48 Chapter 47 - Kindness

Lind returned to the Academy grounds as the sun began to set. He had to stop part way as his body demanded food after he stabilized his cultivation. The experience in that shop against the Immortal Will had clearly pushed his body as much as his cultivation. The beast meat was especially delicious after that.

The guards at the gate made no reaction as Lind passed through. Other students would get a nod or smile, but Lind was invisible. He had expected some people to take advantage of this situation as there was no support but Lind came to understand his partial exile from support of the Empire and Darkmoor was acting as a kind of protection.

Lind had seen several students get into fights or verbal conflicts on almost a daily basis. Some were honest disagreements that simply vented frustrations without any malice. Most, however, were arrogant cultivators trying to seem important or higher than those they chose to fight. Lind had been frustrated at his lack of power but he knew no one wanted his help either.

There had been some heroes but Lind knew they were not altruistic. He noted that some of the fights seemed almost staged to allow such actions to increase the reputation of the heroic cultivator. It was all a game to some of the people at this Academy and it infuriated Lind, yet he was almost glad he had been expelled beyond it all.

Lind moved across the grounds and not a single person waved or even really looked at him. Normally, a Core Student would be highly respected in the Outer Dorms. Instead, Lind was just a ghost. This was just as true as the Inner Dorms loomed ahead, but Lind did not go out of his way to avoid the crowds.

It was almost funny to him how the condemnation of the 2 great powers in his life had left him even more isolated than his previous life in the Frey Clan. There, he had almost stumbled into becoming part of the greater Clan. Still, his mother had made a good life no matter how bad things were elsewhere.

Now, Lind was truly alone save his limited interactions outside the Academy. No guild did not know about his persona non grata status, but he was not banned from paying for things like anyone else, just no material support for his cultivation. Food and taverns would never be denied but only the Academy mission hall was his only source of cultivation materials.

The alchemy hall was technically denied as well but the Head Elder had chosen to overlook Lind's state since the Alchemy Guild was available to Lind anyway. Since many of the herbs collected were traded or evaluated by the Guild, the Head Elder treated it as the herbs came from the Alchemy Guild through the Academy.

The nearly luxurious improvement by reaching the Core Dorms made Lind pick up his pace. His exhausted mind had been digesting the words the Immortal Will had spoken on. It was something he had tried to grasp, but without a teacher or master to guide him, Lind had been feeling his way blindly. It did not help that being a 6 elemental made much of the library information counter productive for direct help.

His decision to interpret the goals of techniques and how to blend his elements safely had made some progress before, but now that the Immortal Will had enlightened Lind he knew where his harmony came from. There was Qi unique to each cultivator as they built their foundation. It was why elemental tempering was separate from a cultivator's foundation.

It had sparked a storm of ideas, a desire to dive deeper into his harmony, and most of all, it felt like it had put a shape to the formless path Lind had been trying to find. He was not there yet, but he felt he had a starting point. The massive spire finally came into sight that made Lind relax slightly. There were several spires for the men and women of the Core Dorms.

There were strict rules on who could enter either aside from Elders or emergencies, but Lind had yet to have a single visitor within his own quarters. Lind passed by the dark stone entrance as he ascended the steps to his floor. His hallway was well lit by the sun during the day and light formations at night.

He shared the floor with 3 others and the suites were wonderful, but his felt lonely as Lind often saw Inner and Outer students go in and out of the other suites. Lind stopped and a true smile graced his face as he saw a box sitting peacefully in front of his door.

It had been 4 months since Lind started at the Academy. Aside from the meeting in the Head Elder's office, Lind had met no one he had encountered during the entrance ritual. Cyntilla had vanished so far as Lind could find, but her companions had seemed very against her being near him at the end of the Ruin exploration.

Astrella had understandably refused to seek him out and Silvia was her guard now as well. Lind still smiled looking at the box. He carefully felt it out just in case but it was another puzzle box. He had received one every month for a total of 5 since he got one the first day he settled in.

Some were simple mortal puzzles that he easily solved, but the last couple were increasingly complex cultivation treasures. He had noted that they were all mono-elemental so he could easily flow the Qi through the arrays. Instead of just shifting a piece to the right position to solve it, he also had to flow the Qi delicately at the same time.

It did almost nothing for tempering, but it was pure enjoyment for Lind. He had built a simple shelf to hold the puzzles. He sometimes distracted himself by working on them. It was impressive, however, that whoever dropped them off was able to wipe any trace of their elements and Qi trail from the hallway entirely.

With what Lind had just picked up from his small adventure, Lind closed his eyes and put out his Soul Touch. The shield around his dantian and body were maintained, but he finally felt something in the hallway that was not elemental Qi. It was faint, but there was enough to collect it carefully and examine it.

He could not see this Qi yet, he had to practice with his Eyes and now had something to compare to his own. He was about to simply flex his harmony when his senses froze. The Qi had no shape or elemental mark on it but for some reason it was familiar. It was clearly someone he knew and had close contact with.

The list of cultivators he met at this Academy was a very short list, but this Qi was not like the overpowering feeling from the herbal shop. He realized he could grasp characteristics with his Soul Touch he had never tried before. It was more than just an ability to directly interact with formless Qi, it was capable of so much more.

