“Eh!?”
“Ha-ha, ha-ha, good, good that you have returned. I was just about to start a search for your location—, young Levis.”
As there was still some distance away from Hubert's room, Levis had to take several turns, and then move to the first floor of the building, when a familiar voice and face greeted him with a smile that possessed quite the hidden anger and vexation hidden behind it.
“Senior Wan!? What is senior doing here?”
“Is it not obvious? I am here waiting for you—,”
The one to greet Levis was non-other than old Wan, who seemed to be on the verge of making a decision, right before his gaze shifted to face the youth who was returning to the residence.
“---, although, when I arrived here and did not find you, I thought I was going to have to hunt you dow—, aham, search for you. But good that you have returned, this way we can proceed directly to your new home. Well---, since you have all your possessions within little Rowen's space stone, just follow me.”
“Alright.”
As it was the case for Levis, he did not have any luggage to speak of, so he could only follow old Wan obediently, since outside of senior Wan, Rowen, Adrian, or Hubert, this place was entirely foreign to him, as he knew no one, and had barely any idea of what was going on in this crowded place which retains so many guards. The only good thing was that when he was walking around the place, not many people would look at him, as if there were too many gazes observing him, he might be too afraid to go out, although, just like the fear of heights, he was ready to face this one as well, ready to clash against the gazes of many and conquer his fear.
However, at this moment, Levis and old Wan were about to get out of the building in which Hubert was living, yet once outside, they continue to move in the direction of the big building, where Levis had met the strange mustache man, though they did not enter inside of it, as they moved past it, some distance still, until they arrived another structure that was just so smaller, and less tall then the previous one. But, proceeding with old Wan, the young boy, walked past the few doors of the halls of the building, then to the stairs, until they reached a large door on the third floor of the building.
“Right here, come inside, young Levis.”
“Yes—, eh!”
Though, right as the door was opened, the sight of Zuger and Square, was the first thing to be registered by Levis, with Zuger who was having no shackles or restraints on his wrist and legs.
“Tsk!”
But in response to Levis entering the place, Zuger, immediately gave his so-called master, a clink of his tongue in disdain, as his eyes were not hiding what was on his mind. On the other hand, Square, was much more nonchalant, as he did not have much of a change upon the his arrival.
“Good, good---, now that we are all here, it is time to explain a few notions, regarding the offer that little Rowen had presented you. Take a seat, young Levis.”
Without putting any facade, the old man took the head seat at the table positioned in the middle of the entrance hall, while placing a dark round orb on it, as he faced the two men and child.
Levis took the other head seat at the table, as for Zuger and Square, they were already standing face to face, on the long side of the table, near the boy, as though to emphasize the factions at the present moment.
“Currently, for the moment, little Rowen is occupied with another matter, so I will be the one to speak regarding the contract that he had made, as we have two things which we need to discuss, well, actually to inform all of you. First, Zuger and Square are free under the prerequisite of being subordinated to little Rowen, so, you should not say anything different than this, in case you are questioned or otherwise, understood?!”
As he stopped, the old man looked around at the three of them, observing to see, if they had comprehended his words, as he himself nodded once, at the three’s simultaneous nod of their heads.
“Good---, and, from now on, you will live here. There are four empty rooms, so you can take one for each of you. I must ad, that I do not want to hear any bickering or something which will have any negative impact on little Rowen. The two of you, remember that if you do something, you should not ask why, and for what reason, I will have to kill you. We saved you, yes, but I will dispose of you if you prove to be a problem. As I am sure that young Levis, has no issue with?!”
“No. If they are problematic and useless, then there is no point in keeping them. So senior Wan can be at ease.”
“Hmpf."
Though, while listening to the words of the old man and the young brat, the eyes of Zuger squinted, as he alternated his gaze between the young and old monsters, as one was sufficiently powerful to kill him in an instant, and the other was an enigma that had enslaved him since his second day of freedom.
Although, Zuger was not alone to pay close attention to those at the table, as old Wan was doing the same thing. However, the old man was more preoccupied with the young fellow who stood at the end of the table and was currently looking at him with a pair of straightforward honest eyes, while deciding the fate of the two men without hesitation or a blink of his eye.
As for Square, his eyes were moving, between Levis who stood at his left, Zuger who was right in front of him, and old Wan at his far right. And yet, among the four men per se, he was the one with the calmest mind, as he was more or less aware of the situation, by having understood them as he was subconsciously aware of everyone's natural intent.
