Kevin had always thought that progress would come in deep meditation if it would come at all. Yet when a breakthrough came at last, it was during mundane life.

He was at work, keeping his visualization in the back of his mind, as always. The job was almost done now, with only a sparse few plumbs in hard-to-reach places on each tree.

Stretching for them was difficult, requiring careful balance at the far edge of his reach. It was halfway through such a stretch that he forgot the sealed land was only a visualization.

For a single instant, it truly felt like an actual place inside him, and that was enough. Energy surged inward as a sharp pain appeared in his chest.

The sudden shock sent Kevin falling backward, windmilling his arms to stay upright. He hit the ground with a heavy thump, air driven from his lungs.

And yet, he couldn’t bring himself to care at the discomfort. Not when everything had changed.

He could feel a floating dome in his sternum. It wasn’t obvious unless he was looking, but it was as real as the expansion of his lungs or the beating of his heart.

When focusing on it, he could take in every detail he’d only imagined before. The plain of cracked earth, the replica mountains, the trees, the salt flats, all of it was there.

There were also tiny sparks of light here and there, pulsing to his senses. None of his attempts had included such a detail, yet here they were.

It had to be Qi.

Real Qi within his artificial Dantian; he’d done it, he’d broken through.

Sweet victory was his.

“Body Cleansing realm, first stage, first grade,” Mr. Felton’s voice echoed loudly from beside him, an approving tone in his voice. “Well done.”

Kevin jerked from his spot on the ground at the unexpected interruption, and at how clear the man’s voice.

“Up you get now. Advancement or not, there’s no shirking at work,” the man continued, approval gone as he grabbed one of Kevin’s hands and hauled him to his feet with little effort.

“Right,” Kevin said, dazed by the man’s words, and by how different the world seemed.

His senses were suddenly better than he could ever remember. Sound was louder, colors brighter, and his eyes took in movement with incredible ease.

He could smell the last few plumbs in the trees, almost well enough to find them with his eyes closed. And beside him, he sensed a glowing bonfire of power.

A hand patted him on the back with impressive force, sending Kevin lurching forward. His stomach lurched too, and with a choking noise, he vomited across the ground.

The substance smelled foul, and when he opened his eyes and wiped his mouth, he found a small puddle of black fluid. That didn’t look like anything he’d eaten for breakfast.

“Back to work,” Mr. Felton grunted, pushing him again. This time, Kevin complied, climbing the ladder in a daze.

Had the farmer said he was in the Body Cleansing realm? Already?

Somehow he’d thought the Sealed Land method would just be the first step, that there would be more work to do after he had his artificial Dantian. Yet the signs all pointed to the farmer being right.

That black liquid had been classic Body Cleansing stuff, though in smaller quantities than most stories he’d read. Perhaps it was because he was just in the first grade?

Or maybe it was the blocked meridians? Either way, it was a clear sign. When you combined it with enhanced physical senses and a new sixth sense for Qi, the answer was pretty clear.

He was a pure mortal no longer.

Kevin’s heart thumped with excitement. There was so much to do. He had to read the last section of the Sealed Land method. He needed to contact Travis and let the agent know to start looking for sects.

He had to tell his friends and celebrate the breakthrough.

But for now, that could all wait until he’d finished his job. The work here had been good to him while he focused on advancement; the least he could do was finish the day.

So, for a few more hours, he reveled in the changes in his body and mind as he worked. Everything was a touch easier than he remembered.

His balance was better, he had more energy, and he could locate the fruit with unbelievable ease. Even his ability to focus had improved, though that might be a result of no longer having to hold an image in his mind.

Now the Sealed Land within him required no imagination but was real and present whenever he focused on it. The new presence in his body felt stable, and enduring, the same feelings he’d built the landscape with dialed up to eleven.

Instinctively, he knew it would be in no danger if his focus on it lapsed anymore. In fact, he doubted it needed his attention at all.

No less real than any other organ in his body, it would continue doing its job whether or not he thought about it.

Kevin had gathered almost half the normal quota by the time his shift was done despite the sparse pickings. It was better than he’d done in days, his new advantages pushing him further than ever.

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How easy was it for the workers in later grades or stages of Body Cleansing? Or did Mr. Felton impose larger quotas on them to ensure he got his money’s worth?

In the end, they were unimportant questions. Buoyed by his recent success, Kevin had no doubt his next job would be as part of a sect.

Now he could cultivate, it would only be a matter of time, and finding a sect that would accept him.

When he turned his harvest in to Mr. Felton, he thanked the man for the work and informed him he wouldn’t be back. Given the state of the orchard, he doubted there would be much work left for anyone.

The older man only grunted his acceptance, but, as Kevin turned away, the farmer tossed something to him. Seeing a shape flying past out of the corner of his eye, Kevin caught it with surprising grace.

It was a pear, a little withered and twisted, but glowing to his burgeoning spiritual senses. A spirit fruit; with the power it was offputting, it could be nothing else.

Perhaps the meanest one of the harvest given its form, but still an impressive gift. From what he’d seen at the town’s markets, it would still have gone for at least a few days’ wages.

Blinking at the prize, Kevin turned to thank the man, only to find him busy with the next worker. Still, he gave the farmer a low bow before walking out.

He might never know what inspired the gruff man to give him such a gift, but he appreciated it, nonetheless.

Grinning, Kevin walked out of the orchards for the last time, munching on a pear that sent tiny shards of power into his stomach.

