“What about the pitch black throne? I found sothing underneath it,” I said and removed the hilt I had recovered. Senior held out his hand and I handed over the hilt for him to inspect. He carefully looked over it for a minute before speaking.
“That throne, or chair, is called the Chair of Despair, or the Seat of Wishes. It has many different nas. It is sothing whose origins have been lost to ti. But what it does is take the wish of the last person who sat in it and creates sothing based on what they desire. Unfortunately, whatever it creates has a catch to it. Also, once the item is removed, it disappears sowhere else in the Firmant or Reality. Hard to say which,” Senior explained.
I looked at the hilt with hope. “You clearly wanted a weapon that could grow in strength with you, would never break, could only be used by you, and had sword like characteristics. You got what you wanted but the energy cost is so high, that by the ti you can feed enough energy into the thing to make use of it, you could have gotten much stronger,” Senior explained and handed the hilt back to .
“That’s…disappointing,” I said with a sigh as I put the hilt away.
“You are lucky. If it had a made a teleportation device drawing on your desire to escape, you would probably be dead. It teleports you, but not properly. That is one of the better known poorly created wishes. People wishing to get sowhere with more treasures. Foolish. The entire throne is a trap,” Senior explained.
“I am surprised Ix didn’t use it,” I replied and Senior just smiled at that statent.
“Ix is not an idiot. He might be ntally unstable, have so critical weaknesses, but he isn’t an idiot. One does not reach his level of power by being stupid. He was probably going to use it right before he consud the Gu. Wishing for sothing incredibly simple that would be hard to sabotage, in order to help him consu the Gu. But then you disrupted his plans. Or he could have just wanted to use it as a throne. He wouldn’t settle for a lesser throne if he had that in his possession,” Senior explained.
“Where did it co from? A more powerful being? Shen told about levels,” I asked since it seed like Senior was also referencing levels of power in his earlier questions.
“The origin of that chair has been lost to ti. Just like your past. So things endure, but their beginning is unclear. It could be a powerful being or a skilled craftsperson. They endure for a ti depending on their durability and usefulness. The Chair of Despair is one of the more famous among the more powerful. Everyone has wishes they desire, but the seat is cursed. As for ranking systems. There are many ranking systems used. But the level system is perhaps the most common since it deals with bottlenecks for the most part. It is also based on so deeper inherent properties of energy. I can tell you are curious, so let give you a clear explanation,” Senior said as I listened intently.
“Almost all beings are born between level 0 and level 3. There are beings that are created at a higher level by an even higher power, but they are artificial along with their souls. Level 0 is when soone has no soul. Their mind is locked with their physical body. They have no ability to gather energy either. Level 1 is when they can sense and gather energy. This is the level you were born at in this life as a cultivator in the Heavenly Alliance.” I nodded at this. It was clear that these levels corresponded to bottlenecks.
“Transitioning between level 0 and level 1 requires one to develop a sense of their soul and mind. It is hard and difficult. I would say this is one of the hardest bottlenecks. It is easier to go from 1 to 2, or from 2 to 3 than it is from 0 to 1. It is more a question of resources and knowledge,” Senior said, and I thought of the Great World and the people that used to live there.
“Level 0 is common amongst beings coming from the Material or the chanical Layer. It is rare in the Firmant though, due the ambient energy. Then you have level 2, this is where a connection forms from your soul to a lower layer.”
“So, there is a link?” I asked as Senior paused. He nodded at with a smile. This had always confused .
“There is a lot of confusion. There is a link, that Chaos can attack through. But there is also a lot of confusion as well. The link is at a very small scale. I have heard this called the quantum scale by others. Chaos can attack through it, but only when it is first ford. After that, natural forces make such a thing difficult going forward,” Senior explained.
“My soul isn’t wandering about the Astral Plane?” I asked.
“No. But when people break through from level 1 to level 2, drawing up their own energy and so die, it is natural that superstitions form. These people are too weak to actively investigate or understanding the true nature of how things work. Your foundation was so strong, that the connection ford was stronger than most. That is where the risk ca from back during your ti in the Heavenly Alliance and the Forever City,” Senior said. I didn’t ntion anything about this, at least I thought I hadn’t. Which made wonder how he knew such things.