“Well then, if it is all clear, we can move on to the second part as to why you and me, are all here. This will be—, hmmm--, well your first lesson-, I guess. But first, young Zuger, young Square, how much knowledge do you have about cultivations stages and ranks?”
“Apart from what the bastards have made me learn before they sold me, not much, as even as I was with the pig and the last bastard, I did not have much to read on, as they eighter kept it all for themselves or did not give a fuck about us. And what the weak pieces of shits have ever held, had been limited to the knowledge regarding the nine ranks, and some bits and pieces of information about the Immortal stage, as well as the mentioning of the tribulation, but it was so little that I might as well know next to nothing.”
“Hmmm—, is that so. Then, young Square can you—.”
“More or less the same as me. Well, he had read those writings far more many times than me, so he might be able to repeat it to you backward, but it is as you can—, sir can imagine. Despite all of this, because of the slave-binding contract, we had been kept at a low rank for more than a decade.”
“Then, I will educate you as well, since young Levis ought to be instructed with the knowledge, then this will be—, the first lesson—, maybe I should call it, inside look---, or, a general first view. As I do not believe that you are acquainted, and as you truly lag behind to those with the more precise knowledge from the long customs of the high nobles, or affluent families which have cultivated their wisdom over their long history.”
With the words from Zuger, old Wan revealed a smile, as now, he had more or less an idea, of how he could finely begin the training of the young promising boy and the two young men. Although, no matter how he looked at him, there was always something eerie and very wrong, that he could not put his finger on.
“Well now. Shall we start from the very beginning, which is why we cultivate at all? An easy answer would be---, a far prolonged life, power, and prestige. But the more complex explanation would be the tumultuous, complicated, and by far, overwhelming, and perplexing reasons which arise from the lives that we live, as there could be an unquantifiable amount of causes and motivations, that could wake one's desire for power. For example you, young Levis—, revenge you have said, although not very common, is one of those reasons which inevitably arise likewise ubiquitously, all over the Kingdom. Love, hate, and duty stand for various reasons, as every person has their own basis and grounds. In the end, because it is all out of expected behavior, or strong emotions, almost all humans feel pushed to cultivate, even so, not everybody will be able to achieve an initial awakening, “as a such thing, it is an almost impossible case, for having all the humans ascending to be cultivators is but a ludicrous and dangerous dream.”."
[Hmm? Why is senior Wan looking at me like that?]
While in his long-winded explanation, towards the end of his words, old Wan made a particular accentuation, as he looked at the young boy with a knowing look, as though trying to remember or explain something particular for him alone.
Though, the two men on both sides of the table had a small reaction to the old man's words as well, as they knew what absurd future plan the young boy had in his head. However, even as Zuger was looking at him, all he could see was a strange little oddity, and not a true monster, as if he were to have been a true monster, they would have all died, the moment they would have touched the village. Yet, right now he could not even speak of it, as the hellish pain would attack him, were he to speak of anything related to the boy, which could be interpreted as a negative impact by him himself.
“Following, young Square, when is it the most opportune time to start one's cultivation?”
“Mmm! From ten to twelve years of age. That is the most applicable of timing.”
“Hmm?”
“Correct, it looks like you possess the common facts. However, young Levis, why do you think that is so?”
“I---, I do not know, is it not far more beneficial to start at the earliest?”
But as Square answered old Wan’s question, a perplexing and doubtful look appeared on Levis, as he was unsure as to why, as by any logic cultivating from a far premature age, would only prove to be a far better and beneficial action for any cultivator's future.
“Hehehe—!
“Ha-ha-ha—! Well, you are not wrong to say, that commencing one's cultivation from a younger age would be by far a more beneficial matter. But—,”
To his response, Zuger who was not so interested in hearing old Wan’s lesson, while seeming as though he was about to doze off, gave a sudden chuckle, as he gave Levis a side glance from his position, while Square, gave a rare silent grin. However to Levis's surprise, even old Wan laughed for a moment, before starting to explain himself.
“Well---, yes, you seem to like using knives, right? However, let me ask you, would you give a young premature child a knife to play with and to use in his everyday activity?”
“I would not.”
“Exactly!”
“Mmm?”
“Well, this is actually really simple, as the problem does not lie in the knife, or in the child, but in both of them. The dantian is the most important organ to a cultivator, yet at the same time, it poses a great threat to its owner, more specifically, to someone who can not control it, or has no sense of danger about it. Take the example of young Square, were he to have had a stronger dantian or a weaker body, he would have died on the spot, the very moment his dantian was destroyed. Now imagine what would happen if that were to occur to yourself, young Levis.”
