The world grew harsher as the group traveled through the bck mountains.

  They followed a specific path through the harsh territory and made it through without fighting so much. Darkness hadn’t fully recovered yet. So when they encountered stronger creatures blocking the path, Lena and Storm Rider handled them.

  While all that happened, Darkness and Luna spent that time meditating.

  Ten sessions ter, Luna was now capable of absorbing qi at a much faster rate. The Earth Lord’s energy was still difficult to merge with of course. It left her sweating and exhausted each time she maniputed it. But at least she didn’t need to refine this one because the Earth Lord wasn’t cursed in the first pce.

  Also, over the past few days, Luna had started to notice changes in the levels of qi in her body. For starters, her pool of essence had grown much deeper and could now take in more qi than before. Plus, thanks to the Earth Lord’s energy, the energy in her body itself was now more condensed and stronger which was a huge breakthrough in her journey to ascension.

  Luna now understood the flow of qi and how best she could use it. She was also still using her breathing techniques to maintain the flow and used her mind to give it purpose. Unfortunately, without a Soul Gate, Luna was only capable of improving her physical statistics.

  With a heavy sigh, she ended her session and opened her eyes. The first person to come into sight was Darkness. The warmonger didn’t look so well after walking for so long. She was sweating profusely, her chest falling and rising rapidly, and the sapphire color of her eyes was still dull.

  Even though three days had passed already, she was going through the cost of almost breaking a Gate. She was paler than usual and often heated up. The divine energy in her body was too wild and it was messing with her body.

  Outside the shelter, the sounds of battle made the mountain tremble as Len and Storm Rider fought to push back the giant beast that tried to attack the shelter. It was a cursed soldier, possessing acid properties that even melted the bck stone. It was almost invincible because its body was made entirely of acid.

  Luna almost threw up when she first saw it.

  “You’ve changed.” Darkness spoke. Her voice was weak and strained and her face was bleak as she stared at the fme before them.

  “So have you,” Luna responded.

  In the pain, the warmonger forced a ugh that turned into a pained cough. The fury in her eyes hadn’t faltered. “Really?” she coughed again. “You know, of all people who could survive this hell. I never thought you too would thrive in this world.”

  'Thrive isn't the world I would use but I'll take it.'

  Darkness narrowed her eyes. Then tried to make a fist to trust her strength. She didn’t succeed but a small smile surfaced when she almost made a fist. She hadn't come close to making one until now, "I managed to break beyond my previous level of mastery while fighting those rock bastards. I am a level 3 now….can you imagine that?”

  'I can see that as a possible outcome.'

  The shelter trembled after a loud boom resounded outside. The obsidian rock cracked but the line didn’t spread, proving the massive creature’s ability to withstand powerful attacks.

  “By the way, how did you get to this world in the first pce? The st thing I remember is you and Valentine heading back to the real world.”

  Luna shrugged and said tentatively. “Well, I was transported to this floor with him. I nded in a frozen sea, dragged myself out of the water, and ran for my dear life while trying to escape the tentacles of a giant Kraken. I then found a coral building and the witch who owns it. Oh, and She helped kill the Kraken by the way….she’s very powerful. She has also taught me a lot, one could say she’s my mentor.”

  “…”

  Darkness stared at her with a bnk expression as she digested the summarized version of her experience.

  ‘Oh yes. I hadn’t told her of my journey.’

  Luna hadn’t yet told anyone that she had killed a cursed tyrant. Well, technically she did not deliver the final blow. It was a team effort and Luna was the assist.

  “I guess you’ve also had it rough hehe. I appeared on one of the peaks and had to fight my way down,” her breathing started to slow down as the pain in her chest finally reduced. Her gate was slowly returning to its original form. “The monsters at the top…they all had crazy abilities. I never managed to kill even one of them. It was disappointing, I’m still too weak for my own good.”

  She made a stifled ugh as she stared at the fmes. Her sapphire eyes were like glowing crystals as they reflected their golden radiance.

  “I need to open the fourth gate. I need to become a sorcerer.” Her voice was cold and determined.

  For Luna, those words carried less relevance now. There was a time when she thought there was nothing beyond the fourth gate. However, Storm Rider had changed her perspective completely. The Fire Keeper was proof that there was more to cultivation and the path of ascension.

  “And then what?” Luna asked.

  “I don’t know. Maybe I will try joining my House’s sect at Goa Mountain and become its New Master, I heard the previous one is old and wants to retire. From there, I will hunt down whatever cursed creature I can while I try to advance to level 4 of mastery. Cultivating to that level won’t be easy though.”

  “I see.” Luna only smiled as she listened to the warmonger. The entire time they shared this conversation, Luna was curious to know what kind of creatures were strong enough to crush Darkness's ego like this.

