Chapter 1449 Why is this happening…? 1449 Why is this happening...? "I shouldn't have said those words. How can I not realize that I was raising a flag? How could I make such a rookie mistake? Did living for thousands of years blur my memories of all the novels I read in the past?" "...what in the hell are you talking about?" Aeliana, who couldn't understand a word Nux said questioned with a deadpan look on her face. "..." Nux didn't answer. He might be trying to joke around and keep a clear mind, in truth, his mental state wasn't the best. He was worried, paranoid, unsure, and... scared. Aeliana, who could read his emotions stayed silent, then, she focused on the chess board in front of her and made her move. "What do you think is the most important quality of the King?" She questioned, looking at Nux. Nux glanced at the Vampire. He had come here to divert his mind and somehow find a solution, however, he didn't think that his 'dear' master would make him play this game again. 'Isn't she tired of winning against me? Play with Amaya if you like it so much, she will give you a run for your money.' He complained in his head. "You still didn't answer my question, Nux." Aeliana spoke in a calm tone. "What important quality? Isn't he just a deadweight? Queen should have been a more important piece, the King can die and no one would care if it wasn't for the stupid condition." Nux snorted. At the same time, he moved up his pawn, blocking Aeliana's attack. Hearing that answer, Aeliana laughed out loud, then, she shook her head and, "That is just how the game works, rather than complaining about the rules, you take them into consideration and make your move. As for the answer to my question, Its patience. The most important quality of the King is patience, wanting to win is normal, but the King needs to be patient, he needs to know when to make his move, only when the King leaves his ranks at the perfect time does he win the game, If he is out before or after that, he will die." "What are you trying to say, Master?" Nux questioned directly. "I am saying that you still have 1000 years in your hands, Nux. You have mastered your Zenith Flow only recently and I can already see that you are losing your patience. I know you are worried, all this time, you have been walking on a predetermined path and now you are venturing into something completely unknown, it is normal to feel what you are feeling right now but don't forget, Your goal isn't small. Your path will never be simple. This might even be the easiest of all the obstacles you will face in the future. Feeling nervous is fine, but letting that affect your thinking is unacceptable." "Then what do you want me to do? No, what can I do? Zenith Flow is the combination of all the techniques I have learned till now, Mastering it to perfection means that I have separately mastered all my techniques. Usually, only Mastering three to four techniques would give one insight into the Assimilation Level which further helps the cultivator form his Path, But in my case, even after mastering more than 100 techniques to perfect, I still cannot feel the presence of the Assimilation Level. It is as if a level beyond my current mastery level doesn't even exist. How exactly do I move from here? What do I do? Why can I not feel the Assimilation Level? Will it all be the same again? Will Mastering the Zenith Flow prove to be completely useless?" Once again, clouds of uncertainty, nervousness, and worry formed around Nux. "Try looking at things from a different perspective." Aeliana spoke up. Nux glanced at her and noticing she had his attention, the Vampire continued, "Are you sure you have Mastered the Zenith Flow to Perfection? This is the technique you and Vyriana created together, you are the first and the only cultivator to ever learn this technique, are you sure what you have reached is indeed the Perfection Level and not a level you think is perfection level because you are unable to move forward?" Nux frowned when he heard those words. "What if you have only mastered your techniques to Perfection Level individually? What if there is still another Layer of Zenith Flow, a Layer that you do not know about?" "How can I, as its creator not know about it?" "Creating a technique doesn't mean you have mastered it, Nux. Who knows? The Zenith Flow you have created might be an incomplete version. Actually, the chances of that happening are pretty high. After all, what you created is a high level technique, the higher the level of a technique, the more complicated it is, I wouldn't be surprised if the two of you missed something and that something is stopping you from actually perfecting the technique." It was a theory Nux would have worked on if it was before, however, "That is not possible." He shook his head. "I have mastered the technique to the point that even if I sleep right now, my body will move exactly how it should. I am not just talking about fighting, I have trained my muscles to the point where my body can even perform daily activities on its own. I have mastered Zenith Flow to absolute perfection, I