A/N: Next chapter friday.
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Zac rapidly blinked, struggling to make sense of his surroundings while dealing with the changes he experienced. He remembered his Draugr body warning that he was going to dive into the other timeline to extract Janos. With one body inside a memory domain and the other in another timeline, his bodies naturally couldn't sync. Zac hadn't been too worried about what seemed like a simple enough task.
He should've known better.
Less than a minute later, Zac received a frantic warning that they were about to face a tribulation. Zac was still inside the open library at the time. He didn't even make it out of the library before his mind became a mess. His memories grew increasingly blurred from there. Now, Zac found himself surrounded by six librarians, including an ancient-looking custodian he'd seen a few times over the past weeks.
"Wh-What's going on?" Zac coughed, his throat feeling like sandpaper.
"Child, you were almost overwhelmed by a Heart Demon just now. There are countless priceless scriptures stored here, and we couldn't leave you to your devices in case you succumbed," the old man said.
"I see... Thank you for standing guard," Zac said with a bow. "I feel better now."
"I can tell," the custodian nodded. "Congratulations, it looks like you turned calamity into opportunity."
"Congratulations, Your Holiness!"
"Holiness...?" Zac murmured, sensing he was missing critical context from the ardent expressions on the librarians. "I need to enter seclusion for a while. Would it be alright for me to leave?"
"Be careful going forward. Gaining knowledge is a noble pursuit, but too much can lead you astray," the elder gently reminded as the shield faded.
"I will remember your warning," Zac said, bowing once more before turning toward the door.
Thankfully, he had the forethought to leap into a study chamber just before losing control. Few, if any, normal disciples should have noticed his situation. At most, they may have sensed unusual fluctuations.
"Oh, one more thing. Rules are rules, and I'm afraid we must ban you from the library for the next six months," the custodian's voice drifted from the room.
Zac only paused a moment before continuing out. Losing access wasn't a big deal. He'd finished going through the last of his study material inside the Open Library days ago, and he didn't have the Longanimity to exchange anything worthwhile from the premium scriptures. Not to mention, time was constantly skipping forward, where six months for a trialtaker could very well mean a week or two.
There were no traces of Tribulation Clouds or Heaven's presence when he emerged from the library gates. The tribulation he'd endured clearly differed from the norm, appearing without warning and leaving without a trace. Then again, the missing tribulation clouds could very well be Hollow Court's Grand Array at work.
Zac believed he would get the answers soon enough. He glanced toward a building aglow with Imperial Faith before making a beeline for a border of the memory domain that was hidden by a towering palace.
Another reason he didn't care about his ban was that the teleporter to the Left Imperial Palace had become operational yesterday. While eager to move on, he'd stayed behind because Esmeralda's efforts were approaching culmination. With so many variables in play, he decided to deal with one matter at a time. Looking back, it was definitely the right decision.
Zac passed through the barrier, allowing his experiences to realign. It turned out his Draugr half was equally flummoxed by the situation. One moment, he'd been looking down at the sprawling continent of the alternate timeline. The next, Zac found himself standing on the shores, uncomfortably close to the Peregrine Ocean, with a miniature Esmeralda perched on his head.
On the horizon, Mercurial Court's pillar with its eight halos proudly towered into the sky. Following the shoreline, Zac vaguely spotted a rain of memory lanterns above a radiant domain. Judging by the distance and the mountains behind him, they'd appeared almost exactly where they began their journey upon reaching the Left Imperial Expanse's inner domain. The memory domain on the horizon was Transformation Docks.
"What happened? Did the ocean spit us out on the wrong side?" Zac asked with confusion.
"Uh..." Esmeralda drawled, seemingly equally baffled.
"Aren't you supposed to be the expert in matters of space?"
"That was... something else. Besides, I had my hands full making sure you had a path of retreat. Didn't I tell you to make it fast?" Esmeralda huffed with embarrassment.
"Things got complicated," Zac said, briefly recounting what had happened.
