The Calamity's Comfort: I Forged My Own Cheat on a Dead Earth

Leon waited until everyone had settled down before speaking. "Now that I have your attention, before I tell you how we can leave this world, I need to share the true structure of WorldHeart."

The others looked at him, their expressions completely still. Leon raised one finger.

"It's a tree."

Maya blinked. "What?"

"A tree."

Adrian frowned. Leon glanced around the group, then began drawing shapes in the air with his finger as though arranging the information in his head.

"Think about it. When a scattered world is assimilated into WorldHeart, it becomes a continent and begins possessing Qi like a Spirit World. But the word world doesn't mean a planet here. It refers to an entire universe." He paused, making sure they were following the logic. "Different planets, galaxies, civilizations, environments and races that once existed independently are merged into one continent. The land itself isn't simply expanded to represent every planet individually. Instead, the Earth of that universe gets layered and condensed into Dragon Veins that produce Earth Spiritual Energy."

"Meanwhile the space of the universe is condensed and layered into what is called the Profound Heaven," Leon explained. "It produces heavenly wisdom, inspiration and blessings. The Earth and Heaven energies combine through the cycle of Yin and Yang and are baptized through the Five Elements." He spread his hands. "The result is Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy. Qi."

Lyra raised an eyebrow. "You really did read the entire library."

"Most of it. It was a very large library."

Adrian's eyes narrowed as he followed the explanation. "So assimilation effectively transforms an entire universe into a cultivation environment."

"Exactly," Leon smiled. "You could say WorldHeart's assimilation gives it an upgrade."

Maya stared at him. "That somehow sounds incredibly casual for what you're describing."

"Wait for it. We still haven't reached the fun part."

"I don't trust your judgement of fun." Maya rolled her eyes.

Leon continued. "The important part is that this process applies to every world in existence. From the moment a world is born, it is naturally drawn toward WorldHeart. Eventually, it will be assimilated. Unless it becomes a Spirit World."

Lyra's expression sharpened slightly. "In which case it rises higher."

"Right," Leon nodded. "A Spirit World has developed enough to resist immediate assimilation. WorldHeart has to pull on it for much longer before it can eventually assimilate it. And when it does, the same process happens again." He looked toward Lyra. "So what you told us before wasn't wrong. It simply wasn't the complete picture."

Lyra folded her arms. "I'll accept that."

"Good." Leon continued, his voice level. "Scattered worlds are assimilated beside one another. They're called Root Continents." He pointed downward. "At the center, the higher Spirit Worlds assimilate and stack above them. Those become Trunk Continents." His finger moved upward. "And Immortal Worlds become Branch Continents. They grow outward from the center while continuing to rise."

Miller tilted his head.

"Root, trunk and branch.... because it's a tree," Leon gave them an obvious look.

Miller stared at him for a moment. "Yes. I got that part."

"And surrounding the Root Continents is a sea of scattered worlds. They're slowly drifting toward WorldHeart, being pulled toward the roots and eventually assimilated."

Miller stared at the map. "Like water being absorbed by roots."

"Exactly."

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

Lyra suddenly snorted. "Nerd. You read more books in a single day than I've read in my entire life. You should go learn Immortal Cultivation with the rest of the bookworms."

He laughed. "Lyra, you sound like someone who just learned a new word and desperately wants to use it."

Her expression immediately soured. "I've known that word for years. I know plenty of words."

"And nerd isn't one of them. I know exactly who taught you that one," Leon turned toward Adrian. "I just can't imagine the context in which that word would come up. Was he telling you stories about his childhood?"

Adrian let out a long sigh. "Back to the point. We all care considerably more about going home than the structure of WorldHeart."

"Trust me. This is relevant," Leon nodded, looking toward the others again. "Each continent is enormous. The seas between continents are even larger. So how does a cultivator from a Root Continent climb upward?"

Nobody answered.

"The answer is the Xylem."

Miller's brow furrowed. "Like the part of a tree that transports nutrients?"

"Exactly," Leon pointed upward. "WorldHeart has a structure that carries nourishment toward the higher continents. Qualified cultivators are considered nourishment and can be brought upward through it."

