This is essentially a super raw novel I wrote over the period of about 5-6 days doing a few writing sessions here and there whenever I felt like it.
It's extremely incomplete with little character interaction and mostly narration from a third person perspective. If I were to write this as a novel, it would likely be two to three times longer with many interactions and worldly expositions outside narration so things would feel smoother... but I'm lazy right now.
I've probably written about 20-30 chapters worth of raw chapters. Maybe I could expand that considerably depending on how I sized each chapter.
Enjoy.
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/Inhale…/
/Exhale…/
Inside a simple bedroom belonging to a boy in his late teens, a young man sat on a bed, legs crossed and arms over his legs as his hands clutched his knees.
His breathing was steading as his chest barely moved. Yet despite the heat, his breath condensed before him, flowing down his chest as mist.
"… I've broken through."
'It's getting difficult to do it on my own… My talent sure is just average.'
His name was Zhuo Jalro, 17-year old at his third year of high school. Struggling like any other kid his age to make his parents, family, and friends proud.
But Zhuo wasn't your average kid… he held a deep secret. One he was going to drag to his grave…
'Today marks the fourth year… Three years since I took over this body. Or rather, Three years since the timeline somehow changed.' He thought as he closed his eyes, thinking about the past…
Three years ago, Zhuo was your average young adult who had recently graduated. His life wasn't exceptional, and he didn't have grand aspirations, but it was stable.
But it all suddenly flipped over in the course of a single night… From one night to the next morning, Zhuo saw himself in another world, in a very familiar yet not-so-familiar body…
He had transmigrated to a parallel version of himself in a quite distorted world. He went from a twenty-four-year-old worker in modern Earth to a fourteen-year-old teen in a magical world.
The same body but with an utterly different background. The same parents but utterly alternate circumstances… A name he didn't recognize, a country he had never heard of, a history he couldn't comprehend, and a language that felt alien to his tongue.
The world of Providence. Bigger and more daunting than Earth. A magical world where martial arts were prevalent in every corner of the globe and where cultivation had become a key cornerstone of society. In this world, all children were conditioned to practice from an early age, even if they didn't pursue cultivation as they grew older.
Three years ago when he crossed over, he was overwhelmed. But soon, he calmed down, accepting his circumstances… That took a few days of acceptance after he realized everything couldn't be a dream.
He tried to go back, but as the days rolled by and the weeks went before him, he threw those thoughts away… he understood that he would never see his parents again… his real ones.
These parents may look and act the same, but they weren't his real ones. They were only similar, but their history and memories were utterly foreign.
He was a familiar man in an alien world… they all saw him as someone who wasn't around anymore. He didn't know why he had been sent here, but he couldn't keep being down. He had to live on… for himself and his previous self.
He cast aside his name and accepted the name Zhuo Jalro. Everything associated with his past name had to be ignored, living only as a lesson for his future self to adhere to.
He would never forget who he was, but if he wished to live on, he had to embrace who he was in the present… and so he did.
Once he accepted who he was, Zhuo set his sights on the future… on cultivation.
In this world, there were two kinds of people: mortals and immortals. They seemingly lived together, but that was just an illusion. The modern world hid its true nature, but Zhuo could see it for what it was.
Immortals lived in luxury, for they held unbelievable power, holding with it the world's truths… mortals lived their ordinary lives worshiping the former, unaware of what lay underneath the curtains.
Zhuo wished to find out the truth. Not solely for his curiosity but because it may contain the answers he so desperately needed… an explanation to his dilemma.
That was why he placed his all into pursuing the path of cultivation, but in less than a month, he was faced with the brutal reality. He was but a talentless boy in an ordinary family… no matter what he did, he'd never be able to ascend and pursue those answers.
The extra time he was given as an adult in a teenager's body would do little to close the gap to other, more blessed individuals his age. In cultivation, talent and perseverance wasn't everything, one needed the methods to achieve power, methods developed, tested, and perfected over centuries if not millennia.
In his current state, Zhuo had nothing… not even the desire to die in pursuit of it all.
Depressed, without anyone to vent to, for he didn't even find his old friends around in this dimension, Zhuo almost gave it all away… thinking of living as an ordinary person… when it happened.
He awakened a strange power, something he deemed… a constitution. Strange abilities some people were born with, albeit common within those of elevated pedigree.
