Mareus opened his eyes to reveal the night sky. Losing consciousness this often can’t be good for me. With that thought Mareus began to mentally check his condition in the hopes that he succeeded in digesting the full elixir. I don’t understand. Wasn’t the Phoenix Elixir supposed to completely remake my body? As Mareus continued to examine himself he felt completely… normal?

Sure he seemed refreshed and full of energy, but it didn’t seem like anything more than a good night's rest could do. Had he gone through all of that pain, all of that suffering, just to fail? He laid there, staring at the starry sky as thoughts began to creep in the back of his mind.

Did she tell me the truth? But, what would she gain from tricking me? His mind continued to wander as he grew more aware of his surroundings. It seemed that at some point she had moved him to the cave's entrance, everything on the ground was coated with a thin layer of moisture, including him. Did she really leave me out in the rain?

But even soaking wet and half naked Mareus didn’t feel cold, the best he could describe it was like a comfortable chill. On top of that it felt as if everything was surprisingly well lit for the middle of the night, were the chunks of ancient moon that made up the heaven’s scar emitting more light than usual? No, that wasn’t right, they didn’t seem brighter, but he was somehow able to see more.

Mareus slowly sat up, letting the water fall off of him. Looking at his palms in his lap he said, “I can’t believe I did all of that just to feel normal.”

“Well that IS surprising.” Fu Kong seemingly materialized out of the shadows as she spoke. “You integrated the pill far better than I could have predicted if you still feel the same after experiencing its effects.” It always seemed as if she was staring right through him whenever they spoke. “Tell me child, are you able to sense any changes to your body?”

He bowed his head lower before answering, “No, Mistress… I’m afraid I may have failed your expectations of me.”

“Raise your face child, stand and perform your normal morning exercise. Movement will help you to sense the changes better.” He couldn’t understand why, but Mareus trusted what she said, at least he trusted her knowledge.

Still confused he rose to his feet and took his starting stance. Mareus took a few breaths in the pattern that his master taught him before. Breathing this way still felt as if he was breathing through a bamboo straw, the strain was uncomfortable. Once his breathing had stabilized he began moving through his stances.

Flowing painfully slow like a statue dancing around a ten meter circle, his body began to feel lighter as if the stone skin was falling off and his moves started to instantly respond to his thoughts. As Mareus practiced his movements he entered a newfound rhythm he had never experienced before and felt as if he was starting his next movement before completing the previous one. Without realizing it, he had completed the set and was resting in his last stance.

“Well? How do you feel?”

“It’s. It’s amazing! It feels like I’m able to move without even thinking. Like my body knows what I want to do before I do. And. And the breathing technique you taught me. It became so easy and effortless. I didn’t even lose the pattern once. It felt like I wasn’t even in my own body. It was like I was watching one of my village’s experts perform moves they’ve practiced for decades.”

“Those are some of the benefits of an uninhibited body and spirit working in sync.” She smiled

Fu Kong let Mareus lose himself in his excitement, unwilling to warn him of his future hardships. As he continued to marvel, she smiled and nodded along, all the while cleaning up the surroundings. Several minutes passed by with Mareus still entranced by the changes to his body.

A sudden cascade of water crashed down on his body washing Mareus back to his senses. “What’s happening?” He shouted while instinctively taking a defensive stance.

“While I understand your excitement, it is time we move on to your lessons wouldn’t you think?” No trace of impatience or irritation slipped out from her flat tone. “Whenever you’re ready I believe it would be best to begin your proper training.”

“What do you mean?”

“First, you will only be able to perform this practice in a space with dominating darkness energy.”

“Is that why that cave didn’t have any torches?”

She nodded in confirmation.

“Do all paths have special requirements like this?”

“Only the good ones.” She boasted.

Fu Kong gracefully landed on her inky ledge and gestured for Mareus to grab his stool. “Tell me, what do you know of training the different realms?”

“Well, I know that there is a qualitative difference between the different stages. And I know that if a practitioner were to surpass the barrier of the soul they would be capable of accessing the unlimited powers of Heaven and Earth to create miracles. Beyond that are only legends passed down.” He recited the lessons ingrained in him from a young age.

