The Martial Unity

Rui had memorized tons of general information regarding the Beast Domain, and he had run into countless recorded phenomena that humanity had failed to comprehend. Despite occupying a minority of the Panama Continent, it was far and away the most mysterious chunk filled with all kinds of supernatural phenomena.

The Beast Convergence Hypothesis, lost cities, primordial seed, the Warp, and many other phenomena took more central notice because they were observable mysteries, while the Garden of Salvation was entirely centered around second-hand information.

That was why Rui had simply logged the information into the enormous metropolis that was his Mind Palace and forgot about it. He actually didn’t even organically recall the name through natural memory; he had to search for the information in his Mind Palace in the part that stored information about locations. After searching for anything that contained the word ‘garden,’ only then did he retrospectively remember it.

Thankfully, as painstaking as it was, he was truly grateful that he had spent months researching the Beast Domain before his departure for it, or else he would not be able to give Kane a thorough breakdown of the Garden of Salvation.

“Not only did they say it was a paradisiacal environment that seemed to nurture them to the very root of their existence, but they also said that it was a haven for many creatures and organisms beside them,” Rui informed Kane. “What’s most interesting is the accounts of Martial Masters with their powerful senses.”

“What did they say?” Kane grew even more curious.

“They described how the Garden of Salvation was a seemingly endless haven for countless living beings of countless species. However, it went far beyond that,” Rui replied, growing more engrossed himself. “The Garden of Salvation didn’t just host countless living beings; it also seemed to bend heaven and earth to create specialized environments that were customized for each individual living organism and species. Fish would find the land turn into lakes no matter what direction they went. Species that had evolved for cold regions found the very world around them warping to suit their needs by freezing over and spontaneously developing layers of ice and snow while the air chilled. For humans, they found themselves inside their homes where they were most comfortable.”

“What?!” Kane did a double-take. “That’s absurd!”

“That was my reaction, too,” Rui concurred before continuing, “That wasn’t all. The Martial Artists described lava sharks as being only found in some super-active volcanoes right beside an icy environment with species evolved for it. So, apparently, not only did the Garden of Salvation create an environment perfect for them, but it could also do so with absolutely no limitations.”

“That does not sound real.” Kane grew more skeptical.

“That’s not all.”

“That’s not all?!”

“They described a mighty titanic tree at the center of the Garden of Salvation,” Rui continued. “The tree was so enormous that, according to all accounts, each of its roots was as large as a mountain while its trunk dwarfed mountain ranges, extending to altitudes that went beyond even the enormous sensory ranges of Martial Masters.”

“What?!” Kane exclaimed once more. “Has there ever been a tree that large?!”

“Yes, actually, albeit extremely few,” Rui replied. ” But those are known trees. And they’re very easily findable due to how enormous they are. What’s absurd about the accounts of the Garden of Salvation is that, despite every single person who described the tree universally agreeing that it was unfathomably enormous, it cannot be found. You would think that the Garden of Salvation would have been discovered centuries ago, but not even so much as a hint of its existence has been found.”

“There’s no way it’s real, man,” Kane insisted. “Think about it: how does a tree that large hide?”

Rui nodded, understanding the skepticism that Kane put forth. “In addition, its size is not the only thing that stood out. They reported that the tree…spoke to them.”

Kane’s eyes widened with surprise. “The tree… talked?”

Rui shrugged. “Allegedly, it somehow spoke directly inside their minds.”

Kane stared at him with palpable disbelief.

“Not my words.” Rui smiled wryly. “They called it the Elder Tree. Some say that it is just one of the many residents of the Garden of Salvation. However, the most common belief is that it oversaw the Garden of Salvation.”

“Uh huh,” Kane heaved a sigh. “I can’t believe the Divine Doctor fell for such an obvious scam. Is he really as brilliant as people say he is?”

“Yes, but regardless of whether it is real, it’s definitely true that he believes it,” Rui shrugged nonchalantly. “Thus, we ought to think like someone who believes it’s true and is looking to find it. Additionally, there’s the fact that he subjected himself to the intense fear-hallucinogen that he had crafted after robbing the Forest of Fear of all the fear it had.”

“Wait, he did?”

“Yeah,” Rui nodded. “It was extremely bizarre, but if it’s true that only living beings who need the Garden of Salvation can find it, then…”

His eyes widened, realization dawning on him as a multitude of thoughts flashed through his mind. “Then perhaps he was trying to fake the conditions for entering the Garden of Salvation?”

“What?”

“However, inducing fear to fake needing a safe haven only works if the criteria for acceptance are neuro-centric,” Rui muttered himself. “On top of that, different species have different neurological and endocrinological fear evolutionary mechanisms at play, but maybe…”

“Hey!” Kane complained. “I don’t get it.”

Rui turned to Kane. “My bad. Let’s start at the beginning. What did I tell you the Garden of Salvation was purported for?”

“A safe haven for those who needed it?”

“Correct.” Rui nodded. “And what deductions can be inferred from that?”

“I dunno, man.”

“What do those who would need a safe haven have in common?”

Kane furrowed his eyebrows. “…Lacking in safety?”

“Specifically, an acute lack of safety,” Rui specified. “But yes, lacking in safety. How would the Garden of Salvation be able to identify those who were lacking in safety?” –