, that he knew everything that happened within our borders."

My eyes widened. That description... it couldn't be more perfect if I'd written it myself. "Is Astralis still around?"

Han Renyi's laugh was tinged with bitterness. "No one has seen him since the Celestial Sovereign's disappearance. Like everything else of value, he abandoned our world to its fate." ꞦΑɴồβΕ𐌔

I sighed. If the inner world spirit was still active, not only would this realm have a better chance at survival, but helping to stabilize it would likely earn some remarkable rewards, well, that is if it didn’t react badly to my presence.

"Master," Azure's voice echoed in my mind, "for a world as developed as this, it is rare for the inner world spirits to die. It's more likely he's still present somewhere, focused entirely on maintaining what's left of the world's fundamental structures."

"Thanks, Azure," I thought back. "At least there's still hope."

Though finding a missing inner world spirit in a realm this size would be... challenging, to say the least, and it wasn’t something I was entirely sure of doing just yet.

"So?" Han Renyi's voice was practically buzzing with curiosity now. "What's your world like? How many types of energy do you have? What about—"@@novelbin@@

"Hold that thought," I interrupted, raising a hand despite the action being useless. "Before we get into all that, I need to know more about this world if we're going to have any chance of surviving what's coming next."

That sobered him up quickly.

"The Three-Leaf Clover Sect's retaliation," he whispered. "What do you need to know?"

"Eventually everything," I replied. "But let's start with the basics. Tell me more about these cultivation tiers you use."

"There are 9 tiers in total," he began. "Tier 1 is the beginning of the path, where most cultivators spend their entire lives these days. Tier 9 is the theoretical peak, though no one's reached that level since the Celestial Sovereign vanished. He was actually beyond even Tier 9 – the only one ever to achieve that."

I nodded, thinking about how that aligned with my own knowledge of cultivation realms, it was unlikely for a creation to surpass their creator, though not unheard of.

"I've got a decent grasp of Tiers 1 and 2 from our recent... experiences. What about 3 and 4?"

"Tier 3 is where true elemental mastery begins," he explained. "While Tier 2 cultivators can manipulate their chosen element to some degree, Tier 3 means complete control. Tier 4 expands that to multiple elements, and Tier 5..." He laughed. "Well, at Tier 5, you're no longer bound by mortal limitations. You can literally fly to the heavens."

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I couldn't help but smile at that description. It sounded very similar to the Stellar Realm in traditional cultivation, though perhaps with some interesting local variations.

"The advancement in tiers also affects lifespan," Han Renyi continued. "Tier 1 cultivators can live to about 300 years if they maintain peak health, though they deteriorate quickly after that. Tier 2 extends that to 500 years, Tier 3 to 700, and Tier 4 to a full millennium." He paused thoughtfully. "Tier 5 is said to live even longer, but I'm not sure of the exact numbers."

That was interesting. The lifespans here seemed longer than their equivalent realms in the outside world. "Azure," I thought, "any theories about that?"

"It likely relates to the fundamental nature of this realm's inhabitants," he replied. "Since they were essentially created by a high-level cultivator, their basic physiology might be modified for a longer lifespan, but I’m sure that’ll come with its downsides.”

Good point. I filed that away for later consideration before turning back to Han Renyi. "What about the higher tiers?"

"That's where things get... strange," he admitted. "All I really know is that Tier 7 is where everything changes. The Celestial Sovereign would personally take an interest in anyone who reached that level. Some say it's because Tier 7 cultivators gain abilities that even he found noteworthy."

Now that was intriguing. What kind of abilities would a high-level cultivator find impressive enough to take direct notice?

“Tell me everything you know about the Three-Leaf Clover Sect," I said, steering the conversation back to more immediate concerns, “And I mean everything – their history, their structure, their techniques, even the rumors nobody can confirm."

What followed was a detailed breakdown of one of the region's most powerful cultivation sects. Han Renyi's merchant background proved useful here – he'd clearly paid attention to the political and economic aspects as well as the martial ones.

"How about the cultivation methods they use?" I asked when he finally wound down.

"Most of the sect elders use variations of wood element methods," he explained. "It's been their tradition since the founding. But the real power – the true legacy of the sect – lies in the Three-Leaf Clover method itself. Every sect master in their history has cultivated this method exclusively."

"That actually gives us an advantage," I thought, more to myself than to him.

As a wood element cultivator myself, I was intimately familiar with its strengths and weaknesses. More importantly, my qi was fundamentally different from their rouqi – purer, more concentrated, more valuable. Perhaps, we might have another Zhou Shentong situation, but first I should clarify something…

“What tier is the sect master?”

"Last anyone knew, he was half a step into Tier 3," Han Renyi replied. "Though that was a century ago."

"Are you certain they don't have any full Tier 3 cultivators?"

He frowned mentally. "Not... completely certain. No one has successfully broken through to Tier 3 in the past century, but some of the older generation might still be alive. They'd be in seclusion though, trying to maintain what power they have left as the world's energy continues to decline."

I nodded. That tracked with what we'd seen so far. In a world of declining energy, the higher-tier cultivators would be hit the hardest. They'd need more resources just to maintain their current level, let alone advance.

"So, there's a real possibility we might have to deal with Tier 3 cultivators," I murmured. "Probably weakened from years of energy scarcity, but still dangerous."

"Surely they wouldn't come out just because we killed Zhou Shentong?" Han Renyi asked.

I had to laugh at that. "You think a sect elder being killed by a supposedly Tier 1 cultivator won't be enough to rouse them? Their reputation is at stake now. If they don't respond appropriately, every other sect in the region will see it as weakness."

"Oh." He whispered. "I hadn't thought of that."

I felt his mood darken as the full implications of our situation sank in. Here he was, born into an era of declining power, with no real hope of advancing beyond Tier 2... unless...

"Ling Zhuo," his voice was hesitant now. "Those techniques you use, the ones powered by those other energies... could I learn them?"

I smiled, both at the question and at his careful way of asking it. "We can get to that later," I said, standing up from my meditation position. "Right now, it's time to pay the Three-Leaf Clover Sect a visit."

"What?" His voice now sounded alarmed. "Now? But we just—"

"Killed their elder and destroyed his compound?" I finished for him. "Exactly. They'll be expecting us to lay low, to wait for them to make the first move. The last thing they'll expect is for us to show up at their front door."

"That's because it's insane!" But I could feel his curiosity warring with his fear. "...isn't it?"

I stretched, feeling the pleasant burn in muscles that had already mostly healed from our earlier fights. "The best defense is a good offense, especially when your enemies think they have the advantage of time and numbers."

"But..." He paused, clearly struggling with the concept. "Shouldn't we at least wait until morning?"

"No better time for a visit than when everyone's still reacting to the news," I said cheerfully, checking that my runes were all properly charged and that my qi had recovered, though I didn’t expect to use the latter.

"You're actually serious about this," he realized.

"Of course I am." I replied, moving towards the window.

"Wait, why are we going through the window? The entrance is perfectly fine."

I paused with my hand on the window frame. "Tell me, would your father be fine with his son heading out in the middle of the night, only hours after a life-or-death battle with a sect elder?"

"Well, no, but—"

"Even if he allowed it, he'd worry. After everything that's happened today, I think he deserves a peaceful night's sleep, don't you?"

I felt Han Renyi consider this. "Yes, you're right. Though usually a servant calls me down for breakfast..."

"We'll be back long before then," I assured him as I opened the window and stepped out into the rain-soaked night.

We had a sect to visit, some questions to ask, and some resources to secure.

It was going to be a busy night.