Chapter 79: Chapter 78 - Evaluation
"I had things well in hand, young man." Tyr was eating what looked remarkably like a hind quarter of a beast but it was nearly as big as Lind's body. He did not even know where such a large beast even lived, yet there it was. He also noted it seemed a little more rare than any human would like. There was actual blood still dripping from it.
Despite her aura as a Sky Realm, Lind did not bow to her words. They had been negotiating for nearly 2 weeks and it seemed to just get mired in more politics as time went on. Lind had reached his breaking point when Qing had mentioned how the Kingdom of Altair was referring to his status as royalty.
His vision had dimmed at that moment and Qing had been ready to restrain him as his aura had violently changed for a few moments. It took over 3 days before he was ready to confront the 3 people arguing over his fate.
"I trust your expertise senior Tyr, but there are things none of you will ever agree on while that place was involved." Lind did not chance dwelling on the origin of his father. It clearly triggered the heart demon he had barely dealt with.
Qing sat next to him as she had her artifacts and a formation plate arranged to analyze his condition. The confrontation had gone well, but a cold sweat had covered his body and Lind felt weak afterwards. Lady Tyr had stayed quiet until Qing gave approval to continue the conversation.
"While I appreciate your feelings regarding…those people…I really did have things in hand to resolve the current issue without the need for battle." Lind barely resisted rolling his eyes. His impression of demons had been contrary to his expectations but on one thing his lessons and reality agreed, they were tenacious when it came to battle.
Qing suddenly pinched his ribs so hard that Lind nearly jumped out of his seat but he only glanced at her. He could have sworn Tyr smirked at him but it was hard to read that subtle of a look on her face.
"I only spent time with Cyntilla during the Ruins part of the entrance ritual, but in that time I gained a bit of understanding of her stance on life and her goals. Afterwards, despite the commands of the Emperor of the Lotus Empire and edict from the Darkmoor Kingdom, she continued to give me gifts to leave me a thread of hope. Do you really think Crown Prince Ryu is willing to let go of this?" Lind's words seemed petulant and severely naive, but he had a point. While normally the situation might have a way out, this regarded the honor of 2 very strongly opinionated youths.
Tyr tapped one of her fingers on the meat she was eating as she considered his words.
"Perhaps living a couple of centuries does dull the time of youth, plus I have been through a few more things than you have." Tyr conceded she was used to dealing with much older cultivators rather than people who had only lived a couple decades at most. What seems reasonable to an adult would be terribly unfair to a child. "Even so, I had strong faith I was on the right track until you interfered."
Lind saw she was not going to let it go, so he glanced at Qing. She erected the personal formation plates to isolate his courtyard. Tyr looked at them both oddly as she could have easily kept any eavesdropping away, but the trust between healer and patient was paramount. The Sky Realm expert merely looked over the preparations of her former student and nodded her approval.
Lind's aura suddenly shifted violently in front of them but Qing made no move to stop it. Tyr arched one of her eyebrows but simply watched. With her power, it would be child's play to stop the boy.
Lind's cultivation pressure skyrocketed past World Realm and then Tyr was stunned to see it surpass her own. How was this possible? His body should explode with this kind of pressure. It was nowhere near ready to bear it, yet it seemed to be doing all right.
"That is enough Lind." Qing's voice cut through the pressure and it bottomed out as Lind fell off the couch he was no. He was heaving as if he had just done multiple marathons or battled an entire sect. His body was covered in sweat and his Qi was nearly depleted. Tyr was stunned, however, to see his meridians and dantian seemed perfectly fine while bloody injuries covered the boy from head to toe.
"Elder Sister, I was the one that suggested Lind bring an end to the negotiations because of his regression. He is not ready to confront this aspect of himself yet as just thinking about it results in what you saw." Tyr looked far more serious and now apologetic. How long had Lind fought off his heart demon with Qing constantly helping him?
How many days was a person expected to fight such a powerful force in their body? Tyr bowed to them both in apology as she set her food aside.
"In that case, do you have a plan? Do you understand what will happen when you lose?" It was foolhardy to expect a tier 6 to fight a peak Soul Realm. Even the best warrior would be flattened with such a difference. The boy was still recovering but shook his head.
It had been a hope, but Lind could only cultivate until a date was chosen. His breakthrough on his elements was wonderful but he could not make up for the years of comprehension he was behind his contemporaries. He currently was only pulling off similar effects to a tier 3 Soul Arts.
His pure element Arts were equal to his cultivation but anyone could overcome those once they grasped his weakness. The combination of elements was where cultivators could keep opponents on their toes.
"I can only do what I can, but ultimately, Cyntilla will choose what she wants. As long as her will is acknowledged, I am fine with the outcome." Lind meant that. What mattered to him was that Cyntilla had control of her own life. He knew it was hard to overcome an engagement negotiation with a higher power, but if she chose it, he would simply accept it.
"Lind, go recover in your room for now." Qing's words made Lind focus on his recovery as he made his way to his bedroom.
****
Tyr watched the boy weakly walk off and still was stunned at the pressure he put out no matter how briefly. Many impatient or arrogant cultivators had tried to find shortcuts over the billions of years of history but all knew that if a person pushed too far, you died. There were no exceptions until now.
