Path of the Ascendant

During the first few rounds, Yi Wei had paid close attention to every participant, with her priority being on whether the loss of a round would cause one to be blocked from remaining on the stone platform.

As it turned out, that was not a problem, so she allowed herself to lose with minimal injuries and joined the spectating crowd. Unfortunately, while there were still several arenas in the air, their general attention was split, and many would switch between the battles that were occurring, often looking all over the place in the hopes of discovering some subtle change within the stone platform illusion.

Thus, she had to wait until the very last fight, where every single observer was watching a single battle without taking their eyes off it. At that time, she quietly broke away from the crowd via a stealth technique, and casually walked into the beam of light in the middle of the platform.

As expected, there was no obstruction to her entry.

‘This makes me wonder whether this is some oversight, or if this is an intentional test of those who enter. Judging by the fact that the Kong family specialises in illusions and mental training, and considering the fact that all three challenges so far have been very vulnerable to the Kong Mental Arts, it wouldn’t be too strange if they weren’t seeking the most powerful person, but rather the most capable in terms of mental techniques, for even a well-trained master of arrays would have no clue what it could and could not do without seeing it,’ she determined, glancing back to ensure that no-one had followed her, ‘Perhaps they could even be seeking that Kong Shi Meng, though I know too little about that situation to make any quick judgements right now. Anyway, the items in here can likely be won either by the strongest, in case no suitable claimant appears, or by the one who is able to take them first, either through sheer luck or knowledge of the array.’

She finished passing through the beam of light, and finally saw the other side fully, without the obstruction of illusion.

There were only three objects there – the Lock Obelisk, a small vial floating an inch off the surface of a small table, and, in the ground, a large planar stone. Other than that, there was nothing, not even a proper floor, in or outside of the illusion. Both she and the objects stood on grass and dirt, without any of the fancy architecture on the outside of the light beam.

‘If I was Yi Henghua or the person she was fighting, I’d be rather disappointed by this…’ Yi Wei thought, reaching for the small flask first, ‘It’s full of transparent liquid, almost like water… and I have no clue what it is… Drinking it straight away seems hasty, but I don’t know how long that battle will take…’

After examining it for a few moments, she could not find any obvious and dangerous poisons within, so she opened up the flask and drank it.

The instant the last drop of liquid sank down her throat, she could no longer keep her grip on the glass. It dropped from her fingers and shattered on the hardened dirt ground, but she couldn’t care less, for it felt as if her forehead had been set aflame.

‘If there’s one thing I can’t say, its that I didn’t deserve this… whatever this is…’ she thought, lightly rubbing the affected spot. It hurt a little bit, but in comparison to any of the other experiences she has had since the mysterious characters had awakened, this might as well have been someone tickling her forehead, or perhaps a mild headache at worst. After the initial burst of pain, which caused her hand to twitch and release the vial, it had calmed, and she was able to continue her exploration without much difficulty.

Unfortunately, all that was left was the planar stone, from which she siphoned as much energy as she could with a quick formation array. The energy within was sufficient to bring her up to the sixth, or perhaps seventh stage, but regardless of the exact figure, it would certainly bring about the equivalent of a breakthrough in her realm.

She couldn’t wait to see what changes would occur to her energy, or what other effects this perfected realm breakthrough might entail. There was already that spectral barrier around her dantian, which had still not solidified since she had first discovered it. Perhaps the development in her cultivation could transform it into something more useful or give her some hint of what its purpose was, besides looking somewhat nice.

‘I can spend some time on this later. For now, I should use the Lock Obelisk and return before anyone notices my departure,’ Yi Wei stepped up to the Lock Obelisk and placed her hand over it, before infusing it with a small quantity of the Kong Mental Art’s energy.

The third part of the key was being inscribed on her arm when she suddenly felt that her surroundings were too bright. It was a sudden thought, and an unprompted one. In fact, there was nothing different about her vision upon first glance. However, when she looked up, to the inner walls of the beam of light, she found them to be strangely… translucent, ethereal. It was like they had lost their substance.

