Chương 52: Hero Complex

Back to spoken speech, the Ancient One said, "Although Magic and Cultivation started out in the same place, the divide only became wider with time, especially as Sorcerers became more and more powerful, with martial artists getting left behind. At some point, Magic started being seen as a sort of shortcut by cultivators, because of the way they approached it. There is a history between our two arts that is far too long to tell and would do little to explain Izo's views on magic, so I will skip it.

"Once, a little over half a century ago now, Izo picked up a student. Then another. And another. Until they formed a group called the Chaste, who vowed to take down the corrupted Hand. Among these disciples, Izo had one star pupil: Sadhan. Izo trained him from the youngest age, and he was a prodigious young man who reached the realm of an Awakening Master in less than ten years. He was only 20 when he reached the same realm as Izo.

Naturally, he started viewing him as a hope for not only becoming a Grandmaster, but possibly in becoming the Honorable One." Mason gave her a glance.

"No need to fuel my ego." She gave him a knowing smile, ignoring his remark for now.

"Gifted as Sadhan was, the awakening of the Third Treasure remained an almost impossible hurdle, and one day, he came to learn of Magic. I cannot tell you whether it was out of frustration at his halted progress, arrogance, thinking he could learn both Neidan and Magic, or genuine desire to become a Sorcerer and destroy the Hand, but he came to me. And I taught him." Mason leaned on his fist, intrigued.

"So the old man resents you and Magic for ruining his star student? What happened to this Sadhan? Since he was so prodigious and you are still Sorcerer Supreme, I assume he died, and that only made the old man resent you more?" The Ancient One was about to answer when Izo's voice suddenly sounded behind them, "Have some respect for your master, Stupid. And no, that foolish boy did not die. You should meet him soon, actually. Goes by the name of Stick nowadays…

I probably bashed his brains out with my old staff one too many times." He sat down next to them, and the Ancient One picked up where she had left off, "At first, Sadhan showed just as much talent for Magic as he did for Neidan. His foundation was already strong, and in no time, he mastered Egocentric Magic. That's where he saw a ravine and decided to jump head-first inside."

"He doesn't sound very bright." Izo snorted, "He's calling himself Stick; what did you expect?" The Ancient One sighed, "Sadhan learned just enough of Egocentric Magic to break the harmony of his Three Spirits. At the same time, he was too obstinate to continue with the Second Form of Magic, convinced he could learn both arts. His obsession grew after that, and he became unsuitable for any further teachings in the Mystic Arts."

Mason looked at his master, a small smile tugging at his lips as he teased with no remorse or restraint.

"So that's why you are the way you are. What, afraid I'll grow desperate if I can't make progress and I'll end up the same?"

"Have some respect." Mason rolled his eyes.

"Respect my ass, you don't get to compare me to some dude who couldn't live up with his own failure. I forbid you from ever thinking I would give up, you old bag of bones. The only one who may ever judge me is myself, so watch me ascend." As he finished speaking, Mason saw the first rays of the sun on the horizon, and suddenly felt inspired. Spreading out his Divine Sense, he ignored the signatures from the two people beside him, reaching out in the direction of the sun.

Although Mason's Divine Sense had a limit, observing the Dao was different from sensing people, and distance did not play as much of a role. What he took in was not the sun itself, but the phenomenon of its rise. This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. The enlightenment was instantaneous. It was not the breakthrough to the next realm, of course; that would have been underwhelming, but rather his Fire Dao, which had always lagged behind, underwent a sudden evolution.

Raising a hand, fire flashed, and his hand became wreathed in thick flames. A frown marred his face, however, as he felt himself get… stuck. He could feel the enlightenment did not stop there, but he was unable to go any further. Clicking his tongue, Mason made the fire disappear with a flicker of his hand, and said to the amazed duo, "The Concept of Eruption. Tame in my hands, capable of burning a man alive. Do you get it now? Whether I reach the next realm is not a matter of if; it's a matter of when.

So spare me the insecurities. If you can't trust yourself, trust me." The two watched him silently before looking at each other, and the Ancient One snickered, "He does have a slappable face." Izo snorted, "It's nothing next to his hero complex; he thinks he can carry the world on his shoulders. I can only imagine how much worse he'll get when people start calling him the Honored One." Mason looked at the two, snorting, "I am nothing if not gracious and magnanimous. And I don't have a hero complex!"

The Ancient One smiled, and Izo narrowed his eyes.

"You think I didn't notice what you did back in the tower? Getting bitten for others, then dragging the fight away so you'd take it on your own. Did the same against the Hulk." Mason shrugged.

"That's not a hero complex; I knew I could take it on, and I did. Why risk the death of someone if I can do it myself? But enough about that, we've been beating around the bush for long enough. Why am I here?" The Ancient One looked at the rising sun on the horizon, the same serene smile perpetually stuck on her face.

"It was no beating around the bush; it was connected. The matters of the Hand do not only concern you, but they are a danger to the whole world. If the Beast were to be freed from its prison, it would be catastrophic."

"Is it that strong?"

"It certainly is mighty, mightier than the demon you fought earlier. And it's not alone. The records on what exactly was sealed in the Eighth City have unfortunately been lost to time, but there are at least millions of demons inside. A full breakout would not be a problem that could possibly be contained. Not to mention, the more powerful demons like the Beast could form gateways between their personal dimensions in Hell and Earth itself."

Understanding the severity of the matter, Mason frowned, but said nothing, letting her go on.

"To open the Eighth City, the Hand requires the Chi from the Seven Immortal Beasts, and they already got four. Iron Fist is here, and the Chaste is currently searching for the remaining two, the Prince of Orphans and Fat Cobra."

"Even you can't find the Hand's headquarters?" She shook her bald head.

"I'm afraid not. They are shrouded by the power of the Beast. Its influence over our world used to be weak, but with five Immortal Weapons and the Immortal Beasts contained within them serving as conduits, its magic has grown concerningly potent. The Hand also appears to have gotten hold of a dangerous weapon that has already killed several Sorcerers." Mason had a question, but he hesitated for a moment before sharing a look with Izo and awkwardly coughing, before finally asking, "Does that tell us much, though?

From what I understand, this Disciple Drumm with us was at the second rank behind the top rank of Master of the Mystic Arts, and he was not… well, he's still in recovery." The Ancient One did not look offended, and had likely been expecting the question, "That was more of a particularly bad match-up than anything. Or a good one, rather. Set, also known as the Flesh Weaver, is an Elder God, a being as old as our world and of immense power.

Although what you faced was only a weak incarnation of it, it possesses some of the Elder God's powers, one of which makes it extremely resistant to magical energies. It would have taken Exocentric Magic to hurt it, but that is the domain of Masters. Guns would likewise be useless in front of it. On the contrary, Chi is its bane." Izo snorted, "It's just a bunch of excuses. Your little Sorcerer had artefacts with him, but he couldn't use them for shit.

That's the problem when you rely on external means of power; people don't know how to use it." Mason raised a hand towards his master to shut him up, and got his hand slapped away, but he ignored it and asked, "So those Sorcerers who were killed, did they get anything on that mysterious weapon the Hand has?"

"Impossible to know; those Sorcerers have been resurrected and turned by the Beast." Mason sighed, internally annoyed that things were not as simple as they should be. In the movies, the villains' base was always obvious; why couldn't it be now? He asked, "So what's the plan now?"

"We wait for the Chaste to do their work. The Immortal Weapons are complicated to track down because of their nature, but we are closing down on them as we speak. It should not take much longer for our tracking spell to be set, and their locations to be revealed. Our job then will be to bring them to Kamar-Taj and protect them until we find the location of the Hands' headquarters."