Chapter 17: True to Form (6)

Chapter 17: True to Form (6)

Following Quanhaos return from Tribulation, Sylar had stayed for only a short time in the celebration that followed. There were many who were curious about the cantrip he had performed, about what he had done with the adamantine, and how he even knew of its name in the first place, but Sylar had been too exhausted to answer all of their questions, since he had just spent several hours observing him without getting any rest of his own. He promised to talk to them when the morning finally came, but then quickly retired to the guest room for a nice, long rest.

When he was finally fully awake, Sylar considered whether he might have perhaps been a little too impulsive in how he had reacted last night. There could have been several better ways to investigate whether the stone that Quanhao had recovered was truly a chunk of adamantine, and he knew that his chosen method of confirming its identity might have raised more than a few questions about him and what he knew.

In his defence, he had just spent several hours sitting in self-imposed silence with as minimal movement as possible, all while kept in a stuffy room filled with the overwhelmingly pungent fragrance of incense smoke. With it being well into the dead of night when Quanhao returned, coupled with his growing frustrations about how new questions kept arising when he thought he finally knew something, Sylar hadnt been quite in the right state of mind to consider the consequences of his actions.

Now, he was again in a private meeting aimed at a mutual exchange of information and this time, there were more eyes on him than during his previous ones. Elder Yang and Elder Hua were both in attendance, joined by their personal ranking disciples Guanzhong and Xingling. Qiyu had insisted on listening in as well, and he saw no reason to deny her. Quanhao was likewise present, since it had been he who had recovered the adamantine in the first place. Besides, he would likely soon progress to become a ranking disciple as well, now that he had awakened the Second Revelation.

And so, he now found himself seated at a grand table of majestic oak, jade, and ivory, with a haphazard pile of parchment that he had not yet even begun to analyse laid out on top. The adamantine stone was placed in the centre of the table on top of a small decorative pedestal that had been retrieved sometime after Sylar had retired to bed.

They looked at each other, and no one quite knew where to begin.

Elder Hua rolled her eyes as they all waited politely for each other to speak. Oh, please. Dont everyone speak up all at once. She looked at Elder Yang in a deference to his seniority, who made a subtle gesture and allowed her to take charge. Alright, Sylar Spellsight. You want to ask your questions first, or shall we begin?

Well if they were offering

Ill start then, he said, about to raise his first question, but then paused.

Where did he even begin? Nothing about the Planes Beyond ever came up when Elder Yang had spoken to him of Tribulations, and the cultivators didnt seem aware of their existence. He did want to know just what Quanhao had seen in his Tribulation, but to open with that question seemed a little tactless.

Sylar? Guanzhong questioned.

You were calling the rock a Divine Treasure, he said instead. What exactly did you mean by that?

If it is willed by the Heavenly Dao, when the spirit returns to the body, one may retrieve a sacred treasure alongside their Revelation from the realm of their Tribulation, Elder Yang explained. Most of the time, a Treasure only reveals itself to those further down the path of cultivation. Recovering one from a Second Revelation as Song Quanhao has done is not unheard of, but it is rare indeed.

He glanced aside at the two ranking disciples in attendance. Disciple Wu and my daughter are the two most recent members of our sect to have successfully overcome their second Tribulations, but neither of them returned with a treasure. Elder Hua and I each retrieved a treasure following our respective Third Tribulations that we have since forged into our personal artifacts, now kept in our Hall of Treasures.

Sylar frowned. May I see them?

Why? Xingling challenged, but she was remarkably calm and composed, not bristling as Sylar might have expected. They are the greatest treasures of our sect, Sylar Spellsight, and even we only utilize them in times of the greatest need. It will be a slight against our predecessors to allow an outsider to witness them.

Theres just something I want to confirm by seeing them, but if not, thats perfectly fine, Sylar conceded. He looked next at Quanhao. Can you tell me how you obtained this?Follow current novels at novelhall.com)

What came next was perhaps the most bizarre tale hed ever heard, which was saying something, considering his breadth of experience with the wild stories that traveling adventurers told. It had been interesting to learn that time did not pass quite the same way during a Tribulation as it did in the waking realm, but the more Quanhao spoke, the more Sylar became bewildered.