But when you were this powerful, I doubted he would give a direct answer. He would probably give a taphor about reading the currents of the Firmant. It also wasn’t necessary to know about his powers and techniques. I was more interested in getting more pertinent questions answered.
“Then you have level 3, which is more of a transition. There is no bottleneck from level 2 to level 3. It is a question of power,” Senior said.
“Really? That seems, different,” I replied. Each other level had been a bottleneck of so kind and I would have thought the next bottleneck was going to be the one for immortality, except Shen said that I was at level 4.
“The climb up in power is imnse. You experienced this headache yourself. Level 2 is when you can start generating your own energy. There is no obvious sign of reaching level 3, except that it is a very long climb to get to level 4. I would say around 100 tis for difficult, due to the energy needed, compared to going from level 2 to 3.” I nodded at this. I had needed a trendous amount of energy to beco an immortal.
“Without using a demonic cultivation you would have never made it. There is a reason it is a massive struggle to reach immortality. The amount of energy needed is imnse. That is why it is considered another level in this commonly used level system among more powerful beings,” Senior explained.
“Then level 4 is where your mind becos one with your soul. Your body is rely a physical anchor to reality. You have a lot of work to do to fix up the problems with your cultivation but it is possible. Level 5 is where you create a domain. While it is called a domain, it is more a deeper area of specialization. As for the bottleneck, well, that is sothing you will co to understand as your soul grows stronger and you fix the problems with your cultivation. Level 6 is where you break free of the higher forces governing energy. And no, I won’t lay out a path for you. As you might have learned, the struggle is what tempers you to greater heights. If you can’t reach up yourself, then you will eventually fall like Shen when your own strength and wisdom fail you,” Senior explained.
“What exactly is energy? I know you won’t answer where it cos from,” I asked hesitantly. Senior just smiled at and shook his head.
“Clearly you want a more technical answer. I can give you one, but knowing won’t help you. It will rely be a piece of information I handed to you. Personal understanding is much more important, but you seem like you really want to know?” Senior asked and I nodded.
“Energy is a quantum waveform particle that reacts with ntal stimulation. This is drawn up through the layers of reality by your soul. By combining this with your sense or self, often referred to as bodily energy, you can manipulate this power. It responds to certain symbols and patterns, but beyond that I can’t tell you more from a technical perspective,” Senior said. What he said was more than enough. “I only answer that, since you have co so far. Sotis too much knowledge isn’t a good thing. It just bogs you down. If you knew everything you knew now when starting off, what would you probably do?”
“Stuff my body full of those energy motes that the Heavenly Alliance creates,” I replied and Senior nodded as his smile grew a bit, like I had answered exactly like he was expecting.
“Exactly. Then you would explode. If you didn’t explode, your base cultivation would have been too big of a ss to go forward. Your soul would have collapsed when going from level 1 to level 2. Or your body would have broken down going from level 2 to the peak of level 3 from the sheer pressure the energy of your soul was putting on it,” Senior explained, and I nodded at this before taking another sip of tea.
“That is why more knowledge is not always good. What might seem like the shortest route is not always the best. If you had known all you knew at the start, your critical choices would have been much different. This in turn would have killed you before you could even think of reaching immortality. Instead, you took the knowledge you had at the ti and managed to succeed,” Senior explained.
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“Thank you for your guidance. I honestly wasn’t expecting so many answers. Thank you,” I said again and ant it. I took another sip of the relaxing tea.
“Consider it one part of the rewards you will be given for defeating Ix and then running into again. While I might not know everything about you Yuan Zhou, you have done well against such odds. Your choices are ultimately your own. And while you might worry about being unduly influenced, there are always such factors. My personal philosophy is to take the waves and currents with understanding rather than trying to fight them. But I doubt such a mindset will work for you. I won’t tell you more on how to live your life, just that going with the flow isn’t always such a bad thing,” Senior explained.
“I will consider your words of wisdom deeply senior,” I replied, and he nodded at that.
“We are almost at our destination. So, ti for a few last questions,” he told . I had to make the most of this opportunity, since it wouldn’t co again. Thankfully all the pressing questions had already been answered, or Senior had given a clear refusal to explain more.
“What about Shen? I won’t have issues with his master?” I asked. I wanted to avoid complications and then seed like an important one to check on.
