Chapter 3

“Aspen! It’s been too long, old friend.” A male fairy greeted the guide that appeared in a flash of blue. He was dressed in a smart navy suit. Silver cufflinks glittered in the light. The room was lit by glowing crystals fixed to the walls with golden lattice. The fairy flittered behind a conference table, opposite Aspen.

“What’s the problem?”

“Straight to the chase as always. I’m surprised you came in person, I thought you were assigned to one of the Integrations.”

“I am.”

“Don’t you have somewhere to be then?”

“I stepped in and saved the native. It won’t hurt if I am a little hands off for a while.”

The fairy in the suit chuckled. “You always did care too much, Alei Tacht.”

“He’s an anomaly.”

“And you are telling me you wouldn’t do the same if he wasn’t?”

The silence served as Aspen’s answer.

“As much as I would love to chat, I’ve got some news for you.” The fairy in the suit gave a strained smile. “We just received a distress signal.” He examined the floor, refusing to meet the other’s eyes. “From Teak.”

“Who’s on the rescue team? Can I meet them?” Aspen interjected.

“Well, that’s the problem. The distress signal…it’s coming from The Garden.”

Another silence hung in the air.

“Holly just finished her assignment. Linden too I think. I know of a couple others I can—”

“No.” Aspen was cut off. “There is an Integration going on, Aspen. The biggest in millenia. I can’t spare anyone.” Aspen glared at the other fairy. “Anyone. If he managed to survive long enough to put out a distress signal, then he can surely make it three more months. Then you will be released from the Tutorial and you can do as you please.”

Aspen took it in. The bittersweet feeling of being so close and yet so far away. A guide’s job was much more than just the Tutorial, but with what the Commander had said…

“Thank you, Eld—” A sudden notification appeared in Aspen’s vision. “That damn native!” He said as he disappeared in a flash of blue.

The Elder sighed as he fell back into the chair at the head of the conference table. He was relieved at how well it had gone. He had half expected Aspen to abandon the Tutorial completely. He stared at where the fairy had been a moment before. “Don’t thank me yet. Three months is a long time in The Garden.”

___________________________________________________________

Danny wasn’t sure what kind of “situation” would elicit that kind of response from his guide, but, judging by his expression, Danny didn’t want to find out. He continued surveying the store room, hoping for something to make a lunch out of, but anything else worth taking besides the weapons had long been cleared out. Danny took his new staff and considered what to do next. I may have a weapon, but I have no idea how to use it. Although…I know a place that might have a remedy for that.

Danny quickly returned to the temple library. The plumes of dust catching the light coming through the windows combined with the scent of aged books gave off a feeling of history. It felt like there was an endless wealth of knowledge, lifetimes of it, waiting to be uncovered. Danny was never the most studious. He had been taking online courses while working at the pet store, it was his dream to be a veterinarian, after all, but he was a firm subscriber of the “C’s get degrees” mentality. But the shelves of handwritten manuscripts demanded respect, at least an acknowledgement of the effort and experience hidden away. It was a surreal feeling.

Danny meandered down the paths between shelves listlessly. He honestly had no idea what he was looking for. Maybe one of these tomes would be titled “Staves for Dummies,” but Danny doubted it would be that simple. He hoped that it would be like the store room, where something would just call out to him. He pursued the titles. [Jian Tiger Martial Manual], [Holy Flame Saint Body Manual], [Mortal Steel, Divine Wind Cultivation Manual], [The Blood Lotus Blossoms], [Tears of the Dragon Cultivation Manual]. If there was a rhyme or reason to the placement of the manuals, Danny couldn’t find it. It seemed like an eclectic collection, but Danny noticed a few main groups of texts. Martial manuals were what Danny assumed to be a kind of fighting instruction, probably like kung-fu on steroids. Cultivation Manuals were another common one, but Danny had no idea what that even meant. The only cultivation he had heard of was when he took an agriculture science elective in high school. He got the feeling that a group of combat-hungry super monks probably didn’t do a lot of farming, but he supposed he couldn’t be sure. Even monks have to eat something, right?

