Seph woke up from his meditation with a start, and found himself sitting in front of his monkey companion, Zhi was floating there looking at him.
Seph had been in meditation for three weeks. It seemed like the nightmare he had showed on his face in reality while meditating, because the monkey and his teacher were worried about him.
At least, that’s what he thought it was before talking to his teacher.
“Seph, what happened to you? You looked distressed near the end.”
“I had a terrible nightmare after I broke through!”
The ghost facepalmed, “Oh dear pupil, I am so sorry. That was probably the test between early level and midlevel of the first cultivation stage. I didn’t know Yin Cultivators had to go through that like immortal cultivators or I would have warned you.” Zhi said regretfully.
“It’s okay, teacher. It went well in the end. Since I am here, I probably progressed. I am not sure how real that dream world felt. It would have made a difference to know that it was a test. Everything was so vivid, everything I saw and heard hit close to home.” Seph felt like he was still out of it somehow.
“Yes, that’s the entire idea of these tests, to put you up against your fears, and see if you can overcome them. Not a lot of cultivators tell of what exactly happens to them in these kinds of trials. But for some it’s mental, for some it’s physical fights, and it’s not known if the trial comes from within you, or from without. A fail-safe put there by the goddess to stop people from reaching for immortality. I think it’s the latter.”
Seph looked relieved after what his teacher said, “Well, at least I know what I saw wasn’t a vision of real things that are happening. Even though I faced this vision, I would rather not face it in real life.”
Zhi looked scared. “Oh boy, you didn’t just say that. If you don’t, let go of those fears. They will keep haunting you more. The target of these trials isn’t just to put you off your cultivation path, but to make you face your fears and beat them. If you don’t beat them permanently, they will just grow stronger, and they will multiply.”
Seph gulped before saying, “Your words make sense, teacher. I am not sure I can beat these worries. My entire life has been straightforward so far. But since I lost my life, and became a yin cultivator, worries started trickling in. Fears…. To be fair, I was already afraid for my mother when I climbed that mountain in those conditions, but the fears are multiplying now. I didn’t have that in me before. I am not sure I am up for the challenge of beating those mental fears, but what I think I can do is.” Seph paused for a second, an almost imperceptible change in his posture happened, and said, “To always beat the odds, and beat those fears, maybe I can’t completely remove them from my life, but I can rise above them, I can learn to live with them, I can learn to not let them affect me and destroy me, in ways, even my worst enemies can’t.”
Zhi was silent for a while before saying, “Seph, mental struggles are a part of life. Maybe the bigger part of life for some who are struggling to find purpose through it all, but you have that purpose, and you have a progression path. With the pressures of life, come the mental struggles; those fears you are talking about, as long as you are alive, you are winning against them. So keep living, Seph.”
“Well, considering my state, I’ll keep living as best as I can, since I am technically dead.” Seph spoke in dry humor, before he checked his status screen, to check his gains.
Name: Seph ???
Class: Undead Buddhist lvl 4
Cultivation Stage: Body Dismantling stage (IV)
Lifespan: 18/45 years
Strength: 45
Dexterity: 19
This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.
Intelligence: 27
Wisdom: 8
Constitution: 23
Perception: 25
Luck: 10
“Oh, nice, I just checked my stats, and I finally got points for dexterity! But what really confuses me is if my fighting style is based on intelligence, what the hell am I gonna do with all my strength points? I just got more!” Seph stopped till Sun stopped laughing at his misery again before he continued, “Maybe I can learn a new martial art when I get out of here, that requires close combat, for when I deplete my energy in any of these dangerous fights! Regardless, though, five points in dexterity and strength are good gains. Can’t forget the five extra years in my life span too. I am slowly but surely closing in on my original life span, if it really got cut in half.”
“Any gains are good gains Seph, right now you are getting them from cultivating and the pills we have been making, but later you could get them from mystic realms, or fortuitous encounters, and so many other venues.” Zhi informed him.
