Finally Getting Settled

"Here we are," Pacifist Guardian ran up to a walled off courtyard near the foot of one of the mountains, stopping at the gate before spinning around with a warm smile.

Gilgamesh ignored her antics and looked at the front gate, noticing the large plaque above it that read 'Still Winds Residence.'

"This has been your home ever since you arrived in the sect all those years ago. Technically, you're twenty-two, but it doesn't seem as though you aged at all in those five years."

Gilgamesh could pretty much guess at Pacifist's ploy; she was probably trying to get him to warm up to her so he would tell her things about his time in the mystic realm.

He could only sigh in pity. Once the duality in his mind and body had recovered, he no longer felt as helpless and timid as he did before.

He would not be divulging any information to the Guardians that he did not want to.

Gilgamesh walked in through the front gate and perused his abode. The courtyard was quite spacious with a few plants and trees, and the front of the house connected to a wider structure that took up the entire space.

As he looked around, he noticed that the place was extremely tidy and well-kept, and he praised Little Feather in his heart.

"Perfect. Thank you, Pacifist Guardian."

The young-looking woman pouted before flashing a wry smile. "Before I leave, I'll give these to you."

She waved her hand, and a peculiar ring on her hand flashed a dull color before two books took shape. She passed them to Gilgamesh, who was eying her ring with interest.

It seemed to be made of petrified vines that wrapped around each other to form the shape of a band, and was nothing like Little Feather's ring.

Of course Pacifist Guardian noticed how he was looking at her ring. "Oh. This is a void ring. Items like these are imbued with a spatial true energy nature, and can be used to store items."

Gilgamesh nodded, "How do I get one?"

Pacifist Guardian perked up at Gilgamesh's question, and she gave him a bright smile before sticking out her chest and saying, "If you want, I can give you a low-grade void ring right now, free of char-"

"I'll take it," Gilgamesh dryly stated, extending his hand.

"er..." Pacifist Guardian faltered slightly, but she cleared her throat and produced another void ring. Unlike the one she wore, this one seemed to be made of a type of stone or metal, and there was a vague inscription that lined the band.

"It's never been used, so you'll have to inject your consciousness into it to activate it," She said while placing the ring atop the books in her hand.

"As for these books, one of them is the Condensation Manual and the other is the Encyclopedia of True Energy. They're both elementary-level texts that outer disciples rely on to get to the peak of Condensation, and also to help them figure out what path their true energy should take."

"Oh, and take these as well."

She then withdrew two identical outer disciple robes while eying Gilgamesh's attire. The ones she brought out looked as though they had never been worn before, and he suddenly recalled what had happened to his clothes after the tribulation.

Pacifist Guardian passed the items to Gilgamesh before finally bidding him farewell. He watched her leave and then shut the front gate, before finally entering the house.

He quickly searched around and found his bedroom, and he plopped down on the bed as a wave of relaxation settled in. After all the panic and stress he had experienced since arriving, the feeling was intoxicating to him, and he ended up taking a short nap.

Almost two hours later, Little Feather entered his abode.

"Big Brother? Are you here?"

Her voice woke him, and he quickly sat up on the bed. "I'm here, Little Feather."

The little servant girl rushed into his room with a wide smile and an expectant look, with her hands clasped behind her.

Gilgamesh's eyes sparked as he gave a knowing grin, "Thank you so much for keeping the place clean, Little Feather. You are the best Little Sister I could ask for."

Little Feather giggled nonstop when she heard that, and she assured Gilgamesh that he did not need to thank her for that. His grin became rigid when he heard that.

'Weren't you practically asking me to thank you earlier?'

Little Feather told him that she was going to get herself cleaned up, so Gilgamesh decided to take a look at the books he had gotten from Pacifist Guardian.

Like she said, one of them was titled 'Condensation Manual,' and the other was the 'Encyclopedia of True Energy.'

He instantly opened the Encyclopedia and started giving it a quick read, and his eyes slowly widened.

