[MA] 424. The Three Cultivation Paths (Patreon)

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[A/N: Another chapter 50% longer than usual. I wanted to wrap up the exposition in this chapter.

I hope that helps make up for the fact that the last late chapter will have to wait until Monday. Writing this one was more complicated than expected. My apologies.

Announcement: I'll take a week off in June, from the 1st to the 8th. I need the time to organize a lot of stuff in my life.

Late chapters: 1

Next chapter: Monday]

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Habnor shook his head as he emptied his teacup. "There's no such thing as Paths for each Grand Path. You're mixing things, but that's partly because language is insufficient. Some call the Grand Paths the Grand Ways instead. It's conceptually incorrect, but it might help. Some also call them the Heavenly Way and the Heretic Way. The Three Cultivation Paths are means to walk either Grand Path. The difference is whether you push your Path into the Heavens or cut yourself from the Heavens."

"Three Cultivation Paths?"

The high elf raised an eyebrow. "You don't even know about that?"

Shen shook his head, and E'livia also seemed confused.

Habnor took a small metallic C-tier case from his pocket and opened it to reveal a few black C-tier cigarettes. He grabbed one, lit it, crossed his legs, and took a drag. He relaxed his arm on the table and blew the smoke. The smoke itself was a D-tier poisonous substance, but it never reached Lariel. His Path protected the girl.

He explained, "Three Cultivator Paths are the Shallow Path, the Deep Path, and the Exotic Path. The vast majority of living beings walk one of them.

"Any of them starts the same: you find characteristics of the Axioms of Reality that sing true to you and make them part of your Path. You connect yourself to Reality, pulling, trying to master it while synchronizing with it.

"The Shallow Elementary Path is the most common Path. This is the one the aeonian and I walk. Most people start at it even if they change it later.

"It's called a 'Shallow' Path because you never allow Reality's Axioms to get anywhere close to your Will. Cultivators usually claim they become their Paths, but there's still a divide between the innermost self and their power. It's safer and not necessarily weaker than the Deep Path.

"As with any Path, it has steps of progression. For instance, the one you must reach to develop a domain is forming a True Path, which is a slightly misleading name; it simply means that you stop behaving against the nature of the Laws you pulled into yourself.

"Any Path also has inner variations. Shallow Paths can be Anti-Paths, Distorting Paths, Swallowing Paths... I'm not paid to talk about them, but they are different ways of reaching the same place or countering each other, nothing more; they are still part of the Shallow Path.

"In fact, the important thing here is that as long as one's Will remains untouched, it's almost certain they are walking the Shallow Path.

"This Path's main advantage is that Shallow Ascenders have more options when pushing their Realizations into the Heavens. If they walk the Heavenly Way, of course. They don't need to form an entirely new Axiom to become the universe's Wardens. They can also change existing Laws or Axioms. Or even merely add a new Law to an existing Axiom."

Shen had heard something about that once. Someone had taught him an S-rank had to force their Realization to become a new Axiom, but they had been wrong—or lying. There were easier ways.

He was confused about something, though.

He asked, "I was taught that pushing your Realization to the Heavens is part of becoming an S-rank. Or Ascending, as you call it. But if the Heretic Way is a thing..."

Habnor nodded. "You don't need to do that if you're Severed. Any Low Heavens can only have a single Warden. Linked Low Heavens must not have more Wardens than the number of linked Heavens. I'm told all Realizators instinctively learn how to Sever themselves long before they can Ascend."

Shen nodded. That made sense. "Please, continue."

"Next comes the Deep Elementary Path. This is the one you're walking, drow. You allowed your Will to be affected by external factors. That's dangerous but also gives you a different perspective on Reality. It also hones your willpower and gives you greater strength.

"Most people stop at the first step of the Deep Elementary Path, which is when they develop an Ethereal Whole..."

Shen's mind became hazed for an instant. The words "Ethereal Whole" unlocked more memories—personal ones. He recalled every step he had taken in his Path until now.

