If Zamian were in a better mood, he would probably jest about how he was naked once more.

  This time, however, he was knee-deep in a lake, with small black, red, and purple fish swimming close to his feet, while a beautiful woman who had just finished explaining a lot about cultivating to him touched his body.

  “Did you understand what I said?” Eve asked, her hand gliding across his chest.

  Zamian glanced at her, his eyes glowing with white light. He nodded, refocusing on the lake and the animals he had only seen in books.

  “Explain it to me,” she said as green essence flowed from her hand, brushing against his skin without sinking in.

  “Every grain of dirt, each fish, bird, insect, predator, and every plant or vegetable means nothing on its own,” he paused, recalling Eve’s explanation from earlier. “Only by acting as they should—within a cycle, according to the natural order—can they gain a greater meaning and become something more.”

  Eve nodded, running her right hand along his face while flicking his arm with her left.

  “Do you believe in that? That the natural order gives our existence meaning?” she asked, smiling.

  “No.”

  Chuckling, Eve tilted her head. “You’re so direct. Why do you think that?”

  “You created this natural order, in this place,” he said, meeting her gaze. “Why should following your version be the only way forward?”

  There was a deeper reason for his skepticism.

  ‘That blighted fake god is the same,’ he thought, resisting the urge to scowl. ‘Nature is the Cycle, so our path is never-ending. Nature is the Creation, so our path is ever strong. Nature is the Truth, so our path is the only one… You vermin, you were always making us follow blindly, forcing your beliefs on us, weren’t you?’

  “You are correct.”

  “What?” Zamian turned to Eve, eyes widening slightly.

  Patting his shoulder, she continued speaking.

  “For me and the ones in the Nature Pathway, we must first follow the natural order around us, then create our own to advance. The technique I created was meant to help me on my breakthrough to the next stage, and on forming my Core,” she hummed softly, stepping away from Zamian as the green essence dissipated.

  Zamian followed Eve with his eyes, turning his head as she passed by him. He watched her approach the shore and crouch beside the spot where the green worm was still buried.

  Placing her hand on the soil, she sent a pulse of green essence inside while glancing back at him.

  “Your body is unlike anything I’ve ever seen. Advancing while cultivating the Nature Pathway is impossible for you,” she paused, shaking her head. “Almost impossible, sorry. There are some freaks out there.”

  Frowning, he said, “Whether it’s about why I need to create a natural order to advance, how your technique helps, what a Core really is, or why my body would hinder my cultivation…” He sighed. “Nothing matters. For now, I just need to learn your technique and how to reach the Essence Merging stage, but I want to understand all of that later.”

  Eve turned fully to him, locking eyes. “Good,” she nodded. “That means you’re cultivating the right Pathway. Every Light cultivator should be a Scholar at heart—curious and focused when needed.”

  Standing up, her eyes shone with a green hue.

  “Tell me, Zamian,” she asked as a strong breeze lifted her hair, “what’s your field of study?”

  “…Myself.”

  “What do you mean?” she asked, raising an eyebrow.

  Zamian smirked.

  “It’s crazy, but I’ve advanced by understanding more about my body, my past, my feelings… Why are you laughing?”

  Midway through his explanation, Eve burst into laughter, clapping her hands.

  After a moment, she shook her head and looked at Zamian with a mix of schadenfreude and true pity.

  His instincts whispered that problems were about to come, and a chill ran down his spine.

  “That’s the stupidest field of study I’ve ever heard from a Scholar,” she said, smiling. “And I once met a Barbarian who switched to the Light Pathway just because he liked learning about muscles, but you take his spot easily.”

  “Why? Is this even something I can control? Can I choose my field of study?” he asked, inwardly thinking, ‘If I could, what about changing it to how to kill fake gods?’

  “You can’t. This isn’t about who you are but how you’re connected with Light’s essence,” she shrugged. “As one of the Primordial Paths, you need a deep connection to it before you even start cultivating. That your connection is your self… It’s completely unique to me. That must be why those Elders sent you here. Of course, you should already know all that.”

  “I focus more on other aspects of cultivation,” he answered with a wry smile. ‘I should stop asking too much.’

  “At least now I can be sure of one thing,” Eve said, scratching her furred top. “You will never learn my technique as intended.”

