"Stepped on by Night...?"
"It is only a figure of speech. Being swallowed, crushed, any harmful action, really."
"I see..."
Shade of Autumn pointed to an especially shadowy area of the forest around them.
"Just as Night's Sky is above it, Night is also around us. Where you can not see the Startlit Sky, or the starlight itself, those are usually places where you can find Night."
"I see... There was a story told in my Settlement, which spoke of Night as antithetical, without time, without direction, without colour. And, I suppose, without a whole lot of other things; absence, in other words."
"Is that so? Story of the First Star, right? I believe there are many iterations of that story, but as you describe it, I believe this story belongs to the Western region?"
"Yes. Lord Immortal Defiance was the one who told me of this story. It was an important piece of our Settlement's history."
A hint of solemnity laced Sun's tone. Reminiscing on the earlier years of his life at Star Gazing Settlement.
Although it felt difficult to reach for his other memories of his youth, this one remained clearly apparent.
"Ah... forgive me for getting so off track."
"It is fine. It is nice to see you cling to such sentimentalities, Sun."
"So... what else did you have to say about Immersion?"
"Hmm... Usually, a Cultivator will progress through the Five Eyes, mastering the Flesh Eye before experiencing the Divine Eye, but you have skipped the former entirely. However, it would not be too late to try experiencing the capabilities of the Flesh Eye first."
Saying so, Shade of Autumn retrieved a small object from her sleeve.
"Try analysing this Dao Art Medium first, using your normal vision, then try to amplify your vision with Qi."
Saying so, Shade of Autumn reached out her hand, and Sun felt the range of his Forced Immersion shrink. Shade of Autumn had shrunk the range of the Dao Art, which withholds Immersion.
"Your Flesh Eye's Immersion will not be withheld by the Dao Art, but I want you to rely solely on the superficial."
As the myriad sensations stopped their assault, Sun's mind was finally given peace.
With a nod, Sun focused his gaze on the Dao Art Medium in his hand.
He stared as he walked.
It was brown, likely made of smooth wood, and there was an image drawn into it, which, when fueled with Qi, would shimmer a pale white.
Sun then circulated his Qi to flow into his eyes. It was a weird experience; he felt his vision blur, then return to being clear.
For a moment, he took in the sight of the Dao Art Medium.
Although it looked smooth, there were faint grooves in the material, or was it simply discolouration?
The image seemed clearer to Sun; he could make out even the smallest details clearly.
There was also a subtle difference in the colours he could see, specifically within the Qi. As he instilled Qi into the Dao Art Medium's Image, the pale white seemed to be more on the grey side than simply white.
He could make out every detail in the Dao Art Medium, but also.
"I see... Ah...!"
Sun shut his eyes. Suddenly, they felt dry, and his mind seemed to feel heavy.
It wasn't only the Dao Art Medium in his hand, but also his hand.
Whether it be the creases of his palm or the prints of his fingertips, Sun could see it all clearly; he even felt as if he could see the very skin cells which made up his hand.
Because of the angle of Sun's head, his gaze looking down at his palm, he could also see the soil beneath him.
Every grain, every stone, every blade of grass, all could be seen clearly.
Even as he shut his eyes, through the darkness behind his eyelids, he could just make out the veins in his eyelids.
Immediately, his vision felt like it was overloading information into his brain, and Sun stopped instilling Qi into his eyes.
"Was that too much? Forgive me, I should have warned you beforehand..."
"Ah... worry not... ahh..."
"When your eyes take in too much information, your mind is usually what takes the burden, but I guess the untrained eye will also strain."
Shade of Autumn drew something on the back of her hand and placed her hand over Sun's closed eyes, and a gentle pressure began to press into his skin.
"Circulate your Qi into your brain. I will soothe your eyes."
"Okay..."
Gradually, a weakness settled into Sun's eyes, but they began to feel energised a moment later.
"This is... a healing Dao Art?"
"Indeed, it is good to have one. Don't you have one?"
"No... I didn't focus on learning one..."
Shade of Autumn sighed as she removed her hand. Sun's mind felt a little lighter, while his eyes didn't feel strained anymore.
"I only know how to use mundane healing methods through Qi manipulation. I figured using a self-healing Dao Art would be important, but..."
"It's fine. I understand. I can teach you one on the way."
"Is that okay? Should I not dedicate all of my attention towards keeping an eye on the surroundings?"
Shade of Autumn brought her hand near Sun's head. The Dao Art, which withholds Immersion, has expanded once again.
"I'll keep an eye out. Also, it would serve you well to appear before the Spirit of Summer with a healing method. The lack thereof may be seen as a lack of self-care, or that you lack mindfulness for others' well-being."
"I see. Then... thank you for helping me with this."
"Don't worry about it. I'll only teach you a simple healing Dao Art; the Spirit of Summer should have other Dao Arts, so a healing method may be included within his inheritance."
"Is that so..."
Sun let his gaze rise to the sky as he thought about becoming Summer's Heir.
'If I become Herald of Summer, I will have to learn the Dao Arts of the Spirit of Summer. I wonder if my battle strength can prosper from this...'
'Of course it should. What I heard from Senior Spring and Senior Winter was that Herald of Summer was a great defender of Veiled Forest Settlement. I can only assume that he is a warrior of sorts.'
'However, Autumn paints him in a rather heroic light. If a healing Dao Art is a part of the inheritance of Summer, then who exactly was this Herald of Summer?'