A young man sat atop a ragged stone, ashes raining around him. However, an invisible field caused the particles to part, leaving him untouched in the heart of the downpour.
Rhys slowly exhaled, a plume of breath visible in the cool air. A satisfied smile graced his lips as a familiar notification chimed in his mind.
[Host’s cultivation has improved to Body Tempering (Peak)]
’Finally...’ Rhys muttered. He had fully tempered his body with spiritual energy.
His flesh, bones, and organs were now saturated to their absolute limit. Now, he just had to sense spiritual energy with the properties of an element and break through to the next realm.
’Elemental properties...’
To break through to the Energy Gathering realm, he had to sense and bond with a specific aspect of an element.
This choice would define the nature of his Qi for the rest of his life. Of course, it was possible for a cultivator to bond with two or more elements, but that was extremely rare.
The strain a single element placed on their constitution was already large; multiple elements would cause it to break.
But...
[...the Host does not have to fear that.]
’Yeah, I know.’ After all, his constitution was of Transcendent quality.
[System analysing... The properties of an element are not fixed. They are defined by the perception of the one who wields them. There are three known tiers of elements.]
[Fundamental Elements: Fire, Water, Wind, Wood, Earth, and Metal. These are the most common and stable elements, the building blocks of the world.]
[Rare Elements: Lightning, Dark, and Light. These are more volatile and difficult to master but offer unique and powerful abilities.]
[Legendary Elements: Time, Space, Soul, and Void. These are conceptual forces that govern reality itself. To even perceive them is a mark of incredible talent.]
The System continued, its explanation a revelation to Rhys.
[The properties one perceives decide the abilities of the element one senses. For example, one cultivator may perceive the ’burning’ property of Fire and become a master of destructive flames. Another may perceive its ’illuminating’ property and master arts of light and purification.]
’Void...’ Rhys muttered, his thoughts immediately going to his own Transcendent constitution.
[I suggest against that, Host. Until you reach Tier 4, Aura Manifestation, fully exposing your affinity with the Void element will bring you great misfortune.]
’What do you mean by that?’ he frowned. ’Will people even care? They don’t even know there are more elements a human can control other than the fundamental ones.’
[Sigh. You have eyes but can’t see Mount Tai.]
Rhys was stunned. ’Where did you learn that? Don’t tell me you are reading my mind without permission."
[How dare you unfairly accuse me, Host? Courting death!]
"You... you..." Rhys was speechless.
[You are the one who taught me these phrases...]
"No, you’re lying!"
[The System cannot lie. When you are in your battle mood, you become quite edgy, Host.]
"Well..." Rhys faltered. He remembered the fights. The exhilarating rage, the joy in the monsters’ terror.
He wasn’t a mindless maniac; he was in complete control. That was the scariest part. The bloodthirsty killer on the battlefield was the real him, a part he had hidden away even from himself.
He gulped.
"Am I some kind of Hitl—"
[That is a censored word.]
"—I mean, a psycho?"
[You have full control over your actions, Host. You simply enjoy combat in its purest form. There is nothing to worry about...,] the System paused, [...You are so hot that time. System blush.]
"Whatever. Tell me the reason why I can’t use the Void element," Rhys said, ignoring the System’s last comment.
[Void is one of the conceptual forces that govern reality itself. Whenever one of these elements is used, it will cause either a ’reality move’ or a ’reality crash’.]
’Say that in terms a dummy cultivator could understand...’
[In simple terms, whenever you use a conceptual element, there will be a change in reality. This is against the heavens, so the heavens will surely oppose it.
This opposition will create an alternative reality or illusion. That point is called a Fracture Point. In these Fracture Points, there will be another ’you’ who has followed another choice.
The accumulation of these Fracture Points will create a Fracture Node, or a rift.]
’A rift?’ Rhys frowned. ’Like labyrinths?’
[No. A rift is a challenge by Chaos. When many Fracture Points have accumulated to form a Fracture Node, Chaos becomes the judge.
