18. Astral Temple

The pressure stopped me in front of the doors to the temple. I could see written on the frame above the doors. 'Astral Supreme Temple'

The same shadowy figure appeared before me once more. "The Supreme Astral Harmony. This is the Legacy left here by the Astral Supreme. A being of cosmic power and unparalleled cultivation. Do you dare to accept this Mythic Legacy?"

"I do." I stated clearly, without hesitation. I wanted this- I needed this strength. I wanted to stand at the peak, alone or not, on my own two legs. I would endure and survive until I could crush and trample. The doors opened as the figure disappeared once more. I stepped into the temple, as I walked into the main hall, I marveled at the scene before my eyes. There was treasure everywhere, every surface of the room was covered. I walked through the room and saw many cultivation manuals as well as an uncountable amount of spirit stones of each grade. I was filthy rich now. Floating above a pedestal in the middle of the room was a bottle containing some sort of essence inside. The essence contained within was easy for me to decipher. There were two, actually, one was an Astral Dragon Essence, while the other was an Astral Demon Essence. "Supreme Harmony," I whispered the words involuntarily as I gathered up the treasures in my spacial rings, I also took this time to sort my money from my other items. The spaces of both of the rings I had were filled completely and there was nothing left in the room.

I walked to the door on the opposite side of the room from where I entered and pushed it open. Looking into the dark room, I saw what appeared to be a tomb. In the center of this small room was a large stone sarcophagus on a raised pedestal. Standing at each corner of the pedestal where statues. The first was of a dragon, coiling from the floor high into the room and encircling the whole scene. The second was a demonic figure, wings spread wide over the lid of the sarcophagus as it had one hand stretched over the edge. The third statue was a humanoid figure that I assumed was an Astral Walker. This statue stood close to the center of the platform with arms outstretched and face upturned to the ceiling. The final statue was a robed figure, there were no noticeable features visible. The robed figure had its arms folded into its sleeves and seemed to be meditating.

Looking at these statues I had no clue what they could mean. The dragon and demon were pretty obvious, based on what I found in the treasure room. But the other two figures, I had zero clues. I decided to sit on the sarcophagus and meditate, for lack of any better ideas. As I entered my meditative state, I noticed through my energy sense, the robed statue began glowing with a faint blue light. As this happened I heard, and felt, stone deep below my position shifting and grinding. My meditation pulled my mind further from my body and into the mysteries of the space and laws around me. I also noticed and increase in the presence of the Supreme Harmony I had comprehended.

Thinking about what I now knew of the stars, space and the void, I began pulling all the energy of the Supreme Harmony in as quickly as I could. As soon as I began cultivating the Supreme Harmony, I felt the principles of the laws it was connected to increasing my cultivation at a rate that I couldn't even comprehend.

[You have broken through to Spirit Foundation (Early)!]

I felt a massive surge of energy and stopped cultivating. As I looked at my new cultivation level, I decided to wait to cultivate further as I needed to forge my dantian into an inner world for my Foundation to have meaning in order to progress further. I also noticed that, in my knowledge sea, a star had appeared with my increase in realm.

[To truly complete and progress in Spirit Foundation you must forge your inner world and refine your knowledge sea. Your inner world is tied to your physical cultivation, while your knowledge sea is tied to your spirit. Also, please note that, with your cultivation method, your spiritual energy is many times stronger than a normal cultivator. Making it easier for you to refine both your inner world and knowledge sea. But, this now means that you must refine both of the portions twice as much as a normal cultivator.]

As I stepped off the sarcophagus, I noticed that the lid had moved back slightly revealing a skeleton clutching onto a manual that was glowing with a soft light. I pushed the lid back further and saw that there were, in fact, three manuals laying next to the skeleton. Not thinking much about it, I took the manuals and the spacial ring on the skeleton's hand. When I removed the ring a spirit appeared at the foot of the pedestal, facing me.

"So, my legacy has finally been found by one worthy." The voice was ethereal and weak. I could immediately tell that this spirit had been here for a very long time.

"Young Cultivator, the path you have chosen is longer than any. But the rewards are many times greater. Please, use the treasures and manuals you have gained to gain strength quickly. There are many within the universe that would wish to see a successor of mine and many more who would wish for your demise. Go deep under this temple, there you will find a treasure that many try their entire lifetimes to obtain. Your foundation, though too shallow to fully benefit from this treasure, will become many times more stable should you be able to use it properly." The explanation was long and, honestly, boooooring! I understood why I was being warned but why would I care about that!? I was a fucking genius in this world and I could do things that no one else could. I tried not to be arrogant, but it was damn hard to be humble when I had benefits that would cause wars at my fingertips. I might not know much about this world, but I knew that what I found here was one of the most valuable legacies in this world.

As soon as the spirit finished speaking, it disappeared and the sarcophagus moved to the side, revealing a staircase hidden beneath. Taking a deep breath, I began descending the stairs. As I walked down the spiraling stairs, I could see a dark multi colored glow coming from the bottom of the stairs, growing brighter with every step I took.