‘What is… wait, the burning sensation is gone,’ she felt her brow, but nothing seemed to have changed, ‘Is this the effect of the elixir?’

To test it further, she practised the Kong Mental Arts to see what kind of circle of truth it would be able to produce this time. The moment that violet energy reached her mind, every illusion and false sight within her eyes visibly quaked and shuddered, before the vast majority of her sight was emptied of illusions, leaving only a vague circle of falsehood on the very outside of her vision. This certainly qualified as a circle of truth, while the previous dot in her vision was completely insignificant in comparison.

‘This is quite something. Wait a minute, now, doesn’t this mean that the elixir I drank was the Third Eye Elixir? That would explain a lot of things, including the burning sensation in my glabella,’ she realised, recalling what she remembered of the potion.

It wasn’t a particularly well-known elixir, with the entire Yi family historical library containing only three or four mentions of it. Thankfully, in each one, there were clear description of its functions, so Yi Wei had a pretty good idea of what it could do. After burning in a symbolic third eye, it would enhance the vision of the consumer, allowing them to see through illusions far more easily than anyone else, acting almost like the True Sight physique – and it might even have the ability to combine with it. Additionally, it had some positive effect at refining mental energy, and with sufficient time, it is said to be able to refine spiritual will into an entirely new realm, though no accurate records of such a realm existed within the library.

To put it simply, it was an effective item, and worth as much as the planar stone, if not more so, especially due to the location it was in.

What made it even better was the fact that it was a permanent benefit, both in terms of usefulness and duration. While the planar stone’s energy would eventually become meaningless if she ascended to the sixth realm or above, having the ability to see through illusions without needing to invest much effort was always helpful, as even the mysterious blue-haired girl lacked that ability.

‘Then, I guess that the supposed third eye is what’s causing this strange feeling of looking at something too bright. I hope it’ll recover soon,’ Yi Wei thought, narrowing her eyes as to reduce the unpleasant sensation.

The moment the Lock Obelisk finished inscribing the third part of the key, she obscured her wrist with the training bracelet and left the beam of light, re-joining the crowd as if she had never left.

Just as soon as she did that, the illusory realm announced, ‘The victor has claimed their reward. Concluding illusory reality.’

“What? It ended this quickly?” she muttered, prompting the others to also speak.

When Yi Henghua and the masked figure descended onto the stone platform, they had slightly different reactions. The latter did not appear to have any strong reaction, simply looking around without seeming too flustered, but after the initial shock wore off, the former’s eyes went wide, and her body began to shake.

She balled her trembling hands into fists while dust congealed around her, forming a small wild storm that forced everyone below the third realm to retreat immediately as to avoid suffering serious harm. Yi Henghua stared at the spectating crowd with thick killing intent, seemingly ready to obliterate anyone who has any trace of the illusory realm’s reward.

“You… Which one of you thieves stole my reward?” she roared, causing the storm to surge upward, forming into an enormous floating planar anchor, “GIVE IT TO ME!”

A number of people wished to comply, but there was nothing they could do. They had no clue where the things she wanted were either, while even attempting to guess in front of this furious person would likely result in a dust bullet to the face.

Furthermore, there was something strange about the planar anchor she displayed.

‘I feel some sort of strange energy within that anchor… don’t tell me that she also has some sort of unique planar energy like Lan Mei Xing or I do? Since when does everyone have one of these?’ Yi Wei questioned, though she maintained a blank expression as to not give herself away to the raging middle-class member of the family. ‘Actually, this is a great opportunity to study things like this. So far, none of the three types of energy bear many similarities – mine can imitate cultivation techniques, the blue-haired girl lacks an element completely, and Yi Henghua only has her dust, but it might be that this dust is the most curious thing about her. If her constitution is still damaged, as some say, then it must be this peculiar energy that permits her to cultivate in spite of everything going against her.

Might that dusty tome caught between two shelves have actually been an artefact of some sort? Otherwise, just like how I would not be able to use my cosmic energy without the characters, I can’t see how a unique energy like hers would be able to stay within her body.’

