Eternal Gate [ Special Edition ]: The way of the Sword

by William Bill

  And Lily's inner courtyard already had such ingredients in abundance!

  He also decided to pluck more herbs than necessary for one pill since he might have to do many trial and error experiments to get his control right.

  "Hmm, I should name my etheric flame as the 'Fallen Flame'. It seems more apt, and I somehow feel like the flames represent me. An undying flame which burns and annihilates everything in its path." Damien said with a meaningful expression on his face.

  "Pfft, so childish. Naming your own etheric flame...seriously." Luna rolled her eyes.

  Damien scoffed, "My flames are worthy enough to have its own name. Besides...it sounds cooler." He said with a smirk.

  Luna facepalmed as she wondered if he was someone who really lived two lives.

  Since more than 80% of his soul energy was exhausted, Damien felt a bit tired as he felt his body was being drowned by fatigue. Also, the slight internal injuries from yesterday hadn't healed yet completely.

  But there was still more than half an hour left before Lily's training session starts.

  He decided to replenish his expended soul energy as much as he can before the training session starts.

  Damien got up from the floor and slumped onto the bed like a half-filled sack.

  "Luna, wake me up in half an hour," Damien ordered Luna as if she was his secretary.

  Luna's expression glowered, "You! I am not your personal alarm bell. You want this goddess to wake you up? Hmph, your mother will wake you up."

  But Damien had already dozed off not to hear Luna's ranting and ravings.

  Chapter 32: A Rank 3 Pill?

  Half an hour later,

  "Hey, wake up, you dummy!" An irritated voice boomed in Damien's head like an explosion.

  Damien got startled as he sat up on the bed, bleary-eyed.

  "Damn...can you not try to kill me with your childish voice?" Damien asked with a grumpy expression.

  "Hmph, who asked this goddess to wake you up? You should think twice the next time you want me to wake you up." Luna said with a sinister smile on her face.

  'Ugh...this little imp. One day I will surely teach her a lesson...But I feel like sleeping again. Sigh...can't keep Lily waiting.'

  Even though Damien was wide awake for a moment due to Luna's bellowing, he was still feeling tired since he couldn't fully recover his soul energy and heal his internal injuries within just half an hour.

  Damien got off from his bed languidly and changed his clothes after taking a quick bath.

  ——

  In Lily's inner courtyard,

  "Ha...ha…." Damien was panting as he had to rush towards the inner courtyard since he thought it was a bit late already. He didn't want Lily coming over or sending someone to check on him.

  Lily was wearing her usual training skirt and top with her silky black hair tied into a ponytail.

  She had arrived a few minutes early before the specified time set for the training session.

  Damien was already five minutes late but, Lily didn't mind waiting. She thought that Damien must have been held up with something since he was on time for the previous training session.

  But she was surprised when she saw Damien coming in a rushed manner with his face looking a bit pale.

  Lily asked with a hint of concern, "Damien, are you fine? Your face looks a bit pale. Maybe you should take some rest, and we can continue tomorrow. I am fine with canceling today's session."

  Damien shook his head, "I am fine. It's just I didn't sleep yesterday night properly, haha. You know, nightmares can be pretty scary. And it would be wrong not to keep my end of the deal."

  Lily's eyes squinted as she remembered how Damien had a nightmare in the carriage when she was taking him to the palace.

  'What did he experience to have such nightmares? I wish I could help him...but...how?' Lily was inwardly worried seeing Damien's state.

  Lily wanted to use her spiritual perception to inspect Damien to check whether he is fine. But she thought it would be rude to inspect him without his permission.

  "Here, take this pill." Lily handed out a light green pill to Damien. "This will help you soothe and relax your mind."

  'That's a Soul Revitalizing Pill!' Damien was inwardly surprised when Lily took out a Low-Grade Rank 3 Pill without any hesitation.

  There was a huge difference in rarity and price between each rank for a pill in this world. And the difference only increases as the rank increases.

