Paragon of Sin

Cultivators rarely slept, an activity meant only for the deprived of mental energy, needing a swift method of replenishment. It was the most natural state of recovery for the mind, body, and senses, yet cultivators rarely slept. As one approached the limits of the Mortal Dao, so did critical defining aspects of being a mortal fade away, such as eating, breathing, and sleeping.

Wei Wuyin finally woke up from his slumber after several days of deep sleep, his body and mind were in an inactive state, essentially defenseless. For the longest time, he had forgotten what it felt like to genuinely fall asleep in the most natural manner possible.

"You're really odd," were the first three words he heard as roused himself awake, rubbing the leftover sleep from his eyes, and lifting his upper body slightly. Higheater was sitting beside him in a comfortable-looking wooden chair, his mouth in constant motion, as Wei Wuyin lay on the floor. "Quite odd, haha. But I've always liked oddities," Higheater chortled.

"How long was I out?" Wei Wuyin instinctively asked this despite being a True Void Dragon, slowly growing in touch with his truly mortal side. With his current powers, it was merely a thought before he could accurately determine the eclipsed time down to the milliseconds.

"A few days. You've actually exceeded your three-month limit. The Envoy was quite ticked off, but I thought it'd be best for you to recover naturally. She stomped off back to the Voyage Tower, and told me to alert her after you've woken up." Higheater smilingly said, as if amused by something.

"Uh," Wei Wuyin finally lifted himself completely upright, stretching as the last vestiges of exhaustion were strained away, "thanks."

"No problem, no problem. It's rare for us cultivators to sleep, but when we do, it's typically a natural miracle that shouldn't be disrupted. At least, that's what I believed. I don't think I've slept since I was at the Temporal Eye Phase, and oh boy! That was thousands of years ago, haha." Higheater had a personality that Wei Wuyin truly felt at ease being around. Since they first met, he's never once felt uncomfortable around him, an innate sense of trust swelling within his mind.

"Yeah," Wei Wuyin smiled.

"Check it! Check it! Check it out!" Ori's excited voice thundered. Wei Wuyin started slightly before inspecting its origins, finding himself in his Sea of Consciousness as a mental incarnation. When he arrived, he was absolutely stunned to the point his jaw dropped in shock. His Sea of Consciousness' limits had expanded by roughly twenty-five percent, and Eden's size had grown along with it. While the size of Eden's Astral Soul in his Sea of Consciousness wasn't directly relative to its strength, the world of his Sea of Consciousness represented his limits of mental energies.

He's taken countless alchemical products to strengthen his mental energies, expand his Sea of Consciousness, and harden its outer shell and inner walls—a feat that Eden actively played a part in, and ensured that it was at its limits before each breakthrough. Yet after his sleep session, it od Wuyin inspected the Palace of Eden in all its eighteen-story glory.

"What's that?" Wei Wuyin flitted over to the entrance as he noticed a translucent mist exuding from the palace's walls. This mist was imbuing itself into his Sea of Consciousness' inner walls and foundation causing various changes. Eden's roots were attracting them as well. It gave off a light commonly sensed from enlightened sages, and while it felt imaginary to others, it was clear to those with keen senses.

Instinctively, Wei Wuyin sought out the Heavenly War Spirit for an explanation, yet the egg was within Eden's roots, wrapped to the utmost limits, and besides a piercing golden radiance exuding from its shell, he couldn't see it. Fortunately, his Astral Souls were not simply there to look pretty and ignorant while things were happening in their domains. They had always been the most reliable when it came to their cultivation.

"It's knowledge," Eden answered. Stunned, Wei Wuyin analyzed the Palace of Eden. Knowledge? "The mist has a similar composition to Utmost Purity Mist of the Alchemic Dao, and I believe it's generated by your Second Mind's degree of knowledge, and the recognition from the Mind Dao."

"Mind Dao? Recognition?" Wei Wuyin's surprise soon gave way to realization as he flashed inside the Palace of Eden to meet his Second Mind, who was on the third floor, reading a scroll with the utmost solemnity, but the depths of its manifested eyes were gleaming with roaring excitement. Mysteriously, the translucent mist resembling a scholarly aura was pouring out of its mental incarnation without restraint.

"..." Eden was right; this mist had a similar consistency as the Utmost Purity Mist of the Alchemic Dao. If Utmost Purity Mist can elevate a product's quality and ease of refinement, then this mist could elevate the quality of his mental energy and aspects of his Sea of Consciousness.

When Wei Wuyin arrived, his Second Mind's incarnation ceased its reading, and then with bright eyes, sent a ray of gushing light into Wei Wuyin. Within moments, waves after waves of filtered knowledge were being transmitted between them. After a while, Wei Wuyin's aura began to subtly change, growing more sage-like, resembling a traveled scholar.

He knew its name!

Enlightened Scholarly Mist.