"You have seen this before?" She looked sharply at Qing as she poured out some fresh tea. This was much closer to Tyr's preferences, but it stayed on the wooden table between them. The current matter was something she had not heard of back at sect headquarters.
"I did not see its full power but during our sessions he sometimes slips into a fugue state and can have a comparable sensation to what you just felt." Qing looked meek to Tyr but she was not fooled. This girl was made of iron in her blood and her tier. Her explosive growth was attributed to overcoming her own heart demons.
"How can you explain that strength?" The fact the boy could survive such power without damaging his meridians and dantian was a mystery Tyr needed to understand. A Soul Realm should be crippled by Heaven Realm strength.
Qing sipped her tea as she summoned notes from her storage pouch. The neat writing was in the northern script only a few could read in this area of the world. It made it hard to spy by snatching her notes that Tyr appreciated. At higher realms it was irrelevant, but at World Realm it was effective.
"As you know, there is little on the benefits of 6 elemental dantians. His harmony is not recorded, but I have noted it seems to inspire an increase in those around him if active. I, myself, have felt my own bottleneck loosen when near him when he is agitated." Tyr was actually leaning forward now. Her bloodline had been stimulated in her youth to cause her cultivation to sky rocket, but it had a limit.
Could this boy stimulate her when he reached a higher realm?
"I suspect his harmony reinforces his meridians and dantian in some way I cannot confirm, but it could also be that his 6 elements naturally temper his pathways to accommodate all the elements at once." Qing flipped through a few pages and pointed out the diagrams showing his capacity of Qi as well as duration of skills. He was much higher than other Soul Realms at the peak, let alone tier 6.
"Divine cores. He has 6 divine cores. Has that ever happened before?" Tyr recalled their research on the boy, but Qing shrugged. She realized it was a ridiculous question as very few 6 elemental drew attention like Lind Frey had.
"It may be part of it, but we do not have any reference in our records. Something I did note is his recovery time is remarkable. His body was in very bad shape after the Demon Empire incident but by the time arrived he was reading and talking easily." Tyr was stunned once more. How was that possible? A possession, even if it left one able to cultivate, would ravage a body for years, but this boy recovered in a month?!
"Does he have a bloodline like mine?" There were some tests that could confirm this, but Qing shook her head. "Do you have theories?"
"I do not like to theorize, but based on what I have seen, Lind Frey is stronger than most cultivators due to his diligence tempering his elements ahead of his foundation. It is possible other cultivators could confirm this, but few would claim it as it is inefficient." Qing then brought out a jade slip and sunk her senses into it before nodding and tossing it to Tyr.
Tyr looked it over and saw many notations about Lind in it. His explosive growth in elixirs could not be easily blamed on the Immortal Will that had been in the Stone Ward. She had hoped to meet that senior but he was already dispersed. Fate could be fickle like that.
"I see you have kept details secret about Lind here, but I understand." A healer in this area had to be trusted by the patient. Some facts could be shared to an elder, but not all. It needed the patient's permission.
"He has been through pain similar to mine, Elder Sister but I think he internalized it more." Tyr actually scoffed until she saw the serious look in those pale eyes. Qing had been a very delicate and difficult subject for Tyr, but Lind was worse than that?
"What is your final evaluation of the boy?" It had been close to half a year together at that point. Tyr knew an analysis was needed to see if a course correction was needed. Heart demons were tricky even if they were clear to both parties.
"He can overcome his heart demons. He does, however, have to accept his own existence first. I am sure of this." Tyr glanced at the jade slip once more but there was nothing related to such a statement. Lind Frey had to accept his existence? Tyr knew how he came into the world but was it that bad?
"You are in charge but the Floating Isles have reached out. They want Lind Frey nurtured by us if he is willing. Do you think he will accept that?" Tyr had been sent to feel out this area with Lind but he was focused on the upcoming challenge. She knew how to tell it was a bad time to ask by this point in her life.
Qing slowly stirred her tea while setting her notes aside. The platinum lochs seemed to glow in the natural light of the courtyard. She was a beautiful woman but Tyr thought the moments she considered a matter were stunning to see. Qing's face seemed to become profound and drew in the people without effort. Her pale eyes were mesmerizing as faint blue or green flashed through them.
"If we are honest about wanting him as an elixir master and friend, then I think he could be persuaded. If we can resolve his isolation from his family, it would be certain." Tyr nodded but made no promise. Meddling in another power was not their way. Even so, it would likely be worth it to the Sky Realm headquarters.
"I will pass that along. What are the chances you give him winning this challenge?" Tyr simply wanted Qing's input but she was stunned as Qing smiled instantly.
"He will not let Cyntilla be used, so he will win." Tyr nearly fainted from shock as she saw Qing glow with affection. Qing liked someone?! When did this happen?! A wide smile spread on Tyr's face as she suppressed the need to interrogate Qing at that moment. Once the challenge was over, there could be a great show to watch after that!
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mythosarcana
mythosarcana No updates on contract news but just started yesterday. Please keep voting with power stones and I will decide tomorrow on goals after my job. thank you for comments and reading my story.
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