Chương 137: The Rotting Fruit

I was sitting on my room's floor with my legs crossed while my fingers kept flipping the new formation guild token around in circles. If I looked out the window, I could see disciples hurrying around doing their daily chores.

"Well," I murmured.

"I guess we have to change up our training plan now." My first schedule was supposed to be doing weekly formation classes with Elder Chen, then team practicing with Wei Lin and Lin Mei, and using whatever spare time I had in this world to study formations and practice manipulating plants. But since Elder Chen Yong was now unavailable that had to go out the window.

"Yeah," Azure agreed.

"The gap between level two and level three formations is too great. Even if we use all the guild resources, we won't be able to master it before the tournament starts."

"With level two, we manipulate pure qi into patterns, but level three is where we play around with elemental energies." I ran my finger over a spiral pattern drawn in my notebook.

"Fire qi wants to explode if you look at it wrong and water qi will flood your array out if you don't keep flow control."

"And that is without taking into account the difficulty it takes to create elemental circuits that sustain themselves," Azure added. Through our mental bond, Yggy sent me a feeling that meant it was curious about formations and how maybe using plant-based qi would be a lot easier to work with.

"Wood qi can be just as tricky to use," I explained with a chuckle.

"Plus, we'd need different materials. These copper and silver anchors wouldn't cut it anymore. We'd need specialized elemental inks, high-purity jade, probably some beast cores, I'm not sure the payoff would be worth the time investment."

"Master your current formation skills are enough to support your group during the tournament," Azure said.

"So, maybe it is time for you to focus on your personal cultivation?" Azure had a real talent for saying things diplomatically when he needed to, because what he was saying was that I needed to grow a lot stronger and I needed to do it fast. Since Wu Kangming was already at the seventh stage of Qi Condensation, by the time he got back from his so-called training journey, he would be even more powerful.

"If you want to breakthrough to the seventh stage, you will need to further develop your inner world," Azure continued, "And thinking about what Elder Chen Yong observed regarding your potential to create life..."

"The Blue Sun Academy," I finished the thought for him.

"If I could learn how to control the blue sun's energy, I could theoretically start creating life forms inside my inner world even while I'm in the Qi Condensation realm." I paused.

"Not only will that trigger a breakthrough, but it would be unprecedented." Yggy sent over this feeling of excitement because the idea of having more plant-based life or having any kind of life inside my inner world appealed to the little vine.

"However," Azure warned, "before we attempt anymore world-walking, we need to conceal both of the suns' energy signatures. The last thing we need right now is attract Vayara's attention again."

"Yeah, she has killed me more than enough times already," I sighed, forcing down a shudder.

"I would prefer not adding any more numbers to that tally." My plan was simple. I needed to enter the Two Sun's world, pretend to be some mortal who was running away terrified for his life, and then only when I got far enough away that Vayara couldn't sense my energy anymore, I could figure out a way to travel to the Blue Sun Academy. Unlike the Skybound, who were feared by the masses, the Lightweavers cultivated a righteous image for themselves.

So, it shouldn't be too difficult to find where their academy was based. They were priests so there had to be churches somewhere, right? I closed my eyes and shifted my awareness into my inner world. The familiar landscape spread out in front of me with the tall mountains sitting in the northwest, the garden quadrant in the northeast, the open empty spaces waiting for future development in the southeast, and my meditation plateaus in the southwest.

And right in the middle, the Genesis Seed majestically stood with an array of runes surrounding it. Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. Above everything, the red and blue suns followed their endless orbits. I focused on them and willed them to descend down into the deep shade of the Genesis Seed. This time around, the blue sun complied and it seemed playful as it happily ducked underneath the leaf canopy. The red sun on the other hand...

"Come on now," I muttered as the crimson orb stubbornly stayed in its position.

"Don't be difficult." The Genesis Seed apparently shared my impatience because it extended its branches out. Root-like tendrils shot upward and wrapped themselves around the red sun before dragging the sun down into concealment. I could have sworn I heard the blue sun chuckling at it.

