Chapter Three

Jonathan sat on a tree in the manors enormous gardens and contemplated life after his nap. He had just finished working with his father in the manors forge and a smile lit up his face. He was thirteen today and his father had spent a lot of his hard-earned savings on buying him a set of cultivation stones and medicinal pills. His father couldn’t give him much, but he gave him nothing but love, he still reprimanded him whenever he was wrong as he said, “I don’t want you growing up twisted and sick, there’s enough fancy young masters who need a good smack.”

He had also just finished his cultivation session and broke through, he smiled again first of blood forging, not bad, he thought to himself. He was what was termed as a genius, but kept it completely to himself, he knew what happened to those who shouted nonsense and those who were too dazzling. After all, how could he, the son of a manor smith be further in cultivation than the young manor lord who eats pills for breakfast, lunch and dinner. He looked down at his necklace, the necklace that had changed his life.

He thought back at the memory, he had accidentally found himself in the forbidden section of the forest that surrounded the manor. He had been searching for game as cultivation herbs were rare in this area, but the flesh of animals was excellent for recovering energy expended on cultivation. As he walked down the path he saw the tracks of a small family of dear that led from the path into the dense foliage. He stalked his prey deep into the forest completely focused on the subtle signs, the set of footprints, broken twigs and moist dung became a beacon for him pointing him to his goal. Unbeknownst to Jonathan, as the trees became taller and thicker a dense fog slowly stole the daylight and before he snapped alert it covered everywhere, the day had become night.

Blind and slightly panicked he decided to retrace his steps from where he came, but it was too late. He walked in circles for what seemed like hours, until he saw the fog slowly begin to dissipate, elated he ran full speed but what greeted him wasn’t the path but the entrance to a sealed cave. He looked back to the forest which seemed to become more ominous the longer he stared, it was as if alive and wanted to swallow him. He scrutinised the door, it was as if it was carved roughly with a large blade, an indent was where the handle should have been which was just large enough for a hand to fit in. With a deep breath he reached into the indent of the door at the sealed entrance.

His hand felt the cold stone and what seemed to be a release button, he let out a relieved sigh as he pressed down with his fingers. Upon activation the rock door began to light up, complex runes covered its surface. Jonathan’s relief turned to sheer dread, as though he knew nothing about rune crafting something deep inside him told him that these runes were ancient and powerful. He quickly tried to remove his hand to interrupt whatever process he had started but to no avail, a cold feeling shot through his wrist and then pain followed. He screamed as he dropped to one knee, he was stuck.

His pain steadily increased but he saw the runes surrounding the indent slowly turn to a deep blood red. Its absorbing my blood, what cursed place have I come to, he thought to himself with a grimace. More and more runes became red until mostly all the runes had lit up and he was already feeling the blood loss. Ten runes remained in his now fuzzy eyesight, if I let it take its time ill become unconscious before its finished and then I’m finished he thought again. He gritted his teeth and summoned his cultivation to pump blood faster while using his energy to create as much blood to replace what he had lost. This was only possible by sacrificing his progress in the musculoskeletal forging as fuel.

The runes absorbed it ravenously as if the greatest meal, sucking the blood even faster than before, as Jonathan sacrificed months of cultivation in a last-ditch attempt to survive. After what felt like an eternity has passed the tenth rune lit up. It immediately stopped absorbing the blood and Jonathan’s hand was ejected out the indent with extreme force, his body sliding meters away from the door. His body felt weak and drained, but he was alive, he smiled with glee as his blurry eyes saw the brightest lights he had ever seen, and he then heard the door rumble open. He closed his eyes and began to recover. Time passed as Jonathan absorbed the vital energies of the world to replenish his body, as he did, he realised that this energy was thicker and purer than what he was used to, normally it was thin and often contained violent elements which required far more focus and grit to absorb, but this was tame and easy. They couldn’t be compared.

Once he had recovered, he turned his attention to the cave opening, which poured out thick vital energy unceasingly a wide grin plastered his face. I think I’ve discovered a treasure he thought, cultivation here would be ten times faster than normal, what person didn’t want a lucky encounter to change their destiny, especially people in this county who didn’t even have a manual for breaking through to the rebirth realm. Even though elated, he maintained a sense of calm as danger came with opportunity and he shook his head remembering he was nearly drained of all his blood not even an hour ago. He investigated the pitch-black cave and took his first step into what he hoped was a new destiny.

As he crossed the threshold of the cave door it rumbled shut behind him trapping him in darkness, until the cave walls came to life with complex illumination runes. With the door now closed the vital energy became even thicker and Jonathan didn’t need to actively absorb it, it fused into his body on it own. He shook as this was cultivation without active participation, even the manor lord wouldn’t experience this environment, his forging slowly began anew recouping what he had lost previously. The thick energy however was much better quality and his muscles and bones strengthened almost perfectly.