  ***

  The battle outside finally reached its end. The ground shook one st time before the ominous feeling of battle abandoned the world for now.

  After a long silence, Len walked in with her sword still in hand. The cuts on her body were closing themselves turning her back to her unharmed beautiful self. There was malice hidden in her cold grey eyes as she scanned the shelter as if it were unfamiliar territory.

  “Gods! Using zenshi like this will destroy my second gate. A damn cursed soldier shouldn’t be that strong!”

  She immediately lost the stoic look and slumped her shoulders. She moved and sat right next to Darkness and pced her hand on her shoulder. Then, pristine white fmes moved from her hand and dissolved into Darkness.

  “…I hope this helps.”

  Luna noticed the dullness in Darkness’s eyes slightly disappear and the color returned to her complexion.

  ‘She’s transferring some of her zenshi. Incredible.’

  Len awakened with a great pool of zenshi. Her first gate was wide and that’s why she could even use her incorporeal state for lengthy periods. Now that she was at level three of mastery, that gate must have changed and her zenshi was even more purer than before. Its white color was a sign of that.

  Its purity could at least help speed up Darkness’s recovery process.

  “We’ll soon be out of the mountains,” Len announced. “Beyond this, we’ll see the Walls around the ice kingdom. By the way, in case you didn’t know, it’s crawling with cursed creatures of all kinds. That’s why we need to be in our top shapes.”

  “It's also where the others are….” Luna added, remembering Storm Rider informing them of Snow and Gail’s whereabouts.

  In fact, there was a high chance that the pair did nd just outside the kingdom. They were both lucky and unlucky for this. Lucky because they didn't have to move a lot to find the portal and unlucky because the pce was crawling with powerful horrors according to Storm Rider.

  ‘That’s probably where Valentine might be.’ Luna hoped in silence.

  Learning that they getting off this floor didn’t bring any joy or relief to Luna. Sure, she was stronger than she was when she first stepped onto this level. Her strength was more accessible now and her overall skills had evolved. The difference between her and the woman she was before was as clear as day and night.

  She had changed a lot. Just like everyone who walked into this tower weeks ago.

  But what waited for her on the next floor left her with unease. She was still too weak compared to the likes of Lena and Darkness who were now Level 3 zenshi masters.

  ‘Why am I not like them? Haven’t I worked hard enough?’ Luna felt bitter. Level 3 was something incredible. Lena and Darkness were now much stronger than most ascenders. And if they ever picked interest in things like enchanting, they wouldn’t struggle to get to the top because their enchantments were going to be powerful.

  ‘The purer the zenshi, the stronger the enchantment. Not many ascenders make it to level three. Those who make it to level three have a higher chance of cultivating up to the fourth gate.’

  Luna observed her sister and Darkness. She was still feeding her ocean’s worth of energy.

  She showed no sign of any struggle even after pouring so much zenshi into her comrade.

  “I will head out for some air.”

  Luna walked out to avoid feeling like this.

  “Lunaris!”

  As soon as she walked out Storm Rider quickly called her. She was standing outside, staring at the rocky ndscape with a wistful gaze. Not so far from them, the creature’s cascaras y still on the path, frozen and lifeless after encountering Lena. Its body was transparent and Len’s ice made it look like it was made of gss or a fancy ice sculpture.

  When Luna first saw it, she thought it was a jellyfish. But from her st memory, those things belonged in the water.

  “My master told me a long time ago that the divine realm was once a very beautiful pce. A pce roaming with unique flora and fauna with unbelievable powers.”

  “You had a master?”

  “You think I’m self-taught?”

  “Umm…yes.”

  Storm’s expression softened. “Well, I am not. All my knowledge was passed down to me by someone who was much more powerful than me. This pce reminds me of her.”

  “What happened to her?”

  Storm heaved out a sigh and answered. “I don’t remember anything about my master aside from her voice and a few things she told me. But I know she’s alive because the old man found me after he met with her.”

  ‘The old man?’ Luna thought. ‘What is she talking about?’

  “I hope the same doesn’t happen to us.”

  “It won’t. I’m not that powerful, unfortunately. I had to forget my master to maintain the Bance of things and get to where I am today.”

  “What about the old man?” Luna asked. Her voice was clear since the wind wasn’t so strong anymore.

  “You will find out soon.”

  The orange light was no longer so far away. Beyond the steep rock protrusions, the tip of the tower was almost visible through the snow.

  The walls Lena mentioned earlier were like a solid curtain of white that stretched for miles horizontally. They were only able to see its tip now because the mountains themselves were raised.

  'I will find out soon. What a typical response.'