His initial thought was that somehow, Quanhao had been spirited away to the Elemental Plane of Earth during his Tribulation. Many things fit the desolate landscape, the friend hed called Pebbles that Sylar had a sinking suspicion was a Gem Sprite, as well as the small chunk of adamantine that he had recovered. If, indeed, his body were a conduit to the Plane of Earth, then perhaps somehow his spirit had indeed been transposed there?

Many things didnt fit, however. One could not survive for a prolonged period of time in any of the Planes Beyond without being warped by the primal energies that raged there. Biological life that ventured close to a Nexus of Power were gradually mutated into transcendental beings, such as the Spirit Wolves that he had encountered on his arrival in the Immortal Lands. Unless one readied the right set of protective spells and equipment and paid due precaution, entering the Elemental Planes would tear even an archmages body apart.

Sure, he conceded cultivators had qi but was that truly enough as a form of protection? It took a damned Eighth Level spell for a mage to even cross the threshold into a Nexus of Power, and though he knew that cultivators had powers of their own, he refused to believe that the qi of a cultivator at Quanhaos level could compensate for the most potent of protective spells that one could only dream of casting at Spellsong level.

When it seemed that he was finally nearing the climax of the story, however, Sylar knew immediately that his assumption was false.

Wait. What?

Abruptly, Quanhao paused, when hed been rambling on for the past twenty to thirty minutes.

Huh?

You said there was water?

Uhh well, yeah. It was this huge bog that we found after we climbed to the very top of the mountain maybe stretching on for about another kilometre or so? Quanhao responded. So anyway, then Pebbles and I went into the water, but get this there were these beings of living water that came and attacked us! I thought I sensed a bit of spiritual energy about them, but it was hard to tell at the time. So they dragged me down, and I

Quanhao continued regaling his story, Sylar listening raptly. What he was describing were Water Elementals, of that he was certain.

But why? If Pebbles was a Gem Sprite, this had to be the Plane of Earth. How could there be a bog in the middle of that Plane? And how could there even be Water Elementals?

It just made no sense. Putting aside the question of how a cultivator might be brought to the Planes Beyond during a Tribulation, why did it behave so strangely?

It was fully possible that the Elemental Planes might be different here in the Immortal Lands, Sylar acknowledged. Even then the notion of the Planes bleeding into each other just felt wrong. Each was a representation of the respective primal forces that governed all of existence, and they were each a separate entity that never once intersected with any other. Their mutual opposition was such that in the vicinity of a Nexus of Power, any reagent containing traces of a different type of Essence would slowly but surely have its stored Essence dissipate.

There were too many questions now piling up, and they were all intertwined with one another. What he needed to do was to try and see the big picture, then separate them into individual objective questions, and see if he might have any hypotheses to work on. From there, he would need to see which ones could be tested with the tools and models he had at his disposal.

Even as he listened with growing discomfort at the vivid description of nearly drowning that Quanhao had experienced, he began to work his way through his thoughts. If he took his observations from the night before, and combined them with the new information he was gathering from Quanhaos account

Sylar had witnessed multiple types of Essence being released from Quanhao, and if he truly had been transported to the Planes Beyond, it would fit with the possibility that the Planes somehow intersected and converged, and the Essence within the Planes flowing out through the conduit that was Quanhao. It didnt escape his notice that the sudden spike of Water Essence had occurred near the end of his period of observation: that might correspond to when Quanhao made his way over to the bog.

If that were the case, how was this conduit established? And if the Planes truly did intersect, how could this system remain stable as long as it had? And why would everything crumble away once it was all over, as Quanhao was now putting it in his own words?

Unspoken but easily inferred from the way cultivators so prized these Divine Treasures was the fact that any other object couldnt be brought back from the realm of their Tribulation. He had wanted to have a look at what other treasures the Righteous Heart Sect might have in their possession, so that he could verify his suspicion that these were all innately touched by the ambient presences of the Elemental Planes, and hence possessed permanent magical properties that were independent of the magics of Enchantment.

