Azreal, logging back into the world of Heaven's Universe, feels a sense of power overwhelming his body, a torrent of foreign Qi empowering his very soul. His eyes flutter open as his vision takes a moment to focus, he barely manages to make out the mature woman with long midnight black hair and a voluptuous full figure sat next to him. She is channelling her Qi into him, with her hands placed onto his chest, a stream of constant yellow and white Qi swirls in her hands before it is massaged into his chest. Azreal manages a few blinks in an attempt to clear his blurry vision, as it becomes clearer, he realises that he is no longer in Lihan but inside a building.
"Master," a whisper is all Azreal can manage.
The flow of Qi becomes slightly unstable as her eyes open and lock directly onto Azreal. Her surprised expression melts into a warmth that is unfamiliar to Azreal, the relief in her eyes evident as she moves her right hand to cup his face.
"Finally, you're awake, I had thought my eagerness for you to grow had gotten you killed," Master Juhee says, the blame she carries is like a dagger being twisted into her back. "I am so relieved you're awake," Elder Juhee continues to pour her Qi into Azreal's body.
Azreal slowly moves his hand and places it on top of his Master's, "Do not blame yourself."
His weak words push the dagger of guilt deeper, her expression of relief becoming one of pain. "Azreal, I am a very young Great Elder, compared to the others who have hundreds of years of experience, I still feel guilt and sadness when a disciple under my direct care is nearly killed because of negligence," Elder Juhee says, her threads of Qi becoming infused with her anger and guilt which are feeding directly into Azreal. "Master," Azreal says, tapping her hands, in an attempt to bring attention to her actions as he is too weak to properly explain.
The Qi being channelled into Azreal immediately returns to a calm and warm Qi, as it evenly spreads throughout his body. "I am sorry, Azreal, I haven't slept since you've been injured, which usually wouldn't cause any problems. But I've been pouring Qi into you non-stop since I stabilised you at Lihan village," Master Juhee says. Azreal fully awakens and his senses return, staring at her sharp marble-esque features and her shimmering purple eyes, finally noticing the signs of fatigue. 'If she has been pouring Qi into my body for about four days, shouldn't I have absorbed that?'
Azreal can feel the giddiness infused into the message he is reading, as the notification box jiggles slightly. "Master, can you take a few steps back?" Azreal asks.
MasterJuhee, giving a sideways glance to her disciple as she is unsure why he would want her to stop nourishing his body, but her guilt forces her to agree. She nods once as she stands and moves a few steps back, ensuring she is staying within distance to help him even if he doesn't want her to. Her eyes go wide, and her jaw goes slack as she watches the scene in front of her, a sense of awe and clarity coming over her, she finally understands where all of the Qi she was pouring into him had gone.
A sudden gust of Qi begins to fill the room, acting as the calm before the storm. Azreal's body, acting as the eye of the cyclone, feels a familiar sense of power welling within him. However, this time the amount of Qi within his body makes him feel as if he has become a balloon that is soon to pop. Panic sets in, his eyes darting to his Master's location, stunned into silence. Azreal, attempting to formulate a plan, feels a sudden release, and a burst of power surges outwards from his body before he is assaulted by a series of notifications.
Azreal's body remains unmoving yet is still pulsating with power, he floods the room with a domineering and bloodthirsty Qi, startling Master Juhee. Master Juhee recovers quickly and manages to protect herself with a protective layer of her own Blood Qi. 'What is this deep and dark pressure? I feel the eyes of the abyss peering into my very being,' Elder Juhee begins to sweat under the pressure being emitted before the Qi in the room quickly retracts into Azreal, and a calm stillness replaces it.
A moment later, the wooden door to the room slams open with Elder Lu wielding a heavy black staff, his expression changing from fear to curiosity as he appears next to Elder Juhee. "What was that feeling, Elder Juhee, don't tell me it was that boy," Elder Lu says, his eyes never leaving Azreal.
"I do not fully know either, Elder Lu, I am just as curious as you are. He awoke from his unconscious state and spoke a few weak words before his body started to transform the Qi I had given him into his own power," Master Juhee says.
Elder Lu, still staring at Azreal, walks to his side and places two fingers against Azreal's wrists before sending the smallest strand of his Qi into his body. Using the Qi he injected into Azreal to investigate his current status, Elder Lu turns to face Elder Juhee. "He is perfectly healthy, even more so than before we sent him on that mission. I would guess that every ounce of Qi you've injected into him was stored and somehow absorbed into his body," Elder Lu says as he recalls his Qi and removes his hand from Azreal's wrist.
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Azreal hasn't said anything, as he is immersed in the notifications and his newfound power. Once he has received his check-up, he immediately wants to check his status page.
Azreal almost pukes blood at his status page, the growth he has felt is immense, and to see it quantified onto a status screen reinforces the enormity that each minor realm has in between each other. 'Just how much Qi did Master Juhee give to me? I have to repay her for accelerating my growth like this. I can now compete against the top tier outer disciples and probably even crush them if I went at full strength,' Azreal thinks, for the first time in his life, a budding confidence blooming within his heart.
Azreal, having undergone two minor realm breakthroughs, feels refreshed and full of energy. He bounces off the bed and stands before the two Elders, who are still on edge due to the oppressive feeling of ruin that had once flooded his treatment room, located inside Elder Lu's personal sanctum. Each of the Great Elders of the Heavenly Root Sect is given a sanctum anywhere in the Sect's grounds and allowed to infuse their Qi into the environment and shape the spiritual state of their sanctum as their own. Elder Lu's sanctum is infused with a bright and warm healing water Qi, which carries natural healing properties and infuses those within with a faster recovery speed.
