[MA] 194. Wasted Potential (Patreon)

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[A/N: Another double-length chapter. Once more, I didn't want to cut Liya's exposition midway. This is the last info-dump in a while, probably.

Chapters this week: 1/3

Late chapters: 3

Next release: Thursday ]

"Willpower helps against the Void because of the Aspect of Will," Feng Shen guessed.

"Yes," Liya replied. "The Aspect of Will has always existed. It was always there, immutable, guaranteeing Space and Time can exist forever. Reality's existence depends on it having the Will to do so.

"However, just as Space and Time Changed, so did Will.

"It gained scales—of quantity and intensity.

"We touched on it, though you might've missed it. Willpower is not a subset or Expression of the Aspect of Will. It is the Changed Aspect of Will. As much as willpower can grow stronger, so can it grow weaker. And the Changed Aspect of Will, one of the Aspects on which Reality depends, can too."

Feng Shen showed a frown. "What about Space and Time?"

Liya shook her head. "How would you make Space itself or Time itself stronger or weaker?"

"You said Space expands and is internally stable," he replied. "Can't we help it expand against the Void or make it more stable?"

"Maybe S-ranks or even A-ranks can affect Reality on that scale," Liya conceded. "I wouldn't know. What B-ranks can do, which is part of the reason they are valued so much by the Alliance, is strengthen some of the Laws of Space and Time in an area, like the Law of Stability or the Law of Continuation.

"I'm not talking about direct B-rank action. Merely setting up the magic formations to strengthen a Law requires B-rank power and know-how. Having a B-rank actively doing it is possible but a big waste of time. B-ranks are precious resources, especially because their mere presence doesn't fall far behind what their Law-strengthening magic formations can accomplish. Moreover, such formations are prohibitively expensive to create or maintain for most races."

"If things like that only matter after reaching B-rank," Feng Shen said, "how can my willpower be relevant?" The cultivator was showing a bit of anxiety. It seemed such doubts had eaten away at him more than she had guessed.

"Going back to my explanation," Liya indirectly chastised, "we're all a form of Space, Time, and Will. We're too weak to directly affect Space or Time, but our willpower is a Changed form of Will itself. When your willpower gets stronger, the Aspect of Will also does. Reality's Will to keep existing grows stronger, keeping the Void at bay.

"Unfortunately, if you think about it, willpower is inside our sentient mind. Therefore, strong willpower should only strengthen Reality in the physical area occupied by that sentience.

"Fortunately, there are ways around that.

"Mana is one such workaround. Energy is the Expression of Will and Space, so it can carry willpower. Guardians have mana inside them, and it's done in such a way that some of their base willpower about keeping existing spread into the surrounding mana, strengthening the Aspect of Will and the hold of Reality in the area.

"Remember, the Changed Will gains the property of quantity. The more Guardians, the better. It also gains the intensity property. The distance the willpower spreads and how powerful the effect depends on how potent the willpower is.

"Incentivizing willpower growth is one of the reasons willpower is a factor that determines a Guardian's magic stat.

"Another workaround is using auras, domains, and Realizations. They are an extension of one's Path into the world. As I just taught you, Willpower is a crucial part of a Path. Any area of Reality under their influence is more resistant to Void Breaches.

"That said, it's important to note that we're talking about preventive measures only. Once the Void has breached a place, Reality starts losing its grip on the area.

"The Expressions are the first to go. In the front lines, moving requires a conscious effort because movement is Change, and Change is weakened or absent. You can only use the Energy inside you, and the Guardian System, which requires Energy to function, stops working there. Sentience must be maintained with one's dedicated Will, or it'll cease to exist.

"Your Will to exist can keep you whole inside the Void. It's also why the Void Spawn target every sentient being nearby. Speaking of which, what we perceive as invading thoughts and whispers are actually a consequence of seeing or feeling the Void inside a Void Spawn. The Void is the absence of Will, and a mind without absolute surety that it wants to keep existing will start to wonder. Even firm willpower can grow weaker and start wondering if they stay close to the Void for long enough.