  Biting his lip, Zamian said, “Let me try. You saw that I learned the Seed of Creation, even if my beliefs aren’t the same as Lin—Teacher Lin Zhi!”

  She waved her hand.

  “I didn’t say you couldn’t learn. Explaining it to you won’t help at all, but you need to learn by doing something that resonates with your field of study,” she smiled, showing her teeth.

  Once more, Zamian’s instincts told him something was wrong.

  Then, he realized it.

  ‘Why are my instincts even reacting? She can control her intentions well enough that I shouldn’t pick up anything… Oh, blight hell, she’s trying to say something between the lines or just playing with me,’ he thought, groaning.

  Staring at her, he braced himself.

  “And what should I do, in your opinion?”

  “You need to feel the technique. Not just understand its concepts,” she said, stepping slowly into the lake, and approaching Zamian.

  His instincts figuratively poked at him, prompting him to step back for each step forward Eve took.

  He gulped.

  “How would we do that?”

  “By burying you.”

  Zamian’s instincts screamed, his eyes glowing white. Just as he was about to activate his Beginning of the Cycle technique and unleash the Seed of Creation targeting Eve, he hesitated.

  ‘What am I blighting doing?’

  A sweet, soft laugh reached his ears, making him relax, as his instincts went silent.

  Looking at the source, Zamian saw Eve covering her mouth, laughing at him.

  “I’m sorry,” she said between giggles. “You’re so sensitive, I couldn’t resist. But yes, I think burying you and immersing yourself in the technique should help.”

  More than feeling annoyed, Zamian was filled with concern. ‘Is it really that easy to manipulate my instincts? In a battle, I would have died,’ he thought.

  His instincts immediately started whispering, offering new ways to better control his senses and observe himself.

  ‘Last time, only because she suspected I had a connection with a Demon or was a God’s believer she killed me,’ he guessed, looking at the smiling Eve.

  This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

  Bowing slightly, he said sincerely, “Thank you for showing me a flaw.”

  Eve waved a hand dismissively. “I already told you I don’t like these formalities. Now get up. Let’s find a nice patch of soil to put you deep inside.”

  As she turned to leave the lake, Zamian followed, grumbling. “Can I put my clothes on now?”

  “No way, they’d get dirty,” she chuckled, leading him toward the towering trees of the forest.

  Clicking his tongue, Zamian trailed after her, noticing his white robes were nowhere to be seen.

  ‘How much time do I still have before I need to leave? I’ve never stayed this long in Lin Zhi’s crystal,’ Zamian wondered, blowing away a leaf that had fallen on the tip of his nose.

  “Are you paying attention?”

  Looking up, his gaze passed over Eve’s long legs, waist, and chest before locking onto her eyes.

  “I am. Don’t mind my discomfort,” he said plainly, shifting his head from side to side.

  They were deep in the forest, surrounded by towering trees, thick bushes, and twisting roots, a setting that reminded him of his home.

  Except here, the roots weren’t as massive, and, more importantly, he was buried neck-deep in the ground.

  He wasn’t very happy about it.

  Eve had enhanced the soil, making it impossible for him to move. The tightness pressed against his skin, sending tingling sensations across his body and creating a heavy, constricting feeling.

  “How are you feeling?” Eve asked.

  “Besides uncomfortable?” He blew away another leaf that, suspiciously, kept landing on his nose. “Trapped.”

  “Good. Now, you know what to do, right? Observe.”

  ‘Was she was Teacher like Lin Zhi? Or is it the lack of people making her so talkative?’ he mused.

  His eyes shone with white light as he focused all his senses on Eve.

  He felt the spike of essence radiating from her, stronger than before, showing that she was using the One Amongst Myriad Beings technique at a higher level than what he could achieve.

  Eve grasped the air, her hand flashing with green light as bursts of essence shot out, striking trees, bushes, and even tiny insects around them.

  Zamian watched the trajectory of most of the bursts, but the intention behind them eluded him.

  To him, it looked like nothing more than a waste of Nature’s essence. Just a harmless, useless light show.

  Until one burst hit him.

  ‘You are the soil, nurturing my trees’ roots.’

  ‘You are the ground, guiding my creations’ steps.’

  ‘You are the dirt, where life takes form.’

  Zamian’s eyes widened as his mind was flooded with intentions that weren’t his own.

  At that moment, he saw, in each burst of essence sent by Eve, vivid images— insects taking flight, trees growing, soil being stepped on.