He had started his cultivator life by walking the Shallow Path, including becoming a True Path Walker. Then, he switched to the Deep Path. His Ethereal Whole had had three counterbalances, his Will, a Truth, and True Boundlessness. But it had been imperfect, and a domain of his had been required to keep it whole. Then, he had forgone his Ethereal Whole for a True Self, which he had had when he became conscious in the Myriad Worlds.

There were still many gaps in his memories. He couldn't recall why he had changed Paths or ditched his Ethereal Whole for a True Self afterward. Likewise, he didn't know what his Truth or first domain had been.

The memory influx was short enough this time that he could still follow what Habnor was saying. "...but the ultimate goal is to make your essence part of your Path. Almost anyone who doesn't stop on the Ethereal Whole stops after they achieve Essence Confluence. That's when you become immortal, become immune to most forms of soul corruption, cannot be killed as long as a single blood drop of yours remains, and gain the coveted Allvision."

Shen wasn't too happy that knowledge of his "special means" seemed ordinary in the Shaft. People were unlikely to overlook him after they thought he was dead. He should also find more enchantments able to block his Allvision.

E'livia glanced at Shen before asking, "Allvision?"

Habnor took a draw. "He doesn't see Reality as we do. The Aspects, Expressions, and Axioms are laid bare to him. That's most important when understanding the Axioms or seeing things. He can see an object behind another as if they were side by side."

"How does that work?"

The high elf blew the smoke. " You can ask your boyfriend for details. I'm not paid to explain Allvision; it was just out of respect for your past position. There's a limit, though. As I said, knowledge is precious in the Shaft."

"My past position?"

"I'm almost certain you're using a disguise skill, and it should be good enough to fool his Allvision. My bet? You were a key figure in the Gardener Sect."

E'livia became uncomfortable at hearing her very recent past mentioned as if it was gone and over.

Shen interjected, "Please, continue."

The high elf complied, "These advantages aren't exclusive to the Deep Path. The same boons can be gained at the Shallow Path's high tiers. The thing is that a Deep Walker might achieve Essence Confluence as early as in the Law Overlord tier if they have the proper assistance or resources.

"Immortality comes only when you Ascend, although Realizators already live long enough to be considered immortals; actual immortality stops mattering to them. Immunity to soul corruption comes when you become a Realizator if you know what to do. Regenerating from very little matter only requires you to be a Dominator with the right techniques and resources. Allvision can come as early as in the Proven Overlord tier, also requiring knowledge and resources."

Shen recalled the Alliance had a low focus on resources. If you were strong enough to gather points, almost anything could be easily purchased through the Guardian System. Mana was freely available. If you had any ability, you could keep growing more powerful with limited grinding now and then.

The Shaft seemed different, considering the constant mentions of "being paid" and, now, resources. Shen guessed opportunities to turn strength into points—or coins—weren't as plentiful. That would force society to develop a more balanced money-power dynamics.

Habnor continued, "Deep Path Walkers are considered stronger than their Shallow counterparts. If a Deep Walker and a Shallow Walker are supposed to have similar strength in a straight fight, the Deep Walker will win the majority of the time. The advantage isn't as expressive between Dominators, but the Deep Walker should win six out of ten times. That stops being the case when Realizators are involved. The lower the tier, the more significant the gap.

"But even before that, from the Demi-Dominator tier onward, tier differences are absolute. A Deep Walker will lose to a Shallow Demi-Dominator in a straight fight if they aren't a Demi-Dominator themselves. A Deep Walker Seeker will lose to a Shallow Dominator no matter what."

That came as no surprise. Shen couldn't win against E'livia. That's just how things were. Any peak C-rank—or Proven Overlord—with a domain could beat him.

The high elf kept going, "The Deep Path's most significant disadvantage is that each step is much much harder to take. The first step, forming an Ethereal Whole, requires knowledge and willpower. Especially willpower. Even in the Shaft, where willpower can be honed relatively safely, over ninety percent of cultivators die when they allow their Will to be affected by external factors. Then, the survivors usually die when they start messing with their essence. In both cases, an imbalance is formed, and their existence can't support itself. You also hear a case of Path Overextension every now and then."