"In fact, there are rumors that Guardians were made immune to boringness primarily because many would rather kill themselves than keep working on a boring task—or keep existing in a boring front line that isn't seeing too much action." Liya shook her head disapprovingly. "Pathetic.

"The absence of Aspects is terrible because Guardians are cut from the system's infinite mana supply and must use however much they have inside them or within mana storage items. It also makes auras useless against the Void Spawn."

Feng Shen interjected, "You mentioned that aura is useless before. How does that work?"

Liya considered the question. It was getting a bit off-topic, but she would talk about his aura soon enough. No harm in talking about it a bit earlier.

"To answer that question, you must understand the Void Spawn.

"Reality is three Aspects. Destroying one destroys all three. However, it's also three Expressions. As Reality upheavals in contact with the Void, those three Expressions can be separated and mixed with something else—with nothingness itself. That's a paradox, but the Void doesn't care because it doesn't play by the rules of Reality. It can twist logic to a high degree.

"When Expressions grow almost fluid, things get blurry, existence and the lack of it intertwine, and new things appear: things like Void Energy, the Void Overmind, and Void Spawn that can change to grow stronger.

"When the Void breaches Reality, Reality instantly fights back. The Aspect of Will that keeps Reality existing is also present in the Laws that govern everything and are everywhere. They protect themselves, too. Therefore, Void Breaches are usually kept small and contained.

"That's why the Void mixes most of Reality with itself to create creatures that can invade and weaken it from the inside.

"Whatever the Void pushes through the breach can't have all of Reality within them, or they would cease being Void. However, they must contain as much Reality as possible, or they can't exist in said Reality. The most the Void can take away is a single Expression—except in the front lines, but that is more complex and beyond the scope of this answer.

"Void Nodes are devoid of Sentience, Void Steel is devoid of Change, and Void Spawn are devoid of Energy.

"Matter is Energy, yet the Void Spawn have no Energy. How, then, can they hold a physical form? They can't and don't. What we see as we look at a Void Spawn is the Void where there should be matter. The physical space they occupy, their volume and size, depends on how much Energy they can push from an area. Therefore, it's directly related to their power. Weak Void Spawn will always be small, about the size of a human."

Liya paused, looking for signs of confusion in Feng Shen but finding none. He even nodded back at her.

She continued, "Void Spawn lack a part of Reality, Energy. Therefore, getting rid of them is easy: pushing that part into them. Push Energy into the empty space. Push matter into their 'bodies.'

"It doesn't even have to be too much Energy. A little bit, and they dissipate into white smoke.

"Unfortunately, Void Spawn only lack the Expression of Energy, not the Expression of Change.

"They grow stronger over time.

"They mimic walking a Path, but in a twisted manner. Instead of focusing on specific parts of Reality like Concepts and Laws, they eradicate that part from themselves. Their Path directly opposes a Reality being's Path.

"The logic remains the same, though: you get rid of a Void Spawn by pushing whatever part of Reality they lack into them.

"At first, they just lack Energy at a base level, so anyone can kill them. As I said, any amount of Energy can be lethal. It only needs enough momentum to pierce their 'skin.' Guns would do.

"Those are the Void Hatchlings. The system classifies their rank as something ranging from G to F. That means you can damage them without using Concepts.

"I understand the Pioneer Tutorial lied about it. It said Concepts are always needed to fight the Void Spawn. That lie pushed everyone into getting more driven to touch upon a Concept.

"Hatchlings turn into Seedlings when their willpower evolves enough to start getting rid of the Concepts affecting them. They are inside Reality, so they are affected by all its parts unless they find a way to nullify that part.

"Seedlings are classified as somewhere between G- to E-rank. You can technically kill a Seedling with a machine gun if they just started getting rid of Concepts, hence the G in their rank estimations, but the only sure way is pushing Energy and a Concept into them, the two things they are lacking. So, you must be at the highest estimated rank, E.