"I don't get it. What does the demonling have to gain from making himself part of the Limitless Empire's dream? If their scheme doesn't pan out, he'll die with the rest of them," Esmeralda scoffed. "Did he think that becoming an illusion was necessary to break through in his Dao?"
"That's not it. I think... I think Janos ultimately chose the life he'd made for himself," Zac sighed. "Live or die, he would exist in the same state as his wife."
"That's a deadly delusion," Esmeralda muttered before shrugging her shoulders. "Then again, that's the point of cultivation, isn't it? To make the impossible possible and create a world you wish to live in."
"I guess so," Zac agreed.
"Well, at least it sounds like you came out ahead. Like you always do," Esmeralda grinned.
Zac returned the smile before turning his vision inward. The budding Heart Realm remained fixed in place, showing no signs of decay. On the contrary, it seemed to have further stabilized from when it first appeared, even expanding by a few inches. That could very well be the work of the Warbringer Idols, who remained fixed in place without the need for Zac to do anything.
The woodcarving once more drew his attention. Zac sensed its subtle emanations to gain a better understanding. The statuette wasn't connected to any of his Daos, nor did it reflect any other aspect of his complex cultivation path. It represented his mortal heart, his refusal to cast off his mortal dust. In another sense, it was the purpose that pushed him into one conflict after another.
Iz Tayn once asked him if his responsibilities and karmic bonds were weighing him down. His answer was that it was the opposite. His connections, friendships, and memories were all fuel for his path, not chains that needed to be severed. Nothing had changed since then. If anything, his experiences had only made this conviction stronger. Not for one day had he forgotten his goal of freeing Kenzie from their mother's clutches.
Cultivation without purpose held no meaning; war without justification was savagery. It was one's mortal heart that filled the lonely journey of cultivation with color, that gave it all meaning. Whether he ended up achieving all his goals or not, he wanted to be able to look back on his life with a smile. The wooden carving made by his heart would act as an eternal reminder not to lose sight of what was important.
The situation regarding his newly opened Heart Realm was not as clear-cut, though Zac was certain it was a good thing. He'd intuitively sensed his Dao Heart was close to a transformation by the end of the Heavenly Tribulation. The Empyrean Chalice's bestowment had burned away the hidden bottleneck, allowing Zac to smoothly pass through without a hitch.
The [Warbringer Dharma] didn't mention anything about forming this kind of space, and it didn't appear to have anything to do with the heart-bolstering aspects of his [Void Vajra Sublimation]. It felt more like a natural progression, like opening up one's Soul Aperture. The problem was that Zac didn't know enough about Heart Cultivation to be sure.
This couldn't truly be considered a failing on his part. Zac had only begun to focus on nurturing his Dao Heart after Rava exposed his shortcomings in this regard, and he was no more a Heart Cultivator than he was a Mentalist. For Zac, it was only a means to an end. Besides, even if he had the time and interest to deepen his understanding, such chances were quite rare.
The matters surrounding Heart Cultivation were shrouded in mystery, in large part because of the extreme barriers of entry. Fewer had the affinity to become Heart Cultivators than Mentalists, which was an exceedingly rare path on its own. The only exception to this rule seemed to be the Buddhist Sangha, but those crazy monks couldn't be measured by normal means.
As such, Zac didn't quite understand what his newly opened space did or what benefits it could provide. He'd seen a B-grade Monk bring out his Heart World and use it in battle, but that was definitely not something he could do. The only thing Zac noticed was that he felt extremely centered upon picturing himself sitting in the pergola.
The library ban was suddenly not as painless as before. Thankfully, Esmeralda was still around to dispel his doubts.
"Oh, you've managed to actualize your Dao Heart? And it's a small realm?" Esmeralda asked with interest after Zac described the situation.
"I guess so. Do you know what it means?"
"I'm no expert on the subject. My Dao Heart was rock-solid from the beginning, so I never really had to work on it. However, I did end up visiting the Sangha's Third Temple back when I was looking for solutions to my stagnated cultivation. I toured their reliquary and borrowed some of their ancient scriptures while I was there. I—what?" Esmeralda said upon noticing Zac's odd expression.
