Journey Towards Dao

Later that night.

Auslen stood alone within the bare Training Chamber, eyes closed as he scanned his Dantian in silence. In front of him, a silver, unadorned spear with a length of 1.5 meters was held vertically upright with both of his hands.

Inside of his Dantian, one long, winding stream of Profound Qi twisted and revolved within the small space. Glistening halos diffused in rhythmic pulsations of white light, making the Profound Qi stream appear exquisite in his mind’s eye.

Scatter.

Gradually, the sparkling stream unraveled at its ends, newly unbound strands twirling rapidly until a total of 29 strands of free-flowing Profound Qi occupied his Dantian.

Auslen’s eyelashes moved slightly, and with a small nudge from his soul, 12 strands of Profound Qi bolted from his Dantian. One heartbeat later, a powerful tremor erupted from his spine, traveling through the contracted muscles in his arms before arriving at the tips of his fingers, which were gripping the silver shaft.

Seemingly subtle vibrations were transferred into the spear, Auslen’s brows furrowed as he concentrated on the corporeal feedback from the silver shaft. Then, another tremor shortly followed the first, the cadence of the sharp judders continuously increasing until the top portion of the spear commenced a peculiar transformation.

The sharp spearhead blurred from dense waves of vibrations before dividing into four slightly indistinct silver points, each of which slowly curving away from each other like the petals of a blooming lotus flower when caressed by the warmth of the rising sun.

The spearheads then began swinging independently from each other, their trajectories shooting down, left, up, right…

Auslen was currently practicing the Major Success Stage of the 6 Directions Spear!

His breathing was deep and determined. Clear drops of liquid leaking from his pores were agitated into a hazy white mist, the uncountable rippling undulations causing his sweat to immediately dissipate into vapor.

Soon, the spearheads converged and Auslen ceased his Profound Qi circulation.

Once three full breaths elapsed, Auslen finally opened his eyes, light flashing occasionally within his irises before concentrating back to its usual striking gold hue.

Steam continuing to emanate from his skin, Auslen shook his limbs to relieve some of the shooting pain from his trembling muscles. He then placed down the spear before picking up a long wooden box from the floor with a complicated smile.

Opening it, a familiar fragrance escaped as he gazed at the multiple three-ounce cuts of meat sitting inside. With a soft sigh, he closed the box and deposited it back inside of his spatial ring.

Only three left…

Shaking his head to rid himself of unnecessary thoughts, Auslen’s expression lifted into a restrained, but delightful smile.

I’ve reached the 6th Stage of Qi Refinement.

After holding back for several months, Auslen had given himself permission to advance his cultivation.

Admittedly, he had gotten somewhat ahead of himself, impatiently choosing to advance without considering the fact that his induced starvation could lead to unwelcome distraction from the important event arriving the following week.

For this reason, he allowed himself to consume nearly two whole filets of the Demon meat that he had been intending to save for Vincent. The boy's aptitude was so terrible, Auslen had no choice but to set aside the Demon flesh for him. This way, Vincent would be able to cultivate much more efficiently and reach the Peak of Qi Refinement by the time limit given by the Sect.

But even though Auslen ate a couple, he wasn’t too concerned. Once he learned how to refine Spirit Elixirs, he could save up enough Merit Points to buy more from the Sect by the time Vincent needed the additional nutrients. These remaining three portions could last Vincent until the 5th Stage, which should provide plenty of time for Auslen to have obtained a decent proficiency with Alchemy.

From what Michail had taught during his lessons, Tier 1 Spirit Elixirs shouldn’t be all that difficult for me to concoct. It’ll be fine, and Vincent won't even realize what he's missing.

With a faintly guilty smile and silent apology from failing to keep his internal promise, Auslen chose to distract himself, giving in to a sudden, childish inclination.

With a slight bend in his knees, he gently pushed away from the ground, propelling himself nearly seven meters into the air! As his momentum slowed near the climax of his effortless vertical leap, his eyes had unconsciously shown with waves of feverous sentiment, loose hair flying and white silk flapping as his airborne body twirled in playful disinhibition during his inevitable descent.

What an addictive, euphoric sensation…

Each of his cells felt positively supercharged, his heart pumping explosive tempests of energetic vitality throughout his body, relieving the fatigue built up from the practice of his Martial Technique. Auslen consistently found it difficult to believe that his small figure could contain such condensed power without exhibiting any indicators on its outward physicality.

Even at this stage, Auslen musculature remained just as slim and skin just as fair as any healthy seven-year-old.

I truly don’t think I could ever grow tired of cultivation.

And somehow, these transformations are only professed to intensify from here on out?

