I awoke sometime later, unsure of how long I’d slept, still being surrounded in darkness. I collected my weapons from the ground and noticed the etchings of the Shuras were nowhere to be found on my Phalanx Glaive.

I spent a few minutes to reinscribe them, printing a fresh copy of the shuras straight from my soul using [Brand of the Frenzied Flame], including my new [Mark of the Colossus] technique I had just developed. As I looked at my handiwork, I reflected now on what I’d just achieved.

I’d just had a monumental breakthrough in developing that technique.

And that was only for [Mark of the Giant].

What the hell would I call the upgraded versions of [Mark of the Beast] and [Mark of the Demon]? [Mark of the Arch-Demon] maybe? [Mark of the Savage]? And just how powerful would I become if I used them all together when I was within the next realm?

I imagined rocking out with [Mark of the Arch-Demon] and [Mark of the Colossus] while already in my [Sacred Soul] form. Just the idea sent my head spinning. Or could it even be done at all? Suddenly, the idea of taking over an entire planet just like King Theos didn’t seem so far out of the realm of possibilities now.

Still, I had a long way to go.

And I needed to turn in this cosmic rock to achieve my next milestone––learning how to ‘get good’ in the ring from the masters of Rhi Ben. As powerful as I could become behind closed doors, I still needed a way to present myself in Yee society that was acceptable. And learning how to face each type of weapon would take me a long way towards achieving that.

Assuming Master Koh could get the Chief to agree, that was.

“Time to find out,” I said.

I rolled off my hunches and stowed my weapons within my Inner World before grabbing the Heart of the Fallen Star.

It was time to get back to the surface.

* * *

I bolstered myself with [Steel Lightning] and [Diamond Skin] and shot myself back through the hole I had made in the ceiling. Enduring the heat of the lava felt a bit easier this time. Whether I was simply used to it, had experienced some form of advancement in my defenses or just knew it would be short lived since I was heading up instead of down, I didn’t know, but I busted through the surface of the lava lake like a champ in just a few minutes.

It was night out now and by the height of the moon, I figured I had to have been gone perhaps three or four hours. I [Rode the Lightning] to the shore where I had left Blue Rose and found her sleeping on the hard shale. Before I even reached her, she stirred abruptly from her slumber with a yell.

“Argh!” she cried. “What the hell is that?”

I wondered for a moment if she was talking about me, especially considering I was buck naked at the moment, but then I realized she hadn’t even seen me yet.

“Blue, it’s me,” I called to her. “I’m back.”

She turned towards me and screamed a second time, shielding her eyes. “Nine saints, I didn’t need to see that, Max! Cover you damn self. And you reek of Demonic Qi.”

I immediately placed the red crystal before my nether regions. “Sorry.”

She winced. “Is that thing the heart? Can you do something about it? It’ll drive me mad at this rate.”

I forgot how sensitive Blue Rose was to Dark Frenzy in general, but this stuff was Cursed. I wished I could have absorbed it into my inner world just like with my weapons, but I hadn’t prepped a place for it as yet, not to mention I’d probably need the knowledge from Chief Muraboshi to do so.

I did the next best thing and extended my [Sacred Soul Shield] and immediately Blue Rose let out a gasp of relief. I could feel the crystal pushing back against my technique from within my sphere of influence, draining Frenzy, but at least it meant it was stopping it from radiating its Cursed Frenzy as well.

Blue Rose removed the top of her outer robe and threw it to me and I quickly turned it into a makeshift loin cloth.

“Thanks,” I said.

“Yeah…Don’t worry about giving that back.”

I laughed.

“So, you got it, huh?” Blue Rose said, studying the crystal more closely as I landed next to her. “Was it hard to find? You were gone for hours.”

I couldn’t get into the details of my fight with a Star Born Deep Dweller so I just shook my head. “Nah. Was smooth sailing. Just got waylaid a bit.”

“No kidding.”