“No. A sha too. The boy had such promise. Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to safely ride the waves of fate that ca his way. He might have done well before, but the greater the confluence of events, the riskier the outco,” Senior said with a shake of his head.
“What cos next?” I asked as I sipped the tea. I wasn’t about to guzzle it down, but I would drink what I could before I had to leave.
“Whatever you want. Don’t worry, I will give you a small helping hand once we get to the Forever City. Consider it a reward for helping defeat Ix. I got a lot of favors from dealing with the entire situation. So, this is just paying it forward for your hard work,” Senior said with complete shalessness.
“May I be honest with you Senior?” I asked.
“Of course. And I know you want to tell that I didn’t do anything and for to claim credit is complete bullshit, right?” he asked with a big smile.
I hesitated a mont before replying. “Yes.” It felt nice to tell soone in power how shaless they were being to their face. It made my heart feel light.
“Perhaps you are right, but that question will remain unanswered until you are stronger than . Might makes right after all. I am your Senior. So, respect my authority. Hahahaha,” he laughed at the end of his statent. But there was nothing I could say or do. Might truly did make right.
While it might not have been one of the truths I had co to realize as a cultivator, it was a wider truth. Power was the ultimate deciding factor. I also noted that the power scale Senior had explained was exponential. Each level, much more powerful than the previous one and that would only accelerate. If he was level 5, the gap between us was much wider than between a level 3 cultivator and a level 4 immortal.
The climb upwards into the higher echelons of power was truly taunting, but I wasn’t afraid of hard work. I had already done quite a bit to get to where I was. I now had ti and Senior seed more than happy to give a helping hand going forward so I didn’t struggle.
I might have been the one on the front lines doing all the hard work, but shaless people were taking credit as the general of the entire operation. While I would get so crumbs at least, even if it was frustrating, incredibly frustrating. But that was cultivation, even after becoming an immortal I still had to bow my head to soone more powerful than .
“I suppose I can give you one more gift. I will ntion your assistance to the Xyon Front. I know you have a connection with them. That should assuage any hard feelings regarding any dealings you had with them. But after that, you are on your own,” he replied.
At least I had my questions had been answered. Senior hadn’t been too shaless. There was a soft chi as I finished up the last of my tea. “It is ti to go. Hmm, I guess I will make an appearance. Defeating Ix deserves a proper send off. Even if I prefer entanglents and drama,” Senior said with a smile in my direction. I followed through several corridors and then out onto a platform.
Hundreds of immortal cultivators dressed in the martial robes of the Heavenly Alliance knelt down on both knees with their heads pressed to the ground as we ca down a ramp instead of a very large hanger. An old looking man hurried forward and bowed deeply to Senior just as we reached the bottom of the ramp. I could tell he was an immortal and quite powerful. Looking at Senior I couldn’t tell anything about his level of power, but based on the response, I could guess.
The power scale might be greater than exponential. He had ntioned the level of energy required was 100 tis more difficult to accumulate to go from level 3 to level 4 compared from level 2 to level 3. Did that an that for to level 5 like Senior it would be a hundred tis more difficult than getting from level 3 to level 4? Knowledge was truly the root of all despair. But I wouldn’t let that stop .
“Junior Leader of the Heavenly Alliance greets esteed senior, One That Stands Above All. The Heavenly Alliance is very grateful for your help in stopping the disruption from spreading this far.” I had to take a mont to process that statent. This was the leader of the Heavenly Alliance. An old man bowing his head.
Soone that all the factions of the Forever City couldn’t even get a look at or speak to. Soone who stood at the pinnacle of power in a super organization. He was acting like so weak cultivator in front of Senior. That more than anything put into perspective the power of the man standing besides and how lucky I had been that he had been willing to answer my questions. My heart felt lighter at getting recognition for defeating Ix, finally.
“A minor trifle. I picked up a junior on my travels. He has so familiarity with the Heavenly Alliance. He requires a vessel as well, along with no restrictions on movent. I would consider it a favor,” Senior said.
“Such a humble request. This unworthy one would not date claim a favor for such a minor effort. A vessel of the highest quality will be provided and your most esteed junior will always be welco,” the leader of the Heavenly Alliance said. I had a lot more respect for Senior at the mont. When you stood at that level of power, even super organizations and their leaders had to bow their heads.
