Orien found his way to the male dormitory and asked the nearby Residence Director in the lounge area where he might find his designated quarters. The Director gave him a plaque, etched his name on it, and gave him some directions.

  After heading down a few corridors and periodically admiring various things such as the architecture, gardens, and training facilities, he found an empty room and put his plaque onto the door. There was space for another plaque to fit onto the door, but it was empty.

  ‘Fortunately, it doesn’t seem like I have a roommate for the time being,’ Orien thought.

  He stepped inside the mostly empty room. It still smelled a bit sweet, like it was cleaned a while ago, and perhaps a fragrant incense stick was burned.

  ‘Very thoughtful... or maybe the room was just not in use for a long time and needed a deep clean,’ he thought.

  He touched the bed, and it was quite soft and very comfortable.

  ‘I was afraid after Wisp told me that cultivators would cultivate on stone slabs inside of caves. Thank the heavens that doesn't seem to be true,’ he put his mind at ease.

  "Lad, not only is it true, that actually ties in with a lot of what I've got to say to you," Wisp interjected in his thoughts.

  Orien almost jumped at the sudden voice in his head, but fortunately he had grown used to it.

  "Okay, Wisp, I'm all ears,” Orien turned the lock on his door and got comfortable in bed, but not too comfortable, as he didn't want to doze off while Wisp was speaking to him.

  "So, you've come this far. I will answer some of the questions you've asked me and tell you even more. I can't tell you everything yet, however, for your own good. Knowing too much would only harm you,” Wisp began.

  Orien nodded his head.

  "Firstly...” Wisp spoke slowly, “I'll tell you who I am. I am Laurence Vermittler, descendent of the Ancient Vermittler Family and the last known emperor of Pangaea. I am a nobody in the family, however, just a hardworking cultivator from an auxiliary branch. I worked hard in my lifetime to reach my cultivation, the peak of Earthen Path. The cultivation realms known to me are Mortal Path, Earthen Path, and Skycloud Path. It is rumored that the Emperor and possibly a few others were at a level beyond that, but I couldn't tell ya."

  Any sleepiness Orien had was long gone. This information completely fascinated him.

  "So, about the affinities. You're aware of the levels, yes?” Wisp continued speaking, “Low, medium, and high?"

  “Mhm.” Orien nodded his head and stared at Wisp, who was just floating in the air casually.

  "Well, the actual rankings go low, medium, high, extraordinary, legendary, mythical. Legendary may as well be the cutoff point, though, as mythical has only ever been found in scriptures and nothing more. We have no reason to believe it's real,” Wisp explained.

  If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

  He then added, “Also, don’t even dream of jumping levels like you did in order to reach a medium affinity for your Ice and Body Refinement. When I died, I had only just broken through to a high affinity for my light affinity. The rest were at medium, and I had the resources of the strongest family in the empire, albeit not comparable to the main family branch. Now, I know you may be thinking I was just trash. I knew one Skycloud expert who had broken through with a medium affinity and was unable to cultivate further. The fact remains; he was a Skycloud cultivator even if he was the weakest one out there.” He paused for a moment, seemingly proud of what he was about to say, “That means I was actually pretty remarkable y’know? For such a nobody, my achievements were nothing to scoff at! Then again, I doubt they would have considered me a nobody if they knew of that achievement.”

  Orien was unable to see his expression at this moment, but he had an inkling that it was something shameless.

  “I had to hide it, I’m a lowkey guy after all. Before I ever got to shine, the catastrophe struck and I was separated from my wife. I didn’t bother cultivating on this island once reality set in,” Wisp’s words trailed off.

  He stopped talking, floating there motionlessly.

  “Uh, Wisp? You alright?” Orien asked.

  “What do you think about my little tangent?” Wisp asked before ranting, “Don’t I sound like trash after all? Just because I was separated from my wife and loved ones, I stopped cultivating. Did I have those things at the start of my journey? No! So why did I stop cultivating? Why did I waste all of my potential towards the end? Cultivators are ruthless, cold killers, and often emotionless. Instead of seeking revenge, I lost hope. I don’t expect you to answer now, you’re still a young lad. You must promise me, however, that you won’t lose hope or despair If you suffer in the future. The world is cultivation is harsh... harsher than anybody can describe.”

  Orien sat up, thinking for a moment before smiling in response, “Wisp, I can’t imagine what the hardships will be like, but I have you with me. I doubt you harbored a helpful ghost when you were alive. I can’t promise that I won’t lose hope, but I will do my best and hopefully I grow strong enough to promise that to you.”

  Wisp made a thoughtful expression, although it's not as if anybody would be able to tell. He wasn’t expecting such a wholesome and honest answer, but it pleased him greatly.

  Ahemm. “Good answer, lad. Now...” He continued, "If you thought merely that was interesting, boy, it will only get crazier from here. Also, I strongly suggest you keep your lips sealed about everything you hear from me going forward during this conversation."

  ‘What else can he say that will be crazier than this?’ Orien’s mind was reeling.

  "This world that we're living on, what do you call it?" Wisp asked.

  Orien didn't think this was a foolish question. He assumed Wisp was going somewhere with the information. "Our planet is called Earth," he responded to Wisp.

  "Correct. Now, what do you know about the geography of our Earth?" Wisp asked once more.

  "Ermm... I only know of a few nearby uninhabited islands and our Castaway Island. I've heard there is a mainland that is larger than I could dream of,” Orien replied.

  "Good enough. There are many islands, and our Earth is mostly water. That mainland you speak of is called Pangaea, that I mentioned earlier. Have you ever wondered why some names seem to have different origins amongst those that you know?" Wisp asked at last.

  Orien thought for a moment before replying, "Um... no, actually. Aren't they all normal names?"

  "Brat, does Hubert Garrmund sound anything like Haruki Kaji or Orien Castillo?" Wisp pressed on.

  "Hmmm... maybe?" Orien thought he knew what was going on but was now very confused. He wasn’t sure what Wisp meant when he said that their names had different origins.

  "Orien... there are two things I'm trying to say. Listen carefully, and you will understand..." Wisp said mysteriously.

  https://imgchest.com/p/m9yxqkda37q