Yang Jing was strolling in the garden of Mount Kunlun Sect. Bonsai trees lined the perfect lawn in their wooden boxes. In the center, there was a pond as large as a small lake with flowering lily pads and a wooden bridge that crossed the middle. Jing was now twenty years old. Thirteen years had passed since he was a young child fleeing persecution by the Emperor's troops. Now he was tall, with long black hair and a delicate and most beautiful face. He was wearing a blue gown made from the finest silk and was holding a hand fan made of crane feathers. He needed to make a good impression.

"You must be Yang Jing, right?" a man asked. Jing turned around and saw that the one speaking to him was a tall man wearing a long purple silk gown. His long hair was white but despite his age, his face was delicate and showed no signs of old age. He exuded a sense of calmness and peace.

Jing slightly bowed and said, "Greetings. I indeed am Yang Jing. You must be Elder Rong?"

Rong smiled. "Indeed. Elder Luo has spoken highly of you. I have to admit though, I am skeptical of accepting you as a disciple. You have a desire for revenge in your heart; desire for vengeance can corrupt a man. It can make you into what you hate. If the only reason you want to study here is to be able to get revenge, I shall not teach you. This is a place for cultivation, not for murder."

Jing bowed. "Elder, please accept me as your disciple. I will not disappoint you. I will work hard and follow your instructions. It is indeed true that I want to kill my clan's murderers but that is out of a desire for justice, not revenge. The Yang clan always defended the Jia Dynasty and was loyal to the Emperor. Yet, this treacherous tyrant murdered them! He has shown no remorse since then nor has he improved as a ruler. He is licentious and allows corrupt officials to run the court."

Rong turned his back to the young man. "You have such hatred in you... This is poison for the mind and the soul!" Rong sternly said. "How do you expect me to teach you if you have such hatred in you? You talk of justice and yet the tone of your words betray that in fact, you want revenge. I can teach you how to be an enlightened individual, I cannot teach you how to become a murderer. If murder is the only thing you desire, then you should seek another teacher."

Jing clenched his fists. Uncle Luo had told him that Elder Rong would accept him as a disciple and teach him the ways of the sword; that way, he would finally be able to avenge the death of his parents and other relatives. Now, he was rejecting him.

"You cannot do that!" he shouted in exasperation.

Rong waved his hand, sending an invincible wave of internal energy at the young man. Jing was pushed back and fell to the ground.

"Angry! Impatient! Willful! It seems that Elder Luo was greatly mistaken about you. You have no potential for becoming my disciple or, indeed, for being anything other than a murderer."

Jing got up and bowed slightly before the elder. "Teach me how to pursue justice and not vengeance. Teach me how to become an enlightened person and put behind the burdens of the past."

Rong nodded in approval. "Cultivating immortality requires purity and peace of mind. You must be disciplined. If you do decide to pursue this path, you must be committed and have resolve."

Jing nodded in agreement.

"Good. Come to the Main Hall in about an hour," Rong said and left.

Jing stood alone, silently gazing at the pond. Although he felt honored to have been accepted as a disciple by Elder Rong, Grandmaster of the Mount Kunlun Sect, he felt unease in his heart. He felt as if by giving up on pursuing vengeance for his clan, he had betrayed them. He sighed but reminded himself that Elder Rong was the wisest Master in the world. The Grandmaster of Kunlun was the most revered among the four Grandmasters of the Orthodox Sects; the other three being Xian Li of Phoenix Sect, Zhe Chang of Heaven Sect and Ma Yong of the Ma Sect. The Orthodox Sects assisted the Jade Emperor in keeping peace in Heaven and Earth.

"You are Elder Rong's new disciple?" someone asked. Jing, who had been lost in his thoughts, turned around and saw a young man. He had thick eyebrows, large eyes, and a sturdy and strong stature. He greeted Jing and said, "My name is Zhang Xiao. I am a disciple of Master Yi."

Jing smiled. "My name is Yang Jing. I am glad to meet you."

"You are pretty lucky, you know. Elder Rong has not taken a disciple for the past twenty thousand years. He is hailed as the wisest Immortal; even the Jade Emperor treats him with the utmost respect."

He paused for a moment before speaking again. "Do you happen to like drinking wine?"

"Of course I do!" Jing said.

Xiao grinned. "Good! Why don't we meet here tonight to drink some wine? It's been some time since I last had a drinking buddy."

"Well, I do like wine but… Elder Rong talked about discipline and-"

"That's why I have such a long time to drink with a drinking buddy," Xiao said and sighed. "Most people here are far too disciplined. Cultivation does not exclude drinking some wine. It's going to be fun, trust me."

"Well… alright, but only once."

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Jing stepped into the Main Hall. The hall was spacious and the ceiling seemed to be twenty feet high. Waiting inside was Elder Rong, sitting on a purple mat and reading a text. Jing bowed slightly and said, "Greetings Teacher."

