Cultivation is Creation-Chapter 162: The Pull Back To The Main World

The transition back to the crystalline space was jarring, like being yanked through reality by my collar. One moment I was communing with the Deep Root Tree beneath Pearl Heart Lake, the next I was floating in that strange heart-space again, surrounded by fragments of dying stars.

Han Renyi's sleeping form floated nearby, his consciousness still lost in whatever peaceful dreams Astralis had granted him.

Speaking of the mischievous spirit, he stood – or rather, existed – a short distance away, the dying stars in his hair twinkling with barely contained curiosity as he watched me separate from Han Renyi's body.

The sensation of leaving a host body was always strange, like stepping out of clothes that have become too comfortable. For a moment, I felt oddly exposed, souls were clearly not meant to exist outside their vessels.

Han Renyi's soul, freed from the bubble, drifted lazily back toward its proper vessel. The fractures I'd noticed earlier were already beginning to heal, fine lines of golden light knitting themselves together like threads in an invisible tapestry. Whatever Astralis had done to induce this healing sleep seemed to be working well.

I took the opportunity to process everything that had just happened. The events at the site of the three trees had been... enlightening, to say the least. It was somewhere between miraculous and terrifying, depending on your perspective.

The Genesis Seed had used the blue sun's energy as a conduit to sink its roots into all three world-stabilizing trees. It was essentially attempting to annex an entire realm right under the nose of its guardian spirit.

I had to admire the audacity, really. It reminded me of those stories about particularly clever thieves who would steal precious artifacts while chatting with the guards. Except in this case, the "thief" was a semi-sentient world-seed, and the "guard" was an immortal messenger who couldn't lie but apparently loved trying to trick people anyway.

"You're wondering about the annexation attempt," Azure said.

"'Attempt' might be too strong a word," I replied mentally. "It feels more like... preparation? Or maybe exploration?"

"The Genesis Seed is certainly being subtle about it," Azure agreed. "Using the blue sun's energy as camouflage while it establishes anchor points throughout the realm. I doubt even Astralis realizes what's really happening."

I was about to ask Azure how long this whole annexation process might take when I felt it – a pull on my soul so strong it was like someone had tied a rope around my soul and decided to go fishing. For a moment, I thought something had happened to my main body back in the cultivation world.

"Master," Azure said, "it seems the Genesis Seed is taking you back to the Cultivation World."

"What? Why?" I asked, trying to maintain my dignity while essentially being yanked around like a spiritual puppet. "I thought it was busy with its little annexation project."

"That's exactly why," Azure explained. "The process of annexing a realm is incredibly taxing, even for something as remarkable as the Genesis Seed. While it can utilize various types of energy, it primarily runs on qi from the cultivation world – your qi, specifically."

"How long are we looking at for this process?" I asked, already suspecting I wouldn't like the answer.

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"At your current cultivation level?" Azure asked. "Centuries. And before you ask – yes, I'm accounting for the time dilation effect of the Two Suns world. I mean centuries in the cultivation world, where the Genesis Seed operates at peak efficiency."

I couldn't help but frown. "That's... not ideal."

"The good news is that the timeframe will decrease as your cultivation increases and the Genesis Seed evolves," Azure added quickly. "Think of it as motivation to advance faster."

"So, I can't travel between worlds while this is happening?"

If that was the case, my plan for the Outer Sect Tournament would need to be revised…

"It's not that you can't travel," Azure clarified. "You should just do it less frequently unless you don't mind significantly slowing down the annexation process.”

That was a relief, now that I had improved my understanding of life realm energy, it only made sense to pay the Blue Sun Academy a visit.

There was a pause, then Azure added something that actually brightened my mood considerably: "The other good news is that you're very close to breaking through to the seventh stage of Qi Condensation."

Before I could properly appreciate that piece of information, Astralis's voice cut through my thoughts. "Are you alright? Your soul form seems... unstable."