"Nothing," Zac coughed. "It's just... stealing from the Buddhist Sangha?"
"What can I say? I was more adventurous before my little accident. Besides, the Sangha loves handing out their scriptures to outsiders. I just expedited the process," Esmeralda grinned before the smile turned into a grimace. "Although it turned out that the old tablets I stole were quite valuable. I ended up sending them back after I had my fill playing with those old Arhats, and they didn't press the matter."
Zac raised a brow. "Are you sure? You ran into some pretty bad luck when you nabbed the [Timescape Loop] shortly after. Sounds like the indirect kind of way vindictive monks would retaliate."
"That... Huh," Esmeralda said with a scowl. "I was almost unreasonably lucky when I snuck into the depths of that Eternal Heritage."
"Anyway, my actualized heart?" Zac reminded.
"Oh, yes," Esmeralda said. "The Sangha are the foremost experts when it comes to ways of nurturing the Heart. The scriptures I perused had all kinds of stages and names, differing from method to method. The only thing they had in common was that they all began with the actualization of the Heart."
"What's the purpose of doing that?"
"To give the Dao Heart something tangible to build upon," Esmeralda explained. "You know how difficult Heart Cultivation is. It's hard to measure progress, and the smallest setback can undo centuries of hard work."
Zac nodded in agreement. His Dao Heart had been a major focus of his throughout the trial. From not crossing the first hurdle of the [Warbringer Dharma], he now sported three idols. He'd gained significant boosts in the Joyful Gardens and after finally outwitting Mox in the Mousetrap.
The biggest opportunity of all was his time crossing the Peregrine Ocean, where resisting the mounting timeline pressure for a lifetime had resulted in centuries' worth of Heart Nurturing. And yet, it was difficult for Zac to say exactly how much stronger his Heart had become during the trial. There were no defined stages and no cues on his Status Screen to give a quantified answer.
"With an actualized image for your heart, your progress is recorded and protected," Esmeralda continued. "Take the sutra that I borrowed. The actualization was done by creating a statue of Avalokiteśvara to represent your Dao Heart. From there, you add details to the statue, give it more arms, and its relics."
"I think those Warbringer Idols of yours are simplified versions of the real thing. It's probably much easier to manifest external objects rather than something that represents your Dao Heart," Esmeralda digressed. "Anyhow, after the statue is erected, you build a temple around it. It just keeps going from there. At the end, you have a universe in your heart, where civilizations can be born with a thought."
"The reason the Sangha's methods are so sought-after is that their beliefs have reached the point of affecting reality. Their Sanskrit holds power approaching fractals, and their deities can impart true strength to their followers. In this matter, borrowing from the Dharma can allow almost anyone to actualize their Dao Heart," Esmeralda said.
"In my experience, accepting the Dharma into one's heart is never a good idea," Zac scoffed.
"No kidding. You'd have to be truly desperate to make a Buddhist relic the nucleus of your Dao Heart. Thankfully, I never went that far," Esmeralda giggled.
"So, this little pocket is my actualization. Does that mean I have the affinity to become a Heart Cultivator if I wanted?" Zac asked.
"I guess, but I really don't think you have the temperament for it," Esmeralda shrugged.
"So, what should I do with it?"
"Nothing, I think? You have your cultivation methods already. If things work as I believe, practicing your [Warbringer Dharma] will start expanding that space of yours. Every revolution will strip away some of the haze at the border, quantifying and locking in your progress in a way that your conscious mind can understand," Esmeralda said.
"That's it?" Zac asked.
"That's not enough? The space will act as a multiplier to your heart nurturing speed, permanently, and you want more? And a stronger Dao Heart will make every aspect of your cultivation smoother." Esmeralda glowered. "You also have the option to take a page from the baldies and do more with it in the future."
"I guess it's not too bad." Zac grinned at Esmeralda's exasperated expression.
