27th of Season of Air, 58th year of the 32nd cycle

  “But isn’t it useless? It doesn’t stop people from listening in on us, they can just burst your bubble.”

  “And then we stop talking, so they have nothing to listen to. At most, they will hear one word. Now what is it that you wanted to talk about?”

  Newt hesitated, staring at the half-sphere of fake scenery, with waves frozen in place and motionless birds hanging in the sky. Finally, Newt explained what was happening.

  “I have made a new discovery you might find important, and in exchange I need you to make a new blueprint of my realm.” Newt paused, but Dandelion motioned him to continue with his chin. “Both of us have unique cultivation methods, but they share common facets, and one of them is the general layout. What if we made another layer of it underground? I have already tested it, and it works. Also, earth-aligned runes can be scribed in different materials or metals.”

  Dandelion’s eyes widened a fraction before they returned to normal, and Newt stopped talking.

  “Well, this certainly is worth traveling thirty thousand miles.” Dandelion rubbed his eye. “This revelation is worth more than me redoing your realm blueprint.”

  Suddenly, the man laughed. “I cannot believe I did not discover this on my own. I have dug wells, volcanic side vents, and springs, but never considered adding runes underground. Do you have anything else you need? I can offer advanced lessons on weapons, spell formations, alchemy, blacksmithing, artificing, whatever. You name it, I got it.”

  Dandelion frowned. “Why stop with only one layer—oh, I see, the minimal rune size to assure a relevant flow of energy, combined with the maximal depth you can dig. You have put some thought into this. I have a question, if I may?”

  Newt mimicked Dandelion’s chin gesture, and the older man’s lip twitched into a smile.

  “You are obviously growing powerful and competent. With your knowledge of runes and spell formations, you could have made this yourself and kept your secret. Why share this information with me?”

  “Because it would save me ten years of experimenting and optimizing, and I know you can draw it in a matter of moons or even weeks. And I know you will put all your effort into making it so you don’t owe me one.”

  Dandelion shot him a cock-browed look and nodded. “And the real reason is?”

  That really was the reason. Newt was impatient. He wanted to advance as soon as possible, and even with Dandelion’s help, pills, and every other possible aid, he would take five to seven years before he was ready to advance.

  That said, there was another part to it. He wanted to help Dandelion; to pay back a portion of what the man had done for him when he invited him to the frostworm hunt, which had changed Newt’s fate. Most of all, he wanted Dandelion’s approval and admiration. Newt was unaware of the final and most important reason, but that did not detract from the weight it added to his decision to share knowledge and power.

  Dandelion, on the other hand, read the beaming, cheerful boy like an open book. He patted his shoulder.

  “Thank you. You have done an excellent job, Newstar. It is a great honor that a man as talented, intelligent, and virtuous considers me a friend.” He opened his mouth, but hesitated, and Newt stared at him expectantly.

  “If you want, you can call me brother, and I would like to call you brother, if you would have me.”

  Newt swallowed, his throat tight. He did not know why, he could not explain it, but that offer was one of the things which had made him the happiest in his entire life.

  He nodded, suppressing a tear. “Sure, big brother.”

  Dandelion smiled. “Just brother is fine.”

  Unexpectedly, Newt shook his head. “After living in a sect for a few moons I’ve learned some things. You have seniority, more knowledge, and more experience. You are the big brother.”

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  Dandelion choked up.

  “I am sorry I left you behind.” His emotional face turned mortified as the words escaped him, and he clenched his teeth, confusing Newt.

  The youth went through all the memories of moments he had shared with Dandelion, the man was always there, solid like a rock, always treating him fairly or better.

  “When did you leave me behind?” he finally asked.

  “When I reach the seventh realm while you are wallowing in the fifth.” Dandelion’s smile was genuine, full of mirth, and for a moment, Newt believed his newfound big brother was pulling his leg. Except he wasn’t. Newt knew that some part of Dandelion, a deep and profound part, truly believed he had abandoned him in some way.