"You know what is most important when cultivating to become immortal?"

Jing thought for a moment but could not find an appropriate answer.

"Being moral and virtuous," Rong said. "You must be pure in heart if you are to cultivate."

"I understand."

"Being my disciple, you will have to be a responsible person and not use your powers without thinking of the consequences. You must remember that every being has innate goodness in it. Subduing wicked people or demons alone does not make you praiseworthy; making them turn over a new leaf will. As such, I expect you not to use your powers irresponsibly, even when you have to deal with the wickedest persons. I also expect you to forget about revenge. Dispensing justice and punishing the wicked is one thing, but going on a personal crusade against those you hate is not justice and will consume you; it will turn you into a monster."

Jing nodded.

"You must learn how to meditate and breath correctly," Rong said. "We shall meditate together."

Rong and Jing sat in a cross-legged meditative position. "I will teach you how to cultivate Level 1 of Soul Formation," Rong said. "You must breathe in the right way so that you can draw in the Qi of the natural world."

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Jing felt somewhat ashamed that he did not know what Qi was, but he decided to ask. "What is Qi?"

"Qi is the vital energy which exists in all things. Qi is concentrated in your lower dantian, located three finger widths below and two finger widths behind the navel. Qi flows in your body through the meridians, a network of vessels. By drawing in Qi, you can cultivate and use internal energy. There are many levels and stages of internal energy. Soul Formation is the first stage and has ten levels. It concerns the basics of internal energy; it allows you to perform peak physical acts, such as jumping high, running with unnatural speed and strengthening your attacks. Next is Force Formation; it allows you to send invincible waves of internal energy at your enemies and to create a shield using internal energy. It has five levels. Next is Power Formation, which has six levels. It allows you to manipulate elements of nature such a lightning, wind and water. Finally, there is the God Formation, which has only one level. That Formation has been mastered only by the Jade Emperor. It allows you to cause earthquakes and tsunamis. But now let's return back to the basics."

Rong took deep breaths, through the nose, and Jing followed his example. During the inhalation, their diaphragm moved downwards. They then exhaled, moving up their diaphragm, compressing their lungs and pushing the air out. For three hours they breathed that way.

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The sun fell behind the horizon. The twilight faded to blackness. Jing and Xiao were lying in the garden and drinking each a jar of wine and laughing.

"See? I told you it would be fun!" Xiao said.

"This wine is the best I've ever drunk," Jing admitted. "Where did you get it?"

"My father brewed it. My family has a tradition of brewing the best wine in Heaven and Earth."

Xiao sipped some wine. He then said, "You really are lucky to have Elder Rong as your teacher. You will become the most powerful immortal of Kunlun if you follow his instructions. Everyone will respect you and girls will fall for you."

Jing laughed. "I do not have such ambitions." Jing looked at the night sky and said, "What I want is to seek justice for my parents. Only then can I be at ease and feel free from the burdens of the past. Only then can I feel like I have honored my ancestors. Once I accomplish that, I just want to live a carefree life. I do not want glory or power; they bring too many worries, they restrain you too much. The most powerful and respected you are, the more worries you have and the less free you are to do whatever you want."

A tall, sturdy young man with long black hair dressed in a white gown walked towards the two drinking buddies. "So, you are Elder Rong's new disciple?" he asked, looking at Jing with contempt.

Jing got up at once and bowed slightly. "Greetings. Indeed. I am Yang Jing. I'm glad to meet you."

The man sneered. "You should be working hard, not lying and drinking wine. You may want to bring shame to yourself, but do not bring shame to Elder Rong."

"I understand," Jing said. He felt awkward and a sense of guilt.

"We are just having a drink," Xiao protested. "Plus, it is his first day here, Brother Yao."

Yao looked angrily at Xiao. "Hopefully he will not end up like you."

He then turned to Jing. "As for you, do not think too highly of yourself. You were accepted as Elder Rong's disciple only because your mentor is his friend, not because of your skills. Do not expect people to respect you. I certainly will not. If you want respect, you should earn it."

Yao then walked away.

"Who is he?" Jing asked.

Xiao sighed. "He is a fellow disciple of Master Yi. He is the best swordsman in Mount Kunlun and the youngest immortal. He is also the favorite disciple of Master Yi and the most admired. He is far too arrogant and thinks he can judge everyone! Do not take his words at heart."

"He is right," Jing said. "The only reason I was accepted by Elder Rong is that Uncle Luo is his friend. I should work hard so as to not bring shame to my Teacher."

"That's why I dislike Yao…" Xiao said. "He kills all the fun. Look at you, you talk exactly like him. If you become rigid and preachy like he is, with whom will I be drinking wine?"