“So this is how it’ll be? Not only has my family cursed me constantly, but it has also betrayed me? What are you staring at, you bastard?” she noticed someone’s gaze and launched a dust spear at them instantly, empowering it with the full power of both her planar anchor and her cultivation. Before the poor lower-class member of the family could react, it had almost impaled him, but it was suddenly struck mid-way by a rushed gust of wind planar energy.

Both Yi Henghua and the crowd’s eyes went to the source of the energy: Yi Fenwu.

“You…!” Yi Henghua sputtered, the dust storm around her growing even stronger and thicker, “YOU BITCH! Do you think I cannot kill you? GET OUT OF MY WAY!”

“Henghua, if you have any sense about you, then stop this very instant. No matter what you may think about yourself, you won’t be able to deal with the consequences of your actions,” Yi Fenwu spoke in an unusual manner, without any of her sultry and flirty tones that usually filled her voice, “This illusion will break down soon, and the elder that followed us will be all too happy to take care of a rebel family member.”

“HOW DARE YOU THREATEN ME! THIS WAS MEANT TO BE MINE! MINE!”

While she was distracted, Yi Wei retreated to the back of the crowd, where she found Yi Bai standing with a shocked face and slightly trembling arms. When their gazes met, she noticed a complex mixture of feelings within her expression.

“H-hey, you know when I said that she was a lot like us? C-can I undo that statement?” she whispered that, trying to ensure that she wouldn’t earn the fury of their subject of discussion.

“Sure, if you want to…” Yi Wei muttered, also keeping her voice down while Yi Henghua was ranting to Yi Fenwu, “Do you have any idea why she is so upset over this? Was she also aware of the rumours regarding the content of this place?”

Yi Bai shook her head, “Don’t ask me. That guy over there was in her team, so he should know more.”

“Alright. Try to avoid looking directly at her, but also don’t look too far away, or else she’ll probably kill you.”

“I-I know that! Don’t make me even more nervous!”

She showed a small smile while she moved over to the ‘guy’ that had been pointed out by Yi Bai. He looked rather ordinary, both in terms of cultivation and appearance, being a red-haired man within the upper segment of the second realm.

“I’ve no clue, really,” he answered immediately, before shutting his mouth and making some strange motions with his hands. When she next heard his voice, it somehow entered her ears despite him not moving his lips, “Honestly, she can be a little weird sometimes, going on and on about things that we don’t understand, and occasionally she even mutters things like ‘chosen by the heavens’ and similar sorts of nonsense to herself when she thinks we’re not listening. It’s one of the reasons no-one likes her. Wait, you’re hearing me, right?”

“I am… nice technique, by the way.”

“Tha-” the man said a little bit out loud before he noticed his mistake, “I mean, thanks. Anyway, before she looks over here, could you scram?”

“Right…”

Yi Wei retreated back to her previous position and assessed her previous theory, ‘If that is true, then I suppose there is some credence to the possibility of her having an artefact. I mean, I’ve had some similar thoughts myself, so if she had found an item that just happened to be perfect for her, and that also gave her a significant advantage over everyone else, then I can see why she’d say things like that… I wonder what the other things she says are, and why she wanted this realm’s treasure in particular…’

Even though the Third Eye Elixir was indeed a powerful item, it didn’t have any clear benefit to the dust-wielding cultivator, and there was certainly nothing that would imply a connection between the Kong family and the dust-like technique, so for Yi Henghua to be so obsessed with the elixir made little sense.

‘Is she just irrational, then?’ she wondered, listening to Yi Henghua’s words for a bit.

“- I HAD BEEN CHOSEN! EVERY TREASURE IS MINE, DO YOU UNDERSTAND THAT! MINE! YOU’RE A MERE INSECT BEFORE ME!”

‘That is quite likely,’ Yi Wei sighed, ‘With how she was previously struggling to speak too much, I am surprised that she has this much energy now, especially after several concurrent fights. Anyway, this isn’t any of my business, so I’ll just leave the moment the illusion finally shuts down.’