“Eh!? Ughh! I—.” — [This—, if that were to happen—, I would burst, just I have destroyed the tree!]
[Not exactly, as your attack had been far more concentrated and destructive, when compared with an equivalent amount of power released by an exploding dantian.]
[Then would I not be blown to smithereens?]
[You do not have to worry, your head will probably still remain intact, and that will be more than enough, in the worst case you will be a conscious arm, or a leg. But why do we even talk about this, as that will never—, happen to you—, yes, yes. After all your dantian is fake, and of a lower rank when compared to your overall body constitution-wise.]
[You? You---, you pause for a moment there? What was that about?!]
“Aham—, it is as you are imagining. Cases in which, offsprings of powerful families, have suffered such fates still occur, though not to a such large and serious degree, as all it takes is a small internal injury, for a tragedy to occur. Yet, exceptions exist, but they are rare, and few between, as the grand part of younglings do not possess the fortitude required to begin cultivation at a premature age. And that is—,”
Though once again, old Wan examined Levis intently, so as to draw his attention to attend him, for he was wavering and being absent-minded during his talk, as he had already been lost Zuger, who was now catnapping on the table, with only Square, being the one who was still listening attentively on the side.
“---, and that is because there is a second reason, one which plays with time against us. Elevated mental capacity! Which is absolutely required to achieve the first awakening. “As you know, training the mind is by far the most “important”, and most “difficult” part of every cultivator's training”. As such, years of rigorous practice are needed, after, in conjunction with a breathing technique, the mind, together with the energy of the world, can form a dantian below one's heart, so that a new cultivator can be born. “Though, this is the biggest cause, as to why most people will not be able to cultivate, as this demands a high degree of specific training, to which not many people can dedicate the time towards". Any difficulties till here? Do I need to explain myself again—?”
“No—, till now, everything has been straightforward. But if I am, to find something which I do not understand, I will most assuredly ask senior Wan about it.”
With a halt, old Wan continue to focus on Levis, who still looked to be wobbling and tilting his head, as though he was pondering over his words, which in turn, caused the old man to ask the boy if he were to clarify himself.
Though, unaware of, old Wan, Levis was carefully considering, evaluating, and memorizing his words. As to him, this was a far better experience, to when compared with Urger's incessant, and the almost never-ending marathon of words, which was always letting him more confused and exhausted for the grand part of the explanation.
“Tap!
“Good—,”
“Tap!” - “Tap!”
“---, as of now, we are at the point, where the important part of the lesson will begin.”
“Tap!” - “Tap!” - “Tap!”
“Realy? I too, want to hear, this “important part”, old ma—, sir Wan.”
Though, out of nowhere, old Wan began to tap the table repeatedly, forcing Zuger to open his eyes, as he responded and reacted to the old man's actions and words, from his resting position, of cupping his chin and left cheek, with his left hand.
“Ha-ha—, old Wan is fine. Now focus on my words! Body, mind, and dantian, are the trifecta of equal self-improvement, the body holds the mind, as the mind creates and oversees the dantian, which helps to improve the body, so as to allow the mind to reach greater heights, to control a far stronger dantian, and then to improve the body even more, and so on, and so on. Straightforward, right? Well, unfortunately, it is not. As I already mentioned prior to this, the mind is the most challenging part, when it comes to being strengthened, the hardest obstacle for effectively all cultivators.”
[Urger! Is that true?]
With the words coming from the old man, the two men and Levis were listening, watching, and concentrating attentively, as this was the first real instruction for the three of them. Well, one in which, they were not forced to listen to it by an overbearing party.
[I have already given you a similar explanation, have you already forgotten it? And yes, most cultivators will have problems training the consciousness, and so they will be stuck, until they get impatient, and make an error, that will either harm them or in the greatest of cases, end their own lives altogether.]
“Though, I have to state something, an unorthodox fact. And that is, the fact that you can have a stronger dantian with a weaker mind, only, and only if your body is already at a far higher rank, comparably to your dantian and mind. Yet, this is not to be pursued, as this poses many other risks and problems—, ahh, it seems I diverged a little bit, so let me just say, to not go in this direction as having a weaker mind will be guaranteed to be a problem, now, let me return. Aham—, now, now. The first part is what you should really remember, and concentrate on. As if you can seize the balance between the body, mind, and dantian, your path as a cultivator, will definitely be far longer, and far grand than mine, and as well as many other cultivators in the world. Mmm---?!”
At the end of his explanation, old Wan turned his head left and right, to look at the three of them while waiting for any one of them to ask him for any clarification after what he had just spoken of.