"Seedlings aren't methodical in getting rid of Concepts. They are like a dog that bites a book and then shakes its head to tear the pages. However, the moment they get rid of an entire Concept, they become Void Scouts, and you must use a mastered Concept for a sure kill.

"The system ranks Void Scouts as something between E and D. It can only guess whether it really got rid of an entire Concept or not. That is the same for all rank ranges. You'll certainly one day fight a Void Spawn that was ranked incorrectly.

"I understand the part of the Pioneer Tutorial that had Guardians kill Void Scouts before mastering a Concept. It was actually testing a Guardian's luck. All Pioneer Tutorials have such tests.

"After Scouts come Warriors, and they keep growing stronger. I said any amount of Energy can kill a Hatchling if it can pierce its 'skin.' A Void Spawn's size and skin resistance are based on how strong its willpower is. Their willpower will also determine whether they explode in white smoke upon minimal contact with the things they removed from themselves.

"Warriors, that range between C and B, don't dissipate as easily. They are resolute enough to take many attacks. That's where the actual fight for Reality occurs.

"You might've noticed that B-ranks are highly desirable against such foes, too. They have clout in the Alliance for many, many good reasons."

Liya paused again. Feng Shen still expressed no doubt.

She continued, "The Void Spawn's lack of Energy is the reason the very Laws of Reality can't kill them. The Laws exist beyond the Expression of Energy and can be found even where there is no Energy, including inside the Void Spawn. That's why the Void Spawn get rid of Concepts and Laws. However, the Laws are not Energy. Even the Laws of Mana only determine what mana is and how it works but can't create mana.

"You might wonder why you can't just use enough Energy to pierce a Void Spawn's skin, then let the Laws of Reality do the rest. In fact, you can.

"However, if a Void Spawn has the willpower to deny a mastered Concept, their resolve will also make them very resistant to Energy. You would need to use a lot of mana, enough to buy a C-rank resource, to kill a single Seedling, the second weakest of them.

"So, while I technically lied, I have never seen it done.

"Ever.

"Countering everything a Void Spawn lacks is the only way it's done. Even if you have the spare money, leaving a weak Guardian nearby is considerably cheaper and more effective, for they can kill more than a single Hatchling. Don't ever waste your SC or AP with that.

"That is also the reason the Guardian System doesn't directly deal with Void Spawn. What you saw in the Pioneer Tutorial was a B-rank using their power to eliminate the weak Void Spawn."

Liya smiled. "Now, tell me, Feng Shen. Why don't auras work against Void Spawn?"

"Auras lack Energy," he replied at once. "They can affect matter, but they aren't matter, the same as Laws. Yet, can't I can use my aura to push Path-infused matter inside a Void Spawn? For example, a sword inside my aura is in my Path's area of influence. When I push it inside a Void Spawn using my aura, am I not pushing Path-infused matter, or Path-infused Energy, into the Void Spawn?"

Liya shook her head. "That's a common misconception. Things inside your aura aren't infused with your Path. You can try, but it won't work. A sword inside your aura and one outside it will be the same. That can only be achieved with Energy directly controlled by your willpower."

"Like the gnolls' elemental fields," Feng Shen pointed out.

Liya nodded. "That technique is called control zone. It's similar to what you do with your Path, but instead of pushing against Reality itself, they just attack whatever is nearby. It's not used against the Void Spawn, though, because it's a waste of mana."

Feng Shen asked, "Are domains effective against the Void Spawn?"

He knew the answer already, so Liya answered with two questions instead. "You hurt your soul using a domain. Did you use Energy while doing so? And were your Concepts involved?"

He nodded. "What is a domain?"

Liya almost didn't reply. In the end, she had already touched on auras, so she might as well include domains in the lesson—and be thorough. A good education would also help him survive Reality's worst foes.

"An aura is you filtering Reality's Concepts through yourself, so the ones that match your Path are stronger in an area under your direct control. In other words, it's part of your Path beyond your body and soul.

