We make our way out of Talbuk and find ourselves beneath the stars.

Much as I would like to pour through my new book, I wait for daylight.

The stars are opening for me as though the heavens were a scroll.

"The bear is a noble beast. She knows no fear. Should the traveler happen upon the bear and her cubs, his life is in danger.

"Only the hunter seek out the bear, and when the two meet, it is a contest for survival."

I share with Jack my insights into the heavens. And, as always, he absorbs the information readily.

We sit under the open sky, two gravitational forces that the chi of heaven and earth swirl about.

We are cutting the energy we absorb in half. It's not an important issue at the moment. But, it does affect our cultivation.

I begin to understand a new aspect of the immortal's aloofness. For cultivation, solitude is important.

But, I do enjoy the friendship I find in Jack. He's no younger than I but shows me such respect as I've never experienced.

The warm rays of dawn illuminate the sandy dunes that surround us.

With the light, I can read my new alchemy tome.

I scan for a recipe that uses the ingredients I've stored in my cosmos ring.

"The Seven Heavens Ascension Pill," I say as I decide.

Jack closes in to see the pill.

It requires a large number of herbs. But, I have an abundance of these types.

I start the fire of the cauldron. Warming the tools as I grind and dissect herbs.

Jack has an educated eye on my work. Ready to help? Should I ask it?

As the components are placed in the cauldron, I drizzle a small amount of water with the ground-up herbs.

Minutes become hours as I carefully adjust the recipe for a larger batch.

Finally, the pills are formed into balls before the last crafting stage.

By noon, the cauldron is allowed to cool, and I have a pair of medicinal pills meant for cultivators.

The pills cool and, before long, I pick them up.

Jack has an excited expression as I marvel at my creations. They're lopsided. But, despite their imperfection, the smell of the medicinal herbs tells me that these will be potent.

"I don't know what to expect, Jack. I've never done this before."

"I have faith, master."

He is eager as I drop one of the pills into his hand.

With that, I turn to my own.

I pop the pill into my mouth. It's too big to swallow whole, and I find myself chewing and swallowing it bit by bit.

When I'm done ingesting the pill, I look to my companion.

His excitement grows as the medicine starts to affect us both.

I remove and store my soul cuffs to better focus on the absorption of chi.

I feel my gravity well leap in size, coveting the chi in the area.

I notice that I'm conflicting with the growth of Jack's absorption.

"Stay here," I say as I sprint to the horizon.

With us apart, it becomes a feeding frenzy of energy.

The gravitation of the spiritual world towards the physical.

This is the perfect place to meditate on my dao.

I take a cross-legged position and focus on absorbing as much as possible.

My thoughts are to avoid the abomination, as it is a malignant force. But, I can't help but feel myself a glutton that consumes all around me.

The knight needs power to fulfill his role. But, he doesn't consume like the abomination.

The immortal looks at the abomination with disdain. He feels noble in his capture of the ephemeral chi.

Despite the different aspects of who I am reflected in the stars, I've never been so hungry.

Not a hunger of the flesh. But, a hunger of the soul.

I transfer my consciousness outside of my body. My soul is swimming through a sea of chi.

As I look back on my physical form, I can see through all of my imperfections.

My soul stone shines like a glowing jewel.

Throughout my soul stone are devastating fissures.

After all the labor I've put in to fix the cracks, I've only mended a few tiny ones. While thousands more scar the precious core of my soul.

Despite being called immortal, so long as my soul stone remains a sieve for the heavenly chi to pass through, I remain a mortal.

Resolving to change my lot in life, I continue the out-of-body experience to direct the chi that flows into me.

I identify the smallest fissures and apply the energy that funnels into me.

I settle into a rhythm and mend a number of the smallest cracks.

Hours pass as minutes, and the effect of the medicinal pill grows progressively weaker.

Finally, I come to a close with my meditation and seek out Jack.

When I find him, I note the profuse sweating the man is experiencing.

His gravity well seems more stable and larger than the previous day.

Jack looks exhausted but says, "Awesome."

