The world came back in pieces as if I was waking up from a dream. My body felt sluggish like I was stuck in syrup. I tried to open my eyes but nothing happened. I tried to connect to the Eye of Heaven but nothing. I fought against the urge to panic and focused on the parts of my body. First I concentrated on my finger tips. It took several seconds before I could move them let alone the rest of my hand. Panic threatened to overwhelm the conscious part of my mind.

  Suddenly the sensation disappeared. Intellect Fortress had activated. The spell felt like a lifeline and I hurriedly looked inside myself. I half expected to see horrible damage but instead I was fine. If anything my channels might have gotten stronger. It was hard to tell with my mind still fuzzy but it was still a lifeline. A shred of hope. I tried to move either of my hands but it was like the liquid around me had become tar. Like it didn't want to let me go. That led to another realization. I couldn't breath.

  A fresh surge of fear swelled inside me. I couldn't drown. I wouldn't drown! The fear was almost enough to overwhelm Intellect Fortress. The skill drained more and more energy until finally I calmed down. I wasn't sure if it was the spell forcing me to be calm or if it was a macabre acceptance. Either way I realized that I wasn't drowning. My lungs felt fine. My body felt fine.

  I tried to activate the rest of my spell but my energy was sluggish. Even after several seconds nothing activated. Okay Amari what do you know? My memories slowly returned and I gritted my teeth in annoyance. Had I been possessed? Am I locked away? No felt fine. If anything it was more like...Like I was inside a cocoon. Was that golden liquid real? If so I just had to fight my way out right? I was awake now which should mean whatever changes it caused were over now.

  I went through everything that I knew when something occurred to me. The liquid came from inside me right? So why couldn't pull it back in? Why couldn't I just cultivate it? I returned my focus to my dantian and cycled the Ethereal Codex. The process was slow at first. Every rotation of my energy made the cocoon tighten around me. I couldn't be sure if I was in a liquid or if it was just a thick film. Like the sack that a baby would come out of. Even at its tightest it didn't let me move.

  The cultivated energy didn't enter my channels. I wasn't sure where it was going but I could feel that it was going somewhere. I wasn't sure how long I sat there before something changed. A crack resounded through the darkness. Quickly followed by two more. At first I thought something had gone wrong but I soon realized that was wrong. The cocoon was actually breaking. I doubled my efforts until the cracks began to blur together into a single cacophony of sound.

  Once again I tried to move my fingers. It wasn't easy but I could do it. Next came my hands and then my arms. Before too long I could move most of my body. I still couldn't get out of the cocoon and I was trapped in the fetal position but that was fine. After a few more cycles of the codex I decided to try something different. I relaxed my cultivation manual and forced energy out of every point in my body at the same time.

  Spiritual energy exploded out of me like a bomb. Every cell of my body felt reborn as air and light washed over me. Golden goo and parts of the cocoon splattered over nearly every surface. I took in a breath of deep air like a starving man. For a moment my senses were overwhelmed as I regained access to everything. The energy in my dantian felt like fire and electricity as it surged through my channels.

  I stood there covered in goo like some kind of horror movie monster. I took stock of my situation. Things were more or less what I expected. The figure and the array were gone. Based on what they said both were connected which was fine. I slowly opened the Eye of Heaven only to stumble forward a step. The eye felt stronger. I concentrated on seeing only through it and my vision zoomed in on the wall in front of me. I could see through it. Barely but I could see through it.

  It wasn't quite like an X-ray machine, instead it was closer to a black and white filter. The wall became black and out of focus while the thing on the other side became white. Unfortunately stone was on the other side so I couldn't be sure how useful it was. I experimented with it for a few minutes and made a second discovery. I didn't need the eye anymore. If I wanted the X-ray like vision the eye had to be open but all the of its old powers worked if it was closed.

  When I passed my gaze over my own body a mix of fear and curiosity passed through me. There was a spot just over my heart where the mysterious cultivator had touched me. That spot was rapidly drawing in spiritual energy. I tried to form a connection with the spot but nothing worked. I couldn't control the flow of energy either. Lastly I opened my robes and looked at with my normal vision.

  There was a tattoo like mark. The mark was a golden circle about the size of quarter that was connected to four quarter circles that extended further out. I gingerly touched the mark half expecting for it to burn or hurt but it didn't. I tried for other things including circulating my cultivation technique but nothing changed. "Alright, so I got a weird tattoo?"

