Changing Times (1)

Ed could not close his eyes the entire night. He dared not for fear of never waking up. It seemed sometime around midnight, true darkness descended. Not even trees were sight. He felt as though the world had turned of a lamp. He wondered if the valley had entered darkness or his sight had been taken from him. Black; that was all that filled his vision. For the first time since Ed had come to this world, he truly panicked.

Still, he prided himself a skilled hunter and knew it was times like this when he need to stay quiet. Since he could not see, he did not believe that he could not hear. Trying to still his panicked breath, he listened to the night. Not even a cricket sounded, but that did not scare him. Since he had arrived here, he had heard not a sound as though nothing lived here.

Even though he had been told no human being lived here, he still wondered about other things crawling in the dark. Did this darkness take away all their sight too? That old pervert never said anything about other creatures. Staying in this land so long, he had heard of creatures so different from where he came from. Here, many dragons were rare but real, creatures he could only ever dream of.

He felt the temperature in the air drop, causing him to wonder if the valley intended to freeze him to death. If the temperature dropped far enough, he was not so worried about freezing than being the only thing here with warm. His body heat would be like a beacon for what ever is watching. Closing his eyes, he flicked his palm and produced a robe. He slowly sat on the ground trying to make as little sound as ever. He threw the robe around himself, covering his entire form and stopped circulated energy in his core. Forcing his body temperature to slowly mimic that of the surrounding.

But that was not the only thing that could spot him out. Smell. He forced his body to sit so still as he sucked in the unfiltered energy in the air which was accompanied with the smell of the air around him into his skin. Soon, his smell was no different than others. Still as a rock, he waited.

It felt like an eternity before he felt light filter through his closed eyes. Pressure like never before pressed upon his head. Opening his eyes, all he saw as the sky as though he was suspended above ground. It felt like a mountain sat on top his head. The pressure kept growing, making his head seem as though it would be crushed. Blood flowed from his eyes, ears and nose. He noticed the pressure only came from above, below, it was as though he sat on air. He felt nothing but wet rock under his feat. Compared to the pressure from above, the wet rock seemed like a feathered pillow.

He had to think fast, how does he get out of this? He dared not move for fear that his body would be flattened by the pressure. As the pressure increased, he panicked, causing his body to exit it's previous state and shiver. It was as though the movement caused the pressure to double. He stiffened and rolled his eyes up hoping to see what pressured his head so. He noticed a ban of clouds just over his head. Was he carrying the sky?

This assumption did nothing to help his panic. Taking in a deep breath, he still once more and tried to feel the energy beneath him. He did not know anything but the utter fact, he needed to distribute the energy or else he will be squashed. Closing his eyes, he tried to concentrate on the energy flow inside him. He paid attention to the internal working in his head area.

He could feel the bountiful energy pounding away at his skull like a hammer at a blacksmiths, trying to get into his skull but was met with a barrier. He wondered, if the pressure above him was energy and if he could use it to cultivate. He opened the gate above his crown-chakra1 and a gush of energy rushed in. he had forgotten to open the gate bellow. He felt the energy fill him so fast, he was going to burst. Rushing, he let it out below him.

The pressure above him increased significantly, but he could not feel it except the occasional brush on his nerves, veins and organs as it passed through him.

It felt like an eternity as he perfected maintaining balance and becoming a perfect gate way, allowing his body to stay completely balanced. He felt as his powers increased slowly, bringing him closer to the spirit picking stage. He felt so close, yet so far. Was it the different energies he is constantly absorbing that is causing this?

Time trickle on. He was not sure how long he had been sitting there. When he opened his eyes, the next time, he was sitting on yellow rolling sand expanded as far a the eye could see. He sighed when he noticed the storm fast moving his way.

Just outside the valley was flat untamed land. After the massive plains of farmland, stood a lone resturant. It looked old and shabby from the outside, but the inside was warm and sturdy. A tall woman wiped plates as she stared at Tie Nse drinking while enjoying the warmth from the dancing fire.