His Mistress sat in silence waiting for him to finish, “That is enough Child.” Disappointment filled her voice as she waved him off. “It seems your elders were fools in more than one regard. Not only did they teach trash techniques and have the audacity to restrict their access. But, they also acted as if such a basic level is the peak of strength in this world. No wonder ones at such an inconsequential level could cause such destruction.” Then she sighed, “I guess the one good thing to come of their idiocy is that you were not tainted with an inferior power.” Fu Kong rubbed her brow as she spoke.

Mareus could only bow his head from his seat, afraid of further upsetting his teacher.

“Hmm. Your elders were right to fear power. But, only because of their weakness, even those who destroyed your home would just be considered a little more than average in the wider world.” Her tone went flat again. “Those born weak have many tricks to gain power or defeat a more powerful opponent.” Fu Kong lowered herself off the ledge, almost drifting to the floor. “That will be enough on that topic for now, you will learn more things when the time comes. Now, let’s teach you true cultivation.”

Mareus could feel his robe trembling, was it reacting to her? It was made of her power after all. A dark smoke slowly filling the room brought him back to his senses. It gathered between them and rose into rough shapes as she spoke.

“The first stage, you call the body realm, is a special realm that is exclusively the starting point for mortals. Thus, all other races refer to it as the mortal realm, since no matter how strong of a lineage all mortals must begin at this realm.”

As she explained, images formed in the shadow between them of a child born into the world, growing and training, becoming more powerful until it could stand on even ground with the other shapes in the shadows.

“But, why? Why are we born weaker and have to work harder just to hold the same power others are born with?” Mareus for the second time forgot the difference between him and the woman before him. “I’m sorry Mistress I mean no offense, I am simply eager to learn more.” He cupped his hands and bowed.

“I take no offense Child,” she whispered “Knowledge is an important resource on the path of cultivation, and you should collect any resources you can to aid in your advancement.” The shadows began to move and focus on the human shape. “Now then, the reason mortals have to go through this extra step is…” she paused as if she was preparing to reveal some big secret. And leaned in to whisper, “Bad. Luck.”

Mareus took half a step back before giving his master a dumbfounded look.

She relaxed and the little man twirled around and fell into a sitting position. “That is all there is to it. No one really knows why, believe me I’ve tried to find out, but mortals have always been born with their souls sealed. And as a consequence their bodies are not nurtured by the energy of their soul like the other races that have one.”

There’s really something that Master doesn’t know? He mirrored the smokey person as he thought.

“And as an additional consequence to their souls being sealed, mortals do not usually pass on their power to their descendants. Therefore, each generation has to start from the lowest level of cultivation and rely on techniques and resources passed on from their ancestors. Though there are rare occasions where a special physique will be passed down.” The shadow doll danced around, performing a reenactment of whatever his mistress said.

“Is that what happened to you? Why you have that special constitution you mentioned before? And surely, there must be a way for mortals to unlock the power of the soul and be on equal footing with the rest of the world.” Mareus beamed at his teacher hopefully.

“Are you trying to tell me you want some sort of way to skip past the stages of the mortal realm and unlock powers not even your elders possessed?”

Her gaze bored into him, as if trying to read his thoughts. It kept Mareus speechless.

“Good. That is exactly the kind of mentality you need to have.” She softly chuckled before continuing. “One does not reach heights unimaginable to others by pursuing where those people stand, no, in order to reach the power you seek you must desire and strive for the unbelievable.”

“Mistress, you’re saying that it’s possible to do the impossible. But, where do I begin.” Mareus tried to hide the sound of defeat in his voice.

“Child, the mortal realm is a simple one. And unlike you’ve been led to believe, there are no truly significant differences between the stages. Traditionally you would start at what is called the breath stage, and you would practice a breathing technique and learn to subconsciously make it part of your normal life. From there you would learn to circulate your innate energy through your breath and use that to strengthen and purify your bones and marrow to strengthen your foundation, many call this the bone stage for obvious reasons. Lastly, you would refine your innate energy through your breath and channel it to the flesh, thus the straightforward name of the flesh stage.”

Mareus was listening intently, however his eyes were locked on the small figure before him, displaying everything Fu Kong spoke. He appreciated the visual aid to her explanation making it much more intuitive for him compared to earlier lectures.

