An entire week later, Damien and Long Chen finally arrived back at the familiar mountain that they called home.
It had only been around 2 months since they had left even though the mission was held for 6 months, causing the guards at the gate a good deal of surprise.
As for what they did when they got back, they went straight to the mission hall to claim their rewards.
"Alright, the sign of completion has been given by the one who issued the requests. Just give me your disciple tokens and I can mark it as done." The mission hall elder said in a surprised tone.
After all, an outer court disciple taking on a major mission was already surprising enough, let alone the speed at which they finished.
When the process was finished, the elder handed each of them their spirit stones before sending them on their way.
Damien didn't waste any time, making his way up the mountain to see his master. He had nothing better to do, plus he wanted to see if his master would teach him anything new.
And before long, he arrived at the familiar pagoda. Knocking on the door, he patiently waited for someone to answer.
"Looks like you're back from your mission." A cold voice answered as the door opened, revealing a familiar beautiful face.
"Of course I'm back, did you miss me?" Damien replied.
"And why would I do that." Xue Ruyue responded immediately.
Damien wanted to tease this senior sister of his more since he still wasn't over the way she treated him, but it was clear she wouldn't be entertaining it:
Rolling his eyes, he changed the topic. "Is master here?"
Ruyue averted her gaze into the pagoda before lightly nodding her head, stepping out of the way.
Watching him enter the pagoda with a smile on his face, Ruyue's brow wrinkles slightly before she let out a soft sigh and followed him.
Unfortunately for her, Tian Yang had explicitly stated that she had to be present for the coming conversation.
And of course, he had been aware of Damien's return from the second he stepped foot in the sect.
Damien walked through the small hallway lined with ornate paintings before reaching the wooden sliding doors that led to the room he had previously been in. It was the same room where he had gone through that incomplete transformation.
"Oho, looks like you've leveled up a bit, haven't you." An aged voice inquired as Damien slid open the doors.
"It's nothing major. I still haven't been able to do anything about my skills yet." Damien replied. It was probably the thing he was most concerned about at the moment.
With spatial magic and even vector control, he was able to level them up significantly in short amounts of time. Even if he hadn't completely grasped the more esoteric branches of the magics, he was still able to increase his proficiency.
However, it wasn't the same anymore. Whether it be his dimensional magic, the question marks in his status, or even creating a domain, he was able to do none of them.
He felt some sort of block in his psyche, something that was preventing him from making any more progress, but he couldn't figure out what it was.
Even with the Void Heart Sword Law that he had only recently picked up, he hadn't been able to grasp its movements at all.
Seeing the worry evident on Damien's face, Tian Yang slightly smiled. "Is this the first roadblock you hit?"
Damien nodded back with a difficult expression. He was made painfully aware of how smooth his journey thus far had been.
"Well, the 3rd great realm is like that for every cultivator. It's a realm where you aren't trying to increase your skills or simply level up, you're trying to increase your connection to the elements."
Damien looked up at the old man, evidently confused. Connect with the elements? What did that even mean?
"Don't be in such a rush, I'll obviously tell you now that I've brought it up. Tell me, do you know what the difference between the 3rd and 4th realm is?"
Damien once again shook his head. Any time he asked or even heard about 4th class, everyone always shut him down and told him it was too early for him to learn about it.
But he didn't think so. He felt that the best way for him to work towards the next realm was to know exactly what it contained and what he was hoping to achieve.
"The entry point to the 4th great realm is called Law Connection realm for a very good reason. It's because up until that point, you were using elements in their most primary form.
"Your affinities are simply the elements you are most in tune with and the ones you can become proficient in. You might even have some affinities that aren't listed in your status simply because you don't have enough talent in them compared to your main affinities.
"But that doesn't mean you can't learn them. With years and years of practice, such a thing can become possible, unlocking new affinities in your status. However, this ain't the main point I'm trying to make."
Noticing Ruyue standing in the back and listening, Tian Yang motioned her forward. Naturally, she complied, arriving next to Damien who had taken a seat while listening to the lecture.
Seeing his disciples paying rapt attention, he continued. "Until the 3rd realm, you've been using elements in their base form, in the way the mana is presented to you. But did you really think that's all there was?"
Tian Yang waved his hand, causing spatial essence to fill the room. However, there was something intrinsically different about the mana, as if it was on a higher level.
"When you step into 4th class, your being evolves and you come into contact with something called Laws. These are the laws that govern the universe and grant it stability, these are the building blocks of everything we know."
The spatial essence continued to dance around the room, sometimes being formless but other times having pressure that weighed down on the two disciples like a mountain.
"A Law Connection realm expert has just recently come into contact with laws and has to gain an understanding of their function to enter the Law Sea realm. As for how this relates back to your current problem? That's simple."
"I have to understand my elements more so that they can evolve into laws!" Damien suddenly interrupted.
Tian Yang smiled and nodded, letting his disciple come to his own conclusion. He could almost see the gears spinning in Damien's head after reaching this point.
What he needed to do now wasn't simply train his skills or gain levels. What he needed to do was gain a deeper understanding of elements and their mana itself.
It wasn't about comprehending space, and it wasn't about any of the destructive power he was always trying to learn. It was deeper than that.
It was as if something clicked in his mind. What he was lacking, what was stopping him from advancing, he understood it all.
What Damien needed was a path forward. It was like he had been drifting aimlessly in a massive desert with no idea which direction was north. But now, he knew exactly where to go.
Even if he didn't have a starting point right now, even if he still had plenty of things to do before he reached the point Tian Yang was speaking about, at least he knew it existed.
Damien's spirit burned with fervor once again. His desire for strength blossomed. He knew exactly what he wanted to do.