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He continued to walk, his curiosity enflamed by the events that seemed like a dream. The cave dipped slowly moving further underground and continued on his path. After walking for almost two hours the cave tunnel enlarged into a natural underground cavern, stalactites littered the natural ceiling of the cavern. As Jonathan looked around he saw that this was not a natural cavern just like the door it had been carved but the sheer size was intimidating. There were vast gardens with plants he had never seen that surrounded two large pools, one that was clear and glistened under the giant rune on the ceiling that lit up the cavern, the other was a deep red colour that gave off a sense of danger. In the middle of both lakes which separated the two was a path that led to a dilapidated shelter. Jonathan could tell that it had been a very long time since anyone was here.

Since he knew nothing about the plants and he felt danger from the deep red pool, he investigated the clear pool. He grabbed a leaf from the nearest plant and gently place it inside, the leaf sat peacefully on the surface and absorbed the water. Suddenly an influx of energy penetrated the leaf making it grow and mutate into something unrecognisable from what it was before until it could no longer sustain its form and exploded. Jonathan backed away slowly with fear, if he hadn’t have been so careful that could have been him. What is this place? Everything here seems dangerous enough to kill me he thought. He breathed in and out slowly to shake of his anxiety and proceeded to the shelter, being even more careful about what he stepped on.

The closer he got to the shelter the thicker the vital energies became, thirty times, forty times, finally at the entrance, it was fifty times thicker than the outside world. This was insane. Ignoring how fast but perfect his cultivation was becoming he stepped inside. There were only three rooms, no beds, sinks or toilets. What a weird house Jonathan thought to himself. Two of the rooms had a small baths with runes carved upon their surfaces. Upon closer inspection each room was somehow connected the respective pool closest to it, what it did Jonathan had no clue and until he did, he didn’t want to take any chances.

The door to the third room was closed but he could feel that this was the origin of the vital energies. He carefully pulled the door open hoping there would be no hidden mechanisms or traps. To his relief the door opened normally, and he was hit by a storm of vital energy, as he stared inside his eyes shot open even further. “So, this is why the energy is so thick!” he spoke aloud.

Sat on a prayer mat was a skeleton holding a necklace in its bony fingers. The skeleton was so perfect it looked like was carved out of metallic jade, it could only be described as beautiful. Vital energy poured from the skeleton unceasingly. As he slowly approached the skeleton he noticed a letter was left by its jade feet. Jonathan picked up the letter and read the characters, they were strange and definitely ancient. He could barely read it and he did so aloud.

“If you’re reading this then I failed, I fought against my fate with everything I could muster but yet I ran out of time, I couldn’t become an immortal. If you are here, then my line still exists, and you have been chosen for these opportunities and my burden.”

“The clear stream pool and the forging pool are opportunities that I gained during my life, these are now yours, use them wisely once you have undergone rebirth of the body, mind and soul and remember not to reveal treasures without the means to protect them.”

“Now grab the necklace and start your journey anew, become an immortal and protect your blood in the upper fields.”

“Darren Smith”

Jonathan closed the letter, the words burden, blood, immortal fired in his mind over and over again. Was he part of some ancient clan, that had immortals who could sunder the mountains, skies and seas. He couldn’t, could he? On the ground was this necklace, glowing, he picked it up and examined it closely. The links looked like normal metal, iron with a hint of bronze that led to an unremarkable gemstone, nothing about it screamed special. As he held it in his hand the chain began to vibrate rapidly slicing into his skin, soaking the chain in blood, he let out a small wince as he rolled his eyes, what is their mad obsession with blood he thought.

The necklace began to light up and he could feel a connection forming deep within his soul. When the connection became solid and unbreakable, he heard a voice directly in his mind, the voice seemed old and wise, ancient and powerful. “Hello child from the branch of Smith, are you here for the three opportunities?”

“Three opportunities? What are you talking about?” Jonathan replied.

The necklace seemed to sigh “Each member of our clan gets to choose three cultivation arts, they can choose all three for themselves, their family or friends, whatever they do with it has nothing to do with me, although one is usually enough for anyone to become immortal” the voice monologued.

Jonathan was shocked, three opportunities and those he gave it to would become immortal. His excitement bubbled, until he looked at the jade skeleton and remembered it couldn’t be that easy.

“So boy, do you want to use them?” the voice spoke again.

“Okay” Jonathan answered timidly.

“Excellent!” the voice said with glee “I haven’t done this in millennia, let me get into character.”

“What cultivation art dost thou wish for?” the voice boomed with a completely different.

Astonished Jonathan looked around a little embarrassed.

“Boy, answer the question,” the voice spoke once more.

Jonathan thought deeply at his answer, if he had the chance to become immortal his criteria had to be outrageous.

“One that will allow me to keep up with the cultivation of my peers and make me unrivalled within the same level,” he spoke his choice with shameless conviction.

“Ah, another lazy one I see, here is a suitable manual for one as lazy as thee.”

A flash of light shot into Jonathan’s head and he saw it, cloud dreamers immortal art.

He read it and was lost for startled. Cultivate in your dreams, cultivate by looking at the clouds, don’t cultivate and still breakthrough when your peers do.”

“How tyrannical is this!” Jonathan shouted shocked.

The memory of the began to fade as he looked towards the forest that his life changed and his story began.