"Peculiar? What's weird about Cloud Prism?"
"It's a domain where the material and astral worlds swap, completely and we are in the astral world while material world acts like the astral one. This is exactly why qi arts are perfect in that domain. Can you explain why?"
Hou thought for a second and gave his answer,
"Because qi is a type of 'wild' consciousness...so when the astral and material swap, qi can be used as a more physical power?"
"Exactly, it's a domain that causes qi arts to become highly destructive with minimal effort. The inheritance here is called 'growth' by many."
"Let's stop this useless talk, like I told Mo Huai when he was my student, 'Experience will overcome knowledge'. The opposite can often be true but some things you just need to experience." Qi Lan jumped in before their talk got too much.
'So that's where master got his philosophy of experience over knowledge, from master to student it remains passed down.' Hou was recalling when Nine Clouds Purple Miasma had told him that experienced ruled knowledge.
"Yes as Qi Lan says, let's fly back to the teleport gate and get to the Cloud Prism." Mo Huai stopped his explaining to Hou and floated into the air.
Before Hou followed them, Mo Huai threw him down a pill,
"And take this, absorb it while we travel!"
Hou caught the pill and nodded, then he jumped of the ground and flapped his Cloudy Eagle Divine Wings. He lifted form the ground and started to fly forward, as he did he activated the Free Lark Technique.
He noticed he could activate it more freely after experiencing the second inheritance. The experience of the ancestor using laws had helped his own manipulation of laws in body cultivation.
Once again, they set off flying. Hou was absorbing the pill as they flew through the sky at high speeds.
***
Two weeks later, they had arrived back at the teleport gate. Hou had been given a few other pills which he did not need to actively process to keep his body and mind in top shape. He had also finished to pill he was given as they set off.
"Thank you Qi Lan, for your hospitality and guiding. I'm sure Hou also appreciates it." Mo Huai gave a goodbye to Qi Lan before they set off.
Hou nodded and Qi Lan smiled,
"It was my pleasure, Zhigong good luck with your inheritances!"
Nine Clouds Purple Miasma, Mo Huai, then took out a token from his robes. Once again, he threw it into the air and it floated while letting out rays of light. The rays of light activated the teleportation gate and clouds started to vote around the centre.
The clouds shimmered and a burst of rainbow colours was seen on the other side.
"Go in Hou, take your first step in. Once you acclimatised a little I'll explain a few things to you"
Hou looked at the flurry of lights anxiously. It was like seeing the astral world all at the same time. Normally when he was astrally projecting he only saw a sliver of the fulll astral world, the world still covered in light but not to this extent.
Hou jumped into the gate, using his wings to give him extra air time. As soon as he passed the threshold he got a headache.
His whole world switched and he was in the astral world as a physical being. Somehow his body had turned to stable laws that could be seen and observed.
Mo Huai passed through the gate next and the clouds collapsed, leaving only a ring of stone.
"So this is Nine Clouds Qi Art's domain, Cloud Prism. Let me explain a few things, the first what has happened. Everything that used to be in the astral world has now switched, such as your soul and Consciousness. But conversely your physical body is now here in the astral world."
"I...see" Hou was trying to pay attention despite a headache.
"It is quite disorienting your first time, it's okay. So now your physical body has turned to materialised laws, like the sun drop you made when trying alchemy."
"I remember... So is there anything I can do to fix this headache"
"Yes, and it should be simple for you. Since your soul and body weren't unified it should be simple to bring your consciousness and soul into this world and contain your laws. If you don't protect your laws, the astral world will start to assimilate them. Your soul and consciousness though will stop that happening"
"Yes I don't think I need any instructions, with my traditional cultivation, spirit arts, experience I can do this."
Hou focused on his consciousness and Soul, in the now material world. With that, he focused on what he used to do and being the consciousness sealed within the soul through into the astral world.
And with an attractive force if the soul and physical body, it was easily done by Hou. His soul merged with his body and temporarily was unified.
"Perfect! This won't be permanent but this is body and soul unification! Normally people who visit the Cloud Prism will only have the consciousness separated."
'Is this state not similar to Resonance, where you become entangled with the astral world? Maybe because the witness have switched it has changed. The reason resonance is dangerous is because of the world rejected it, so maybe now the world's 'will' is in the material world?'
Hou put aside his wondering, and looked at his body. His whole being was together, body, soul and consciousness in one. It felt...right.
"Now just follow me, no need use your wings. If you use them here they might be destroyed, instead use only flight laws and it will work with ease."
Hou did as Mo Huai instructed and started to circulate his flight laws and he begun flying, and so he asked,
"But how do I know where to go? The world is just completely incomprehensible!"
"For that you need to stop thinking. Don't think but simply Intuit using your consciousness."