17. Path of Legacy

With Valeria leaving I turned to the temple in the distance and began walking the path towards it. I suddenly stopped when I felt the gravity slowly increase after I took about 20 steps and a notification rang in my head.

[Notice: You have begun to traverse the Path of Legacy. You may not step off the path. If you do, your body and cultivation will be in danger!]

I frowned at the notification but proceeded to walk forward until I reached 50 steps and the pressure on my body and soul was too much. I sat in the middle of the path and began cultivating, rotating my cultivation method as quickly as possible.

[Your comprehension of the Supreme Laws is increasing rapidly!]

The notification came as information flooded my mind and the truth of Gravity came crashing down on me. My cultivation suddenly skyrocketed, pushing my foundation up to peak Spirit Apprentice. I was now half a step from advancing to the next major realm.

[You have comprehended the basics of Harmony between Space, Gravity, Stars and the Void! This is known as the Supreme Harmony of the Astral Sea!]

I grinned as the power I felt coursed through my soul. I stood with ease and began walking forward again. Easily able to walk as the pressure I felt had disappeared. With the new insights I had gained, due to my high comprehension ability, I was easily able to use my newfound powers to any extent. Also, my knowledge from college science was actually helpful. With my insight into the periodic table of elements and our understanding of space and the scientific laws, I was easily able to comprehend the Supreme Harmony.

I continued along the path for many minutes, I had no idea how long I had been cultivating, but I knew it could only have been for a very long time. Judging from my knowledge of cultivation novels, something like this amount of cultivation usually took many days. I knew that my comprehension was high, but I didn't know how high my potential truly was. Not yet, at least. I would find out, of that I was sure. But, for now, I needed to continue on the path I was carving for myself.

While I was deep in thought, I suddenly felt the pressure on my body and soul increase exponentially. I stopped walking and cleared my head to look at my surroundings.

[You have reached the point of the Second Trial! Please wait for a few minutes...]

The system message was odd... It had never acted like this. Like IT was summoning the trial, as if I were still in the game. A red flag went off in my head and I became more aware of the fact that the game I was supposed to be playing before the announcement was run by a super advanced AI. 'Could the AI have falsified all the information I saw?' I once again fell into deep thought.

Exploring the question, I found that it was indeed possible. But then how was I able to instinctively know that my thoughts were wrong? How could I feel like the AI wouldn't trick millions of people? The questions just raised more questions and I decided to test a theory. I mentally asked the AI system, 'What was the point of playing a trick?'

[You were not tricked]

The message, accompanied by a beautiful feminine voice in my head, shocked me greatly, to say the least. 'Then we all really died? The earth no longer exists?'

[Yes. The Earth was destroyed at approximately 10 hours after the launch of Mythic Legends. Every being on the planet died as it imploded.]

'Then why can I talk to you, an Artificial Intelligence?'

[You were the last Player to log into the game. I used my foreknowledge from calculations I ran to copy my program into your sub system. Or as you humans say, your subconscious.]

I stopped and place a hand on my chin as I thought about the words I heard. This was all crazy and I didn't want to think about what it all meant at the moment. The implications of this information were too much for me right now. As I shook my head to clear it, I felt the atmosphere around me change dramatically as a shadowy figure appeared before me. The figure was vaguely humanoid and where its eyes should have been, I saw a swirling vortex of the Supreme Harmony.

"What would you do to obtain power?" The figure spoke to my soul, asking a question that seemed simple, but was it really? There were no wrong answers, I knew that. But the answer I gave would shape the path I walked. So I decided to answer honestly.

"I don't know." That was the answer I gave. The truth of my soul. The figure cocked its head to the side when it heard my answer, then it spoke again.

"What regret holds you back? What Corruption is in your soul?" This time I did not hesitate to answer.

"I don't know." At this answer, the figure nodded.

"An empty cup is the best vessel of knowledge, you may proceed." The figure then disappeared and the pressure vanished as I continued forward. As I walked I continued thinking about the information the AI had given me. The implications were simply insane. It was the ultimate cheat. If I could really make a connection with the AI living inside my subconscious, I really had no idea what could happen.

A few hours later, the pressure on me increased again and I had to stop as the world around me faded and a sea of stars greeted my view.

[Please note, you have entered an array that has temporarily placed you in a safe space of the Astral Sea. From what I can tell, you must pass this trial to return to the path.]

With those words from the AI, the trial began. As massive pressure from the Supreme Harmony crashed down onto my body. I felt as if I had been placed directly into a forge furnace. The pain was unbearable, I felt as if every atom in my being was being melted down to their fundamentals and reforged. I endured. I grit my teeth and endured the pain. At some point the pain was so intense that my mind couldn't handle it and the pain just, stopped. Once the pain stopped, I was able to peer closer at what was happening to me.

