Tower of Heaven

Atlas conversed with the man for almost an hour. As he learned, his name was Veradon Tatsuya. By blood, he was Alaric's brother. His condition was discovered early in his life and changed it forever.

The blessed body he was born with was originally a matter to be celebrated, but its discovery was soon followed by the news of the curses of the same physique.

The Thousand Changes Body was so rare because those who were born with it rarely survived. A connection to the Great Dao was naturally a great thing, but only if it was controlled.

The connection formed by Veradon's physique was uncontrolled. Left alone in the outside world, his mind would be constantly plagued with visions of the Great Dao.

It was to the point where he almost went insane. By the time he was a teenager, he'd tried to end his own life multiple times. The crippling of his mind started to manifest in his body, and by the time he was twenty, he had lost his legs completely.

His eyes…he tore them out on his own, creating a wound stained by the Great Dao that was fated to never heal.

Those first twenty years of his life were miserable, but his family was forced to let him suffer. By mobilizing as many resources as possible, they used those two decades to find a solution.

It was meant to be temporary.

The Sanctum isolated Veradon from the outside world. It was its own separate space and thus could not be found through natural means. The fluctuations of the Great Dao were extremely suppressed inside.

To anyone else, it was a travesty. Any and all training would take a hundred times longer if the Great Dao was faint.

However, it saved Veradon's life. It allowed him to live properly and understand what life was like for others.

Still, the once temporary solution was forced to become permanent. The Tower's appearance fractured the Azure Dragon Clan and forced it to use its resources for other things. They could only recreate the original space in Vanatos to give Veradon some peace.

He had been alive for so many thousands of years, yet he'd really only ever known the Sanctum. It was a miserable existence to anyone else, but Veradon was able to find joy in it.

Here, his physique was not a curse. Here, he could explore the beauty of the Great Dao and entertain himself for an eternity.

It was during one of his expeditions into the Great Dao that Reali, the woman who originally greeted Atlas, was born.

As he thought, she was born a half-spirit, a heretic existence who could not exist in the real world.

The two of them were trapped in this space together. They spent more time than Atlas had ever lived in the Sanctum.

It became obvious why Veradon wanted to take him as a disciple.

He'd become curious about the outside world, or maybe he'd always been suppressing his curiosity. Atlas represented an answer to that curiosity, so it was only natural for him to take it.

Usually, a master-student relationship was somewhat one-sided. Though most masters were happy enough to see their disciples excel, they usually never received anything in return.

The act of masterhood was selfless. At least, when it was undertaken properly.

For Veradon, however, it was a truly selfish thing. He desperately wanted someone, anyone to represent him in the world and make him "someone" again. He never had the opportunity because he could never leave the Sanctum, but his decision to bring Atlas inside gave him a once-in-a-lifetime chance.

He was qualified for the role, and from what Atlas could see, he was truly a benevolent man. Becoming his student would only benefit him. The only problem standing between him and agreeing…

"How can I improve in a space like this? As you said, the Sanctum suppresses the Great Dao. I am not like you, so will I be able to make progress here?"

Veradon smiled lightly.

"Try it. See if your connection to the world outside is suppressed."

Atlas nodded. Closing his eyes, he entered a meditative state and attempted to connect with the Dao.

Now that he was an Earth Sage, he had the natural ability to do so. He didn't receive a Dao connection when he entered the stage because he already had one, but that didn't take away from the other benefits.

At first, Atlas' consciousness hit the wall he was expecting to find. It was like a massive fog was standing between him and the Heavens, forbidding his approach.

He stood in front of that wall and attempted to shatter it with his Will. Clearly, it wasn't going to work. This place was meant to contain someone who was born with the qualities of an Immortal.

Veradon had no need for cultivation. He would live for as long as the Great Dao. The Great Dao gave him power even if he didn't want it. With some practice, he was at a point where he could kill Atlas with a snap despite his seemingly mortal form.

How was Atlas going to break through this suppression? No, why did Veradon so confidently tell him to try it?

Atlas found out quickly.

As he came in contact with the wall over and over again, something in his body activated. He felt jittery and unable to keep his attention in one place. [Perfect Adaptability]'s lack of response meant that it had nothing to do with his mind and wasn't a status effect.

The world around Atlas started to wobble. A great displacement swallowed his perception, making him want to vomit, but at the same time…

'...the fog.'

The fog was clearing.

The fluctuations of the Great Dao became thicker and thicker, bringing peace to Atlas' perception.

And when his mind and body finally returned to normalcy, he found that there was no barrier at all.

He opened his eyes in surprise and looked at Veradon. Seeing him sitting there calmly, it was hard to say that the Great Dao's suppression was gone.

Yet, Atlas could no longer feel it at all?

"Don't look at me," Veradon said.

"I didn't do it." Explore more at m,v l'e-m|p| y r

"Then?" Atlas questioned seriously.

"I told you. Your potential is something that you cannot yet understand. You are unaffected by the Sanctum because of your uniqueness. The only reason you felt its suppression was because you fooled yourself into believing it could affect you."

Atlas' heart thumped.

A perfect environment. He'd found another one.

A teacher who was far more valuable than he even realized at a time, he found one of those as well.

Atlas got down on one knee and lowered his head, a gesture of respect. He put down his pride for a moment like this, because even he knew how important the ritual between master and disciple was.

"Please accept me as your disciple, Master."

Veradon's smile widened.

"Stand up. There is no need for you to go through such troubles."

Atlas immediately shook his head in refusal.

"I never do anything half-heartedly. As I have chosen to make this pact between us, I will do it properly."

Perhaps Veradon was embarrassed. Perhaps he didn't believe he truly deserved the position as someone who was fated to be unable to support Atlas to the extent that a real Master would.

Nevertheless, Atlas was sincere. He chose to accept this man as his master not only because he saw the benefits, but also because he truly respected a man who had persevered for so long in a situation that would drive anyone else insane.

On this day, Atlas found the teacher who would make him a master in the Dao of Water.

And more importantly, he found a teacher whose guidance would stay with him for the rest of his life.