Swoosh. Zoom. Swaah.
Aksai held his breath as the Barrier-bypass talisman began to work its magic on the isolated barrier.
The talisman glowed brightly in his hand, and the gray fog started to part, creating a path forward. The intricate Essence Equation runes etched into the talisman pulsed with energy, guiding the process.
“I hope it’s a world filled with artifacts. I need better artifacts,” Aksai murmured to himself.
For a few exhilarating moments, he watched as the gray fog receded, revealing a glimpse of the new land beyond. He could feel the presence of the new world beyond the ethereal gray fog, even stronger than that of Martial World Sharang.
But then, without warning, the talisman’s light began to dim. The vibrant glow that had been pushing back the gray fog flickered with uncertainty. Aksai’s heart sank as he saw the Essence Equation runes start to fade away, losing their sharpness and clarity.
“No, no, no…” he muttered under his breath, willing the talisman to keep working. But his hopes were dashed when the process of creating the tunnel in the ever-moving gray fog-like barrier halted abruptly.
The first attempt was a failure.
The talisman, now almost used up and barely usable, dropped into Aksai’s hand with a dull thud. The faint remnants of its earlier glow disappeared entirely, leaving the talisman a mere shadow of its former self.
As far as Aksai could tell, almost all of the usable attempts available in the talisman were exhausted at this point and the talisman could only be used once.
“I guess things wouldn’t be handed on a silver platter to me. Or it could be that the world that’s waiting for me beyond the fog this time is just too dangerous. Whoever created the Everwood farm inside the Myriad Worlds Painting has left some defense mechanism that gets activated any time their inheritor tries to do something too dangerous for them, is that it?” Aksai asked himself.
“In any case, this was not how I wanted to celebrate my breakthrough. I guess I can only find a solution to my problem in the White Mountain City,” Aksai concluded.
He stared in frustration as the isolation barrier began to restore itself.
The gray fog, which had parted just moments before, closed back in, erasing any trace of the partially created tunnel. The path that had been opening up before him was now completely gone as if it had never existed.
“I shouldn’t feel discouraged. It’s not that unlocking a new world is impossible but the level of investment needed is more. If Barrier-bypass talismans don’t work, I’ll find some other ways.”
Aksai clenched his jaw, feeling a mixture of disappointment and determination.
He had been so close to accessing the new world beyond, but the talisman had failed him at a critical moment. He concluded that using another talisman was just a waste of time and resources. He needed to find another way to go beyond the gray fog.
With a deep breath, he looked down at the almost depleted talisman in his hand. “I should save this for emergencies. Or maybe I can use this talisman as a reference to create Barrier-bypass talismans of my own. With my Foundation Building realm, it’s not completely impossible for me to produce these types of talismans,” he said to himself, stealing his resolve.
Determined to overcome this obstacle, Aksai turned back toward the Everwood farm, already planning his next steps.
***
Aksai made his way back to the White Mountain City.
He navigated through the crowded regions until he reached his rented villa in the outer zone.
‘Hm? This crowd? It seems the news travels fast in the White Mountain City.’
As he approached his villa, he noticed a small crowd gathered at the entrance. His neighbors, who were all late-stage Spirit Refiners, had gathered to greet him. Their faces lit up with admiration and respect as they saw him.
“Honored Expert Aksai, congratulations on your breakthrough!” one of them exclaimed, bowing deeply.
Another neighbor stepped forward, holding a small wooden box. “Please accept this as a token of our respect,” he said, presenting Aksai with a collection of cultivation resources. The others followed suit, offering various gifts: rare herbs, spirit stones, and other precious items.
Aksai accepted their gifts with a nod, maintaining a stoic expression. “Thank you for your generosity,” he said, his voice calm and composed. “I appreciate your kindness.”
This was the way the Cultivation World Dadangar worked. If he was a Spirit Refiner, people wouldn’t have given him anything at a discount even if they knew him well. However, after becoming a foundation-building expert, even the cultivators who didn’t personally know Aksai were ready to invest their fortune in just shaking their hands with him.
Aksai had no reason to break the tradition. He accepted all those gifts willingly and talked with the crowd as if imparting words of wisdom to them by sharing some of his experiences in crossing the threshold of the Spirit Refiner.
Among the crowd, a group of women stepped forward, their eyes filled with admiration. One of them, a beautiful woman with purple hair and a nice figure, stepped closer.
“Honored Expert Aksai, please allow us to serve you as your personal maids,” she said, her voice soft and respectful. The others nodded in agreement, their eyes pleading.
‘Hmm. I guess I’ll need a helping hand to tend to the guests I’d be having from now on. I might as well choose one from these women,’ the Spirit farmer thought to himself.
Aksai studied them for a moment, then pointed to the purple-haired woman. “You,” he said, his tone authoritative yet gentle. “You may stay. Rest of you, leave.”
The purple-haired woman’s face lit up with joy, while the others looked disappointed but respectful. “Thank you, Honored Expert,” she said, bowing deeply. The rest of the women and the neighbors bowed and slowly dispersed, leaving Aksai and his new maid alone at the entrance of his villa.
Aksai turned to the purple-haired woman. “What is your name?” he asked, his voice now softer.
“My name is Zara Zuric, Honored Expert,” she replied, her eyes shining with gratitude and reverence.
“Hmm. Follow me,” Aksai said, leading her into the villa. Inside, the atmosphere was serene and quiet, a stark contrast to the lively streets outside.
Once inside, Aksai assumed his image as a stoic and prestigious Foundation Building Expert. He gave Zara a few simple instructions on how to manage the household and ensure his privacy. “You will attend to the household chores and ensure I am not disturbed during my cultivation,” he said, his tone firm.
Zara nodded eagerly. “Of course, Lord… Lord Aksai. I will do my best to serve you well.”
With that settled, Aksai retreated to his private chambers, feeling the weight of his new status. Despite the challenges and setbacks, he started to realize that things weren’t as bad.
His breakthrough had not only elevated his cultivation but also his standing among his peers. This elevated status brought new opportunities for him. He intended to make full use of all the opportunities that were bound to present themselves.
“First, I need to find a good cultivation technique for myself. Secondly, I need to find a way to break past the isolation barrier of the 2nd-order Everwood farm.
These things are bound to take some time.
So, no need to rush to Emerald Cove right away. I can spend a few months in White Mountain City trying to find solutions to my problems.”
Aksai thought to himself before sitting cross-legged and closing his eyes.
Soon, he was lost in his cultivation practices.
Even though Stellar Everwood Tantra could not help him progress further in the 2nd realm, it could help him stabilize his status as a Foundation Building Expert.
Aksai decided to wait patiently for his new opportunities to come knocking on his door.
Meanwhile, he took things slowly and focused on stabilizing his breakthrough.