Two footsteps and a pair of hooves sounded as we traveled through another winding stairs. Of course the stairs have no hand rails. This one is leading from the uh… Shēngyuán peak, right? The healer’s peak. The old man and Qīngfēng accompany me as we are going towards the Tàihéng peak or just the general peak for my spiritual roots assessment and picking up some manuals for me. What are those two things, I have no idea. But it's clearly important as it might resolve whatever the issue was when I am practicing the Quintessential Balance.

  “Qīngfēng, once Dànxīng finished his assessment, guide him to the grand library and give him a tour of the sect.” The old man

  “Of course master!” Qīngfēng agrees enthusiastically

  I would rather prefer if Zhāoxiá is the one that tours me though. But she already decided to stay and manage the peak. Also saying that Qīngfēng needs to leave the house more.

  “Dànxīng, this will be your new home. No need to be so tense and take in the surroundings.” The old man says from the front

  Am I tense? Maybe. I wouldn’t suddenly be branded useless and immediately cut off right? Not too keen on hearing that again. Just once in corporate is enough. So as I walk, I check on what I am currently able to do. Let’s see, my power is psyker adjacent. I have biomancy. Raising my right hand and looking at it, again I feel that this is always what my hand looks like. The furs, the scales, the claws. I remember how the old man’s hand looks and try to change my hand to look like his. The process is uncomfortable to say the least, like being prickled and forced into a glove too small. But the furs and the scales reverted in, the skin color turning white and the claws turned into soft nails. I inspect my hand, flipping it up and down. Feeling the fingers on my palm which somehow feels unnatural. But the feeling of my fingerprints feels real. It is a very odd feeling, like how the brain can’t quite interpret what you are touching in the dream. But this, this was how my hand looked.

  “Why would you want to do that?” My focus breaks from Qīngfēng’s sudden question.

  Hand exploding in black sludge. Returning back to the furs, scales, and claws. This is… annoying.

  “Now why the fuck you would say that?” I stopped walking and pressure Qīngfēng from my sheer size to the side. My tone level

  He took a step back. Seemingly surprised by my outburst. The blue color of surprise gave rise to red hostility around Qīngfēng’s head. His own size suddenly grows.

  “That’s enough!” The old man interjects

  An overwhelming pressure from the old man presses down on us in the form of blue halo exploding outwards. Then instantly gone like it had never happened.

  “I apologize for disrupting your concentration.” Qīngfēng size recedes, cupping his hand then bowed

  “Very well. I apologize for trying to vent my frustration too” I accept as he already apologizes with a nod

  The three of us then continue our walk in awkward silence. Then I do as the old man said and take in the surroundings. It is still an impressive sight, yes, an entirely different world. Tall and thin mountains that I have never seen before. As for the sect, I am more impressed by how they are able to make the massive towers and plenty of other buildings on top of a mountain like this. As for the architecture, it is not exactly my cup of tea. But still aesthetically pleasing I guess. My sense of scale is pretty much fucked due to my new size, but at the very least, the sect is the size of a small city. I think.

  As the walk continues in silence, I try to discover what more I can do. Biomancy check, what else then? Tasting lies? Maybe. It was only once when I said that I am human to the old man. Maybe I could only taste lies if I am the one telling it as it hasn't happened since then. Then I looked up. Can I connect to the warp adjacent of this world then? One way to find out. Mimicking what the old man just does, I try to push my consciousness outwards from my head. Which I can in the form of a purple line. Then I try to extend it upwards. This made me able to sense the surroundings from my extended consciousness. Then with one thing left to do, I pushed the line upwards as fast as I could. Zooming to the point my perspective is split with my eyes and the end of the line upwards like how a certain bald actor zooming in speed. Through the clouds and on and on until I see a familiar sight of space.

  THUMP!

  “Egads!” I nurse my head as my line of consciousness crashes into some kind of glass and the pain returns back to my head.

