THE INNKEEPER

Lex took in a deep breath, readying himself for the hurdle ahead, and held it in for a few moments. When he finally released his breath, he was ready, so he opened his eyes and looked at the majestic harp in front of him.

He also ignored the hundreds of broken harps behind him. They didn’t exist. Only the one in front of him did.

Softly, every so softly, with the very edge of his finger, he touched the harp string. The harp quivered beneath his touch, a breath of sound barely woven into the air. Each note, though delicate, carried the weight of his restraint – a melody that danced upon the precipice of destruction.

He willed his fingers to glide, not press, to coax rather than command, for even the smallest misstep could turn harmony into ruin. The strings trembled at his might, yet he tamed them just as he tamed his strength, letting only the faintest whispers escape into the silence.

Lex did not play mere music – he demonstrated mastery over himself, a battle against the crushing power that resided in his hands. The notes rose and fell like ripples upon a still lake, yet behind each sound lay the effort of titanic restraint. A single mistake could bring splintered wood and sundered strings, a ruin of what should have been beauty. And so, with every breath, every stroke, he played not only for melody but for control, shaping the fragile song with a strength that did not break but bent.

Then, when the tempo was set, Lex slowly eased his tensed body, for he could not always be exerting his full control over every single muscle. He had to relax and be at ease, yet that was easier said than done.

Lex had eventually realized why he was having such a hard time controlling his strength, despite how much his consciousness had developed. It was because his consciousness, his brain, his very being, all were designed specifically to be able to control a certain level of power.

Even previously, when he managed to arm wrestle a Heavenly Immortal, that was within his domain of control, since it made use of his numerous abilities. Now, though, he truly wielded the strength of a Heavenly Immortal at his very fingertips, and that was a kind of power his being was not equipped to handle.

But his cultivation was anything if not adaptable. Lex knew that if he was still using Regal Embrace, then he would have no trouble facing a Heavenly Immortals attack. In fact, he was certain that Heavenly Immortals would be entirely unable to harm him at all.

That was a level of defense, unfortunately, he did not have at the moment. He had finally fallen behind what Regal Embrace would have otherwise given him. But he was working on remedying that at the very moment.

As he played music, Lex also channeled his cultivation technique, allowing it to morph every fiber of his being to adapt to his new strength, and similarly, display it with more ease. Even without becoming a Heavenly Immortal, which would require a baptism of tribulations, Lex’s entire essence was being altered to be able to deal with the power level in the Heavenly immortal realm.

Of course, for now, that only meant raw physical strength, as well as energies in the Heavenly Immortal realm. Lex wasn’t sure what facing laws in that realm would be like. To deal with that, the proper way would be to enhance his tenet – another thing he was actively doing.

By making the power of a superior realm his own, Lex was displaying the ultimate supremacy. Oddly enough, playing a masterpiece was also satisfying the requirements of his tenet. It seemed that he was claiming supremacy by creating an original work of art that could impress anyone who heard it – even if he was the only one to hear it. Oh, and Mary.

“Bravo,” Mary said, clapping her hands as she sat in what looked like the front row of an amphitheater. “Bravo indeed. It’s amazing how you went from making me want to gouge out my ears to playing decent stuff in a short span of a few hours.”

“Very amusing,” said Lex. “You know that as an immortal, it’s practically impossible for me to be unable to learn something as simple as music.”

“Yes, but simply learning music, and infusing emotions into the music are two different concepts. Don’t even begin to spout that inane theory that music is just patterns. If that were the case, the A.I. race would have mastered musical Dao eons ago and would have ruled the universe. Just take the compliment.”

“I feel like you’re letting more and more things slip these days,” Lex muttered, looking at her from the corner of her eyes.

“Becoming more mean too,” he finished his sentence under his breath.

“I think this is the last step, right?” Mary asked, playing with the laurel wreath she took off from her head.

“Yeah, that about does it. I should be fine to return now,” he said and closed his eyes, exiting the artificial room he was in, and returning to the golden jelly.

As it turned out, the jelly not only perfectly contained his strength, it also created trials for him to overcome one at a time, allowing him to completely hone himself.

Truth be told, if it hadn’t been for his cultivation technique it would have taken him much longer. But even so, the golden jelly would have managed to help him along. That was because the jelly was constantly nourishing Lex’s body with numerous heavenly materials, helping it adapt to his new strength.

Lex truly began to wonder what price the governor paid to send him here, for the resort clearly didn’t hold back when using valuable resources.

That was another fundamental difference between the Inn and the resort. The Inn just happened to be filled with countless valuable materials, all of which just happened to help guests along.

None of it was deliberate. He would have to change that soon.

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