Tower of Heaven

"Hnngh…"

Atlas was roused from his slumber by the sun in his eyes.

It was strange.

'Why is the sun in my eyes?'

It was his first thought considering that he'd passed out in a cave. His second thought was more urgent.

'Who?'

His eyes shot open and his spiritual sense spread into the surrounding few meters. His body raised from its horizontal state and his arms went up in preparation for battle.

Immediately, Atlas felt the changes in himself. His qi was moving far smoother than before and his body reacted to his thoughts better.

It was an exciting feeling, but the danger presented by his environment didn't allow him to enjoy it.

In all honesty, it was a very peaceful place. There was a large white gazebo surrounded by a garden of various flowers. The building Atlas was in was made of a dark and smooth wood and had a great view into the nature outside, hence the sunlight on Atlas' face.

This did not seem like a place filled with danger.

'However, how did I arrive here?'

Atlas slowly stood up. He didn't sense any living beings with his spiritual sense, but he didn't drop his guard. Whoever or whatever brought him here surely wouldn't let him leave until accomplishing their purpose.

Walking out into the garden, Atlas was able to see past the small cottage where he awakened. The garden spanned for as far as his eyes could see. There were buildings strewn about, all of them blending into the peaceful environment.

This was the kind of place that spirits adored. That was the feeling Atlas had.

"Oh, have you awakened?"

A voice came from behind, putting Atlas on high alert. He spun around and summoned his chain sickles, ready for battle.

At this point, he'd been training with Alaric for two years. Their physical training was mostly secondary and they'd moved on to training actual practical combat with the chain sickles.

What he learned was mind-blowing. Truly, he never knew that weapons could hold such power in a world where qi and Dao comprehension took precedence. Enjoy new tales from m-v l'e|m,p-y r

There were a select few weapons that had their own Daos, like the sword or the spear, but the chain sickles weren't like that.

Humans hadn't used chain sickles alongside cultivation enough for the Heavens to accept a Dao on their behalf.

However, as he used the weapons, Atlas became certain that they were worthy of [Intuition]'s activation. He had to admit that his improving fighting style was much more thrilling than anything he tried in his previous life.

He drew his weapon with confidence because Alaric was a good teacher who stuffed him with more knowledge than he could digest in a short period of time.

Unfortunately, his confidence crumbled almost instantly.

'Must it always be this way?'

Why was the person in front of him also an Immortal? Were they so common in this world?

'The aura of an Immortal is unmistakable. They simply are not on the same plane as us mortal cultivators.'

Atlas gritted his teeth, but the woman who spoke had no reaction.

"You can calm down. If you forgot, this world is a Neutral Zone. I will not do anything to harm you," she said.

She had green hair, something Atlas had only seen in spirits before, and eyes that were hazy as if they didn't work. The woman could definitely see, but her gaze seemed to look past Atlas and at him at the same time. It was a feeling he couldn't completely understand.

Nevertheless, she was correct. He had indeed forgotten the fact that they were in a Neutral Zone considering how much he'd been fighting in these two years.

That was sparring. It was always only sparring. It was impossible to kill or even attack anyone in this world with harmful intent outside of the designated areas.

As for those…

'As if to warn cultivators of where they are, those areas are filled with killing aura. This is the direct opposite of that environment, so it cannot be one.'

Atlas visited a few himself in these past few years, so he could say it with certainty.

He begrudgingly lowered his weapons and accepted the woman's civility.

"Where am I?" He asked, throwing out the most obvious question first.

To his surprise, the woman answered freely.

"This place is called the Sanctum. It is the home of my master, the same person who brought you here."

"Why did your master bring me here?"

"That…isn't it better to ask him yourself?"

Atlas nodded. It was indeed better to ask the man himself.

The woman explained that she was tasked to check on him every few hours or so until he woke up. Now that he was awake, there was no need to delay the meeting that he'd been brought here for.

'It has been…three days?'

It was longer than he expected. The strain his body and mind endured during the breakthrough was more serious than he thought.

'Luckily, I survived. It would have been dangerous if I did not grasp at consciousness at the end.'

He survived and made it to the next stage. If he had to fight Horus again, he was confident in winning within ten moves.

With such thoughts in his mind, combined with thoughts of what training would follow in the coming months, Atlas was led to a quaint building similar to the one he awoke in.

Within, there was a man. He had a dainty appearance, so to say. His legs were frail and hung limply from his chair. His frame was thin and clearly ill, and his eyes were covered by a bandage.

His hair was long, draping down to his waist, and was of a much fainter blue color that held similar roots to the color of the Tatsuya Clan's hair.

More importantly, those dragon horns coming out of his forehead couldn't be ignored.

Only…

'Is it a personal choice or an imperfect transformation?'

As Atlas learned in these two years, some dragons preferred to display some of their draconic features even in their human forms. It was a matter of pride.

Usually, when Artemia wasn't climbing the Tower, she also kept her horns out. She only hid them in order to keep a low profile when she was in the wild.

Many people knew her, but with the Tower's population, even more people didn't. It was better if she didn't openly announce that she was a Tatsuya when she didn't need to.

Though, that was a lesson she only learned on the 11th Floor.

"It is an imperfect transformation."

The man spoke as if he heard Atlas' thoughts.

No, perhaps it was obvious from the look on his face, but how did someone who was presumably blind and mortal see him?

Regardless, Atlas answered politely.

"I apologize. I did not mean to offend you in any way."

"No, it is quite okay," the man responded calmly.

"Many people think the same thing when they see me. It is not a reaction I take offense to."

The man turned his head, looking directly at Atlas.

"However, rather than speaking about me, I am far more interested in you, young man."

There was a tone of curiosity in his voice. He looked Atlas up and down, an action that had no meaning to a man who could not see.

"I noticed the fluctuations of your breakthrough and became curious. Now, seeing you in person, I can say with certainty that what I saw was not a lie."

The man put down the zither in his hand and leaned forward.

"You…how are you able to contain both the Dao of Water and the Dao of Fire in such a weak body?"

Atlas froze.

The very thing that he chose to keep a secret had been discovered mere days after he attained it.

Suddenly, this meeting was no longer so casual.