"Your earth bound gate is receiving some serious heat, won't you go and handle it?" the woman asked Tie Nse.

"Let them do it them selves. I've got better things to do." Tie Nse mildly said, whirling the wine in his cup.

"Better things? You mean sitting here all day? I'm tired of your old face. Won't you leave already?" the woman frowned.

"Are you running a business or not? What kind of business woman rejects a customer?"

"You have not paid for anything at all."

"I will pay when I leave."

"Then leave already!"

"Leave? I'm not. Can't you leave a busy man in peace? I am now a master you know? I can't bother with petty things like the Earthbound gate. I am too busy doting on my disciple." Tie Nse boasted.

"Disciple? Is the wine your disciple?" the woman scuffed.

"What? You don't believe me? He is out training. When he is done, he is to meet me here. Me, being a good master is waiting for my disciple, why can't you see that?" his childish protest did nothing to help his case.

"I'm sure you took on a disciple so that you can use him as an excuse to not answer when your alliance calls for you. I still don't understand how a lazy man like you ended up as patriarch? Was your master blind?"

"Ya, Madam Ge! You left your entire clan to run a restaurant, yet you are talking about me?"

"Your master must have..." she started shaking her head as though imagining what the former patriarch had gone through.

"Don't talk about that smelly old man! He said if I become patriarch, I get to do what ever I want and go where I want. It is like being a king, but even better, he had said. Now, every single time, those old men at the alliance are calling me about this and that. King? As if! This old man only trained so that he would have a long life to enjoy as he likes." Tie Nse complained so much, one would think life had done him wrong.

"If the heavens did not curse him with a disciple like you, would he have had to trick you to take the patriarch seat? Tsk..Your master is probably turning in his grave at your attitude. Are you not ashamed?" Madam Ge shook her head in pity.

"That old man? He is smiling in his grave thinking he succeeded in trapping me in. Is that how a master should treat his student? Look at me, dotting on my student like it should be." Tie Nse said proudly.

"A master like you, what kind of student can you even get?"

"I know what you are doing. You want to annoy me so that I will leave. It will not work!"

"Oh, I know. You must have picked some weak thing so that your work will be easier. A lazy master like you, I can only imagine what kind of student you will pick."

"Ya! I was hoping he would only be slightly special, but the boy had to go too far with it. Do you know how much I'm regretting it? I now have to put in more effort than any other person to train him. All my peaceful years are over." Tie Nse complained.

"If he was that special, you would be putting your energy to train him instead of sitting here day after day. Are you sure you even have a disciple?" Madam Ge scuffed in disbelief.

"Why do you think I am here? I'm waiting for the boy to fight his way out of the Baju valley! See how much effort I'm putting in? Does any other master put in such?" Tie Nse said in anger before sinking into sadness, "Oh, my peaceful days." he did not look at the woman to see her frozen form. took some time for madam Ge's composure to return.

"Say, old Tie, are you sure he is your disciple or your enemy? Did this boy wrong you in his past life?" she stared at him incredulously.

"What? I just said he is my disciple. Has making too much wine blocked your ears?" Tie Nse asked mildly, his eyes trained at the fire.

"Baju Valley, that is not a place you send a precious disciple. It's not even a place you send your enemy." she stared at him in disbelief.

"Like I said, he is beyond special." Tie Nse said solemnly, taking a sip of his wine.

"No body is that special. That is not a training ground, old Tie. That is an execution ground! Have you lost your mind?" Madam Ge asked.

"It doesn't matter any way, surviving there will raise his chances of staying alive when he returns."

"If he will die here, why not let him die in peace?"

"He refuses to die, so this is the path he must take."

"So, you have been sitting here for ten years waiting for your disciple you placed in the valley? You really are mad. Even someone like you would not survive a day in there. You know that. Do you really believe he will come out?" Madam Ge asked in disbelief. She had always said this old man was not alright in the head, but she had never thought he was this far gone.