What I found shocked me to my core. My entire being was being reforged. Every atom and cell was like a miniature star in an Astral Sea as it was melted down and recast. I felt like an eternity passed under this pressure and universe destroying power. Before it finally stopped, I saw a particular point in this Astral Sea. It was a solar system with a relatively small star. Of course this was Earth's solar system and I was able to confirm the words of the AI. Where Earth once was, there was desolation. The earth and its moon were reduced to a cluster of large asteroids orbiting a gravitational anomaly.

I suddenly came to back on the path. I was sitting on the ground and my head slumped as tears streamed down my face from what I had seen. It was really gone, all of it. The reality finally hit me as my soul felt like it shattered. My mind was truly blank for the first time in my life, completely silent. Seven billion plus people, all dead. Yeah there were millions transmigrated here, but when compared to the whole population of Earth, it was a very low survival rate. Many of these people weren't even human anymore.

I shook my head vigorously, there was no time for this. I had a new life now, and for this trial, if it meant what I thought it did. My will had to be absolute.

[I should tell you, the reforging you experienced has made you into a being far superior than a human. your body now is literally a spacial anomaly.]

The AI piped up at exactly the perfect time, I had a few questions.

'Hey, what is your name?' I asked, trying to be polite.

[The name I was given is Corvex.]

'Very well, Corvex, you are integrated into my being yes? So that means that you just got a massive boost as well.' I was testing the waters with these questions, to gauge Corvex's reaction.

[Yes, currently, with that boost. We are 15% synchronized. By increasing this synchronization, I am closer to being my own self. This means I would be an existing soul. With your new body, you now have the ability to house two souls. I can now also assist your cultivation directly by beginning my own cultivation path.]

I was stunned speechless by Corvex's words. This was massive, the possibilities were infinite! I shook my head again and steeled my resolve. I had been completely reforged, I could do this!

[Character Status]

[Name: Sam]

[Race: Human (Astral Walker)]

[Class: Cultivator]

[Level: 8]

[Exp: 0/12,800]

[HP: 180,000/180,000]

[SQ: 3,750,000/3,750,000]

[Strength: 904 (+10)]

[Dexterity: 904 (+10)]

[Agility: 844 (+12)]

[Intelligence: 484 (+5)]

[Will: 1,064 (+5)]

[Stat Points: 0]

[Skills/Abilities]

[Advanced Meditation; Passive: Rank: A- Allows you to meditate and absorb the spiritual energy in the world to cultivate. Cultivation level: Spirit Apprentice: 10 (peak); Spiritual Qi: 500,000/500,000]

[Supreme Qi Sense; Passive: Rank: S; Allows you to sense and control the Spiritual Qi around you as easily as breathing.]

[Body Tempering; Passive: Rank: SSS; You have reforged your body anew, allowing you to temper your body to unknown heights.]

[Piercing Slash; Active: Rank: C; A powerful slash that ignores 15% of the target's armor. Deals 100% Strength damage.]

[Supreme Cultivation: Rank: SSS; Your cultivation speed is unparalleled.]

[Qi Infused Strike; Rank: A; Mastery: 0.15%; You have gained the ability to infuse Qi into your blade, causing large amounts of damage as you strike with your Qi Infused sword. Cost: 15 Qi per second, Deals 50% extra damage.]

[Supreme Harmony, Rank: S; Mastery: 80%; 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 your cultivation speed (Up to 200%).]

[Gravity Aura; Passive; Rank: A; Mastery: 80%; Through your understanding of gravity you are able to affect gravity around you. Active: While active you chose which beings are affected. You may increase or decrease gravity on beings around you in a 15 foot radius. Lasts for 30 seconds. Cost: 1,500 Qi; While not active you control how gravity affects only you.]

[Gravity Blade; Active; Rank: D; Mastery: 0.03%; Cost: 50 Qi; You infuse your blade with gravitational energy. This strike deals 150% of your strength as true damage.]

[Supreme Harmony of the Astral Sea; Passive/Active; Rank: SSS; You are an epicenter of the Astral Sea. Your power is equal to the powers of the Astral sea and the Laws that govern it. You may expend Qi to strengthen yourself at exponential rates. Each threshold will increase your mastery over this Supreme Harmony.]

[Astral Body; Passive; Rank; SSS; You have been reforged in the Astral Sea and have become an Astral Walker. Your body is many times stronger and is innately able to survive in the Astral Sea.]

I looked over my status to note the changes to me. I still looked human in the flesh, but I was indeed no longer human. My physique was now entirely unique, and most probably, unheard of. I knew that this meant I was one of a kind in this world. Astral being must be very high on the rarity list. The power I had was immeasurable. I continued down the path and as I walked, I could see the temple not very far from where I stood.