  When I reached for my Tao I discovered a second change. An amazing change. I expanded each of my Tao fields to make sure that I hadn't gone crazy. I grinned and then laughed. "My affinities increased." I called out in a mixture of disbelief and excitement. Was that why he was captured? If affinities were as important as the tutorial workers made them seem than a free boost like this was definitely up there.

  It was hard to tell just how high the boost was since there were no meters but if I had to guess. I would put it around ten to fifteen percent. Which seemed heaven defying. I checked the rest of my body but that seemed to be extent of my changes. "I don't know who you were but thanks." I spoke out loud. Now that the rewards were here I couldn't help but admit I had gotten a steal. Of course the warning about people hunting me down was there.

  Which didn't make much sense. After all how would they know about the benefits? No the only culprit would be whatever the circle was. Part of me was excited to see what happened once it stopped drawing in energy another part was terrified. The last thing I would want would be to get sealed up like that. I wasn't sure if death really was the end for someone like that but if there was something I could do for them I would.

  I shook of the melancholy that took hold and stepped out of the chamber. I glanced over at the cultivation chamber and found that Xerxes was finished. I stepped up and opened the door only to be nearly knocked over. I leaped back and raised my fists just as terrifying howl shattered the calm. It was almost as loud as a jet engine and carried an intense killing intent.

  "Xerxes?" I called out just before the massive beast launched himself at me.

  "Amari?" He responded.

  I grinned and scanned him with my eyes. What I saw made my steps falter. "Are you at the threshold? Are you able to evolve?"

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  "No, not until you do but I could." His mental voice had lost the childlike edge to it. Now it sounded regal and powerful like a noble lion or a king.

  I couldn't help but laugh as I stared at him. His scales had lost their pliability. I wasn't sure I could break them without going all out. His mane was even more luxurious. Altogether both of us had grown by leaps and bounds. I doubled checked the status screen but there were no changes for me. Which meant either the System didn't register the strange mark or it didn't do anything yet. The Eye of Heaven hadn't changed either which was odd.

  "Well I guess that proves you aren't omniscient. Either that or you only care about major changes." I muttered to myself. "I need to get changed and get this goop off of me. Can you give me a minute?"

  I tossed out some meat from my ring and stepped back into the other chamber. The next hour was spent scrapping goo off of my body with a broken. A process that also removed almost all the hair from my body. I still wasn't sure what the golden goo was but it had weird sweet smell. A bit like honey when I finally got it all off I wanted nothing more than to take a shower but this place lacked those facilities. Thankfully my robes auto cleaning feature still worked. So I got to wear clean and dry clothing.

  I rolled my shoulders as I left the chamber. "Alright are you ready to leave?"

  "Ready"

  I grinned and activated Apportation. The portal opened and were back in the entrance chamber a few minutes later. "Do you have any idea how long we were down there?" He shook his head and I shrugged. I made another note to get a watch or literally anything that properly tell time. This guess work had long ago become annoying. When we got back to the sealed entrance I tried to force it open but quickly realized it was impossible.

  I sent threads of energy along the array until I found a weak point. Weak by this places standards still required me to peck at it for what felt like an hour before it unraveled. The door reopened and we were hit with fresh air. We stepped out and I took several deep breaths. Just to clear my lungs of the old stale air. I hadn't realized just how much I missed clean air until this moment.

  When I calmed down and I glanced back at the tree hollow. "Xerxes do you think you could burn that place down?"

  He let out a low growl and then unleashed a blast of flame. The attack slammed into the tree's inner chamber but it didn't ignite. It took two more blasts before it was burning. We stayed a bit longer to make sure the entire forest didn't go up before I decided it was time. We ran up the nearest tree trunk and headed north. The further away from the tree we got the more excited I became. It was like I had saved up all this momentum and now it was time to explode.

  I slowly ramped up my speed as we traveled until we were practically flying from branch to branch. My let my soul sense fill the area around us but it kept going. It didn't stop until it formed a sphere more than three times as long as it used to be. When I combined it with the Eye of Heaven it felt like I could see everything. The forest blurred by us until we came across another of the camouflaged bugs.

  I summoned my psychic energy and began to form a halo of swords. Only it happened much faster. It was almost like the energy begged to be used. I barely had to shape the energy. I couldn't help but laugh as all six blades found their mark. The kill energy surged into my dantian which was a slight surprise. I had expected the weird mark to steal some of the energy. So I guess you won't slow my leveling down?

