As I closed my eyes and focused my consciousness inward, I entered my inner world the same way I'd done during the entrance exam. The transition was smoother, and more natural this time. Within a second, I found myself standing in the small spherical void that comprises my inner world.

  Azure appeared beside me with the same look of determination that I felt.

  "The First Stage", I said. "Genesis Seed Formation. Step one is the thirteen-coil spiraling energy circulation."

  In the instructions, I read that I had to collect spiritual energy from my body and form it into a specific pattern inside my inner world. The pattern was quite complex; it was like trying to braid together thirteen strands of rope at once, with each strand moving at a different pace and in a different direction.

  Taking a deep breath, I started drawing spiritual energy into my inner world.

  I’d been doing that during meditation every week.

  But forming the energy into the pattern was a completely different story.

  Every time I added a new coil to the spiral, the previously formed coils would collapse.

  The energy wanted to flow in easier patterns and forcing it into a more complicated structure felt like trying to hold water in a net.

  Hours passed. Or maybe minutes. Time worked differently in the inner world.

  "Master, the fifth coil has collapsed again." Azure observed. "Maybe if you anchored it to the void itself, instead of relying solely on your will to stabilize it?"

  I gave it a try. It improved the situation, but only slightly.

  I eventually managed to get six coils to stabilize before the seventh coil caused a domino effect collapse of all of the coils.

  "Again", I mumbled, beginning again from scratch.

  For the rest of the week, I repeated the process.

  Wake up, enter my inner world, then spend hours trying to create the thirteen-coil spiral.

  Every day, I progressed a little bit more than the previous day.

  On the second day, I managed to achieve stability with nine coils.

  On the third day, I achieved eleven coils before everything fell apart.

  On the fourth day, I was able to create all thirteen coils and maintained stability for almost an hour before losing concentration due to fatigue causing the whole the structure to collapse.

  "Well, that's still progress", Azure said, encouragingly. "You're learning."

  While progress was good, it wasn’t success.

  The more I cultivated, the more aware I became of the very serious risks associated with this particular method of cultivation. A single misstep, a momentary loss of control of the spiraling energy during the creation of the thirteen-coil spiral, and I could accidentally trigger the transformation into a tree. The warnings contained in the tablet weren’t exaggerated; they were very real dangers.

  On the fifth day, I was able to successfully complete the first phase. The thirteen coils stabilized and maintained themselves in a perfectly symmetrical spiral pattern that rotated gently within my inner world. The energy hummed with power and seemed to resonate with something fundamental that I couldn’t quite put into words.

  "Yes! Azure, we did it!"

  "Congratulations, Master. Should we move forward to step two?"

  I took a moment to catch my breath and regain composure.

  The next step was to create the element-cycling washing curtain, and it required that I create a rotating field of energy around the thirteen-coil spiral. The washing curtain would function as a filter, cleansing essences before they could be absorbed by the Genesis Seed.

  I drew more spiritual energy into my inner world and began to shape it into the correct pattern.

  The washing curtain needed to rotate in the reverse direction of the spiral to create a counter-flow of energy that would cleanse impurities through friction and resonance.

  This phase was easier than the first. Maybe I was getting used to controlling energy within my inner world; or maybe the washing curtain was just less complicated than the thirteen-coil spiral. In either case, I was able to create a stable rotating field of energy around the spiral within a few hours.

  "Two phases complete,” I said. "Three left."

  At this point, things got philosophical and strange. I had to create nine channels that would link my Genesis Seed to abstract ideas such as time, space, life, and death. How was I supposed to connect to something abstract?

  I spent the rest of the fifth day just trying to understand what I needed to do, let alone actually trying to do it.

  When the day ended, I left my inner world and laid down on my bed, looking up at the ceiling. My body was fine (cultivating didn’t exhaust the body the way physical training does), but my mind felt as if it had been wrung out and left to dry.

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  "I underestimated this method," I admitted.

  "You're making good progress, Master. You've already completed two of the five phases in only five days."

  "Yeah, but the next phase needs me to create connections with the fundamental laws of existence. I have absolutely no idea what that means."

  "Maybe we should approach this differently," Azure suggested. "Instead of trying to grasp the fundamental laws, just follow the instructions for creating the channels. The understanding might come with practice.”

  That was a good piece of advice. I’d been overthinking it. The method gave explicit instructions for creating each channel. I didn't need to understand the deeper metaphysical significance of fundamental laws. I just needed to follow the instructions and allow the Genesis Seed to create the actual connections.

  So, on the sixth day, that’s exactly what I did.

  I just followed the instructions for creating a channel that resonated with the concept.

  It was an uncomfortable feeling, doing something without understanding it.

  It felt similar to walking blindfolded.

  But to my surprise, it worked.

  I was able to create the channel and link the Genesis Seed to something that I couldn’t see or feel, but something that definitely existed.

  “It worked!”

  Encouraged, I continued with the other eight channels.

  These included the concepts of space, time, matter, energy, life, death, order, and chaos.

  Creating each channel required specific energy patterns and precise placement relative to the thirteen-coil spiral. By following the instructions without overthinking the specifics of the requirements, I continued to make progress.

