Eternal Emerald Dragon

Chapter 366 - 365 - The Circle

"So you are severing your ties to this world?  I have heard of such before but I grew up in the Celestial Fields.  It is not nearly as difficult to advance to the Sky Realm as it is here."  Delenn approved of Lind's plans.

Cultivators must not allow the past to weigh them down.  The more ties ones build, the harder to move forward.  Mortals build such ties to enrich their short lives but those pursuing cultivation could not afford to maintain them.

Some may be able to walk similar paths but most could be left behind as their potential simply cannot keep up.  More often, crippling injuries or Qi deviation simply quash any path forward while another overcomes such obstacles with ease.

Lind nodded.

"It was not on the same level but I felt it when it was mentioned about the bonds I formed here slowing me down.  While I still cherish them, I have to accept that I cannot return to maintain those I leave behind."  Lind sipped a fragrant tea that was Delenn's favorite.  She had limited stock but the occasion called for it.

It also helped Lind recover quickly.

His Qi, stamina, and injuries all swiftly were taken care of and he reached his peak condition.  The strength in his body thrummed in each muscle.  All of it was just from drinking the Immortal tea.

Delenn tapped her foot slightly as she seemed to consider something.

"Since you have possession of weaving as well, I know of an organization in the Floating Isles, at least I did 300,000 years ago.  I was procuring information on my predicament and was put in touch with a group known as the Circle."  Delenn summoned a jade slip and handed it to him.

The information was very detailed but the dates were as she said, ancient history even by cultivation standards.

He saw a few notations that raised his eyebrows.

"They are not allowed to send members to the lower world?"  It was the first thing that drew his eye.  Delenn nodded as she sipped at her own tea cup.

She looked down into the gray mug as it steamed happily in her hands.  Her pale eyes looked far away at that moment.

"Due to my unique situation, not many denied my requests, but the caveat was there were still roadblocks to progress on the other side."  She looked up into the cloudy skies and seemed to smile at some memory.  "There were those that thought my restrictions would allow me to be enslaved.  No mortal can truly grasp the power of Immortals until faced with it."

Lind nodded solemnly at that.  His own experiences had nearly killed him multiple times.  He had survived by luck or by a thread of karma which was not something anyone could rely on to be there when needed.

"The Circle is under restrictions?"  Lind did not see anything aside from not being able to come to see his master back then in the jade slip.

"The Circle existed, but weavers are not welcome in the mortal world, Lind.  There are those that are honest, like what you just did, but many others as I said before use other souls to fuel their work.  It is less risky for the weaver for their profession but invites karmic retribution as well as direct retribution.  A soul consumed entirely does not enter samsara."  Delenn's words made Lind swallow loudly.

He had worried how far he could go once he knew he had the gift.  The cost he had first experienced seemed impossible to use but now he was far more confident.  Yet, it was only at grade 1, mortal grade 1 at that.  He had no idea what he would have to do to make Heaven grade weavings.

Elixirs dealt with aspects separated from the essence.  Forging dealt with the harmony of the elements to the features of the materials used.  Both were very delicate and far more complex compared to the mortal version.

It would not be wrong to say that any alchemist or refiner could perform mortal grade elixir or Forging if they only had the gift.  Heaven grade, however, truly showed the potential of the derivative professions.

While all professions had a Heaven grade rating, pills and refined items usually only need the corresponding materials.  That was not the case with Lind's professions.

Right now, weaving was all about the compatible sigils and combining them to make an effect.  He could do it but he had to expand his knowledge base to continue.  The more complex sigils were entirely unknown to him and what was needed to reach Heaven grade versions even more so.

Behind it all though, was the cost.

Elixirs drained the spirit Qi and mental energy the most.  Forging sapped elemental Qi and stamina.  Weaving currently only touched on the soul but to what extent was unknown.  Lind also did not know what other costs could be involved.

If a group existed that could help him, he at least wanted to be able to find them.

If that group endorsed dark methods, however, then it was not worth his time.

His thoughts must have shown on his face, or Delenn simply could read his mind.

"The Circle was considered legitimate but they were far from being able to help me.  They were forced to live far from civilization and only consulted for those that wanted darker needs fulfilled.  I was actually quite welcome but too far for them to reach."  Lind nodded as the darker rumors would lead the corresponding groups to seek out who they could find.

