Ashes Of Heaven Book 1 : Solar Calamity

"Master, I don't remember you bringing in any wine bottles in the hut. What's in that flask?"

Xuhan spared a contemptuous glance at his minion and answered in a low voice, "Lemonade."

"...The heck is that ?" Zhanxian said, flabbergasted.

"A drink made of lemon juice, sugar, and water."

"Oh. But why are you using a wine flask to carry the drink around? You're even pretending to be drunk."

Xuhan rubbed his temples in annoyance and sighed.

Why did this skeleton not understand the charm of taking up the role of a drunken master?

"And why are you carrying around that scabbard, master? If I remember correctly, there isn't any sword in the hut..."

"Shut up, Zhanxian."

"It's that dry stick you found in the yard, right? That's the thing you're trying to pass off as the hilt of a sword, isn't it?"

Soundlessly, Xuhan canceled Zhanxian's summoning and proceeded to enjoy the spectacle in front of him.

Yuen Zhou was about to start her lecture. The three of them had come up with a preliminary education plan after much debate. Since both Yuen Zhou and Mu Ran were better at using the language compared to Xuhan, he had let them take the reigns.

Now, fifteen disciples sat on a mattress at the foot of the Black Sheep mountain in the gentle light of dusk, curiously looking up at Yuen Zhou. Han Xuhan himself was very curious to see how she'd handle this.

"Fifteen disciples?"

She crossed her arms and nodded imperceptibly.

"Then let us begin. The first question all of you would like to know the answer to, is obviously, 'What kind of technique are you here to learn?'.

The language of laws is a device for cultivators to use in order to impose their will upon the world around them. Our entire universe operates on laws, and every law exists to keep us balanced and safe. If a single, seemingly superficial law is derailed from its original purpose, then it'd cause a chain effect that would cast the entire world into chaos because all existing laws are connected directly or indirectly, thus forming a giant chain of effect, a web of balance running through the vast universe."

Han Xuhan's brows furrowed in confusion. What the hell was Yuen Zhou talking about? The script they had devised earlier was nothing like this. Was she improvising?

Why did her lecture sound a bit too sophisticated and sure-footed to be entirely improvised on the spot?

Xiao Wu spoke up the moment she stopped to take a breath.

"I have a question. If derailing a single law can cause a disaster that large, why is the manipulation of laws not banned and declared a demonic technique?"

Yuen Zhou nodded at Xiao Wu and continued to speak again.

"And here's where law Manipulators come in. Cultivation, in its essence, has always been about transcending our limits. During ancient times, when cultivators realized that manipulating fundamental laws can effectively destroy the universe as we see it, countless precautions were taken by them to stop such a scenario from taking place. And once you delve into the world of law manipulation, you'll learn exactly what sort of precautions they took.

"But of course, destroying the entire world isn't as simple as it sounds. Sure, just tweaking with some core laws would do the job very easily, but making sure that the changes you've made stay permanent, or becomes vast enough to encompass this near-infinite universe, is a task that even the most powerful cultivators can't hope to achieve. Otherwise, we wouldn't be having this conversation here; in fact, we wouldn't even exist. From popular myths, it can be theorized that only the celestials can generate a catastrophe of such scale. But that's something beyond us. Let's turn back to our objective."

Speaking this far, Yuen Zhou stopped again to let the information sink in, and to let the skeptics speak their minds.

"Your teachings are quite contradictory. At the start, you mentioned that even messing with a superficial law can affect the universe due to the chain of effect it would form, but then you proceed to say that affecting the entire universe is impossible. What are we supposed to learn from this contradiction?"

Another disciple asked doubtfully, a question that earned several nods and sounds of agreement.

"Correct. In actuality, both are true based on circumstances. Suppose you want to nullify gravity. With the right set of tools and techniques, the language of laws can help you nullify the gravity in an area corresponding to your level of cultivation and mastery over law techniques.

Then suppose, you want to cancel the gravity of this planet.

How powerful do you think you'd need to be to achieve something of that caliber?

Let's just say that you'd need to be even more powerful than our sect master, realms above him even, to singlehandedly achieve the feat.

