Enigmatic old Teachers are unreliable

Chún's body felt heavy. Lifting his eyelids felt like carrying sacks of grain from one end of the village to the other. He couldn't remember where he was. Had he been ill?

Finally, he managed to open his eyes, but it remained dark. He couldn't see!

Blinking in panic, Chún cried out involuntarily, his terror increasing as only a horse croak made it past his lips, body twitching as limbs instinctively attempted to flail in response.

Suddenly he felt a gentle warmth on his forehead and a sense of calm swept through his body. "Rest, young one". Before Chún could articulate who the voice belonged to, his eyelids slid shut and his consciousness floated away.

---

Chún opened his eyes. Gentle sparkles of Essence floated in the air of the Immortal's Cave, back-lit by the soft ambient glow from the veins of Essence on the walls and ceiling. A gentle burbling to his left made Chún turn his head, where he could see the luminescence of the small ground-spring's fountain. He felt thirsty the moment he saw the water, but the heat and smell made that unwise so he sat up and walked over to the small streamlet on the other side of the cave, then knelt at the side and cupped water to his mouth.

A refreshing feeling spread from his throat and mouth as he gulped the water down, feeling extremely comfortable through his body. Eventually, he finished and looked around the cave.

It was empty, other than a beast skin thrown on the cave floor where he woke up. He looked around, frowning slightly at the quiet - where was Yijing?

"Teacher?"

There was a soundless flash near the beast skin and a glowing figure appeared. Chún blinked in amazement - it looked like Yijing but it was made of white and gold Essence mist - Chún could see through the figure to the cave wall. An odd surrus of sound formed into audible words.

"Student. As I told you I must, I have left. I only remained long enough to ensure you survived the Essence overload caused by your Awakening of the Mountain."

Chún's mouth dropped open, a dim recollection of a wave of Essence hitting him rising in his mind. "Teacher..."

The figure paused and wavered. "This Dao Manifestation can only repeat the message I have placed within it. It cannot answer your questions. Listen well."

Chún shook his head in confusion and scrambled closer to the figure. Next to the beast skin, a palm sized rock glowed softly under the figure, wisps of Essence rising up off the rock into the glowing figure of his Teacher.

The figure wavered again then resumed speaking, the sound oddly like echoes and rushing winds forming words.

"Student. As I told you I must, I have left. I only remained long enough to ensure you survived the Essence overload caused by your waking of the Mountain."

The figure paused and shook its head ruefully, "I do not know what you spoke to the Mountain, but it has hidden itself within its own small world. It remains visible as an ordinary mountain outside of its world, but does not appear to be a Treasure land from the outside."

The figure of Yijing raised his right hand - index finger lifted in warning: "Experienced or skilled Consumers and True Cultivators will be able to tell that there is more to the mountain, if they reach it - but there is nothing to attract their attention anymore. Even if someone does come, they will need to search for the entrance to the small world.

You will be safe here for a time - but some will have felt the change in the World Dao from the awakening as well - if it is part of the Dao they will be led to it."

The figure rubbed it's brows in thought, "Unfortunately, the backlash of your Awakening of the locus has affected me as well, so my thoughts are somewhat disordered..."

The glow from the figure seemed to dim before Yijing dropped his hand to regard Chún again "...The Mountain will teach you what you ask of it. The land has been here longer than men and remembers everything that touches it. Ask it to show you what it remembers," here Yijing's mouth quirked into a small smile, "it would be useful if you asked it to show you writing and noble manners. But remember a Mountain is not a human and you are not a Mountain - our locus are our support, but they cannot show us our Dao - as we cannot show them theirs. Do not fall into the trap of the Consumers - don't let another dictate your Dao."

The old man narrowed his eyes and nodded to himself as he spoke quicker. "Continue to practice with Essence. Remember what I told you about choosing small Essence points to practice with - I am not there to help you if you are overloaded again."

"The Mountain has drained the greater part of its Essence by creating its own hidden world, but eventually the Mountain will accumulate ever increasing amounts of Essence from each subsequent ignition you assist with as well as your presence generating Essence, which will flow through you to and from it, strengthening you and it in turn. The increase in Essence - much like what occurred when you awoke the mountain - will lead to further natural manifestations of Dao."

"Manifestations are formed naturally by the World Dao as required and as it collects enough essence and energy. Consumers copy this with inscribing and forging formations which they force onto the Dao of the world - but the World can grow formations naturally as a part of itself. Ask the Mountain to hide or protect the treasures you ignite - eventually, you should encourage the Mountain to grow large Manifestations to protect itself and everything on it."

Yijing waved his hand around his head irritably, "Important things must be repeated three times; Some strong Consumers, others close to Dao and Essence beasts strong enough to roam will see or be drawn to the true nature of the Mountain and thus find ways to enter this pocket world; other creatures that already live on it may cultivate into stronger Essence beasts or even develop on it from lucky chances. Thus you and your locus will need defence and offence besides hiding."

The figure rubbed his hands over his eyes, seemingly tired, before taking a deep breath to continue. "As the Essence Beasts, the plants, rocks, streams, air... are part of the Mountain or become part of it.. They will also become part of your locus and your link to the World; thus it will be your responsibility to care and nurture everything on the Mountain - including the beasts - but take care, they will not care that you are a True Cultivator."

Yijing straightened and looked straight at Chún. "Finally - a more serious warning. I have warned you somewhat of the dangers of Consumers and Channelling energies and Essence. More you will have to learn for yourself. But there is another danger I have not spoken of."

There was a pause.

"As sects and groups form and war between Consumers, so too not all True Cultivators are of the same mind. I am of the Balance faction. While I dislike Consumers, I acknowledge that they have a place - without them, beast waves, planar invaders and Essence manifestations would destroy man."

"True Cultivators born of the World as we are - are too rare to defend men alone. We would be overwhelmed and fall and man would be wiped from the world. The Balance faction seeks to maintain a balance between the consumers and the Dao of the World - as I previously told you."

"Another faction among us hates Consumers or man and considers them a plague to be eradicated. True Cultivators are too few to fight - although True Cultivators grow stronger individually, in time - than the average Consumer, we would be easily destroyed in any attempt to threaten Consumers as a whole. Thus Eradicators use insidious methods and twist Essence points, or use death essence and energies from pain and suffering to create cursed and evil resources and lands. Consumers find these resources and develop Demon or Evil Techniques built around the death and killing of other Consumers, thus meeting the Eradicator's goals of encouraging Consumers to destroy each other."

The figure took on a serious mien. "And this is your third warning; if the Eradicator faction find you, before you are strong enough to defend yourself, they will kill you. You almost single-handed changed the Mountain into a high level treasure land full of resources for Righteous or Neutral Consumers - not to mention the level of Essence you have to draw on now with access to such a large locus."

"Such a place runs counter to the aims of that faction - they will want to stop you before you can create more. I had not told you this - as it would not do you well to become arrogant - but for a True Cultivator to be able to bond and nurture such a large locus prior to your Awakening is ...extremely rare."

"There are others with differing aims. Be careful of any, you cannot be sure of their intent."

"Learn, take care, grow stronger. When we next meet I hope to greet you as a Brother of True Cultivation".

The figure raised a faint hand in blessing and bowed, then dispersed into wisps of essence. The rock flickered and the glow faded.

Chún stared blankly at the empty space where the message had hung, slowly realising he had been left to fend for himself with less than two days instruction - and sucked in a long breath;

A mysterious Heavenly Mountain,

A Ghostly scream of indignation;

"....Your Father....!"