Writer Eternal: Different from the U.S., the last name is mentioned first. The MC is only going through such changes to catch up with those his age. He will still know less spells, skills, and possess less experience. It is only his potential that will give him an edge. Thanks for reading.

Chapter 3: Realm of Consciousness

With a bang of gold light, Wei appeared in stone room littered with carvings on the walls. The mask flew from his face and floated before him. It turned into a myriad of colors before entering his sword and body.

Wei's body turned taller and more stream-lined, some fat burning into muscle. Wei's blade lost its black and azure as it turned a shiny steel color with an azure green hue towards the point of the sword. Wei also learned new sword skill besides the Azure Destruction Blast skill: Woeful Poison Blade.

It was a skill that resulted in the cut target to suffer a searing poison that targeted the spirit energy of the cultivator. The cultivator would die once the poison spread to the heart. The azure green poison's potency would grow as Wei's cultivation did.

As Wei concentrated spirit energy into his sword, azure and black auras would permeate from the blade. As for Wei's body, his Fire Spirit Root grew larger and contained aspects of thunder within. Wei would soon possess a dual attribute spirit root.

Within his body, black and azure spirit energies coiled within his meridians as they slowly opened and enlarged new ones. It was now fact that Wei was no longer a poor cultivation talent that needed ten years to break a single layer of cultivation.

Wei did not leave the room immediately as he desired to record the carvings in the wall. Besides desiring to see his parents, he only bothered to cultivate to explore the world. Currently, recording new mysteries into his journal was more important than immortality.

Wei took some time organizing his new loot, placing the more worthless ones into his storage ring. He had no idea what most of them could do and based solely on spirit energy or image. If something ordinary was looted from a very powerful condemned, he still kept it in his mysterious space. He had read many books and figured some ordinary items may just be that on the surface.

Wei laughed, laying on the ground with joy. His reaps in the ruins were beyond great and didn't care to take the third trial mentioned by the seraph. He would rather go home and train his skills and spells to prepare to leave the island for good. Wei got up after the recording finished and ensured the items in his storage ring would not connect him to the execution platform.

As Wei walked out of the room, he appeared on a grass plain with a familiar cabin before him. His eyes widened with disbelief as his grandmother stepped out of the cabin and smiled at him.

"Grandma?" Wei asked incredulously.

"Hello Wei. It seems all your diving turned out well, didn't it?" his grandmother smiled.

"Grandma Lin, what is going on? I thought I was heading to the third trial?" Wei asked.

"This is the third trial. All your life, you lived within the immortal ruins. The Black Sea is not ordinary at all. You should already have known this. What other reason could explain the absence of life in its waters?" his grandmother smiled. "The answer is simple: this is the second tear of the sky that ravaged Earth over a decade ago. I made you out of earth and rock, the golden drops of the blood of immortal sovereigns giving you life."

"I, impossible. You're lying," Wei stammered as he fell backwards onto the ground. "This is some kind of trick. An illusion!"

"It is not a trick Wei. The reason no human ever entered the Black Sea Entrance is because the living cannot enter its waters. Your spirit energy possess an undying property, the water incapable of draining your life energy because your spirit energy protects and sustains it. That is why you do not wither. That is why you entered the ruins. Those who enter the ruins are granted a chance for reincarnation and freedom. It is my duty, as one of the ruin's guardians, to create more life for the ruins. With great life must come death. Thus, the second trial for the Black Sea Portal is always the execution grounds to maintain the balance of life and death."

"You're telling me the real reason I had to kill one million souls was because mine was too strong?"

"No. Your soul was too weak. The reason you stayed at the first layer of the Spirit Condensation Realm since you began at age seven is because your soul could not catch up to the spirit energy consumption of your body. You are also to blame for your little adventures at sea. At the second trial, your soul energy was purified to an unfathomable degree and your soul also devoured fragments of those one million condemned. That is why you suddenly broke six levels to the seventh layer of spirit condensation."

"Then why the lies? Why tell me I had parents at all?" Wei screamed.

"Souls always desire companionship, even if they desire power. You cannot be alone. You may walk the path alone, but you do encounter allies and enemies. Thus, you are never truly alone. You have passed the third trial for you are your own trial. No one was allowed to tell the truth. Not me, not the villagers, and even the seraphim overseers could not tell you. I am truly sorry, Wei. However, you will have the family you always wanted."

"What do you mean? I have no parents," Wei scoffed, his eyes hollow.

