Days pass as Jack only removes his bindings to train in the martial arts.

We don't take pills every day. Despite how plentiful the harvest is on this island, the recipes require a significant number of herbs.

I find myself reexamining the plants that I imbued with chi.

Miraculous regrowth can be found.

I still must wait for the proper time to harvest the regrowing herb.

I expand my search and continue sowing energy into the damaged soul body of the plants.

I drop in on Jack in his meditation.

My eyes open to the spiritual as I examine Jack's core.

It's steady and shows progress towards the taming of his soul.

I don't idle with Jack. My cultivation demands an ever-growing amount of chi.

I visit the seashore and watch the massive body of water.

I enjoy the quiet moments when I can float in the buoyant water.

It's always warm, and I watch the brightness of day give way to my teachers in the sky.

The water is my bed, and the tales of the constellations my lullaby

As a cultivator, sleep is not a pressing demand. But, like the pleasures of eating, sleep brings on a pleasure all its own.

The rocking of the waves lulls me into a defenseless state as I become immersed in the moment.

"Little immortal."

It takes me a moment to realize that it was not a figment of my imagination.

I am fully awake as I seek out the source of the voice.

My line of sight passes over a ripple in the fabric of space several times before I recognize the anomaly.

I desperately swim back to shore and put on my clothes with haste.

The figure comes into my vision gradually.

Floating in the air, a beautiful woman stands proud.

She is like a fairy coming down from the celestial realm.

The pressure this woman exerts is tremendous despite her calm demeanor.

Recognizing the woman as a powerful cultivator, I bow hand over fist. Hoping that a show of respect will placate the potentially hostile woman.

She chuckles as she comes down from her aerial station.

"I've been watching you, little immortal."

Her statement doesn't do anything to ease my nerves.

"You are not like most cultivators."

Like a frolicking fairy, she dances back into the air.

"I'm sorry," I say, still bowing.

"For what?" the powerful cultivator asks. "For taking on a student despite your novice status? For cultivating more than yourself?"

I am afraid to speak.

"You know, when I first learned of two immortals trespassing in my territory, I thought to simply kill you."

Her words hang like a knife over my throat.

"But," she continues, "you surprised me. Most cultivators are only concerned with the growth of their inner energies and will cannibalize their kin.

"Most immortals do not learn the lower arts. Believing themselves above wrestling in the mud."

Her gaze is critical.

"I have a condition for your continued living."

My heart pumps with dread.

"You are still a beginner in the art of alchemy. But, I respect those who do not simply consume—those who can create need to to be cultivated.

"I find my mastery of the art to be failing. I need a pill. Should you prove capable of crafting this pill for me, I will allow you your life and continuous presence in my domain."

I allow my hands to fall and my head to rise.

"Do you know the Dragon's Scream pill recipe?"

I pulled out my pill book and searched for the recipe.

It needs herbs that are abundant on this island.

"I believe I can make your pill, my lady."

A crisp laught cuts through the air as the immortal dances.

"Whatever would I need a Dragon's Scream pill for?"

I puzzle over her words.

She circles me playfully.

"What I want is a Perfect Dragon's Scream pill."

A cold weight drops in my gut.

A perfect pill is beyond me. I can craft a common one. But, even a superior pill...

Her smile is predatory as she comes close to me.

"There is no rush. I can wait for my prize. But," she puts a finger under my chin. As she lifts my head, she says, "If you should leave this island without giving me my prize... I will kill you."

I swallow the lump in my throat.

She releases my chin, and I look down to the ground.

Before my eyes, the woman becomes a subtle ripple in space.

"I have high hopes for you, little immortal."

I am left alone in the night to think about my experience.

I turn to my book and pour over the Dragon's Scream pill recipe.

It is a powerful cultivation aid. But induces horrible pain in the cultivator.

I think of the recipe for the rest of the night, desperate for clues into how I may perfect the recipe.

As dawn comes on, I return to Jack's side. There's no need to worry him with our observer. He should cultivate on the soul cuffs.

We practice our martial skills without the cuffs in the morning hours. Jack returns to his silent meditation, and I return to the matter of the pill.

