"Where am I? I can't move!!
— How are the others?"
Looking at them, I realized they were all right. Even though we'd only just met, we'd already been through a lot together, so I could call them my friends.
— First friends in the outer world??
— Pretty pleasant feeling.
— Right now it's much more important to figure out where we are and find an exit quickly, otherwise we might miss the selection.
Lying there, I tried to understand where we were and how we'd ended up here. From what I could see, we were in a cave: it was damp and, surprisingly, bright.
It wasn't sunlight, but something very similar; a light could be seen far off in the cave, so maybe that was the exit.
Digging through my memories, I managed to recall a few more moments.
Namely, that we'd been thrown here by a current, and two things point to that: first, we were near water, and its energy still carried traces of Yin and Yang.
Second, I remembered that something had seemed to pull us along, something very much like a current.
But what was more interesting was that those energies had mixed: opposites — like fire and water — had blended, and they perfectly complemented each other.
And right now I felt an ideal harmony, and they'd mixed into a new kind of Qi called Yan Yu.
I'd only heard of it in legends, and only a few mentions at that. From what I'd gathered, this Qi could significantly accelerate one's development, but it required a specific technique — without it your body simply wouldn't endure.
— I never thought it existed. If something like this is here, maybe there's a way to learn it.
The glow coming from my mark shielded us from the energy overflow.
— Hm, more questions, fewer answers. Alright, don't fill your head with it.
After about half an hour of numbness I realized I could move, though with difficulty. Fifteen minutes later I could stand; then I could look around properly.
I wanted to go to the light source, but I thought it might be dangerous, so I didn't risk it. Instead, I decided to inspect the nearby area.
That's when I saw how huge the cave was. After walking two hundred meters or so, I noticed very strange marks on the wall — probably made by a sword. They seemed to both exist and not exist at the same time.
Either they affected the mind somehow, or they were linked to space itself. The oddities didn't stop there. A little further on I felt Qi — weak, and yet strong at the same time.
When I came closer I realized the Qi was coming from a rusty sword. Although rusty, it was remarkably well preserved; if polished and sharpened it would be like new, so I took it.
I wanted to keep exploring the cave, but decided to wait until the others woke up.
Not to waste time, I chose to cultivate near those sword marks — I felt a kind of kinship.
Closing my eyes, I drifted into something like the subconscious and saw an unknown master striking the wall with his sword.
Knowledge poured into my head as if on its own. I started to understand what the technique was and how great the master who created it had been.
I entered a state known in the cultivation world as… Enlightenment.
I soaked up knowledge like a sponge; I learned why those marks felt unreal in this world. It was a Path-of-Space technique, its principle simple to understand but devilishly hard to practice.
In short: the sword's Qi slices through the space of our world and passes into the phantom realm.
There it skirts almost any barrier — shields, defensive formations — and returns along the desired trajectory. That allows you to bypass any defense, but it demands enormous reserves of Qi.
It can be used in different ways, but that is its main application — and such power comes at a price.
For now it's too strong for me. It'll serve as a trump card, but not as a primary technique.
After that, my consciousness returned to the outer world, and the first thing I noticed was my level — I had risen to Qi Purification, Level 7, skipping nearly two stages.
From Qi Condensation Level 5 to Qi Purification Level 7. Not a bad result.
I'd forgotten to mention: each cultivation stage is also divided into ten levels; once you clear them you can ascend to the next stage.
— Hey, be quiet, don't wake him!!
— This is an important step in his cultivation!!
— Yes, got it, don't beat us!!
— What, hormones acting up?
— I'll knock sense into you all!
— Ow — it hurts, it hurts, we won't do it again!!
Me:
— I see you're full of energy! Ha-ha.
Yue Lin:
— Oh, you're awake! How did the cultivation go?
Me:
— As you can see — great. When did you wake up?
Lin Chen:
— About an hour and a half ago. When we woke up we saw you were gone and went searching. You were in a state of enlightenment meditating, so we decided not to wake you — it could have harmed your foundation.
Me:
— Thanks for worrying. Everything's fine now.
