Zhì Yuǎn picked up the bowl from the table and followed Mū'en's calm pace up the first root ramp.
As they climbed, the smell of dry bark from the ground floor gave way to fresher air. On the second floor, the shelves held topographic maps and records of the plains. On the third, beside the immense dark bone plaque he had seen from below, rows of amber displayed blood lineages and war chronicles.
Mū'en did not stop at any of them.
When they stepped onto the fourth floor, the layout of the space changed.
There, halfway up the library, the rows of shelves were lower and spaced further apart, opening into a silent gallery with study tables carved from the wood of the branch itself. Along the curved wall at the back, the niches bore no identification tablets, holding only ancient leather scrolls and dark jade slabs.
Mū'en walked to one of the tables near the inner parapet, set down the pot, and gestured for Zhì Yuǎn to sit across from him.
"You said downstairs that you came from a closed domain of the ancient eras," Mū'en began, pouring a little more tea into the bowl Zhì Yuǎn had brought. "So it is natural that your family's records are bound to the rules of that place. But do you know where you are standing now, boy?"
"In a world much larger than the fragment I left," Zhì Yuǎn answered, resting his forearm on the table. "A Higher Realm."
"Exactly, but even among the hundreds of Higher Realms scattered across the cosmos, not all possess the same level," Mū'en nodded, raising two fingers in a short gesture toward an unmarked niche in the wall beside them. "Out there, there are only seven Supreme Realms where Immortal Qi runs freely through the world, and where true Immortals walk upon the earth. All the other Higher Realms, including ours, are lesser worlds connected to one of those seven."
From inside that dark niche, an ancient scroll of pale leather detached itself. The roll crossed the air slowly, paused for an instant before Zhì Yuǎn's chest, and settled on the table in front of him.
Zhì Yuǎn picked up the scroll and undid the tie, finding at the top of the first fold the title The Balance of the Laws traced in dark ink.
"That scroll does not appear in the catalogs downstairs because not even the most brilliant youths of the clan have the stature to read what is in it," Mū'en said, while Zhì Yuǎn began running his eyes over the ancient lines.
The old man took a short sip of tea.
"In a Middle Realm down below, a fortunate cultivator reaches the Seventh Stage of Immortal Establishment, forms his Animic Ocean, and spends the rest of his life trapped behind an invisible barrier, unable even to touch the eighth stage before dying of old age. In a Higher Realm like ours, it is possible to advance to the twelfth stage. The cultivator sits upon his Conceptual Throne, masters his Unique Concept… and finally reaches the peak of this world."
Zhì Yuǎn ran his fingers over the first half of the scroll. The diagrams began at the Nascent Soul Realm and rose through the phases of Immortal Establishment he already knew, but went beyond the limit of his previous world, detailing how the final stages forged the Unique Concept up to the twelfth step.
"I confess I expected to find different divisions here," Zhì Yuǎn commented, raising his gaze from the scroll. "Since your clan is formed of half-humans and the other five Hegemonies are Spiritual Beasts, I thought you did not cultivate by the same realms as humans."
Mū'en let out a short laugh, shaking his head.
"Many people who grow up isolated think that," the old man said. "But the higher a being advances in cultivation, whether human, half-human, beast, or any other creature under heaven, the closer the paths become. The higher realms end up resembling one another, no matter how different the initial foundation. In our case, the blood we carry merely gives us natural advantages and affinities with certain Laws according to each one's lineage. This strengthens our bodies to a much greater degree and eases the step into the Nascent Soul Realm. At least among those born of the purest bloodlines, we combine the best of what a human and a spiritual beast are capable of."
The archivist pointed with his index finger to a lateral branch of the drawing, where silhouettes of great beasts appeared engraved along the stages.
"Pure Spiritual Beasts follow another order at the base," Mū'en continued. "They pass through realms similar to those of other cultivators, but until they reach Immortal Establishment their focus lies entirely on the body and bloodline, leaving the refinement of energy for later. When a beast finally reaches Immortal Establishment, although the realm is similar, its strength is different and far superior to that of a human at the same level. Their limit is that the purity of the blood defines exactly how far they can go, and the great majority stall long before that."
"So humans hold the advantage in controlling energy, and beasts in the strength of their bloodline," Zhì Yuǎn observed.
