Transcending Dreams

“No, I can’t correct the issues you have with your soul,” Sophia cut off his hopes early, “If my disciple wasn’t able to help, how can my mere incarnation do so? Besides, having my creation helping you with it should be more than enough.”

William laughed awkwardly, not wanting to admit that was indeed what he was about to ask, but since it was that obvious, he shrugged.

“I’m surprised to see how far the Tianxia Empire has fallen from my time, but that is my own foolishness. I can’t exactly expect everything to be the same for millennia without someone holding up the sky.”

He barely knew anything about the Empire other than it was facing possible war with the neighboring kingdoms. That hole in his knowledge was apparently known by Sophia.

“Have I mentioned that I struggle to understand how you have survived so far? I recommend that you learn more about the world you live in before the luck of the people surrounding you becomes ineffective.”

“So I was right?” William perked up, “Luck is a critical stat then?”

“That wasn’t the luck I was speaking of,” Sophia said with some amusement, “But yes, both are of the same concept. Speaking of attributes, I saw that you were often shocked at the numbers your system gave you after using Observe on others. Why is that?”

“Er, I suppose it’s because what I saw was too high?” William said unsurely, mainly thinking about Li Xinyue.

“The limits you see apply only to you, nobody else. Some truly monstrous cultivators can jump multiple major realms and still win in a fight," Sophia seemed to be remembering a fond memory, making William wonder if she was talking about herself, "That also applies in the opposite direction. Quantifying strength is comforting, but remember that there are people on this plane that the heavenly dao will not allow to experience death, no matter what you do. Even if they are as weak as a mortal, you should think twice about becoming enemies.”

William immediately thought about the main characters of a novel. Still, he couldn’t help but think since he knew they were indestructible like cockroaches, it could be possible for him to wipe out all possibility of survival if he tried hard enough.

“I would recommend you to do the opposite of what you are thinking,” Sophia said wryly.

“Sorry, my mind has been wandering recently,” William said with a wince.

“Hmm, so it has.”

His heart skipped a beat when his vision was filled with a pair of bright blue eyes for a moment before quickly returning to normal. He wasn’t sure what happened, but it felt like he was seen through to his soul.

Sophia laughed freely and said, “I suggest you cultivate more instead of spending time with those ‘jade beauties’ you surround yourself with. With your current body still a child, you are far too easily influenced by women with more spiritual energy than you possess. Just think of it as hormones you experienced on Earth, but exponentially worse.”

“How did you know that?” William asked with surprise.

He didn’t know if he was particularly slow today, but he had just realized that Sophia had been discussing his life in this world with great detail. It was in a way that was only possible if she had stripped his thoughts bare. The idea of having her see his every moment was not comforting. It was horrifyingly embarrassing.

For some stupid reason, William thought she could only glimpse what he was thinking at the moment, not much different from most of the higher realm cultivators he had met. He had gotten used to that, so he hadn't cared much.

“Don’t flatter yourself. This incarnation doesn’t have enough will for me to waste so casually to constantly read your thoughts,” Sophia rolled her eyes, “I looked at the memories you deem significant and nothing else. After all, I would have to kill you and ensure your soul cannot reincarnate if you were unworthy of my creation.”

And there it was, the blunt reminder that while this woman was from Earth, she was far more similar to the cultivators than earthlings.

However, William expected this. It would be strange if the short time on Earth still influenced Sophia greatly.

“I see,” William nodded, “Then I’m glad I passed the inspection.”

Sophia hummed in agreement before saying, “I wished to speak on the Tianxia Empire before this incarnation's time is finished, but my only knowledge of their current power structure and ruling values is from your understanding, which is less than useless.”

“I already know this,” William pointed out, not wanting a rehash of his gaping knowledge about the Empire.

“And I should keep repeating it,” Sophia said sharply before sighing and shaking her head, “The Empire acted as my hand when I was on this plane, following my decrees and ensuring it was implemented. It was the easiest way to build the world I wanted, though what was actually created was highly flawed. That didn’t mean it was entirely futile. Even now, you can see how most mortals live without fear of cultivators killing them on a whim, as was common when I was a small cultivator.”

William’s mind went to Lan Yin killing Cao Rui, but he supposed it technically wasn’t on a ‘whim.’ After all, it was punishment.

“No matter,” Sophia sighed before her expression revealed a slight disgust, “Let’s speak of this… Shard.”

William looked around as if he would see anything other than the water surrounding them. Though he did notice that all the aquatic life had disappeared.

“It has been helpful,” William said gratefully as he thought of the relentless leveling he had experienced.

“Perhaps,” Sophia nodded, “But it is highly damaged. Someone has chosen to rip my pocket dimension into four and rename them ‘Shards,’ as that serpent mentioned. This was always meant to be a dimension the Tianxia Empire sent their promising cultivators, but it’s been made a mockery of its original intention.”

William wasn’t too surprised that the dimension was somehow related to Sophia. Why else would there be some sort of puppet that could turn into her incarnation if need be?

“So that snake is yours?” William thought it was interesting that this shard had three others similar to it but matters such as that were far beyond him at the moment. However, the fruits that grew on those trees were not. It would be fantastic if he could grab a few more.

That thought was halted when Sophia looked at him like he was an idiot.

“No, it’s not mine,” Sophia sneered, “I would never have such an ugly pet. Nor would I drain my own creation to grow such pathetic spiritual fruits. The requirement for cultivators to survive the desert has become far too high since this Oasis no longer has the capability to allow frequent use.”

William blinked at the sudden vitriol toward the snake, finding it a little uncalled for, though the latter point he understood. Of course, he still wasn’t sure what he was supposed to do with this information.

“That’s unfortunate… but I’m not sure why you’re telling me this. I’m far too weak to do anything about it.” William figured being blunt was the way to go. Since, you know, she had already shifted through his thoughts.

“I was worried you would never ask,” Sophia smiled brightly, “I’ll let you see it in a way that you have become accustomed to.”

William stared at her warily, wondering if he had just committed a blunder. He was thinking of one of the myths about vampires and how they couldn’t enter without your permission. Could it be the same with people who have ascended in this world? They couldn't do anything without prompting?

[Dread Empress Sophia has connected with system functions]

[Dread Empress Sophia is sending a possible addition to Main Quest]

[Allow: Y/N]

“Dread Empress Sophia?” William read out loud with wide eyes, wondering what she had done to earn such a title. Didn’t Daoist Chen mention that she was a benevolent cultivator?

“Interesting, the system tells you my title?” Sophia muttered as she stared at the system alerts, something that shouldn’t be possible. However, he assumed she was an exception since she created the thing. “I impress even myself. I must have made some last-minute additions before ascending.”

William stared at her, hesitating to accept anything from someone called ‘Dread Empress,’ but doing so anyway because, again, she was called ‘Dread Empress.’ While Sophia didn’t explain why she was called that, he wasn’t about to push her for one.

[Allowed]

[Quest: Seize control of fragmented realm stone]

[Information: Dread Empress Sophia’s private dimension had been under grave misuse for centuries. Unknown actors have split the dimension into four shards, with all shards being drained of vital energy from their respective fragmented realm stones. Regain control of the fragmented realm stone in the current shard.]

[Reward: +30 Levels | Heaven-Tier Martial Skill]

[Penalty: Possible discovery by unknown actors]

[Accept: Y/N]