Sirin's Nine Yin Locking Seal incident was an isolated case… or so I thought.
I took out a glass-like slate. A holographic interface appeared on its glass surface. I checked on its messaging app and saw Kiana's messages.
The hologram extended to form a three-dimensional video. She crossed her arms as she spoke to the screen.
"That fangirl of yours, Sin, approached me after her breakthrough. She asked for the same treatment as Sirin."
Why is she smart when it comes to this thing?
"The most surprising was Bronya. She… she learned it from the fangirl and Seele. She unhesitantly offered herself. We tried to dissuade her as much as possible, but… you must have seen this outcome."
…
She's right.
I have a feeling Bronya will do such a thing. She usually keeps it hidden to herself, but that longing of hers is clear to see. I had it, too.
Back when I was just starting out, I wanted to reach her level. Not hesitating when it comes to protecting others is her greatest feature. Her coolness is off the charts, too.
In a way, we longed to become the greatest features of each other. She wanted to appreciate an ordinary life. I wanted to become strong to protect the people important to me.
It isn't surprising to know about Bronya's move. What surprised me are the Nine Yin Locking Seals.
"She asked for it right after Sin did. I gave it to them. Talk to me as soon as your seclusion ends…"
The projection ended there. Kiana's voice contained a hint of uncertainty. She did not know if her decision was a good one.
"Fu…"
There's no use blaming anyone—even myself. All that's left is to face it myself, just like how I did Sirin.
I opened another software inside the smartphone (cultivation version). It showed the statuses of everyone. The majority are marked in red with the words "seclusion". My eyes stopped at one name with the 'Active' tag.
Theresa.
The memories of our meeting flashed in my mind. She fainted after drinking my blood. Our close contact was seen by Rita, too.
Most importantly, her vulnerable look was hard to forget. Her status as Kiana's/Sirin's/Durandal's Aunt added a unique flair to her, enough to make my heart itchy.
There are also those two students of mine. Their statuses are shown as 'Active'. The moment I shut down most of the formations, my status is automatically toggled as 'Active'.
Moments later, someone arrived at my front door. I opened it and was greeted enthusiastically.
"What good luck! I have something to show to you!"
Li Shushang went straight inside my courtyard. Her excitement is overflowing, that I can tell.
With a quick glance, I saw through her current realm.
{Realm: Divine Transformation Realm Middle Stage (3%)}
{Mind: Divine Transformation Realm Middle Stage (54%)}
This time, I decided not to 'divine' the things I missed out. It would be more interesting to find out about them myself.
"Look. I tried to anchor the Divine Sword inside the Stigma Space. It produced an unexpected result!"
The world around me changed. The sky turned dark gray. Countless flying swords floated in the air. Swords also littered everywhere, stabbed upright on the ground.
This is…
Unlimited Blade Works?
"I didn't cut it off from the Imaginary Tree. I felt it would result in something bad, like its destruction. But turning my Divine Sword as an anchor worked fine. It felt like I only copied a downgraded version off, but it is still quite strong."
The Formlessness stage of Blade Mantra required cutting off the Stigma Space from the Imaginary Tree, using a seventh level Tao Heart as an anchor, and turning it into an independent space with the complete "Past", "Present", and "Future". It is an "Inner World" of sorts, or simply put, a miniature version of Imaginary Tree.
Only, this miniature version couldn't create worlds as its main purpose is to 'steal' the "Authority" of an Aeon.
It is a Reality Marble or a Domain in other terms—one that can span star systems.
If the "Authority" is all about "Destruction", this "Inner World" will be the same; volcanic crusts, cracked planet cores, explosions of galaxies are the sights one would see.
From the looks of it, Shushang's 'Authority' isn't in the existing Aeons.
"Swords?"
"Mhm. I was surprised to see this Authority unoccupied. I took it in one go. How was it?"
"It's not a bad choice."
Everyone has a common sense of the Aeons outside. Nobody dared to provoke these Aeons for the moment. The other problem was the 'Path Resonance'.
Whenever two Aeons appear, both with similarities, they will converge until only one remains. I am afraid Shushang might trigger that event with The Hunt.
As if sensing my thoughts, she explained:
"I can terminate the anchor by withdrawing my Divine Sword... the soul fragment that has its traces. It's a magical connection. I can also choose another 'Authority' after re-anchoring. All it takes is time…"
She patiently explained her findings. Most of the things I pointed out are considered by her. A small fraction of them are the 'loopholes'. Nevertheless, her 'discovery' confirmed the feasibility and capabilities of the Formlessness realm.
"Oh, that's right. Feel free to check this out."
She passed on a jade slip. I peered through it using my divine consciousness. Its title is simple:
Blade Mantra 5.0
"The Master helped with revising the fourth version. I found the two Empresses and Miss Durandal for the fifth version."
"...You worked hard."
This is the benefit of distributing immortal cultivation. I received a lot of good stuff even though I remained in seclusion for a hundred and twenty years.
"I want to ask for your help for the sixth version. The threshold for the stages below True Intent is lowered a lot, but I feel it can still be improved."
"Let's schedule a good date for that."
"Date? Oh, yeah…"
For some reason, I saw her eyes flicker. She still maintained that sage-like smile, nodding like a certain Emperor Nero whose catchphrase is "Umu". Her crossed arms beneath her chest made the impression more accurate.
"I won't waste time. Watch me anchor my Divine Sword."
Her eyes lit up.
"Alright!"