Sarey left Allan alone in a room. He was lying on a small, soft bed that she had made in a hurry. They did not have another spare room for him yet.
His hands were in front of his face as he was inspecting his eyes, or to be precise, what was left of them. He could feel the space inside. It was a rather unpleasant feeling. If some random children saw him, they would fear him. Fleshly wounds beneath the eyes were noticeable and made quite an impression. He preferably took a bandage over them so it could be kept hidden.
“Hmmm, what a strange turn of events. I wonder where I am exactly. Tricloud region is not something that is known at least. Maybe some other places? Should I ask about some kingdoms? I don’t want to sound suspicious. Maybe I could take things slowly. Even if I knew more, there was nothing I could do with that information.”
“Yea, the information is important. I wonder what 36 will help me with. Immortal pathways... What are those? Should I have a chance at them? I never intended to even think about it. True that my father is an energy user, but maybe there are some ways he wanted to teach me, but I am not of the age for it? I wonder.” Allan fell into a storm of thought. Probably overthinking a lot of stuff, while not being entirely sure about either of them.
Before he knew it, he fell asleep amidst the starry sky outside.
Meanwhile, In a not-so-starry sky. Darkness was the supreme boss here. So strong that no light could be strong enough against it. Maybe it was already like that since the beginning of this space? Who knows, since no one cared or could tell the tale.
In a certain region within this mysterious space, a flying ship flew within this space, looking as if it was tattered by heavy weather. It floated in this space as if nothing was its concern.
“Fuuuuuuck!” A penetrating cry flew through the empty hall inside this ship from one under the most common door.
Huffing sounds of dissatisfaction were heard from there as well if one paid it any attention. Inside was a ghostly body of a man with long hair of an unknown color. This was a true appearance of 36.
“I swear, that girl is not normal, yet I can’t tell shit from the star. What sort of bad luck is it? What did I do to deserve such treatment from fate? He already stopped banging the table with his meaningless hits. His frustration eventually stopped after he calmed down after some time.
He had more problems on hand than worrying about Sarey.
“Since I have him now, and he agreed. There is not a thing obscuring my progress. I swear to myself that I will make him the most powerful of the bunch of those lunatics who were made with this nonsense diary.”
He started to write hysterically on a piece of paper. There was a list of possible names of techniques with relating pathways. He knew that what would Allan go with meant the most important decision of his life, and also his own. If he chose wrong about the knowledge he held, there was no time to be sorry or regretful.
What he should consider giving him was a secondary, or, to be more precise, the best choice he could possibly give him at the moment. There could always be more truths and finds throughout the vast amount of techniques in the world of immortals. The amount of information he processed within a day was not something any mortal could accomplish in months of reading, since his soul was very powerful, but it was also very regretful since he scrapped almost 98 percent of them. There were not that many chances to summon the Spark. One could only hope for talent.
“I don’t know what kind of problems can occur with each of these. There are so many variables even among immortal families and people with sufficient talent. I doubt Allan has any of these.” 36 stared at the scrolls in front of him with a piercing gaze.
“Alright... I can only try.”
After what seemed like weeks for him within this space, what was hidden in an entirely different space-time. From the wall of names, were left only a few words in each line. These were his choices that could be used by mortals or people without sufficient qualities and pre-spark bodies.
36 made a lot of considerations about all of them. It all came down to body forging methods that could change the body to a level above normal. They were rough, beyond ancient methods, what has been here since what appeared to be the beginning of the time. They all started at significantly weaker levels and slowly moved in difficulty. Some were harder to work with and those needed endurance, strength, and will.
36 did his best to trust Allan. This was all just a gamble about what needed to be done. And one year from now. Probably even less now. Allan had to be ready for examination and succeed.
“It all comes down to these. I hope I made a good decision. What else should I have done?”
“Nothing...”
36 grabbed his head and stared into the scrolls on the table. His eyes were shooting from one place to another. It was something he did hundreds of times. He had a mental fortitude for it.
