Chapter 42: Chapter 41 - Glimpse of Immortality

The bright light faded as Lind stood looking at a massive pile of treasure that put pressure on him. His initial excitement was tempered by his past experiences thus far in this place. The entire realm was converted to anti-Qi and only someone like him could get through at the Soul Realm, but the voice indicated this was like the 6 seniors.

"Junior greets senior. My name is Lind Frey of the Frey Clan." Lind glanced at Cyntilla but she shook her head. She clearly believed Lind had earned this but he quickly made a decision. "My companion is named Cyntilla, a demon and my friend."

The feeling of pressure suddenly increased but Lind strove to keep standing while it felt like all his defenses were laid bare.

"Interesting. A Soul Realm claims friendship with a Demon Soul cultivator and means it. You are very interesting. That treasure is a mighty gift for you as well but I am unsure it will aid you in the cliff coming towards you." The booming voice seemed to echo in the hall but it clearly came from the chamber. "Speak. What treasure do you desire? You solved a puzzle that has remained locked for millions of years."

Lind frowned. He had heard over and over, even from the Gu Clan, that 6 elementals could not make it past the Sand Tier. It felt belittling coming from this voice compared to others but he quickly smoothed over his annoyance.

"I seek knowledge more than treasures I cannot use, senior, but I would appreciate a gift for my companion instead." Lind felt pressure vanish for a moment. He felt a breeze as sparks appeared and began to coalesce into a faint figure inside the treasure room.

It was difficult to say if it was a man or woman, but the voice made Lind lean towards a man. The faint figure beckoned them and Lind found his body moving without his volition. Cyntilla was right with him suddenly until they were before the spirit. Lind could now make out features that were far too angular to be human.

Lind did not dare use his Soul Eyes as the formation was already beyond him, a spirit would likely be dangerous to try and perceive. Lind saw the ghostly eyes pierce his very essence but no danger was felt. A smirk suddenly appeared to soften the harsh face.

"Divine cores. All 6 cores are divine. You interest me more but the problem remains. Even so, you are wise." The spirit then moved on to Cyntilla and Lind resisted trying to move next to her but another smirk revealed the spirit saw through him easily. Lind waited on tenterhooks until Cyntilla seemed to relax.

"So much has changed. Demons, once a great enemy, seem to have found another path. You are fortunate, little girl." Cyntilla frowned instantly but even she was not so foolish as to challenge a being like this. "I am a piece of one of the creators of this place and it has now come to Ruin. A sad end for an Inheritance meant to bring hope to others."

Lind burned with curiosity but then movement caught his eye as piles of gold and artifacts rumbled until 2 short swords appeared before Cyntilla. Lind was stunned to realize that he could sense the elements in these swords matched her perfectly! How was this possible?!

"I have seen empires rise and fall. I have watched an epoch die a tragic death, thus I have gathered many things intentionally for this Inheritance. One day you may face the choice to keep fighting to advance or accept the tribulation that will end you." Lind was rapt as the spirit became melancholy as it began to float in midair. Lind finally felt his body return to his control.

Cyntilla stood stunned before slowly touching the hilts. There was a flash and Lind knew they were bound to her as his staff was bound to him. Her eyes were watery as she turned to him and he was suddenly in a hug!

"You are a fool!" Her words were harsh but the tone was far from it. Lind smiled as he returned the hug. He remembered kindness and she stuck with him thus far with only his word that the medicine worked. That leap of faith deserved a return. He was taking as much of a leap.

"Touching, truly touching. You said you seek knowledge little boy?" The spirit seemed to be poking fun at them, but Lind could not retort to the pressure. They separated and Cyntilla moved off to familiarize herself with her blades.

"Senior, I know it is far too soon to talk about Sky Realm, instead I would like to discuss the elements themselves." Lind began to delve into what he had perceived when he entered the Soul Realm and found the spirit was enjoying the conversation as much as he was. The spirit touched on a few things Lind had understood after coming to this Ruin.

"It is a necessary function of techniques to repel incompatible elements, but 6 elementals can't use that process. You have to actually skip to Heaven Realm comprehension of how all 6 elements work together in all things." The words coalesced the issue Lind was stuck on.

"I see, I need to look outside of myself and how the natural world works." Lind felt the bottleneck finally loosen on his comprehension of how his elements interacted. It helped that he had his education from Earth to bring clarity. He had loved nature shows and how nature worked back on Earth, thus his mind began to revive all his old studies and the spirit became animated at Lind's revelations.

Days passed before the spirit frowned and sighed.

"Our time seems to have come to an end. I was surprised by your adaptability, young man." The spirit had more respect for Lind but Lind noticed something disturbing. The Qi in the room seemed to be weakening and the spirit seemed to sense his concern. "I am afraid this is the last conversation I can have. Do not worry, I am only a remnant, not the original. I passed on long ago."

The spirit stood once more and then the treasure rumbled once more as a ring appeared in front of Lind. He looked confused at the spirit before a short laugh and pointing at the item that Lind touched his Qi on it.

