11. Into the Spine Mountains

Valeria and I set out on our journey the final afternoon I finished comprehending the Supreme Dao. We rode in silence along the road to the mountains, when I looked over at Valeria she seemed to be deep in thought. I decided not to bother her and we rode on for a few days before stopping at the foot of the mountains. As we stopped to make camp Valeria approached me. As she was standing in front of me, I knew she wanted to say something but she appeared to be feeling embarrassed for some reason.

"I can tell you want to ask me something Valeria. You might as well ask your question." I smiled slightly as I spoke to her, noticing that her cheeks flushed a bit at my words.

"It's that obvious? Haaa well I suppose there's no harm in asking. How did you become a Cultivator? I've lived in this country my whole life and I've never met a cultivator. Now I've met two cultivators in just as many days. Just how much good luck do you have to meet such a master that is powerful enough to have a Supreme Legacy on your first day travelling out of the city?" Valeria shifted from foot to foot uncomfortably as she spoke to me, her voice was soft and I could tell she was very curious about my background. I looked at her and decided there was no reason in hiding the truth from her.

"Well I am not originally from this world, Valeria. I came from another world through a magical power, this isn't even my original body but it is the only one I have now." I then proceeded to explain the downfall of my world to her. She sat and listened to my story, her eyes wide with surprise and disbelief, before finally I saw acceptance in her eyes. She looked at me and I could see a faint trace of tears beading in her eyes.

"That is so horrible, Sam... I cannot imagine what it must be like to be forced to leave your own world for one such as this. I can only imagine your power before your soul was transferred here.." She looked at me with wonder in her eyes. She obviously got the wrong idea about my power but that was okay. I was a cultivator now and it was better for people to believe that I was always a cultivator in my other life. I shrugged before responding to her.

"It is of no consequence how powerful I was before, the only thing that matters now is that I have a second chance at life and I can obtain greater height here than I did in my original world." Valeria's eyes widened at my words and she reached out a hand to cup my face, pulling my eyes to hers. I noticed for the first time that her eyes were a pure and clear dark green... they were....

"Beautiful..." I whispered out before I could stop myself from speaking. Valeria blushed at my words and looked down before I placed a hand on her cheek.

"Never be embarrassed of who you are, Valeria. Your eyes are beautiful, you are beautiful and there is nothing wrong with that." She looked back at me and I could feel her flush beneath my hand.

"Sam... what is this?" Valeria asked the question softly and I felt my heart begin to beat faster in my chest as she spoke.

"I do not know the answer to your question, but I can tell you that even though I am not from this world. You should never hide who you are." I removed my hand from her cheek and rose to move over to my tent.

"I will be cultivating for the rest of the night, let me know if anything happens." I rose and went to clear my mind before circulating the Supreme Qi through my body according to the Laws of the Universe. As the Qi circulated through my body and into my Dantian, I noticed that my thoughts became sharper. My mind more easily comprehending the information now crowding my knowledge sea. I still couldn't peer into my knowledge sea, but I could feel the knowledge moving through my consciousness. The feeling was instinctual, almost as if I had known to cultivate this way my entire life. It felt odd as I sat there, the spiritual energy quickly being drawn into my body at an alarming rate.

[You have learned a new skill!]

[Supreme Harmony, Rank: S, Mastery: 0.00%; Through the knowledge you have gained you are able to circulate and absorb Supreme Qi. This allows you to cultivate at a faster rate. While meditating and circulating this way you cultivate 25% faster. You gain one stack of Harmony per minute (Up to 7), each stack of Harmony adds an additional 25% to you cultivation speed (Up to 200%).]

I grinned widely as I got the notification, opening my eyes and ending my cultivation for the moment. I let out a slow breath as I felt the Qi flow around me through the Harmony I felt. My body just felt so much lighter! Like I could glide right across the ground! I stood and turned to the opening of my tent, taking a step forward. Before I knew it, I was standing across the clearing from my tent. The bright sunlight greeted my eyes through the canopy overhead and I could feel the warm morning breeze brushing across my cheek. I smiled wider and laughed loudly into the air, enjoying the feeling of freedom I received from the cultivation method I had obtained.

"You had great success in your cultivation I assume?" Valeria spoke as she exited her tent, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. I grinned again and stepped to stand in front of her. Her eyes widened as I seemingly slid across the ground.

"I have achieved something called 'Harmony'. I don't know exactly what it is, but it helps me to move like this. Almost as if I am connected to the world itself. But we should worry about this later." I turned and gestured to the mountains a half mile away, "We should enter the mountains and see if we can find your sister. I will do my best to protect you, but I cannot guarantee your safety."

Valeria smiled before touching the hilt of the weapon at her side, "No need to worry too much about me, Sam. I can take care of myself. I won't be a burden," Her eyes darkened for a moment before she said, lowly and barely audible, "Not ever again..."