Cultivation is Creation

When I opened my eyes, I found myself floating in an endless sea of crystalline fragments. Each shard pulsed with a faint light that seemed to reach out hungrily toward my soul, as if trying to draw sustenance from my very existence. The fragments formed patterns that reminded me of constellations, but these were constellations made of broken dreams and fading hopes rather than stars.

It took me a moment to realize that I was inside the crystal heart the boy had been carrying. The space around me was vast yet claustrophobic, like being trapped in an infinite mirror hall where each reflection showed a different piece of a dying world.

Well, this was something new.

The good news was that I'd managed to wrestle back control from Han Renyi, whose consciousness was currently having what I could only describe as a very understandable panic attack.

"Master, where are we? What's happening? Is this... are we dead? We can't be dead, right? Father will worry when he notices that I’ve disappeared, and Qingyi—"

"Calm down," I replied, trying to project confidence I didn't entirely feel. "We're inside what appears to be some sort of crystalline heart structure. As for what's happening..." I paused, studying our surroundings more carefully. "That's what we're about to find out."

"Outsider."

I turned – or at least, I performed the mental equivalent of turning, since physical directions felt more like suggestions in this place. The boy from the shop stood before us, but he was... different.

His appearance had shifted, becoming both more and less human. Stars dotted his hair like jewels, but they weren't the brilliant points of light from the stories I'd heard. These were dying stars, their light guttering and weak, some barely visible at all. It was a fitting metaphor for the state of this world, I supposed.

"I did intrude into this world," I pointed out mentally. "Wouldn't that count as 'good cause'?"

"If you had entered as an invader, yes – you would have been caught and either killed or expelled immediately. But you haven't harmed the world. If anything, your presence has likely benefited it."

That was interesting, but before I could pursue that line of thought, Azure added something even more intriguing: "Also, inner world spirits physically cannot lie."

My eyes widened at that piece of information. Now that was useful to know. Before I could fully respond, the boy – Astralis, if the stories were true – spoke again.

"You can leave that body, you know," he said. "It must be rather uncomfortable, maintaining that level of control."

I considered my options carefully. On one hand, the abilities this inner world spirit had already demonstrated suggested that Han Renyi's body wouldn't provide much protection for my soul if Astralis decided to get aggressive.

On the other hand, giving up my only physical anchor in this strange space made me feel uncomfortable. But Azure had said the spirit couldn't harm me without cause, and I had no intention of damaging this world. If anything, my goals might align with its guardian's interests.

"You’re stopping him from healing completely, you know," Astralis added softly.

I raised an eyebrow at that. "What do you mean?"

"The boy's soul hasn't fully recovered from its near-death experience," Astralis explained, gesturing to create a crystalline image that showed Han Renyi's soul. I could see hairline fractures throughout its structure, pulsing with a weak, unstable light. "Your presence is... hmm, how to explain this..." He thought for a moment. "Think of it like a broken bone trying to heal while someone is constantly moving it. Your soul's energy, while keeping him stable, is also preventing the natural healing process from completing."

"Is... is that true?" Han Renyi's thoughts wavered with concern. I could feel his consciousness examining itself, finally noticing the deep exhaustion that had been masked by my presence. "I thought I was just tired from the fights, but..." He paused, and I felt a wave of determination from him. "Master, if your presence is holding back my recovery, then please..."

The crystal fragments around us shimmered, and I noticed how they seemed to resonate with Han Renyi's soul. "This space," Astralis continued, "is part of the heart of our realm. It naturally amplifies the recovery of those born here. A few moments here, without interference, would do more for his recovery than years of rest in the outside world."

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“Azure, you’re sure he isn’t trying to lure me out?” I asked internally.

“Even his Master wouldn’t be able to force him to lie,” Azure replied.

After a moment's consideration, I activated the Soul Ward rune. Better safe than sorry, after all. Then, with a sensation like stepping out of a warm bath into cool air, I separated myself from Han Renyi's body and floated beside him.

The young merchant immediately began checking his hands, flexing his fingers as if making sure they still worked. Then his eyes locked onto Astralis and he began pointing, his mouth opening and closing as he tried to form words.

"Y-you're... you're really..."

Astralis smiled, and for a moment I caught a glimpse of what he must have looked like in better days – a divine messenger, wise beyond his apparent years, yet still carrying that spark of celestial mischief. "You should sleep," he said gently.

Before Han Renyi could protest, his eyes grew heavy and he slumped forward. His body remained standing, but it was clearly empty now – a puppet with its strings held slack.

I looked between my unconscious host and the legendary messenger. "He'll be alright?"