  Was it when I went back to the clanhold? I never even asked him to come with me.

  It was obviously a sore point, and Newt decided not to press the man. Instead, shifting to other comprehensions.

  “Do you know that cultivators can sense imminent danger?” He decided to take a roundabout way of talking. His master and teammates knew he had escaped the Valley of the Lost, and that might be the hint which ruined their futures, but when talking with Dandelion, he could try to point him in the right direction without endangering his cultivation.

  “You mean danger sense?” Dandelion asked without faltering. “Mortals can do that, too. Experienced warriors can sometimes tell when someone is about to strike them, you can even tell where, if you train hard enough and gain enough experience.”

  Newt’s jaw went slack.

  “Mortals know that?”

  “Well, there are legends about mortals having that sense, yes.”

  “And can you do that?” Newt could not help but ask.

  “Naturally, but I cannot teach you. I would like to, but this skill is not something you can acquire so easily. Definitely not through someone just explaining things to you.”

  Newt could not believe his ears.

  “You can’t be telling the truth.”

  “I am serious.” Dandelion defended himself. “I believe it is impossible to teach someone how to do it without exposing them to extreme danger. There is another way, but getting danger sense that way is a gamble, it might happen, and it might not. I am telling you because you are you, but keep this a secret from others. All right?”

  Newt nodded. A part of him thought he was dreaming, another part wanted Dandelion to prove his claim.

  “Prove it.” The words left Newt’s lips all on their own.

  Dandelion stared at him. “How do I prove it is impossible to teach you something? I can prove I can teach you—”

  “No, I mean, I want you to prove you have danger sense.”

  With a stoic expression, Dandelion drew a dagger, handed it to Newt, and turned around.

  “Stab me. You have to really mean it.”

  Newt stood there, a dagger in hand, staring at Dandelion’s back.

  “Come on, you have to really mean it, you can even aim at the vitals. I don’t mind.”

  Newt poked at Dandelion’s arm like an automaton, but the arm shifted just as he was about to hit. Newt could not tell what passed through his head as he stabbed. One thing was for certain, he did not believe Dandelion’s claim. He aimed to inflict minimal damage, something easy to heal, but Dandelion moved out of the way.

  Newt stabbed again and again and again.

  “You are getting awfully enthusiastic about stabbing me in the back.” Dandelion said the words through a chuckle, but Newt froze. He got caught up in proving Dandelion wrong so much that his blows were starting to become serious and too tricky to dodge for a friendly exchange.

  “But the venerable said only those at the eighth realm—”

  “And you are one of those at the eighth realm, right?”

  Newt stared blankly as Dandelion turned around and retrieved his dagger.

  “How do you know I also have danger sense?”

  “You were getting too invested. More than one would expect from someone proving a point, almost like you were instead trying to prove that you are unique, and that others should not possess such an ability.”

  Dandelion’s smile held a bit of pride as he continued. “That said, you have achieved amazing things in mere eighteen short years. Whoever told you danger sense required the eighth realm lied to you brutally. That, or they lack understanding about the skill’s true nature.

  “You need to practice more, preferably in a relatively safe environment where someone you trust continuously attacks you from the back or while you are under the effect of a bewildering spell formation.”

  Newt listened and nodded, too stunned to ask about Dandelion’s instructions as the man spoke.

  “Regarding your request to make a blueprint of your realm, I will gladly make one, but I will need some form of shelter for three to four moons until I am done.”

  “Wait,” Newt shouted as if Dandelion was about to disperse into mist. “There’s one more change we, well, you, need to make.”

  Dandelion answered with a questioning look, and Newt explained about his decision to cultivate magma instead of dual cultivating fire and earth.

  For some reason Newt did not know, the man grinned when he heard the news.

  “I’ll replace those two spell formations with a one which decomposes magma-aligned spiritual energy into fire and earth. Have you considered specialized aspects of fire? Like radiance…”