I have enough materials to prepare one.

I warm the cauldron and prepare my materials.

After the dissecting and the grinding are completed, I follow the directions to craft the Dragon's Scream pill.

The hours pass as minutes, and I can tell my work falls short of perfection.

My lips make a line as I recognize the final product as a common-grade pill.

I would like to know if I would even recognize a perfect pill were I to craft one.

The pill is worthy in my eyes. But the ascended immortal demands more.

I smell the medicinal aroma of the pill.

Regardless of what I need to achieve in the future, I made a functional cultivation pill.

I am forewarned of the pain I will experience as I incorporate the medicinal chi into my energetic core.

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With a moment's hesitation, I swallow the pill.

Despite my trepidation, I find the medicinal pill goes down easily.

Shortly, I begin to feel the effects of the pill. My stomach grows heavy, and I feel the tendrils of energy expand out from my energetic core.

My soul stone fluctuates aggressively, almost seeking to leave my body.

Now, the tendrils of energy that extend through my body constrict.

An intense pain cuts through every tissue of my body.

I spasm, gasping for air.

Once more, the tendrils expand from my core.

I know what follows as the energy tightens like a fist.

I collapse forward, a silent scream on my face.

One more iteration and I let out a pain-filled cry of agony.

My pained moan lingers in the air around me.

The chi of heaven and earth falls into my gravity well, and I feel the tendrils of energy that saturate me extend past my physical and soul body.

The tendrils claw free of my soul well, and I fear what follows.

The tendrils constrict, dragging in chi that could have been gracefully absorbed to be bound to my soul stone.

The effects of the pill defy the natural order of cultivation. Rather than patient and respectful absorption of the spiritual world, this pill seeks to dominate the soul realm.

My aching moan lulls with a momentary pause in the pain.

Once more, the tendrils expand out past my soul body.

This time, as the tendrils constrict, I scream.

In my agony, I feel no shame in the shrill scream that echoes in the jungle that surrounds me.

After a few more screams, Jack comes running to see my state.

"Master!" he calls anxiously.

"Stay- Stay back!" I warn him as I feel the tendrils claw out to the energy well that constitutes Jack's soul stone.

My tendrils almost reach him before violently ripping the chi into my core.

My scream is miserable, and Jack comes close to my side.

"Master, what's wrong?"

I can barely hear him through the haze that is in my mind.

"Go. Go. I'll explain- I'll explain later," I manage.

Jack looks uncertain as he sits just within visual range of me.

The night passes agonizingly slowly.

Eventually, my screams turn to moans to gasps.

Well into the morning, my pain comes to an end.

As I lie on the ground clutching my chest, Jack gets up and slowly walks up to me.

"Master, what was that all about?"

His voice is concerned, but there is an edge to it.

"Medicinal pill. It did what it was supposed to." I look apologetically to my pupil, "I should have told you my plan."

Jack's expression softens, "Are you going to do it again?"

I look into his eyes as I feel the expansion of my soul stone.

The cracks are more prominent for the rapid growth.

I let out a sigh. It was the most painful experience of my life. But, I look to Jack.

"Yes."

He looks worried but bows hand over fist to me—respect for my dao.

"Go," I say. "Mind your training."

Jack goes off while I settle into a cross-legged position and meditate.

My soul feels as though it's half full; the capacity has grown by leaps and bounds.

It will take time to fill my soul with the energy I need.

I fear that, were I to attempt the Dragon's Scream pill again so soon, my soul stone would shatter.

I breathe in and out.

In with heavenly chi. And, out with the pollution of my soul.

After the experience, my soul and body are crumbling.

Much of what made up my soul is leaving me and entering the life and death cycle of the spiritual world.

It's an odd sensation to feel one's soul corrode.

My meditation is to fill my soul's capacity and rebuild the frame on which the chi absorbs.

This is an excellent method to carve my dao into my soul body.

As I meditate, I think about all that I've been through. My family seems as lost to me as I am to the Divided Fates sect.

As I meditate, day passes into night.

The stars tell me their stories. The abomination is often on my mind these days.

