Road up North

I said my goodbyes to Jia, she gave me a teary-eyed hug and handed me a gorgeous Red cloak with a metal chimera on it. She told me she'd keep sewing for the clan, and maybe one day rise the ranks. She found this place to be a nice home, somehow.

I told her I'd visit her again before I left the world, to which she only gave a confused smile. But most importantly, that smile was genuine.

That girl, she would be just fine.

Me though? Well, I first traveled to the bar in town. I asked for the strongest thing they've got, and they asked if I was okay. They had a bottle of some magical brewed wine called Mountain blood, that was 500 stones.

I realized how worthless money was to me in this world. Now, they do soul beast cores at places, but those are useless now. The beast soul is considered an incredible rarity and is only sold privately to clans. Honestly, I could just steal any if I caught a whiff of them.

I took the bottle, and traveled the road up north. This world was an elongated plane, and it would take maybe a few years If I just walked. I took to the sky, sipping from the expensive wine. I could tell, it was made with beast's blood. This was good stuff.

I flew at a fraction of the speed of lightning, just a red bolt tearing through the sky. I drank and drank, as my sorrows sank.

"Hehe, this is nice…" Au-ha's digital body was sprawled out in my mind. Looks like AI can get drunk too, especially when intermingled with the soul of another. I was once more a wanderer, I guess I traveled pretty goddamn fast, because I reached the northern reaches in a couple of days.

It was not necessary to be described, but I'll do it still. There was a lot of ice and hills. Large evergreens covered in snow, the entire northern reach was a place high above the rest of the world, as towering mountains nearly pierced the sky. Of course, the mountain in the middle of the world really did pierce the sky.

I flew up, on top of a mountain cliff. There were frozen forests, barren plains of snow, caves, and icy rivers and lakes. It was strange, liquid ice, that flowed in slow motion. It was, to no surprise, freezing to the touch, but not deadly so.

There was a cute little rabbit made of snow, I went to pet it, and it melted from the heat of my body. Au-ha started laughing hard, drunkenly rolling about inside. I was sad.

In that moment, I understood the impermanence of all things. I am basically a poet now, so I sang to the snow.

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Oh, how time flows, oh, how life goes. Onward, And onward.

The sailor continues to row. The tide is bound to take him to the depths down below.

Shivering flake, made of shaved frost, you will soon be lost. I weep, but even then, the tears begin to turn to glacial sleet.

The animals, lakes, trees, and more. I can feel the heavens send damnation into our pores.

I know already, nothing lasts forever.

But if it did, it would be life's greatest pleasure.

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"Terrible, enough with the poems." now au-ha was a critic.

I took another sip, and continued up the path. I was still warm from the beast's blood, and the wine. I was wearing a blood red cloak with the symbol of a chimera on the back. I truly enjoyed it, and imagined I looked like a hero as it blew in the wind.

In reality, I was drunkenly stumbling about. Some wolves almost attacked, but a beast's instincts were truly pure. Upon approach, the alpha whimpered and ran, his pack following quickly behind. Now my soul was fully grown, I wondered where it would take me next.

I had a loose definition of beastly cultivation levels. First was the beast body, then the blood, from there formed a core, which melts into a soul, the soul grows perfected. Afterwards, I imagine it'll begin to melt once more. I'll know once I eat some more beast souls, preferably ones of a high level, and ideally a perfected soul.

The Czar was my finest snack yet.

Au-ha was bouncing around in my skull, she was ecstatic to feel drunk for once. Before, I did get inebriated on earth, but our souls had not been so bonded.

The bottle was not endless, and some came to an end. 500 stones, just like that. A normal home is only a few hundred or so stones. Eh, money. Who needs it anyway?

I stumbled along a path carved reaching the mountain peaks. When I flew here earlier, I saw 4 clans arranged on the peaks in accordance to height, and very likely in accordance to power. The first clan, or the lowest clan, was a few more hikes up. Turns out there were no tribes up here, I guess. Too savage and cold.

Randomly, as I drunkenly stumbled about, I saw a cave hidden under rocks and ice, and entered it in my drunken state. Inside was a much larger cavern, with an enticing, glowing icy door down below. I went up to it, excited for adventure. Au-ha cheered me on.

I put my hand on the door to push it open. Upon the sense of my touch, a voice started speaking.

"Oh chosen one, you have been the first to appear since I have set up this grand inheritance.

Four trials, four pillars. You will learn the legendary technique, that is the known as the "Ice Tower"

"Uhhh…." I was definitely surprised by the voice. "You got anything else?"

"What?" the voice was puzzled.

"Any beast souls? Or fine liquors?" I asked.

"No, there is only the…look, I don't think you understand the opportunity you've come across!"