"Of course," Astralis assured me. "The sleep state I've induced will actually help heal his soul. But more importantly, I didn't want him listening to our conversation."

That was fair enough. I nodded slowly. "So... you said you needed my help."

The sad expression returned to his boyish features, and with a wave of his hand, the crystalline space around us transformed.

Suddenly we were surrounded by images of the Starhaven Realm – but not the parts I'd seen. These were the edges, the forgotten corners, the places where reality itself was coming undone. I watched as mountains crumbled not into dust, but into nothingness. Forests didn't die; they simply ceased to be, leaving behind spaces that hurt my eyes to look at.

"This is my family," Astralis whispered, and the despair in his voice was heart-wrenching. For all his power, he was watching his world die piece by piece, unable to stop it.

"How did you find me?" I asked, partly out of curiosity and partly to give him a moment to compose himself.

"I sensed the energy you used," he replied, gesturing to create another image – this one showing the moment I'd healed Han Renyi during the battle with the mercenaries. "I would have appeared immediately, but..." He waved at the scenes of dissolution around us. "I've been rather busy trying to keep things from falling apart completely."

"So, you're interested in this energy?" I asked, though I had a feeling I knew where this was going.

He nodded, and the images around us shifted again, showing the flow of energy throughout the realm. It was fascinating – I could see how the world's native rouqi interacted with the fragments of blue sun energy I'd introduced. Where they touched, the decay slowed, sometimes even reversed slightly.

"With Master no longer here, this world is falling apart," Astralis explained. "Only life realm energy can slow the deterioration, or an energy similar to it..."

"Is there no way to save it?"

The boy's expression became thoughtful. "Life realm energy can breathe new life into the realm, give the rouqi a chance to... evolve, I suppose you'd say. If even one cultivator could break through to Tier Seven, it would buy us centuries. And if someone could reach Tier Nine..." His eyes gleamed with hope for the first time since we'd met.

"So, Tier Seven rouqin are equivalent to Life Realm cultivators," I mused aloud. It made sense – the fundamental energies needed to sustain a world would naturally align with the Life Realm.

Astralis nodded in confirmation.

"Why not seek help from Life Realm cultivators in the main world?" I asked. "Surely they'd have the power to—"

Astralis's expression darkened, and for a moment, the dying stars in his hair flickered with something close to anger. "They wouldn't save this world," he cut me off. "They would devour it. The energy here, even in its weakened state, would be too tempting. I had no choice but to hide the entrance to this realm from the main world."

He paused then, the stars in his hair dimming as he studied me with renewed intensity. "Though I do wonder... how exactly did a Qi Condensation cultivator manage to pass through my barriers?"

I met his gaze steadily but offered no explanation. Some secrets were better kept, especially when dealing with entities that couldn't lie but could certainly pass information to others.

"What actually happened to the Celestial Sovereign?" I asked instead. "And the other high-ranking rouqin?”

The boy sighed, and the stars in his hair dimmed further. "Something terrible. Something that has caused the death of many Civilization Realm cultivators and countless Life Realm cultivators."

I felt my eyebrows rise. "Civilization Realm?"

"The realm after the Life Realm," he explained. "It was... is... was Master's level before his passing." The verbal stumble was telling – even after all this time, he wasn't sure how to refer to his lost master.

"I notice you still haven't explained how your master passed," I pointed out. After all, something that could kill a cultivator 4 major realms ahead of me would be good to know about.

Astralis shook his head, frustration clear on his features. "It's not that I don't want to tell you. I'm literally not capable of doing so."

That was... interesting. An enforced restriction? Or something else?

"What's happening in the Main Realm is beyond petty disputes between sects or conflicts between righteous and demonic cultivators," he continued. "It's something only those who enter the Life Realm will even begin to understand."

That made me think of the increased pressure I'd noticed at the Azure Peak Sect. Had they known something was coming? Were they trying to prepare their disciples for whatever catastrophe had claimed so many powerful cultivators?

Astralis's eyes narrowed suddenly, stars flickering with renewed interest. "Though, what is interesting is that you have access to an energy similar to Life Realm energy, yet you're not a Life Realm cultivator..."

I couldn't help but smile at his obvious fishing for information. "You're not able to answer my questions, yet you want me to answer yours?"

The boy actually laughed at that. "A Qi Condensation cultivator with the power of the Life Realm stage." He shook his head in amazement. "Fine, I won't ask how you achieved this. But I am interested in knowing if you're willing to spare some of that energy of yours to help save this dying world."

My smile widened slightly. This could be interesting.

"That depends on what you have to offer."