His constitution gave him not the talent, not the perseverance, and much less the wealth needed to reach the heavens… but it gave him someone with such a fate…
His constitution gave him one power and one power only… the ability to call upon a clone. If he couldn't reach the heavens, then a clone would!
But there was a catch… those clones, just like the current him to his previous self, were imperfect… no clones were truly equal to him in every way… they were flawed, deeply so.
His first clone had severe health issues. He was thin and weakly, almost a bag of bones… someone like this couldn't practice martial arts in a million years… but… what he lacked in body, he made up in mind.
His first clone, which he promptly named "Smarter than me" had an intellect beyond human. A man with an IQ of over 200. The reason for the number was solely from his experiments, for he could not properly test him even if he wanted to.
At online tests, his clone would constantly score extremely high with little effort, usually reaching the maximum scores those websites could give him around the 160+ mark. But given the clones insane learning ability and processing power, he deemed his IQ well beyond 200, almost making him a human with a computer for his brain.
With that clone, he believed he could at least live an above-average life, but as he began experimenting with this power, he soon came to learn that just that wouldn't be enough.
To create a clone, it was simple. Focus on a point and the wish for it. As long as it was within his vision and he had enough energy, a clone would form.
At first, it had to be within an arm's length, but later on, this range would increase. And at first, the energy consumption was about that of a full meal, his stomach being emptied if he created a clone right after eating.
First, he learned that he could absorb clones he created, receiving all of their memories, and later on, he'd learn he could also receive a portion of their physical condition and even their uniqueness… positive or negative.
This meant that slowly but surely his own IQ would rise while his body would shrink… but given the way his clones work, always being based on his current body, he'd always grow infinitely… or until the clone's limits reside.
Created clones would also appear with all his clothes and physical issues. Albeit the clothes would disappear after a while. He'd later learn that blood, hair, and other fluids might stay around if certain conditions are met…
Second, he learned he could share his senses and even speak telepathically with his clones. At first, it was just within an arm's reach, but later on, it rose to several streets if not several street blocks of distance.
He would also learn that this sharing of senses went beyond just that. There were certain supernatural powers that could only be performed through the clones. But that he learned much later on…
Third, he learned each clone had its own preferences and interests. If they followed what they were good at, their already ridiculous specs would become even more pronounced, causing them to work as effectively as a machine and without issues to their (his) mental fortitude once reabsorbed.
He'd learn much more over time, but within his first week of testing, just with the first ability alone, he knew… he knew what to do.
He put the clone to study, from dawn to dusk, absorbing him at night and creating him in the morning. Because of this, while he'd always crash down at night from both physical and mental exhaustion, over time, he gathered enough knowledge to move on to a better school.
He wanted to become a cultivator, and for that, he needed proper tuition. So what better place than the most renowned school in the city? No… the entire state!
While the school wasn't the best in the country, it was still the most prestigious in the state, and that meant a lot! This state was once the capital of the nation before it moved somewhere else. The school was within the top five, if not top three in the nation.
There was only one caviar… It was as expensive as it was famous. His family, even if they pooled their whole monthly payouts, would still be unable to enroll him in it… that's why he aimed for something else… Aid-Programs!
He aimed for a full-pay scholarship! And for that, he needed to get full scores on everything without fail. And to do that, he enslaved his clone every day to prepare. It was tiring for certain, but it was needed.
To become competitive in the cultivation world, children were taught from an early age. But with his background, that much was impossible. Especially since according to national law, students could only beguin cultivating once they developed past a certain age, usually fifteen, or entered their first year of high school.
Zhuo was fourteen, and one year to reach his first year of high school. It was a perfect time to start and one he couldn't lose out on.
Most children of influential figures had already started cultivating. To keep up, he needed to first enter their stage. But without anything to help him, he could only rely on his brain to put him there. And this meant lots of study.
Since his parents drove him to school and returned late, around 5pm to 6pm. This meant his clone had the entire house to itself for most of the day. It had all the time in the world to study and focus on whatever it wanted to do until he returned from school around 1pm.
Their only issue was during holidays and on the weekends, but he had an answer for that. He could always send his clone to study at a cafe or the library. Given their physical differences, from height to bodily proportions, as long as he put on some thick clothes, no one could notice they were the same person.
