Chương 222: I'm Back?

The disorientation from returning to my body had been getting better the past few visits, more natural, but this time it felt significantly worse. Perhaps witnessing the destruction of the Red Sun Academy, seeing Hiron holding Kal's severed head, and being forcefully expelled from the world as the timeline reset had something to do with it"Well, that was... unexpected," I muttered, looking around to find myself back in small alcove.

The privacy formations I'd set up earlier still maintained a bubble of seclusion around me. I sat up slowly, my mind racing with everything I'd witnessed in the Two Suns world.

"Master, are you alright?" Azure asked. I took a deep breath, steadying myself.

"Yes, just... processing what we saw."

"That was certainly an educational visit," Azure replied, his tone dry.

"Though perhaps not in the way we had anticipated."

"That's putting it mildly." The image of the academy in ruins, flames licking at collapsed buildings, bodies scattered across courtyards, it wasn't something I'd forget anytime soon. And then there was Kal, a Rank 8 Lightweaver who had single-handedly taken down four Rank 7 elders before falling to Hiron. While I didn't stay to observe the whole battle, I did catch fragments of their conversation before the battle began, which led to some…interesting findings.

"He's in a time loop," I murmured, more to organize my thoughts than to inform Azure, who already knew.

"That's how he knew exactly what techniques the Elders would use. How he had counters prepared for everything."

"And why he spoke as if he'd fought them before," Azure added.

"Despite their insistence it was their first encounter." I nodded, staring absently at the wall.

"He said 'this is technically our first battle' to one of the elders. And then that elder realized it right before he died and said, 'you really have done this before.'" I couldn't believe it. A Rank 8 Lightweaver with the ability to reset time? It explained how he breached the academy's defenses so easily. How he dismantled formations that should have taken centuries to understand. He'd likely attacked the academy dozens, perhaps hundreds of times before, learning something new with each attempt.

"But what's his purpose?" I wondered.

"He mentioned a breach…"

"Growing wider with each passing day," Azure added.

"And something about the red and blue suns being designed as a balance, not in opposition." I pondered this. The breach had to be related to the strange distortion visible on the horizon. But a breach to where? Between worlds, perhaps? The thought sent a chill through me. Two worlds colliding would only result in a war, where billions would die as each world desperately tried to devour the other for survival.

"The time loop reset when Kal died," I noted.

"Which suggests he's the anchor for it. Somehow, I've been caught in his loop."

"A passenger in someone else's temporal cycle," Azure agreed.

"Though your loop seems to operate independently of his to some degree. You've made multiple trips to the Two Suns world without witnessing the academy attack before." That was true. My previous visits had all been to the village, where I'd gotten caught in a raid and died multiple times before figuring out how to survive. This was the first time I'd appeared in the Red Sun Academy during an attack. And it was the first time, I made it that far into the loop.

"I wonder where I'll appear next time," I said thoughtfully.

"The village again? Or will I keep appearing at the academy now?"

"Impossible to predict without more data," Azure replied.

"Though I'd suggest being prepared for either scenario." A troubling thought occurred to me.

"If Kal is also a looper, and he has abilities related to soul detection..."

"You're concerned he might detect your presence as an anomaly," Azure finished my thought.

"Particularly if you attempt to infiltrate the Blue Sun Academy as planned." I nodded.

"Exactly. He might interpret my sudden appearance as a change in the loop, a butterfly effect he needs to investigate. And the attention of a Rank 8 cultivator is the last thing I need."

"That's assuming he'd even notice you among thousands of initiates," Azure countered.

"And that he'd have reason to investigate a seemingly ordinary novice Skybound or Lightweaver."

"True," I acknowledged.

"If I keep a low profile, I'd just be another face in the crowd. Not worth the attention of someone battling Elders and Headmasters." I leaned back against the wall, considering our options. My original plan to visit the Blue Sun Academy still had merit. Learning to harness the blue sun's energy would be invaluable, both in that world and more in this one. But the presence of another looper, especially one with Kal's power and apparent knowledge, added significant risk.

"He seemed to be doing different things in different loops," I reasoned.

"Testing various approaches. That might work in our favor, he'd be focused on his objectives, not random variations in background characters."

"A reasonable assessment," Azure said.

"And strategically speaking, gathering intelligence on both the red and blue sun energies would still be advantageous, regardless of Kal's existence." I nodded, feeling more resolved.

"We'll proceed cautiously. Keep our distance from major events, focus on learning what we can about the blue sun's power, and avoid doing anything that might draw attention." Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings.