It hungers in a way that is often as dangerous to itself as to others.

That's what my dao as a cultivator has become—the desire for more.

As I read the stars, I see a ripple in the light.

I grow alert and come to a standing position.

I bow to the invisible woman.

She chuckles as her form becomes visible.

"Are my tricks growing stale as I get on in years?"

The woman looks like she's in the prime of her life. But that means little to an immortal.

"No, my lady."

She floats down and examines me.

"You impress me again. To have consumed the Dragon's Scream is a feat of some courage.

"Once is impressive. But, two...

"Do you believe you can keep up this pace?"

I shake my head, "I intend to be careful."

She nods in affirmation.

"Good, you're too interesting a runt to watch you cripple or kill yourself."

The woman turns to the sky, "Remember, you leave without handing over my pill; your life is forfeit."

"Yes, my lady."

I see no reason to leave this tropical paradise: plentiful herbs, privacy, and abundant chi.

I watch the stars until dawn.

Jack and I practice. But, I am significantly drained and barely make it through the routine.

Jack is concerned but allows me to train in my own way.

We both face our challenges.

He's begun to harvest herbs with the soul cuffs on. His speed is progressing well.

I find myself to be the one who falls short.

Despite my efforts to fill my ever more damaged soul stone. The stone is a sieve through which the chi of the heavens passes.

I search the pill recipe book, looking for some new path forward.

What I find is the Heavenly Fortifying pill.

It is said to strengthen the integrity of one's energetic core.

One day, I set to the task of making of a batch of pills.

My cauldron runs hot as I prepare the herbs and components for the pills.

The planned batch leaves me lacking the herbs I picked on the mainland.

But it is worth the expense.

Hours pass as I make six fine balls.

I stow the excess and turn myself to the task at hand.

I prepare myself to absorb the energies of the heavens.

I take a deep breath and pop the first pill into my mouth.

The bitter taste is fleeting before I swallow the medicine.

I settle into a breathing exercise. Breathing in the energies of the heavens and breathing out the pollution that falls off my damaged soul body.

A warm tingle reaches out from my belly to my extremities.

A calm sense of peace comes over me.

I breathe in and out.

In with the new and out with the old.

As the hours pass, I grow more content. My soul is healing.

The trauma I had experienced disappears as I fill the emptiness of my core.

The air about me hums in resonance.

Whereas the Dragon's Scream pill fueled a rampage of spiritual energies, the Heavenly Fortifying pill calls the chi of heaven and earth at a casual pace.

The gravity well that my absorption creates becomes inert. The energy is not falling into me only to escape through the cracks in my soul stone.

The chi gently floats about me.

Occasionally, a part of my soul body will disappear, and some of the surrounding chi will fill the opening.

My experience is positive as I work to seal the fissures in my soul stone.

In and out. I focus on my breathing for the hours that pass.

The night passes comfortably by. And, come dawn, I feel like I had a month's worth of sleep as the final effects of the medicinal pill take their course.

I rise to my feet as I enjoy the afterglow of the medicine's effect.

I seek out my pupil for our daily training.

"Master, could you make some medicinal pills for me?" comes Jack's inquiry after we finish our daily sparring.

I think on his request. It's not something I am opposed to. But I'm uncertain which pills would be suitable for him.

"I'll let you decide the type," I say as I offer him my recipe book.

Jack can barely contain his excitement as he delves into the literature.

He knows the herbs we have in abundance, so I trust him to decide on something reasonable.

I sit down to meditate as minutes turn into hours while he searches for a suitable pill.

Finally, as the afternoon hours grow long, he decides on a pill.

"The Nine Fates Ascension pill," he says as he hands me back the time and opens the pill's page.

I review the ingredients. I have enough for a batch of four.

I debate whether or not to begin tonight. But, I decide to postpone the crafting as the day grows long.

Jack and I let time pass around us, both focused on our internal struggles.

He with the soul cuffs and me with rebuilding my soul's frame.

I pop another of the heavenly fortifying pills into my mouth.

As I absorb the medicinal chi, I find my fortitude growing. The emptiness somehow filling.

