Maximilian looked down at his hands in confusion. He remembered what had happened. He had tried to take the attack. In his arrogance, he had gambled that his shields would let him survive. If he took the attack, he could understand and duplicate it better. Yet he had been wrong. Utterly wrong. The attack was killing him, which doesn't explain his current situation. Had the woman saved him? If that was the case, why wasn't she here? Further, why was the beast still here? Lastly, why was he so calm? He knew the thing that had just killed him was less than a hundred feet away, yet he couldn't bring himself to care. He was much more interested in what had happened to him. He replayed his memories several more times, but nothing made sense. He remembered it so vividly that he could still feel it. Yet, there were no injuries. The monster let out another roar and waved its massive hand. A sheet of almost solid wind shot toward him. Yet Maximilian felt nothing. He wasn't sure where the idea came from or why he was so certain, but he was. He brought his hand up and merged his dao of squall and static. He focused on the speed of electricity and the cutting pressure of wind. The result allowed him to cut through the makeshift attack.

  He was under no illusion that he was strong enough to overpower the creature. Yet it didn't matter. It was a bit like the beast was trying to fight him in a pool. While he was made of water. The beast continued to rage as it fired its massive tentacles. Once again, Maximilian was surprised. Not at the attack but at the dao around him. It was like it whispered to him. Told him where to be, where to go, he didn't so much as dodge the attacks as just not be where they landed. By now, he had already figured out that he had changed. His current mindset was proof enough. Further, he had gone through an evolution. His affinities had grown and not by a minor amount. He chuckled as he processed the implications of that. His appearance likely went through a metamorphosis. Something he wasn't ashamed to admit sounded fun.

  The beast roared and Maximilian's gaze hardened. He needed to deal with this before it got out of control. He felt the attack begin before he saw it. Thick ropes of energy were drawn from all around them toward the beast's gullet. Energy he could now see. He reached for one of the ropes and realized he could interact with it. He could even steal it for himself though as soon as it was pulled into his skin it was drawn to a spot near his dantian. Once it was captured there was nothing he could do and since the energy hadn't hurt him he decided to ignore it. One thing he was certain about was that he couldn't take the attack again. He moved to leap into the air only to end up almost fifty feet further than he intended. The beast gathered its ball of power as Maximilian held out his right hand. He stared down at the ugly creature with a mixture of irritation, anger, and thankfulness. A complicated stew of emotions made worse by the enforced serenity he felt. After a moment three orbs, each one as large as a beach ball, formed around his hand. Each one represented one of his daos. The first was bluish-white and crackled with electricity equal to that of Earth's largest power plants. The second was pure and transparent. As if it resisted the very notion of letting color ruin its splendor. Despite that, it wasn't hard to know what it was. The smell of fresh air permeated it. Last and in some ways the least was a green orb representing the dao of squall. It felt like freedom, destruction, and sharpness incarnate.

  He had expected the three orbs to resist, but they didn't. If anything, they melded together as if they had always been one and that they were waiting for him to bring them together. Once again, the juxtaposition between his genuine feelings and whatever happened to him was made manifest. The combined attack was immense. More powerful than anything he had ever encountered. He couldn't compare it to anything pre-network, as it all seemed too weak. His attention was brought back to the beast, and his irritation flared like the sun. If it weren't for that thing, he could spend more time like this. More time understanding what happened. Yet it wasn't possible. The beast fired its laser. Maximilian dodged and unleashed his own power. A beam nearly one-tenth the size of the beast's shot out. It crashed into the monster and split it in two. Maximilian stared at the bisected beast and shook his head. He hadn't gotten any energy from the kill, which confirmed that this place wasn't real. Though he wasn't sure if it was a dream, an illusion, or just a spot where the Network couldn't access. Not that it mattered. He was fairly sure that the creature he fought wasn't the real one. Or rather, it was a pale imitation one that had been limited to his power. Now that it was dealt with, he could—No sooner did he have the thought than his new form dissipated. Maximilian had a fraction of a second to process what he had done wrong before he started falling. He tried to save himself with his dao, only for the worst headache of his life to crash into him. A second before he hit the ground, the sweet darkness of unconsciousness claimed him.

