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Immortal Freeloader 153
🕑 Added 2024-09-14 03:51:00 +0000 UTCIf I was still on the flying boat, the remaining distance would have merely taken a minute. Instead, on foot, the travel took almost eight hours, but I didn’t treat it as a waste. First of all, the passage of time allowed the ship of the Treasure Pavilion to intervene with the volcano, forcibly suppressing it with formations.
It was a spectacular formation. While I lacked the ability to replicate it because I lacked the Golden Core chapters of any formation technique, it didn’t prevent me from understanding what was going on.
And, that intricacy was truly interesting.
First of all, I could see twelve Golden Core cultivators working on the formation at once, which was an absurd number, especially since, at a glance, I could see that they were much stronger than the other Golden Core cultivators I had tangled with.
Then, there was the formation they had been using. It was too complicated for me to decipher the actual function, but I could feel the Providence somehow fluctuating in response to the formation, signaling that it was actually a Nascent Soul formation.
It meant, either they were true geniuses who were able to operate a major realm above their capabilities, or they had a high-level formation scheme that they needed to power up to use.
I didn’t know which was the more valuable investment, but either way, it was enough to show two things. Treasure Pavilion came here, knowing exactly what they would find. And, they were prepared to deal with the risks.
However, I wondered why the people who intervened with the volcano didn’t wear their colors. On the contrary, even the second team they had sent to check my location after the first one met their unfortunate end wore their colors.
They probably had a complicated reason relating to fate, karma, and providence. And, as I approached, I soon noticed an interesting detail. The Treasure Pavilion Ship moved constantly, but whenever there was a new burst, it was always aimed at the ship itself, showing not only the explosions were not random, but also the Treasure Pavilion was treated as the enemy.
Why, I didn’t exactly know, or care. What I cared was, that even with the Nascent Soul level formation, the volcano explosion wasn’t something they could control easily. So, when I approached the volcano, I didn’t immediately burst forward, knowing that I needed to stay safe from not only the cultivators, but also the mountain itself.
And, it wasn’t exactly an easy process. The closer I got, the more details I was understanding about the mountain. And, one of those details was the way Qi and Essence moved around the mountain. It wasn’t a formation per se, but the function was similar. I would have called it proto-formation, but even that would have been an exaggeration.
The best analogy was that, if the formation was a perfectly forged steel sword, the energy that danced around the mountain was a shattered piece of obsidian. Natural, unwieldy, fragile … but no less dangerous when applied correctly.
I knew that, with my formation knowledge alone, I couldn’t have traversed through the mess. Even at the Major Integration, it had limits. But, comparing that internalized knowledge with my intimate knowledge of the ancient martial arts, Burning Ice in particular made it possible.
It allowed me to ‘see’ a path through the natural formation that was around the mountain, a shifting path where ice and fire danced, neutralizing each other harmlessly. I had a feeling that it was the intentional part of the design, allowing only the people who understood the true essence of their martial art to climb the mountain.
The only problem, I had to limit the number of formations around me. In the end, I chose a visual illusion only, betting that none of the cultivators had senses sharp enough to detect my presence through the chaos of the fire and the ice that danced on the mountain, especially with the Providence still in flux.
Also, one good thing, the moment I stepped on the mountain itself, the effect of the mist had stopped. Why, I didn’t know, but it meant I could get rid of another layer of formation, so it was good news.
“I’m a moron for doing this,” I said even as I started to climb the mountain on my own power, unable to leverage any formation, which was harder since I was still unable to use any Essence, and I couldn’t just call more Qi without the fear of triggering another volcanic eruption.
Luckily, even after I had completely shed my previous martial arts power, the physical improvements it had brought were still there, making the action of climbing a treacherous volcanic mountain during a blizzard merely challenging rather than downright suicidal.
I pulled my cloak tighter around me, the fabric whipping wildly in the blizzard’s fury, but it did little to stave off the cold that invaded my body, nor did it completely stop the snow lashing against my face.
Yet, I wasn’t unhappy with the challenge. For all my faults of personality — that I was open-minded enough to acknowledge — I had never been one to avoid physical exertion, or I wouldn’t have tried to make a career out of being a professional sprinter before an injury ruined my life. I had always alright putting in the effort … I was just greedy for more than just a meager paycheck.
I found myself smiling even as snow lashed against my face, their essence-enhanced nature lashing against me, stinging like tiny needles. The annoying, but it made the challenge real.
It was different than the volcano that loomed over me, a massive silhouette shrouded in a thick, roiling cloud of steam and snow, still spewing ash and magma, devastating threats. I was reasonably confident that I wouldn’t die if it exploded. Not only did I still have my flying boat with me, but also I had a treasury of Qi and other items in my Inventory that I was reluctant to use, but if the choice was between respecting Providence and saving my own life…
That was not even a choice in the first place.
As I climbed, my attention wandered, watching the heat of the molten rocks destroy the snow the moment it touched, only for the relentless blizzard to replace them again and again until the molten rock to lost its red color … only to be replaced by another drop.
It was a clash of extremes, a constant, unending struggle between fire and ice where there was no victory in sight. What a vain struggle.
At least it was beautiful.
I pressed on, pushing myself to the limit as I climbed as fast as possible, not wanting to be outside once the cultivators finished dealing with the raging volcano. My breathing started to pick up speed, my own body heat replicating the heat of the rocks even as the icy winds scoured my skin.
The higher I climbed, the more volatile the air became even at the thin line of balance I had been following. Hot steam erupted from the fissures, battling with the cold air as the blizzard turned even more chaotic. Luckily, even without actually cultivating its essence, my knowledge of the technique allowed me to move without harm … well, except my skin cracked from the constant hot and cold switches, but it was a risk I accepted.
Yet, even as I climbed, I started to feel a vibration under my feet. It was different from the quakes of an explosion. It was more like a throbbing heart, as if the volcano itself was alive. Soon, the winds around me gained the same mystic rhythm, matching my breathing.
I assumed that it was just an illusion, until a sudden flash of Providence wrapped around me, too fast for me to react, and —
APPROVAL.
It disappeared just as quickly as it had arrived, leaving nothing but a deeper understanding of the concept of Burning Ice. I felt like I had been judged, and luckily, received a passing grade.
It must have been the lingering impact of the Symbol.
Yet, I couldn’t help but pause, wondering what would have happened if I had been found wanting. Nothing good, I presumed. I was still confident that I could survive with the System, but I was glad that I didn’t actually take that challenge.
Yet, that realization soon disappeared,, leaving me to process the sudden new realization about fire and ice, elements opposite in nature that should have been in eternal conflict, yet here, they were in a delicate, impossible balance, made stronger by it.
I breathed even as I waved my hand, and the Providence around me stirred once more. However, it wasn’t the violent pull of the System that left Providence in momentary chaos. Instead, it was a brief movement from the Providence. It was just a momentary control due to the epiphany I was enjoying, the ability to do so disappearing in an instant. It had no practical effect.
But, the knowledge it brought was even more impactful. As, when the Province stirred gently under my control, it only moved partially, before it was forcibly stopped by …
Providence.
