Down The Rabbit Hole

Within a luxurious courtyard, Ren was currently being taken of care by a servant of the clan. The servant was worried since Ren has been asleep for an entire week, the clan head and elders instructed the servant to watch over Ren while Doctors came to give nutrients to the child. The clan head, Ren's father, along with the elders didn't see a lot of hope of Ren waking up but nevertheless still kept him fed in the off chance that a miracle happens and that he'll live longer than expected; wanting to know if he was talented or not. Ren was currently inside mindscape, despairing after a week of fruitless effort of trying to awaken his Fate Palace's Four Symbols with his Fate Palace Merit Law; Dream of Despair, Seven Illusions of Desperation.

Ren first entering his mindscape at the door of his Fate Palace used his merit law to open it in one knock, that knock was his desperate cry of wanting to live. The Merit Law Dream of Despair, Seven Illusions of Desperation requires the cultivator to be desperate and in despair to begin cultivating it. Once those requirements are fulfilled they fall asleep and begin a dream until they successfully awaken the Four Symbols of their Fate Palace by creating Seven Illusions formed by their dream which slowly turns into a nightmare.

Ren was currently pounding the floor inside his fate palace, desperate to succeed. After calming down, Ren once again tried every way to awaken his fate palace but failed due to the vagueness of his merit law. Ren didn't know that he had already created the first illusion and was currently creating the second unknowingly, the next day Ren was shouting in rage and despair, rejecting the reality that he has been dealt, "Why?! Why do I have to be so unlucky?!" His appearance was unsightly with his disheveled black hair and bloodshot eyes from his anger. It was the appearance from his previous life, neither handsome or ugly; simply average.

Ren completed the second illusion and began the third, finishing the next day like the other. This illusion was the most pitiful illusion that could shatter someone's heart if they were to see it, Ren was trying to strangle himself in an attempt to suicide; wanting to get out of this nightmare that is his new life. Ren was lamenting after failing to kill himself, "Ah, why is fate cruel? My name in itself only makes me even more pitiful than I already am. Resign oneself? To whom or what should I resign myself to? I just want to live." Another day passed and another, going all the way to the seventh day where Ren completed the final illusion; awakening the Fate Palace's Four Symbols. A base illusion along with seven illusions manifested around his Fate Palace.

Base Illusion - A cry of desperation, yearning to live was the sound that echoed in a low tone throughout the fate palace.

First Illusion - Ren pounding the floor in desperation. A technique used to execute opponents.

Second Illusion - Ren with disheveled hair, shouting in rage and despair; rejecting his reality. A technique that will defy fate at a cost.

Third Illusion - Ren trying to strangle himself in a desperate attempt to suicide, wanting their nightmare to end. A technique that will disturb a cultivator's heart.

Fourth Illusion - Ren weeping tears of black blood, desperate for a ray of hope. A technique that will slow the movements of all those that see it.

Fifth Illusion - Ren standing still, looking down in desperation and despair. An technique that suppresses anyone who looks into its eyes.

Sixth Illusion - Ren running desperately in an endless loop, giving into their despair. A peerless movement technique, capable of transcending space with mastery.

Seventh Illusion - Ren motionlessly lying on the floor, completely filled with despair and desperation. Rage fills their mind and reflects on their face as they give one last shout, cursing everything that exists. A technique that curses anyone who hears it, resulting in nightmares that will appear every month for a week.

It was also possible for more illusions to form depending on the cultivator's situation and emotions, a technique that truly forced its practitioners to look at all the bad things that has happened to them; not allowing them to ever forget or escape from it.

Ren looked at the illusions that appeared with the awakening of his four symbols and muttered to himself, "This technique is evil. ..But it's effective since it's an almost guaranteed success when cultivating it. I have two more weeks left, I need to finish the Palace Foundation quickly." Ren asked the system to show him the information for the two merit laws that he received and was disturbed from how dark they truly were.

Fate Palace Merit Law, Dream of Despair, Seven Illusions of Desperation - Cultivating this requires the user to be in despair and desperation, if those requirements are met they fall asleep and begin their dream until they successfully awaken their four symbols. To complete this merit law, they must create Seven Illusions based from their desperate attempts of awakening from their dream which becomes a nightmare of what they fear most.

Life Wheel Merit Law, Death's Grasp - The speed and efficiency of cultivation can be boosted up to 10 times when in a life threatening situation. Causes Extreme Yin Energy due to burning the lifespan for a chance to see another day. Remember, you must die.

Ren reviewed the information for Death's Grasp in horror and wept to himself, "I'm going to be killing myself? Wait, it's alright! I have an Immortal Fate Wheel, it'll be over almost instantly and I should be able to increase my lifespan with the first drop of Longevity Blood." Ren brainwashed himself before leaving his mindscape and woke up in his main body, he looked around and noticed that he was in the arms of a woman who he did not know. She was currently sleeping and seemed exhausted from the dark circles under her eyelids. Ren didn't bother to pay anymore attention to her and started practicing his merit law, Death's Grasp. Ren spent a total of 6 hours and successfully created the first drop of Longevity Blood. "What's my lifespan currently at?" Ren asked the system from his mind.

The System, Mommy, gave a response, "A week and a half. This is due to the Extreme Yin Energy polluting your body, when practicing this method it's best to keep going until you run out of.. life-force to expend. There is still hope though, you can definitely live a long life now that you completed the Palace Foundation! All you have to do is complete the first stage of Palace Expansion by using the Eternal Physique Merit Law!" Ren was previously disappointed from the news but felt determined from the last sentence. He succeeded and managed to increase his life force into 30 years, this took him just a bit shy of a week and successfully managed to escape from his almost inevitable death.