No one would bother a kid studying in the library's corner with a laptop, much less if he locked himself inside a cubicle in a computer coffeeshop.
It was perfect… within mere weeks his clone had already mastered much of the content of his whole year, and if he kept studying for the rest of the year, just who knows how far he'd go… He might even finish university level courses if he could.
But of course, they had a priority.
To counter his ever-increasing weakness as his body absorbed the clone time and time again, he worked out whenever he could when home. So much in fact that he grew some muscle even with the clone's influence, which made the clone grow stronger as well… even though he still looked anorexic.
Two months of this tango and something unbelievable happened… a new clone emerged.
Weeks before, around a month after he awakened his first clone, he began to feel strange… full, as if he had eaten a meal… but he knew he wasn't as his stomach growled.
Every day this feeling persisted, causing his mother to bring him to the doctor, yet they found nothing… a week later, he created his second clone.
The clone was taller than him by a palm, with broader shoulders and wider limbs… He named it "Stronger than me" for the clone was physically perfect.
It, however, also had one major deformity, a fact that would become the norm throughout each new clone created… This clone's issue was its mind.
It was as dumb as a rock. If the subject wasn't related to the body in any way, then this clone's intelligence was as sharp as an eraser.
The clone could perfectly memorize the position, names, and properties of any muscle, but it had difficulty learning the multiplication table… of course, it still knew everything he knew, but it had issues learning anything new that wasn't directly tied to its major interests.
That was also around the time Zhuo noticed each clone had its preferences and that it'd be best if he kept them working on those things regardless of his goals. Thus, the concept of a clone schedule was created.
While the first clone focused on learning and preparing for the exams, the second clone would work on its body, from stretches to cardio and physical exercises.
With his parents' permission, Zhuo got a gym pass and sent his clone to work. Albeit the clone would only go to the gym after 2pm so there would be no evidence of him being in two places at once.
After all, he had to go to school, and while he was at it his clones were training at home… if they began going around the city and doing things, issues would soon arise. Thus, boundaries had to be made.
His first clone was quick to pinpoint those boundaries and command their schedules so there would be zero evidence of him existing in multiple places at once. The clone also helped improve the second clone's workout routine so it would better fit with Zhuo's schedule.
The second clone needed no help to train its body, for it was an expert in the field, but it needed help in planning its training sessions with others in mind… and help in getting access to learning materials…
The second clone was so dumb it had difficulty navigating the internet to search for study materials suitable for its interest… that said, overtime, it grew better at using the internet, and soon enough, it grew so proficient at it that its past awkwardness wasn't even visible.
The clone still had difficulty thinking for itself and outside the box, but with other clones' influences on Zhuo's main body, things began to change… but that's a story for the future.
At that point, it had been around four months since Zhuo had awakened in this world at the New Year. A little over one month spent on learning the ropes and getting crushed with reality… a few weeks before he awakened his first clone, rounding up to two months, and finally two extra months before he awakened his second clone and began experimenting with it.
Two months of summer vacation and two months of him going to middle school…
Like that, four extra months passed… and that same event happened again… Zhuo awakened his third clone.
His third clone was extremely similar to him, mind a few key details… He named it "The Social me" for its unique powers.
This clone did not have a stronger body, but it sure was 'better' than his… No scars, less hair, better proportions, cleaner skin… His face was symmetrical, more… handsome, and other features were… expanded to say the least.
A clone better in every way with no downsides. It also possessed the unique feature of its high affinity to the arts! It was extremely good at learning and creating anything it deemed artistic, and as long as it meant enhancing whatever it was doing, the clone might even surpass the first clone in learning ability until it got to the point it wanted in a given subject.
This clone was also extremely charismatic, for it considered speech and conversation a form of art. This, however, quickly brought to him the clone's main flaw… It was borderline autistic.
Once the clone put its sight on something, it wouldn't think of anything else until that task was done. At a certain point, the clone may have the focus of a seasoned soldier on the battlefield… only to lose focus at a passing butterfly and gain the urge to paint it.
The only way for the clone not to lose focus at a given task was for Zhuo to give it a mission. With that in mind, the clone would focus on it and not deviate. However, often at the cost of its amusement and other mental issues such as extreme boredom.