"You are to replace the body and soul of another. One whose appearance shares yours. You were always meant to replace him. To create life, one must possess a piece of it. You were made of a soul fragment of his. The original Wei. Now, you leave this place. Seize destiny and shape it to your will. It belongs to no one but you," the old woman smiled and a warm light surrounded Wei. "His memories are yours. That includes the pain and suffering. It is the only way the transition goes unnoticed. This is your last chance. Do you wish to remain or explore the world? If so, store your sword and medallion in the mysterious space or lose them forever. Let it serve as a reminder of where you come from."

"Grandma," Wei started but lost his voice as tears fell down.

"It is okay. I knew this day would come. I have many grandsons and granddaughters. You are special, for your life was made in a different way. Your soul was a fragment, but the sovereign blood made it whole and entirely your own. Its potency made me worry about you the most. Now, I can be at ease as I make my next grandchild," Grandma Lin smiled, giving him a swift hug. "Goodbye. Remember: your existence is special. You were created by the immortal ruins. You will always have an identity, a family, no matter which planet you go."

Wei tried to reach out to her, but he vanished with the light. The villagers appeared and joined Grandma Lin in staring out at sea. Each of them was created to oversee the training of the new life born. Whether it remained human or became an undead monster, both were hard to let go. However, the cycle must continue.

It must continue for they are the Undying Race, and they were the guardians of the immortal ruins.

On an unknown planet thrice Earth's size, a series of buildings and pagodas were built within a long mountain range. Several small valleys and snow peaks decorated the mountain range, bountiful signs of life present everywhere. It was as this time that a warm light radiated from a small manor among the buildings at the outskirts of the gigantic mountain city.

One muscular man and one old man were sitting around a table at the center of a lake. Before them was a chess table and the two men enjoyed the serene lake around them as they sipped their tea.

A servant in brown robes raced across the bridge connecting the small pavilion to the building on shore, sweat covering his brow. His breath grew ragged as he stopped before the two men. The old man's eyes were closed, enjoying his tea as his opponent turned to face the servant.

"What is it? The elder and I are busy," the man asked.

"The, the Esteemed Elder's grandson....." the servant panted. "He's recovered!"

"Chen? Of course he is. He is talented cultivator, like my brother. That nephew of mine, his mission was fairly easy. He only suffered a few scratches. No big deal," the muscular man scoffed. "Why bother my father?"

"It is not the first young master, but the second!" the servant cried, stunning both men.

"WHAT?" the man cried. "Wei? Impossible. He was born with a fragmented soul. To this day, my father feels guilt for not protecting my sister-in-law at that time. He was also born a cripple as a result. He can't have recovered. You dare lie to us?"

"Is this true?" the old man asked, killing intent radiating from him. The servant's face paled and he fell to his knees and bowed his head to the ground.

"This servant dares speaks this is the truth! Young Master Cong Wei has recovered. About such a matter, this servant dare not lie," the trembling servant yelled, afraid his masters would punish him. "A warm light radiates from his room. The heat is so fierce, it burns the wooden walls and floors. This servant even detected that his cultivation even broke past six levels to the seventh layer of condensation!"

The two men stare at one another before gazing at the trembling servant. It was then that the two men could sense a large surge in spirit energy converging to a single location. Disbelief in their eyes, they noticed the spirit energy continued to rise. The son of the elder grabbing the servant on the collar, the two men sped in the direction of the surge.

Every cultivator in the area was disturbed by the surge in energy. Whether they were part of an academy, sect, or, on their own; the cultivators raced to the surge in suspicion of an immortal treasure being created.

They ignored the guards in gold armor, their numbers too great to be stopped as they entered a large estate. Before greed, reason was thrown aside for the risk of even greater reward.

Dozens of cultivators paused in shock as they saw red fire burning around a seventeen year old youth. Which noble among their numbers could not recognize him. He was Duke Cong Wei, the cripple also known as Tragic Duke Cripple. He was named 'Never' because he could never recover and be an immortal. Thus, his other nickname was Duke Nevermore.

His father was a general of the army, giving his second son the title of duke because he had no hopes for cultivation while his elder brother's talent surpassed even him and the Han Clan's patriarch! Yet, the crippled duke was actually the source of the surge? Cong Wei of the Han Clan recovered!

As Cong Wei's grandfather and uncle appeared, they noticed him open his gray eyes. They noticed a white jade storage ring on Wei's left index finger, seeing a sheathed sword appear from it. The mysterious red flames vanished and the surge stopped as Wei used his sword as a support to keep steady while falling to his knees.

The audience's hearts stirred as two spirit energies coiled around Wei like living dragons. One was black in color while the other a dark azure. Wei could only yell as he released his accumulated spirit energy. Huge waves of force blasted around him. The ground cracked and plant life withered as Wei fainted onto the ground soon after.

"Wei!" his uncle cried, tossing the servant aside.

"Cong Wei!" the grandfather roared, pushing people aside.