Whichever Fracture Point successfully proves its own authenticity will become the true reality.]
Rhys fell silent.
[This is also one of the reasons those with conceptual elements never survive past Immortality. The universe and Chaos simply do not allow them to exist.]
’Then... why did you say I can bond with the Void when I reach Tier 4?’
[...If someone successfully proves to Chaos that they are the absolute truth, then that one can inherit the powers of all other Fracture Points.]
Rhys wasn’t excited. ’Why do you think I can successfully prove it?’
[...Because of me. Only you, reality or illusion, can have me. In the absolute truth of the universe, I am the ultimate weapon only you can wield.]
’Say that in a less philosophical way.’
[I can analyse whatever you see or have. That is not limited only to the ’you’ in this reality.]
’So that’s it.’ Rhys grinned. ’System, you are my lucky star. But why wait for Tier 4 then?’
[That ability unlocks when you reach Tier 4.]
’I see,’ Rhys shook his head.
[Firstly,] the System continued, its tone shifting, [you have to do something about your appearance. What would the jade beauties think if they saw you in this... preserved state?]
"Ahhh..." Rhys looked down at himself. His clothes were shredded rags, and his body was caked in layers of dried blood, grime, and ash.
A disgusted expression appeared on his face. "Yeah, just... bath me."
[That is a wrongful use of words, Host. System blush.]
"Gosh! What are you thinking? Just clean me!"
[Acknowledged. Burning one hour of lifespan for a full-body purification...]
A warm energy washed over him, vaporising the filth and leaving his skin pristine. He sighed, feeling human again, before realising a new problem.
"I’m naked..."
He rummaged through his spatial pouch and pulled out a fresh set of simple, dark clothes. After dressing, he took out his high-grade Shadowcat mask.
With his [Ash Walker] profession active, he commanded the surrounding ash to swirl around the mask, coating it in a fine, dark grey layer that gave it a sinister, grim-reaper-like appearance.
"It’s time to hunt Ferals," he declared, his eyes glinting. But before he could move, his gaze drifted to a specific direction.
Since becoming an Ash Walker, he could perceive the surroundings through the ashes. And by doing that, he could sense them.
The disciples of the Thorne and Sterling families, cautiously navigating the ash plains far from his current position. His lips curled into a small smirk.
The ash plains likely held other treasures. He had been so focused on collecting core fragments that he had ignored the scattered ruins half-buried in the ash.
Those fools were probably picking them clean.
"They must be burdened by the weight of all that treasure, right?" he mused aloud.
[Unlikely. They all possess spatial pouches.]
Rhys staggered dramatically. "I meant the weight of the spatial pouches themselves!"
[Negative. A spatial pouch weighs approximately twenty grams. A single hair from a Body Tempering cultivator weighs the same.]
"Mate, come on..." Rhys shook his head in mock disappointment.
[...However, the Host’s logic is sound,] the System conceded.
[In this environment, where ash constantly threatens their vision, holding onto a spatial pouch is risky. Should they drop it, the loss to humanity would be immense.]
"True," Rhys said, his smirk widening into a grin. "So, let’s relieve them of that burden and do humanity a great favour."
[Yes!]
A short distance away, the combined Thorne and Sterling teams were celebrating a recent find. They had discovered a small, ruined shrine and, after dealing with a few weak ash spectres, had found a chest containing several high mortal-grade skill scrolls.
"At this rate, I will be able to buy a mansion in the capital!" a Thorne disciple grinned, patting the bulging spatial pouch at his hip.
He was so lost in his happy thoughts that he didn’t notice the ash behind him swirl. He didn’t see a pair of shady hands, cloaked in grey dust, emerge from the ground.
He didn’t feel the slight tug at his belt.
The disciple continued to laugh and joke with his companions, completely unaware that his entire fortune had just been silently snatched away, his pouch disappearing back into the ashen ground without a trace.
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