Then there were the peripheral questions. Why had there been Spirit and Form Essences being released through Quanhao as well? As far as he could tell, neither of the two Planes those two Essence types corresponded to had influenced the manifestation of his Tribulation. It neatly accounted for the question of why the Transcendentals were in such abundance that had bothered him for the time he had been in the Immortal Lands, but how did that factor in together with the other observations?

There was surely a model that could satisfactorily explain and unify these different observations. He just couldnt yet think of what that might be.

Sylar?

He had been in deep thought, and though Quanhao had already ended his tale with how he returned to the meditation chamber only to discover that the stone remained in his hand, Sylar hadnt spoken another word. It took Qiyu elbowing him from her seat beside him before he realised that a silence had set in.

Sorry, he said, glancing at Quanhao. Just thinking.

What is on your mind, Sylar? Elder Yang probed. Perhaps you might have some opinions of your own from the teachings of your homeland?

He was not the only one curious. Elder Hua was still in a nonchalant posture, but there was no mistaking the tinge of interest in the way that her eyes flickered. Even Xingling, who probably wasnt the fondest of him, still waited for him to speak.

I have some ideas, he said slowly. Theyre more just conjectures, really. And even then, Im not sure if I have any way to test them.

Quanhao held the adamantine stone in his hand and waved it about. But you know what this thing is, at least?

Sylar nodded. There wasnt any avoiding this question, and he trusted those in attendance anyway. Adamantine. Its extremely powerful, and in my homeland even those that didnt engage in cultivation could use it to fashion weapons and armour that were not only supremely effective in battle, but also bolstered the physical capabilities of their wearers.

There was a downside to that, however. The most famous of skilled fighters wore them to great effect in conjunction with their mastery of armour and blade, and there were certain branches of mage-swordsman hybrids that likewise took to wielding them. However, most generalist mages actively avoided adamantine equipment. Donning such equipment restricted their spell-set dramatically, because the lasting presence of the Plane of Earth imbued within adamantine actively opposed anything belonging to opposing Planes, and thus spells that incorporated any Essence other than Earth had an inherent instability to their casting when wearing it.

Adamantine, huh? Quanhao fiddled with it, bouncing it lightly in his hands, and treatment of the Divine Treasure in so frivolous a manner earned him a look of disapproval from Guanzhong. Wait if you know about this then do you mean that everything in that Tribulation realm was real?

That earned him many more looks of keen interest. It was no surprise. From the sounds of things, cultivators couldnt agree whether Tribulation was purposefully designed or simply a thing that occurred. Even if it truly existed or was simply a figment of a cultivators imagination was a contentious topic.

Unfortunately, this was something that Sylar had no clue about. There were many similarities to what he knew of the Elemental Planes, but also plenty of significant differences.

I cant really give you a definite answer to that, Sylar said. But back in Resham in my homeland, that is we could find adamantine in places where there was plenty of, uh earth elemental energy, I think is the term?

Elder Yang nodded, intrigued. Are you saying that your people could collect this Divine Treasure outside of a Tribulation Realm?

It requires due precaution to even think of doing so. The region in question possesses enough energy to tear apart the soul of any unprepared person, Sylar answered. But yes. We could find them, although they are exceptionally rare. There are places where they can be found in greater abundance, but only the absolutely most gifted of us are able to survive the energies raging there.

Hmm. Interesting, Elder Hua said, leaning forward in her seat. Youre thinking that the other Divine Treasures might be the same, Spellsight?

That was my hypothesis after discovering that Quanhao returned with adamantine, he said. But I still cant explain how he returned with it, or why theres such a big difference between how it is in my homeland and here in the Immortal Lands. He looked at them sharply. Are you sure that you cant find a Divine Treasure anywhere else?

The Elders exchanged looks. It might be possible, Elder Yang admitted. Rare treasures possessing blessings of the Dao have been described in places that bear powerful forces of the natural world. But each sect jealously guards any treasures they recover, so

Its difficult to confirm whether a copy of a treasure recovered from Tribulation can be found elsewhere, Sylar finished, and sighed.

