Astral's next breath wasn't his own. It was a gasp to be met with suffocation, but there was instead a breath of light that filled his lungs. He found himself no longer at the scene of combat. In fact, his body felt weightless. As he noticed the changes, his eyes began to focus. Floating amidst a dark void, sparkling with distant stars. He rest upon a nebulous cloud, composed entirely of celestial mana. This form of energy baffled Astral, it was beyond his mortal scope. Any thought he had could form the cloud, so he made a plush recliner.
A haunting voice called through the space to Astral, "Comfortable?"
He smiled, "Haha, yeah!" but his joy quickly faded.
"Am I dead?" Astral asked the divine being.
"Not quite. You are more-so exiled from existence."
"Is that better or worse than being dead?"
The voice paused with a small chuckle and spoke, "Let me enlighten you on your situation."
Astral leaned into the voice's direction, fearing for his fate.
"This power you have recently gained. It was a mistake by Laws of Heaven. That night of the wizards' circle ritual, another wizard was intended to receive the Immortal Cannabis Refinement Technique, but it was you instead who received it.
"This doesn't make any sense. Why did I gain this power instead of them?"
"That is where the mistake happened. In such an inexperienced mage, this power would eventually destroy your meridians. Simply because your body, mind, and spirit are not strong enough to contain the power of the technique. You were recklessly tapping into your power. The other Immortals were sooner to watch you die against Dajobasa, but I was the one who saw your potential. I chose to whisk you away on my celestial winds, and bring you to my divine realm."
"Then that means you saved my life?"
"Yes, I did. However there is more to it."
Astral was so greatly relieved that he offered a prayer to the enlightened one. This time, the enlightened one responded.
"The deity to which you pray has always been me, The Heavenly Lord of Divine Enlightenment, Teacher of The Dao and Sutras of Immortal Splendor."
"What a mouthful. And you're the only divine being in this spiritual realm?"
"No, there are over 10,000 Heavenly Lords. Some of them are Ladies. We all reside in the Eternal Supreme Realm. You're thinking of the Spirit Realm, which is a very different thing.
All of this information began to fatigue Astral, and the Heavenly Lord sensed it.
"Astral, I can spend any amount of time explaining things to you, but I am going to return you to the Mortal Realm."
Astral couldn't hold his tongue, "Am I losing the Immortal Cannabis Refinement Technique!?"
The Heavenly Lord smiled. Astral could not see or perceive the being, but he felt its smile.
"The Immortal Technique is far too powerful of an ascension path to take from you. I know you have the potential to cultivate this ability, and I am going to serve as your mentor to guide you through the path."
The Heavenly Lord certainly showed compassion toward Astral. This drove him to question the being, "All of this -" his voice trailed off before picking back up again, "You are bestowing upon me the means of ascending to godhood. Why do you want me to become an immortal deity?"
"I have spent untold millennia in isolation cultivating in my Immortal Cave. I have transcended time and space itself, and I can move all things living with a mere gesture. There is no further height for me to reach. I am ready to become a part of Nirvana."
Astral couldn't possibly begin to understand the Heavenly Lord's perspective. His mortal mind unfit to learn the wisdom of celestial ancients.
"Astral, I am returning my energy to the universe, and I will cease to exist. I want you to inherit my immortal realm. You will find countless years of enjoyment from my office when it is yours."
"Wow, this is a lot for me. When can I leave?"
The Heavenly Lord agreed: Astral's time in the divine realm was nearing an end.
"Whenever you'd like. Just know that when you choose to return, you will not return to a world you know."
"I'm getting isekai'd again?"
"Yes. However this time your 72 mana meridians will be closed, but I will leave you with a spirit root to unlock your first meridian. Just know that this is all so that your body, mind, and spirit have ample time to strengthen and refine. It will take many many years, but you will continue to grow in power as your find more cannabis to smoke. Smoking cannabis is your path to immortality, Astral, it is up to you to write your destiny. I will be watching you most of the time."
"Most of the time!?"
"Yes, even immortals have divine wine parties to attend."
"I suppose that's fair."
The realm grew dark, and the stars were swallowed by a black abyss.
"Smoke loud, young Astral. Smoke loud."
"..."
These were the last words Astral heard before everything changed forever.