This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

I assess his state. My eyes open to the immaterial.

His soul stone is fluctuating from the energy he absorbed.

"You're in danger," I say. "Get your energetic core under control quickly."

The pleased look on his face is replaced by one of embarrassment.

I can tell the change in his thoughts as his face settles. He is neither joyful nor worried as he tames his chi-infused core.

I settle down beside him. As he focuses on his internal battle, I focus on my own.

With every crack that I seal, my power grows. My command of the spiritual as well as the physical expands.

Cultivators do not need to fight. Immortality should be a peaceful journey.

I think about how Jack and I support one another. Shouldn't this be my relationship with other cultivators as well?

Instead, I hide from those who should be my peers.

The fortune teller in Callo comes to mind. She could have been crazy. Or, she could have seen straight through me. I can't hide forever.

But then, I enjoy picking flowers and my solitude.

"Ah," I sigh.

"Master?"

I realize he's listening, "Nothing, Jack."

We carry on for some time as we both stabilize from the rapid advancement we've made.

I still have herbs to spare and looked to my partner, "Another round?"

He lets out a laugh, "Yes, master."

Despite my earlier unwillingness to wear the title, I live the role.

We spend the next few days assimilating the cultivation pills.

By the end of our time, we have both grown as cultivators.

I wonder how I would stand against the task masters of the Divided Fates sect.

As we return to Talbuk, we return to hiding our chi consumption.

There's no need to draw attention to ourselves.

I still have enough coin for two tickets across the sea.

"You'll be headed for Fire Island if you travel with us," comes the word of the first mate of a cargo ship.

"What's it like?" I ask.

"Tropical. There's a volcano on it. Causes a pillar of smoke to rise high into the sky.

I find myself fascinated by the idea of seeing a volcano. And tropical forests sound amazing. I would like to know what herbs I could find there.

"We'd like to go with you," I speak for Jack.

After settling the fee, we are told to wait in town or on the boat. I don't fear being left behind, but I don't see any reason to return to the city.

Jack and I meditate while we wait.

For us, meditation is rest. But, to the sailors, it must look odd.

The crew's demeanor towards us grows respectful as they recognize us as immortals.

Finally, we are away. We both get to share the experience of being on a boat for the first time.

I think to myself how new and novel the world is. In a short period, I've experienced many firsts.

I can't help but feel that Jack has chosen the wrong master. The things that we see are new to us both.

The crew is surprisingly attentive to our needs.

They offer a meal that neither of us needs. But I think back to agreeing that I should put on some weight.

I thank them for the overabundance of food. To a sailor, I'm sure it looks reasonable.

The trip is peaceful until we hear an alluring song.

It's a tragic tune that the crew starts going mad for.

Jack and I have stronger resistance to charms than ordinary humans don't possess.

The pilot of the ship is steering us close to a rocky outcropping.

As the beautiful maidens sing to us, I realize the danger.

"Get on the wheel!" I call out to Jack.

While Jack gets us back on course, I bring two fingers down on the forehead of one man about to jump from the ship. The man drops. Unconscious, but alive.

With the immediate concerns managed, I turned my focus to the songstresses.

Their upper bodies are the beautiful and supple forms of maidens, while their bottom halves are the tails of fish.

Four of them sit comfortably, singing.

I've never tried what I'm about to attempt, a chi bomb.

I project out towards the siren a ball of densely packed chi. The attack extends out like an apple growing from the limb of a tree.

The apple of chi extends by inches until it drops from the tree of my spiritual body.

As the ball drops onto the head of the nearest mermaid, an explosion annihilat the siren's upper body. Only the fishy tale remains.

The three other sirens cry out in agony and their song ends. Despite surviving the attack, their bodies are mangled and bloody—their beauty past.

The ship's crew collects their wits as they realize how close they were to doom.

I watch as the surviving sirens leave bloody trails in the water.

"You have to teach me how to do that," Jack comments after returning the wheel to the pilot.

I smile at him.

As we continue our journey, the crew's respect turns into reverence.

I keep refusing when they offer me the odd bauble. I refuse until someone offers me a compass. I've never seen one before. But I've heard of them.