Fair enough. Just taking the Elemental Plane of Earth alone, there were many prized materials that each possessed different properties. Mithril, adamantine, orichalcum, mantle diamond the properties of adamantine alone even had some degree of variance between individual ores. If each sect hoarded their treasures, it was nigh impossible to demonstrate that the rare Divine Treasures they obtained might have their counterparts at Nexuses of Power that had a sufficiently strong connection to the Planes beyond.

Hey, Sylar! Quanhao said suddenly. Does that mean that you also know what Pebbles is?

A Gem Sprite, probably, Sylar said, shrugging. I havent met one before, but Ive read accounts written by those who have. The way you described Pebbles sounds similar.

Wait so you mean he wasnt just part of the Tribulation? Quanhao frowned. Do you know how to find him?

I think Pebbles probably does exist, yes. Considering that the adamantine was real, he couldnt see a good reason as to why the elementals present in the Tribulation might not be. And finding him isnt going to be easy. Even with my present competencies in the Spiritual Arts, I wont be able to survive the journey.

Summoning was an option but with his present capabilities, all he could do was summon a Gem Sprite, that may not necessarily be Pebbles. Attempting to locate the precise position of a specific individual and then draw them into the material world required not only expertise in Divination and Conjuration, but also a high-tiered spell.

Even you?

And you want to utilise our records to see if the realm of a Tribulation fits with these Elemental Planes that you speak of, Elder Hua surmised, frowning. The idea of it is intriguing, but

But? he prompted.

Tribulations dont always correspond to the element that one cultivates, came the reply, and she looked at Elder Yang. Does he already know?

He nodded his head with that same pained expression from before on his face.

I told you that I turned back from my Tribulation because I saw saw things that I never wanted to see. Saw enemies that I knew I could never defeat with all the strength that I possessed. He breathed in, steadying himself. My cultivation is mostly derived from the elements of fire and water at its core. I thought in my arrogance, perhaps that I had been close to mastering those two elements, and yet, what I saw in there

The master cultivator, who must have faced hundreds of foes with power that Sylar couldnt imagine, looked shaken. Even now, more than twenty years since he had failed his Tribulation, the memory was still firmly etched into his mind.

It was completely unlike the elements that I knew of, Sylar, he said. There was not even the slightest trace of the calmness of water, or the ferocity of fire. What I saw in that darkness went beyond what I thought even possible, and I His words caught in his throat. I couldnt bear it. Even looking at it, I knew I would fail if I continued forward. And so I fled.

Could the Transcendentals be at play here? Sylar had not yet revealed their existence, but

Im sorry, Sylar apologised, but knew that he could not stop here. He needed clarification on Elder Huas words. But is this the exception? Do most Tribulations draw a heavy influence from the type of energies they have cultivated?

Elder Hua nodded. Yes, that is often the case. No two tribulations are ever alike, but they are almost always rich with the energies they have chosen to cultivate with.

So why? What factors made Elder Yangs case different?

It was no good. Sitting here and theorising would do him nothing.

Thats not the only hole I have with my theory, though, he said, looking back at Quanhao. The Elemental Planes shouldnt be able to intersect with one another. They are in mutual opposition, and if they were to begin to mix, they would begin to consume and destroy each other. Water doesnt exist in the Plane of Earth, and neither can even the smallest stone exist in the Plane of Water. If one attempted to bring a pebble in, it would soon crumble away into nothingness.

Then there was still the most obvious question of all how could Quanhaos spirit or consciousness simultaneously be in the Tribulation realm, while his body remained in the material realm?

Do you think the knowledge from your homeland might be able to explain this? Guanzhong asked.

Perhaps. I need more information, though; concrete facts and examples. He sighed. I think thats about all that I can manage to put together for now though.

They lapsed into silence for a moment.

Xingling spoke first. Perhaps there is one thing we havent yet mentioned. Sylar startled, not having expected her to contribute. I assume that no one raised the point because of how obvious it is, but we should bear it in mind.