  Every pill ranks were further categorized into four; Low-Grade Rank 1 Pill, Medium Grade Rank 1 Pill, High-Grade Rank 1 Pill, Peak Grade Rank 1 Pill. These categories were to signify the rarity of the pills within each rank.

  In general, Common Grade herbs were used to concoct pills ranking from 1 to 2. Earth Grade herbs were used to concoct pills ranking from 3 to 4. And Sky Grade herbs were used to concoct pills ranking from 5 to 6.

  The medicinal resources have their own subcategories, too; Low-Level Common Grade herbs, Medium Level Common Grade herbs, High-Level Common Grade herbs, and Peak Level Common Grade herbs.

  For instance, Low to Medium Level Common Grade herbs can be used to concoct a Rank 1 Pill, while High to Peak Level Common Grade herbs can be used to concoct a Rank 2 Pill.

  The currency in this world followed two systems. One of the currency systems was for commoners who don't cultivate or who don't bother cultivating beyond the Initial Ethereal Realm.

  The commoner currency system was based on copper coins, silver coins, and gold coins. A 100 copper coins would amount to 1 silver coin, while a 1000 silver coins would amount to 1 gold coin.

  One could use these currencies to buy basic necessities for their daily needs.

  The second currency system was mainly for cultivators since it consists of Spirit Stones, which could also act like a cultivation resource.

  Spirit Stones originate from naturally formed rocks that absorb the air's pure ethereal energy over a long time.

  In this continent, there were three types of Spirit Stones based on the purity of ethereal energy they hold.

  The Spirit Stone with the lowest purity is the Green Spirit Stones. Then comes the Yellow Spirit Stones, and above that was the rare Blue Spirit Stone.

  Commoners wouldn't even dream of holding even a single Green Spirit Stone due to how valuable it was.

  They would need over 100,000 gold coins to exchange for a single Green Spirit Stone.

  In general, a single Yellow Spirit Stone is worth over 10,000 Green Spirit Stones. In comparison, a single Blue Spirit Stone is worth over 1,000,000 Yellow Spirit Stones!

  Damien didn't even know about Blue Spirit Stones until he read about it from the Rong Empire's library books. That showed how rare a Blue Spirit Stone was since small-sized families like the Ward Family would never even have dealings that involved Blue Spirit Stones.

  Only after he read the library books of one of the empires of the continent did he learn a lot of things.

  He also learned that Rank 5 Pills were very rare, and Rank 6 Pills were more like a myth, and even if they existed, one could count them on both hands.

  Any Pills above Rank 6 were a complete myth, and only theories existed since no one was ever able to concoct a Rank 7 Pill because of the resources and cultivation required to concoct them.

  The Soul Revitalizing Pill would rejuvenate one's soul energy completely within a minute and provide a refreshing effect to their mind as long as their soul cultivation is not above the Early Soul Transformation Stage.

  When Lily handed him the Soul Revitalizing Pill, based on its color, he instantly recognized it as a Low-Grade Rank 3 Pill!

  A Low-Grade Rank 3 Pill would easily sell for one to a hundred Yellow Spirit Stones depending on the demand.

  Lily realized that maybe she was too hasty in trying to help him that it seemed like she was favoring him.

  Because even she wouldn't casually give away a Peak Grade Rank 2 Pill to her servants, let alone a Low-Grade Rank 3 Pill.

  Thankfu
lly there was no one else to witness this, but she was worried if Damien would feel odd about her actions. But now, there was no going back, and she could only try to lessen any suspicions as much as she can.

  "No need to refuse since you don't have to owe me. I am doing this for myself. If you are not well, how would you be able to teach me properly? As you said, you should keep up the end of your deal." Lily said, assuming her princess demeanor without leaving any leeway for Damien to refuse.

  Damien gave a soft chuckle hearing her insistent tone, but he didn't fail to notice the worry and concern carried in her voice.

  He refused before because he didn't want to owe Lily a favor or give her an excuse to request anything from him.