Maya's expression changed. "So we don't have to cross all those continents ourselves to reach the peak."

"Exactly," Leon nodded. "But there's a catch."

"There always is."

"The Xylem only moves things upward. So once someone climbs," Leon continued, "they can't simply use it to come back down. They'd have to travel across the continents and seas themselves."

Davis looked skeptical, glancing around the heavy wooden table. "Is that really so difficult?"

"The continents are enormous, and the seas are even larger," Leon countered, his voice steady. "Depending on where you're going, traveling down across the terrain could take years. Even if you could do it, why would you? The higher you climb, the greater the Qi concentration and the resources available. Spending years traveling downward toward a place with fewer resources makes very little sense."

Leon paused, ensuring the weight of the geography settled in their minds. "Even someone forced to flee to a higher continent and carrying a grudge usually won't return for revenge. They'll either focus on cultivating and move to higher continents, or they'll never become strong enough to make the journey back if they don't have an attitude of pursuing cultivation wholeheartedly."

Miller shook his head, pushing back against the bleakness of the scale. "That's not necessarily true. Some people are talented enough to finish in half a day what would take someone else weeks. They don't need to single-mindedly focus on cultivation."

Leon considered that, his honey-colored eyes remaining entirely level. "Exceedingly rare exceptions exist. But they aren't really exceptions caused by talent."

Miller frowned, leaning forward. "What do you mean?"

"The general perception of talent among mortals is fast Qi absorption," Leon explained. "More sophisticated people might consider having a powerful physique, greater combat ability within the same realm, or faster comprehension to be talent. That matters at the lower boundary—the scattered worlds and Root Continents." His expression became more serious. "But once you reach the Trunk Continents and beyond, talent gradually loses relevance."

Adrian looked at him carefully, catching the subtle shift in Leon's tone. "Then what matters?"

"From the middle boundary onwards. Character. Determination. Fortune. Karma. Fate. Will." Leon tapped his temple with a single finger. "Qi is abundant. Understanding isn't. Even if someone had already walked your exact path and handed you the answer, there's a good chance you'd misunderstand it."

The conceptual weight of the magic system hanged heavily in the room. Leon let the silence sit for a moment before driving the point home.

"The higher you climb, the less the question becomes 'How much power can I gather?' and the more it becomes 'What can I understand?' At the higher boundary it reaches the point of 'What can I create and how to benefit the world?' "

Maya looked toward the high stone ceiling of the library. "So that's why the people on those upper continents are so powerful."

"Among other things," Leon nodded. "And that's why climbing matters."

Lyra's communication artifact suddenly gave a sharp, high-pitched chime. She looked down at the interface, and her expression changed instantly, her silver feathers bristling beneath her cloak.

"The others have arrived," she announced.

Everyone turned toward her at once. "Already?"

Lyra nodded, her posture straightening into a commanding stance. "They've just been spotted at the frontier gates."

Davis immediately stood, his hand resting on the edge of the table. "How many?"

"Most of them," Lyra touched the surface of the artifact, speaking into it with practiced clarity. "Tell everyone to stand by. Do not engage unless ordered. The Soul Observer should be nearby. He stays inside the walls." She listened to the frantic reply for a brief moment before lowering the device. "They're being allowed toward the gate."

Davis looked directly at Leon. "And the way home?"

Leon glanced toward the door, his mind already shifting to the upcoming logistics. "It's better if they hear it too."

Maya stood up, smoothing down her vest. "So we're telling everyone?"

"If we're going to leave this world, we need all the help we can get." Leon said.

Adrian nodded in agreement, and the group began moving. Leon followed them out of the library and toward the heavy frontier gates, his mind still turning over the vast array of data he had processed from the ancient records.

WorldHeart the tree spanning existence. Roots made from condensed universes. A trunk formed from massive Spirit Worlds. Branches of the highest realms of immortality.

Leon pushed the thought aside. There was plenty of time to contemplate that later. Right now, they had a group of exhausted rock-skinned Champions waiting outside the stone walls, and finally, a real way home to explain.