Like this, Danny continued his whimsical exploration of the manuscript chamber. Danny managed to locate a few texts aimed at staff fighting, but they all had cheesy names that Danny felt went opposite to the description of the staff the System provided. Things like [Forms of the Living Catastrophe] or [Raging Titan Shatters the Mountain]. While searching, Danny came across one manual that stood out from the others. [Gentle Body, Heavenly Soul Cultivation Manual]. It was the first Danny had come across that seemed to hint at a non-violent technique. It had nothing to do with fighting monsters or wielding a staff, at least not anything made readily apparent by the title, but Danny was interested nonetheless. He pulled it from the shelf. A cloud of dust rose, causing Danny to cough and sputter as he opened the book to its first page. The first page seemed to be a foreword summarizing the key points of the manual. It read:

“The Gentle Body, Heavenly Soul cultivation method is unique. Utilizing the interplay between Karma and raw ambient Qi cultivation, this method allows for unprecedented growth, however, it is not without cost. Fell Karma, gained through bloodshed, dampens the efficiency of this technique, to the point that many will be left unable to train the method entirely. This technique is incompatible with the conflict-ridden life one will find in the Multivers. Due to the extreme limitations, practicing this method is considered unwise outside of extenuating circumstances and is given a grade of D- Tier.”

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That’s…, Danny considered the overview, perfect! Ignoring the last part, it seems amazing. No fighting, no killing, no danger. Exactly what I was looking for. Danny turned to the next page. Given that his prior knowledge of cultivation was lacking, Danny was surprised to find…breathing techniques. I guess I was expecting karate moves or something. All the stuff about Karma and Qi went over Danny’s head, for sure, but how would breathing a certain way help with any of that? Danny knew one thing for certain, he didn’t know a darn thing. Whoever built this place probably knows a thing or two. Besides, the first section is only a few chapters long, there are surely more complicated things in the later pages. Danny flipped to the next section to check. He was met with…nothing. Well, the writing was still there in that flowy, pictographic script, but there was no System message, no translation.

[Ineligible. Complete Stage I: Awakening to View]

Apparently, The System required Danny to finish the first section before he could move on to the more advanced ones. No sneak peaks, huh? Message received. Danny flipped back to the start of Stage I and decided to study more closely. The first stage was called Awakening and had something to do with “opening the Seventeen Qi Gates.” These gates were split into two different sets: the thirteen “Body Gates” and the four “Spirit Gates.” It all started with Qi. Qi is a kind of energy that is present in all living things and exists ambiently on inhabited planets, that was what Danny had gathered from the reading, anyway. The text was much more eloquent and flowery, but Danny figured he had the gist of it. He closed the manual and began walking towards the main prayer chamber.

Danny unrolled the prayer mat and laid it on the stone floor. The sunlight from outside had grown noticeably dimmer. Opening the manual for reference, Danny sat on the prayer mat and felt the mystical relaxation wash over him. It was magical. After he had finished savoring the moment, Danny began to take deep breaths. In… 2… 3… 4… 5… hold… 2… 3… 4… 5… out… 2… 3… 4… 5. He inhaled through his nose and exhaled through his mouth, just as the method instructed. He was breathing from the belly, feeling it move in time with his lungs. This was what the manual called the “Core,” the place where all a person’s Qi was gathered and then stored, like a well. Stage I was all about gathering as much Qi as you could, and then using it to blast away at the impurities sealing your gates like a pressure washer. The manual referred to it as a “raging river that washes away a dam” but Danny visualized his metaphor easier.

The first gate he had to open was the Heart Gate. It was located in the center of your chest, not directly over the heart. Danny supposed it was close enough, a minor distinction that only someone training in medicine would be cognizant of. Danny figured he was being nit-picky. The Heart Gate was the first of the thirteen Body Gates and the Core fed directly into it. Then, Qi would flow into the two Body Gates in each of the shoulders and the two gates in the hips. Then the gates in the knees and elbows. Finally, the gates in the hands and feet. Between these thirteen gates, the body would be provided Qi. The Spirit Gates were all above the Heart Gate. The first Spirit Gate was in the throat and was called the Gate of Breath. The next was in the head, around the mouth, nose, and ears, called the Gate of Sensation. The Gate of Sight was located between the eyes, and, finally the Divine Gate was on the top of the head.

