14 The barren land again

The barren lands again.

---

Sieg didn't know why but he felt really tired as soon as he layed down on the bed. He began thinking about the reasons as to why he was feeling this way. He knew that it's not because of replacing sleep with meditation because he's been doing that for months now and he never really felt exhausted (except for the first few weeks).

He began recalling all of the things that he experienced for these past couple of months and found out eventually why. He'd been through a lot really. Non-stop training, stress management, anxiousness because of the deadlines and a lot of life and death battles caused him to suffer a stupendous amount of pressure, even when he finished his training inside the Dark Bamboo Forest his master gave him a very challenging one before he went here in the city.

***

"Are you ready for the next trial that I'm about to give you?"

"Yes Master!"

"Good! Then, it is time for you to leave this place and experience personally how big is the world outside. It doesn't matter how you do it, or where you end up to. My next mission for you is to be a Core Disciple of a Holy Land-level Sect under 10 years. Are you up for it?" Wilson looked at Sieg and for the first time, he saw him hesitated before answering, there was no noticable changes on his expression though, he let Sieg think about this carefully since it going to be a very, very long journey.

Sieg sighed and casted away any hesitation in his eyes and said: "I will accept Master's mission for me and will not disappoint you."

***

"Core Disciple of a Holy Land leve Sect huh? And a time period of 10 years. Master gave me a generous amount of time but there's a lot of things can happen in just a month, what's more for ten years? I don't know if my first step is right anyway…"

Sieg's eyes are getting heavier. He just don't know why but he felt way too exhausted as soon as he entered the city. Maybe it was because of knowing that he's safe that his body already realized the pent up stress that's been brewing inside of him these couple of months. Unable to resist it any longer, Sieg decided to let it happen and fell asleep.

---

Sieg's body felt heavy, he also felt winds hitting his body. These winds were rough and very dry, he also felt that he's laying in a dry and very rough ground. His eyes snapped open and he immediately cluthed his blade on his side, he was emitting a very fierce killing intent as he observed his surroundings.

"Wait…" Sieg relaxed a little bit while still maintaning vigilance. He frowned and searched his memories since he felt that this place was awfully familliar. After searching for a bit he widened his eyes and said: "How did I ended up in here again!?" He exclaimed.

He was back in the barren lands, he was teleported here for the first time after he approached the black rock before, he also recalled that he died once while inside here only to be teleported out and experience a huge amount of pain. Sieg already forgot about this since the black rock disappeared for good already and he never understood what's with this place, but who knew that he will be back here?

"Just what or where exactly is this place?" Sieg started walking, he scanned his surroundings carefully as he moved on, he will also constantly try to leave some sort of a landmark since he didn't know if this place is a huge maze anyway.

As Sieg walked forward, he noticed some slight fluctuations in his surroundings. He can't understand what these fluctuations are since this was his first time feeling it. He also noticed that the cracks on the ground seemingly form a strange pattern, which was oddly fammiliar to him but he just can't put a finger on it.

Nevertheless he etched this patterns onto mind and proceeded onward while also trying to recalled why these sorts of patterns are very familliar to him. After walking for a bit, he paused, sat on the ground and closed his eyes to ponder even deeper.

He was onto something.

Because of his cultivation base being higher compared when he first reached this place and also having learned the 'Eagle Stance' his observation skills we're top notch. It's also because of his many deductions and riddle solving skills that he trained the two blade arts he chose to at least Minor Completion so once he grasped onto 'something' he won't let go.

Well, low and behold, he finally remembered why it was so familliar. "Inscriptions! Yes that's it! The cracks on the ground are Inscription patterns! That's why they're so familliar!"

Upon realizing this, Sieg's whole view for the place went a complete turn. As he swept his gaze around him he saw countless of Incription patterns, there might at least thousands if not ten thousands of patterns that he can see, he guessed that there's even more since there still some places that he can't see.

He traces his fingers upon the Incription patterns beside him, he suddenly remembered one of the jade slips that his master gifted to him upon when he accepted him as a master.

'Detailed Introduction about Incriptions' was the one. He remembered reading that inscriptions are most commonly used as an 'Enhancers'. Inscriptions can amplify a weapons power, if it was added during the smithing process they will grant an 'Auxilliary Trait' for the weapon.

If were used in an orderly manner they will become a 'Formation' which can be used for tons of things, an example would be the 1000 Beast Killing Array that he abused two times.

He also remember reading about ways on how to draw an inscription. According to the jade slip, an energy called 'Spiritual Energy' is needed to draw them.

