Energy Sight

The flames of the crooked Fork-tongue Willow were growing smaller and smaller. It gave a slight tremble and let out a puff of black smoke. Fortunately, it had not gone out.

Nese said nothing, merely nodding lightly, his gaze fixed on Yicha—he had to maintain absolute concentration to sustain this newly opened state of vision.

He was still not proficient enough.

The energy on the demon looked far too chaotic. It was as though he were wearing an outrageously gaudy, multicolored coat.

Yicha remained still with good-natured patience, allowing him to observe.

Within Energy Sight, the powers of various domains revealed their forms.

Apart from the Disorder Energy domain that every demon innately possessed, the easiest energy to identify on Yicha was a cluster of blue-green points of light, like constantly flickering fireflies, flying lively up and down around him.

Yicha often used the power of this domain. Nese had seen it several times.

Right. He had been brought back to life by this very power.

The Vine Spirit's spontaneous energy domain: Life Energy.

"The first is Disorder. The second is Life."

Nese spoke softly but with certainty. He knew Yicha could hear him.

"That's right."

Yicha pointed at the Fork-tongue Willow that was nearly burnt out. Beside the dry, shriveled willow, there was also a faint blue-green glow of the same kind, steadily dimming and fading away.

"Life Sacrificer Taqiqili pointed out that, contrary to its literal meaning, Life Energy is far from widespread. It does not appear wherever there is life. It is closer to concepts such as 'orderly creation' and 'nature's positivity.'"

Yicha explained, "Life Energy only appears when activities of that nature are taking place."

Nese looked at the pitiful willow tree, thin smoke rising from it. It had originally had eleven branches that stretched straight upward like the teeth of a comb. Now, they had all become tiny, unappealing ashes in the Yan Feng.

"I can't see how this tree is carrying out 'orderly creation' or 'nature's positivity,'" Nese blurted out, immediately realizing that his tone had been poor.

It looked more like "accidental destruction." Nese sincerely believed so.

"Don't only look at the surface." Yicha beckoned to the barely surviving Fork-tongue Willow stump. A small hole split open in the middle of the stump, and a tiny transparent bead flew into his palm.

Yicha pinched the bead between two fingers and shook it at Nese. The sorcerer realized that it was a Marrowstone.

"See? This is orderly creation." Yicha deftly tucked the Marrowstone into his clothes. "Marrowstones are energy arranged in dense formations."

Nese nodded. His gaze fell again upon the firefly-like points of light at Yicha's side.

Why was the demon accompanied by the power of life at all times?

"Teacher, the energy on your body..."

"You don't have much time left." Yicha tugged at the corner of his mouth, revealing his fangs. "That is because I am thinking every moment. Thinking is the most orderly form of creation."

Nese could not tell whether Yicha was joking. But time was pressing, so he could only shift his gaze and identify the next kind of energy.

The manifestation of the second energy domain looked like tentacles.

They were faintly bluish. The color was extremely pale, with only some strange protrusions and no suckers, though Nese felt that they ought to have them.

These tentacles were nearly impossible to see. Nese did not know whether his senses were not sharp enough, or whether they were naturally almost transparent.

He narrowed his eyes and focused.

More than a hundred soft, faintly visible pale-blue tentacles extended from Yicha's body, hanging naturally downward and swaying gently. They made the demon resemble some terrifying marine creature.

This was...

Nese compared it with the concepts Yicha had taught him. He ruled out several possibilities, yet hesitated between the remaining ones.

What was it... a dragon's spontaneous energy domain, Dream Energy?

Nese looked around, but he could not find any similar pale-blue tentacles on anything nearby. There was no reference to be found.

He recalled the knowledge Yicha had imparted to him.

Dream was a manipulative, creative domain. Its energy often appeared in the forms of limbs and soft shapes.

Unlike the ubiquitous Order and Disorder Energy, natural Dream Energy existed only in Dreamweaver's Cradle Plane. Once one left Dreamweaver's Cradle, it could not be acquired from nothing and had to be converted through other methods.

The conditions for conversion were extremely harsh. Yicha had said so.

Harsh did not mean impossible. Teacher should be able to do it... The sorcerer raised his head and gazed at those tentacles.

It might also be Elemental or Ray Energy.

He watched as the transparent tentacles toyed with a spinning cloud of black Disorder mist like a sea anemone, then suddenly opened a mouth-like slit and swallowed the cloud whole.

Elemental...?

The Elemental Energy domain was a semi-material domain that could interact with other forms of energy. Elements were ever-changing and appeared only in the forms most suited to them. They possessed natural energy, could be produced by matter, and could also be obtained through other means.

The form of Elemental Energy was often hidden within matter. For example, the Elemental Energy projection of a flame often closely resembled the fire that produced it. Even with Energy Sight activated, the two could easily be confused.

Judging by the concealment and interactivity of these tentacles, they could indeed be elemental.

As for whether it was Ray Energy...

The Ray domain leaned toward laws. Its projection in Energy Sight often appeared with one end fixed and the other spread outward.

Judging solely by appearance, these tentacles, with one end shooting out from Yicha's body and the other hanging in the air, did indeed fit the characteristics of rays.

Nese placed the three possibilities together in his mind and weighed them.

The semitransparent, slender tentacles swayed idly through the air.

Ray Energy should have a more obvious sense of direction, so it could be ruled out.

He hesitated between the remaining two choices.

They did not display sufficiently distinctive elemental traits or material properties...

"The third is Dream," he said.

Yicha raised an eyebrow, and the sorcerer knew he had answered correctly.

He swiftly turned to identifying the fourth energy domain.

The flames of the Fork-tongue Willow actually swelled somewhat. But Nese knew that this was only its final flare. The hole left by removing the Marrowstone caused the remaining stump to burn even faster.

Nese turned back to look at Yicha again. Something was still glimmering at the demon's cuff.

As if to prompt him, Yicha raised his right hand and traced a pattern in the air.

The rustling sound of shattered fangs being swept aside.

The sorcerer lowered his head toward the source of the sound. Across the pitted surface of the surrounding Fang Desert, deep grooves were being swiftly carved in accordance with Yicha's movements. Because of the speed, fragments flew everywhere, striking his robes.

The lines on the ground connected together, gradually forming a closed pattern identical to the one the demon had drawn in the air.

A magic array.

Nese realized that he was standing at the center of the magic array.