I glanced down at myself, noticing for the first time how my spiritual essence was wavering like a candle in a strong wind. "I'm fine," I assured him, though 'fine' might have been stretching it a bit. "Just feeling a bit... pulled."

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His boyish features scrunched up in thought. "Ah, your soul is being called back to the main world?"

"Seems that way," I replied, trying to ignore the increasing urgency of that pull. "I don't think I have much longer in this realm."

"That's a shame," he said, and his expression was genuinely disappointed. "We could have fed more energy to the trees, really gotten the stabilization process going..."

"We can always do that next time I visit," I suggested. "Just make sure you have something valuable to trade."

His face lit up. "Oh, I just remembered I have countless treasures that would be perfect for someone of your..." Then, predictably, he turned his head slightly and whispered, "But they're all completely useless to a main world cultivator and I'm just trying to trick you into coming back!"

I chose to ignore that particular bit of commentary, especially since Han Renyi was starting to stir. His consciousness, refreshed from its nap, was beginning to resurface. His eyes fluttered open, immediately going wide as he took in our surroundings.

"What... where..." He spun in place, which in this space meant he actually rotated like a planet around its axis. "Master? What happened? The last thing I remember..."

"You needed some rest," I explained simply. "How do you feel?"

He paused, seeming to take internal inventory. "Better," he said, sounding surprised and a little groggy. "Much better, actually. Like I've slept for a week and had a really good meal."

"The heart-space has that effect," Astralis commented. "Though usually people don't wake up quite so... coordinated. Most flail around a bit more."

Han Renyi finally seemed to notice who else was present. His mouth dropped open as he stared at the stars twinkling in Astralis's hair. "You're... you're really..."

"Yes, yes," Astralis waved off the impending awe with the casual air of someone who had seen it thousands of times before. "Divine messenger, celestial envoy, keeper of the realm's secrets, et cetera, et cetera. More importantly – are you ready to return to your body? Your friend here needs to leave soon."

That snapped Han Renyi out of his starstruck state. "Leave? But... but what happened? What did we do? Why were we..."

"I'll explain everything," I assured him, "but first, we should probably get back to your body before your father organizes a realm-wide search party."

That did it. The mention of his father's potential worry cut through everything else. “Oh no, Father—"

"Will be worried sick," I finished for him. "I know. We'll handle it."

"I can help with that!” Astralis raised his hand. “I'll return you to exactly when and where we left. No one will even notice you were gone!"

I raised an eyebrow at him. "Really?"

He turned his head slightly and whispered, "well, actually, it's been about twelve hours, and everyone is probably panicking! This is going to be hilarious!"

"Twelve hours?" Han Renyi's voice rose several octaves. "Father will think something has happened to me! And Qingyi—"

"We'll deal with that later," I cut in smoothly, moving closer to his body.

As I merged back into his body, I felt the familiar sensation of his consciousness settling in alongside mine. It was different now though – his soul felt stronger, more stable. Whatever healing had happened in the heart-space had done him a world of good.

"Thank you for your hospitality," I said to Astralis, who was watching us with that mixture of calculation and amusement that seemed to be his default expression.

"Oh, you're very welcome!" he replied brightly. Then, right on schedule, he turned his head and whispered, "And thank you for not noticing that I'm planning to study how your energy affects the trees to figure out your secrets!"

I couldn't help but smile. "Goodbye, Astralis."

"Farewell!" He raised his hand, and reality began to blur around us. Just before everything shifted, I heard him whisper, "But I'll definitely figure out how you survived that comprehension crystal eventually!"

Before we could hear what else he had to say, reality twisted around us like a kaleidoscope being shaken by an overenthusiastic child. When everything stopped spinning, we found ourselves back in the storage room of the Han family shop.

The same crates Han Renyi had been stacking were still there, one balanced precariously as if frozen in the moment of our departure.

The only difference was that instead of morning light streaming through the windows, we could see stars twinkling in the dark sky.