am sure of that." "..." Observing Nux's confident gaze, Aeliana had no choice but to discard her theory. "Then I can only assume that the brute force method won't work in your case." In the end, she could only sigh. "Then what do I do?" They were back to square one again. Aeliana thought for a good 15 minutes before she finally came up with an answer, "Form your Path naturally. If you are unable to form your Law, then it means there is a problem, a problem you need to address, a problem you need to understand. A Law is the Impact one has on the universe, with some twist in logic, one can also see it as the Universe's understanding of you as an individual. Since you are unable to form a Law, one reason behind it could be that the universe is unable to 'understand' your existence. I do not know how to make the universe 'understand' you, but if you ask me, I would say that understanding your own self might be one approach to the problem. After all, you can only explain something to someone if you understand it yourself." "Are you saying..." "Try to understand yourself, Nux. Who you truly are, beyond your name and identity? What experiences have shaped your understanding of yourself? Where do you see yourself in the grand scheme of the universe? How do you define success? What brings you joy and fulfilment? Ask yourself all these questions. I remember you telling me about some questions your wives asked when they formed their laws, correct? What you have been doing my entire life? What are you doing right now? What do you see yourself doing in the future? What do you regret in your life? How will you make sure to never have any regrets in your life anymore? Introspect, Nux Leander. Think about everything, understand yourself. Help the universe understand you. Face your problems instead of despairing, that's what you have been doing till now, and that is what you should be doing right now. Have I made myself clear?" "..." Not giving Nux the chance to answer, Aeliana stood up. "Let's say you win this match, I believe it will help boost your confidence a bit. But don't let it get to your head, alright? I can defeat you a few times if you think that is too hard for you." The Vampire chuckled as she then disappeared, leaving the room for Nux and letting him introspect. She couldn't help Nux in this case, Nux would need to deal with this problem on his own. She could only show her support from the sidelines. ... "Haah..." Nux, who was left alone in his room couldn't help but sigh. 'Understanding myself huh...' This obviously wasn't the first time he was told something like this, Vyriana said the same thing before, and... Just like before, Nux believed that he had a pretty strong understanding of himself. These questions Aeliana asked... he already had answers for all of them. Who am I truly, beyond my name and identity? I am a man who loves my wives. What experiences have shaped my understanding of myself? Spending time together with my wives. Where do I see myself in the grand scheme of the universe? At the very top of the universe, together with my wives. How do I define success? Becoming the strongest, living together with my wives without anyone bothering me. What brings me joy and fulfilment? Staying together with my wives. What I have been doing my entire life? Enjoying time with my wives. What I am doing right now? Trying to get stronger to protect my wives. What do I see myself doing in the future? Spending eternity together with my wives. What do I regret in my life? Not being able to spend enough time with my wives. How will I make sure to never have any regrets in my life anymore? Return to them and spoil them rotten. Nothing changed. Nux's thoughts, from the very beginning, never changed. And the 2000 years of illusion definitely didn't change anything. His love for his life, the way he thought, everything was the same. So what he didn't see his wives for 2000 years? It changes nothing. He was a simple man. A man who loved his wives and was willing to do anything for them. 'And... you are telling me that the universe is having a hard time 'understanding' me!?' "AAAAGGGGHHHH!!!" BOOOOOM In the end, unable to control his frustration, Nux punched and tore open the wall next to him. "What!? Enemy attack!?" "It is Lady Aeliana'a office!" "Move! Move! What the hell are you doing here!?" Sensing that his actions had caused a commotion, Nux activated the artifact in his hands and disappeared. Aeliana's subordinates, who entered her office, frowned when they didn't find anyone. "The enemy teleported away?" "Where is Lady Aeliana!? Is she safe!?" "Alert everyone! Call rei-" "Calm down." Suddenly, a calm voice was heard. The subordinates turned around and saw Aeliana walking towards them. "It was just an accident, you all can leave." "..." In an instant, the rushed atmosphere cooled down. "A-As you command, Lady Aeliana." The office was emptied out, Aeliana, who was left alone, glanced at the hole in the wall and didn't say anything. There were too many things going on in her mind.' 'Why is this happening...?' She couldn't understand.