If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.
“Sigh!”
Though, non of the three seemed to have anything to ask, making the old man sigh. As he was unsure if this was a positive thing, for they have understood every word of his, or a bad thing, for they did not think that their interpretation and memorization of his words were flawed. Anyway, he had to continue, as he would most likely repeat himself on another day, on the exact same argument.
“And now, it is time I will explain the cultivations stages of which am aware, and some details that I possessed knowledge of. But first, the ranking cultivators, or ranked cultivators, which represent the overwhelming majority of all the cultivators in the Kingdom, and although, I have not seen the world, I believe the same proportion is commonly the same everywhere. So---, this part seems straightforward, as there are only nine ranks, which can only be moved upwards through the ranks. Nonetheless, I think young Zuger, might know a tad bit more about the difficulties that one might encounter.”
“Tsk!”
While in his speech, at the mention of Zuger’s name, old Wan turned his head, towards the man, expecting him to give a personal talk, so as to present Levis with his personal experience. Yet, the man in question, squinted his eyes, and look at the little monster, who was looking at him expectedly, only for in the end, to relent with a clink of his tongue, in dissatisfaction and anger.
“You want to know! Then, I will tell you, how I, Zuger the slave, under the forced slave contract, I have not only surpassed the limit imposed by the contract, but the challenge of surpassing the third rank that stops most of the idiots, and reached the fourth rank! Is that what you want? Because I have no intention of saying anything else, not because I do not want to, but because I do not have much to say, as all it had taken me was a small push and I had broken past the limit, and the small barrier. Is this satisfying to you old—, sir Wan!”
“Haha—, very satisfied. If that is true, then your aptitude in cultivation might be truly above the so-called talented. Nonetheless, that makes you only so more dangerous. Although this prospect might truly not measure too much, as geniuses live and died all the time, so I advise young Zuger to be prudent. Now, young Levis—, what you need to know about the nine ranks, are the two small barriers or small blocks, which stand to block the fourth rank, and the seventh rank, though, that does not make the normal progressions of the ranks any easier. Next---, would you like some water, tea, and biscuits?”
“Hmmm—!? Treats? Yes, yes—!”
“Then please wait for a moment.”
The old man took off his seat and then moved to another room, to prepare and bring the refreshments to the three, who were left alone to sit and wait at the table. Though, there was nothing to say, or do, as Levis seemed to be preoccupied, while Zuger was in a state of half boredom and half anger, as for Square, it was hard to say, for his countenance did not change from the very moment Levis had entered the room, as though his concentration and attention were always on the highest state.
----------------------------------------
[Urger!]
[What is it, kid?]
[Ahh—, how is it?]
[How is it, what? Make yourself clear with your question!]
[Ahhh—, about senior's Wan lesson?!]
[He is, for the grand part correct, although, there is not much to say on the low-ranking cultivators, as this should be widespread common knowledge, among the low end of the cultivation society.]
[But? Is this useful?]
[What do you think?]
[Ahhh—, it is, right---!?]
[No, and yes.]
[No!]
[Well for you it is not useful to you, since you do not cultivate as them, but as common knowledge, it is a good thing to possess, if you want to blend inside the human society, that is.]
[Then I will continue to listen.]
[You continue to do that.]
----------------------------------------
“Here I am! Sorry for the delay, you can start eating, as I will pour a cup for everyone, so do not wait for me.”
“Snif!” - “Snif!”
[This is!?]
It was not after much time, that old Wan returned to the table at the entrance room, with a large pot of tea, a tray of cookies, and four cups.
But, as the old man, was reaching closer to the table, Levis's nose jolted, as the energy in the air, was rising considerably, but it was not because of the simple energy rise, but of the quality, as said energy had a much more neutral nuance to it, which he knew it for being easier and faster to absorb it. As for that Levis's focus fell on old Wan’s hands like an eagle. More precisely, the pot in the old man's hands.
However, he was not alone as, Zuger had a similar significant reaction, as he eyed the hand of the old man, while he was pouring the tea inside a cup. However, it was after the first intake of breath through his nostrils, and the first mouth of tea, that Zuger could comprehend the rich amount of neutral energy and medicinal properties of the tea. As for the cookies, he had taken one bite, after which he began to focus completely on the tea, as he had directly entered into a half-awake, half-cultivating state right at the moment.
On the opposite side of Zuger, Square was in a similar position, as this was an unexpected treat, that he had never received. Though at the moment, he was doing his hardest to grow his weak rank 1 dantian as much as he could.
“Senior Wan!!!”
“What is it, young Levis?”