'Spiritual Energy' is a very delicate and strange type of energy. Unlike 'Ki', 'Spiritual Enery' cannot be stored in the meridians or dantian, it's stored at the a cultivator's 'Spirit'. He also remembered the information saying that sensing 'Spiritual Energy' in the air actually takes a lot of time to take place but by converting one's 'Ki' into 'Spritual Energy' is much easier, the ratio would be 5:1.

Sieg frowned as he remembered this and thought: "That fluctuation earlier, is that?" Sieg once again closed his eyes, he focused his senses to the maximum and tried to catch even the faintest fluctuation somewhere. He spread his awareness around him, he waited until after about fifteen minutes, he sensed that fluctuation.

He was overjoyed but he immediately calmed himself down, he recalled that 'Spiritual Energy' exists in the air and had been always in there. He didn't want to lose his chance since he did not know if he would ever have the chance again.

He followed that fluctuation and observed it. He familliarized himself to the way they behaved, the way how they felt, and he even formed a mental image of what it should look like in his mind.

As he observed the 'Spritual Energies' mingle amongst each other, more and more strands of 'Spiritual Energies' started showing themselves for him, he was seeing more and more until after an hour the whole place is littered with a seemingly infinite amount of it. Nevertheless he continued observing them, he wanted to completely familliarize himself so that the next time he tried to sense them, it would be instinctual.

Time passed and soon it was the 4th hour when Sieg opened his eyes and the way he looked at thing barren lands changed even further. The heavy atmosphere he felt earlier was because of the sheer density of 'Spiritual Energy' in this place.

His next action was a little bit unexpected. Typically, if one sensed the sheer density of an energy in the air, thier instict would be 'to absorb them'. Sieg however supressed that desire since he didn't have any form of manuals of techniques in order for him to safely absorb them. What he did, on the other hand, was he released a sliver of his 'Spiritual Energy' formed from his Ki and tried to mingle with the spritual energy in the air around him.

Thankfully the 'Spiritual Energies' around him aren't sentient so sensing that there was a 'new comer', they welcomed it with open arms. Sieg was ecstatic when he felt this happen, part of his plan is now finished, now the next step might take him quite some time.

Having learned the 'Walk of Innocence' he knew that every element around him has a purpose, an example would be when he was 'Feeling the earth with each step', he knew that the earth was trying to protect something but he didn't go deep since he already achieved his aim by then.

Upon mingling with the 'Spiritual Energies' around him, he sensed that they don't have any 'real' purpose. They were just there, freely circulating in the air around him. When he learned about this, he made a very bold plan, and that is to influence the air around him so that he can use them to his liking.

If people knew that he was thinking this was, they would've cursed him for being ignorant, audacious, crazy and chewing more than what he can but, he might as well try right? His failure would only a waste of time and since he was trapped here anyway, might as well do some experiments, who knows, maybe some miracle would happen.

He controlled his 'self-made' Spritual Energy, tried to mingle and get some 'recognition' towards to the Spiritual Energies that already existed in here. He concentrated and observed, making one slight action using the energy he made and this continued for a few more hours.

***

A total of 9 hours passed since he was teleported in this place. Sieg was already mentally exhausted, the reason being is that he almost emptied out his Ki Reserves forming and fusing it into one solid entity in the form of Spiritual Energy.

The Spiritual Energy he made was already so dense that it's being recognized by the other Spiritual Energies around him. His plan worked out quite well but his well being is not. He needed to perform the last part of his plan before he lose consiousness and be teleported out of here.

Using the Spiritual Energy he made, he released a fluctuation which was like a signal to the other energies, he guided them close to the ground to and 'influenced' them to form the Inscription pattern that he saw earlier.

The Inscription pattern looked like the viens of a leaf, it was incredibly mysterious and this was the same pattern that Sieg traced earlier. As he guided the 'Spritual Energies', he shouldered a heavy mental pressure, it felt like someone was pulling all of his hairs without the intent of removing it completely, even so he persisted, he already made up his mind that he wanted to complete at least two or three Incription Patterns before he lose consiousness.

His madness, his emotions, drive and desire to complete his experiment seemingly formed a strange state which he didn't know when or how it happened. There was nothing in his mind aside from completing his plan. This made the surrounding 'Spiritual Energies' go into a frenzy.

They don't know why they were following the desires of this human nor did they care any longer, they viewed him as one of them if not higher than them so they went according to his plans.

And because of that, the leaf vein Inscription Pattern was soon filled. Sieg instinctively looked at the pattern beside it and the surrounding 'Spritual Energies' filled them out.

This happened four more times and upon filling up the sixth one, a deep, ancient sonorous voice was heard.

"You shall be granted audience upon uttering the Mantra."

"You are the one that showed brilliance thus I shalt grant thee the 'Ancient Heart Mantra' "

And as soon as the voice fell, Sieg lost consiousness.