  He didn't refuse anymore and took the pill from her hands and gulped it down.

  Damien instantly felt his soul energy being replenished at a rapid rate, and within five seconds, his soul energy was completely replenished, and he felt a soothing sensation in his mind.

  Even the minor internal injuries he had didn't seem to bother him much anymore.

  "Thank you, Lily." Damien smiled.

  Lily shook her head and smiled, "There's no need. Now let's start, shall we?"

  "Sure. So, today we will work on your timing and reflexes. And there is no better way to improve than to spar with me." Damien said with a playful smile.

  Seeing his rascally smile, Lily's eyes fluttered for a moment when she remembered what happened the last time when they sparred.

  She realized later that her reactions were very odd and was afraid if Damien would find it strange. Especially the strange feeling she felt when he embraced her made her a little restless.

  "Fine. But you shouldn't...play with me like you did the last time." Lily said, trying to avoid Damien's gaze.

  Damien chuckled, knowing what she meant by 'playing', "Don't worry, Lily. I will be serious and won't play with you whenever we are sparring."

  Lily didn't seem to notice the slight nuances of his wording and inwardly sighed with relief as she smiled, "Okay, Master. Let's begin."

  Almost two hours passed when both of them stopped sparring.

  Damien was looking a bit exhausted since he was mainly dodging and giving counterattacks to train Lily's reflexes.

  Actually, he wasn't exhausted at all, but he had to act the part of a cripple, and it would be extremely suspicious if he didn't show any signs of tiredness.

  Damien had to remind Lily again how it was time to wind up the training since she never notices the passing of time whenever she trains, especially if it's swordplay.

  "See you tomorrow, Master," Lily said before leaving the inner courtyard.

  "Ughhhh..."

  But as soon as Lily left, Damien fell to his knees with his hand clutching his chest as his face twisted with pain.

  Chapter 33: I Am No God

  "You fool, why did you keep enduring the pain when you know it's because of your Origin Seed." Luna reprimanded as she appeared before Damien.

  When Damien was still sparring with Lily around ten minutes ago, a torrent of pain emanated from his ethereal core. The pain only kept increasing as time passed.

  Damien wanted to end the training there and then itself, but since the session was almost over and did not want to make Lily suspicious, he endured it without showing any signs of pain.

  Due to the years of torture he had suffered in his previous life, Damien's pain tolerance was quite high, and he could even control his expressions under immense pain.

  Now his Origin Seed was having a reaction! As if it couldn't wait to convey something to Damien.

  "I-I have to get back to my room," Damien said, clenching his jaw.

  Luna shook her head, "No need. Nobody would come here, and even that girl won't return at least till evening. You have to inspect your Origin Seed right now. It's giving off a reaction for a reason. Maybe something that can help you increase your prowess."

  'Something that can help me increase my power?' Damien couldn't help but be excited as he thought about it.

  With Luna here, at least he would be warned if someone was coming to the inner courtyard.

  He threw away all thoughts of returning to his room and instantly spread his inner senses towards his ethereal core.

  Just as he focused on his Origin Seed, a buzzing sound rang in Damien's mind. Then an incredibly ancient and domineering voice that felt like it came from the primordial era sounded.

  "At last, it seems like everything wasn't all for naught...You are finally here…my legacy."

  'This voice is…' Damien shut his eyes as he tried to concentrate on the voice, "Are you the god who gave me this Origin Seed?"

  Damien felt a bit unreal hearing an ancient voice. He had already met Luna, but most of the time, it didn't feel like he was in the presence of an ancient god, probably due to her figure and personality.

  If one heard this voice, they would feel fear, respect, and reverence. But Damien felt some kind of inexplicable feelings deep within his heart.

  "No, I am no god...I am an entity that even gods dread...but the Origin Seed you are housing is mine. I was waiting for a very long time to have my Origin Seed merge with you. Right now, I am nothing but a mere fragment of my soul which will soon disappear after imparting you my legacy."

