The Innkeeper

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Lex frowned as he read the report on Will. Spiritual affinity was something he'd never heard of before, he wasn't exactly sure what that meant. He was also confused by what the system meant by saying 'dissolve the Foundation'. Was a person's cultivation realm something they could just give up?

He asked Mary about the details.

"Originally this is something I did not know, but as you've elevated your authority by a few levels I have received the answer from the system. Spiritual energy originally is neutral, but it can gain affinities. For example, if a person is using a cultivation technique that is based on fire, or relies on heated environments or natural treasures that have the fire element, then when that person absorbs spiritual energy, his cultivation technique will give it a fire affinity. That means the spiritual energy that person has stored in his body will have the characteristics of fire, and he can use spiritual attacks based on fire.

"The case with Will is similar. The cultivation technique he is using is based on fire, but his body inherently has an affinity for water. Not everyone has natural affinities, and people who have them can be considered to have special constitutions. As a result of Will's natural affinity clashing with the affinity of the spirit energy he is absorbing, instead of becoming stronger he is being poisoned.

"As for dissolving his Foundation, that is an easy way of describing it. To understand, let me explain to you how the different levels of cultivation work. Body Tempering strengthens the body to absorb spiritual energy within it without being hurt by it.

"Qi training, which also has nine realms, involves absorbing spiritual energy in the body, and then pushing the limits of how much energy the body can store. Each time a cultivator breaks through a subrealm in Qi training their capacity for spiritual energy is increased. But where in the body is this energy being stored? Later, in the Golden Core realm, the energy is stored in the core, however before that the energy is stored in the muscles, tissues and organs of the body.

"In simple words, Qi training only focuses on the quantity of spirit energy that the body can hold. It forces the body to absorb as much energy as possible. Suffice to say, the better the cultivation technique or the talent of the cultivator, the more energy they can absorb. However, this changes in the Foundation realm. The spirit energy that has so far been absorbed by the body is neutral, and of very low quality. In fact, if spiritual energy that is purer or higher in concentration can actually harm the cultivator. The Foundation realm starts building a foundation in the body to sustain higher concentrations as well as quality of spiritual energy. One of the steps involved in this naturally changes the neutral spiritual energy in the body to that of one with an affinity.

"How that works is irrelevant to you right now, what you need to know right now is what 'dissolving the foundation' means. It's a nice way of putting it, but basically if all the muscles and tissue in the body simultaneously sustain enough damage - without directly killing the cultivator - then the spiritual energy in the body will be released and the cultivation realm of the person will drop. Usually, if a person survives such an ordeal, their body is so damaged that they can never cultivate again.

"You should be able to avoid that happening by immediately putting him in the Recovery Pod so that his body heals correctly. However the old man is weak, I don't know if he can survive such a shock. Also, even weak, he's in the Foundation realm and you're in the body tempering. There's no way you can help him 'dissolve his Foundation'. You'll have to get Hugo to do it."

That was a lot of information to absorb, and he had silently been staring at the old man for a bit now. Hugo was starting to get worried, but just as he was about to ask a question the Innkeeper spoke up.

"His condition is complicated. Whether he can be healed or not depends on whether or not you trust me, and are willing to take a risk."

Hugo looked down at the old man with a questioning gaze. Even though he himself had a higher cultivation than Will, the old man's family had been in the cultivation world for centuries and had a lot of influence. Hugo needed his help to find his families murderers, so he really hoped that Will could be healed.

Will, who had been silent so far, removed the oxygen mask from his face and gave the mysterious Innkeeper a weak smile. For some reason, Will felt like he could trust the old man unconditionally. If he wasn't in unbearable pain, he would have liked to have a chat with him. For now though, he would trust his gut and put his life in the mysterious man's hands.

"I have nothing left to lose. We'll do whatever you say."

Lex nodded at the old man's determination. Then he explained Will's problem, exactly as he read about it in the report. He did not know if affinities were common knowledge, and would only explain if asked.

When the old man heard what the issue was, he suddenly came to a realization. It's as if the pains of his entire life suddenly made sense to him, as well as why his condition had suddenly deteriorated. Originally he was going to wait for Hugo to return and see if there was a way for him to heal, but after feeling spirit energy from the key he thought maybe he was getting better and tried to absorb energy from a medium spirit stone. His condition had drastically gotten worse since. He chuckled to himself. He did know about affinities, as well as special constitutions. Who could have guessed that he was someone countless people considered a genius, but he made a mistake right at the first step and chose the wrong cultivation technique.

Lex explained the procedure that Will needed to undergo, and while Hugo was startled Will did not have much of a reaction. He was too exhausted, mentally and physically, at this point. Since Hugo had already bought a bottle of Botlam's Dew, they went directly to the room with a Recovery Pod (RP).

"Eh, are you sure you want me to dissolve his cultivation? Wouldn't it be better if you did it?" asked Hugo, reluctant to hurt Will. He didn't want to use too much strength and accidentally kill him.

Lex shook his head and answered, "I apologize, but I cannot harm a guest - even to help them - unless they break a rule of the Midnight Inn. It will have to be you."

That was the excuse Lex had thought up, and though it was flimsy it would have to do.

Will lay down in the Recovery Pod and Hugo put his hand over the old man's chest. Slowly and carefully he channeled his spirit energy all over the old man's body, till a thin layer of it covered him. Looking in the eyes of Will one last time Hugo gave him a nod, to let him know he was about to do it, and then let his spirit energy attack Will.

In an instant the old man went from being pale and trembling to covered in blood and completely still. Using his fastest speed Hugo chugged the bottle of Botlam's Dew down his throat and closed the lid for the RP.

The RP started working immediately, but the old man lay still and unresponsive. He looked like a corpse being poked and prodded, but Lex could use the system to monitor his status. The old man went to within an inch of his life. To be more exact, his heart stopped beating for a few moments and his brain activity started to decrease, but the Botlam's Dew kept him from completely dying for a few critical seconds. Just because he was in the Pod did not mean he could not die, as was the case with Marlo as well, but fortunately after a couple of minutes he went out being in a critical condition.

At this point the spirit energy was leaking out of his body, his cultivation falling, and the RP was more focused on keeping him alive than healing him. The Botam's Dew, which normally took a long time to show its full effect, had already been used up in keeping him alive long enough for the RP to take over. If nothing unexpected happened, he would survive, though he most likely would have to start cultivating from Qi training again.

"It's okay. He's passed the critical stage. He should be fine."

Hugo let out a breath of relief. He thought he had killed the old man.

Lex left the two alone, the healing process would take a long time and no doubt Hugo wanted to stay with Will a bit longer to ensure he was okay. But instead of returning to previous activity of improving the Inn and considering where to add the greenhouse, he walked in a particular direction. He remembered that he had another guest at his Inn, and he had previously sent her a Saturn Cake. Lex wanted to check up on her, and if the opportunity presented itself learn more about her famous friend - Alexander.