"He's breathing," the uncle, Xin, sighed with relief. "Father, I..... I can't believe it. He really healed. He was named Never, but he healed! He is also truly at the seventh layer!"

The Han patriarch kept silent as he pressed his hand on Wei's chest, saying, "He didn't just recover! He has a dual-attribute spirit root! His affinity is geared towards fire more than lightning. I also detect traces of some kind of earth essence material I've never seen before."

"What did you give him?" Xin asked the servant, everyone's eyes bulging and stretching their necks to hear the words of the pale servant.

"I, I, I just gave him the usual egg soup appetizer before the regular lunch meal," the servant stuttered.

"Father?" Xin asked, turning to the patriarch.

"Whatever we had in our medicinal storage, we've used for years. I don't know what caused such a hair-raising event," the patriarch sighed and turned to the masses. "How did you get in here? Golden Army, get them out!"

The audience trembled as reason and wit returned. Bowing furiously, the cultivators left before they faced the gold armored guards of the Han Clan. An hour later, members of the Han Clan gathered in the patriarch's hall.

All of them stared at Cong Wei with curiosity as he slept on a chair. Cong Wei, or Wei to his family, had woken up a few minutes ago before the fatigue took him seconds after.

"Duke Nevermore actually recovered," one of the teenagers muttered, the adults glaring at him.

"Silence boy! This is the patriarch's hall," his mother snapped, smacking his head hard before bowing her head in apology.

"Shall we begin?" one of the clan elders asked.

"Yes. Now, did anyone one out of the ordinary enter my grandson's house?" the patriarch asked. "Cong Wei was given the title of duke by my son, but I've handled his affairs. He only had two servants to take care of him and five more to cook his meals and maintain the manor. No one had permission to enter without my approval. The servant testified that no one had. Thoughts?"

"Maybe he ate something?" one of the Han Clan members suggested.

"No. His meals were ordinary mortal food as all attempts to cure him were deemed impossible before he turned ten. Just reaching the first layer was a miracle in itself," Xin shook his head. "You can't just acquire a dual attribute spirit root using such methods. You can't break past six levels by eating normal food either."

"Uncle," a twenty year old boy asked. "Could an expert have seen Cong Wei?"

Xin looked at the talented Chen and furrowed his brows. There were all kinds of experts and cultivation methods in the world. Cong Wei receiving help from such an expert would be a good thing, but why help him at all? There were forty nine dukes in the empire the size of North America.

As the Han Clan contemplated how Cong Wei miraculously recovered, changed occurred in the boy's body. A golden fireball appeared in the depths of Wei's mind, dark azure and black spirit energy coiling around the giant fire ball.

From the giant fireball were wails and moans. These were the anguished soul fragments of the million condemned. They were devoured into Wei's soul, but hadn't yet been fully absorbed.

Below the giant fireball of energy was a thousand foot long dragon with purple metal scales. It wasn't a serpent bodied Asian dragon but a winged-lizard bodied European dragon. It looked tiny below the titanic fireball as if it was a gecko next to a lion cub

Wei's consciousness was currently in that realm, seeing the titanic fireball and dragon for the first time. He felt like a frog seeing the full moon above a well for the first time as he gazed at the titanic fireball. He then turned toward the dragon and held his breath in awe and fear.

The dragon releases a roar, countless memories entering Wei's mind. Wei's mind is shocked and he exits the mysterious realm of consciousness. Back in the outside world, Wei stirred and awoke from his trance. All members of the Han Clan abruptly turn their heads to him.

They saw sweat on Wei's brow and his heaving panting. Clearly, he was shocked after seeing something. Wei cries out as he sees sparks on his left hand and a small flame in his right hand. He calms down as he realizes that he is the one making the sparks and flame. At his feet, rocks appeared, moving in a gravitational rotation.

"Triple attribute spirit root! Dual attribute is uncommon, but three is rare! It would have been great if he had five attributes," Xin sighed.

"Is your skull hollow without a brain with reason? He should not have been able to cultivate at all! Three attributes is also a blessing!" the patriarch roared, disrupting Wei and causing the elements to disappear.

"Patriarch," the hall thundered, silencing their cries but the clan still snuck glances. Everyone in the room was someone with position in the clan, bringing their chosen successors to sit behind them as they sat along the aisle of the throne room. All of them faced Cong Wei, Xin, and the patriarch as the three held the highest positions.

"Cong Wei, are you alright?" the patriarch asked.

"I'm fine grandfather," Wei replied, memories of the original Cong Wei in his mind. "I feel.....so powerful. So refreshed."

"You broke past six layers and possess triple attributes. How could you not be?" many people in the hall thought but didn't dare voice them. At least, Cong Wei would no longer be a shame. Although having his soul damaged was not his fault, other clans looked down on them as he was the duke.