Wei Lun:
— While you were cooing over yourselves, I saw a light at the end of the cave; I suggest we go check it out.
Yue Lin + Lin Chen:
— You must've hit your head hard, idiot! — they shouted angrily at Wei Lun.
— Ow. Don't hit me. It hurts, it really hurts!!
Me:
— Guys, leave him be — he's half-dead, and we don't need vegetables here, — I said with a grin from ear to ear.
Wei Lun:
— Bastard!! I thought you were on my side!!
Me:
— Alright, time to move. Time won't wait.
After those words we headed toward the light; at first it seemed close. But after several hours we finally reached the source.
The space opened even more; it looked more like an ancient shrine than a cave. Columns, statues, and those light sources — strange crystals — stood everywhere.
Lin Chen:
— Wait, this is…!?
— What is that?
Lin Chen:
— These crystals used as light — they're the rarest treasures!! Who lived here who could afford such things??
???:
— Me!! — someone very powerful shouted.
Us:
— Who's there?
???:
— Do not fear, I mean you no harm. Even if I wanted to, in the Soul State I can do little.
— My name is Yun Jie. You may call me Master Yun.
Me:
— How are you in the Soul State?
Master Yun:
— Like this!
Suddenly, out of nowhere, a figure of a man appeared — middle-aged, more or less.
Although we'd heard that upon reaching the Soul Formation stage a practitioner can, in danger, leave their body, we had never seen it in person.
Lin Chen:
— I read somewhere that a practitioner in the Soul State can enslave another's body, taking the host's place — but only if the soul of the living body is weaker than the soul of the practitioner.
Hearing that, we were seized by helplessness. Each of us felt like ants before him.
Master Yun:
— Oh, you're clever. You like to read. But there's nothing to be afraid of: as I said, if the body is too weak it simply won't endure the power of a soul.
So even if I wanted to seize your bodies, I couldn't — you're too weak.
And you are all talented, especially you, white-haired one. To understand the interspatial slice technique on the first try…
I myself cannot do that. You are extremely gifted on the Path of Space, so I think I should give you a technique — the Path of Time.
If you master it, I have big plans for you. But—right now there's something more important. Kids, help me and I'll reward you generously.
Yue Lin:
— What exactly do you need help with? We aren't very strong, but we'll assist however we can.
— Right, guys?
— Yesss!!
Master Yun:
— Good attitude. Then let me explain. Basically, you'll help me create a new body for myself.
Us:
— What?? Do you practice demonic techniques? We would never help a demon achieve his goals, even if it costs our lives.
Master Yun:
— Do not worry, I am not a demon. Let me explain. For one in the Soul State there are three options.
First — seize someone's body.
Second — remain a soul for the rest of one's days, without a physical shell.
Third — create a body through a special technique.
There is nothing demonic in it; you form shells from Qi that over time become a full body.
But not every type of Qi is suitable. You need a primordial Qi; there are several kinds, but I'll explain later. One of them exists in this cave — you must have already encountered it.
That pool you came out from is one of the primordial Qis — called Harmony Qi. It's called that because Yang and Yin Qi mixed there. They don't repel but complete each other, forming perfect harmony.
I will teach you the technique to gather this Qi; you can use it to raise your level. Keep in mind that greed here can harm or even kill you.
Me:
— Then why don't you do it yourself? Wouldn't it be quicker and easier?
Master Yun:
— You're right, it would be faster, but there's a problem. Dantians and meridians exist only in a physical body; even if I wanted to gather it, I can't direct or store it myself.
— That's the only and greatest drawback of this technique.
— Now, I will teach you the gathering technique. Come one by one so I can pour the knowledge into you. It's long and tedious to explain.
— White-haired one, you're first. Be an example for the others so they won't be afraid.
During the transfer, dizziness may occur — that's normal.
Approaching him, I was a little afraid. But as soon as his spiritual Qi touched my head, knowledge of the technique poured in almost instantly.
It felt like I'd known it all my life; experience seemed to transfer along with the knowledge.
— How do you feel? Is your head spinning? — Master Yun asked.
