May led him through the inner sect, past extravagant courtyards and massive parks. Training areas were scattered throughout, many filled with disciples practicing a dazzling array of techniques.

Not a moment passed without something pinging his spiritual senses, and Kevin had to work hard not to keep reacting. How did people live here without always being on edge?

Was it something you got used to? Few people in Ostale had used their Qi for anything beyond cultivation practices; maybe he just needed to be desensitized.

Just not so desensitized that he didn’t react if someone fired a technique off at him. What a crazy world it was that he had to consider that a possibility. For all that he wanted to focus on cultivation, he couldn’t ignore at least basic combat training.

Dr. Vaughan’s waiting room was about a third of the way in from the edge of the sect. The building was the largest they’d reached yet, despite the simple label of ‘Cultivation Support.’

Or, perhaps, because of it. What could be more important than supporting advancement itself?

A young woman in the Body Cleansing realm greeted them on arrival, seating them with refreshments and assuring them the doctor would be with them soon. With the waiting room otherwise empty, it might even be true.

Unlike what he was used to back home, no books or other entertainment were provided. Given how May crossed her legs and closed her eyes, they were probably expected to fill the time with cultivation.

Which wouldn’t do Kevin much good until he had a solution to the lack of Qi in his body. He had already been pushing it as far as felt safe.

“So, how does being in the outer sect work?” He asked, glancing over at May. She was still supposed to be on guide duty, so it was worth seeing if he could get more information out of her.

The older woman sighed, her shoulders drooping but she opened her eyes, nonetheless. “Well, I already explained merit, so you know what you need to work toward. The rest is just everyday stuff.”

“You will have to sign up for classes soon; that will take up most of the time you aren’t cultivating or training. There’s also a base level of cultivation resources you can draw on without paying extra.”

“Right,” Kevin nodded. It was good to hear there were some resources provided; who knew how long his loan from the OIM would hold out? He’d have to ask Travis what the timeline would be like.

“How do the classes work?”

May pursed her lips, gazing away as if remembering something. “Well it’s been a while but from what I remember, most of them occur weekly. More practical ones will be mostly training and practice, while others will be lectures.”

“It depends on what you’re learning,” she continued with a shrug. “From what I remember, the expectation is for you to take at least five classes, with a minimum of two being combat-focused.”

Kevin shook his head; there was the focus on combat again. Still, he’d just been thinking that he needed some training. That, combined with his promise to take on whatever support training the sect wanted, would fill most, or all, of his slots.”

“What about work? Are there any jobs in the sect I could pick up?” Depending on what Travis said, he might need to get some income flowing in to draw out how long he could pay tuition.

“Some,” May sighed again. “It depends on whether you have any useful skills. The more useful you are, the more jobs are available and the more they pay. Some of the best even pay out merit.”

Which suggested the rest would pay in coins like any normal job. That was what he’d intended, but the idea of earning extra merit was also intriguing. He wouldn’t get enough together by being passive.

“Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to cultivate,” May snorted, closing her eyes again.

It seemed he’d run through her patience for now. At least she’d given him a few things to consider.

----------------------------------------

Without conversation or entertainment, the wait dragged on, and there was only so much he could plan with limited information. Hopefully, he could get some advice when signing up for classes, because he had no idea what to pick for combat training.

Time was going to be his most critical resource. He needed time to cultivate, time to take classes, time to practice what he learned, time to earn merit, and perhaps even time to work. With all that, he needed to minimize how long he spent on each thing.

Learning to use a weapon might be the most effective, but would also take a vast amount of practice time. Not to mention having to purchase at least one good quality weapon.

Martial arts wouldn’t be much easier, but he at least knew a few basics after his recent training. Even if he learned a weapon, he’d probably have to keep that training up too in case he was disarmed, so perhaps focusing on it would save time?

There were also incantations and who knew what else. He really needed advice before he made a mistake.

Finally, after almost an hour, the receptionist called him over, leaving May behind. In contrast to most of the sect, the treatment room she led him to was simple in the extreme.