  “Hahaha.” The old man laughs as usual

  “What happens?” Qīngfēng asks in surprise

  “Dànxīng’s divine sense crashed into the boundary set by the Heavenly Dao.” The old man explains

  “Boundary? Heavenly what?” I asked

  “It’s a boundary set by Heavenly Dao that separates the Void and the world. As for what Heavenly Dao is, there are various interpretations, but for now don’t bother too much about it and think of it as a fundamental law that maintains the world.”

  “Allright then.”

  Hmmm, this is unexpected. So then, there’s no galaxy spanning warp? Since the boundary separates this world and the void, there’s only the local Noosphere? Nice. I breathe a sigh of relief. There will be no daemon knocking anytime I try to use my power. No wait, why would there be a boundary? What’s in space?

  ‘Did your consciousness really extend to the boundary?’ Qīngfēng’s voice suddenly echoes in my head

  ‘TELEPHATY!’ I yelled back as I see a direct bluish line between Qīngfēng’s head and mind

  Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

  ‘Sorry about that.’ I said as he clearly winced ‘But yes. I crashed into some kind of glass as I saw the Void as the old man calls it.’

  ‘The old man!? Don’t let master hear you call him that. He may put it casually but a divine sense that can extend to the boundary at our cultivation level is nothing short of amazing.’ The telephatic conversation continues

  ‘I see. But I already call him old man, remember? Back when you are too excited to fit me to this robe. Also, what do you mean by our cultivation level?’ Qīngfēng took a brief pause as he realizes that I am allowed to call his master old man before continuing on

  ‘Why are you asking that? Both of us are Foundation Establishment cultivators. How do you not know this?’

  ‘Hmmm? Didn’t the old man tell you? Two weeks ago, I was what you would call a mortal.’

  He looked at me with a flabbergasted face before suddenly swarming the conversation with dozens of questions. My corporate habit takes place and filters out most of his questions.

  ‘I’ll let the old man explain it to you later.’ Then I cut off the telephatic link

  Finally we reach what looks like a central platform between the five peaks. Immediately various lines and wisp of consciousness surrounds me. Ah yes, this is how it should be. Ain’t no way something with a body like me can live quite freely and unnoticed by the American government. Another proof that I am not always like this despite my memory saying it does. Hell, if I did, I would be in a lab somewhere. I let these… divine senses as the old man called it be as they seem to be just a harmless curiosity. Like seeing the new animal in a zoo, besides, the old man undoubtedly notices this and he says nothing.

  That is until one decided to do more. One line of divine sense expands and tries to envelope me. It felt invasive, like something trying to touch me all over. I brushed the divine sense away. It backed off, before returning in renewed vigor. More invasive, trying to breach through my clothes even. I hear the bones in my skull cracking as my tolerance is at my limit. Brushing it off one more time, the divine sense pulled back. Then as it tries to push back into me again, I bite! Trashing my head all over until the divine sense ripped clean from the line. The fucking thing finally recedes and the remnant of the divine sense in my mouth dissolves into a perfect mix of sweet and salty substance that made me swallow in a reflex. Oh, this tastes really good. Maybe I should try biting the other ones too? But after seeing my reaction, the rest of the divine senses are leaving.

  “Dànxīng, your head, your skull head turned into a wolf one.” Qīngfēng the first one to end the silence

  I take a feel to my skull head. It does feel different from the last time I checked. Then immediately the sound of bone cracking returns, my skull head shifting in my hand.

  “Back to the deer skull?” I ask while pointing my head

  He nods. Well, this is new. Do my head shift following my emotions? Turning into a wolf one in frustration and anger? Do I have more heads? Let’s see. I have the hooves and head of a deer. So the fur, the claws are from a wolf. The scale and the tail is from a snake? What will make my head turn into a snake?

  “Dànxīng, I should mention this, don’t bite off any more divine senses unless they are invasive.” The old man finally speaks

  “Of course.” Not that I plan to bite off more of them. Nope

  “Good, doing so can damage the cultivator back and unless you are justified, you are just inviting trouble.” He adds

  “Since you don’t say anything, you know whose divine sense the one I bite belongs to?”