A few more minutes passed before that happened, and it was only then that Yi Henghua finally ran out of air in her lungs and had to take a breath or two. After ranting for a sufficiently long period of time, she realised that she might have said a little too much, judging by the fact that the gazes of the crowd had grown even less favourable towards her, so she could only calm herself down and bury all of that anger and frustration. She would have time to learn who the thief was, just not today.

Once the illusory realm was down, every saw that they were standing in the middle of the same swamp that they had initially entered, although there was an equivalent to the illusory stone platform in the form of a large circle of smoothed grass and dirt of a similar size to it. There were no traces of battle on it, suggesting that those who fought on the platforms were somehow flying in reality and illusion.

They also saw the table and the shattered glass flask beside it, but there was nothing they could do to figure out who claimed it first.

There were no traces of planar energy around them, nor did anyone drip their blood over the glass, so the usage of blood tracking arts was out of the question as well. Furthermore, if the elixir was the only item stored within the illusory realm’s core, then the only method to remove it would be to refine the one who consumed it into a medicinal pill, and even then, it might not possess the same power as it should have done.

It likely wasn’t out of the picture for Yi Henghua, but the rest of the group, including both the Yi family and the ‘Flame’ mercenaries, had no intention to do so, and the remaining dark-clothed figure was still standing in complete silence.

Slowly, they dispersed, leaving the circle and returning to their camps.

The ‘Flame’ mercenaries made their way out of the valley, for they had completed their task and thought that there was nothing more within the Kong valley for them to locate. Before they did so, they ensured that they advertised themselves as much as possible, though that made them appear to be short on money to most of those who listened.

Unfortunately, the blue-haired girl, Lan Mei Xing, had vanished completely since their entry to the stone arena, and Yi Wei could not locate her no matter how much she tried.

Although she had no luck with her own search, someone else was more fortunate than her.

 

While looking for Lan Mei Xing, Yi Wei had split away from the rest of the family in order to increase her chances. After all, the first time the girl appeared, it was after every other person in the area had gone into the illusory realm, so perhaps she was just a little bit shy. She had been looking all over the place, calling out the girl’s name, when she felt an approaching foreign aura.

“Who is it?” she called out, sensing that this person did not appear to be obscuring their presence, “Don’t blame me for attacking you if you don’t reply.”

“No… no need. I am… here,” the person replied, stepping out from the shadows, “I’d… like to talk…”

‘Oh great, another Great Dark- wait, it’s the greatsword-wielding assassin from the Endless Dark Assassins!’ Yi Wei realised, not immediately being able to connect the soft and feminine voice to someone who ruthlessly defeated several opponents in a row with a giant sword. The wound on her side had been healed thanks to the magic of illusory realities, and now she looked just as she had before, other than the fact that her face covering had been pulled down, revealing soft yet scarred lips, with two thin claw marks on the left side of her face.

The upper part of her head was still obscured, but that small glimpse had still sent that annoying part of her heart fluttering, forcing her to take a moment to calm herself before speaking, “Alright, can I do something for you?”

“Mhm…” the assassin nodded, approaching a little closer under Yi Wei’s watchful gaze until they were in regular speaking distance, “You… received the elixir… didn’t you?”

That prompted her to tense up. Had she had a weapon to take out of a scabbard, or to remove from her belt or back, she would have done so at that moment. “What does it matter to you? Besides, how would I have taken it away while everyone was watching?”

“Don’t… misunderstand… I don’t want to… steal it… Just need to get your help… Please…”

It was rather difficult to tell whether she was being truthful, so Yi Wei put up a few defensive layers while also preparing to trigger a breakthrough if it was absolutely necessary to raise her fighting ability suddenly. However, when the assassin proceeded to stand still, she decided to listen to what she had to say. “Fine, I can listen to you and pretend that I have what you want, though I want all of the relevant details.”