"I...I am a duke. Is that right?" Wei asked.

"Yes. You are the duke. Why?" the patriarch asked, curious.

"I want the clans who mocked me stripped of their rent and kicked out my dukedom. I want all those who bullied me to be beheaded and their heads mounted on spikes above the castle gate," Wei said, thinking back on the wuxia novels he read back on Earth.

Rather, the island he thought was a part of the Earth. He still had trouble accepting the truth despite all his experiences. A part of him felt glad to have a real close family, but he was sad to leave his grandmother and gain the memories of suffering belonging to the original Cong Wei.

There were some dark, suicidal memories that were really strong and impactful. There was also hate and a desire for vengeance. His question was to put the old Cong Wei at ease. If the original desired it, Wei decided to do it to let the soul rest in peace.

"This..." Xin began, looking to the patriarch.

"You are the duke. In your dukedom, your word is law and only imperial law stands above it. This is your dukedom. Now, you have done the right thing. They mocked you as Duke Nevermore. Sadly, I could no nothing to stop them. If you want them dead, so be it. Just not the head on pikes," the patriarch said.

"Fine. No one dies. However, strip all those people of their money and belongings. Keep the best clans for us and have the rest of the land used based on their surroundings. Farms near farmland, apartments if surrounded by apartments, and so on," Wei sighed.

"They won't survive out there without money," one of the elders protested. "isn't this going too far?"

"Have you been mocked all your life?" Wei asked, seeing the man look at the ground. "No? I did not think so. You want them to have pity money? Fine. Give them one silver and three days to get out my dukedom. Those unable to comply are to be beaten and thrown out. Guards! Relay my orders. I don't think you need to ask who they are considering my infamous treatment."

"Yes, Lord Duke," the guards shouted. While the duke could not cultivate, he was still good to his guards and servants and the dukedom prospered. Most who mocked them were from clans trying to rival the Han Clan's influence.

"Silence!" the patriarch roared as some clan members stood up in shock and tried to reason with Wei. "Han Cong Wei has made his decree. Whoever defies him will personally be beaten and exiled from the clan! He is your duke! Know your place!"

"Wei, you made a hard decision," Chen said, patting his younger brother's shoulder. "You can now cultivate. So long as you reach the ninth layer of condensation, you can be accepted by an academy or sect."

"I am at the ninth layer. The peak in fact," Wei frowned, stunning the elders and Chen. They probed him with their spirit energy and found out he spoke the truth. They noticed his eyes were blue once more, no longer the ominous gray from when he was surrounded with red flames.

"YES!" the patriarch cried, his fist destroying a hand rest. "One prodigal grandson reaching the ninth layer at twelve and already an inner sect disciple. As a duke, Cong Wei can be accepted into one of the immortal academies. Our clan's foundations are secure."

"An academy?" Wei asked, looking at Xin.

"The academies are all institutions backed by the empire. The empires roots are deep and no individual sect can defy the empire. Academies are also united under the imperial banner, not at all like the warring sects which fight and kill one another for resources. The main difference is that the top academies require commoners and nobles alike to be at the ninth layer of condensation, the worst of the academies requiring the early stage of the eighth layer of condensation. All the academies require you to reach the minimum cultivation before age twenty. The sects are more lenient, but value talent and background even more," Xin answered.

"Academies don't care about backgrounds because of the imperial family. Thus, strength dictates your success and treatment," a clan elder agreed. "The only benefit of a good background is the waiver of academy fees unless your talent earns you a scholarship."

"How do I compare to others my age?" Wei asked.

"Not bad. Among the true geniuses, you barely pass because of your spirit root," Xin nodded. "You're young, only seventeen. Still, there are those from ancient clans with four or even the fabled five attribute spirit roots. You already missed the recruitment periods, but you can still enter the academy due to your title as duke."

"What about all of you?" Wei asked.

"They'll be fine," Chen grinned. "Grandpa is the patriarch and can run things while you're gone. You better pack up and get ready to leave via the teleportation array platform in the city. The academy grandpa always dreamed for one of us to go starts in three days."

"Get him packed now. Take him to the Clan Vault and give him half of his seventeen years worth of profit as duke. Things are expensive there. Xin, take this letter and give it to the academy principal. Elders, our Han Clan is on the rise. Be sure to increase the training for the other teens to prepare them for sects or academies. Go. Now!" the patriarch roared and everyone in the patriarch's hall bowed and left in a flash.

"Heaven is fair. I should also make sure those scum are thrown out the dukedom. A few talented among them should also conveniently disappear," the patriarch said, one of his guards nodding and left to swiftly carry out his orders with a few others.