“What is this tea?”
“Green windfall tea---. Well, this is a type of energy plant, which is grown and then prepared by a professional grower, so once it is put in hot water, it will release the concentrated energy, and medicinal properties it had stored. In particular, this type of green tea can calm the state of mind and—,”
“Can I have another one---? Wait! I will get—, pour myself one! Oy---!!! Zuger what the fuck are you doing!!!?”
Though, as old Wan, was beginning to describe the knowledge concerning the tea, Levis was already done with his cup of tea, and moved directly to the source, however, Zuger was a step faster than him, for he was already with the pot of tea in his hand.
“Tsk! What use has this for you? It is better if I—, Square, what are you doing? Let go, I still need a little more to reach—.”
“This is good loot to fight for.”
“What are you doing—!?”
And yet, as Zuger was holding the pot of tea, Square’s hand reached as well, commencing a struggle between the two of them.
“Give it here, you two bastards—!”
“Harrumph!” — “Slap!!”
“Enough!”
But, towards the unexpected conundrum which had erupted, old Wan's eyebrows dropped, and his face darkened, as with a clearing of his throat and slap on the table, the three were forced to stop, as a slow, but heavy pressure was falling on them from the body of the old man.
“There is enough tea so that each and one of you can have three servings. But since all of you have had one, there are only two more servings left, so divided between you three, and stay silent.”
“------.”
“---.”
“Here.”
“Thank yo—!?”
“Ah! Zuger—, you are pouring less in mine, and the Square face one's cup!? Give the pot to me here, I will do it!”
“Argh!”
With, old Wan's intervention the three bandits, were calmed. But that did not last for long, as Zuger was trying to have an upper hand on the amount of tea, by serving less to the two others, commencing another quarrel, which evidently had the effect of angering old Wan again.
“Give it here, I will pour the tea for you three, since you can not trust one another.”
As to this predicament, the resolution was obvious, as it had to be old Wan himself to pour the tea, as the three before him, seem to have become enemies in suspicion with one another.
“Now, now. Where were we again?”
"The small walls."
With the serving done old Wan seated himself on his seat, as he started to rumble through his memory, as to what point of his explanation had he stopped, only to be reminded by Zuger on the side.
“Yes—, the small barriers. Well as I said, while from third to the fourth, and then from the sixth to the seventh rank, the small barriers are quite the challenge for all cultivators, however, that does not mean the other ranks are any easy, as you can effortlessly get stuck by the second or the fifth rank, with every higher rank being an even greater challenge from the last. As such, the best way to proceed with your cultivation, is by having a striving mentality, so as to never stop. Though this might be a tad bit wishful thinking, as one’s mind is never focused on a single purpose.”
With his explanation having resumed again, the two men and child, were with their focus on him once more, though, from what old Wan could observe, it was easy to see that, Zuger and Square were half focus on absorbing the energy from the tea, while Levis was taking a sip from the tea and a bite from a biscuit, while eighter of the two men had no intention of eating.
“However---, to continue the tendency of the barriers, an even bigger obstacle blocks the path of all cultivators, an uncountable number of rank cultivators are stopped before the first ascension, the blockage towards the path to becoming an Immortal!”
"Hmmm!"
With the word "Immortal" enunciated by the old man, the eyes of Zuger and Square sharpened, as their whole attention concentrated on old Wan. The same could be said by Levis as well, though, for some unsure reason, he was not as enthusiastic as the other two.
"Ha-ha-ha, I got your attention back, but before that, it is important to speak on how you can advance your rank, as young Zuger had omitted the most important part, on how one can reach for higher ranks. This can be easily surmised by "the nine ranks, nine growths, nine compressions, and one ascension". Have the two of you ever heard of the phrase?"
"No. But I got the vague and roundabout portrayal from what I have read until now."
"More or less the same."
"Good. Young Levis, to explain it easily, the growth refers to the first expansion of the dantian, you may not perceive it clearly right now, but it is happening every time and moment you continue to train and absorb energy. Then, for you to advance to rank two, you will have to use your body, and mind, to apply force against your dantian and all the ensuing veins, arteries, and capillaries, of your dantian, which are spread and bound to the real veins, arteries, and capillaries of your heart, around your body. In the end, the dantian will contract, and become far denser and heavier, which will be your second compression, as the first compression had happened at the moment when your dantian had formed. Can you follow?"
"Yes."
Although, Levis was not just following the words, as he was focused with his full attention on what old Wan was saying, Though, he was not alone, as Zuger seemed to be having a high interest as well, while Square's expression did not change much from since the beginning of the session, and was silently observing and listening to the old man.