In those weeks which passed. 36 discovered a certain weird thing about the major book that enveloped his and Allan’s whole situation. That brown-covered leather book’s pages were slowly revealed to him one at a time. It was not directly from his eyes. It felt penetrative and forced. Information about further pages went directly to his mind. It was not exactly the words that surprised him about it, but the lack of any defense against it on his part. Every time he glanced inside, his mind would get overwhelmed with information about its massive content.
It was more of a scene with knowledge and examples. 36 comprehended the first few pages from the Diary and slowly moved forward. He did not know if what he knew from all these scrolls was worth the read from before, as this diary held a rather strange scene of knowledge and many beliefs, ideas, and opinions by experts who did not even leave their names behind.
Knowledge from the Diary was too complex and vast. It outstripped the previous thoughts he had about body forging but allowed him to reach a new level of understanding about such techniques. It was kind of different from the scrolls. He just couldn’t tell the context of what he discovered from this experience, nor he could tell anything about it.
It could only be understood when one experienced it himself. Directly from the diary in a rough sense of words.
“Wait. Maybe I really work on the wrong path. Considering those lesser paths and middle ones. It all comes down to the one who made this diary a diary. It is not just an accumulation of techniques, this diary is a document of supreme knowledge of the human body. What If I use the fundamentals of this and make a new technique specifically fit for Allan?”
“No... that sounds too ambitious. I don’t have enough experience with teaching or creating. Nonetheless, I could use those fundamental truths. Not just teach him one, but take some parts and force them to him in small portions. Slowly push his body into a pathway he wants. Perhaps this could be the best way to awaken a Spark.”
“No! Wait a second. SPARK! I never considered it before. If he awakens sooner or later. There could be more variables later. It all comes down to a matter of talent, but if he awakens it, I will have to change this plan.”
36 began another deep dive into the possibilities. Unbeknown to him, he spent another few weeks stuck in this state. He had never considered himself to be this focused before, and he never knew he could achieve this state for someone other than himself. It is safe to say that immortals had to have extreme patience since the path that every immortal decided to walk on was extremely vast and long. Hundreds of years were a bare minimum to accumulate certain merits and power, before being met with difficulties in the cultivation.
“This and this! Maybe this? What about another path? No.”
Another new list came forth. A similar set beneath him.
“No way. It is a similar outcome. Is this the limit to what a mortal can be taught? I refuse to believe it.”
Seeing was believing, and limits are meant to be broken. That was a saying of an old man who wanted to become immortal. That was before he died of old age. He was one of the Buddhist monks in the mortal world. Those who did not belong to any particular faction. This saying became popular ever since. At the times when the worlds were much different and peaceful.
It was hard to believe that the words could make such significant changes, but some people began to charge past their limits. It could be hard work. Patience with yourself and others of the surrounding nature. It was hard to point in the exact direction. Not even immortals were omnipotent. Only The Maker was someone who tried to glance past the history and point of the universe. That was, of course, not known by mortals and barely anyone in the universe.
Ages and time were absolute. No one could move past that. Unless you break it yourself. Break the unbreakable. It could shake the world, universe, nations, kingdoms, relationships, and even oneself. There are no ways to change the unmoving.
“Huh... How annoying.” 36 complained.
“I never got a chance to gaze upon such techniques. Yet, they are all useless to me. Now I am forced to teach someone with these Hilarious.”
“What. What. WHAT. What. Ahhhh...”
“Too many things to worry about... This is crazy. What choices were best?”
First, use the existing technique suited to someone without energy or prior technique.
Second, create a completely new one.
Third, mix existing techniques into tiny bits and made them into something new.
Fourth, give up.
“Number 2 and 3 sound similar, but not so much at the end. If I want to create a new technique, it needs to be on par with what Allan needs. It would eventually not differ too much from something that already exists.”
“Maybe I am thinking too deeply about it. Let’s do it into a few smaller sections.”