"Some people feel their auras are them. They reflect part of your Path, so the confusion is understandable. However, auras are not you.

"A domain is.

"A domain is deployed similarly to an aura: by harmonizing with Reality. That is easy after you know enough of a Law, so most C-ranks can do it. Yet, you'll notice few C-ranks have an aura. Auras are nothing but a social inconvenience at that level. They are limited to Concepts, and C-ranks deal with Laws. Don't ever disregard a C-rank just because they don't have auras.

"A domain also requires Energy to be maintained. More importantly, you don't just harmonize your Concepts with Reality; you blend your entire True Path into your surroundings. That makes your domain effectively you.

"A domain's range depends on how strong your willpower is and how much Energy you can use at once—which also depends on your will and coordination. You, Feng Shen, can only push your domain as far as you can push your soul. That's how weak your mind is.

"And that weakness is also the reason few dare develop a domain before they are well into their B-rank.

"When you use your True Path against something much stronger than your willpower, it gets damaged. You are your True Path in a way, so everything you are pays the price: body, soul, mind, even the way your Path is organized. Your soul injury merely reflects how close you came to having your Path dissipated—thus, dying.

"And that is the least of your problems.

"Your True Path is a tightly closed entity. It's nigh inviolable by anything below B-rank. But the Laws of Reality are much above B-ranks. They still affect you.

"When you damage your True Path and it gets disorganized, external influence slips through the cracks. The Laws can affect you more here and less there. Your Path changes, and only B-ranks—someone who mastered Laws—or B-tier resources can remove that influence.

"Even then, it's ill-advised. Which B-rank knows you well enough to revert your Path precisely to what it was? They would work based on system recordings, which is only so good. What about external treasures, either natural or crafted by someone? How much do you trust them to perfectly bring you back to yourself?

"It's usually wiser to deal with the new Path rather than risk getting further influenced by a third party.

"You lucked out because you injured your Path inside a Void Incubator. There are no Laws in there, only the simulations the Void creates. Your True Path was thus invaded by the Void when you damaged it, but that influence was purged when you returned to Reality.

"You're extra lucky because said invasion can only occur at the precise moment your True Path is getting damaged. So, after the Void was removed, nothing could spill into the cracks it used. Your Path just returned to what it was.

"Your soul also shouldn't be damaged, but you got unlucky there. Void Incubators usually don't have any Energy, and your body and soul are also simulated by the Void. However, the gnolls had been accumulating Void Energy for a while. Therefore, your body and soul were your own.

"The Void was kind enough to remove your body from you, so you gained a brand new one as you returned to Reality—courtesy of Reality itself—but not a new soul.

"As you can guess, only the absolute idiots or ignorant develop a domain before they are strong enough to purge outside influence if they get damaged. That strength is usually found at B-rank. Even then, they constantly meditate and pay close attention to their Path so they can return it to what it should be if they get damaged. Treasures that help with that are highly sought. Finally, they only deploy a domain if they are confident in their willpower or are fighting for a cause worthier than their Path.

"Only True Path Walkers can develop a domain, and they would rather die than risk change by external influence.

Liya paused, and he kept silent for a long while. He had a lot to digest, especially the dangers he had put himself into.

"That said," she continued, "one of the reasons I risked your Path and life to give you emotional control was to give you some safety in the domain front. A domain is your entire True Path, including feelings, which is the part most beings have trouble dealing with. Your control lets you invest less of your True Path into your domain and very slightly decreases the danger. It usually also means you can deploy or pull your domain back faster—hopefully before crippling yourself. You can try to use your domain again after reaching the peak of C-rank."

Liya paused again.

Feng Shen once more tried to ask something. "Why—" he started, but she raised a hand to interrupt him.

"I answered your original question and many others on top of that," she said. "That is enough. Getting information too easily can be bad for your willpower."

He showed a frown but kept silent.