  And by the end of the sixth day, I had successfully established all nine resonant channels.

  Phase four was to establish a higher-dimensional reality folding. Reading the instructions made my headache. I needed to take my inner world, and fold it in ways that defied three-dimensional geometry. The illustrations in my mind showed forms that looked like impossible objects, surfaces that curved through dimensions I couldn’t perceive.

  I spent the entire seventh day trying to create the most basic fold.

  Every time I tried, the space of my inner world would ripple and distort, but ultimately fail to fold as the instructions described. Creating a fold in a four-dimensional space was like attempting to fold a piece of paper in half when the paper existed in four dimensions and I could only perceive three.

  "This isn’t working,” I sighed after my twentieth unsuccessful attempt.

  "Master, maybe the problem is that you are trying to fold the space while staying within it," Azure suggested. "The instructions state that you can view your inner world from a position outside of it. Maybe you need to adjust your perspective."

  I tried to somehow observe my inner world from a position outside of it.

  For a moment, something shifted.

  I could see my inner world, not only from within, but also from outside, viewing it as a complete sphere rather than an endless expanse of space. Seeing it from this position, the folding suddenly made sense.

  I began the folding process once again, maintaining this external viewpoint while performing the fold. The space of my inner world began to warp and twist, portions of reality curving and folding through dimensions I still couldn’t fully comprehend, but could at least manipulate.

  The first fold succeeded.

  Then the second.

  By the end of the seventh day, I had successfully created the necessary folds to compress the reality around my Genesis Seed. The folded space would allow the seed to absorb power from multiple dimensional layers simultaneously, just as the instructions indicated.

  "Four phases completed,” I declared, feeling both fatigued and elated. "Only one left.”

  The final phase was the recognition or remembering phase. I needed to help the Genesis Seed remember that it was intended to become a world. Awakening a memory that had never existed.

  The instructions for completing this phase were the most ambiguous of all five. I needed to impart purpose, identity, and the knowledge of what it would become to the Genesis Seed. Not through words or conscious thought, but through something deeper. Something that existed beyond ordinary communication.

  I attempted the phase numerous times on the eighth day, but none of my attempts resulted in any response from the Genesis Seed. The Genesis Seed remained inactive and unresponsive to my attempts to awaken its purpose. I attempted meditation, visualization, and direct communication, among many other approaches.

  Nothing worked.

  "Master, maybe we are overlooking something," Azure said as the evening arrived. "The instructions state that this phase will require the Genesis Seed to remember its purpose. But what if the seed needs something to remember? Some sort of pattern or essence that defines what a world-bridging tree is?"

  I thought about it.

  The method was designed to assimilate foreign or otherworldly energies. The Genesis Seed was intended to bridge dimensions and join realities. Maybe Azure was right. Maybe the seed needed exposure to otherworldly energy before it was able to awaken.

  The same type of energy I encountered in the Two Suns world.

  The energy used by the Sun-Touched raiders, and that terrifying Skybound who killed me.

  "Azure," I said, slowly. "I think you’re right.”

  We sat in silence for a moment, both understanding what that meant.

  "So, I won't be able to complete the Genesis Seed Formation until my soul is pulled into another world again.”

  "That appears to be the case, Master.”

  With a sigh, I left my inner world and returned to my physical body within my room.

  Eight days of intense cultivation, and I had reached a barrier that I couldn’t go past. Not because I wasn’t talented enough or because I didn’t understand the method, but because I lacked a critical component that only existed in a different world.

  At least I now knew what I needed to do. When my soul wandered to another world again, I would need to obtain some form of otherworldly energy. Assuming I survived long enough to do so, which was a big assumption given my track record.

  I stood up, working feeling back into my legs, which had become numb from sitting for such a long time.

  "Master, what will you do now?"

  A very valid question.

  Since I couldn’t continue with the World Tree Sutra until I obtained that otherworldly energy, I needed to find something else to do while waiting for my soul to inevitably wander into another world again.

  And I had an idea.

  "Even though the sect doesn’t have a method for soul cultivation," I said. "It doesn’t necessarily mean that they don’t have techniques for soul cultivation."

  Azure's eyes brightened with understanding. "You want to find a technique that will convert Soul Essence into Physical Essence?”

  "Exactly. If I'm going to keep getting thrown into worlds with no cultivation, I need to be stronger physically. My Soul Essence is my only real advantage. If I can temporarily convert it into physical strength, I might actually survive the next time."

  I grabbed my outer disciple identification token and walked towards the door.

  “And if there is a technique like that within the sect, Elder Chang will know about it."

  It was time to return to the library.

  When I stepped out of my room into the corridor, I saw other outer disciples moving about.

  They were probably taking breaks from their own cultivation.

  Some of them looked exhausted. Others looked frustrated.

  I probably looked the same.

  But at least I had a plan.

  I would prepare myself for the next time my soul decided to go on an unauthorized vacation to another world.

  And when that happened, I’d be ready.

  I would survive.

  And I would bring back exactly what I needed to complete the Genesis Seed.

  The World Tree Sutra wasn't going to cultivate itself.

  But first, I needed to make sure I didn't die in some random world before I got the chance.