  “Yes, a certain petty self righteous person.” The halo around the old man flared red in a brief hostility

  We went past various buildings and I have never been so lost before. All these buildings look the same to me. Sure I have seen a building with an eastern aesthetic before, but not everywhere like this. Finally seeing other members of this sect, they greet the old man with reverence before balking at the sight of me. Most of these ones wear grey robes instead of the few black and white. Wonder what the distinction was.

  “We’ve arrived.” The old main said

  In front of me is a building three stories taller than the rest. Other than that, I don’t know any other distinction. Except the huge appraisal hall, emblazoned on a board on top of its huge door. Nice, I don’t need to bend down.

  “We greet elder Luòchén in our humble hall.” Came a melodious voice

  In front of us is what looks like the entire staff of this building. The frontmost and in the middle must be the manager of this building. A woman with silver white hair. Other than that, I don’t get any more distinction than she is more beautiful than the rest. Yea, something must have fucked my perception on faces too.

  “Hall Master Yùhuá, how’s your master?” The old man start the pleasantries

  “Master Wènyuè is taking care of my junior sister as usual. I will forward your greetings. May I ask what your purpose is to come to my humble hall?” Yùhuá gave the perfect example of corporate politeness to a shareholder

  “No need for such stiff formality, you are almost promoted to an elder yourself. As for my purpose, my son here will be joining the sect. I would ask you to give him an accurate assessment.” The old man present me with an open hand

  The reaction is as expected, surprise, and few envy? What the hell? Though to my surprise, they managed to not whisper at each other at all.

  “Of course, please follow me.” Hall Master Yùhuá beckons and I followed to the center of the hall

  “Put your hands… your hand at the crystal.” She presents a crystal that is big enough for two hands. Normal hands that is

  I grasp the entire crystal with just one hand. Seeing it glows with various colors. I don’t know what the color on the crystal means. But I can certainly understand the color of the halo on Yùhuá means. Another blue of surprise but keeps flaring until it is mixed with some red to make some pale purple.

  “Congratulations young master. You have three High rank spiritual roots of Fire, Metal and Earth.” She cupped her hands and bowed

  “And what are the ranks?”

  “There are five ranks in spiritual roots. The lowest being Upper Mortal which just barely allows one to cultivate. Then High Mortal, followed by Earth rank, Celestial rank, and Supreme rank in spiritual roots.” She explains

  That’s it then? Just one rank above barely qualifies. Was her congratulation even sincere? I did not taste any lies like the one I told to the old man. I looked around, various halos give the same purple like the hall master did, but most give out a much more hostile reddish purple with some green. Now this is significantly more complex. As I don’t know what this means, I looked at Qīngfēng and the old man. Both give a more bluish one. Blue is concern, surprise nostalgia, or something of the sort. Red is hostile. So purple can possibly mean envy, mockery or pity? Maybe, this is still confusing, I would need to verify this further later.

  “Don’t be discouraged, I sensed that you are more talented in soul based arts though we did not have necessary equipment to make accurate assessment on this matter.” She offers consolation.

  “And how did you know this?” I try to prod

  “Your… performance on the way here is evident enough.” She admits as one who peeked at me with divine sense. Her halo flared brief red when I pushed

  Hmmm. Looks like my stay in this sect will not be as smooth as I thought it would. Then I saw a telepathy link between her and the old man.

  “Qīngfēng, why don’t you guide Dànxīng to the grand library first?” The old man asks

  Qīngfēng bowed and guided me out. Hmmm, should I try eavesdropping?

  —

  “So, what exactly do you need to tell me privately?” Luòchén sat in the hall master’s office

  Dànxīng’s spiritual roots assessment is still within his expectation. Yes, it would be better if he has at least one spiritual root in earth rank but he can make this work. Not the sort that needs to be discussed privately. But then Hall Master Yùhuá bowed deep in regret.

  “Elder Luòchén, I regretfully inform you that your son would not be able to cultivate any further.”