"Master, Elder Lu, Thank you for saving me," Azreal says, knowing this is the moment to show sincerity. He takes a deep bow, only rising once both of their Elders have shared their desire for him to stop.
"Azreal, are you feeling okay?" Elder Lu enquires. "I feel the best I've felt in my entire life! I just broke through twice in rapid succession, I feel amazing, but I do have a question if I may?" Azreal says.
Both Elders nod and wait for his question. "Is it normal for breakthroughs to occur this quickly? I have only been a part of this cultivation world for a short time, and yet I've gone from no cultivation base to the fifth level of both Martial Adept and Soul Initiate."
Silence is all that awaits Azreal, both Elder Lu and Elder Juhee stare vacantly at Azreal, whose bright and happy smile begins to fade. A feeling of tension grips Azreal, making him feel as if he is under an extremely critical gaze, and little does he know that both Elders have thrown caution to the wind and used their divine sense at their peak strength to investigate Azreal.
"I know we talked about undertaking both pathways, but how have you managed to cultivate your body and soul in perfect harmony? I can even see faint traces of them blending together," Elder Juhee says.
"I just followed Master's and Lin Xue's instructions, I have only broken through the last two levels due to your Qi. My body had managed to store the entirety of it and allowed me to refine it into my own," Azreal says as he rapidly speaks, trying to get out everything he can before angering the Elders.
"You misunderstand, Azreal, we are not angry, far from it, we just had to ensure you were telling the truth. Being able to achieve this as an outer disciple, even one being looked after by a Great Elder, is a feat that is almost impossible. I only say almost because you stand before me," Elder Lu says.
Elder Lu turns to leave and beckons Azreal to follow, with Master Juhee walking next to Azreal. "Those who wish to rise above the first heaven must ensure neither their body nor soul powers ever become too unbalanced. The law of the first heaven restricts anyone above the Martial King realm from entering without restricting their base or paying a heavy price. However, to ascend to the next heaven, one must pass a trial or heavenly tribulation, depending on their strength. Each of these trials of tribulations tests your potential, body power, cultivation, and soul power, and the difficulty you face is set at the level of your highest power, body or soul," Elder Lu explains, leading Azreal and his Master onto a balcony which overlooks the herb garden within the Sect's walls.
Thousands of exotic plants are perfectly lined up within an ethereal bubble which seems to be injecting the plants with a beautiful green Qi. Each of these plants is being tended to by Spirit Harmony Pavilion disciples. Azreal has the thought that it looks similar to a colony of ants trying to please their Queen, or Elder Lu in this case.
"Magnificent, isn't it?" Elder Lu remarks as he notices Azreal's expression.
"Azreal, I had not explained any of this to you when we first had tea, as I did not believe you would be at this point so soon. With the trial of heavens or facing a heavenly tribulation, those who focus on a single pathway struggle to ascend. And only cultivators at the very top manage to ascend, these are ones that dare to tread on both pathways with what we call a dominant path, which is the most common. This is where a disciple will pick a path of cultivation that suits them and develop it as a primary pathway while ensuring their secondary pathway only falls a few small realms behind," Elder Juhee says.
She moves to stand in front of Azreal before bringing her hands together, and a ball of energy forms in her hands. The ball of Qi splits itself in half. "Now imagine you are a normal cultivator, talented but nonetheless normal; one of these halves is easier to increase in size and gain power. The other is incredibly difficult and slow, which would you choose?"
Azreal stares at both halves. "The easier one?"
"Yes, almost everyone does, but it is common knowledge that having a weakness is not advisable, so they use treasures, pills, and form partnerships or teams with other cultivators to ensure they can cover their weakness," Master Juhee says as she returns the two halves to the same size.
"Now imagine that you're truly talented, blessed by the heavens, some will say, cursed to bear the burden of success. Both halves grow with the same ease, and neither is more difficult than the other, which half do you pick?" Elder Juhee questions.
"It would depend on my preference, bloodline, and what resources are around me. But I would attempt both," Azreal answers.
A soft smile spreads across Elder Juhee's face. "Correct! Often these gifted disciples manage to keep their cultivation realms in both body and soul at a similar level, even the same sometimes. However, most of these disciples have an inherent preference, and a specific style usually surfaces. Now imagine that there is a cultivation method that can be used to fuse both your body and your soul power, creating a newer, stronger power within. Would you choose to take this method even if you have already been cultivating for an extremely long time and would have to restart from the bottom?"
"Yes, I believe that if there is a chance to be stronger, restarting is the best way to move forward," Azreal replies, his firm response startling both Elders for a moment.
"Correct, in the literal sense. However, you have a skewed idea of time as you've managed to start with this method. Ninety-nine times out of one hundred, cultivators do not believe this is worth the risk. Their enemies would kill them before they even had the chance to cultivate again, and those forged in safety are not the same as those forged on the blade of adversity," Elder Juhee says.
She stops to look towards the peak of the Heavenly Root Sect mountaintop, a small sigh escaping her lips before she returns her gaze to Azreal. "Those gifted with the talent to train both body and soul in harmony with one another and have the fate to find a technique to enable this is especially rare in the lower heavens. Cultivating the body's physical aspect alongside one's soul essence was the pinnacle of skill. I am going to ask you a question, Azreal, and it's greedy and unlike how a Master should treat her disciple, so you are free to decline if you wish," Elder Juhee says, her tone becoming serious and her posture awkward.
"If you have a cultivation method that allows the harmony of both body and soul, please, will you teach it to me?" MasterJuhee’s question lingers in his mind.