Any lingering regrets about spending all his timeline essence on assisting Janos dispersed with the wind. The tribulation had tempered his heart more than the essence could, and he'd gained something even greater. While it may have felt like he was just one step away from opening the Heart Realm on his own, that final stretch might have eluded him for the rest of his life.
Not to mention, Zac had a feeling that the benefits didn't end with those listed by Esmeralda. After opening his Heart Space, Zac felt more balanced somehow. He didn't think it was a coincidence that he possessed the ability to actualize his Dao Heart, or that it looked like a small subspace.
Zac's focus shifted to the overlapping layers of his Quantum Space. His Technocrat heritage had opened a proto-space for his Inner World and moved his Soul Aperture inside upon stepping into Peak D-grade. The Quantum Space itself was forged by his Void Emperor Bloodline, and Bloodlines belonged to the Body aspect of the three pillars. That meant that only his Heart was missing from propping up his future Inner World.
It seemed increasingly likely that he had arrived at the same conclusion as the Kayar-Elu for his cultivation path, though for different reasons. He wanted to replace the need for a cultivation manual with [Void Emperor Apotheosis]. Meanwhile, the Kayar-Elu wanted to create a perfect cultivator who could shatter the Terminus and overpower the System. Jeeves' Dao calculations and perfect energy control weren't necessarily enough to achieve that. For true perfection, not a single aspect could be missing.
If he was right, the "hidden danger" of his next breakthrough would be his Heart Realm being fused into the mix. If he'd still failed to open it at that point, the breakthrough would directly fail, and he'd end up in a situation similar to his D-grade breakthrough. Of course, it was just an educated guess based on his experiences so far. The truth would only come to light when he visited Sanctuary.
With everything settled, Zac took the opportunity to check his status screen. A sweep confirmed that opening a nascent Heart Realm or calling down the chalice hadn't led to the addition of titles or new screens. The only thing that had changed was that his luck had increased from 2,249 to 2,290. Through a quick calculation, Zac confirmed his Base Luck had increased by 13 points. Rather than the events inside the timeline, this was a boon brought by Esmeralda's return to Autarchy.
That meant that the total Luck awarded by outside resources, from Attribute Fruits to the pungent Celestial Clay, had reached 75. Zac could also tell that was his current limit. He would have to advance to C-grade and get his hands on equivalent resources to keep going.
"Well, what now?" Esmeralda said, dragging Zac out of his musings. "I can only hide for a few more hours before I'm ejected. Do you want me to take you back to Mercurial Court? The Peregrine Ocean is even more dangerous than before for some reason, but I can bring you back to Transformation Docks in a second or two."
Zac thoughtfully looked at Transformation Dock's memory domain, then he scanned his disciple token. Rather than another influx of Potentiality from attaching the timeline to the Mercurial Court and calling down the Empyrean Chalice, his accrued merit had been fully emptied. Not a single point remained.
It seemed like someone had judged that the benefits he'd accrued canceled out any further awards, much like when the Void Tree appeared during his Peak D-grade breakthrough. All signs pointed to Grand Dream, whose fingerprints were all over the recent events. Zac wasn't even convinced it really was Xiphos' lingering will that had reminded him at the critical moment. It was simply a small illusion that turned Zac toward the intended outcome.
As things stood, Zac had no interest in returning to Mercurial Court. There were plenty of good things left to exchange, but getting the points without Esmeralda to guide him through Citadel's ever-changing maze was out of the question. Besides, only a single halo remained, meaning the important threads of fate had largely been exhausted.
Zac turned away from the Peregrine Ocean, glancing at the other pillars silently reaching for the sky. Since a few days ago, another pillar had appeared in the continent's center, as grand as the other nine combined. It was like it was made from a pure stream of Ultom's power. Zac had to force himself to look away.
"How quick are you right now?" Zac asked.
"How quick am I? I'm so fast that you won't be able to comprehend it. Most Peak Autarchs won't be my match," Esmeralda said while puffing out her chest. "I could take us back to Black Zenith before I'm thrown out if you want."
"In that case, there's someplace else I wish to go."