“Of course this is a gross oversimplification of things. Now tell me, have you noticed yet why I act as if the mortal realm is nothing in the grand scale of power in this world?” She waited for him to respond.

“Well you certainly do make it sound as if going from one stage to the next is nothing and that anyone should be at least capable of that provided they had a proper cycling technique. I just don’t fully understand though, if it is so easy, then why do people spend years between stages and some never advance at all?”

“You answered your own question already, have you not? ’As long as they have a proper cycling technique’ it is this exact reason that limits mortals.” She spoke with absolute confidence. “That and they train the hard way. You see they treat each stage as if it's its own accomplishment which, if you do not know better, it is. However, it all comes down to you using a breathing technique to circulate fragments of your own soul power through your body, nourishing and purifying it until you are strong enough to withstand your own full power. Essentially, you are manually doing what other races' souls do from birth. And to a lesser degree by only working with power that has leaked out from a sealed source.”

The shadow man had a hole blow open from where his core would be to signify the opening of its soul.

“Thus, it’s reasonable to believe you can train all the stages of the mortal realm at once and not only see faster growth but unbelievable increases in quality of training. And this is not only theory, you have already done it.” She gently tapped Mareus on the forehead.

“I-I have?” He stammered as he tried racking his brain for when he achieved such a heaven defying training method.

“Yes child, when you were processing the Phoenix Elixir. Only instead of circulating my energy through your body, which if left alone could tear you apart from the inside out. You use your own innate energy that your body is already accustomed to and desires. I will warn you though, this training method should only be done when under perfect focus and you are sure your surroundings are safe.”

Mareus dropped into the lotus position and began to meditate, trying to sense his own spiritual power before she could even finish. He remembered that power from before and desperately tried to sense it again.

“Oh, one more thing I forgot to mention.” Fu Kong spoke wryly. “For mortals, no matter what training method is used there are always… changes that take place as a side effect of strengthening your body.”

“Changes?” He leaned in.

“Mortals call it a Divine Body to reflect the ascension to the Immortal Realm, the name is in poor taste in my opinion. Decided by some ancient practitioner who believed he had contemplated everything in the universe and passed on plain names to his disciples. It’s nothing more than the path you follow physically presenting itself in the world. Some of these changes have more practical uses such as bestial eyes, claws, or extra limbs. While some are more ornamental, such as our path.”

She pulled her hair back to reveal a long pointed ear that was black at the tip and slowly blended in with her face the closer it got to it. Even if it was somewhat mundane, Mareus couldn’t help but be overcome by it. This was proof that she was an immortal. One that he would have someday.

“Yours should be similar to mine, however since your path is an improved version of mine. It can very well present itself somewhat differently.”

Mareus dissected her ear with his eyes. This is a symbol of divinity. It fits her so perfectly. Even after she fixed her hair his thoughts continued. What would that look like on me? That’s ridiculous, I’m too plain to have the same aura as someone at her level.

“You’ll make me blush if you stare too hard.” Fu Kong teased.

“Why do you hide your Divine Body?” Completely oblivious to her comment.

“More often than not they do nothing more than show others what path you are on. To me, that seems like it would be a disadvantage in our case. It makes it nothing more than an easy clue to your opponents strengths and weaknesses.”

“I see.”

He hadn’t considered how others could use that as a strategy against him. He felt his hair that already went just past his ears.

Perhaps I should grow my hair out a little more.

Fu Kong drifted behind him before resting a hand on his head. Mareus slowly lowered his hand back into his lap and closed his eyes.

Mareus changed his breathing, inhaling through his nose and feeling the air travel down to the center of his body. His stomach moving in reverse to what it had always unconsciously done. Holding his breath and swirling the energy around his core. Tension, already building.

“It is commonly believed that the soul spins or rotates in place, similar to a whirlpool. Sucking in energy from the universe and storing it in some deeper space, condensing it and purifying it as it becomes one with your soul.”

As slowly as he could he began to exhale through pursed lips. His lungs slowly deflating as his stomach expanded. A burning sensation growing in his chest made his body feel hotter and hotter.

“This is not the case for us.” She continued, “The power of your soul will be centered at a single point while energy will storm around it in a seemingly chaotic and unorganized manner. Orbiting in the eight heavenly directions but being unrestricted by linear paths. The soul, alive in its own way.”