The small area held nothing but a bed and a few chairs, while diagrams littered the walls. There wasn’t a hint of technology or even one of those diagnosis circles he’d been in before.

A moment later, the door swung open and a middle-aged man walked through. Dr. Vaughn was tall, thin, and dressed in pure white cultivator robes. Dozens of scars marred a plain face; the first hint of lingering damage Kevin had seen on any cultivator.

A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

Despite lacking the perfection of most cultivators, the doctor’s Qi still screamed Core Formation realm. It floated around his body in a massive cloud that spread into the surrounding air.

It wasn’t centralized like a Golden Core cultivator, yet was vastly stronger than the few Energy Gathering cultivators he’d met.

“Well, well… another outsider,” Dr. Vaughan said with no hint of greeting.

“Yes, sir,” Kevin responded, keeping up his respectfulness as he bowed. Did that mean there were more outsiders in the sect? Given Twisted Path’s focus on oddities, that wasn’t a stretch.

“Twelve blocked meridians, and a shriveled Dantian,” the doctor tsked, staring at a document now in his hand. “You’ve seen someone else then?”

“Dr. Grange back in the capital,” Kevin nodded, “he’s a specialist in…”

“I know who Dr. Grange is,” Dr. Vaughn chuckled, shaking his head. “Just what did that ancient fossil give you? The advancement I sense should have killed you several times over.”

Kevin swallowed, mouth dry at the dire pronouncement. “The Sealed Land cultivation method,” casting his mind back, he continued. “He said it came under the Inner Realm style of cultivation.”

Dr. Vaughn tapped the pages he was holding to his lips, his eyes unfocused. Qi swirled around his head but remained outside his body. Now that Kevin was paying attention, he couldn’t feel any Qi in the doctor’s body.

From what he knew, there had to be some to keep the man alive, but regular mortal levels would be far below his ability to sense. Was this aura cultivation? Dr. Grange mentioned that it wouldn’t be suitable for him because of its lack of interaction with the body.

Was that why Dr. Vaughan had scars? Some limitation in healing ability from a lack of Qi in his body?

“Trust Grange to dig up old curiosities,” the doctor laughed, shaking his head. “Though with your limitations, I suppose it wasn’t a terrible choice.”

Turning back, the man raised an eyebrow, “I assume body-integrated cultivation was important to you?”

Kevin nodded, but Dr. Vaughan continued before he could explain. “It’s a neat way to bypass your Dantian, but I imagine you're having trouble advancing with those blocked meridians?”

A wry smile crossed Kevin’s face. “Yeah, there’s a technique to draw free-floating Qi within my body into the sealed land, but I’m running out and it’s hard to replace. I ate a spirit fruit once. That helped a lot, but took two weeks to digest.”

“Blocked stomach meridian,” Dr. Vaughan nodded. “Still, two weeks is slow even for that. Your body might be limiting flow further to avoid damaging your Dantian. Dr. Grange didn’t give you anything to work around this issue?”

“No, all he said was that it would cause too much damage to open all my meridians and that it would be best to find further solutions in the sect I joined. Something about ensuring they were methods the sect was versed in,” Kevin responded, shaking his head.

Dr. Vaughan snorted, and muttered something under his breath that sounded like, “cheapskate.” Rubbing his hand through a thin beard, the man continued. “Hold still then so I can scan you.”

Without waiting for a response, the doctor stepped forward and began waving his hands, words in a strange language dripping from his lips. Complex seals and patterns formed in the air, glowing yellow and gold.

Kevin licked his lips, glancing at the odd sight but holding still. Three doctors he’d seen now, and all three had used different methods to diagnose him. Was medicine so unformalized here?

“I see,” Dr. Vaughan muttered a few moments later. “I have to concur with Grange. Opening so many blockages would cause irreversible damage and increase energy flow to your Dantian far too much.”