"True energy is the basis for all cultivation, acquired when a cultivator focuses on gathering the energy of heaven of earth into their own body. When the energy of heaven and earth is used to refine the first of the main meridians, a cultivator becomes capable of channeling true energy, and has encroached upon the Condensation Stage."

The more he read, the more he understood and saw just how little he actually knew. Before now, technicalities had never been important to him, so he did not bother trying to ascertain the explanations of things like true energy and cultivation. 

True energy was actually different from the energy of heaven and earth. According to the book, the energy of heaven and earth was the only energy that did not possess a set nature. It was the foundational form of energy that was omnipresent in all the world.

Only when someone took that energy into themselves and attuned it to their cultivation would it become true energy, and that was when it would become able to acquire a nature.

As for true energy natures, they actually existed in all manner of forms. There was the nature of fire, water, ice, metal, darkness, earth, wood, lightning, wind and so much more.

There were also rare instances where the natures of time and space could be acquired by cultivators, but it was obviously a lot more difficult to acquire such natures.

As Gilgamesh devoured the knowledge, he came across what was regarded as the most regal and 'authoritative' type of true energy nature, due to the fact that it was able to suppress pretty much all other natures.

That was the nature of Heaven, a true energy nature that could not be acquired through normal means. It had to be granted in order for a cultivator to attune to it, meaning they had to be chosen by whatever Heaven they existed under.

Though the book was not at all opinionated, the writing expressed a clear dislike of the nature of Heaven and those who wielded it, though it was limited to undertones in the text.

Even so, Gilgamesh was a master of picking up on hidden details, and he smirked. "So the main difference between Anu's crappy heaven and the heaven of this world is that this heaven is way bolder. Heh, got it."

With that, he shut the book, not bothering to actually read up on the info regarding each of the documented true energy natures. He did not care to at this point.

When he opened the Condensation Manual, he saw that the first page unfolded, and is it did so the rest of the book unfurled with it, like a lengthy scroll. There was a diagram of the human body, as well as ten meridians indicated and numbered.

"Once enough of the energy of heaven and earth is accumulated, a cultivator can attack the first boundary and attempt to refine the first main meridian. Each main meridian, being connected to a series of small-scale meridians that are autonomically refined along with it, allow for the circulation of energy to slowly become easier and easier."

"Once all ten meridians are refined, the flow of true energy becomes perfected, and the energy is then allowed to concentrate and condense, bringing a cultivator to the peak of the Condensation stage."

Aside from the explanation, there was also a detailed method on how to go about fully refining the main meridians, as well as the order in which it was best to do so.

Gilgamesh came to the realization that, though he was in the first level of Condensation, his main meridian was not allowing the flow of nearly enough true energy. According to the book, he should have enough true energy for eight cycles of refinement.

When he tried to circulate his energy while simultaneously refining his body, he could only keep it up for three cycles. Thus, Gilgamesh stopped trying to refine his entire body, and focused on furthering the refinement of the first main meridian.

Gilgamesh consulted the book a few times to ensure he was going about it correctly, and finally started to gain a bit of confidence in himself. Soon enough, the method became akin to second nature, and he could do it without having to pause to scatter and regather his energy.

When he felt himself become fatigued, he would halt the refinement process and utilize another technique from the book, the Energy Gathering Method. It was an ideal way of gathering the energy of heaven and earth at a much faster rate, and it allowed him to recover the energy he expended in the refinement process.

Slowly but surely, he could feel the first meridian being pushed to the limits.

While Gilgamesh was sat on the bed, engrossed in cultivation, Little Feather came in wearing her nightdress with a blanket and a little stuffed animal. When she saw him, she smiled and was instantly reminded of the past, where Gilgamesh would cultivate the same way he was now.

She knew that he was different know, but seeing this scene assured her that he was still the exact same Gilgamesh she knew and loved.

Trying her best not to disturb him, she crawled up onto the bed from the other side and went to sleep with a smile. It was abundantly clear just how happy she was to have him back.

He was really, finally home.