He held his breath again just before his lungs fully collapsed. Imagining the energy that gathered at the sealed sphere rushing from his core through all of his meridians. The sensations in his body transforming to be more of a cold prickle that made his hair stand on end.

“The soul is your ultimate source of power in this world, and until it is unsealed you will need to augment your lack of that source with external sources. For now I can provide the necessary energy and it can benefit you from being of a similar nature to what you ultimately will form it to within yourself. When your power is more stable we will go out to gather some treasures that can do the same for you.”

A pressure slowly built around Mareus as he continued the cycling pattern. Squeezing him from all sides, it reminded him of that monster. His breathing becoming uneven and the sound of his heart filling his ears.

THUMP

THUMP-THUMP

THUMP

“Calm yourself. You are safe. You are feeling my pressure. I wouldn’t allow any misfortune to befall you under my supervision.”

Forcing himself to regain control he fell deeper into his meditation. Hours passing in minutes and the pressure every so often increasing to what was just bearable. The entire time he grit his teeth as he heard his muscles and bones creaking ever so slightly.

After he had cycled thousands of times over Mareus slowly floated back to the surface of his mind and slowly became aware of just how stiff his body now was.

“That was acceptable for your first time. How do you feel?”

“I feel sore.” He was honest.

“Your body will become used to the technique with time. Try moving around and compare it to when you took the Phoenix Elixir.”

Mareus stood up and prepared to move. Then he fell over disorientated.

On the other side of the small room.

“What just happened?” He rubbed his shoulder before using the wall as a support. He still couldn’t see much in the dark space, but when he touched the cold wall he could feel a short crack the width of a finger.

That’s strange, were there other parts of the cave damaged like this?

“You’ll still have to train your connection between your mind and the power that you now have. Judging from your speed I would say you are roughly comparable to a peak breath stage cultivator who primarily focuses on physical training.”

“Just from one session? How?”

“That is the point of building a proper foundation and why I didn’t have you do this sooner. It also helps that this technique could be considered a mythical level one.”

“What do you mean?”

“It’s just some ranking some fool came up with. Mythical class objects and techniques are supposedly able to help you rival the heavens and ascend the world. I never found much of the classifications to be accurate and for treasures, their quality and the knowledge on how to use them was far more important than simply how rare or old they were.”

“What about techniques? You said before that trash techniques would always be trash techniques.”

“That’s still true, but that is more about the knowledge behind the fundamental principles of the technique. Even my technique would be rated lower compared to the one I perfected and passed onto you. And I had access to a wealth of knowledge and books that discussed the various theories of cultivation. If you allow me to set aside humility. I was considered a genius prodigy when I was younger. ‘A once in a million years genius,' they would call me.” Fu Kong beckoned for him to stand. “Come, it is about time for you to be training in the valley.”

Mareus couldn’t believe that he had spent almost a full day cycling. Surely enough, as soon as they stepped into the mouth of the entrance he could see light coming through.

Confused, Mareus followed his teacher to the cave entrance. “Where are we going?”

“While you spent these past few weeks training, I was surveying the nearby lands for a specific type of treasure for you.”

“For me? What is it?” He started to get excited.

“You’ll see in a moment.” She smiled.

When they made it to the entrance Mareus frantically looked around the cliffside for anything different. Disappointment began to set in as there wasn’t anything obvious. He looked back at his master to ask, and before he could say anything he saw where she was pointing.

Following her finger up the side of the cliff he fell back in a mixture of terror and excitement. Floating high overhead was a giant translucent white crystal. Even from this distance he could tell that it was larger than him.

“It was a little too big for the cave so I had to surprise you out here.” She slowly lowered the crystal off the side of the cliff. “This is one of the heavenly energy crystals I told you about before, and we were fortunate enough to find one so large. We will break off pieces as you need them, but I want you to use these to assist you when you cultivate.” As the crystal passed by him he could see a distorted version of himself ripple across the bright surface. “Once a week I will guide you at night and see how you have progressed.”

A low thud echoed across the valley as it finally touched down. The top, still at least three times taller than him.

“This will be your life for the next three years.”