Huh?

Even if the sets of teachings and techniques of every sect are different, there is always one point in common. No matter what, if a cultivator does not engage in this, they will never be able to reach their first Tribulation, she said. You should already know this, now that youve achieved the First Comprehension.

Sylar frowned. Was this meant to be some puzzle he had to decipher? He tried to parse the meaning in her words, but there was nothing that came to mind.

what is it?

She stared at him for a long moment, and only then seemed to realise that he was genuinely clueless as to what point she was trying to make.

No one told you? She seemed surprised at the notion, then shot a glare at Guanzhong. You were just going to let him continue blindly without telling him that he needs to learn to start cultivating his yang energies at this stage?

Guanzhong took a moment to react, but when he finally did, it was with a widening of his eyes and a profound startlement.

I he spoke, chagrined. It it completely slipped my mind. With your Spiritual Arts at such a level, I never imagined that -

Hes the equivalent of a Junior Disciple, Xingling stressed, interrupting him. No, worse than that. Hes someone who blundered his way into the First Comprehension. He knows nothing about it. Even with the need to keep our techniques secret, we have a duty to prevent a guest from having their cultivation crippled.

Guanzhongs embarrassment deepened with each scathing word that Xingling spoke, but Sylar didnt quite get what was happening here. What are you talking about?

From the Dao came the One, from the One came Two, from the Two came Three, and from the Three came the Ten-Thousand things, Elder Yang recited.

Ten thousand things, backed by yin and embraced by yang, are infused with qi to achieve the truest Unity, Sylar finished, and looked at them. Yeah, Ive heard that before. How does that relate?

Exactly that, Xingling said. If you fail to cultivate yin and yang, you will never be able to achieve unity with the dao. You will remain at the bottleneck, and you will never progress any further. Your path would end there.

There was a relative softness to her tone as she said that relative being the operative term. It was surprising, but perhaps there was more to Xingling than the impression he had of her.

But yin and yang? The Core Essences? Cultivating them in some way was somehow a prerequisite for a Tribulation to be met?

This was essential information. Perhaps blindingly obvious to a cultivator, in the same way that he never had to explain fundamental calculus and geometry to any mage, but this was novel information to him. He kept it in mind, but even with that piece of information, it was little more to go on.

Thank you for telling me that, he said to Xingling, then addressed the Elders. Do we have a deal, then? Will you allow me to access some of your records?

They shared a look. That, again, is a matter for the Grandmaster to decide, Elder Yang said. But I suspect he will not refuse, though he may remove any reference to our sects techniques. If we come to understand even a little more about Tribulation, if nothing else, we may be able to make it safer for our disciples.

Again, it was up to the Grandmaster. Perhaps what Sylar told them of the Elemental Planes might help leave a good impression on the man, but from what hed been told, it seemed that he placed equal emphasis on action and deeds as he did on talent.

Shall we leave it here, then? It seems like we each have much to think about, and you seem like youre eager to begin doing whatever it is that thats supposed to be. Elder Hua raised a brow, gesturing toward the pile of parchment that still carried a faint scent of incense upon them. She stood up and stretched, once again the same laid-back Elder he had met at the Demons Pass, and yawned. Goodness, all that talk got to me. Xingling, were beginning our training at three. Dont be late.

And with that dismissal, the discussion broke apart. Sylar would have wanted to stay for longer to catch up with Quanhao, but he knew that Jin would grow worried if Qiyu did not return soon. Besides, he had much on his mind, and he still needed to make sense of the data hed collected from observing Quanhao.

So it was that no more than fifteen minutes later, they were once again at the gates of the Righteous Heart Sect, Huoyang readying the carriage for the ride back down. He and Qiyu were exchanging their goodbyes with their cultivator friends and surprisingly, Xingling was among that group.

Shurui knelt and gave Qiyu a soft hug. Well come visit soon and play, okay? Then, she turned to Sylar. Good luck on setting up your school.

Ohh, boy. With that would come a new set of responsibilities that hadnt been on his mind the entire time hed been thinking about the latest knowledge he learned. It seemed like he would have enough on his plate to occupy all his time for the foreseeable future.