  I knew I wouldn't get an answer and I didn't really care. We continued on until we came across a group of cultivators locked in battle. I didn't recognize the robes or colors that either side wore which piqued my interest. One side were a group of beast humans. That included a humanoid bunny, a reptile that kind of looked like a dinosaur and a wolf man with a glaive. The other side were humans though their eyes were different. Their pupils were vertical slits.

  I scanned them and was disappointed. No one in this group was above level 28 or so which meant they were weak. At least compared to us. They were locked in battle over what looked like a blue and green rose. The rose was as big as a dinner plate and looked pretty. That was all that was interesting about it though. I sat down on a tree branch and watched the two groups go at it for a few minutes before I was spotted. It was the wolf man who noticed.

  He lifted his glaive toward me and leaped back with the rest of his group. He sported a nasty cut across the front of his chest and he couldn't decide who was a bigger threat. The trio of humans he fought or me and Xerxes. I was about to call out when I felt a familiar warmth at the base of my skull. My gaze snapped to the lizard who had just used a skill on me. I was pretty sure it was only a scouting skill so I wasn't too worried.

  "It is no good. I can't see anything about that one. We should withdraw." The lizard called out with clear panic in his voice. The bunny person quickly nodded their agreement. The wolf person didn't look like they wanted to.

  The three humans had taken a position between the two of us. Forming the third leg of a triangle with the weird flower at its middle. They looked just as worried as the beast people.

  "Hey, got no problem with you all. Just watching the fight." I grinned at them which was apparently the wrong thing to do. The wolf man tightened the grip on his glaive while the human leader aimed his sword in my direction.

  "You intend to steal the treasure while we battle." He stated whether than asked.

  "I didn't say that. I have no interest in the flower. I want to watch more cultivators go at it."

  "Our battle is mere entertainment to you?" The wolf man growled.

  "Well yeah basically. You all are around level 30 or so?" The look of surprise on all of their faces was amusing so I continued. "You aren't really strong enough to make a fight worth it. Though if I could see more of your skills and spells it could be fun."

  "You are antagonizing them. Do you want to fight them?"

  I shook my head and was about to give up on the show when one of the human cultivators unleashed a bolt of lightning at me. I was about to counter it when Xerxes unleashed a blast of fire. The two attacks met in the air but it was hardly an even battle. Xerxes' flames consumed the attacks and continued on toward them. The group was able to dodge so it could have ended their but it didn't.

  "Help us deal with the intruder. After that we can decide who gets the treasure." The swordsman called out before he unleashed a massive slash in our direction. I imbued my hand with spiritual energy and the Tao of Adamance and held it out. The slash hit my hand with a thunderous bomb. I then got to watch the color drain from the leader's face as it did nothing. When whatever skill he used exhausted its power I looked at my palm. The attack barely cut me.

  "Now that wasn't nice." I mocked as I got to my feet. Before I could make another move the rest of the man's group unleashed their attacks. Lightning and fire shot toward us and my danger sense stayed silent. I activated Psychic Aegis in its wall form and let the attacks slam into it. I then jumped off the tree. I fell straight down like a stone and then crashed into the ground like a bad ass.

  "I hadn't planned on fighting you all now but this could be a fun warm up. A chance to test my improvements." I was pretty sure I could end both groups with one or two attacks so I decided to limit myself. I would only use my bare hands and feet. I glanced over at the beast people who hadn't made their move. "Last chance. You all joining in?"

  They group turned to the wolf man who hadn't unleashed the grip on their weapon. "Ready your tokens." They said through gritted teeth.

  I chuckled. "You don't have to look so unhappy about it. Running away is perfectly reasonable. I've done it a few times." I needled him. The spiritual energy next to shimmered just before the human with the great sword appeared. I grinned and flipped backwards completely avoiding the strike. "Now that's rude." I laughed but it was Xerxes who stepped up.

  The Qilin slammed into the warrior with the force a linebacker. The warrior tried to block but he might as well have tried to block a runaway train with what good it did. The man was thrown nearly forty feet and through a tree.

  "Mine" Xerxes declared.

  I decided not to fight with him about it. I wanted to see what he could do now anyway and it wasn't like there was a limit on people to fight. I turned my attention to the rest of his team and offered them a mock bow. "Well, shall we get to it?"