  Each burst carried a different visualization, uniquely tied to its target.

  ‘It’s similar to Lin Zhi’s disciples, who could practice with external visualization,’ he thought, as his instincts urged him to observe his body.

  Puzzled, Zamian used his unique physique to look inside himself.

  Amidst his tube-like organs and rushing red blood, green essence floated, threading through his muscles.

  The intentions he had just heard came from it.

  But now, it was silent.

  ‘Weird,’ he thought. ‘Essence should dissipate after being used. It isn’t normal for it to remain gathered.’

  He wasn’t as experienced as Lin Zhi or as powerful as Eve, but even he knew that essence was usually only visible when concentrated.

  For him, the best proof was that, even with his enhanced vision, he couldn’t see essence around him—unless it exceeded a certain quantity or was actively being used by someone.

  Not allowing himself to get distracted, he focused back on the essence within him.

  Then, through one of his mental sound spheres, he heard the sound of Eve opening her hand.

  At the same moment she disappeared from his senses, the green essence inside him began to dissipate.

  And with it came a deep intention, like a final whisper.

  ‘And I am the same.’

  The power behind this intention shook his mind, making him momentarily dizzy.

  Bringing his focus back to the outside, he confirmed that Eve was gone.

  A strong sense of wrongness washed over Zamian, making him not focus on the woman’s disappearance, but on himself.

  An invisible pressure bore down on him, and his thoughts raced.

  His instincts screamed, his heartbeat thundered in his chest.

  “No!” he shouted, eyes bloodshot, his body trembling underground. “This is different from last time!”

  Grinding his teeth, he forced the white essence within him to move. His instincts grew erratic, not just warning him of a flaw in his cultivation.

  A flaw in him.

  They weren’t just reacting. They were teaching him. Guiding him to adjust, to correct something fundamental.

  “This isn’t me!” he roared, spit flying from his mouth.

  A brilliant white light erupted from his body as he burned every last drop of essence, casting the Beginning of the Cycle technique.

  The soil pressed tightly around him, resisting, preventing his body from expanding.

  A guttural scream tore from his throat as he twisted his glowing head sharply to the left.

  The Light’s essence dissipated in an instant.

  Zamian’s face returned to normal, his breaths coming in ragged gasps.

  Slowly, through gritted teeth, he said, “I can see you.”

  In front of him, a faint green outline took shape, forming the silhouette of a female figure.

  Then, without a flash or any sign of transition, Eve reappeared, her eyes wide, her mouth slightly open.

  In her hand, she held a twig she had just picked up.

  “That—” she let out a short, incredulous laugh, adjusting her posture before casually tossing the twig into the bushes. “I knew you would find me—” She paused. “but I thought it would take more tries.”

  “What did you do to me?” Zamian asked, his tone sharp with frustration.

  He knew she was trying to teach him, but the moment the green essence had dissipated inside his body, he felt a kind of shackles on him.

  Eve stepped closer, crouching down and patting his head. “Calm down, you really are sensitive,” she sighed. “I used my technique in a way it wasn’t meant to be used, that’s all. I had a theory that making you feel it could help, but I never thought you’d find me so fast.”

  He stared into her bright green eyes as a small leaf drifted closer to his face.

  As it settled on the tip of his nose, he chuckled.

  “Merging yourself with the Sanctuary,” he mused, blowing the leaf away. “Does that mean visualizing each component inside of it and putting yourself in their places?”

  “For you, maybe,” she said, ruffling his hair. “When I created this technique, it was meant to merge with my future creations. It was a way for me to make sure I could create my Core more easily.”

  “You said that before,” he muttered, trying to move his head away from her hand but failing. “Is Lin Zhi’s technique the same?”

  “Almost,” she said, standing up. “Mine is more selfish, in a way. Lin Zhi’s Seed of Creation can be used on others, but—” She paused, looking at Zamian.

  Nodding, he gave a wry smile. “I know. His technique causes a lot of damage, and not everyone can use it to advance.” Shaking his head, he tried to move his body. “Can you take me out of here? I don’t think I’m ready to learn your technique yet. I’d rather focus on how to become an Essence Merging cultivator.”

  There was no way Zamian would play with that technique before understanding why he felt such a wrongness from it, causing a flaw to appear momentarily on him.