“Well, this is it. Perhaps we will et again if the currents of fate and destiny bring us back togeather,” Senior said while turning to look at . This ti I gave him a very deep bow.
“Junior thanks Senior,” I said. I couldn’t help but smile to myself about the minor pun regarding cultivator etiquette, since he hadn’t given his na.
“I should thank you for your help. Resolve the doubts in your heart. Grow stronger and perhaps it will be bowing to you one day Yuan Zhou,” Senior said and inclined his head a fraction towards . I guess defeating Ix had gained a lot more credit than I initially thought. Senior turned around and went back up the ramp.
I wanted to ask if I could be his apprentice and learn from him, but I knew the answer was no. I had my own path to take and so promises to fulfill. Asking for anything else would have been too much. I had also killed his follower. While he might be the type to forgive, he wasn’t the type to forget. If I had intentionally crossed him, I would have been instantly killed or worse. Senior was a being even Ix was weary of, putting things into stark perspective.
All the immortals rose up at once and they were staring intently at . I noticed a familiar face among them. Yang Heng, the immortal I had helped rescue from the chanical Layer. He was too well controlled to show any shock on his face, but I could tell he was surprised that I was Senior’s most esteed companion.
“Greetings, I am Immortal Yuan Zhou,” I turned to the leader of the Heavenly Alliance and bowed slightly. Enough to show respect, but not enough to show I would be under him.
“Greetings, I am leader of the Heavenly Alliance Liao Yingjie.” He bowed as much as I had. “Since you are the honored junior of the One That Stands Above All, please be welco. A vessel will be provided for you and reserved at your request. You also want to travel about the Heavenly Alliance?” I nodded at this question. It felt good to finally have respect. My heart felt even lighter, and I said a silent thank you as the vessel behind us disappeared from the massive hanger without disturbing the air in the slightest. A clear sign of power and technical ability to have a vessel like that. One that could just teleport away in its entirety.
“Indeed. I originally co from one of the continents of your Heavenly Alliance. I wish to return to pay respects,” I explained, and Liao Yingjie smiled at this.
“A simple request, easily handled. If you desire the continent for yourself, just ask. We would be happy to give it to you or anything else you request,” he said, and I shook my head.
“That is not necessary. I rely wish to pay my respects then I will return and depart for the wider Firmant. I also see an old friend who traveled with for a while in the chanical Layer,” I said.
“Oh, one our esteed juniors. How fortuitous.” He followed my gaze and saw who I was looking at. “Junior Yang Heng?” he asked .
“Indeed. I am glad he was able to be rescued from the Infinite Ring Complex of the Soaring Star Society before it fell into Chaos,” I said.
“A terrible disaster. But it good to see that mbers of the Heavenly Alliance have conducted themselves well while outside. Which continent do you co from?” I had to really search my mory to try and recall. It had been a long ti, a very long ti.
“I believe it was the Immortal Gongong helped manage it directly and the faction of the White Lotus overseeing it. Hopefully that helps narrow things down,” I said.
“Of course. That information will be gathered shortly. While you wait, Junior Yang Heng will escort you and handle any of your requests.”
“Thank you, Leader Liao Yingjie,” I said. Even though I knew he was only being respectful because of Senior, there was no need to be rude. Having friendly relations with the Heavenly Alliance wouldn’t be a bad thing. It was ti to start paying respects to everyone who had supported on my journey before I set off once again.
As Yang Heng ca over, I couldn’t help but appreciate the difference between my first arrival at the Forever City and this ti. The first arrival had seen called a baby and struggle to survive. It made wonder where Bones was, but it was unlikely that I would see them again. I also wasn’t interested in eting with the cultivators of the TripleX faction. They had helped , but they had also sent to the chanical Layer, effectively a banishnt.
As the immortals dispersed, they weren’t kneeling for but Senior, but I still felt so of that respect with the leader of the Heavenly Alliance personally greeting . While he wouldn’t stick around, that wasn’t surprising. I was of lower status than him, but the personal junior of Senior.
My heart felt lighter than ever. I would soon put my past completely behind before setting out once more, with the strength to match. While the future wouldn’t be easy, I was confident that I would succeed, however slowly on my path forward.
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