4. White World

Hal still kept on breathing using his unique method after the incident last night with the southern hole of his body.

This method was derived from different ways of thought, but after some revisions, he managed to create his own version of the techniques.

He called it «Nascent Breathing» although intelligence doesn't get pass down to him in the process of taking over a body, Hal still learned a lot from different lives.

In life, learning from different people is essential to growth.

Though the risk of being led down the wrong path still exists, it is still a necessity, Hal managed to see the light through the darkness of death. He had seen and experienced the conclusion of different lives who took different paths.

There are paths that led to dying alone, paths that ended in death in the hands of their families and comrades, death by fire, death through one's own fault, and some more.

The point is that he managed to experience and learn from all these lives. His wisdom and perspective in life had broadened to a scope he previously didn't know possible.

The «Nascent Breathing» is one of the many fruits he gained after cultivating the land of death.

Another night came, and the moon observed the hardworking Hal. Arya watched Hal's peaceful sleeping expression and smiled in a way only a mother could.

"He doesn't cause any trouble. I thought he'd be like Darya and Alri."

"Yeah, it's weird; you're his father, after all."

"Hehe, do you really want to see how much trouble your husband can become?"

Daryun hugged Arya from behind.

"Stop, you're heading east tomorrow, your strength will be compromised if we do it tonight. But if you do good in the job, I'll reward you..."

Daryun's ears perked up.

"Hah! Those Helios Sword Sect shall bow down to me!"

'Sigh, these two are too much for me.'

Hal could hear every word that is flowing out of his parents' mouth; though he can't understand all of it, he has enough experience to know what they are talking about.

It was unpleasant, yes, but it was also not that important for Hal was mostly numb to most emotions.

In every world he ended up in, he would always die, and emotions of varying kinds would flood his mind, heart, and soul, imprinting a lasting impression on him.

The imprints didn't disappear even after dying in that world, and every time again, he would die, he received their grief, agony, and despair; for him to retain his sanity, Hal had to minimize his receptions to emotions.

He became more and more numbed every passing life and death cycle he underwent until he no longer knows most of the more "complicated" emotions.

But he can still feel basic instincts like happiness and anger.

Envy, jealousy, greed, and some other emotions disappeared. This includes virtue and faith.

But that is not to say he does not have them; it is merely locked up deep within his heart.

As of now, he has no plan of letting his emotions run free.

If he unlocks a single one of them, retrieving kindness and virtue, hatred, jealousy, envy, and the like would also come rushing out.

His humanity is sealed, and to live to the fullest, he wishes to regain them at some point in this life. But, not for the time being.

'Regaining them can happen along with the passing years.'

Hal doesn't know if his parents really did the deed and if he'll have a younger sibling, but he can't hear anything, so it all turned out well for him.

If you're thinking if he turned over and checked, he did but saw nothing but darkness.

With that in mind, he stopped focusing on others and instead poured his attention on himself.

Using the «Nascent Breathing» technique, the state of Hal's body gradually became better. No significant change happened other than his body feeling easier to control.

His baby soft skin became even suppler; if he was gold before, he is now diamond.

As he continued to breathe in the energy of the earth, the more the heavenly essence in his body increased in density and quality.

A week passed, and without anyone ever noticing it, Hal's body underwent a sudden change.

A streak of white light was drawn into his body. From his forehead to his abdomen, the light formed a line.

It was night, and everything around him was silent, but inside Hal's body, it was as bright as day. The light of day emerged from his body, and the pureness of his body brought forth pure heavenly essence that is untainted.

The light burrowed itself on his abdomen and lit up his meridian lines. The line expanded and turned into a trunk that sprouted leaves and branches of blinding white light.

The white light exploded and encompassed every corner of Hal's «Inner World.»

The light dissipated, and an island appeared in his «Inner World.»

An «Inner World» is not something Hal knows just yet, but he can feel that this world within his body is his to command.

Every world he transmigrated on has its own way of cultivating their powers; he had seen a plethora of methods. Just like when he was Helios' world, the source of his power is not a world; inside Helios' body was a burning sun known as the «Nine Suns.»

That very core-like sun is not present in this world, where the state of cultivation is not the same as the rest; where the natural order dictates the power of the world, Hal inadvertently created a world in his body.

A body was created in his «Inner World», a baby Hal stood at the very edge of his world. His foothold is not earth but an unperceivable force.

In front of him was some sort of island that is ravaged by the roots of the giant white tree.

There are nine tree roots protrusion, ravaging the island. At the very edge of the island was a pond, and that pond was hundreds of meters wide.

Surrounding the pond is one of the white tree's roots, acting as the barrier to the pond.

It was a bizarre sight that appeared before him without warning, but Hal's thoughts were simple.

"It's beautiful."