"But theoretically, it is indeed possible, and if you manage to do so, what do you think will happen?" Yuen Zhou said grimly.

For some reason, Xuhan got the feeling that she knew exactly what would happen, which was a rather unlikely possibility considering scientific advancement in this world hadn't gone far enough to stage simulations with gravity or figure out the mathematics behind such hypotheses. As an earthling who had gone through high school, he knew what would happen, but what about martial sister Zhou?

"Everything that's not attached to the planet would be thrown off it in straight lines, directly out of the atmosphere. Even the air and water on the surface of the planet would share the same fate. Messing with a single law can practically wipe off life from the planet's face.

But to do this, you'd need a power supply beyond your imagination. The laws of the universe can be likened to elastic bands. Even if you stretch one a bit, it'll return to its original form the moment you stop applying external force. This is how all laws operate so that simple manipulations cannot destroy the balance that has been created through a billion-year-old growth."

At some point during her speech, the sun had worn a red apparel, dyeing the world in its own temporary fashion trend. But even more concerning detail was the legion of nimbostratus clouds blotting out the sky overhead. Faint blue streaks cackled across their body, yet no sounds reached Xuhan's ears.

A bad premonition grew in his heart. He had studied much about the tribulation clouds in xianxia land during his stay in the sect. This cloud overhead bore some resemblance with a few obscure details...

From the beginning of her lecture, Yuen Zhou had not followed a single line from the teaching directory they had planned to follow. Everything she said so far was stuff she came up with on her own and the scientific accuracy in her teaching was unnerving.

While he was mulling over the reasons that could summon tribulation clouds, the ringing sound of a guzheng broke his chain of thoughts.

Eyes wide, Xuhan watched dumbfoundedly as Yuen Zhou twirled her fingers over a large guzheng on her lap.

Where did that thing come from? You can't just hide something that big in your pockets!

Judging by the gasps resounding among the disciples in front of him, he wasn't the only one caught off guard...

"Disciples, if a cultivator can grow strong enough to meddle with the laws of an entire planet, what's stopping them from growing strong enough to meddle with the laws of an entire universe? All over the world, the law of gravity is the same one, operating under different circumstances. Like these strings across the guzheng, the law of gravity stretches to every corner of the universe where matter exists."

Twangs originating from the strings somehow enraptured the senses of all present, hitting their eardrums like sea tides in a storm. Han Xuhan couldn't even form a coherent thought anymore, his mind being pressured into listening to the lecture in a subtle, yet overwhelming manner.

"All laws originate from one, and thus they are connected. Pluck each string of a guzheng, and a sound shall be produced as the effect of your actions. But if all strings are connected, the echo will resound from all of them. Harmony, or disharmony, it all depends on how you pluck the strings. And that is where we law Manipulators stand."

The unnaturally silent dusk was quickly transitioning into a starless night, accompanied by the nonstop waves of the guzheng's ringing. In the dull, static corner of his mind that was still struggling against the hypnotic music, Han Xuhan noted the lack of nature's presence in the mountains. Birds did not screech while moving back to their homes, bats couldn't be seen flying around the trees, and the insects that kept the night alive were silent as well, and it made his confusion and dread grow even more.

"The universe as we Law Manipulators see it, is an instrument full of strings, and the language of laws is our fingers trailing across their forms, eliciting music that pleases our senses and imposes our will upon the world. Whether you produce harmony or disharmony, it all depends on your skillful fingers and the state of your heart. But remember disciples— Laws have come to exist because the universe was born, and the universe now exists because laws continue to function, and we Law Manipulators are but admirers of this millennia-old harmony, doing our best to learn from it and through the process, evolve into a form closer to godhood."

Soundless thunder tore through the sky and blinded the audience as she finished her discourse, falling right on top of Yuen Zhou's silhouette, repeatedly.

Yet the carnage the onlookers expected to see did not take place. Rather, the aura of a breakthrough spread across the mountains, enveloping their senses once more while the sound of the guzheng's strings died down.

Compared to regular breakthroughs, this aura felt somewhat different, yet Xuhan couldn't exactly figure out the reason behind this discrepancy.

But as his senses all returned, only one thought occupied his mind.

'What the fuck have I done...? What disaster did I invite...?'