One-Eyed Monster

Time was of the essence, yet Kuren could not afford to rush. The inheritance of the World Setting Technique could not be hastened; haste might lead to a loss greater than the gain.

This was a process of comprehension, a process that would not tolerate disturbances. A minor disturbance could disrupt the train of thought within the Inner World. A more significant one could sever the path to the true Inner World, ruining all prior effort.

Kuren continued to sit within his cloud, watching as Igor used his mental power to gradually transform this open space into his own domain. A wave of emotion washed over him.

If there were ample time, he truly felt it necessary to guide Igor properly.

Talent was a rare thing. Igor didn’t seem to be a particularly clever child, so Kuren couldn’t demand such a gift from him, nor did he particularly expect it.

In the absence of talent, the only thing left was a miracle.

But would a miracle, a one-in-a-million event, occur at this time-pressed juncture?

This expectation was also one of the driving forces behind Kuren’s persistence.

Kuren had a vague feeling, an instinct that led him to attach considerable importance to this transmission of the technique.

His body had not fully recovered, and his Spirit Power was barely sustained. If not for Joseph’s background support, he feared he wouldn’t even be able to manifest this Inner World for the World Setting Technique.

This was something Kuren wished not to see, yet it was indeed happening right here. There was no other choice. Many things were beyond his control. Like matters ordained by fate, many things occurred or ceased to exist without one’s awareness.

Kuren could no longer afford to dwell on it. In this brief time, although he couldn’t directly explain the significance of all this to Igor, he had to do his utmost to guide him.

It could be said that, when it came to the World Setting Technique, Kuren was Igor’s mentor—an undeniable one. Thus, observing Igor meditating like this, Kuren still felt a slight unease.

Of course, this slight unease was far less significant than his anticipation.

If Igor could realize the significance of this technique through meditation, everything would become twice as effective. Then, Kuren would save himself the guidance process and have the time to impart all his life’s knowledge.

This was now up to Igor himself.

Kuren was half-worried, half-expectant, a somewhat contradictory state. But what prevailed was his trust in his own judgment and that of the Great Mentor.

This trust was built upon long-standing experience. If this attempt proved unsuccessful, Kuren was willing to bear the failure of this particular endeavor.

In a way, this was also a gamble for Kuren.

This gamble concerned both the present and the future.

Igor’s brow furrowed deeply. The thoughts in his mind gradually manifested in this vast and open Inner World. In an instant, this Inner World, originally dominated by Kuren, changed dramatically. The initial pastel theme suddenly burst into a riot of color. Various scenes were encased in giant Soap Bubbles. Under the sunlight, the Soap Bubbles shimmered dazzlingly. They floated in mid-air, bumping into each other, emitting soft sounds. These sounds seemed frail, yet the Soap Bubbles were much hardier than they appeared; they didn’t burst despite multiple collisions, instead growing tougher with each impact.

Kuren felt his own Inner World shrinking, a relative reaction to the expansion of Igor’s Inner World. Although the boy had not yet fully entered the cultivation stage of the Inner World, he had mastered quite a few techniques within it. Moreover, he was self-taught, having figured them out through his own peculiar methods. But this was already sufficient; this level of mental power, capable of expanding the Inner World to such an extent, was enough to trap opponents deep within.

Mastering the method was secondary; what truly mattered were the contents within these Soap Bubbles of Igor’s.

These contents were his memories with Kadi—various moments, various inner journeys. These were precious experiences, and now he displayed them within the Soap Bubbles in his own distinct way.

This was precious, and it was also the most crucial part of the Inner World—the highest esoteric aspect of the World Setting Technique.

Kuren was very pleased. The vibrant colors of these Soap Bubbles told him that his gamble was nearly over, and the outcome would undoubtedly be to his satisfaction. In any case, he definitely wouldn’t lose this gamble.

Time ticked by. Igor’s furrowed brow gradually smoothed. After pondering over and over why Kadi couldn’t enter the Inner World, he finally had an inkling of the reason.

Although he still couldn’t confirm if these newfound clues were enough to resolve the thorny problem at hand.

You never know until you try. This was Igor’s greatest lesson; he had never feared failure.

Igor slowly opened his eyes. I’ve thought about it enough, he mused. It’s time to answer my examiner.

Although this examiner seemed very amiable and didn’t put on any stern airs.

”Have you figured it out?” Kuren asked. He was now curled up in his cloud, hovering above the Soap Bubbles. As his cloud bumped against the Soap Bubbles, it bounced from one to another, light and soft.

”Yes, I think so. Though I’m not sure if it’s correct, I’ve come up with something,” Igor said, scratching his head. He too was encased in a Soap Bubble, swaying in mid-air.

”Let’s hear it. What you’ve shown is quite remarkable.”

”Really?” Hearing Kuren’s praise, Igor was as delighted as a child.

”You need to have confidence in yourself. After all, very few people can enter the Inner World,” Kuren guided, his own dream teetering on the brink, his excitement palpable.

”It’s a pity Kadi can’t enter the Inner World. Actually, it’s not that he completely fails to distinguish things; it’s just that his way of thinking is a bit different from ours.”

”A pity is a pity. If he can’t enter, then he can’t enter,” Kuren replied lightly, seemingly without much regret.

”Kadi is a simple person. His judgment of real versus unreal is quite different from ours.”

”I understand your reasoning. But a technique is, after all, a technique. It’s not a person; it won’t distinguish special circumstances or consider such unique phenomena,” Kuren continued. He could already discern Igor’s underlying meaning from his words.

Igor is analyzing why Kadi himself could see through an ordinary World Setting Technique, and at the same time, he’s comparing Kadi’s differences with his own, Kuren thought.

In the Outer World, Kadi can easily distinguish illusion from reality. A cave enhanced by an ordinary World Setting Technique makes no difference to him. However, he can’t distinguish a cave enhanced by a special World Setting Technique. This isn’t simply an issue of being unable to tell illusion from reality.

This is a problem of understanding the World Setting Technique. In other words, Kadi’s understanding of the World Setting Technique is only on the level of true versus false.

”Just as you’re implying, understanding is crucial. And understanding, once fixed, is hard to change. Methods can be altered, but a fundamental perspective is unshakeable. This is probably why Kadi has been lingering at the gates of the World Setting Technique, isn’t it?”