"Let's try again then," Aurora said, “by the way, only boys? What about us, girls?”

"No. Now, you’re going to learn how to unlock your meridians. The targeted attack I used blocked them. An opposing soldier will do worse and will atrophy your muscles too. I won’t always be able to protect you," Liu-Ken told her. "Follow me. You can leave the weapon on the ground. We'll come back to it later," Liu-Ken added before making a short pause, “Good question. Only boys, yes. Actually, you’re a double anomaly, but, I guess, I shouldn’t be surprised. Your father and mother were always quite different than everyone else. And, that’s enough of ancient history for today,”

Aurora followed Liu to the riverside. The densely wooded forest that kept them apart from civilization sparkled, yellow and orange irises swarming in every possible way.

"There. Sit, and don't leave until you feel your chi flowing all over your body," Liu-Ken said and pointed to the rock under the waterfall.

"But up there I'll be hit by the water," Aurora said, looking at Liu as if he had lost his mind, "If I can't do it without distractions, how will I do it with the water soaking me?"

"We don't have time to wait. We must force you. You have to improve your intuition, Aurora. It's all up to you," Liu-Ken told her, "Now, go. I'll be here watching.”

"When do we get to handling corpses and absorbing the mana around us? If I'm a necromancer, won't it be easier doing that kind of technique?"

"Being a natural at something doesn't mean that you will be able to do it the first time. You have to overcome several stages before you can climb to the podium."

"I've never been very patient."

"A cultivator must be patient. It is in our blood."

"I guess I wasn't born to be a cultivator then."

"You're much more like your father than you might think. He was like that too. Impulsive, brave, willing to toss himself at the world with no second thought, wanting to save everyone even when we were in hiding," Liu-Ken said, lowering his defenses and being sloppy.

"Hidden? Why were you hiding? I don't think you're the kind of person that would break the rules," she replied.

Liu-Ken laughed. "I told you before. I'll tell you all about it when you get one of the corpses up. I'll know there that you're ready for what awaits us," he answered.

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"I don't think I have any other choice, do I?" Aurora said and headed for the stone, jumping from rock to rock, wetting her clothes.

The first three times she tried to climb to the stone didn't go well. The moment she laid her hands on the top, the water shoved her back. The fourth time she stumbled, her foot slipping as she climbed, and fell sideways, diving. She was now soaking wet, her damp brown hair all over her face.

"Haste is an enemy of perfection, kid. You won't even be able to achieve the simplest tasks if you're always trying to do them as if you're running late. Life is a train for which you have a lifetime ticket. Take a deep breath. Follow the water threads. Let the chi flow into your hands and cling to the rock. Find a way to perch on top."

"You knew I was going to fail, didn't you?" Aurora asked him, shaking off the water as best as she could, "I thought I was supposed to go to the rock to feel the chi, now you're saying I have to do it now?"

"I had that idea, yes. You also need to make mistakes. Mistakes are the foundation of learning," Liu-Ken told her and smiled, "one more lesson. Neither the world nor anyone else will expect you to get better. You have a moment to do it. What are you going to do about it?"

"Always with different catchphrases," Aurora replied, with a sarcastic smile on her lips, "I'll prove to you that I can do it."

She stared at the stone, the current of water crashing down on the top and splitting into two thick threads. That rock was on the path to her revenge. It was an obstacle to be overcome, no matter how hard it had proven to be.

I have to feel my chi then... she thought to herself.

She was on the second stone counting from the rock. She closed her eyes and held her hands together. Liu-Ken put the book he was reading down and watched the girl; Aurora's chi sprang from her dantian, flowing throughout the meridians, slowly, gathering in both hands, her fingers darkening. Gradually, the blue veins turned black, rising from her neck to her face. Putrid lines stretched across Aurora's forehead and slid down her cheeks like acid rain. The girl had not yet taken a step forward when a tornado broke out underwater. It spun, taking in the entire creek, all the way up to the girl's side without her even realizing it.

Liu-Ken got up and ran to her. Within five seconds, he had struck several pressure points on the girl's arm, legs, neck, and nape. The black lines receded and returned to the girl's inner self. The water tornado cooled down and an oval cloud rained down on both. Aurora sank into Liu-Ken's arms, once again unconscious.

"Not yet, I see," he said, carrying the girl and laying her on the grass.

The sun gave way to the night's clouds. They overshadowed him, only a few rays of light reaching Aurora. Enough light to dry her clothes and pale face. Liu-Ken again sat down at the table and went back to reading. The small, thick, book contained dozens, if not hundreds, of teachings. From the simplest, such as breathing techniques, to others more difficult, such as uniting mana and chi for deadly attacks, and the almost impossible, such as the three pages dedicated to creating a golden core within the dantian or the five dedicated to creating a blossoming soul, a second life for some cultivators. All the steps that were required to challenge the heavens and attain immortality.