"However," she continued, "I answered the original question because I deemed it would assist you at this point of your Path. Ask me everything related to this subject that you want to know. I'll pick the questions I consider important to answer before you finally cultivate. Then we move on."

Feng Shen immediately got on a tirade.

"How can I find the Triarchy? What false Path can someone walk after hearing all this? How can this knowledge be used for evil? How can it cripple one's willpower growth? What attenuating factors make it less so for me?

"Are you saying qi can't protect an area like mana does? Does it make qi inferior? How do mana-users compare to cultivators?

"What are Void Nodes and Void Steel? What does the strong Void Spawn remove from Reality after getting rid of mastered Laws?

"How do you know the gnolls were accumulating Void Energy? Isn't that illegal?

"How can Reality give me a new body? It would also give me a Soul? How that works?

"What are souls? Can you really heal it? Will I get my aura back after healing mine? If so, can I control my aura now that I have a domain? How do I know I'm strong enough to use a domain?

"Is Reality itself sentient or sapient? Is that what cultivators call the Heavens? You mentioned the Heavens; what are they? Is that where tribulations come from? Is there a set of Laws for qi?

"Does Merging your Realization with Reality require you to die?"

Liya mentally sorted them by importance. He could guess or find the answer for most of them, but she answered some that might cause too much damage if he reached the wrong conclusion at this point of his Path.

She started, "We drow have a saying: unearned knowledge is wasted potential.

"I told you that the best way to strengthen one's willpower is by resisting another's willpower in a life-and-death situation. However, it's not the only way. Opposing another will in non-lethal situations, exercising creativity, solving problems, not giving up despite difficulties, and achieving hard-earned goals can also improve willpower.

"Most of the knowledge I shared is very valuable. You have no idea how long and difficult it would be to learn everything I told you. You would exercise your willpower to attain it due to people greedily holding unto it or simply being scarce. You might even need to risk your life.

"Therefore, I'm crippling your potential growth by sharing it all with you.

"Many races and organizations withhold information to prevent their weak members from growing. Many others make their members earn the knowledge first for their own good.

"Weak-willed Guardians are also kept in reserve in case their stronger ones die. Then, the organizations can invest a little more in improving their willpower before giving them the knowledge to make them stronger and move on to grander stages in the Alliance. It's better than having them rank up or learn flashy moves but die or stagnate further ahead due to weak willpower.

"I understand you want to build a clan. You'll do well to remember that. Manage knowledge properly.

"Your attenuating factor is that you walk a weapon Path. You're a warrior, and you enjoy strife. You even have the Concepts of War and Combat in your Path's core.

"You'll fight many battles that might cause your demise. If you survive, your willpower will come out stronger. If you die, whatever I shared with you won't matter."

Liya considered adding a few more things, but that should be enough. She moved to the following questions but only brushed over them.

"Yes, Reality is sentient," she said. "Not sapient, as far as I know. I know little about cultivation, but my best guess is that tribulations come from Reality's sentient mind. The Laws of Mana protect mana-users."

Liya suppressed a smile as she finished. Fanning his curiosity on those hard-to-learn topics would be good for him. It worked, too; he even failed to control a tiny emotional ripple in his soul.

Then, she gestured to the ground. "Now cultivate.

"When you're done, I'll heal your soul and let you cultivate once more. I want you to feel the difference between both sessions.

"After that, I'll teach you how to properly use your aura in a fight, then give you a final lesson on how to use all your tools—body, mind, soul, spear, and aura—to maximum effectiveness, how to make the most of the Aspects and Expressions in your style, and finally set you loose on your Rupture Pilgrimage."

[A/N: I liked this chapter better than the last one. It explains more practical things. Then again, many of these things wouldn't make sense without the previously given theoretical knowledge.

This is it for the training/info-dump mini-arc. I see no sense in also showing details of aura training at this point. Next chapter, we'll learn what a Rupture Pilgrimage is and watch Shen's first steps as he returns to a transformed society after a long time away.]

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