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The walk back to town, he no longer took a transport now the cultivation group had left work, was normal enough. If you ignored the slight edge he had in every respect compared to yesterday.

The keener senses, the easier movement, all of it added up to a slightly better trip back.

It was within the town that the largest difference was apparent. His ability to sense people’s Qi wasn’t restricted to Mr. Felton. While the old farmer glowed brighter than most of the townsfolk, Kevin could still sense almost all of them.

Even when he wasn’t looking in their direction, he could feel these blobs of energy moving around. It was far from detailed information, he couldn’t recognize people, only compare their strength, but it was still incredible to use.

He had magic senses, what could be more awesome than that?

Sending a letter to the agent was simple, and Kevin penned one asking when he was free and if he could look into sects. After that, he visited his friends to share the good news.

The cultivation group was the most interesting, as for the first time, he could get a feel for their individual strengths. Perhaps unsurprisingly Emily was the strongest, followed by the wanderers Amy and Ethan, then Fred.

The other three lagged behind, and he could only hope that wouldn’t hurt their chances too much in the upcoming examinations.

While busy sword training as a group, they were willing to have a short break when he told them the news.

“Congratulations, Kevin,” Emily was the first to speak, the others echoing her soon after. “Perhaps we’ll be seeing you on the other side at a tournament sometime.”

Kevin chuckled, rubbing the back of his head. “I’m not sure I’ll be much good in a tournament anytime soon, but I might be there just to watch.” The whole tournament scene seemed like a lot of trouble, but he might have to get involved eventually.

They seemed like a large part of sects here; something they used to showcase their strength and lord it over their neighbors. Now he was at the true beginning of cultivation, it was a stark reminder that he couldn’t fight to save his life.

He could only hope that fact wouldn’t hurt his chances of getting into a sect too much. Otherwise, he might have to spend a lot more time learning to fight first. Was there a way he could approach the problem from another angle?

He’d heard of both talismans and formations, perhaps there was a path there he could look into.

That would be later, however, and Travis might have some good advice. For now, he couldn’t let it dampen his excitement over advancing.

After a short, but excited, discussion with the cultivation group, he left them to their practice and moved on. They had one of the most important exams of their lives coming up, so he couldn’t justify spending too much of their time.

Finally, he moved on to Vanessa’s cafe. It was still only half past one, so she would be busy finishing the lunch rush. HE grabbed lunch and waited, focusing his senses on the people eating and passing by.

He would need a lot of practice to start identifying people’s cultivation realm and stage, so he might as well begin now. Relative power was all well and good but only mattered if you knew the strength of a person involved.

His senses could pick up the sealed land inside him and use that for comparison, but at this point, he was still the weakest person around. All that would tell him was that the other person was above the first grade of the first stage.

After a pleasant lunch, and a lingering cup of tea, Vanessa was free to come over and chat.

“Congratulations Kevin, that’s great news,” she said after he’d finished explaining. “I guess that means you’ll be leaving us soon?” There was a sad note in her voice as she finished.

“I guess so,” Kevin responded, “though I don’t know when it will be. I need to find a sect that will take me first, and I might have to do more training before that’s possible. Travis will know more when he comes down.”

“So he’s going to be visiting again?” Vanessa asked, her tone full of indifference.

After the last few times the agent had come down, Kevin knew better than to believe her tone. There had been something going on with them since the celebration, but he couldn’t tell if it was serious or not.

All he knew was that they hooked up each time the agent was in town and that Vanessa always pretended not to care until the day came. Still, they were both adults, and he wouldn’t pry. Much.

“Yeah, I don’t know the date yet, but he’ll be coming. I’ll give you a few days’ warning,” Kevin chuckled as he finished. The way Vanessa tried to look unconcerned while listening intently was quite amusing.

It was also interesting to get a feel for her advancement. Though she wasn’t a dedicated cultivator, Vanessa’s Qi felt as strong as any in the cultivation group.

This seemed common among those in their thirties like she was. A longer time practicing led to decent levels of power, even when that practice was far less intense.

For the younger people at the same level of power, it was a showcase of their talent and dedication that they could keep up with people a decade older than them. For Kevin, at almost thirty-five now, even if his body was thirty, it was a concern.

To be a beginner at his age suggested significant issues unless you knew his outsider past. Hopefully, that would be enough for a sect to see past his age. From what he knew, he was going quite fast now he’d been able to begin.

The average starting age for cultivation WAS about sixteen around here, with people looking to get into a sect somewhere between eighteen and twenty. That meant two to five years to make it into the middle stage of the Body Cleansing realm was above average.

He might only be at the beginning, but he’d gotten there in just a few months. That had to count for something; he’d have to point towards it as evidence of his dedication.

After a few minutes, the conversation with Vanessa wound down as she had to clean up for the day. With a parting goodbye, Kevin headed back toward his flat.

Sharing his triumph had been great, but he was itching to get moving. There was still a third of the Sealed Land Cultivation Method booklet he’d been keeping a mystery, and he could only imagine it held techniques for going further.

Why else would there be more instructions after the method was complete?

Even his flat seemed brighter than the day before, the colors more vivid, small motes of power flaring within its appliances. So many little things he’d been missing until now.

Like the dusty corners he could no longer ignore. He’d have to take care of that. Perhaps there was some basis for the extravagance cultivators always demanded if such a little thing kept being shoved in their faces.

Forcing himself to ignore the problem for now, Kevin cracked open the booklet and flipped to the new pages. 

It was time to keep advancing.