That matched Shen's recently unblocked memories. He recalled almost dying on every step he gave on the Deep Path. In fact, according to E'livia, Shen should have died if not for the Heavenly Tribulation and some unknown people's meddling with Reality... Well, now he knew those people were the Primordials.

Sure, he had withstood tribulations in the Shallow Path, but they had been... Fairer, in a way. Dangerous, yes, but as long as you had enough strength and willpower, you could deal with them. The Deep Path seemed more... finicky. Or perhaps, precise. You couldn't just brute-force your way through. At least, not unless the very Heavens were on your side.

Shen thought, 'Note to self: don't tempt destiny in the future; the Heavens aren't on my side anymore.'

He asked, "The Deep Path also has tribulations, correct?"

Habnor smiled. "It depends. The tribulation you are undergoing doesn't exist in the Shaft. There are others. I could help you without risk, but I'll give you a freebie because I don't want your girlfriend resenting me: complete the tribulation the intended way. I mean, as close to the intended way as possible. I can tell I already interfered by sharing some information with you."

"Why should I complete it the intended way?"

The high elf took a draw and remained pensive for a while before replying, "You'll know when it ends. But let me tell you this: as much as some people resent the Heavens, the Heavens are the fairest sentience in all of Reality. The harder the tribulation, the better for you it is."

Shen didn't like the answer, but he also didn't want to prematurely end his tribulation. So, instead of continuing the line of questioning, he asked something else to compare to the knowledge he had gained during his Severing.

"What exactly is Path Overextension?"

Habnor smiled slightly. "Good question. You're made of the Expressions of Energy, Sentience, and Time. You know about those, at least, I hope?" Shen nodded, and the high elf continued, "Good. Whenever you cultivate, you indirectly cultivate the very Energy, Sentience, and Time you're made of. Those three Expressions then very, very, very indirectly cultivate the Aspects of Space, Change, and Will you're made of.

"Any Cultivator Path must contain the three Expressions in equal measures to be balanced and healthy. Path Overextension comes from extreme imbalance. For instance, cultivators absorb Energy, but too much Energy and nothing else leads to an imbalance; growing too powerful too quickly causes Overextension.

"Think of it as a heavy sphere held in the air by three ropes. Your Path is the sphere, and each rope is an Expression. Your Path must be kept aloft by all three Expressions. By improving any Expression, its respective rope grows thicker and more resistant. However, improving yourself means improving your Path, making the sphere heavier. If it grows too heavy and any rope snaps, your existence unravels, and you die. That is Path Overtension.

"Therefore, you must also cultivate your other Expressions. You can cultivate Sentience by understanding more of Reality, like Axioms, and Time by simply living longer. Sentience can also be cultivated indirectly by making your name known far and wide. There are other ways, but those are the most straightforward.

"Overextension happens in the Shallow Path but is more common in the Deep Path because adding your Will to your Path increases the sphere's weight, and the ropes struggle. Adding essence to it is even worse."

That matched most of what Shen knew, but one thing was missing. He asked, "How does willpower affect any of that? Or a domain."

"How indeed. Increasing willpower also cultivates your Sentience. But it's a special case because it also directly improves your Will—very slightly. If the Expressions are ropes, the Aspects would be gravity. Improving any Aspect lowers the gravity, decreasing the tension on the ropes. Domains are a statement of dominance over Creation; you demand to keep existing, and Reality gives way to a point. Using a domain to stabilize your existence would be akin to slightly improving the material the ropes are made of."

That also made sense. Shen asked, "What about infinity-edgers? Do they even occupy Space? If not, does their cultivation work the same way?"

Habnor raised an eyebrow. "An interesting question. They might stand on the edges of infinity, but they are still finite, thus defined by Space like any of us. That said, they are a special life form. As such, they can forgo an Aspect or an Expression when cultivating, which we call the Exotic Path."