The man who offered it looks pleased that his offering was accepted.

The journey continues as I use the compass to see where we're headed.

Jack relates to the crew stories of our time together.

I find my reputation growing despite my desire for anonymity. But then, it's just a small group of people.

Finally, our transit makes port.

I find my feet on solid ground and marvel at the foreign trees that dot the landscape.

Jack and I part ways with the crew. It was a more emotional moment than I would have expected.

The man I had knocked out is tearing up as he says farewell.

The town we find ourselves in is small and serves as more of a way station than a population center.

Newly broke, I find myself looking to the wilds.

The island is relatively large, and there is much to gain here.

All of the herbs I see are alien to me. And so, I turn to my herb compendium to identify the foreign herbs.

Jack volunteers to hunt herbs on his own, so I give him one of my old gathering bags.

With the two of us on the hunt, we steadily collect the tropical herbs. Jack returns whenever he fills his bag. He has less experience identifying medicinal plants and manages to gather many weeds.

I patiently explain the ones he should pass up and the ones to collect.

As we gather in the wilds, I get the impression that no other cultivators are on the island.

I focus down a line of my attention and spread it to all corners of the island. There are no gravity wells to worry about.

Without fear of discovery, I run my core at full tilt, gathering the aetherial chi.

Days pass, and Jack's understanding of herbs grows.

There is still much to harvest.

I'm attempting something new in my harvesting. It involves a delicate attachment of chi to where I pluck an herb.

I destroy the spiritual body of the plant when I harvest it.

But, if I sow a small amount of chi into the damaged point. Then, I can foster regrowth in the plant.

I practice this attempted miracle over and over as I harvest.

At night, I think about how the farmer sows. He knows that not every seed he plants will grow to be reaped.

But, he has faith that his labor is not in vain.

Day and night swim through the sea of time.

I am more of an observer of the wellspring that is time.

On occasion, when the harvest is right, I set down to craft medicinal pills.

Then Jack and I part ways for us to incorporate the energies of the pills.

When I take the pills, I find my ability to mend my soul stone grows profoundly.

I am always sealing the cracks. And I realize something. More cracks form as I advance as a cultivator.

The path of an immortal is one of trial.

Jack knows that he must mend his soul stone. But, he is faster and looser with his cultivation.

I have to tell him to tame his rampaging energies repeatedly.

Every time he takes a pill, he grows jubilant as his gravity goes off like an abomination.

"Why do you think I'm like the abomination, master?"

There's a wound in his voice.

"To be clear, the abomination, like the other constellations, is an aspect of the soul.

"The abomination reflects our hunger and gluttony.

"The abomination pays no mind to the cost, even to itself, of its consumption.

"I see in you what I see everywhere in our world, insatiable appetite. And it brings you closer to destruction than you allow yourself to see."

Jack is silent for a long moment as he digests my words.

"I will show more care from now on, master."

I sigh inwardly. How did I come into this role as a teacher? I'm still learning, and now I am cultivating another immortal's path.

The farmer, he sows, and the reaper harvests. Am I the farmer and the reaper?

I settle in for the night and continue seeking enlightenment.

The night passes into day, and my harvest continues.

Jack, as ever, proves himself capable in his harvest.

I find myself with an over-abundant supply. I will turn my focus to crafting pills while Jack continues the harvest.

By the end of the day, I have several pills crafted. Among them, a lunar ray pill for Jack and me.

This pill is to be consumed under the light of the moon.

It converts the illumination into a bed of chi that one may bathe in.

I wait for Jack to return from his hunt for herbs.

As I collect his harvest, I explain the effects of the pill.

"I don't believe it's a full moon tonight, but it is close. When you take your pill tonight, meditate on the nature of the moon and its light."

"Yes, master."

I part ways with my pupil and find a clearing open to the sky.

As I wait for the moon to dominate the sky, I think about the nature of the satellite in the sky. It is second only to the sun in its authority.

The warm rays of day give way to the encroachment of night.