  When he woke up, he found himself seated in a familiar stone room. He braced himself for the return of the horrid headache and reached for his bag, only nothing happened. If anything, he felt better than he had when he first entered the trial. He passed his mental eye over the rest of his body and raised an eyebrow. He felt fine. More importantly, he had recovered his energy. It wasn't a massive amount, probably equal to a single mental crystal and spirit stone. Since he hadn't absorbed anything, it was a pure positive. Based on where he had ended up, it wasn't hard to figure out what happened. He must've completed the task, collapsed, and then been brought back out. The ambient energy in the room then helped him recover until he was able to awake—.

  "You shouldn't make assumptions fledgling." A familiar voice called out. Maximilian turned to face her before getting to his feet. He then offered her a polite bow.

  "Thank you for taking care of me while I was unconscious."

  "There is no need, child. I did not do much. Upon completing your task, you were brought here by me, though the Network would have done it had I failed to. As for the rest of your assumptions, those are incorrect."

  Maximilian cocked his head. When the woman refused to elaborate, his mind got to work. It wasn't hard to figure it out once he ignored his assumptions; he noticed several issues. The first of which was that the ambient energy in the room was less than before. It was still better than almost anywhere in Nubia, with his mental energy crystal mine being the sole exception. "Whatever happened to me is responsible for my recovery?"

  She smiled and nodded. "Please take a seat. I imagine you will have a great many questions, and I will have some for you."

  Maximilian considered not doing so mostly because he wanted to check on everyone else, but he knew that was wrong. The odd woman likely could give him more information than anyone else on Earth. He sat down in the lotus position and flashed her a polite smile. "Of course. I was certain that I had died, yet I am still alive. I am afraid I wasn't in the right mindset to carefully watch what happened. On top of that, my affinities seem to have increased again."

  The woman sat patiently for him to finish before she waved her hand. A small model of Maximilian appeared in between them. The model was about two feet tall and was soon split in two. Where one version showed his outsides, the other showed his insides, though he was spared the detailed look at his viscera. He took a moment to familiarize himself and realized that he had seriously underestimated the changes. The difference was so great that he formed a sphere of rainwater to use as a mirror. When he confirmed what he saw was real, he paused. His appearance had changed to the point that he was closer to a work of art than a person. His hair had smoothed out and was now a deep black with dark purple streaks. A combination that was equal parts beautiful and majestic. Further, it now extended to his calves in a way that made him think of a certain anime character. Despite how long it was it didn't impede him in any way. The thick ropes were probably stronger than steel cables now but felt weightless. He moved his attention to the rest of his body and was just as impressed. Any imperfections he had once were long gone. His face looked like someone had carved it from clay. He was not a testament to the idea of the gods personally designing a person. His muscle mass had been reduced for some reason. He wasn't exactly a bodybuilder before, but now he looked like he had never worked out. Only he could tell his body wasn't weaker than before. If anything, he was stronger than he had ever been.

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  "Heaven's blessings are impressive, are they not?" she asked playfully.

  "I," he began and then paused. He wasn't even sure what to ask. Part of him wanted to lock himself away and review his status screen, but he knew that would be rather rude. He didn't want to offend whoever—he mentally chided himself for not getting the woman's name earlier. "Would you mind telling me your name? Also, if it would not be unreasonable for me to ask, I would prefer it if you did not read my mind." He did his best to phrase his request as cordially as he could. Not just because he couldn't stop the woman but also because she had been fairly patient with him until now.

  "Of course, of course. You may call me Notopa. This here is my tomb, or I suppose a tomb. Before you ask, I will not explain further. The information has some implications that could cause you trouble if you know them."

  Maximilian nodded and decided to take her advice. He had no interest in digging into her secrets, especially if it involved the big monster. "Are you able to tell me what happened? I haven't had the chance to look at my status screen, but I get the feeling you already know what it will say."

  Notopa gave a smile that reminded him of his old school teachers as she gestured to the models of himself. "I imagine your planet did not have cultivators before, yes?" He nodded and then she continued. "There are a great many paths to power, most of which you will learn about in time. There are two that are both powerful and rare. The first of which are called bloodlines. Abilities inherited from an ancestor. They are usually specific parts of their paths that were prominent enough to be passed down to their descendants. I won't go into details about how they work, as they are not important for our conversation. The second and in some ways counterpart to bloodlines, are Physiques."

