Chapter 5: A Pair of Travelers

  “Hahahahaha!”

  Guffaws rang out from a ring of crude huts built in a large clearing next to a steep mountain cliff. The towering stone wall extended up toward the sky, blocking the sunlight from reaching the clearing below, blanketing the area in constant darkness. This was Shadefall Mountain.

  Damon hid in the thick underbrush at the edge of the clearing, monitoring the men sitting around a fire slowly roasting a whole pig. The men were clad in rough cotton clothing and leather garments, weapons hanging from their waists or leaning against the huts within reach. His eyes were narrowed as he glared at the group. These were the bandits that had settled nearby.

  “So, what will you do, boy? Will you attack them now?” An illusory figure emerged out of the ground in front of Damon.

  “No. It’s not time yet. I still need more time to prepare.” Damon responded in a flat tone.

  “You’ve come here at least 20 times over the past couple of years. How much longer will you make me wait? It’s boring just watching you stare at them.” Silas floated past Damon’s vision. He laid on his side, lounging through the air with his face settled in one of his palms.

  Damon ignored Silas and continued looking at the unruly men brawling with each other over a piece of leg meat. He grasped some dirt with his hand and squeezed it tight. Then he turned around and sneaked away quietly. As long as they remained here, there was no need to rush. He could come back whenever he was ready.

  “Nnngghhhh…” A groan echoed through the hidden cave chamber. With his brows furrowed, teeth clenched, skin pale, and back drenched, Damon slumped over to the ground. He had just finished impaling his Mind Node with mind spikes. His tolerance had improved over the past few years, but it was still torturous.

  “Phew…” Damon exhaled a heavy breath. “Ten spikes. My new limit.”

  The mental power circulating through his Mind Node had initially been transparent, almost invisible. After the consistent tempering, it resembled a viscous liquid. The spikes acted as a chisel, being hammered into the node. It compressed his mental power as it healed, similar to how a blacksmith hardened metal through folding and forging. Although this did not increase the capacity, it strengthened the power he could utilize, which now pulsated with strong fluctuations.

  “If not for the mind spike tempering, I may even be at the late stage already. Are you certain the tradeoff is worth it, Master Silas?”

  “Psh.” Silas’s head popped out from the pool of Mindsoul Dew, and he glowered at Damon. “So what if you can cultivate a bit faster. The density of your mental power is superior to a late stage, so why fret? Besides, you’re already cultivating much faster than anyone I have ever seen before.”

  “Are you finally admitting that I have incredible talents, Master?” Damon asked, his lips stretching in a wide smile.

  “Talents? What talents! I already told you that you aren’t a genius! It’s just that the atmospheric essence has a greater concentration of mental energy now compared to when I was alive! If I lived in this era… I would advance at a rate 10 times faster than you!” Silas’s illusory face turned red, and his beard bristled.

  The large grin remained on Damon’s face, but he didn’t continue the line of conversation. If he kept teasing, Silas would disappear into the mental rune and ignore him for a few weeks. He had already experienced it once before.

  “By the way, what happens if I use this technique on someone else, Master?”

  “You’re playing with fire, asking that question. A person's mind is as fragile as the heart is for the body. What do you think will happen if you drive a spear through it? It’ll be completely destroyed! Though that’s only against a mortal. You must be careful around other cultivators. They generally have a strong will, which grants them resistance to mental abilities. They may even have defenses against mental attacks, either through a secret technique or a special artifact.” Silas scoffed as he bobbed up and down in the spring with his arms crossed.

  A spear through the mind? That makes sense. I should be careful.

  Damon rose from his seated position and lumbered over to the table. He grabbed and unstoppered a small emerald vial, pouring the contents into his mouth. A coolness washed over his mind, soothing him of the splitting headache.

  “This Mindsoul Dew is so effective in healing mental injuries. Yet, you turned your nose up at such a thing when you first discovered it? What would count as a precious material to you, Master?”

  The wave of cool liquid continued washing over him from within. Damon focused on the wisps of raw energy produced as he digested it. It was immediately converted into mental power, giving his cultivation a tiny boost.

  “This thing? It’s just a liquified pool of Mental Essence, hence the name. It is useful, but it’s definitely not an all-powerful solution. As you continue advancing, eventually it will not be enough. A truly precious material… Is something that can send you soaring toward the heavens in one step.”

  Damon frowned as he thought about Silas’s words. If that’s the case… I’ll need to leave the village and explore the world to gather more cultivation resources.

  He rested for a while longer before departing the chamber, heading for his shack. Although he sometimes slept in the cave, he preferred to return to his old home. The same blankets felt warmer and more comfortable in the bed he had shared with his parents than they did in the cave.

  Before the morning sun rose, Damon awoke from a short slumber. His cultivation allowed him to function without sleep, but his condition would worsen, and his control over mental power weakened. A short rest was necessary every day or two. His need for sustenance had not been abated by cultivation either, prompting him to maintain a regular schedule to provide for himself.

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  During his final trip lugging water into the village, Damon noticed a commotion outside the village Chief's house. Curious, he pushed through the onlookers to find the source of the ruckus. It appeared that a pair of travelers had stopped by this village during their journey. He was slightly inclined toward asking about the world outside the village, but he decided that it would be better for him to either cultivate or practice his combat abilities, and left.

  “Aren’t you going to check it out? Sounds like fun!” Silas floated alongside Damon, urging him to participate in the occasion.

  “No, I need to cultivate. Master Silas, I asked you not to speak to me when we’re in public. I can’t be caught talking to the air, after all.” With the heavy pole still on his shoulder, Damon shook his head and hurried along to his destination.

