Seconds passed slowly, minutes were suffocating, and soon, an unbearable hour had gone by.

The night before, as soon as they arrived, they chose to sleep and start absorbing the Qi when they were in the best condition. But as soon as they woke up, reflecting on their futures, they agreed to use it for this more important cause.

Blocking all Qi movements from the body and still maintaining a spiritual illusion on a rune was mentally taxing work for Zane and Gael, who were still at the first level of Qi Gathering.

When an hour had passed, Gael let Zane take over. They took advantage of having two separate consciousnesses and divided the task, with one always resting and checking the surroundings of the room.

Mira was sweating uncontrollably and kept her eyes closed in total concentration. She had barely started her cultivation and had not yet felt and gathered the Qi of the world on her own. But Gael could guide her mentally, explaining how to move and use the Qi within her meridians. Now, Zane was in charge of this.

"Kid, soul techniques aren't my area, so I can't help you much with that. But I know you have a long lineage of soul cultivators. Try not to overthink things, just feel the power of your soul and use your most primitive instinct to guide you," Zane initially spoke gruffly but then tried to soften as best as he could.

Mira felt a very drastic change in those words because their souls were connected. Before, the words were gentle, and she could sense a slight concern coming from them. Now, he had become rough and tough.

Initially, she felt as if they were two different people... but soon, her mind went back to a few weeks ago when Denil would shout and threaten to beat her because of his hunger. That feeling of being at someone's mercy, of being controlled by fear, was not unfamiliar to her.

'She's getting nervous and losing focus, idiot,' Gael complained mentally.

'It wasn't my words; it was memories from the fat bastard who used to own this body,' Zane replied. He was the one connected to the girl and could sense what she was thinking.

'Do something already!' Gael yelled.

"Hmm... you're doing well," Zane spoke awkwardly. "Remember what I said before, okay? Errr... what was that that you said before... No, I mean I, I said before... Hmm... Oh, right! I'll protect you from anything as long as you keep working properly. I wouldn't have given you this task if I didn't think you were capable."

Gael didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Seeing Zane trying to act soft was truly a sight to behold.

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

Mira's mind, previously turbulent like the waters of a raging river, suddenly calmed down. Zane's awkwardness was quite comical, which somehow made her forget the previous Denil.

'She's always been alone; your words make it sound like we're going to take care of her forever,' Gael commented, concerned. They obviously didn't have that intention, including Gael.

Suddenly, a mental fluctuation slipped out of Zane's control and directly hit the slave rune. Zane and Gael's faces contorted in surprise, almost causing them to fall backward. While Gael was preparing to curse Zane with all his might, he realized a subtle Qi of the soul gently sealing the slave rune.

Zane felt great seeing that. 'Success. See? My words are like gold! Don't underestimate my teaching skills, you bastard.'

Gael was on the verge of uncontrollable laughter but managed to contain himself as he watched the little girl before him. 'Impressive, she just needed a little encouragement, indeed. Congratulations, instructor.'

'Shut up, idiot. It's only been an hour, and I still reserved some Qi for us to use. It should be enough to reach the third level,' Zane replied in a terrible mood after hearing Gael. Such things truly didn't fit him.

Mira opened her eyes and saw Zane and Gael looking at her. A radiant smile bloomed on her face. Zane was momentarily paralyzed, and Gael didn't miss the opportunity to tease. 'Oh, you can still feel good about doing something nice.'

Zane didn't have time to respond because Mira bowed completely in front of them, her forehead touching the ground. " Mira accepts to be your disciple, Master. But please... no bed."

Gael almost exploded. "Fuck the bed! There is no bed! There will never be a bed! Understood?!"

Surprisingly, Mira didn't fear that outburst but smiled instead. "Yes, Master!"

Zane had to admit he felt quite a little of pride. 'She's young, but she's quite knowledgeable. Obviously, it is also due to my teachings.'

He then looked at Mira. "Get up. That was just the first step. You're only a disciple in the name; don't forget that. You should sleep for the rest of the day and the entire night. Rest is part of training, so take it seriously. Tomorrow, we'll begin real cultivation. Go," he concluded seriously.

The morning was still unfolding, but Mira's developing body was completely exhausted, both physically and mentally. She looked up, her eyes brimming with gratitude and a desire to say something, but she chose to bow again and quickly leave the room.

Zane sighed deeply and reclined on the stone bed. A few seconds later, the ravenous feeling attacked his mind and body. "Damn, we're going to starve today," grumbled Zane as he tried to suppress the torturous hunger.

On the same day, they could sense a great commotion within the clan's main building. A massive investigation had been launched throughout the clan and quickly spread beyond its borders.

Zane chuckled sinisterly. One of the top three disciples of the clan, someone who had accumulated an alarming amount of resources, had awakened completely devoid of cultivation. Others also faced the same problem, and the theft of their spatial rings made it clear about someone's malicious act.

Gael couldn't help but say. "These youths had the audacity to physically abuse a child servant. After they used their status to cause trouble around, they should have known karma would come knocking on their door. They won't live for long."

"Who cares. Let's absorb the Qi quickly before you find another thing to spend it on," said Zane while activating his tattoo on one side of his wrist.

Night soon arrived, and as predicted, they reached the third level of the Qi Gathering Realm. It was the same level Denil had reached when they took over that body and had to destroy it to start over. Even better, no one would suspect them if they were checked exactly for the same reason.

Zane felt quite excited. "Now, we can go out and cause some trouble. Maybe something will fall into our net."

The difference between someone at the third level of the first realm and a mortal was imperceptible unless they used Qi to check. When they went out to the library, no one knew that they had restarted their cultivation from scratch. Of course, they couldn't cause trouble to avoid getting caught; that would create more problems than necessary. Now, with their cultivation at the same level as before, there shouldn't be major issues.

Still, Gael kept his calm. "We should carefully plan the robbery, so don't rush it. Plus, we have a disciple now; we need to guide her first." Yet, he could understand Zane's feelings. "Well, I'm also looking forward to seeing the world again. It's been a long time."