"...!" Wei Wuyin's eyes in real life contracted. Higheater was in the middle of speaking, "-ntacted the Envoy, she'll be here in a few minutes. Yo-" Higheater instantly stopped as he noticed the glint within Wei Wuyin's eyes, exuding a light that represented refined intelligence as if everything Wei Wuyin saw was known and could be explained. A rare sensation, causing his heart to quiver.

"Yo-you okay?" He asked in befuddlement.

Wei Wuyin regained himself soon enough and sighed as his eyes closed. When he reopened them, the scholarly light had been concealed deeply, replaced by his Celestial Eyes of Spiritual Divinity's typical aura. It seems that recognition of success from a Dao manifested in many ways, as Utmost Purity Mist for successful concoctions, as a Blessed for surviving Hell, and now…

Just then, loads of knowledge originating from the Free Study and Sealed Tower had entered his mind in the most comprehensive and organized fashion, a clearly orchestrated set of knowledge by himself. At that moment, his entire Sea of Consciousness began to emit this translucent mist alongside the Palace of Eden in equal measure, both originating from the origins of his minds.

While the naming sense for these mists was a little…iffy, he didn't mind. After all, his own naming sense was equally suspect.

"I'm fine," Wei Wuyin reassured. His plan to form the Palace of Eden and 'acquire' all the information he could have yielded unexpected results. The continuous expansion of his Sea of Consciousness was bound to produce an unimaginable effect on his cognitive abilities and mental prowess. Was this why those who pursued knowledge were always so intelligent and refined?

Eventually, a strange silence unfolded between the duo as minutes passed before Liu Suyin finally returned from the Voyage Tower. Her indifferent expression somehow relaxed Wei Wuyin unlike the times before. When Wei Wuyin and her eyes met, he captured a faint glimmer of anticipation. It seemed that their discussion had lit a fire within her, slowly melting away her shell of indifference.

"Brother Chi, I hope we meet again under less burdened conditions." Wei Wuyin honestly spoke from his heart. It was genuinely unfortunate that their next meeting was marred by the plots and schemes of others, placed on a time limit where he couldn't simply have a relaxed conversation.

"From War Devil Realm to the World Between the Fold, we have some fate between us, so I definitely believe we'll meet again," Higheater smiled. While Wei Wuyin was less than a thousandth of his age, he couldn't deny that they had an innately friendly connection that was rather rare for most cultivators. Despite the power dynamics, both felt at ease and equal. It was truly strange.

"Let's go. We're already late," Liu Suyin was expectedly unmoved by their goodbyes.

"Yeah," Wei Wuyin held out his hand. Higheater chortled, entering into a firm handshake as they exchanged gazes. They didn't need to say anymore as their eyes revealed all the words unspoken between them.

They didn't know that the next time they met, their connection of friendship would be heavily threatened by forces and choices beyond their control.

A few days later, Wei Wuyin and Liu Suyin were on another Skyship. The latter was endlessly debating the aspects of spatial profundities. She had gotten ammunition from the Voyage Tower and had shot them off at Wei Wuyin in an aggressive fashion. Yet Wei Wuyin was entirely unshaken by those questions and responses, meeting each with carefully curated and accurate answers that left Liu Suyin's eyes constantly shimmering with an exuberant light.

While the Voyage Tower might contain 'higher' levels of information, it still paled in comparison to someone who was a True Void Dragon that personally received the recognition of the Laws of Space. Liu Suyin was left humbled but also equally excited.

At one point, she had grasped Wei Wuyin's arm in a "Eureka!" moment, losing herself for a brief period, and her indifferent visage vanished into a lively animated version of her. That smile of triumph after discovering a solution to a pesky problem of years forced her emotions to the surface. Of course, when she realized that she initiated contact, she pulled back and once again regained her apathetic shell. Unfortunately, there was no bashful blushing.

Wei Wuyin was both confused by and deeply interested in Liu Suyin. He had originally thought her flat indifference was a byproduct of a specific spiritual cultivation method affecting her Sea of Consciousness, perhaps suppressing her emotions, but it seemed to be a product of her own will. A defensive shell? Trauma? He couldn't quite tell.

There was one thing that was beyond any doubt: when Liu Suyin genuinely smiled and engaged in discussion about the profundities of space, she was endlessly attractive and exuded an alluring charm. Even Wei Wuyin was stunned after her beauty leaked, finding himself enthralled to see more. It was the only reason he kept the discussion going, solely to see how she'd react, catching a glimpse of the 'beautiful' Liu Suyin that hid behind the 'indifferent' Liu Suyin.

The Skyship came to an abrupt end after four days. A wisp of dissatisfaction from the stop leaked from Liu Suyin's eyes. She looked outside and slowly said, "We're here." There was a brief pause of reluctance before she continued: "Let's go."

Wei Wuyin asked as he followed her out of the Skyship, "What's this next stop? Another library?"

Liu Suyin was a little more amenable to questions now, no longer giving off this forced and reluctant feeling to answer. "No. It's the stop that every talented Destined goes to after they've completed their three Trials of the Three Voyages—The Time Vortex."

"Time Vortex?"

She nodded, "the location where you'll become a Timelord."