"Now. This will persist, until at the beginning of the fourth and seven ranks, you will encounter a bigger hindrance. However, if you can have the equality of the trifecta, body, mind, and dantian, you will easily arrive at the ninth rank. At this point, you will encounter the biggest challenge, as the previous two barriers will not even compare. You will need large amounts of energy to supply yourself, and many attempts to condense the dantian, until a wisp of cloudy shapeless matter will form. And with this, the ethereal state will end, and the gaseous state will begin. Similar to the air we breathe. Though, this time you will feel your dantian far better than how you can perceive it right now, as a ranked cultivator. Yet---."
At this point, the old man raised his index finger in the air, as a somber and stern gaze took him, while he gazed profoundly at the young boy and the two men at the table.
"Yet, before this, with this you will have to undergo the first lighting tribulation. If you succeed, you will become a full fledge Immortal cultivator. But if you fail, in the best case, you are sent back to be a rank 9 cultivator, in the normal case you will severely injure with an unknown chance of remaining a cultivator or not. Or---, the worst case, you will die."
"Gulp!"
At his words, the noise of swallowing was heard from the three of them, with the culprit being non-other than---, Square, who looked a tad bit frightened.
"This is no exaggeration, to say that it is a gamble, so, if you are not fully prepared mentally and resolutely, do not attempt the break thru of the stage. As one mishap could spell your end. But do not fear, as with time you will conquer this fear---, inevitably."
Yet, from his frightening attitude, the old man gave a smile, as though he was trying to encourage them, despite having just talked about how they could die from one mistake, which made them all apprehensive about the so-called tribulation.
"Although, you can call the ascension, the tenth growth, and tenth compression, however, due to the tribulation and power increase, it is excluded as this is a far bigger step in one's cultivation, than just a normal rank advancement. Now---, I guess it is time to speak of the elements which will manifest at the Immortal stage?!"
"Yes, yes. How can I make them earlier, like the water one from that---, lady, or the fire, of that cultivator?"
"Eh, early!? Ha-ha-ha, if that were to be the case, the ranked cultivators would have a much higher prestige and value in society. But that is not the case for, young Levis, as only strong Immortals can manifest their elements. Even the stronger ranked cultivator, can at best give a premature warning, and not a true manifestation of their element. The main reason for that is the mental power, which needs to be strong enough for the visualization and real generation of one's element, while pushing the dantian to expel a large quantity of your total energy for such an act. But to be fair, the Immortal, in the stage name, is a large misconception, as there is nothing that unearthly about it---, well, once you will become one, you will understand it better. But to put it in short, the consumption of energy towards the usage of one's element is immense, to say the least. Only peak Immortal can enjoy greater freedom in their uses, even so, it is only at the King Immortal stage, that you will have the freedom, of a large free usage."
While in the midst of his wording, the old man took a short break to observe the three before him, as he begin downing some water from his cup, to soak his dry throat.
"So, as to end the Immortal stage, all I have to say is that the same identical trials and tribulations of the ranked cultivators will remain, with an equal number of ranks, two small barriers, and one final ascension, towards the King Immortal stage. Any questions?"
"The elements? What are they specifically? Sir Wan."
At old Wan's inquiry, it was unexpectedly Square the one to ask for clarifications. As, for the first time, he had a different expression than the usual one, as a perplexed look stood on his face, which was evidence of his confusion at the moment, from the words of the old man.
"What are the elements specifically, I am not qualified to respond, as I do not possess such an answer. That is because, there is no true agreement in the community of scholars and philosophers. Some hypothesize that the elements are a gift from the heavens, some from nature, and others believe it to be from a pact with a deity. There are others still who are making hypotheses, in which the elements are manifestations made by the laws of the world, with humans, trying to master them through their cultivation. However, these are all wild claims, so do not take them too seriously. As to what I can tell you three, is that the general view of the elements are composed of Fire, Wind, Water, Earth, and Wood. These are the common elements, which most cultivators will harbor. But do not believe it to be so simple, for inside the fire element there can be a wide and largely mixed varieties of it, from a normal fire which you can see almost every day, to an explosive one similar to the cultivator who had assailed us, to some unusual one's which make one question if it can really be called fire, to the composite ones, like burning or exploding water, to liquid scorching earth, to a weapon or to a beast shaped fire capability---."
"Burning water, a fire-shaped beast? How does that even work?" --- [Urger!?]