First, what Allan needs.
Second, the Strengths required to pass the tests.
Third, the Technique on par with the Diary of the Body knowledge.
Fourth, make sure Allan will survive and succeed.
“What does Allan need? He doesn’t know anything about it. What else could be there? He can't tell me what he would possibly want to start with. This is a compilation of so much. Many would kill to learn something from this diary, yet this is something barely known in the universe. I wonder what are those idiots who made this garbage?”
“Small steps. I need to think in a way of mortal’s needs.” 36 rather went back to the important things than soothe his mind while cursing at the beings who trapped him here.
“Speed, durability, strength, and endurance. All of them are physical means of power. Mental fortitude, patience, cleverness, and talent are all things that just can’t be changed. One is born in one way or another. This is just harsh truth.”
“All I can do is change the physical means. That is, to change the fundamentals of his body. This is a basic principle of the Diary of the Body. Huh... basic principles? Some sections are with no name. Should I consider it as a technique? The technique of the Diary of the Body?”
“Let me see clearly.” 36 drifted past the pages. Enveloping his mind in many sections, paragraphs, and learning curve of many words.
He also started something completely different, which he thought was impossible with his skill. Coping the texts with little sense in the techniques written within it. Using not his mind, but a certain muscle flow that worked within his hand. He worked with the scenes themself and slowly made it work. Words in a mortal language started to appear slowly at first, but continued to emerge at a steadier speed.
It took a truly a long time to write in the right and a correct way through experiencing the mind outside of the body, fully focused in going through the diary. This could have been done since 36 knew this was not something expected. Those who made this reading experience could also not think of indirect copying and editing what they made. This was, in a sense, just a casual idea of 36 who always liked going around the laws and truths that were generally known to be popular or normal. This choice he made will make very drastic changes while he completely underestimated the value of the things within the diary.
Soon enough, directly facing this book with one’s experience of the words would be less than easy. It simply lacked a sense of order, but that was something 36 could live with. It was a mess of a diary where was no order, table of content, or anything to uncover its content.
Watching the stacked pages faster than he thought. 36 was done in a few days. He was done with everything that he considered unrelated to the outside of the Diary of the Body. Those were the external techniques, knowledge, and principles from it.
“This is the core of what this book is about. No external influence is in here. Just the knowledge of the ones who made this mess. It is longer than I thought, but this could change things up. Why should I force Allan into a technique he may not be proficient in? I can just do the basics to the maximum potential. It can awaken the Spark within him, but it may not as well.”
“Still, this is the best I can think of. Nothing but basics. Basics... Basics are just meant to make them profound and call it a technique. Just an excuse by the powerful. I may just call this The True Technique of the Body. Doesn’t it sound impressive?” 36 thought to himself while completely forgetting about the passage of time.
“Finally, a path I think Allan could walk in. Although it lacks the critical thinking of the already made-up technique. His eyes require the need of massive regenerative power. This could be done with enough insight into some powerful techniques or external items. If I had to change something, it needs to be this.”
“Regeneration. There is a technique like that. It required a strong body and resilience. Wait, I swear I read another one with similar effects.” Remembering the names of many techniques, he quickly found another scroll in a pile of discarded scrolls.
“Here it is. The Unmoving, a lower-level technique than I hope for, but it should be interesting. It has lower standards than most and requires a long time of practice and is very hard on the mind. It could change the fundamental structure of one’s body. Regeneration, endurance, and resilience are the core of this technique.“
“This goes flawlessly into the one I made up. Excellent! There could be even a chance for their connection if certain conditions are met. How much time passed? Shouldn’t I have been summoned already? I am glad I made it in time. This could be it! I wonder how much power this could be amongst the middle and higher levels of techniques. But, to call it a technique is rather vague.”
“It has a name, so I shouldn’t worry about it for now. It will come down to Allan.”
Time passed, and 36 became accustomed to it in any shape or form.