"Dude, honestly, I'm not even a cultivator. I'm a beast-man or whatever." I couldn't help but snicker drunkenly as my long tail swung. "Evolved beast is probably the best term."

"What the hell? You follow another system of strength? In this world, nearly all are cultivators. In all my centuries here, I have only heard the theory of other worlds and systems of cultivation, but have never once encountered a being from another world."

"Incredible, but alas, you are not capable of receiving this inheritance."

Excuse me?

"Why not?!" I shouted in fury.

"You're not even a cultivator, you can't use the technique!" The mysterious voice was now arguing with me.

"Technique, smechmique, let me in before I bust this door down."

"Ha! Who do you think you are, I was a dominion! I-"

I smashed the ice with my disgusting strength. One simple fist turned the ice door into dust.

I walked in, A very massive underground cave. Indeed, there were four pillars, of varying height. They cascaded down like stairs. Presumably, on each pillar a test. At the end, a scaffolding with a diamond shaped crystal of ice.

I just flew to the end.

"No, stop! this isn't right. If I was more than a spirit, oh oh, I'd be kicking your ass right now. "

"Why are you doing this? You can't even use it!"

"Brother, I beg of you."

Upon hearing the word brother, I stopped.

"What? I'll just give it to someone else, what's the difference?" I was confused.

"It's not the same! I need to see them complete the trials, and I put in all that effort…" he trailed off "I need to know they're worthy!" he then roared.

"If I deem them worthy, then they are worthy. But, if you really want, I can play your games.

A short silence ensued. "Fine…" he grumbled. I could tell he just wanted to play "dungeon master" for a minute. So, I landed on the first pillar, and he began speaking dramatically.

"Ice is first and foremost, cold, and chilling. In this test, your control of these aspects shall be tested. Remember the thrill of feeling the chill!"

Some fire beasts then came from some sort of summoning circle on the ground. These were only core-stage. I didn't even have ice powers. I ended it by just blasting lightning from my third eye a few times.

Next pillar. "Uhhh. This is a test of Ice's strength. You, wait hold on." he reorganized himself and put on a dramatic tone again.

"Second, ice is solid, ice is hard. In this test you must learn how to guard!" He was a fellow poet. For that, he deserved some credit.

I was shot by shards of ice. The basic defense of my skin would suffice. But still, I used magnetism force, and slightly moved the shards out of my way. This was cooler, and also a nice test of force control.

The third pillar was more of the same. He lost interest in rhyming, and just explained it was a test of speed. I had to climb up an icy tower before it melted. Cool idea, but I could fly.

Turns out, it's pretty rare to be able to fly before cultivators reach a certain level. Beast though, can fly from the get go. The last pillar was just a fight with his shade, his soul given a brief physical form.

He was an old man, with a white and blue robe. He was looking at me, and as he sighed, his eyes still lit up with excitement.

"A true beast. Tell me, what is it like?"

"It's rapid, its brutal, its powerful, and beautiful." I sang to him. Without warning he attacked, this ice tower had revealed itself at last. A tower, of course, of ice had arisen from the ground. It formed a giant arm, and began smashing down.

Dodging the blows, more towers appeared, some became arms, others shot blasts of ice like turrets, some would rise and immediately explode into sharp crystals. It was a pretty cool technique. Still, one blow finished it. His shade vanished, as his voice cackled in the air.

"Hahaha! Wow, what wonderful power! You were right, what power, it's unbelievable, ahhh, I wish I were born a beast." he sighed.

"Ha, maybe in the next life. Why don't you go down to the river already?"

He was contemplative for a moment, "Well, I was going to once someone had come and claimed my inheritance, it was too late when I realized I hid it too well. Only a half-drunken beast like you could have stumbled upon it. Ha! You showed me something amazing, for that, you have the right to the technique.

He spoke his last words as he faded away.

"In the next life, I will become a beast like you. Remember the signature of my soul, and in the next life, I hope you will find me again.

My name is Fan Xu! He laughed loudly toward the heavens as his soul fell into the river. A beautiful exit in life, Fan Xu. I shall remember the name.

"An interesting old man, indeed." Au-ha was still half drunk, and spoke somewhat reminiscently.

I took the technique, recorded in an icy tome. And left the cave. Look a beast does, I found a place to sleep under the ground. I took out the blanket that was made by Jia. The sky here did not show the stars, a false sky, a false sun, and moon. Though that sun glowed golden, and the moon oozed of lightning-esque streaks.

"Au-ha, did you love your creator?"

"Yes." She responded without hesitation. The next question, though. I could not ask. I went to sleep.

That night, I dreamt of being a roaming desert beast.