Shen waited for the high elf to say something else about it, but he didn't. So, he steered, "Which is...?"

Habnor poured everyone more tea. E'livia sighed sadly. Lariel smiled proudly.

The high elf replied, "As I said, the Exotic Path is a Path that doesn't cultivate either one Expression or an Aspect. I only know one more thing than that: an Exotic Path might or might not touch a Will, but Essence Confluence is exclusive to Deep Paths. That's it. Each Exotic Walker has specific characteristics and innate strength; they might be stronger, equal to, or weaker than another Path Walker."

Everything was proper and good, but Shen had three last questions. "What is someone's essence? Where do I go in my Path after Essence Confluence? And do you think I should pursue alchemy?" The last question was a roundabout way of figuring out what he was supposed to do in the current step of his tribulation. 

Alas, the answers would need to wait because Habnor finished his cigarette, made the butt disappear, and stood up. "The terms of my assistance include obligatory teachings on the Shaft, a certain amount of time I must waste answering questions, and a minimal depth of knowledge in said answers. Time's up. I only need to tell nine extra things about the Shaft, and then you get out of my house.

"First, the Shaft is called that because seven Realms are placed on top of each other, and you're supposed to climb it. It's officially called the Tower of Seven, but no one cares about using its name.

"Second, each Realm is composed of multiple universes tied together, though in a vast plane that you can't leave by flying. Most of the space you might expect from a universe isn't accessible but kept 'in reserve' by the Divine Mandatary. This reserve is used as needed; each Realm has a potentially unlimited landmass.

"Third, potentially unlimited means the number of living people and their strength in a Realm determines its size. It can shrink or expand. The Divine Mandatary doesn't like massacres or sapient breeding, so don't try to manipulate a Realm's size like that. The Shaft has been around for a long time, and every Realm is massive. This one, the Overlord Realm, is the biggest; it would take you almost a hundred years to go from one edge of this realm to another at the peak speed you displayed when trying to reach the moons.

"Fourth, each Realm only permits a maximum power level. It's in the Realm's name. The Mortal Realm only allows mortal levels of power. The Initiate Realm only allows anyone to display up to Initiate power levels. And so on. Items are also limited to the Realm's stated power level. Auras can be used on the Conceptualizer Realm and above. Domains can be used on the Overlord Realm and above. Realizations can be used in the Realizator Realm and above.

"Fifth, if your tier is higher than the Realm's maximum power level, you can stay there, but you will be prevented from using more power than allowed. I'm a good example. I'm a Dominator, but I can only show Demi-Dominator strength in this Realm. Even an Ascender would be limited to the Demi-Dominator power level.

"Sixth, Ascenders cannot be killed without a Realization. Even if you managed to defeat one, despite them being so vastly more experienced than you, it would only cause them to get expelled from the Shaft for a million years. They wouldn't be happy when they came back. Their supporters likely would kill you soon enough.

"Seventh, you must grow more powerful to climb the Shaft. The highest Realm you can access is the namesake of your current power level. As Overlords, both of you can access this Overlord Realm and any lower one if you're willing to pay the price at one of the countless Spires spread throughout the Realm. People born here can still return to this Realm if they leave, but a mortal would only be able to go to the Mortal Realm, not the Initiate Realm. They would need to start cultivating to access the Initiate Realm and become Conceptualizers to access the Conceptualizer Realm.

"Eighth, I received word that your Shaft ID is ready. It's linked to the Shaft itself. You're now official denizens instead of visitors or invaders. The Shaft ID is required to do some official Shaft business, like entering a Spire. Getting a Shaft ID usually requires doing a long battery of tests over a very long time, and bypassing that requires many resources and connections, so you should thank the Gardener if you ever get the chance. 

"Ninth and lastly, the more profound a piece of knowledge is, the more willpower it gives you. A lot of worthless knowledge can pile up into something useful, and almost everyone keeps their ears open, but you would need hundreds of thousands of years listening to country girl gossip to compare to the willpower gained from a single mastered Concept. It's not worth it.

"I'll show you to the door now."

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