“As I suspected, your energy system has developed to limit Qi draw. This is why you had enough free-floating Qi to advance as it is. A sudden increase would shred your Dantian long before you could adapt.”

“No wonder Grange sent you down this path,” the doctor continued a rueful look on his face. “Sometimes our elders do show much insight.”

“So what can I do?” Kevin asked, wincing at the man’s description. There went his hope for getting a few unblocked meridians. Dr. Grange suggested that forcing open two or three might be possible, but this nixed the idea entirely.

Dr. Vaughan pursed his lips, casting his gaze into the distance. “Explain the technique you have to gather energy in detail. I do not recall such a thing being linked to the original sealed land experiments.”

Blinking, Kevin began listing his experiences with the spiritual void technique. So that was why it had been in a section at the back; Dr. Grange must have added it to the original method to overcome some of the limitations he’d described.

It was a shame he’d left the booklet in storage with the rest of his belongings. Still, he’d memorized enough details to be confident in his description.

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Dr. Vaughan was nodding by the time he’d finished, an approving smile on his face. “A good compliment to the original method. Grange has done well; this provides us with options.”

There was a pause as the man used his mental technique again, energy swirling around his head like a halo. This time, the energy draw was far more intense; a single usage consuming more energy than Kevin had sensed from most cultivators in the Body Cleansing realm.

After several minutes, the doctor laughed, a merry smirk on his face. “So much ancient literature, and yet the most available option is within our very own sect. Why am I even surprised anymore?”

Still chuckling at some hidden joke, Dr. Vaughan turned back to Kevin. “For now, our goal should be to push you into the second stage of the Body Cleansing realm. With your spiritual void technique, this only requires us to increase the free-floating Qi within your body.”

Drawing a clipboard from thin air, the doctor began scribbling notes. “There are more drastic options available, but we will begin with the least risky one and proceed from there.”

I’m sending you to Runa Valgarsdóttir, an inner sect disciple focusing on formation tattoos. It’s an odd specialization, but she should be able to create an energy gathering formation for you.

The tattooed woman from the entrance exams flashed into Kevin’s mind at the doctor’s words. Was that what she had on her face? “That will get around the problem?” Kevin asked, leaning forward, an eager smile on his face.

“Yes.” Dr. Vaughan responded shortly but continued when he looked up at Kevin’s face. “The skin is a barrier that blocks outside Qi from entering, or leaving the body.”

“Incompatible or hostile Qi could wreak havoc if it could just flow into the body, nor would such a thing be of much use without direction. And I’m sure you can imagine that no one wants their hard-won energy flowing out of their body.”

“However, in your case, that is what we want. A formation on your skin should bypass this limitation, while also filtering out any potentially dangerous Qi.”

“And once it’s inside, I can use the spiritual void technique to pull it into my sealed land,” Kevin responded, nodding along.

“Correct. You need to balance your practice to ensure you don’t raise your free-floating Qi levels too high, or drain them too low, but the theory is sound. My assistant will book you in for next week so I can assess you for any damage.”

“I will continue to consider your issue in the meantime,” the doctor continued as he handed the page of scrawled notes over. “Without active meridians, we will need a solution for cleansing your body, along with more significant Qi drawing methods for the Energy Gathering realm.”

The page had, ‘for disciple Valgarsdóttir,’ at the top, and was so dense with technical jargon and strange symbols that he couldn’t make any sense of it. Given it wasn’t for him, that shouldn’t be an issue.

“Thank you, Doctor,” Kevin said, bowing as low as he could. “I appreciate everything you and the sect are doing for me.”

“All part of the job,” Dr. Vaughn responded, a smile twitching at the corners of his lips. “Besides, this is quite the interesting puzzle you’ve given me. So many pieces we have to glue together.”

‘Interesting problem,’ was far from the nicest thing he’d been called, but Kevin couldn’t care less if it kept the doctor working on his problem. As the man said, there was still a lot left to solve.

But he had a way forward again. One more stop and he could keep pressing on toward the second stage.