[Even if I try to explain it to you, you will not understand it concurrently. Though from his own words, the "Wood" element, should also be considered a composite one, made by all four elements, fire, earth, water, and wind, truly a bunch of complicated made-up nonsense. Moreover, this is all because of the fixed form and shape, out of the stupidity of being comfortable with the easy, and habitual, not working to control your knowledge, and ending up with something fixed in place and strange. Well, most of them will wake up when they are in the middle stages of the cultivation ladder anyway.]
"I too am not sure, for the first one, as this is something I have only read about it, and not witnessed it in person, though shaped fire I can attest to, for it is not uncommon for cultivators to have their element become a companion in supporting ones fighting capability. And another piece of information that you should be aware of is that most cultivators do not have only one element, as having two elements, it is quite a common and normal, supporting and helping one another. Although, one will be dominant over the other, as the second will be of secondary importance, while supporting the dominant one, for it is impossible to have a perfect balance, in case of multiple elements---."
"Then senior Wan---, what about senior's element?"
"That---."
With Levis's question thrown out of nowhere, the old man was stopped, as the eyes of Zuger and Square, fell and him as well, as though, expecting something for him.
"---."
"Sigh! In my case, it is a composite element, with my main element being water, and the second one being wood, as it will manifest into a very dark and murky water, which can take corrosive properties, out of a very dangerous secretion, made by a rare type of plant. Here---!"
Although, from a short pause, the old man recovered immediately, as after the short speech about his element, he extended his hand towards the two men and child, while a black wobbly blob of what could be assumed to be water, formed above his palm. However, were it not to be called water by the old man, no one would be called the dark substance floating above his palm water, for it appeared to be far too impure, to be associated with the clear and refreshing familiarity and belief, of what water truly was.
"You can touch it, and feel it for your selves, as it is not harmful, while I do not commit myself to make it so."
At his proposition, Zuger did not hesitate to experience the thing which the old man had manifested, as this, might give him some insight about the Immortal cultivation. Not behind him was, Square, who was more reserved and unhurriedly, as though he was fearful of it.
[Urger---, this?! What is this? Where is the dark element that you have talked about?]
But as the two men were done felling the floating fluid, Levis's turn came, as he approached the old man, and shoved his small hand into the blob of liquid, feeling the same texture on his skin as though real water, and nothing else. Even, after a while of sensing nothing, he had no choice but to withdraw his hand, only to observe the old man and his blob of dark water for some time, before he made a call to the one who had most likely had the answer to his inquiry.
[Do not get agitated, as this, is his cover. His second "element" is water, and he is using it to hide his dark element, which has the corrosive properties.]
[Hmmm---, he is hiding it, then?!]
[Yes. Most likely, he has, his own reasons to do so.]
"Now then, let us continue to the following elements, which are Lightning, Light, and Darkness. The first one, lightning, although a tad bit uncommon, you will still find one or two lightning cultivators, out of a thousand or so. What is there to be noted about it, is that this element, is a bit more straightforward than the common ones, and it is by far, the most ideal for all fighters, as its power it rivals and sometime surpasses that of the fire element---. As for the light and dark ones, I truly have not much to say, as their rarety is far beyond what can be imagined, even if there are innumerable ranked cultivators, which so, there should be many light and darkness cultivators as well, and yet, since they can not reach the Immortal stage, no one can know the real number, but from hearsay, they should be around one in a million, or one in ten million, but these are nothing more then assumptions so it is hard to believe it. As for their abilities, from my reading, they can range from exactly what their name suggests, making light, and then covering everything, to some wild claims of darkness cultivators raising the dead with their abilities, or light cultivators cutting mountain ranges in half with their swords. But then again, these can be some outlandish declarations or misinterpreted situations---. Harrumph---, Harrumph---, now, now, where am I again?!"
However, at this moment, the six three pairs of eyes were focused on the old man, as Levis, Zuger, and Square were all engrossed in what the old man was currently stating, as only by imagining, they could almost see, the feats of the rare light and darkness cultivators.