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The yellow shining sun started rising from the ground. It filled the sky with mighty colors of red and splashed the clouds with endless orange hued rays. Birds began chirping, singing a beautiful melody. Jing was practicing his swordplay on the wooden bridge that crossed the middle of the pond. Rong was supervising him and giving him instructions. Jing performed intricate and fast sword forms. The whooshing sound of the sword revealed the great strength put into each form. One attack came after another in quick succession.

Rong was nodding in approval. "Very good; you are grasping the basics. Swordsmanship, however, is only a part of your training. Another important part is studying Daoist Texts. Follow me."

Jing followed his Teacher to the Main Hall. There, Rong presented five texts to his disciple. "Those texts must be studied thoroughly by you. You should copy them four hundred times each."

"Four hundred!?" Jing repeated.

Rong smiled. "Indeed. You are cultivating immortality, so you will have plenty of time for copying those texts."

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For the next few days, Jing was studying and copying the Daoist texts. As time passed, he was growing impatient. He wanted to break into Level 2 of Soul Formation, not read texts about how to reach enlightenment. He wanted to become more powerful so one day he could finally seek justice for his clan and be free to live his life as he wanted. So he decided to cultivate Qi by himself. He sat cross-legged and inhaled. He drew in the Qi of the natural world. He sensed power. He sensed invincibility. It felt good. He felt more heat. Suddenly, he coughed and vomited blood. Thankfully for him, Elder Rong was nearby and heard the coughing. He at once rushed into the room and channeled his internal energy at his disciple, trying to stabilize his situation. Jing coughed more blood and felt a terrible pain in his chest. He screamed in pain. Rong swiftly pressed Jing's acupuncture points to stop the flow of Qi through his meridians. Jing gasped.

"Idiot!" Rong barked. "Why did you try to cultivate Qi without asking me? There is a reason why I asked you to study those texts instead of having you further meditate. Too much inflow of Qi can be too much for the body to handle and will have the opposite results."

"I'm sorry..."

"Instead of harming your body, you should focus on healing your mind from the ills of hatred. The texts I gave you talk of enlightenment; have you learned nothing from them? Do you still seek power and vengeance at all costs? Maybe accepting you as a disciple was a mistake."

Jing kowtowed frantically before his teacher. "Teacher, give me another chance! I have learned my lesson."

"How can I teach you to harness internal energy, if I cannot trust your judgement?"

"I will not disappoint you again! I promise!"

Rong sighed. "Fine. I shall give you another chance. Do not disappoint me again!"

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For the next five years, Jing was following to the letter his teacher's instructions. He had accepted that seeking vengeance would be an obstacle to his path to enlightenment. He had not forgotten about his oath and was still determined to get justice, but he understood that he had first to get rid of the hatred inside him in order to do this. In those five years, Jing had been copying and studying Daoist texts, learning to play Guqin, practicing his swordplay, meditating and cultivating. He had managed to reach Level 1 of Force Formation; he could now send small waves of internal energy at his opponents, though that would require great concentration. Still, it was a great feat as many disciples needed whole decades to reach that level of cultivation. Jing was lucky to have the Grandmaster of Kunlun as his teacher and thus learn faster than other disciples. His innate talent and his discipline, borne out of his desire to seek justice for his clan, helped too. Jing had also learned sword techniques. From time to time, Jing would drink wine with Xiao. One such time was tonight. They were lying under the starless, moonless black sky and drinking one jar of wine each.

"Congrats on breaking through to Level 1 of Force Formation," Xiao said and sipped some wine.

"Thanks, brother Xiao," Jing said.

"I am sure you will do well in the tournament tomorrow as well."

Every year, Mount Kunlun would host a tournament so that its disciples could test their skills and compare with each other. In the last four tournaments, Jing had not taken part as to not lose and bring shame to Elder Rong. Now, however, he was confident that his skills were good enough to not make his Teacher lose face.

"I certainly hope so," Jing replied.

As they drank some more of their wine, Yao walked by them. Seeing them, he sneered and asked Jing; "Are you going to show up in the tournament this time or shall you hide once more like a turtle?"

Xiao was going to argue with Yao but Jing stopped him. Calmly and maintaining his composure, he replied; "I shall show up, brother Yao."

"Good," Yao said. "I only hope that you will not bring shame to Elder Rong."

He then walked away.

"Brother Jing, why didn't you let me put him in his place?" Xiao asked. "He is far too arrogant!"

Jing laughed. "Why waste time arguing with him when we can have some pleasant time drinking wine?"

Xiao sighed. "Hopefully you will defeat him in the tournament. I just cannot stand how he wins every tournament…"

"I highly doubt that… I have made progress these past five years but I am no match for him. He is the greatest martial artist of Mount Kunlun; how can I compare to him? Not that I care that much about winning. I only want to get to the top rankings so that I will not bring shame to my Teacher."