His mind instantly saw the interior of the ring and was stunned. It was full of resources. There were herbs, stones, and metals. It was not a massive area, but the largest ring was only 3 cubic meters. A nice space for sure, but it could be filled up quickly.

It was not like a game with slots, a cultivator had to organize and fit everything inside like a room. Bags, on the other hand, could be sorted with 'pockets' that any gamer would call a slot.

"Whatever power oversees this Ruin should treasure you both." Lind bowed deeply and Cyntilla joined him. She was giddy over her new weapons. A distortion appeared in the vault room. "This will safely take you out. I will cease after this but the treasures will remain for whoever succeeds after you. Thank you for a good final moment."

Lind felt tears as he saw the spirit fall apart and a lot of the pressure vanished from the treasure room. Cyntilla took his hand and they hopped into the distortion. It was a far more comfortable feeling until they tumbled out at the border of the ruin. Lind quickly pulled Cyntilla into the border and they felt the painful trip back to the grassland beyond.

They barely escaped before the feeling of dislocation snapped over them. Lind groaned internally as it was clearly a pitiful quality compared to what they had just done. He had felt fine from the vault teleport, but the Academy version made nausea assault him once again.

Many lights flared until Lind blinked it away and realized a much smaller crowd appeared outside the Ruins forest. Lind guessed close to 5000 entered but only 1500 came back out. There were a few more sparks of light, but after that handful, no more appeared. Ruins were far more dangerous than what he appreciated.

Cyntilla was still next to him but she looked far colder than before. She did not move from his side though. She also had hidden the swords she had received and kept out the usual ones. Lind calmly looked at the crowd until the platform reappeared. The 3 Elders were there but Lind noticed several more people came with it.

"Welcome to the Lotus Academy. We will now process you in with the Core Disciples here with us. Please note, if you are not bound to your treasure already, it will be turned over to us. Do not bother trying to hide it in a storage treasure, we have countermeasures for that." The old man spoke once again but Lind felt like he was staring at them. Lind held up a ring and nodded.

A smirk was clear on the bearded face as the survivors were quickly organized and put into lines that were processed quickly. It showed the Academy was long used to the after session of this test. Lind and Cyntilla finally got up and met a girl with vibrant red hair that looked bored.

"Please put your staff and short swords here to register them. I will take the ring." Lind was stunned as he had not even spoken and she already knew what they had. They both quickly put their weapons against a massive white jade behind her and Lind handed over the ring.

They were moved along towards an area where people milled around looking for their friends or maybe their clan members they came with. Lind glanced at Cyntilla but she seemed perfectly happy to stay near him.

"We got a glimpse of Immortal Realm. What did you think of it?" Lind was curious what she took away from their time in the last Ruin. It had been a rough journey compared to the desert, but Lind knew she had listened to the conversation the spirit had with Lind.

"I am a demon, so not much helped me, but I understood you have started a path that surprised that spirit. I truly hope you can find a way forward, Lind." She smirked at him at last but quickly returned to a blank face. Lind wondered why she was wearing such a mask when he felt a disturbance in the air.

A silvery metal sliver was flying at Lind until he stopped it with his Soul Touch. It had been an instinct but he quickly shunted the item to the side and into the ground. Lind quickly narrowed in and found a male demon staring daggers at him with cobalt eyes.

"Pardon me, fellow daoist, but how have I offended you?" Lind took the gentle road as this was an Academy area. He did not want to instigate a fight if he could avoid it. The demon did not seem to hear him as more metal slivers quickly formed before they all vanished in green acid.

"Explain your actions at the Academy grounds, Veralt." The man had anger in his eyes as he brushed back his midnight colored hair. Lind felt he would be dead if looks could kill at this moment. Several more demons appeared from the crowd and looked at Lind as if he was a bug.

"A fool was near our princess, thus I acted as I should your highness." Lind felt stunned. He glanced at Cyntilla and saw her look aggravated for a moment before the blank mask covered it up. "Come, Princess Cyntilla. We must compare our gains in this Academy examination."

Lind was unsure how to react but before Cyntilla was even given a chance to say a word, Lind was sent flying.

He had barely registered the attack and channeled earth and water to protect his body. He was the lowest tier in this whole exam. Even a 6th tier could flatten Lind if he was caught off guard. Lind quickly looked up and felt stunned.

Princess Astrella had attacked him!

"She's dead! She's dead because of you!" The lilac hair was floating around her face but Lind felt a stone in his heart. He took out the token he had been given and realized what the change earlier had meant. The person that infused their Qi into an item, barring the characteristics of the artifact, would lose the connection if the owner died.

Chaos ensued but Lind felt hollow as Cyntilla easily deflected the attacks. The day the 3rd Princess descended on the Frey Clan had brought justice to a monster and she was now dead. Why? Why was she dead? Lind did not register that the Elders had arrived and stopped the attacks nor that he had been picked up by World Realm Qi to be taken to the Academy.

All that he saw was the mischievous smile on a tanned face surrounded by violet hair. Tears fell as Lind realized he would never be able to repay a woman that had saved so many in the Southern District. The feeling of powerlessness frustrated him as he slowly brought his mind back to the world around him.