"In general, humans are indeed much better with energy," Mū'en agreed. "Granted, among Spiritual Beasts there are hierarchies far stricter than ours, and even a few rare species that far surpass humans in energy cultivation as well. But when any of them reaches the twelfth stage and consolidates their Throne, the barrier above them becomes the same for all."
Zhì Yuǎn finished opening the second half of the scroll on the table.
There, just above the twelfth stage, a short note mentioned the Dao Synthesis Realm—also called False Immortal, or Half-Step Immortal, where the cultivator abandoned the mortality of the flesh once and for all and fused their soul to their own concept before facing the Tribulation. Below that note, a diagram showed the conceptual thrones arranged in harmony beneath the sky of the realm, but the written explanation stopped in the middle of a sentence, leaving the rest of the page blank.
"The record was interrupted halfway," Zhì Yuǎn observed, looking at the incomplete lines. "It says that in the seven Supreme Realms, cultivators in Dao Synthesis exist in great numbers, while in worlds without Immortal Qi the space rejects those who enter this stage and forces them to ascend. But it does not explain what happens to those who remain here."
Mū'en set the bowl down on the wood.
"It is because certain secrets involving the Heavens function as a curse for those still at a low level, boy," Mū'en said, voice more serious. "If someone in my position simply told you how the higher rules of this realm function, the karma of that knowledge would fall entirely upon your shoulders. Yet you need only look at what is written in the first half of this scroll to understand the beginning of the problem. When a cultivator reaches the twelfth stage and consolidates their Throne, what do they do with the Law they have comprehended?"
"They subvert it," Zhì Yuǎn answered, remembering the description he had just read. "They impose a selfish will upon it so that it answers only to them."
"Exactly," Mū'en nodded, pointing his chin at the lines on the table. "That is why, in any other Higher Realm without Immortal Qi, when a cultivator tries to take the step into Dao Synthesis, the Heavens react by expelling them from the world before their weight unbalances the local rules. But look carefully at the way the Laws are drawn in this diagram."
Zhì Yuǎn observed the lines traced on the leather. In the drawing, none of the thrones tried to suppress the space of another. All appeared interconnected beneath a single greater structure that regulated the weight of each one, keeping the entire set stable.
"The principal Law that governs this realm of ours is the Law of Nature," Mū'en explained. "And the foundation of Nature is balance. When the figures at the top of the world keep their Laws in harmony with one another, instead of disputing dominion, the realm itself strengthens. The local Laws become firmer and even the lower Qis gain a density and purity you would not find in any other world without Immortal Qi. For the ordinary cultivators born here, it is almost a paradise."
The old man rested his hand on his knee and fell silent.
Quiet settled over the fourth floor.
Zhì Yuǎn looked at the blank space at the end of the scroll and then at the diagram of the balanced thrones beneath the same sky. He did not need the old man to say the rest.
"So there are no true Immortals in this world," Zhì Yuǎn concluded, voice calm. "Neither Lī'ya's parents nor the leaders of the Five Hegemonies have reached the Immortal Realm. All of them are in Dao Synthesis."
Mū'en remained motionless, eyes fixed on the mask.
"And so as not to be expelled from the realm upon entering this stage, they renounced the selfish authority of their Thrones," Zhì Yuǎn deduced, slowly closing the scroll on the table. "The Heavens of this world grant absurd longevity to the Half-Step Immortals and allow them to remain here without Immortal Qi. In exchange, they gain direct authority over the cultivation foundation of each of them to guarantee the balance of the Laws."
A faint gleam of irony passed through Zhì Yuǎn's eyes.
"That is why you told me downstairs that none of the leaders of the Hegemonies could descend to kill Lī'ya. They have not avoided war for ages out of patience. They maintain peace because they submitted their own cultivation foundations to the Heavens in exchange for longevity."
Zhì Yuǎn held the archivist's gaze through the slits of the mask.
"But this rule leaves a flaw in the story you told me on the first floor," he added. "If the Heavens control the foundation of everyone who enters Dao Synthesis to keep power divided, the firstborn Kī'ra could never have dominated the entire continent by force with impunity, much less decided to leave years later only because she found this world too small. She did not ascend of her own will, did she? She broke the balance that the Law of Nature required, and the Heavens expelled her as punishment."
The half-smile vanished from Mū'en's face.
The old man remained silent for a long moment before releasing a deep sigh, shaking his head as he raised the pot to refill Zhì Yuǎn's bowl.