  “Funny for you to say that,” Eve said, moving her hand. The soil around Zamian dissipated into green essence. “Given how sensitive you are and the technique you just used, I fully believe you could advance to the next stage at any moment.”

  Freed from his earthen prison, Zamian quickly jumped to Eve’s side, shooting her a curious glance.

  “And how do I do that?”

  “For a Scholar, you know so little,” she chuckled, patting his shoulder. “Essence Attunement, Gathering, Refining, and Merging. The four stages a mortal must pass before creating a Core. You’ve already attuned yourself to Light’s essence, gathered and refined it enough in your body, mind, and soul to even be able to hear your instincts. So why haven’t you advanced yet?”

  Zamian remained still, waiting for her to continue, hoping she’d keep explaining.

  ‘Keep talking, spill everything. Now I know what the four levels of the mortal tier are, in White Dot’s language.’

  Eve smiled.

  Neither of them moved.

  “...”

  “...”

  “I don’t know why,” he admitted.

  Nodding in satisfaction, she continued.

  “You have everything you need to step into the next stage,” she said with a smile. “Only you can know why this is happening, but just by looking at your previous technique, I can tell there's only one barrier in your path that I could find.”

  As she fell silent again, he sighed. “And what barrier is that?”

  Eve’s smile widened. “Yourself.”

  Zamian was about to talk back when the world seemed to pause.

  ‘Oh, blight,’ he thought as color drained from his vision, replaced by an overwhelming white light that flooded his mind before converging into a white crystal.

  Avoiding looking at the crystal, he pulled himself out of his soul space—

  And grunted.

  ‘I had forgotten how broken my body is.’

  Taking a labored breath, he felt the waves of pain and numbness hit him, one after another.

  ‘Again, time is against me. No… not just time—’ He thought back to his last moments with Eve. ‘Am I against myself?’

  Swallowing the blood rising in his throat, Zamian shifted his gaze to the White Dot.

  ‘Hello there, you adorable little bug,’ he thought. ‘Show me what you got.’

  PERSONAL INFORMATION

  Name: Zamian Greenfield

  Level: 3 [00%]

  Tier: Mortal

  Main Pathway: Knowledge

  Title: None

  STATS POINTS

  Body: 1349/6400

  Mind: 4100/7600

  Soul: 2100/7400

  REWARDS

  Ancient Astral Seal

  Description: A Star Seal guarding your Astral Self.

  Ancient Identify Technique (Passive)

  Description: See the secrets beyond the limitations of time.

  Nameless Physique

  Description: Breaker of the natural order, bearer of perpetual body, an unshackled lifeform.

  White Key - First Floor

  Description: Key to access White Tower’s First Floor

  QUEST LOG

  Last Quest: Protect Bohlo until he completes his breakthrough

  Reward: 01 Book from White Tower's First Floor

  Status: Completed

  Main Quest: Bring destruction to a Level 8 Immortal tainted by Godhood

  Reward: Inheritor’s Cave Entrance

  Status: Ongoing (88 days left)

  ‘Not even a day, and I’ve already lost so many points,’ he frowned, dismissing the white text and shifting his focus to the corner of his vision. ‘You know, someday, your lack of information is going to put me in a really, really bad situation. Again. Just think about how much I’m doing for you! Couldn’t you be a little more supportive? I do the things you ask all the time!’

  Taking a deep breath, he rested his head against the squishy, pulsating roots behind him, staring at his prison.

  ‘How could I be holding myself back? I need to ask her that,’ he groaned. ‘But what should I say this time? If I die, take too long to convince her, or something happens that forces me out of there before I get my answer, I’ll waste more time.’

  He prepared to enter his dark space again when a wave of dizziness hit him.

  Shaking his head, he willed the White Dot to show his stats.

  STATS POINTS

  Body: 1340/6400

  Mind: 4090/7600

  Soul: 2090/7400

  ‘White Dot, you see? Even my bloodied body is more useful than you. At least I can feel when my stats change,’ he jested, glancing at his body stats before shifting his gaze to his missing left arm.

  ‘Don’t worry, my plan will bring you back and restore my stats—’

  He blinked.

  Then, he smiled.

  A bloody grin, eerily similar to his father’s.

  ‘My stats,’ he thought, his grin widening. ‘I’m holding myself back because of my stats!’