  "Wait a sec...why and what made you choose me? I was just a crippled mortal. And I thought gods couldn't transfer their Origin Seed to someone else." Damien was puzzled why an exalted existence would choose him to be their successor.

  "It is true that gods cannot give away their Origin Seed to someone else. But I chose you because you are the only one who can house my Origin Seed. Because of my carelessness and foolishness, I was reduced to this state...but now you are my only hope. I know you have many questions you want to ask me, like why you were able to house my Origin Seed...but when the time is right, you will find the answers yourself, including the god who manipulated you."

  Damien was stunned for a moment, "You know the god who manipulated me? Tell me...who is it?" He didn't seem to even care about how the voice seemed to know about his previous life since he thought that the voice must have scanned his memories.

  Damien's voice had become a little shaky, but the ancient voice didn't waver, "I cannot burden you with that knowledge now. It will only distract you from your journey to fulfill your wishes. Also, you are too insignificant right now that you are not worthy of pursuing your revenge. But I can give you the power necessary to carry out your vengeance if your resolve and will are unwavering.

  "Although holding my power will only make you more prone to trouble and conflict, it would be the only way for you to realize my true power. You will not be able to advance your power if you lead a peaceful life. But the more powerful you become, the harder and more perilous your trials in your life will be. And one day, if you become powerful enough, you would be faced with the toughest trial of your life, which would involve even the survival of the universe as you know it. So, are you willing to accept my power?"

  Damien felt annoyed and frustrated that the voice did not reveal anything about his most hated enemy. But he felt that the voice also had a point since it wouldn't do him any good now if he knew the details. It would only just be a burden to him and mess with his mind.

  Damien had no idea what kind of trial the voice was talking about. But all he wanted now was to reunite with Sofie and get his revenge no matter the cost. He never expected to live a peaceful life in the first place. Those days were long gone for him.

  "I will accept your power. But what kind of power would I exactly gain?"

  The voice answered, "You won't gain my true abilities right away. But the more you cultivate yourself to greater heights, the more you can unlock the potential of your abilities. Also, I can guarantee you that no one at your same level would be a match for you...they would be as insignificant as ants before you. Wherever you go, people will tremble and fear you because of your prowess. If one day, you have the capability to truly rec
eive my complete legacy, you would be the sole ruler of chaos, death, and destruction...A true Sovereign of the Universe. But if you don't have the potential, you would at best achieve false divinity."

  'Ruler of chaos and....am I dreaming or something? Would I really be able to become something like that? Someone, who even gods fear?' Damien couldn't help but feel inconceivable about the whole thing about being the Sovereign of the Universe.

  He didn't care about all that stuff, but if that's what it takes to reunite with the people he loves and make sure no one can ever hurt his loved ones...Then there was nothing stopping him from achieving it.

  But he wondered how such a powerful entity was forced to such a state. He remembered the voice telling him it was due to his foolishness and carelessness. Damien couldn't help but feel the same thing when he remembered how he lost everything due to how foolish and careless he was in his previous life.

  Damien then suddenly thought of something, "Before I ask you something, can Luna hear us?"

  The voice replied, "No. Even if she has her soul linked with yours, she can't read your thoughts unless she forcibly intrudes into your soul plane and kills you. But it would still cause a backlash if you resist as her soul plane is injured. Her soul link to your soul plane is like a double-edged sword. So you need not worry about that."

  Damien was silent for a moment before asking plainly, "Can I trust her?"

  Even though he didn't feel anything suspicious about Luna so far and instead enjoyed her company to a certain extent, he didn't fully trust her yet, even though he appreciated the help she gave him so far.

  Since they were in a symbiotic relationship, he was apprehensive about what would happen once she recovers her true powers. Even if she told him that an Origin Seed was potentially useless to another god...he had no way to verify her words.

  What if she wanted to do something with his Origin Seed? What if she was fattening him up for some dubious scheme?