“Come on, let’s get back to Mal’kira. I hope she has some food left. I’m freaking starving right now.”

We hopped back to the base camp and thankfully my [Sacred Soul Shield] did its job to protect Mal’Kira from the Heart’s cosmic influence as well, but even just looking at it made her eyes cross. I stowed the crystal away in one of the sacks Master Koh had given us and then set in for another dinner of provisions.

I must have burned a lot of calories going through the lava and although using the [Marks] didn’t allow my body to retain its natural gains, I had some pretty decent spiritual gains to be proud of. We decided to pack it in for the rest of the night and by dawn were headed back to the village again.

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We found the entrance, or where the entrance should have been, and Blue Rose smashed the Crystal Lizard scale on the ground. We all waited for what felt like an eternity. I wasn’t sure if the effect was supposed to be instantaneous or not, but just when I was about to say that we settle in to wait it out longer, Master Koh appeared from the ether.

“That was fast,” he said. “It’s just been a few days. Did you get it?”

I showed him the crystal within the sack and his eyes widened. “I was damn right to bet on you. Come. This won’t be an easy meeting, but you have what we need to survive. There is no way the Chief will deny that once he sees it.”

* * *

Koh ushered us through the portal again and snuck us through the outskirts of the village to his house. It was a humble dwelling like all the other huts in the village. Simple stone walls with a bamboo roof. He left us for a moment and then returned with some robes that could fit me.

“Alright, give it to me,” Koh said, once I was dressed. “I’ll give it to the chief.”

“Wait a minute.” Mal’Kira pushed herself between us. “Max got that cursed rock. He should be the one to present it to your chief.”

“Trust me, it will be better this way,” Koh said. “I’ll need to take responsibility for all of this. You don’t want to be seen as offering him pity again.”

Both Blue Rose and Mal’Kira looked at me for an answer.

I looked back at Koh. The guy was a little eccentric, but he had given us truthful information thus far and I didn’t sense any fear or malice in him.

“It’s okay,” I said. “I trust him.”

I handed Koh the sack and he bowed. “A wise choice.”

“I’ll still need to come with you though,” I said. “That thing is producing a ton of Demonic Qi and its only my aura that’s preventing it from turning you mad.”

“Really?” he said, looking at it more curiously. “I already feel it. You mean its stronger than this even?”

“You want me to show you?”

He waved his hand. “No, no. Just come on then. Don’t say a word any of you. Just kotow before him and let me handle things.”

We followed behind Master Koh as he led us through the village. Strangely we didn’t see anyone, like the whole place had turned into a ghost town. It was only when we reached the main square where the furnace was located, did we see the entire populace had been gathered together. There was probably only three hundred people or so, but their cross-eyed stares made them one of the most formidable crowds I’d ever experienced.

At the center of them, Chief Muraboshi was sat on a low stool with his two elders standing on either side of him. Koh beckoned us to kneel and prostrate ourselves before him and we followed his lead as he did so himself.

“Chief Muraboshi,” Koh said. “I come to you confessing a great sin and to offer you a token of apology.”

Muraboshi harrumphed. “And what have you done, Koh?”

“This One hired these outsiders to retrieve the Awakened Heart of a Fallen Star to restart the forge. This One did so without your knowledge. This one will receive whatever punishment is required.”

The chief’s nostrils flared. “And did these outsiders deliver?”

Koh unwrapped the crystal and a collective gasp came from the crowd.

Chief Muroaboshi took it from him gingerly and I could see a mixture of wonder and bemusement fill his eyes. He looked towards us. “These three were able to accomplish this?”

“They are legionnaires, Chief Muraboshi,” Koh said. “Their leader an Imperial Marshal. This One saw the opportunity and took it.”

Muraboshi harrumphed again. “And what did you offer them as payment for this?”

“Knowledge,” Koh said. “Of our fighting styles and of your inner world cultivation.”