"He is not dead." Tie Nse said softly, but she still heard him.

"How do you know?"

"The life stone. It has not shattered yet." Tie Nse said and the woman looked at the stone on the small table beside him. She had seen it the moment he walked in, but had never thought he had made the rock a life stone.

"Impossible. Do you know the implications of what you are saying? The Baju Valley has weakened?" she stared at his bowed head.

"If it has, all the patriarchies of the realm would have known."

"Then you made a mistake. He is not in that valley or that stone is not connected to his life. That stone cannot possibly be connected to someone in the Baju valley."

"I told you before; he is special. There has never been anything like him ever seen before. If not, those who had seen were too busy staring with their mouth open to leave a record."

"Still, isn't Baju Valley a little much?" she frowned. If such a person exists, shouldn't he be more careful with training him?"

"Baju Valley?" Tie Nse scuffed, "The heavens themselves, wish to kill him."

Silence took over the restaurant as Madam Ge no more wanted him to leave. She too, wished to see the person that survives the Baju Valley.

Silence may have taken the restaurant, but that could not be said for the rest of the world.

Lady Jian had entered seclusion to train the moment she returned, only leaving a sentence behind. "When I come out, I will kill you." she had said to one of the elders who returned with her. This sent her entire clan into uproar. Many wanted to know what Elder Hu had done.

Lady Jian's parents had rushed over to see her when they heard she had returned but she had not waited for them, swiftly entering seclusion before they arrived.

The emperor sage academy was preparing for the Godhand meet in five years. Any one that passed would have the chance to be chosen by the Godhand gate. To be trained with the resources of the Godhand gate, that person was sure to become a power in his generation.

Not only the emperor sage academy, even other sects and schools in the area were preparing for this. Yes, there was still five years remaining, but what was five years in their world?

The Godhand meet is a competition between those of the spirit merging stage to the spirit wakening stage. This was an opportunity for the Godhand gate to see the talents of the younger generation and accept them into their fold. This was a necessary ritual as all the gates wished to maintain their strength and this was a way to make sure that they have the best talents across all generations.

The entire Sage empire and other empires where getting ready. Like the sage empire, most royal families only sent their children to the best schools to train them, but the children maintained their titles. This was necessary as the empires wanted to take the entire glory when their children entered the Godhand gate.

Already many of the younger generation's names were resounding across different empires. This was normal around this time as many wishing to participate in the Godhand meet would be venturing out of their sects and schools, coincidentally meeting those of the same generation and challenging them to a fight.

These coincidences would usually resound across empires after the clash, raising the reputation of the ones in question. These coincidences were not all ego trips, but also helped the younger generation gauge their opponents strength before the Godhand meet.

These coincidences were the talk of ever body as they loved this time the most. People gathered around tarverns and inns discussing the powers displayed by the younger generation. When fights broke, news spread so fast and those that can approach to watch do with kin eyes so that they shall tell all that wish to hear. The entire regions under the Godhand gate were very entertained.

But of course, these also caused conflicts between large powers as as stars were made, potential fell too those powers that had their disciples killed by a stronger opponent did not take kindly to this, causing a feud across generation.

While these happened, Ed remained in the Baju valley. He had lost track of time and did not know how long he had been there. All through, he had gone through different terrains and experiences. Forests to mountains to deserts to sea. The more environments he passed, the more difficult it was. But he triumphed all till the air around him stiffened as he sat at the bottom of a great sea, relaxed and still. All went black, like his first night in the valley, but he did not panic. Soon, he opened his eyes to a farming plain and a sun down restaurant far ahead.

The moment he opened his eyes, all the patriarchs and heads of the great powers in the realms, all those who controlled the gates, including Tie Nse and Madam Ge sitting in the restaurant were alerted.

Someone had escaped the Baju valley.