30. Mortal's Grave (Final)

"Of course, it is special. Soul Weapons are the tools that connect your world to the real one." Seemingly unbothered by Clifford, Reymond answered his question, which only led to more questions.

"Oh, how do you get one of these?"

"Soul Weapons are born from your soul at the Illusionary World stage. It's not something you should concern yourself with now. Now, tell me what you remember about the first trial." Aware of what had happened during the first trial, Reymond asked Clifford, suspicious about his early will manifestation.

"I don't know. I felt something break within me under the previous elder's pressure, and then the next moment, I was awakened by his slap."

"Ehm, so you don't remember anything at all?"

"Well, the last thing I remember was standing at the 92nd step. Nothing afterward."

"I see. So, I have some news for you. Let's start with the good news first. I can congratulate you on giving birth to a will, which means your future will be bright, as your cultivation limit won't be below the fifth stage. Now for the bad news. Since you haven't formed a world yet, you won't be able to control your will freely. It will probably appear on its own if it senses another will, and it will most likely be aggressive. Most importantly, someone is–"

"Wait a second. I've heard about the word 'will,' but I never understood what it is exactly." Cutting Reymond off, Clifford proceeded to ask him. Since he hadn't absorbed anyone with decent information, he never truly understood what the word meant.

"I hate when people cut me off, so never do it again. I will only pardon you this one time. Wills are creatures born within our worlds under certain conditions. Naturally, your will would inhabit your world, allowing you to comprehend the laws to advance your world further. Haven't you seen my son's will?"

"Are you talking about Credo? If you mean that flame creature, then yes."

"Correct. Wills are creatures that resemble your ambitions. Normally, you build your world foundation first, and then the creature is born on its own when the conditions are met. But yours was born too early. I don't see why, but it could be in your sea of consciousness. Any more questions before I continue?" Looking at Clifford, Reymond saw him shaking his head, prompting him to continue.

"Now, about serious matters. When referring to elders as a student, you always need to address them formally to avoid unnecessary trouble. The same may not apply to me or Credo, as I don't care much about formality and he is certainly hellbent on taking you as a disciple. Now, what do you say?"

"Disciple? It's a familiar word, but what does it mean in depth?" Tilting his small head to the side, Clifford asked Reymond to explain. Although he knew the word meant some sort of special student, he didn't understand it completely.

"Hmm... From which hole did you come with all of this mystery surrounding you? A disciple is a direct student to a teacher. The benefit is you get someone who answers your questions and guides you whenever you want compared to being just a student. Naturally, it comes with the benefit of receiving more resources compared to the rest of the students, if it's justified." Responding to Clifford, Reymond was confused about the fact that the boy hardly knew anything despite his body and cultivation being mysteriously advanced for his current stage.

"I will gladly accept then." Hearing about the benefits, Clifford decided to accept Credo's offer later.

"Good! Then come to me once you are done strengthening your dantian. Don't attune it to any element before coming to me, or you will limit yourself greatly." Hearing Reymond's words, Clifford frowned, recalling the advice of the core.

"Why is that? Is there anything wrong with element attunement?" Curious, Clifford asked the elder for an explanation, as he couldn't understand why.

"I see, this might be unknown to you since everyone goes for normal attunement. Let's say we have two types of attunements: normal attunement and madness attunement. The majority of cultivators choose normal attunement because it is easier compared to the latter. To achieve madness attunement, a cultivator must cross into the outer world, search for an element storm, and then begin the process at its center."

"What is the outer world? And why don't cultivators go for it if it could make them stronger?"

"The outer world is a far more dangerous place compared to this one. Thus, unless you are courageous enough, you won't dare to step in. Besides, element storms are no joke. Sitting at the center of the storm with low resolve or low pain resistance will immediately tear you apart."

"That's it for now. Just come when you are ready, and I will help you with it since you are my son's disciple." Watching Clifford nod his head, Reymond remembered the trial.

"Three hours remain for the trial. Once the time is up, you won't have another chance until next year." Raising his voice slightly, Reymond warned the participants that they wouldn't be able to change their status once the trial ended. Time passed slowly, and finally, the trial came to an end. Holding his staff, Reymond flew down before landing on the ground. Striking the ground with his staff once, the darkness that surrounded the world started closing in before disappearing into his body. Suddenly, everything created by his world disappeared similarly, following the darkness, as if it were an illusion.