Virulent green eyes flashed in his mind and a feeling of guilt mixed with a teasing smile. Lind's smile blazed on his face. He knew who left his puzzles now! He carefully picked up the box and noted it was more complex than the previous ones. It was a dual elemental one. It would be a challenge but gave him something to experiment with.

Lind had a lot to digest but he entered his quarters and was about to close the door when he realized someone was in the room. A demoness he recognized as one of the Elders from the entrance exam stood in his room in a black robe. It did not hug her body but it was clear she was beautiful.

Lind felt sweat breakout on his back as the intense stare of a World Realm hit him for a moment, but after the Immortal Will, it was manageable. The lavender skin was far lighter in tone compared to Cyntilla but the fierce cobalt eyes were colder. The pale hair did not look like it was due to age as she seemed quite young to Lind's eyes.

"Lind Frey. You are troublesome." Her words snapped Lind into focus but he noted her tone was not as cold as her look. Further, he did not see or feel any change in the Qi of his room. She raised her arm and a chair flew across the room to land perfectly behind her as a table then joined it in front of her.

Lind sighed internally as he turned to the kitchen to start a fire. He knew she would want something high quality and his new insights were still flowing in his mind as he brewed tea. Rather than a simple tea, Lind infused higher quality herbs into it and saw a small flow of Qi join it before the tea turned into a vibrant green color. The freshness began to waft throughout the room pleasantly as he poured a cup and walked it over to his guest.

The distinct lack of a chair for him was noted but he dared not assume in front of an Elder. Lind saw her take a sip of the tea and a surprised look flashed over he face before an approving hum came from her.

"Your skills for tea are impressive if nothing else. Please take a seat." Another chair left one of the other rooms before settling opposite the Elder. Lind bowed and took a seat. Silence descended but he saw her eyes glance at the new puzzle box in his hands and frown but she said nothing about it.

"We have had some knowledge come to our attention that has been problematic due to the edicts of the Darkmoor Kingdom and Lotus Empire. Normally, you would be due an award for your actions, but we have learned you have been rewarded already." Lind was now confused. He had no contact with any fellow students. The Elders and teachers only spoke to him as required and no more.

Lind was avoided like the worst plague in the world to be honest and he was frustrated by it. He was still taking advantage of his freedom due to this lack of socialization, but it still felt damned lonely. The loss of contact to his own family was galling, but no one could override the Emperor let alone the Darkmoor Kingdom.

"I am unsure what senior is referring to." His honest confusion was clearly expected and two empty jade vials were placed on the table from thin air. Lind took only a moment to recognize the identifying marks he knew so well for most of his life. These vials were from his own stock from the Frey Clan.

Lind knew only 1 person who had them and was hopeful it had worked based on the Elder's words. However, what had she meant he had been rewarded already? Lind continued to look at her confused and saw a surprise flash on her face once again.

"You really don't know?!" Lind nodded and saw concern finally cross her features as she took out a jade that Lind's eyes found fascinating. The flow of wind and light came from it and shot off into the sky. Lind knew what it was immediately. A communication jade!

The Southern District had these in the Overlord's palace, but no Clan had them as they were so expensive. Even if this demoness was high up in the Academy, to have one at hand so easily spoke more of the wealth of the facility than anything else Lind had seen thus far.

"I see, I will clarify. You have received Princess Cyntilla's mark, correct?" Lind was a bit confused on how that was a reward exactly. He had tried to look it up in the library but there had been zero references he could find at all. A few had oblique references by saying an individual was marked by a demon, but that was all. From the context Lind could find, Cyntilla was correct in that a human marked by a demon would be treated as a friend by other demons.

"I offered freely to help her with a problem. I never asked for anything from Cyntilla." A frown marred the Elder's face as Lind did not add the title, but he chose to be contrary at this conversation that was becoming annoying. All he did was help a person that honored their words to help in the Ruins. Anything else was between Cyntilla and himself.

"You are marked, Lind Frey. I can tell it myself. You should understand what that means?" Lind felt anger spike at the pointed words as if he was stealing something precious. He carefully kept his cultivation under control until he could speak calmly.

"It is none of anyone's business, in my opinion. She owed me nothing and I said as much. She was the one that marked me while I was passed out if you must know. Is there anything else you want to know?!" Lind had been raising his voice but rather than the expected rebuke from the Elder, the demoness now looked shocked. She suddenly stood up and was near his right cheek enough to feel the breath on his face.

Time seemed to pass as World Realm pressure kept Lind seated in his chair. After a while, she stood back up and looked at him in a way Lind did not understand. All the disapproval and arrogance had vanished. It was replaced with what felt like amazement and perhaps a tiny bit of pity.

"I apologize, Lind Frey. I assumed something untoward as it has happened before. Please return to your studies." As if nothing had happened, the table and chairs floated back to their rooms. Lind had barely stood up in time as his chair floated.

Lind was left floored as the Elder seemed to speed away. What was going on?! What had just happened?! Why did no one ever explain?! Lind was left with only questions and his new knowledge. There was nothing he could do about the questions, so he went to his bedroom and began to meditate on what the Immortal Will revealed to him.