It is a mellow effect that conflicts sharply with the Dragon's Scream pill.

I am absorbed in my thoughts throughout the night—the stars and their lessons open to me. Tonight, I observe the carpenter.

The carpenter is a noble figure in the scheme of creation.

He measures and cuts, crafting home and hearth where none existed.

The carpenter's lesson reflects my effort to construct the house of my soul.

The carpenter is dissimilar to the knight.

It is the knight that seeks the shelter of the carpenter's domain.

The rest that the knight finds soothes his soul and prepares him for the battles to come.

I am readying myself for my confrontation with the Dragon's scream.

It is a scary thought. But, it is my task.

The night passes gently as I incorporate the medicinal chi into my soul. Forming my soul with a new dao.

As morning comes, I am alert. And, after light martial practice, I turn to Jack's pills.

Before noon passes, I have a batch for him prepared.

He bows hand over fist in gratitude.

With that attended to, I turn to my cultivation.

The heavens are open to me, and my soul body is mending well. I need one more heavenly fortifying pill.

I'm going through them too quickly. But I don't want to attempt the Dragon's Scream with a fragile soul stone.

The medicinal flavor fills my mouth as I take in the medicine.

The chi mellows around me, and my absorption of chi becomes a friendly action.

My soul respects the surrounding energy.

I pass the night comfortably. But, in my mind, I know what follows.

The following day, I am rested and whole.

On to the recipe for the Dragon's Scream pill.

There are ways that I can adjust the recipe.

I can dissect and grind the herbs at varying stages. This may bring me closer to my goal.

Long before I finish the crafting, I know my effort to be a failure.

The pill is a proper, common-grade pill. But, it falls short of perfection or even superior status.

With a sigh, I turn to my second time consuming the terrible pill.

The tendrils of energy expand faster and farther than my first time.

My screams ring out through the jungle. I feel Jack's presence some distance away. I can't see him, but I know that he's concerned.

The night progresses slowly.

Come dawn. I am balled up in the fetal position.

I'm hazy with delirium.

Jack comes to sit next to me.

He says nothing as I recollect my wits.

As I sit up, I give my pupil a tired smile.

"Why are you pushing yourself like this?" There is emotion in his voice as I look to the ground.

I sigh as I think of how to answer him.

"Jack," I begin. "You may call me master. But, I am a flee before those who stand above. If I can compete with them, then the hardship I face now is inconsequential."

I still haven't told Jack of the ascended immortal who dangles a blade over my neck.

Jack lets out a sigh, unconvinced.

I give him an exhausted smile. "Go on. I'm fine now. Mind your cultivation."

Jack sucks down a long breath.

"Yes, master."

Left to myself, I examine the damage to my soul and body.

My experience significantly damaged me. But, my capacity has grown tremendously.

I rotate my core over and over, trying to refill my soul.

The pills can wait. For now, I focus on gently communing with the world around me. The days pass as I go from one extreme to the next.

The pills I craft for Jack and myself grow ever more restricted to the plants to be found on the island.

Weeks later, I am still far from perfecting the Dragon's Scream.

The pill keeps pace with my growth. And there is no relief from the agony I experience every few days.

Weeks become months, and I feel my growth as a cultivator beyond comparison with where I was when I first came to this island.

My training with Jack in the lower arts has progressed well. We push each other to the extreme.

The surrounding trees and vegetation are savaged in our sprawling battles.

Jack is developing fast and eagerly absorbs information on herbs and alchemy.

I've been coaching him through some of the easier recipes.

When I use the Dragon's Scream pill, I do it in one particular place on the island.

Shockingly, the surrounding trees and plants have grown sickly.

With my eyes open to the immaterial, I recognize the scars on the soul-bodies of the plants. My conclusion is that the tendrils of energy are dangerous.

I make certain that Jack does not come to my side as I repeatedly torture myself.

When harvesting, my sealing of herbs with a bit of chi has seen bountiful regrowth. Jack has learned the skill and our harvest grows.

This island never sees a change in season, and it is a paradise for me and my pupils.

"Master."