  Maximilian nodded along as Notopa continued. He didn't like the implication of bloodlines from how they were treated on Earth. The whole royalty and keeping the line pure business was insanity. Yet humans had relied on it and used it for millennia. Now, if he understood it right, it sounded like they were right. Not in the purity part, but in the bloodline part. That there were people who were different because of how they were born. He hesitated to think they were better, but it wasn't a large leap. Especially if he took into account what his own unique idiosyncrasy could do.

  "The exact origin of physiques is hotly contested. At least it was when I was alive and active. There were many different theories, and I personally subscribed to the idea of balance. That the Heavens bestowed a portion of its power to cultivators to provide a counter force to bloodlines. The power of man. Note in this case I mean "man" as in all life and not humanity or whatever other species you have met. That is often a mistake now planets make at the beginning of their journeys. Regardless of the truth, physiques are powerful, but like all things, they have a scale. The majority of physiques simply provide a boost in cultivation talent or affinities. Others provide powers that rival even the greatest of bloodlines. Before you ask, I do not know the abilities of every physique, nor can I tell how many exist. Just like with bloodlines, people who have them tend to be against sharing their details. When you add in the likelihood that someone with a physique would die sooner rather than later. It becomes harder to keep track of such details."

  Maximilian raised an eyebrow and was just about to ask why they would die when the answer came to him. If the majority of physiques were found in people like himself. That is people without fancy supporters or backers, then they would likely die. He was on a planet where he could die at any time. If he had awakened or whatever he had done in the wilderness, there was a chance something would just eat him while he slept. That assumed he wasn't in a fight with a creature he couldn't beat. If he had been fighting that beast for real, then it would have survived his last attack and then killed him. There was no doubt in his mind of that. On top of all that, if he did survive, what were the chances that someone would try to kill him upon finding out about his abilities? If he was rare, they would likely want to recruit him first, but if he refused? Or if he was too weak, why wouldn't they just capture him? "Can a physique be stolen?"

  Notopa's smile faltered for the first time, and she looked uncertain. "I don't know. If it is possible, it should be rather hard to do. There are rules to the dao and all things under heaven, but there are no truly impossible events. If you can figure out, it could be done. Of course, that is easier said than done. Death, for example, is mostly absolute, as is the true soul. One cannot mess with either of those, though there are ways to—She held up a hand and stopped herself. "I went off on a tangent. I can't say if it's possible or not, but I wouldn't be too worried about it yet. Your planet shouldn't have anyone capable of even thinking about it yet. Once you leave, things will be different, so I suggest you prepare yourself for that."

  Maximilian was relieved, if only a little. He wasn't too afraid of things on Earth outside the potential for a strong monster. He doubted most of humanity would be able to threaten him. Of course, he wouldn't count out members of the top ten. They should have their own unique encounters, but his battle with Anthony made it clear there were no promises of strength. "Is there anything I should know about physiques before I leave? Are they dangerous?"

  She shook her head. "Your physique is your own, but it shouldn't be dangerous. At least not in the short term. You will need to make the power your own to make sure you don't put yourself in danger each time you use it. Especially if losing consciousness is a consistent part of yours."

  Maximilian smiled ruefully as he rubbed the back of his neck. He asked her a few more questions about the nature of physiques, but she hadn't had much information. Or rather, much that she was willing to share with him. He had also tried to learn more about the creature, but Notopa was arguably more secretive about that. Saying that it was a creature far beyond his current level and that he might be able to fight it again later. When asked if by later she meant in the multiverse or if he came back here, she refused to answer. He had also learned that her current form was difficult to maintain and that she would disappear soon. Her soul, or piece of soul that was here, would go to sleep. He had offered to have her body moved to Nubia, but it turned out he couldn't do that either. Not because she didn't want to, but because he wasn't strong enough. Nowhere near strong enough. From there, they fell into a comfortable silence for a few minutes before he was reminded about the whole reason he came here. As far as he was concerned, he had gained more than enough, but that didn't mean he was going to pass up the rewards. Rewards that he had worked to earn. Rewards that would be more than worth it.