“Naturally… There is a second flask of elixir… elsewhere in the valley… I want it to break free of my assassin’s binding…” the woman said, taking a deep breath before launching into a lengthy explanation, “I am indeed a part of the Endless Dark Assassins… like most groups of our kind, our Master has a method of controlling us… I barely broke out, took two others with me, and wanted to get the Third Eye Elixir to dispel that control… This flask was easier to attain… but the other one requires great accomplishments in illusions… or the Third Eye. Once I have it, I can strengthen my spiritual will… purify it… and get rid of the Master’s influence.”

“Out of curiosity, how exactly does that refinement process work?”

“You channel your spiritual will to the Third Eye…” she said, tapping her forehead, “then allow it to be refined… repeat until you can no longer continue…”

Yi Wei followed those instructions, sending a strand of spiritual will into her glabella. There, she found a small circle, surrounded by vague lines that almost resembled those that one may find around the heart of an array. She sent her spiritual will into it, and as it passed through, she saw it growing ever so slightly denser, although it was so insignificant that she would have needed to repeat this a hundred times for any clear improvement.

‘Well, that much is true. If she really is trying to free herself… maybe I can confirm it for myself?’ she wondered, returning her focus to the world outside, “Could you allow me to check your body for myself? I’m interested to see what an assassin’s binding looks like.”

“…” the woman hesitated, even showing her thinking on her face for once, until she finally gave a slight nod, “Rescind your spiritual will… the instant I tell you to…”

Naturally, Yi Wei agreed – she didn’t exactly appreciate how a number of people would search through the bodies of others with their spiritual wills without any consent from the other party, and she didn’t want to become just like those people – and slowly sent out her will to meet the assassin’s spiritual will. It was intangible in the physical world, but when viewed with her mind, she saw two individual strands of energy intertwining with one another so closely that they might as well have been one. One was dark and smoke-like, fluid and thin, but the other was thick, slow and dense, as if it had somehow solidified.

The Third Eye revealed that although neither were out of place, one was slightly more powerful than the other, and even seemed to be suppressing the thinner spiritual will.

“Is that denser energy also yours?”

“Mhm… It can be controlled by the Master’s technique, but… if I can refine it into one… it will no longer have effect,” the assassin explained, lowering her voice, “Hopefully… I have learnt about this and the elixir from the Master’s documents, so perhaps… no… never mind…”

‘Okay then… uh… I feel terrible about this, but I don’t think I can do much to help… Eh… I should have at least one mental technique to assist her in the process, right?’ Yi Wei scanned her memory and selected a skill designed to calm one’s mind and unify it, in the hopes that it would translate to her spiritual will. She removed a sheet of paper from her robe alongside a brush and some ink, writing down the technique quickly before giving it to the assassin, “Here. If condensing your spiritual will can prevent you from being controlled, then this should help… at least a little bit. By the way, you haven’t mentioned your name yet.”

“I… have been called Ninth by the Master…”

“If you’re intending to break free of him, won’t you need a new name?”

“…” Ninth lowered her head, also revoking her spiritual will into her body, “Yes… but… I… I haven’t had the time…”

Yi Wei wanted to state how understandable that was, especially considering the fact that two of her… friends? Partners? Two of her acquaintances from the Endless Dark Assassins had been killed not too long ago, so if she had been thinking about a name for them or for herself at that time, it wouldn’t have led to much good. Instead, she quickly thought up a name and offered it to her, “How about Fen Zhi? Fen as in strive or exert, and Zhi as in will or ambition? I think it makes sense, given your circumstances.”

“… I’d prefer to… give it more thought, first, but…” she tried her best to smile, “I can… accept it for now.”

‘Well, that is good enough for me,’ Yi Wei smiled back, “Alright then, do you know where to go?”

“Yes… I can sense the general direction… of the elixir… so we should be able to find it within the day…” Fen Zhi stated confidently, pointing to the south, “As long as you can travel quickly… it could be done within the hour…”

“That’s great. Let’s hurry up before someone accidentally stumbles onto that one, as well.”

“Mhm…”