What better way to avoid issues than have a weaving replace a formation plate?  It was not something easily deployed but once done, it could not be unraveled by anyone but time or the creator.

"So there is a chance they were turned into scapegoats as well?"  Delenn looked confused as Lind realized the term he used was from Earth, not the cultivation world.  "I mean they were convenient to blame even though they were innocent."

Delenn nodded.

"It would not surprise me.  Such things happen all the time to less troubled professions.  Still, the slip contains how they were found as well as how they could be contacted."  Lind nodded but then saw another notation.

"Not allowed to teleport?!"  It was simply there that any member of the Circle was forbidden from using teleportation arrays!

"That is just restrictions.  There is no danger or issue with using formations as you well know.  The Circle is simply being isolated from the world as much as possible.  Keep in mind they may now be a criminal organization or one using the name to cover their own dark deeds."  Lind nodded but saw nothing but downsides to revealing weaving to the world.

It irritated him but he also did not have enough knowledge.  If he gave it up, perhaps it would be best but the itch to study it urged him on.  He had reached the peak of high Diamond Tier after all doing weaving just once.

He noted it down and looked over the rest of the slip but nearly fell out of his chair on the last notation.

"They have their cultivation restricted to tier 3 of the Sky Realm!"  How could anyone accept that?  Why would anyone accept that?

Delenn sipped at her tea but she shrugged her shoulders.

"I do not know how it is done nor why that particular restriction, but keeping them below Tier 4 certifies that they cannot challenge any other power even if there were hundreds of them."  Delenn looked hard at him at that point.  "The difference between Sky Realm Tiers and other realms are like the difference between Heaven and Earth."

She summoned out several metals.  Lind recognized them but did not quite grasp what she was doing.

"This is simple iron.  It is the most widely used metal for mortal grade refining or Forging but reaches its limits at the Iron Tier.  It cannot be used as is without facing a tribulation or being transformed through alchemy."  Lind perked up at the last part.  He had only ever heard of pills but now Delenn revealed that alchemists had other capabilities.

"It will represent the Iron Tier and below.  This is cerulean steel.  It is a natural grade 4 metal found in higher realms.  It needs no tribulation and as such can be used for grade 4 or 5 items.  It demolishes anything made with simple iron and even forked iron, a grade 4 material, will lose to it."  She set down the bright blue metal next to the iron.

"This is charon ore.  It is a grade 5 metal only found in the darkest tunnels or pits.  It is very powerful and can allow a myriad of abilities to be Forged into it.  Sky Realms up to Tier 3 will reach their full potential with an item made of this metal."  The dark metal seemed to have lines moving across it but it was very dense to Lind's sense.

Delenn then pointed to the last 2 metals.  He did not recognize them at first but then he had only worked with refined bars of them.  He had not seen them in their natural state.

"Brilliant terok and what is called valence braid steel."  Delenn was surprised when Lind identified them.  The former was a yellowish ore that seemed to glow with its own light while the latter did look like a flowing red and black braid of metal.

"Correct.  The terok is a mid grade 5 metal that works best with tiers 4 to 6 of Sky Realm but can be used by any.  It would only be partially usable by Tier 3 and below in that sense.  The braid steel works for the remaining tiers and a Tier 3 or below can barely infuse their Qi into it."  Lind nodded as he could not work those metals at all.

Lind had some samples from Lady Dierdra but he had not been able to even penetrate the surface of those last 2 metals.  It was the same for herbs, Qi stones, or other innate grade 5 materials.  He could only achieve a low grade 5 in quality of his results.

"The Circle never gave me more than a cursory understanding of the weaving holding me here as that was all they could get from my descriptions.  As I do not have the gift, I am sure you could have told them more than I, but even I know the basics of elixir, pills, and so forth."  Lind began to understand the wider problem.

Everyone could grasp the basics of professions even if they did not know the methods.  Weaving, however, touched on the vulnerable aspect of all cultivators.  The soul could be strengthened as in the case of 6 elementals, but for the vast majority, the soul was the key weakness.

A profession that could use such a weakness, no matter the reality of the steps it takes to get there, would make anyone nervous.  Lind made a note of all of it and had a lot to consider for his future.

He had to ascend first, but he would not stop his path now.  The risks would be faced then, but he would not stop because of them at all!