"Hmm?"

"I was wondering if we should return to the mainland." Jack's eyes are on the ground.

I think momentarily that the ascended immortal might kill Jack if he tries to leave.

The condition was that I stay. As for Jack, I'll need some clarification.

"What do you have in mind to do on the mainland?"

"I... I want to join Violet Horizon."

"Oh.'

If I recall correctly, Violet Horizon is one of the bigger sects.

"With the both of us joining the sect, we'll advance quickly through the ranks."

There is an excitement in his eyes that I don't want to betray.

"Take some time," I say, "to determine if this is where your dao is leading you."

Jack seems somewhat impatient but nods his understanding.

Time continues to pass, and I notice a distortion in the stars one night.

I stand and bow, hand over fist.

"My lady."

A soft chuckle escapes the mouth of my benefactor.

"Little immortal, how go your days?"

"I am still far from reaching the goal you set before me."

She takes a breath and lets out a sigh.

"No matter. Time is irrelevant. Just abide by the terms of our agreement."

I nod as the woman begins to drift off in the air.

"My lady."

She stops.

"The terms of our agreement. Do they apply to my companion as well? Is he forbidden from leaving the island?

Her laughter returns as she floats down to my side.

"Has the little student grown tired of the little master's lessons?"

She mocks, but there is some truth to her words. The things that I can teach him have been taught.

From here, he must find his own way. It's something that, no matter how much I speak, only he can find.

"Perhaps, my lady. I was reluctant to wear the title. Because I know myself to be lacking."

"Oh, get over it little immortal. It's rare to see two cultivators holding each other up."

I wait for her to answer my question.

The ascended immortal looks down on me. It's like someone looking down on a bug. All it would take is a slight pressure to crush me.

"No," she says. "Your companion is free to come and go as he pleases."

I bow deeply, "Thank you, my lady."

The fabric of space ripples as she disappears among the stars.

My mind is at ease as I prepare for the coming day.

"Jack," I say.

"Yes, master?"

I go over what I'm about to say in my mind.

"If you believe that Violet Horizon is your path forward. I want you to go with my blessing."

"Master," he becomes tearful. "Will you come with me?"

I smile a sad smile, "I will not."

Jack looks as though I had just slapped him.

"I... I understand." He lets out a sigh.

I pat his shoulder, "Everything that I can teach you are things you can teach yourself."

His face looks more resolute.

He stands hand over fist before me. I return his salute, not as a master but as his peer in the way of immortals.

He turns his back to me.

"We will meet again," he says.

"We will."

All he leaves with are the clothes on his back and an assortment of medicinal pills.

In Jack's absence, I often return to wearing the soul cuffs. The weight has grown to be my normal status throughout the day.

In recent days, I find myself exploring Fire Island more.

In the months since I came to this island, I've never gotten around to climbing the volcano that spews noxious smoke.

With the lack of companionship, I find myself busy so as not to feel lonely.

The volcano has rugged terrain. My ascent labored with the cuffs.

This is a first in my life. My first time climbing a mountain, and it's a volcano.

The air grows thin as I ascend.

The climb is long, and I sense a change in the chi as the summit of the volcano comes into sight.

It isn't long before I see liquid stone for the first time.

Every so often a gass pocket belches and magma splatters out.

As I look down into the gaping maw of this horror, I settle down into a cross-legged position.

I meditate as I watch the volcano and its station in life.

Here on Fire Island, the volcano is supreme.

Even the ascended immortal is but a child before the mountain.

We call ourselves immortal and powerful. But, what does an ant know of life compared to a man? Or, a man to a mountain.

I contemplate my day as I look at my soul body. It is scarred by the numerous times I've taken the Dragon's Scream pill. But, despite the scarring, my soul body and soul stone grow far more durable after healing.

I breathe in the chi of heaven and earth and out the pollution of my body and soul.

I carve my dao into my soul. Line by line, crack by crack.

My dao is a mess with the influences upon it. The constellations are the foundation upon which I build my dao. But, the tapestry of the stars is full of contradictions.

My dao is still immature. I must continue to refine my soul.