"Alright then," I said, focusing on the connection between my suns and their original world.

"Let's try again."

"Master, wait!" Azure's voice rang out, carrying unusual urgency to it.

"Look at the golden fruit." I quickly glanced up at the highest branches on the Genesis Seed where that mysterious golden sphere had randomly appeared, and what I ended up seeing made a deep frown appear on my face. The fruit which had been formed and radiant a few days ago was showing signs of decay already. Its bright golden surface had dulled down, and it was developing dark patches that seemed to be spreading further while I watched it.

And small glowing motes of light would occasionally break free off its surface and dissipate into nothingness.

"What's going on?" I asked Azure even though I had this sinking feeling inside my gut that I knew the answer.

"Its connection to its original world appears to be breaking down," Azure confirmed my fears.

"Once that connection is severed..."

"The fruit will disappear and we'll lose our only chance to find out where it leads," I finished for him.

"How much time do we have left?"

"Maybe a few days at most but it is likely to only be hours. It's difficult to be certain with something that is this unique." I crossed my arms together and considered what our options were. My original plan had been straightforward, which was to visit the Blue Sun Academy and learn a lot more about controlling the blue sun's energy, so I could create some new life forms inside my inner world.

The golden fruit had been this fascinating mystery, but it was one I'd intended to investigate later on after I'd managed to grow a lot stronger, but right now...

"If we stick to my original plan," I started thinking out loud, "we will lose whatever opportunity this fruit represents, but if we decide to investigate the fruit now, we will delay our training at the Blue Sun Academy." The way forward was obvious to me, but I still decided to ask Azure what he thought about it anyway.

"The Blue Sun Academy will still be there later on," he agreed with me.

"This fruit however..."

"Won't be," I gave a nod.

"And we have no idea what things we might end up missing out on if we let it fade away."

"So, we're changing the plan?"

"Yeah, the Blue Sun Academy can wait for a little longer," I confirmed.

"Let's see what this golden fruit has to show us." I moved closer to the Genesis Seed and extended my hand upward. The giant tree seemed to understand my intent because its branches naturally bent down to gently deliver the golden fruit into the palm of my hand. Looking at it up closely the decay was even more apparent, what had once been pure living gold was mottled all over with ugly patches of dull brown and black colors. I carefully turned the fruit over in my hands while studying it from other angles.

It was spherical, roughly the size of my fist, and despite its deteriorating condition, it somehow still pulsed with that primal energy I'd sensed from it before.

"So..." I glanced over at Azure.

"How do we activate the thing? I mean it's a fruit, so theoretically speaking I could just eat it but..." I gestured my hand at my current form, which was just a spiritual projection inside my inner world.

"That seems problematic to do."

"Perhaps you should try taking a bite out of it anyway?" Azure suggested.

"Is that really your best advice?" I raised an eyebrow at him.

"Bite into the mysterious golden fruit and wait to see what happens to me?"

"Do you have any better ideas?" He had a solid point there because I couldn't think of doing anything else. I took a deep breath that my projection technically didn't even need to take and raised the fruit up to my lips. Its surface felt warm like it was almost fever-hot, and I could feel the energy buzzing against my skin, well, against my spiritual projection.

"Here goes nothing," I muttered as I took a big bite of it. For a second nothing happened. The fruit had no taste to it which was probably for the best given its decaying state. Suddenly, the energy that had been gently pulsing through it surged out and washed over me in a wave that made my spiritual sense tingle wildly. The sensation was really odd. It wasn't what you would call uncomfortable, but it was definitely strange.

It reminded me of the moment right before I world-walk where I get the feeling of being trapped between realities except it was more intense, more real, and more... My thought trailed off because the world around me began blurring. The Genesis Seed, the quadrants making up my inner world, and even Azure's presence faded away into nothing. The last thing I heard was Azure's voice saying something that might have been "Good luck" or it was possibly him saying "Don't die too soon." And then everything went dark.