Me:
— No, it's fine. I even feel better than before.
Master Yun:
— Good. The rest, one by one.
From what I received, the technique isn't complicated, but it demands caution and precision. In short, when gathering primordial Qi, you must be near the source, like the one where I woke up.
A cultivator has three Dantians: the primary, the heart, and the head.
Each can be effectively used, but few dare. If you use the heart or head Dantian there's a big chance of error.
If the Qi gets out of control, the heart or brain will explode. That's why precision is necessary.
Primordial Qi must be stored in the heart Dantian — it doesn't have a flashy name; it's simply the technique of gathering primordial Qi.
Even after this, I couldn't understand what he was thinking. He seemed friendly; if he wanted to harm us he wouldn't have behaved like this with us. Strange. I hoped things would be okay.
Master Yun:
— Girl, you're next. Come, don't be afraid.
Yue Lin:
— Alright.
Master Yun:
— That's it. Everything went well, but I have a question.
Why are you so anxious, as if you carry a huge boulder on your soul? If you want, you can share it with me. I'll give you some advice. And not only to you — to all three of you.
Yue Lin:
— The thing is, before coming here we killed at least twenty people to take their artifacts and resources.
That's what troubles me: the guilt for their deaths is on us. Maybe at home they had wives and children, mothers and fathers, and we just killed them — even if not directly.
Master Yun:
— I'll tell you this: in this world there's no place for such sentiments. You either kill, or get killed. When you take the path of cultivation, that's the first truth you must know.
Only the weak call it cruelty; the strong call it the law of nature. That's how it is — think on it, and your opportunities will improve. Cherish your life and your loved ones; the rest is fate.
Understand, I'm not saying killing left and right is good. You can be sure: if I find any of you doing that, I will personally kill you, even if you are my students.
After those words the atmosphere pressed in. The pressure and murderous intent radiating from him were terrifying. Compared to him, that monster had been nothing.
I barely stayed on my feet; my breath staggered, my heart pounded like a mad thing; the others nearly fainted.
Even as a soul, he was far stronger than those two elders. So that's what a master of higher spheres means.
— Alright, that's enough for now.
Strangely, from you, white-haired one, I felt nothing — no fear, no guilt.
— You're absolutely calm; that's both good and bad. Remember: feeling guilt is normal and even necessary, especially when you've taken a life.
Everyone needs emotions; without them you become a monster that will devour both itself and the world.
— I'll remember your words, Master Yun.
— Now we will go — we've already spent enough time.
— Very well, proceed.
On the way to the source nothing strange happened; everything was as a cave should be — dark, damp, with an eerie sense that someone else shared the space with us.
Arriving at the source, we wasted no time and began to gather Qi immediately.
— Be vigilant: one mistake and you're dead.
Surprisingly, everything went smoothly; no problems arose.
Except one: while I absorbed the primordial Qi, part of it went to development, part I stored, and another portion flowed toward my mark.
It wasn't really a problem, just unusual; I thought it deserved it — it had saved me so many times.
At that moment I thought: since we're storing Qi in the heart Dantian, why not strengthen it and use it as a second principal reservoir?
That would raise my overall Qi to a new level.
To use it as effectively as the primary, first I needed to strengthen the meridians. I'd start with the small ones — there are sixteen; the medium — eight; and the large — four.
Taking them one by one, without haste, would take about three days, so the coming days I'd enter a deep cultivation phase. That's exactly how long gathering Qi for Master Yun's body would take.
Three days later:
— I successfully strengthened all the meridians and connected the primary Dantian with the heart one.
Increasing my Qi reserves almost threefold, although my stage hadn't changed, I could now fight on equal terms with a Core Formation practitioner of second level.
— Hey, are you done over there?
— Yes.
— Excellent, then let's go back.
— Understood.
— Hm, looks like they've finished gathering Qi. I've completed all preparations too. Just a little more, and I can finally put my plan into motion.
Dear readers, thank you for reading this far. I'm so happy that someone is reading my work. Thank you so much for your attention.
Author of the book: SHADOWS_77