Enjoy!
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There is one man who travels the world for millennia’s and watches as history progresses. However he is not a man at the same time. A “spirit” is a more fitting expression. Ever since he was struck by lightning during a thunderstorm his soul left the body and was formed into an ethereal silhouette.
With no way to interact with the outside world he had to wander around aimlessly in hope of finding something to bring him back to the living. After several bouts of noiseless screaming and walking through objects he was determined to change his ‘life’.
Then started his thirst for knowledge! At the time of his death, scriptures weren’t found on the internet or even books. Some cultures had different ways of recording history of course, and he tirelessly (literally) searched for anything to read.
Years passed as he floats to different continents. Studying the sprouting architecture and eras, cultures and tribes; including the shamanistic rituals that ancient religions did. Also desperate enough to try and see if maybe the Aztec peoples’ sacrifice could actually let him see if he could meet their “god of sun” so he could get some help; however it failed.
The poor fellow also tried to see whether the Salem Witch Trials could hold a great answer to his problems, but even when the “witches” were a scam. Only when he traveled to Japan to talk with his oni friends would there be some fun.
Maybe the only highlight during his ghost life was his ability to create a “ghost clone” as he called it. His clone is the only substance that he couldn’t walk through. The clone is not sentient; however it will follow orders with his mind.
The first thing he did was vent all his pent up rage since death on his clone...maybe it was good that it wasn’t sentient after all.
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After discovering the ability right after he became a spirit, he also went to see various fighting styles over the years. Once he had watched the masters of fighting, he would also repeat their forms and command his clone to use copied fighting style to attack him continuously.
Thus he could always have a fighting partner. Furthermore he can hone his skills anytime he wants. The clone can even transform into any size person or animal to simulate his sparring. His clone could attack with one fighting style while he uses another. The strength of the clone can be adjusted as well.
Gradually he refined his skills for year’s non-stop. Not just fighting, he also “haunted” renowned scholars during each era. Scientists, Mathematicians, Carpenters, etc. were all visited.
His favorite hobby was studying Asian medicine and marital arts. Abstract subjects like qi were his main focus. Had he not been a spirit, he would probably dismiss the idea as nonsense and move on. However as a supernatural entity himself, it was fascinating.
As they say, those that work hard get rewarded and qi was real. When it passed through the bald-headed man sitting in the temple, he could see where in the body it flowed. Starting from then he would watch the qi go through the meridians in the body and take notes in his mind on every detail.
His motto, “No rest for the wicked” and his determination to achieve perfection helped him transform his spirit body into the perfect being that awaited a mortal vessel, ending his completion of training in January 1st 2016.
The sudden suction of his spirit body was the start to an experience of his (second) lifetime.