Eternal Emerald Dragon

Chapter 1640 - 1639 - True Divine Cultivation

Lind found himself in an austere chamber. Incense sticks burned in humble clay holders while green fronds added to the moisture of the room to make it comfortable. It was a serene place and he assumed a lotus position out of instinct.

He had been forcing his Mysteries.

Condensing concepts with mystery energy to fill his dantian was not difficult to grasp but he did not truly understand what he was doing. He was letting instinct and his harmony bridge the gap.

He now understood what was happening with his Dao Weapon. It was anchoring the Mysteries before they reached his dantian! His harmony was always so much more powerful because of all he did to advance.

It outstripped all his abilities and now it was acting as something beyond his own expectations. He had found it odd that his Art of Defiance felt hardly any different but it was another aspect that had advanced.

His harmony had not become a Mystery but a bridge for Mystery energy to flood his body once he grasped a kernel of the concepts.

A Divine Realm was able to wield Daos as if they were extensions of their body and mind but the soul was the true seat of power. The soul was the bedrock of his existence now fused to body and mind completely.

Fading was the only way to die naturally as the will to live was tied to the soul. So much he had simply accepted as true was being reduced and rebuilt in his mind.

The white and black layers of his dantian grew more profound as he actually grasped the Mystery energy consciously not to imbue with intent or purpose, but simply to be!

The partially full silver layer slowly became clearer to him and he began to understand what was so odd with his abilities.

It was like handing a nuke launching platform to a child. They could figure out what button or command would get the nuke to work but the actual understanding of what a nuke was and what it could do would not be clear beyond its destructive power.

The math, sciences, and materials were not essential to making the platform work. Lind had been doing the same thing.

Mysteries were not just there to make him stronger, he was actually building his foundation as a Divine Realm being. He was no longer tied to the mortal world and nearly on par with Heaven and Earth.

Such a being could not rely on Heaven and Earth any longer. Mysteries were the new building blocks and to truly grasp his power, he had to understand the reality behind it all!

The words were crude translations. A way for his mind mired in the cultivation system to understand enough to condense the energy into his dantian, but it was only the beginning.

If he wanted to master it like that woman had, he had to go much farther.

So, he began again. Just as he had in the garden, he ignored his harmony and other aspects he had come to rely on. They were still essential to him, but that did not make them required for his cultivation at that moment.

They made the first steps, he had to walk the rest of the way.

Life Defies Obstacles. Life Vanishes with Neglect. Life Never Ends. The 3 Mysteries combined into his Life Layer. Yet, despite polishing his understanding of the concepts behind the words, he had not truly combined them.

That was where he had failed and his harmony could not help him.

He examined the 3 Mysteries and began to have a thought. He summoned his Dao Weapon and examined the golden gilding on it. The relief contrasted with his harmonic energy and it let him see something he had missed.

While his weapon was using the 3 Mysteries, it was not truly combining them!

He began to grasp the attempts and successes of his tests. He was unconsciously applying the 3 facets separately to each intent he wanted to use. It was only when he pulled on all of it that he exhausted himself so extensively.

He was brute forcing things.

The 3 concepts danced in his mind and in his eyes. His vertically slit eyes narrowed as he grasped something.

"I choose to defy fate to live. I regret neglecting what was precious to my life. I will carry the memory of those I lost that made life worth living. Huh, sappy Mysteries eh?" His mind cleared as he realized why those concepts became his Mysteries.

The instant he grasped that fact, the white layer grew in radiance but a more fundamental chance occurred.

The once distinct lines between each facet thinned considerably. He was right. Mastering Mysteries was not just about condensing and refining them. It was about integrating them into his foundation completely by dissecting and fusing them into himself.

He let out a long sigh and cycled the 3 Mysteries throughout his meridians. His body slowly began to change and his aura transformed. The once pure emerald hair began to shift with fine golden lines that then slowly began to fade back into him.

His scales shimmered with gold until an unknown time later foul air left his body.

"I will never forget my precious ones that I had to let go. I will never spurn the gift of the bonds that have become integral to me. I will never stop striving to free us all." His voice shook the room as the incense sticks were snuffed out.

Golden light surged and his flesh was transformed. The dantian was only the beginning. Lind had to then cultivate and integrate the Mysteries into his entire existence. He had been rushing but now he understood.

He had to grasp the root of his Mysteries to truly cultivate as a Divine Realm cultivator.

Death is but a Door. Death is not Equal. Death Destroys the Illusion.

Now that he had experienced the Life Layer fusion and integration, the next step was easier in some respects but back to square one in others. Death was as far apart from life in many respects even with his new understanding.

Still, he focused and the fronds turned to dust before a wave of midnight energy washed over his body. His meridians sang with power as his emerald eyes flickered with the Mysteries of Death.

"I have died more than once but walked through to the other side. My death was not kind but it was my choice. I am not any more important than anyone else yet I am most precious to those around me." It seemed so simple but the words helped shape his grasp of the 3 facets until they became one.

His body had advanced massively but he was stuck once more.

The thrice cursed Samsara Mysteries while there were opaque to him. He was also missing one.

Yet, he smiled. He had made significant progress due in part to his diligence to refine the Mysteries separately all that time.

He stood up and stretched when the world changed.

He was now back in the garden but it was vastly different from before. The various people working there did not react to his presence yet he recognized his 4 gardens and hut!

He moved slowly and noticed the low quality of the rows and poor care of the fence and hut. It was not abandoned but it was clear the owner did not give a damn.

He found an older man struggling to concoct pills only to have it turn to ash without even an explosion to excuse his failure.

His features were neither ugly nor handsome but forgettable.

The simple cloth robe was the same as he wore in the trial but he then saw a familiar young man marching over with followers in tow.

The fine robes of a core disciple were the same verdant colors as before too.

"Old Cao! Come out!" Lind wondered what the point of seeing the scene he could envision would hold but said nothing as the old man frowned and emerged. Anger flared and Lind noticed the relative ages were similar but night and day in expression.

The arrogant young man was clearly progressing smoothly while the old man had stagnated with possible deviation making it worse.

"Go away! I have nothing for you here!" The bitter words held the culmination of frustration and anger in the old man Cao. The young man sneered but then summoned a projection jade stone.

Another familiar face appeared. The young woman!

Her beauty was intact from his trial but she looked sad to his eyes.

Cao flinched as the young man only became more arrogant!

"I will bed her before the month is out. Master arranged our pairing! Our talent has a high chance of producing superior stock!" Lind saw no love in those 2 men. One was simply bragging about a new possession while the other looked wronged that the woman he thought of as his was taken from him.

Understanding flickered in his mind.

His Life and Death Layers reacted as the 2 forces worked in context of the true history in front of him compared to his own life there.

He had cherished his life and embraced his eventual death while old man Cao had denied both. While a much lower realm cultivator, the effect was clear.

Mysteries were not just about his own personal path but understanding their context in the wider world as well. He had very far to go in mastering his layers!

"We are all not the center of all reality but one of many interacting and reacting forever in the interplay of life and death." He made an observation but the effect was dramatic.

His already profound Life and Death Layers attacked his bottleneck!

The world shook around him as it faded away and he wondered what was about to happen next!