Seph raised his eyebrow and said, “Mystic realm, aren’t we inside a mystic realm already?”
Zhi started speaking in his teaching voice again, “I don’t think so, and for many reasons. This is a time compressed zone, made by the forefather of yin cultivation, as you informed me. It’s not a piece of land taken out of time and space randomly to show up here. It’s a calculated design, meant to train new yin cultivators, and pass a legacy on to them, so it really is a legacy trial, not a mystic realm.”
Seph and Sun were following his words while posting their heads on their fists, and having a deep thoughtful look on their faces, those two were becoming more alike than they realized, “Oh, Oh! Your words make a world of sense teacher, I get it now, so even your gardens are not mystic realms?” Seph questioned.
“No, not really. All the ingredients you found so far are pretty common, not really something for the powers that be, to bother cutting a mystic realm, especially to transport through space and time.”
Seph was about to let it go, but then he had another question, “Who are the powers that be, that cut out mystic realms like that?”
Zhi answered, getting more excited as he continued explaining, “It’s not really known, is it the goddess? Is it someone else in heaven’s host? Is it the hell’s host? Or maybe it’s a long-lost forefather who is looking out for you? Or want to pass on his legacy. Nobody knows, but everybody appreciates the appearance of these mystical realms regardless, and their rare herbs and items. If you ever get any of these, just inform me, I know all the pills you can make from a fire lingzi or a water lingzi, or thunderstruck wood, or a sun ginseng! Or…”
Seph cut him off, “Relax teacher, relax, those are all pipe dreams. We don’t have a single one of these ingredients, but I get what you mean. The cultivation world is sure more exciting than my boring mortal life.”
Zhi composed himself before saying, “It is more exciting than any mortal life, and the longer you go down the cultivation path, the more exciting it gets. It’s also a very dangerous road, so be very careful Seph, it’s imperative to know which fights to fight today, and which fights to leave for another day, that’s what’s going to keep you alive, long enough for a chance at transcendence, even though, I don’t think I have heard of any Yin cultivator who transcended before.”
Sun had his eyes wide-open like his master. “Not a single one? Surely there is something wrong with that statistic. I feel that according to the tales, my cultivation progress has been much easier than the immortal path so far.”
“It might have been so far, but maybe there are hurdles that are much harder in this path than the immortal path, and to get info on that will probably be hard. Because most times, a hurdle in the path of cultivation means certain doom. Always take calculated risks, Seph, not only with your fights, but with your long ongoing struggle against the heavens. Remember, the heavens don’t want you or anyone else to transcend, be it the immortal path, or the yin cultivation path, or the demonic path. The heavens don’t want to give any mortals the advantages you get by being one of the immortal heaven host, the heavens didn’t mean for mortals to be immortals, with every step you take in your cultivation, you are going against the will of the heavens, always remember that.” Zhi finished warning Seph, hearing him you could really feel that he cared, while it’s not apparent why he cares so much for Seph already, even though it was a battle to take the youngster as his disciple, he cared about the young cultivator.
“Hearing you say that teacher makes me fearful of cultivation. Is it really smart to go against heavens like that?” Seph asked worriedly.
“You would be a fool not to be fearful of the heavens Seph, but know this, I don’t think you have a choice, while the cultivators of the immortal path have the choice to stop whenever, even though tasting the gains of cultivation corrupts their hearts, and they continue blinded by greed, they can’t help it.” Zhi paused for a second before continuing, “Yin cultivators don’t have a choice but to continue cultivating because of what you have become. You have not only gained the wrath of heaven. But gained the fear and hate of the mortals and immortals alike. You can only continue in your path forward, but know that your hard work will pan out in the end. Eventually, very few people will fuck with you, and when they do, you fuck with them, too. You put a stop to them. You make them regret taking you as their enemy.”
Seph paused for a second before saying, “Yes teacher, I understand what you are saying. I will allow nobody to mess with me.”