Marching Karma to a nearby courtyard, the mysterious stranger gave a formal bow to an elderly gentleman seated before a group of youths.

Upon first glance, the elder appeared placid and unassuming; however, the moment Karma laid eyes on him, a roaring pressure assaulted his senses. Bowing his head, he failed to notice the stranger's hurried departure.

Powerful.

The elder's gaze drifted over, bereft of discernible emotion. A tingling sensation washed over Karma, pausing briefly on his arms, legs, and chest. After a momentary silence, the elder withdrew his gaze, the tingling sensation dissipating in sequence.

"You will take better care of your punctuality in the future," boomed a wizened voice.

Precluding Karma's response, he delved straight into his lecture.

Karma performed a deep bow. Quickly joining the other disciples on the floor, he paid rapt attention to the elder's every word.

"A rather pervasive misconception surrounding cultivation is the importance of inheritance; that, by virtue of a superior cultivation manual, one gains a significant advantage over their less fortunate peers. Can anyone tell me why that is not the case?"

Ignoring the few whose hands had shot up, the elder scanned through the crowd, eventually resting on a female disciple seated in the back. She thought momentarily, answering hesitantly, "Because no two people are the same, so techniques suitable for one individual may not be for others?"

Wordlessly, the elder resumed filtering through the audience, stopping at a male disciple seated in the front.

"Umm, could it be that the differences between various techniques are negligible, rendering comparison of quality inapplicable?"

…

"Maybe there is only one perfected method, where any deviations only stand to introduce flaws?"

…

"I think ..."

…

"Perhaps it is due to …"

…

The cycle continued, the elder's silent prompt inciting a slew of varied responses. Eventually, it was Karma's turn to answer.

"Because, regardless of the method, they all draw upon the same source?"

Performing a final sweep with his gaze, the elder settled back into his lecturing stance.

"Indeed, many of your answers have touched upon the truth."

"Terms related to the 'perfection' or 'suitability' of a given technique can at most speak to the rate of absorption, not the inherent power granted to its practitioner."

His volume jumped up a notch.

"Ask yourselves, if a village drank from the same well with equal quantity, would one villager be vastly more hydrated than another?"

Pausing briefly, he waved his sleeve lightly at a disciple who'd raised their hand.

"In theory, could a consummate technique extract more potent contents of spirituality?"

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"The village and the well scenario still applies."

Addressing the class, he continued, "Liken spiritual energy to the water sourced from a well. What could you possibly hope to extract from water? It is fundamentally pure; no amount of filtering, fermentation, or otherwise will net you anything more."

"Rather than breaking down the water, what you should all be considering is how to elevate it. How might you turn water into wine? How might you utilize the reaction between water and temperature to bring about new effects? The key takeaway is not the answers to the questions I've placed before you, but the ability to ask them yourselves."

Eyes shining brightly, he sank into a protracted silence, watching as the students digested his teachings.

Only when the sun's rays visibly dimmed did he abruptly rise.

"Class dismissed."

Glancing at the students' collective bow, he took to the air in departure.

Karma, lost in thought, instinctively joined the disciples as they exited the courtyard.

Both that mysterious stranger and the elder were capable of flight, but the elder did not require an external object to assist him ...

The youth who wounded me before mentioned the second realm of Qi Formation, which I suppose would be my current rank.

If I were to extrapolate from there, my best guess is that the mysterious stranger exceeds me by a single major realm, and the elder exceeds me by a minimum of two.

Examining his whereabouts, Karma realized his group had merged with a denser stream of passersby, forming a sea of hustle and bustle.

Where ... am I?

A large congregation of businesses was clustered around them, their build varying from quaint stalls to towering pagodas.

Straining to see beyond the discordant crowd, Karma read a portion of the signs overhead:

Smoothgreen Tea Shop, Ornamental Treasure Pavillion, Profound Pill Consortium, Bamboo Wine Tavern …

As he absentmindedly explored the area, miscellaneous, strange names whirled around his mind; the vibrant colors, incessant chatter, and swirling aromas of unfamiliar foods inundated his senses, bringing about an intense bout of dizziness.

Desiring solace un-sieged by the overwhelming stimuli, he emerged from the ever-moving crowd and approached a nearby stall. Intricate talismans and charms littered a stack of wooden shelves, behind which stood a sagely-looking man with a long white beard.

"Greetings, young fellow. One look at you provokes the roaring of dragons and the singing of fairies. Yes, yes, I sense you bear a tremendous destiny; surely, you share a great fate with one of my precious artifacts!"

Hm? Treasures?

Slightly startled by the old man's jubilance, Karma took a closer look at his wares. His brows couldn't help but scrunch as, without exception, each item bore a dim gray thread within his special senses. Lacking even a speck of gold, they lay listlessly unmoving, dead as can be …

Intending to politely refuse, he'd just opened his mouth when a loud voice interrupted him, "What precious treasures!? Those lousy trinkets are worthless even to mortals! Listen to me Junior Brother, don't listen to this old hack, behind that sagely beard lies the countenance of a saggy shrew."

To his side, Karma found a nearby stall owner stomping over angrily, his finger shakily pointing at the old man.

"Your mother's a saggy shrew! How dare you slander my products. Don't heed this imbecile, young dragon, it's all a sadistic plot to acquire the treasures himself."

"You! If my mother were dead and naked on this very road, I would not cover her with any of these items in fear of further humiliation."

"Aha! You see, Junior, he's completely shameless! This scoundrel plans on stripping his mother naked and throwing her to the streets; his words cannot be trusted."

Turning back to empty pavement, the stall owner froze.

Huffing and puffing angrily, he aggressively pointed towards the interloper with a maddened howl, "You cost me a customer, damn you! Our differences are irreconcilable; do you dare meet me out back!?"

"Why wouldn't I? Shameless old geezer! I will rid this world of a scourge once and for all!"

…

Two streets away, Karma ran as fast as his legs could carry him, the echoes of the maddened shopkeepers still somewhat audible.

Deep breaths, Karma. Just get away from the crazy people, and you'll be safe.

Resolved to escape the crowded streets, he swiftly entered a nearby inn. Passing through an empty lobby, he arrived at its counter.

"Welcome to the Dragon Dwelling Inn, esteemed guest. Occupancy and duration of stay?"

"Three nights, single occupancy, please."

"Alrighty, that'll be two spiritual stone fragments."

Karma fiddled with his pant pocket, where he'd transferred the medicinal pill during his earlier bout of cleaning, discovering six and a half spiritual stone fragments.

After exchanging two of them, he received a Jade Slip.

"Your room can be found on the second floor. Pour spiritual energy into the Jade Slip for more specific directions. Enjoy your stay!"

Flashing a brief smile at the receptionist, Karma bounded up the stairs and swiftly located his room.

Beelining directly into bed, sleep took hold of Karma the second his head hit the pillow.