Pathway to Eternity 7 Antiques in the marke

He dreamt of a gateway, with two closed gates. The gateway had rune inscriptions on it. The runes were emitting different types of light colours. The gates were like diamond stones, sparkling bright lights in their dazzling glory.

These light were too bright to look at for too long. What was this place? What were these gates? Where did they lead to? Other worlds? Maybe, even heavens. It worth the try to see what was on the other side.

He tried to take a step towards the gates, but couldn't lift up his legs.

"You are just a childling, you will simply die."

"Who's there?"

"Now, begone."

He woke up startled.

It was a dream, but felt so real. What kind of dream was that? Too much to take a peek? Even if i had entered and died, it was just a dream. All i needed to do was to wake up. Tah dah, safe and sound, smiling to the farm to drink some fresh goat milk. Anyways, i'm just a child, probably too young to die. No need for me to worry much about it.

He relaxed his mind, washed his face and went to search for his mother. He learnt that she was in the cultivation chamber, hence, he resolved to go and practice his martial arts. When he got there, he started repeating the steps for the basics, stances, formations and weapons. He was working himself so hard that he didn't know when his grandpa arrived.

His grandpa watched him for some time, before he interrupted the training.

"hem."

"Grandpa! I didn't see you there. I was trying to practice while i wait for you."

"Mhm, that's very thoughtful of you. I have been watching you for quite a time now. Your moves are more precise and the forcefield much more stronger. It showed you are really getting into the mindframe of a martial artist. To be the best you can be at martial arts, practice! Practice! Practice! Continous training will engrave it in your heart becoming intuitive. Helping you hone the skills you have. That is how martial masters are made. Always realize that you can get better and practices will definitely make you the better."

Aodh uttered as he stared admiringly at Haider. Then, he moved to where the stone dummies for practice were placed, turned to regard his grandson.

"Today, i will start by showing you how powerful your martial art can be when you power your moves with your Chi. These stone dummies are protected by talismans. That's why they could be used to do training successfully. They can withstand training attacks."

He removed the talisman from one of the dummies and hit the dummy. There was a loud muffled sound from the impact which only rocked the stone dummy.

"That was brute strength, you can see that there was little to no effect, right? But when you now add your inner force, your Chi energy to the move, it becomes very powerful. Cultivators use their Chi to power all their martial arts in combats."

Aodh hit the dummy again, but this time, his palm was powered with his Chi. The dummy exploded into dust.

"Although, It's true that there are spirit pills that can replenish the Chi in the body, but the body can only get raw Chi from them. The body still need to refine and condense the Chi. In combat, it will be difficult, if not impossible to refine and condense Chi. The cultivator will have to use raw Chi. You have advantage there. But i tell you this, unless in absolute combat, try not to use Chi. Karma is on everything you do. Do you understand?"

"Yes grandpa. I do. I won't forget that."

Aodh producing a manuscript, gestured for him to come over.

"These are copies of martial techniques we have in our family."

Holding a golden manuscript in his right hand.

"This is our ancestral manuscript, it contains both hand and sword techniques. There are two hand techniques. The seering flame and the shifting heavens hand techniques. The shifting heaven is not affinity related. As for it's sword technique, it's called the beasts inferno technique. I use the [Dragon Inferno], your grandmother uses the fire [Eagle Inferno] and your mother uses the [Phoenix Inferno]. We all have the fire affinity. Although, you don't have fire affinity, i will still show you the techniques. They need to be in your memory, permanently engraved."

Aodh placed the golden manuscript to one side. Then holding the remaining manuscripts for Haider to read.

"These are techniques bought, given or exchanged. Let's check them and see ones that suits you for now."

They went through the techniques one by one and found the ones that suited him most after testing them out. Since he couldn't use the Flaming cloud hand technique, they settled for the shifting heavens palms as the hand technique. For the sword technique, Lacking fire affinity and lack of any lightning technique, they chose the Sky Light as the sword technique for him because of his light affinity and it was the only light elemental technique they got.

"When the techniques are powered by Chi, their true powers will be displayed. The sword techniques take longer to master, you will neee to train harder and be very patient. The thing with any weapon technique is the elemental affinity of the owner."

Aodh produed his sword, Skyfire, he faced the dummies and used the beasts stormfire, the first stage of the beasts inferno technique. Raging storm of pressing fire attacked the dummies.

"This sword was made from white nephrite and a white wyvern core was used. Wyverns and dragons are fire beasts. There are different sources where elemental cores can be obtained. Apart from mundane animals and normal plants, everything has a core. For an immortal cultivator of a particular affinity, a weapon of that particular affinity must be made for the cultivator to be able to bring out the full power of the element or elements if he has more than one. You as a light and lightning affiliate, will need a sword made of light, lightning or both energies. They will serve as the core of the sword when it's being forged. "

He stopped to see the expression on Haider's face, then smiled.

"There's a good thing going for you, though, you have plenty Chi. The benefit we get cultivating the astral primal technique is the effect it has on the dantian and meridian. When you cultivate with the astral primal technique and the dantian becomes enlarged, the amount of chi it can contain becomes many times greater than that of normal cultivator's Chi. You see, in the world of cultivation, martial art move on it's own is just a simple move when you are facing another cultivator. Your opponent will just shrug it off. Now, let me show you the moves. The hand technique first."

Aodh transmitted the ancestral techniques to his grandson and showed him the moves. Haider already grasped the fundamentals of the moves because they were engraved in his brain. He could practice them later af any time.