Tranquility returning to his eyes, Auslen came to a halt next to the spear that he sat down previously, silently reconsidering his future plans.

Although his advancement was a bit earlier than he had scheduled with his father, he didn’t mind too much. Besides, consuming more Spirit Pills should have been capable enough to produce this speed of cultivation in children with his purported talents.

However, even with the excuse of the Spirit Pills he was provided with monthly, he couldn’t allow himself to advance to Late Qi Refinement until winter had arrived, which caused Auslen no small amount of grief.

Thankfully, he wouldn’t have to suppress himself for too much longer, as long as the guidance written in his father’s letter remained accurate.

Picking up his spear, Auslen resumed his Martial Technique training, working hard re-perfect the distinction of four simultaneous spears as he adjusted to his increased strength.

…

The following morning.

Elixir Refinement Hall. Refinement Chamber.

Placing the last long jade box down onto the thick metallic table in prescribed fashion, Auslen grabbed the leather bag from the table and stepped back, turning to exit the Refinement Chamber that he had finished arranging. Using his Identity Medallion, he unlocked the obsidian door before pushing it open.

“You done, Auslen?”

Auslen glanced towards his right to see Nathaniel closing the door to the Chamber that was neighboring the one he had just set up.

“Yeah,” Auslen replied, shutting his heavy door with a light kick, not forgetting to lock it back properly once it fully closed.

Turning to face Nathaniel, Auslen continued, “Come on. Let’s head back to the —”

“Hey you! Hold on a second!”

Just before Auslen could finish his sentence, a husk-filled voice rang from behind Auslen through the somewhat vacant hall.

“Isn’t that the big man from yesterday?” Nathaniel asked while extending his finger towards the location of the shout.

With a raised eyebrow, Auslen turned around to see Victor’s well-built figure striding towards them with an exultant grin on his angular, clean-shaven face.

What a shameless young man. He couldn’t even wait a full day before trying to gain some advantages from a young child like myself.

In contrast to his deprecating thoughts, an adorable smile was plastered on Auslen’s face in less than a second by muscle-memory.

Auslen’s hand shot up, waving with cheerful greeting.

“Hello, Mister!”

Seeing that his cousin was so friendly towards the red-headed man, Nathaniel stepped forward next to Auslen, grinning happily at the idea of a new friend.

Just as Victor had arrived before the two of them, Nathaniel also waved in similar fashion, exclaiming, “Hi, Mister!”

Victor chuckled, nodding in return as he looked down at the two children, focusing his twinkling blue eyes on Auslen.

Casually leaning against the obsidian door that Auslen just closed, inklings of roguish suggestion infected his previously warm smile as he asked, “Remember me, little Prince? From the Library?”

As if he couldn’t see the sly intentions painted on the young man's face, Auslen shyly nodded. “I think so.”

Nathaniel added, “Yeah! Your name’s Victor, right? Mine’s Nathaniel, and that’s my cousin, Auslen!”

“That’s right. Nice to officially meet you both, Nathaniel and Auslen.”

As if just remembering, Auslen’s gaze darted towards Victor’s hands as his expression was overrun with concern. “Are your hands feeling any better yet?”

To Auslen’s surprise, Victor waved dismissively as he said, “Don’t worry about it, junior. Michail’s a good friend of mine, and he wouldn't really hurt me. He just plays a little rough.”

While Auslen hid his healthy skepticism underneath his relieved smile, Victor’s head whirled around, like he was keeping a lookout for someone specific. Seeming reassured, Victor kneeled down and lowered the volume of his voice to a guileful whisper.

After a small cough, he began, “How about I let you both in on a super important secret.”

“Secret? I wanna kno–” Nathaniel's excited shout was forced back into his mouth by Victor’s right palm.

“Shhh!” Victor quickly placed the index finger from his free hand on his own lips, cautious eyes surveying their surroundings once more.

Auslen looked around as well, only noticing a handful of disciples wandering and congregating within the second floor. Even Elder Lin wasn’t sitting at his usual spot this morning.

Seeing that Victor was desperate to keep his next words strictly between the three of them, Auslen was curious to hear what scheme the young man was gearing up to promote.

Calmness resurfacing, Victor withdrew his right hand, gesturing to his mouth while whispering with emphasis, “It’s a secret, kid. That means you have to keep your voice down!”

Nathaniel, who was even more intrigued due to the mysterious discreteness of their impromptu meeting, nodded his head spiritedly, his enthusiasm growing as he figuratively zipped his mouth shut with an impish giggle.