“What?” Muraboshi balked at the request.

“This One thought it a fair trade, my Chief.”

“My chief is right,” Muraboshi said. “You have usurped my authority and parleyed with foreigners behind my back. And now, as a result, I am forced to honor this deal you have concocted to save face for us all.”

“This one realizes his fault,” Koh said. “This one deeply apologizes.”

As he said the words ‘save face’ I realized exactly what the hell it was that I was witnessing before me. It was all an elaborate sort of pantomime. The Chief knew he needed that rock and he was grateful for Koh to have gotten us to retrieve it, but through this public spectacle, he had to pretend like it was a big problem to save face in front of everyone.

I wondered for a moment if they really believe that crap or not or if it was all just a show to them as well. But then, Muraboshi was like 14000 years old so who knew how he actually thought. Maybe this pandering and tradition was more important to them than anything.

“Stand!” Muroboshi barked and Koh signaled for us to do so swiftly.

Muraboshi then stood himself and stared up at me with a scowl. “I will honor the deal that my insubordinate clansman has bartered with you outsider, but know this…” He paused a moment. “It is against our tradition to share any knowledge with foreigners such as you. So, in order to receive this payment, you must become a smith and follow our ways of pacifism.”

It was my turn to balk now. “What? This wasn’t—”

“So long as you are within our village you shall follow our ways,” Muraboshi said, cutting me off. He then turned about, ending the conversation, but then after a step he looked back over his shoulder at me. “Once you leave, you are free to do as you wish.”

I felt a sudden relief.

It truly was all just a formality or pantomime.

“Gather now followers of the Living Forge,” Muraboshi shouted and lifted the Heart high into the air. “You shall witness the rebirth of our civilization. May the tribute of these strangers, mend the sins of Brother Koh and restore us for ten thousand years hence.”

Power radiated from his palm and within the Heart I sensed the soul of Zh’urong screeching. The crystal dissolved like melting ice and a fiery bluish-white flame remained in Chief Muraboshi’s hand. He flung it towards the kiln and as it disappeared inside, a sudden whoosh of energy blasted outwards, sending bright blue flames flaring out the top of the stacks.

As heat poured from the furnace, a sudden rejuvenation filled me, just like when I had entered the village the first time. I saw it with the people of the village as well, looking instantly refreshed and younger even. The effect resonated outwards and from nowhere, fresh blossoms formed on cherry and orange trees, turning the somewhat dull and mundane village into a botanical garden of beauty and tranquility.

The villagers fell to their knees as if in worship and hailed the chief with kowtows.

We did the same, following the example of Master Koh.

Chief Muraboshi finally came to stand over us and ordered us to our feet again.

“Koh,” he said, sternly. “As atonement for your sins you shall be charged with training this man in our ways. See to it he learns to forge a sword before he is given any martial training.” He then stepped directly in front of me. “And as for the knowledge you seek from me, I shall grant it. How much time do you plan to spend here?”

“Uh…” I thought for a moment. “I have six months.”

He stared at me for a moment and then laughed. “Six months? I shall give you one lesson a month in your time, then. That will be one lesson a year here.”

My eyes grew wide. “One lesson a year?”

Muraboshi glared at me. “Do you wish one a decade?”

“No, no,” I said quick, and bowed. “Thank you, Chief Muraboshi.”

One a decade? What the hell?

“Don’t miss it,” he said. “I won’t be doing repeats.”

He turned and left, leaving us with Master Koh.

I still couldn’t believe what I was hearing.

“Master Koh, I’m going to have to stay here for six years?”

“What?” he said, nonchalantly. “How else you expect me to train you? You really think you can master anything in less than a year? You’ll probably need 60 years, but we’ll see how fast you learn.”

I stood there deadpan along with Blue Rose and Mal’Kira.

“Come on then,” Koh said, ushering us through the crowd. “No better time to start than the present. Your first lesson begins now.”