Danny steeled himself. The goal was to break the Heart Gate in one go. From what the manual said, it would be the easiest and he should see a noticeable difference in the way he felt. Danny was more than a little skeptical, but it was something for him to focus on, something to distract from the threat of starvation and the unfamiliar surroundings. Manipulating his Qi was tricky, it reminded Danny of water. You could cup your hands and hold it, but try to move it around and force it into a certain shape and you would find yourself with moist palms and little else. Qi was the same way. You could tell it was real and definitely had a sort of mystical “weight” to it, but it just kept slipping through Danny’s metaphorical fingers. The manual had emphasized that this was an art all on its own, but Danny had clung to a naive arrogance that it would be as simple as, well, using a pressure washer, something Danny had ample experience with due to his summer job of cleaning driveways back in high school.

Continuing his struggle with the ethereal flow, Danny refocused on the task at hand. Drawing in the ambient Qi with his inhales and depositing it with his exhales, Danny began the process of collecting Qi in his Core. At the start it was as easy as regular breathing, but as Danny’s Core began to fill the breathing grew shallower and more labored. Before long, it felt Danny had a pile of bricks resting on his chest. Shallow gasps and wheezes were the best that Danny could manage. Reading about it was one thing, but the burning feeling scorching his lungs and throat was tear-inducing. Danny wiped the dampness from his eyes and turned his attention to his Core. Now that he was at capacity, Danny began to push and prod his Qi towards his Heart Gate. The ephemeral energy met the sealed gate and…bounced off. It was like splashing water on a brick wall. Pointless. Danny frowned. He needed to readjust his approach; obviously, he was missing something. It was like his Qi had no force behind it. Sweat began to bead up his forehead. Danny’s chest felt like he had been breathing in thumbtacks and lemon juice. Danny just about smacked his face with his palm.

You need pressure for a pressure washer, stupid! Danny collected all the Qi in his Core and began to push it together. He was careful to apply force evenly, from every angle, so the Qi didn’t seep through the cracks. Then, when he could condense it no further, Danny released the containing force, creating a small aperture in the direction of the Heart Gate. The Qi exploded in a stream and smashed into the blockage that sealed the gate. The seal began to crack. Putrid substances built up over a lifetime of disuse were washed away but the cleansing river. Some of the impurities were disintegrated in the storm, some glommed onto the seals of the connected gates, reinforcing them, the rest Danny was violently expunging them out of his pores, his mouth, nose, ears, and eyes. Black, brown, and green slime dripped off Danny and a puddle of the sludge lay in front of him. Coughing, Danny said with a hoarse voice, “I am pretty sure that’ll stain” as he looked at his now-soiled clothes and prayer mat.

Danny focused inward and marveled at the newly-opened Heart Gate. A lazy swirl of Qi spun inside it, fed by his Core. Qi sleepily flowed through the channels connecting his other gates in a spiritual network. The energy gently rebound off the sealed gates like ripples meeting the walls of a swimming pool. It was picture-esque, despite not being truly “visible.” It felt right, like he was in harmony with himself. Even more impactful was the way his body felt; he was full of energy. It wasn’t the “3 energy drinks deep” kind of energy either, that was a feeling he had been intimately familiar with last semester. This was like pulling an all-nighter and then finally getting a good night full of sleep after. He had been running on fumes this entire time and had never felt what it was like to truly live. “Oh yeah, I can get used to this.” That thought was cut short.

[WARNING! Cultivation Incompatible with System Leveling.]

[System Level Reverted to .]

[Downloading Cultivation Package. Please Stand By…]

[Download Successful!]

A familiar blue glow preceded the return of the fairy guide. “What the devil is wrong with you, native!?”