The horizon is a magnificent orange. But, the authority of the sun has passed. And the magnificence of the moon takes dominance in the sky.

I pop the lunar ray pill into my mouth. The strong medicinal flavor fills my mouth as I chew into the pill. The flavor mixes with my saliva as I swallow the pill.

After a few minutes have passed, I begin to feel a change in my core.

It is empty in its substance. All the chi I've gathered as nothing before the abyss that is my soul stone.

The only thing that satisfies my need is the light of the moon.

The rays of light come down as wisps on the wind. The immaterial manifesting beyond the spiritual realm.

As these wisps of light wind down from the heavens, I breathe them deep into my diaphragm.

The chi of the moon feeds the hunger I feel in my core.

After acting like I knew everything before Jack, I find myself to be the one with a voracious appetite.

Now that I've tasted the moon's energy, I want more.

The chi is subtle, like the moon. What would the sun's chi feel like if I formed a pill that had the same effect on the sun's energy?

I can only imagine that the intensity would be truly domineering.

My meditation continues as I breathe in the chi and out my pollution.

As the wisps of light grow ever more abundant, I know that there is another destination for the lunar rays.

Jack is busy cultivating in his corner of the island.

This island is a paradise for cultivation.

An abundance of herbs and a lack of competition. It's truly an Eden.

I look to the wanderer in the sky. Even when he finds a quiet and safe place, he moves on. Ever seeking adventure.

I allow myself to be caught up in the present moment.

I am alone with the moon. There is no need to wander.

The night's meditation is peaceful, and the wisps of moonlight are only exhausted when the sun begins to warm the world.

I realize that the moon is yin to the sun's yang.

The sun's yang energy canceled out the moon's yin energies.

With a long sigh, I let out the tenseness I retain from my meditation. As I stand, I notice a chill has taken over my body.

I turn my core repeatedly, absorbing the warming heat of the yang.

Gradually, my body warms.

When I find Jack, I note how he has yet to stand from his meditation.

He is less cautious of a cultivator than I am. He must have pushed himself hard to absorb as much of the moon's essence as possible.

I touch a finger to his throat.

The pulse is weak but present.

More concern is the coldness of his skin.

I sit behind my reckless pupil and begin to massage his shoulders.

I channel the day's yang into his meridians, hoping to stir the spark within him.

Time passes as I minister to the unconscious young men.

Gradually, heat returns to Jack's body.

My massage continues until I hear, "Master?"

I stand and come to sit across from my follower.

"I feel like we just talked about this," I say.

Jack looks embarrassed on the ground. "Yes, master."

I turn from my student and begin going through my martial practice.

Jack is slow to join me. But, as his body warms, so too does his spirit.

After a warm-up and routine practice of strikes, we face off against one another. Our art is mixed, and we spar with strikes and grapples.

The sound of our controlled violence grows ever louder.

There is no boundary to where our lessons can lead us.

Jack smiles a savage smile as he tosses me into a tree.

I collect myself and strike out at my acolyte.

Despite his insistence that I am his master, I find myself hard-pressed to compete with him in the martial field.

But, like his cultivation, he is fast and loose with his martial art. Powerful, but over-extending.

Despite the closeness of our bouts, I normally win. My fundamentals are stronger.

After our physical training, we turn to other matters.

Before I can start my gathering, I hear Jack say, "Master, could I wear the soul cuffs?"

I'm not entirely surprised by his interest. The soul cuffs cultivate a need for focus at all times. Something he could benefit from.

"Okay," I say as I begin removing my bindings.

I feel my gravity well grow now that my energy is relieved of its strain.

There are advantages to both wearing and not wearing the tools.

Jack knows what to expect from my display of the cuffs. But knowing is not experiencing.

He gets the ankle cuffs on without much difficulty.

But, when he gets to his wrists, he sags under the weight.

He's stronger than I was when I first used the items.

Despite his strength, Jack falls into a cross-legged position.

A fresh breakout of sweat crosses his brow.

Jack looks at me and says, "Thank you, master."

I leave him to acclimate to the soul cuffs and continue my harvest.