It was by far the clone he feared the most in absorbing, however, he soon realized it was a needed trait… because it balanced out with his first clone's extreme cynical and rational-focused mentality.
So far, the clones had extreme traits that counterbalanced each other, but that wasn't to say everything was accounted for… Certain aspects still needed balancing, and this clone was there for this exact purpose!
With those three clones, an equilibrium had been reached.
Thus, because of its uniqueness, Zhuo decided to let the third clone be and do whatever it wanted. He bought the clone a computer so it could play around and kept on with his schedule. The third could would do whatever it wanted, be it study, train, or do some sort of activity such as learning music, painting, or even writing novels.
Because of the clone's unique interests, it was also the hardest to please. The first clone made do with a PC to access the internet. The second clone only needed a gym. But the third clone?… It wanted everything.
It was impossible for him to afford much of its needs, but the first clone tried its best to give the third clone essential tools so it could express its artistic savant to the world.
Zhuo also made use of the clone's heightened sociability to send it to school in his place. As long as he didn't do it every time, the clone didn't mind much and actually felt happiness experiencing somewhere new for itself rather than just through its memories. The clone was also happy to go around town as it returned from school at its own pace.
Either way, the clone would always return before 3pm to give time to the second clone to go to the gym and return before his parents arrived. And while it didn't always work since the future was unpredictable, it worked enough times for him.
Like this, Zhuo sent the clone for three of his six weekly stops at the school, giving himself a much needed rest every other day.
The thing is, Zhuo had no sentiment for his current school life. While his parents were the same in appearence and so were other members of his family, his school wasn't the same and neither were his friends.
He feared his friends were out there but with completely different lives and fates. And while he had the urge to go after them, he knew their fates were not intertwined in this life.
It was a sad fact to believe, but it was reality… he'd eventually cross paths with some of their look-alikes in his daily life, but while they may look like them, they would never be his friends.
It was best they moved past each other else Zhuo may be unable to contain himself…
… And thus, under this dynamic, the four of them worked through the months, raising money in various ways under the first clone's guidance. Some of them included competitions and online tutelage.
While most of the money went for their future, much of it went into feeding the third clone's ever-increasing list of annoying interests… but at the very least he threw none of those interests away. He'd keep them close even if he only studied them for a few minutes every day.
It was a strange method of learning that most would call a waste of time, but it worked for the clone…
The days passed, and so did his birthday. In the tenth month of the year, Zhuo turned fifteen. Not long after, the day of the exams came… just shy of two months before the New Year, Zhuo faced the greatest challenge of his life… posing his second clone as himself so he could cheat the system.
Sending his clone in his place was essentially the same as using AI but better… he was guaranteed to get the scores he wanted. And even if he couldn't send his clones, as long as his clone could stay around or nearby, then they could share their senses and still ace the exam.
Mind you, Zhuo wasn't stupid. He had all the knowledge his clones had. But here, what mattered was how he applied said knowledge… and no matter how confident he was in himself, he couldn't fail here… it was his only and last chance to enter the prestigious Jal-Xin Academy.
Fortunately, because of his second clone's efforts in improving his body, even the first clone didn't look like a starving child anymore. With enough clothes and some makeup, he easily passed down as the original.
Like this, the expected happened, and Zhuo marked 100% in all subjects, being the first in the last ten years to do so, and receiving the proper scholarship to match.
As long as he kept his theory scores within the top five or scored above 95%, he'd keep his scholarship… of course, that wasn't all he had in mind. There were other ways to receive scholarship.
He could excel in other fields… but that was for another time.
Now that he had reached the first year, Zhuo was finally allowed to begin cultivating! And what better place to start than Jal-Xin Academy?
More than 50% of the annual score was based on cultivation and related practical classes. If he couldn't keep up, Zhuo would be kicked out sooner or later even if he kept his theory scores flawless.
The Academy had to keep appearances. And between kicking a student away and having them be mocked for their poor performance, the Academy would not hesitate to do the former.
Thus, Zhuo was given his first ever cultivation technique and breathing method to support it. A cultivation technique was merely a method to condense the energy in the atmosphere into a cultivator's foundation, while the breathing method was meant to gather the energy more efficiently. The former needs not the latter to function, but it sure works best when in tandem.