Turning his eyes towards Auslen’s expectant gaze, Victor smiled once more. “Have you two ever heard of a top-secret location called…”

At Victor’s suspenseful pause, Nathaniel’s short figure leaned forward, eyes widening in uncontainable anticipation for the “super important secret” he was about to be privy to.

Victor finally completed, “…a bank?”

Auslen's eyebrow's inched up in disbelief.

A bank? Is he serious?

This young man isn't satisfied with just one Elixir and now wishes to 'manage' our assets? Does this greedy motherfucker truly think of me as a fool?

Inquisitive expectance expeditiously draining away, Auslen wasted no time bumping Victor's name off of his mental "Prospective Acquaintance" list while Nathaniel’s face bunched up in confusion.

“A bank? What’s that…?” Just as Nathaniel finished his question, his and Auslen’s eyes were attracted to a figure that had stealthily approached.

Ignorant to the new arrival, Victor chuckled and continued, “It’s a very special place where you can safely leave all your valu—”

Crack.

…

A harsh slap attacked the side of Victor’s head, forcing the curly, red mop of hair to bash painfully onto the stone door.

“Oww!”

Roaring at the assault, Victor clutched his head to his knees as he resisted the staggering pain that was blooming from the right side of his skull.

Did someone just fucking blind-side me?!

Sparks of shocked outrage igniting into a growing blaze of angry indignation, Victor ignored the excruciating headache that was coursing through his brain tissue, turning his rage-filled blue eyes to scowl at the perpetrator standing behind him.

“Who the f— Oh, wow! Hey, Sis!”

A tall, pretty young woman was standing there with her arms crossed in front of her chest. Identical blue eyes bore into Victor's intensely, as her long, vibrant red hair, which was pulled into a loose braid, swung actively behind her slim torso from the inertia of her previous panther-like speed.

Eyes narrowing to a menacing glare, the corners of her lips lifted into a mocking smile before she spoke. “I must’ve misheard you, Victor. What were you telling our adorable juniors about a moment ago? It sort of sounded like you were, once again, behaving unscrupulously…”

I fucked up!

Waving his hands in denial, Victor hurriedly explained, “No, you’re wrong! I met these juniors yesterday and I was just introducing myself properly. That’s all!”

Flickers of distaste flashing in her eyes, Irene moved her knowing gaze towards Auslen and Nathaniel, warmth and kind intentions quickly coloring her smiling expression. But when she looked back at Victor, the goodwill on her freckled face melted down to an annoyance-tinted glower. “Hmm? But I could of swore that you just brought up that phony ban—”

“You know!” Victor interrupted loudly before standing in front of Irene, his brawny frame blocking Irene’s view of the children, increasingly afraid that she would destroy his young dreams of financial security.

Aware that Irene wouldn’t give up on exposing his actions to the kids behind him so easily, he gently grabbed her shoulders, heart breaking in despondency as he nervously sputtered, “I heard that you successfully refined Spirit Pills yesterday. That’s great! I… How about I uh… I'll buy you a Yellow Tier Martial Technique to celebrate!”

My Merit Points!

Enjoying his sorrowful expression resulting from his costly promise, Irene happily relented. She allowed herself to be maneuvered by her twin brother, but not before leaning closer to whisper one last threatening remark into his ear.

“Michail’s mine, which means that his mentee’s are mine as well. You would do well to remember that the next time you feel so inclined as to involve them in your idiotic scams.”

Despite his inward grumbles, Victor nodded obediently before pushing her forward, not even looking back to say goodbye as he navigated his violent sister far away from his two piggy banks as fast as possible.

…

Nathaniel watched helplessly as Victor swiftly vanished from his sight.

Dissatisfaction radiating from his frowning face, Nathaniel readjusted the leather bag hanging off of his shoulder as he complained.

“Why’d he leave so fast? He didn’t finish telling us the secret!”

After beholding the twins’ energetic performance, Auslen kept his mirth hidden while he outwardly sympathized with his cousin.

Sadly shrugging, Auslen responded, “It looked like he had something important to do. Come on! We gotta finish our deliveries.”

Auslen and Nathaniel walked side by side through the hall, swerving through the growing number of Apprentice Alchemists that were conversing together in small clusters.

Nathaniel scratched his head before asking, “What’s a bank, anyway?”

…

Very quickly, days passed by.

During this period, Auslen maintained his consistent, but engaging routine.

If he wasn’t working at the Elixir Refinement Hall or studying with the others, then his unwavering focus remained on his Pseudo Spirit Plants and Martial Technique training.

Time elapsed much faster than he expected.

And in the blink of an eye, the day of the Apprentice Alchemist Examination had arrived.