"A prudent approach, Master." My plan had a good chance at succeeding. With how the Rank 8 acted, hinting at the peculiar situation he was in, it seemed he didn't expect anyone to retain their memories through loops. An amateur mistake. In a world where time and space could be fiddled around with, it wasn't unlikely that there was some godly ability that either let someone else hitch a ride in your time loop or retain their memories despite temporal changes. Yet, I don't blame him.

After hundreds, if not thousands of iterations, anyone's guard would fall, even if slightly. Which gave me the chance that I needed to carry out my own plan. I stretched, suddenly aware of how grimy I felt. The day's activities in Wuqi City, followed by hours of flower preparation, had left me in desperate need of a bath. I looked down at my still-dirty robes and grimaced.

"I can think about inter-dimensional time loops after I've cleaned up," I decided.

"Did the inn mention bathing facilities?"

"There's a public bathhouse adjacent to the inn," Azure supplied.

"Still within the inn's security formations, but in a separate building." I rose from the bed, gathering a clean set of clothes from my storage ring. As an afterthought, I also took a small pouch containing a few spirit stonesm. Public facilities in cultivation cities often required payment, and I didn't want to be caught unprepared. I deactivated my privacy formations with a gesture and slipped out of the alcove.

I had been away for less than a minute, yet the main room was empty; both Liu Chang and Su Yue must have retired to their sleeping areas. The remnants of our meal still sat on the low table, though someone, likely Liu Chang, who struck me as the tidy type, had stacked the dishes neatly to one side. Moving quietly to avoid disturbing my teammates, I made my way to the door and out into the hallway. The inn was peaceful at this hour, with only the occasional murmur of voices coming from behind closed doors.

I followed the corridor to its end, where a small door led to an enclosed courtyard connecting to the bathhouse. The bathhouse itself was a modest but well-maintained structure, built in the traditional style with curved eaves and steam rising from its tiled roof. A sleepy-looking attendant sat at the entrance, barely glancing up as I approached.

"Two spirit stones for entry," he mumbled, holding out a hand.

"Includes towels and basic soap. Premium oils or extended stay is extra." I dropped the requested payment into his palm.

"Just the basic service is fine." He nodded, handing me a small wooden token with the character for "men" carved into it.

"Through the right doorway. Private stalls are first-come, first-served. Communal pool in the back." I took the token and passed through the indicated entrance. Inside, the air was heavy with steam and the pleasant scent of sandalwood. The changing area contained several wooden cabinets where one could store belongings, each secured with a simple locking mechanism that responded to the wooden token.

Not that I would trust them to secure my belongings, it seemed a great way to get robbed and begin a whole different arc. No my storage ring would do just fine. After removing my dirty robes and throwing it in a separate area in my ring, I wrapped a towel around my waist and headed toward the washing area. The bathhouse was sparsely populated at this hour: just two other men, both clearly cultivators based on their qi signatures, using private washing stalls on the far side.

I claimed an empty stall, grateful for the privacy. The stall contained a simple wooden stool, a large ceramic basin filled with hot water, and a smaller empty basin for rinsing. A shelf held the soap, along with a cloth for scrubbing.

"Ah, the luxuries of civilization," I sighed contentedly as I sat on the stool and began washing away the day's grime.

"You seem unusually pleased by such basic amenities."

"When you've spent enough time living rough between missions," I replied, "you learn to appreciate hot water and soap." I sank the cloth into the steaming basin, feeling muscles unknot that I hadn't even realized were tense. As I scrubbed, my mind drifted back to the Two Suns world and what I'd witnessed. The battle between Kal and the Red Sun Academy Elders had been both terrifying and awe-inspiring. The level of power on display far exceeded anything I could currently achieve in either world.

"Those paint techniques Kal used," I murmured to Azure.

"Have you ever seen anything like them in the books?"

"Nothing precisely similar," Azure replied thoughtfully.

"Though there are formation techniques in this world that incorporate artistic elements. The concept of using brushwork as a medium for power isn't entirely without parallel." I nodded, remembering the incredible versatility Kal had demonstrated. Creating living constructs from painted images, manipulating space and time, even transforming into a swarm of butterflies. All achieved through his brush and scrolls.

"It makes me wonder if that is the proper way to channel the blue sun's energy." I said, already imagining how that would impact my battle style.

"Considering what we saw of Lightweavers using weapons and other mediums to channel their attacks, it would make sense," Azure agreed.