Come and visit any time, Sylar, Guanzhong said, then lowered his head. And again Im sorry for forgetting to mention the need to work on cultivating your yang. With all that you manage to surprise us, it completely slipped my mind that there were things you may be ignorant of.

Dont worry about it; I know that feeling. I still find myself assuming some fundamental basics when teaching Qiyu, only to discover fifteen minutes later that she hasnt understood a word Im saying.

Qiyu snorted she was growing far too comfortable with him, that cheeky apprentice of his and pretended to whisper conspiratorially to Shurui. Its funny to watch him talking to himself. The record so far is a full hour.

Okay, that was a lie, and she knew it. He let her have this victory, though he promised he would repay her with a long lecture on fundamental Essence Theory when they returned.

Cant wait for our duel, Quanhao said, grinning. Once I start getting used to the Second Revelation you best be ready, Sylar, cause Im sure not going to go easy on you!

He winced. Please, please do remember when that time comes that Im as fragile as a housefly.

He hoped that Quanhao took his words to heart, or that Guanzhong would at the very least clamp down on some of his excitement, because Quanhao looked far too eager for a spar between them. One thing for sure was this he sorely needed to bolster his repertoire of defensive spells, beginning with the Dispersion he was certain he would soon be able to re-derive.

Sylar. Xingling spoke icily. A word?

He looked at her, then glanced curiously at the others. Guanzhong, Yao, and Quanhao looked equally confused and curious, and Shurui was still engaged with entertaining Qiyu. Annoyed, Xingling grabbed him by the hand, and pulled him to one side.

Can I help you? he asked, when she stopped frowning after looking to see that they were out of earshot.

What you said. She looked at him intently. Do you really think you can do it?

A flicker of emotion broke past her usual stony expression for the barest of instants, but Sylar knew better than to mention it.

It will take time, but yes; I think that at the very least, I might be able to come up with something more comprehensive about the nature of Tribulations, he said. And with that one step will come another, and another, and another and someday, I do think it possible for Elder Yang to return to face a new Tribulation.

She was silent for a long moment, and simply stared at him, assessing his words.

One can have eyes but only ever see the base of Mount Tai, she mused, though Sylar had no idea what the context of it was. It sounded vaguely like some sort of saying. We shall see if you can ever glimpse the peak.

He was about to turn around and reconvene with Qiyu, but then she delivered some parting words.

Know this, Sylar Spellsight, she said dangerously. You think you know my father now, but you have never seen the burdens of his past. If you dare to reopen his old wounds with all your false hopes and empty theories, I will never forgive you.

With that, she departed, heading back to the interior of the sect.

He could empathise with her, truly. No matter their differences, they were kin. If he were in Elder Yangs place, after having spent years trying and failing to find an answer, then coming to accept a new place in life, only to be told that perhaps a way forward might exist it would be torturous to subject oneself to such a cycle.

Still, Sylar had to try. Not just for Elder Yangs sake, and not just for the sake of satisfying his thirst for new knowledge. He wanted to help, that was true but there was something even more pressing.

No; his primary motive for pursuing this instead lay in his projection of what he thought might be happening, only taken to its most extreme limits. If the Planes Beyond were involved in all of this, and were somehow able to bleed into each other, there was a real potential for a catastrophic outcome that may not be confined to the Immortal Lands alone. They were fundamental constants of creation itself, and a grand catastrophe to such a balance would impact all the Planes.

Certainly, this was the most extreme scenario, and perhaps it would never come to pass. Still, no matter what, he could leave no stone unturned if there was even the slightest possibility of that occurring whether by accident or purposeful design.

Even as he began his lecture on a more in-depth account of the Elemental Planes to his apprentice, these thoughts continued to bother him as the carriage made its way down the mountain pass. Working out a theoretical framework for cultivation to guide his own path forward, discerning the true nature of a Tribulation, setting up an academy of his own, all while continuing to practice with his spellwork he would definitely have his hands full for the foreseeable future.