  “Hey… Jon, was it? Who is that boy over there, the one carrying the buckets of water?” A cheerful and melodious voice, resembling the call of an oriole, rang out from a short figure in the center of the crowd. The children of the village had gathered around this individual, a pretty and delicate-looking maiden, around the age of 13. She had long, red hair cascading down her slender back. Her face was graced by emerald-colored, almond-shaped eyes, a small nose, and a thin mouth.

  Before Jon could respond, a skinny, monkey-faced boy snickered out, “Him? He’s just the village idiot. No need to mind him.”

  “Village idiot? Why is he called that? He does not resemble a fool.”

  “A while ago, he claimed he could move objects with his thoughts. He is definitely not quite right in the head. There are rumors that he even talks to himself. He does chores for food even though the adults offered it for free. If that isn’t foolish, I don’t know what is.” The same boy jeered.

  “Jeoffry, stop slandering him. Don’t listen to Jeoffry. There is nothing wrong with Damon. He just does chores for his share of the supplies he requires from the other villagers. The rest, he must be gathering in the mountains on his own. The moving objects thing was most likely a figment of his imagination. In fact, he works harder than any other kid in this village.” Jon asserted.

  When she heard their words, the young traveler girl looked up at the tall, hooded figure next to her in curiosity. This was her grandfather, a wizened old man with long gray hair and beard reaching his chest. His similarly bright emerald eyes looked on in the direction Damon had departed, his eyes twinkling.

  Damon returned to his home to set his equipment down before ascending the mountain to continue his cultivation. As he exited his shack, two children ran up the trail to his house and arrived in front of him.

  “Damon! Damon! Quick, you need to come have a look! The grandpa who’s visiting can use something called magic! It’s so strange and fantastical, like those bedtime stories our parents used to tell! He says that certain special children are born with the talent to use this thing, and he specifically asked for you by name!” An energetic and simple-looking boy shouted out before even reaching Damon.

  “Huff… Huff… Damon, the Chief has asked you to come meet the traveler if you are able…” wheezed out a girl with similar features to the boy. This was a pair of twins, a rare sight in the village.

  “Why are you two in such a rush? It doesn’t sound like an urgent situation,” Damon replied casually. He had already experienced events surpassing one's imagination, so he did not put much importance on this so-called magic.

  “Quick, quick! Follow the kids down to the village! I want to have a look at this thing!” Silas jumped around excitedly, just like the twins.

  Shaking his head, Damon followed the excitedly chattering twins down the mountain and went to the village chief’s residence. In the backyard, the villagers had surrounded the fencing to watch the happenings. He trailed behind the children, the two pushing and squeezing their way through the encirclement. Upon reaching the inner edge, his eyes opened wide from the circumstances.

  The elderly man in robes was juggling a pair of balls covered in fire, or so he thought initially. He swiftly discovered the balls were not covered in fire, but were made of fire. Focusing purely on the flames with narrowed eyes, Damon extended his Mindsense. His attempt at probing them failed. He did not feel anything. There were no mental power fluctuations, nor any invisible threads. Yet, the heat radiating from the balls of fire was real.

  Damon looked up at Silas floating above everyone. He expected Silas to be sneering in contempt, but instead saw his jaw drop and eyes bulge.

  “That… What is that? That’s not mental power… It’s definitely not the physical path either…” Silas mumbled as he watched the robed elder.

  The old man noticed Damon staring at him and tossed the balls high up in the air, where they burst apart into numerous radiant sparks. This drew a series of loud exclamations followed by applause from the villagers.

  “Boy, you are known as Damon, correct?” asked the robed elder.

  “Yes, sir. I am known as Damon Fletcher. That thing you just did… The twins called it magic. Could I ask you to explain the principle behind it?” asked Damon. Silas was the one whispering incessantly in his ear, instructing him to ask numerous questions.

  Smiling, the robed elder responded, “Child, you seem very mature for your age and speak quite eloquently. Your inquisitive mind is exactly what an Arcon needs. This little parlor trick was nothing but a mere performance to amuse the crowd. Real spellcraft is far more mysterious, dangerous and powerful. Say, would you be interested in seeing if you have what it takes to become an Arcon?”

  Interesting… Is this a new form of mind cultivation? No, that’s not right. If he were using mental power, I would be able to sense it. Is it a different cultivation path? Even Master Silas looks baffled. Damon was a little skeptical about the whole story, but nodded nonetheless.

  “Good, good. I do not own the tools required to test your affinity to the elements, but this stone should be able to reveal whether you have an innate affinity to pure arcane energy. In this village, the only child who manifested a reaction was Jon. I have high hopes that you will do so as well.” The old man smiled as he produced a stone out of thin air. It was oval in shape, small enough to fit in his palm, and glimmered with a red light.

  Damon’s pupils constricted when the stone appeared. This old man… He must own a storage pouch or something of a similar nature! This is definitely the real deal! He did not betray his surprise on his face and reached out to grab the stone instead. He studied it in intrigue for a minute before looking back at the old man.

  “It hasn’t shown any reaction yet. Do I need to do something?” asked Damon.

  The old man furrowed his brows in confusion as he muttered something under his breath. Afterward, he said, “Usually, the essence stone will automatically emit a light, the brilliance according to your degree of affinity… But… It doesn’t seem like you possess any degree of affinity to arcane energy. How peculiar, I surmised your ability to move an object was due to arcane powers, but…”

  Hearing the mumbling words, Damon realized the old man had called for him because he had heard the rumors. He did not quite understand why, but he was extremely averse to the idea of people finding out about his mind cultivation. Therefore, he was unwilling to allow the old man to speculate further. After brief contemplation, he stirred the mental power within himself, hoping to elicit a reaction.

  The stone responded in an unexpected way.