But, for the following two hours, he continued to practice the Skylight. It wasn't their family line technique, his grandpa didn't learn it either because he was fire affiliated while the technique was light elemental. Thus, he had to learn practicing it on his own. The technique had four steps.

[The white flare], [The golden pillar], [The rainbow vortex] and [The skylight].

And, after training for a while.

"Haider, we stop here for now. The market would be opened for the antiques. Your mother and grandma will be waiting for us. We have decided to follow the two of you to the market, maybe, we can find interesting things too. You will continue the training later."

Leaving the training center, they headed towards the cave. They found the two of them by the entrance to the cave. After, they left for the market place. Their home was at the extreme outskirt of the village. They could have flown but decided to walk using the generally popular light steps. Walking made them felt the peaceful nature.

The market was already setup in stalls of antique dealers. It was the time for their own village to host the antique dealers. People enjoyed buying and selling of things, therefore, it was a welcomed event in villages and cities.

As they passed through the village, they were exchanging greetings with the rest of the villagers. Most of the other villagers knew them and some who didn't know them in persons had heard their family name before, Amynthas. The people that bought the land at the very outskirt of the village. It could even be said to be outside the village. It would take few kilometers from their cave to the next house.

People who couldn't wait, came from other villages and cities. They flooded the market area, buying, selling or just looking. It was a lively and busy place.

The Amynthas decided to split up to make it more fun and easier looking for things.

Haider was checking the stalls when he came upon a stall of talismans. When he saw the owner, an elderly man who wore a blue and white robe, he raised his cupped hands to him.

"Senior."

The man nodded in response.

"Welcome young mister. Please take a look, all are ancient items. All good values, my words on them."

Haider looked through the items as his brows knitted in a frown.

"Anything you might need in particular, young mister?"

"Senior, i'm looking for some technique manuscripts. I need light affinity hand technique, lightning affinity hand technique and lightning affinity sword technique."

"Alright, slow down mister. You must be light and lightning double elemental affiliate. Good hand technique is difficult to get, but you can still get it. But, sword technique? Either your clan have one or you have a sword master. On the probability that your clan don't have the one you need and no sword master, you can only join a sect. You look for a sect with what you need. That's the best and safest option for you."

"Senior, a sect?"

"Yes, a school where they teach you martial arts and weapon techniques. Some of them have ancient techniques too. It's the best place for you to learn, if you really want to." He stroked his beard with a thoughtful face. "But, i do have a light palm technique, the starlight technique. It's an ancient technique, but i do not know the origin. If you want, i can give it to you with this talisman. The mountain bark talisman. The best protection you can find on me."

"Okay senior. How much for them?"

"For you, it will only cost two thousand high grade spirit stones."

"I will take them."

Haider paid for them and left the stall with a slightly lifted mood. At least, he got a light technique. He was happy with himself. He kept on searching the stalls, but couldn't find any more techniques related to him. He traversed the market looking for his family. His mother, who had her divine sense on, already knew that he was looking for them. With light steps, she appeared beside him.

"Did you manage to find anything for yourself."

"Yes mother. I found a light hand technique and a talisman."

"Hm, you are really having a great time. Aren't you?" Reena shook her head, it was a really lively place, the busiest she had ever seen the place in a while.

They called it a day, since they've seen the items on the stalls and bought the ones they wanted to buy. Later, they found Aodh and Euanthe talking to the village head, headman Huan Yu.

Headman Huan Yu was a middle stage golden core cultivator. He reported to the lord of Oak city, lord Bao Wang, since the village was under him. When headman Huan Yu saw Reena with her son, he gave her a slight bow.

"Lady Reena."

"Headman Huan." Reena nodded in return.

He knew Reena was at nascent soul but he had never seen her true power before, even her aura was always masked. So much power at such a young age. He shifted his glance to Reena's left to regard her son.

"Young mister Haider."

"Headmaster, sir." Haider replied with a bow.

"Hm.....very well. I hope you are having a good."

"I'm trying to sir." He beamed with a bright smile.

"That's good enough."

Huan Yu nodded with a smile on his face. He turned towards Reena.

"Lady Reena, i was just now telling your parents about the Lunar festival. It's a thousand years next month from the last festival, our village is compulsed to participate in it. We will need your presence and the other nascent soul cultivator, at the lunar plain when the time comes"

"Oh. Alright, that won't be a problem. Just let me know when the time comes, headman Huan."

"I will."

After saying their goodbyes they returned to their cave.

The lunar festival. Celebration of the lunar alignment. It happened every thousand year. When there was an alignment in the lunar cosmic system. The nine villages sorrounding the lunar mountain, will send their lunaries, participants, to climb the mountain and get one of the lunar stones. The festival was to promote unity and harmony among the villages.

After they had all settled.

"Mother, what do you think about me joining a sect?"

"A sect?" Reena adoringly stared at her son. He has grown really fast. How time flies.

"Me and your grandparents have also talked about. It is really good for you. You need to socialize with other kids from different parts. Seeing the difference in human nature will gain you more experience. You have the foundation already. As long as you can keep them in your heart, you will be fine. Moreover, these sects have access to ancient manuscripts, you will really learn a lot. Knowledge is power."

She continued.

"We will look for a relevant one for you after the festival. You need to train harder than before because you need to pass their tests"

"Thank you mother."

Chapter end