"When a cultivator discovers a truth like this on their own, the karma they attract is far smaller than if they had heard it from the mouth of someone like me," Mū'en murmured, setting the pot on the table. "Since you discovered it yourself and pulled this karma onto you, it will not make much difference if I confirm the rest. But be careful when accumulating knowledge so far above your current level, boy. Knowing too much about the secrets of the Heavens without having the cultivation to bear the weight is a short step toward breeding a heart demon, suffering Qi deviation, or perishing in a future Tribulation."
Mū'en glanced toward the third floor just below them, where the clan's chronicles were kept.
"The story that Kī'ra found the world small and ascended alone is what we left recorded to inspire the new generations," the archivist admitted. "The truth is that girl was far too proud to accept remaining subservient to the Heavens after reaching the summit."
The old man's gaze grew distant.
"As soon as she entered Dao Synthesis, she perceived the restriction upon her own foundation. She knew that if she killed any of the leaders of the Five Hegemonies, the Heavens would destroy her cultivation at once for breaking the balance. So she killed no one. But she descended the tree, tore the fang from the Tiger, defeated the other four leaders until none of them could stand, and forced the entire continent to obey only the Red Leaf."
Mū'en rested his elbows on the edge of the table.
"She did not take the lives of the other Half-Step Immortals, but she destroyed the balance of power of the entire world. The Heavens tolerated it for a few years, waiting for her to step back and restore the old division. When it became clear she would not yield… the punishment came. It was not an ordinary ascension Tribulation. Space itself opened above her head without warning and expelled her from this realm by force."
"And she did not end up in the Supreme Realm connected to this one," Zhì Yuǎn said, recalling Mū'en's mention that they had never heard from her again.
"No," the archivist confirmed. "When someone ascends from a Higher Realm, the spatial flow always leads to the same principal world to which we are connected above. The Patriarch had acquaintances waiting for her on the other side, but Kī'ra never appeared there. The only certainty we have, because her soul lamp in the dome remains lit to this day, is that she did not die in the Chaotic Void. She fell into some other world… but neither her father nor her mother has any idea where the Heavens threw her."
Mū'en looked downward, in the direction of the sector where Lī'ya lived.
"Now you understand why Lady Sī'vra worries so much about the youngest," the old man murmured. "Lī'ya has more talent than her sister. If one day she reaches Dao Synthesis, either she will have to lower her head and accept the rules her sister refused, or she will end up being taken from her mother's arms the same way."
Zhì Yuǎn remained silent, hand resting on the closed scroll.
For the ordinary cultivators of that realm, the leaders of the Hegemonies were untouchable Immortals. In reality, they had stopped halfway to true immortality and submitted their own cultivation foundations to the Heavens merely to keep their long lives—an agreement that someone who had built the Mill and the Loom to be the sole master of his Inner Universe would never accept.
But the functioning of that realm also explained what was happening with his body.
For four weeks in the room, he had tried to absorb the Qi of this world by force, drawing the energy into his chest to breach the crust that isolated his Dantian. And every time, the Qi dissipated before reaching it, because in that world all energy answered to the balance of the Law of Nature and dispersed in the face of forced absorption.
In contrast, on the only occasion in two months when he had not tried to force cultivation—when he had placed his bare hand on the pillar in Vhōl's workshop merely to help contain the recoil of the three unbalanced veins—the energy of the tree had entered straight through his arm and made the seal at the bottom of his Dantian crack.
If that was the case, he could not simply pull the Qi of that world as he had done before. He would need to find a way to place his own body in balance with that new energy so that, only then, he might have some chance of recovering his Dantian.
"Elder Mū'en," Zhì Yuǎn said, raising his face. "Where are the records on the foundations of the Law of Nature and the functioning of this tree's veins?"
Mū'en blinked, emerging from the memories of Kī'ra, and opened a slow smile.
"Giving up on the basic techniques of the first floor so soon?" the old man asked, pointing with his thumb over his shoulder toward the ramp that rose to the fifth floor. "The treatises on the Law of Nature and the control of the veins are right up there. But I will warn you that, without Qi in the body to test in practice, that is nothing but dense theory of formation and energy circulation."
Zhì Yuǎn picked up the bowl of warm tea and drained it in a single gulp, setting it back on the table empty.
"Theory is more than enough for me," Zhì Yuǎn said, rising to his feet.