"I guess, it is time to talk about the King Immortal stage?! Even though I am not one myself, I can reveal to you, from my experiences, and from having to personally deal with them. For example, the fire spark cultivator, who seemed to have no limit to how many times he could burn the surrounding forest. It is exactly from here, that one of the biggest changes will appear, as one's dantian, will transform from the cloud like state, to a liquid form, with a very prominent increase in one's overall energy, a powerful heightened mind that will be capable to exit the body, allowing the cultivator to fly, in a certain sense. It sounds absurd since humans do not have wings, but that is the reality if you can reach to this point, the best wait for you to understand it, is if you will experience it firsthand. However, leaving that aside, once at this stage, all cultivators will have a high degree of control, precision, and understanding about their element, which will cause them to be even so much more of a danger, as they are something that normal humans can never oppose. For example, while a ranked cultivator might kill an Immortal if said cultivator is not careful, a ranked cultivator, even an Immortal at that, will have a hard time trying to severely injure someone who had arrived at the King Immortal stage---. though this can be attributed due to the increasing disparity in power, as the higher stage you are, the bigger the differences in rank will be. While ranked cultivators of different ranks can still mingle between themselves in a fight, from the Immortal stage, the differences in rank will prove difficult, yet from the King Immortal stage, this will be an almost too challenging of a feat to accomplish ---."
"---."
In a moment, of silence, the old man took the chance to drink some water, for his parched throat again, while making sure to take in the faces of the three, which seemed absorbed in his words at this moment.
"---."
"So---, what comes after this, senior Wan?!"
"Hmmm---, well, young Levis. The next stage is one, which I myself do not have much knowledge about, other than the fact that after the ascension to this stage, the state of the dantian will change from liquid to solid, becoming a core of an enormous quantity of energy. Although I have been in the presence of an Emperor Immortal, there was nothing I could comprehend, other than the fact that fighting against him would be an absolute mistake. The knowledge about this stage is held only by the old families, clans, or societies, which had an Emperor, before the pact with the Ural Empire---, but as for all the others, someone at this stage is far too remote to be even talked about it---. Well then, this should be most of the general knowledge, that you would be receiving, were you to get guided by a personal teacher, or in one of the academies made by the large cities. And for our first lesson, this should suffice, as it is best if you ruminate over what I have told you up till now, we will get to be more specific about the nine ranks tomorrow. But before that, I forgot to speak of the life increase and of the decay of the---! Oh---, it is already that time, this day sure had flown out quickly. Welcome back."
"Clank!"
"I see you are already here, Levis."
However, before old Wan could start to speak about what he had forgotten, the entrance door of the place was pushed open from the outside, as a weary and tired someone entered the habitation.
"Brother Rowen!"
The one to enter was non-other than the owner of the place itself, Rowen. But at this moment, he was anything other, than the energetic and headstrong Rowen, as he appeared to be listless while he looked at all of them, with tired eyes.
"Little Rowen, go clean yourself and change yourself. I will prepare a meal immediately. It seems that in my ramblings, I had forgotten about the passing time."
"I thank you. Levis! Have you done something, while here?"
"Eh!? No, no, just listening to what senior Wan was saying!"
"Good then, I will go clean, and change myself, then we will eat, and I will immediately turn in, as I am too tired to do anything else. As for you two, do not try anything."
"Alright, alright."
With, slow but heavy steps, Rowen moved towards the room which was supposed to be his, as Levis, stood on the head chair at the table with the other two, while he seemed to be in a pensive state.
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[Hmmm---, is this all that I need to know?]
[Mostly, but this is still an incomplete guidance. For the so-called "elements", if the little star bastard were to be here, he would start saying that Time, Space, Gravity, and Energy are missing. Though in the end, all of this is a great misconception, as the truth is hidden in the reaction and laws of the universe which are merely manipulated and controlled in a subconscious manner by you idiots, so do not think much about it or else you will get too much stupidity from this simplistic labels. Furthermore, the manifestation and generation of the "element", is not permanent, as it is not a true creation, and it is subjective to the fast decay of energy and mental power which has transformed into the imitation that one has comprehended. As it is the stupidity of easy, for why the form, attribute, and "element" itself of these idiots never change, even as they could train with almost all of them. In short, cultivation is akin to a staircase, and each stair is more difficult to walk than the last. Which is why your purpose and objective are at the top of these stairs.]
[Fate above all fate, ruling above life and death, and that of the gods. Disciple, we are not too far, from now on.]
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"Ahh---, yes. Old Wan, have you got their names?"
"Sigh---, I completely forgot. Young Zuger, and young Square, what are your complete names, as we need to make identification tokens if we are to move from city to city."
"Hmm!"
"Leave it to me."
"Alright."
At old Wan's question, which was reminded by Rowen. Square looked pensively at Zuger, who nodded his head, and voiced his affirmation at him.
"Zuger ot Demur, and Square ot Demur, make him my younger brother."
"I see, if that is what you wish for, then alright, but first write the names so I can see them accurately. As for you Young Levis. Levis Ato, is how it should be, am I correct?"
"Yes, there is no other name more suited for me."
"Alright then, we will proceed with these ones."