The first stage of cultivation was simple. QI Gathering. Gather energy within the body and awaken the dormant organs, making them more suitable for cultivation and prepping up for the future.
Like all other stages, it was divided as follows: Quasi, Neutral, First Stage, Second Stage, Third Stage… Ninth Stage, Completion, and Perfection.
Most students of his age and in his class were already at either Completion or Perfection. In fact, a significant portion of all the kids around him were either born on this stage or born on the one after.
There was no way for him to compete if he didn't try his best. That was why entering the Academy was so damn important. The Academy received full support from the government and military, including other private forces that wanted their children to succeed.
The techniques he received were beyond the reach of 90% of the common folk regardless of how much they tried, and from what he knew, those weren't even that big of a deal at all. If he tried harder and received another scholarship, the college would easily hand him even better techniques… however… even that would barely compare to the techniques those children had access to.
That was the unfairness of the cultivation world… but was it wrong for a man who reached a high enough level not to provide his children with better resources? When was it too much?
When did one man become a line of succession? And when did this line become a Clan that dominates the land with its bloodline?
Zhuo didn't know and didn't care, he only knew he now had one goal and one goal only… to reach the next stage before the next year. If he couldn't keep up, he'd never be taken seriously and would never fit in.
He wanted to go beyond! To follow these prominent children into a world no common folk can even dream of! He was the only commoner in a world of the rich and privileged… he needed to step up his game.
Zhuo took his exam two months before the new year and learned of his admittance one month before it. And with it, he received his techniques and eventually other materials such as his uniform and schoolbooks in the months following that through the mail.
The first to arrive were his techniques one month before the new year. The Cultivation Technique "Hourglass Accumulation Art", and the Breathing Technique "Flowing Waves Method".
Each was divided into multiple stages of mastery, these being Basic, Intermediate, Advanced, Mastery, and Pinnacle… Of course, this was merely a universal classification and often not precise, but for these standard national techniques it was fitting.
Zhuo began his studies, but soon enough, he understood once again his own limitations… Zhuo was no genius, he couldn't grab the technique manual and see the hidden intent within it, mastering it within mere hours or days and creating something new from it… but for his clones… it was a different matter.
Each of his clones took an interest in the techniques, learning them in a different manner. His first clone understood the nuances and ideas within the text from a purely theoretical and rational manner, memorizing all the documents within a single afternoon read.
The second clone saw them through a physical and practical manner, absorbing its contents and applying them almost instantly with considerable mastery, adapting them to its body in a matter of minutes… within a few hours or days, the clone might even adapt the techniques instinctively to better work with the body.
Meanwhile, the third clone saw the beauty of the unknown and a brand new world open before it. Something it previously only read about was now available to it, and its creative mind could not stop revolving.
With their new student ID, they could now access parts of the web once locked. And even though the school had yet to open, the online library was accessible to all students as long as they provided their login to site.
Like this, thousands of books and documents pertaining to cultivation opened themselves to all of them, which they all devoured to support their studies and interests.
Their speed and focus was so great Zhuo could barely keep up with the daily overload of information, but he persevered regardless…
In the first week, Zhuo reached an intermediate understanding of both techniques and quickly reached QI Gathering Quasi stage… before jumping straight to the Neutral stage.
The reason he advanced so quickly was because this realm was mostly about developing one's senses and the body. Thus, as long as his clones did it for him, coursing through the first two stages was as simple as breathing correctly.
Now, to reach the First stage, he needed to gather a sufficient amount of QI and infuse it onto a part of his body, and that took time… two days to be precise.
The reason he did it so quickly was that he had three clones and himself working in tandem toward the same goal. In fact, Intermediate understanding wasn't low at all; to those that usually practiced it, reaching that much mastery was a several month long process, with further levels taking years if not longer.
But Zhuo's clones were no ordinary individuals. When in their lane and with their interests in line, each of them was worth multiple individuals if not dozens… and with little effort, they could even reach enlightenment and other unusual events in a matter of weeks when someone might take months.
In two weeks, Zhuo reached the Second stage, and in three weeks, Zhuo reached Advanced mastery of his Cultivation Technique, speeding this process even further… In four weeks, just shy of the new year, Zhuo reached Advanced mastery of both techniques.
His progress was such that even his parents were shocked. They were each at the late stages of the Foundation Establishment realm, multiple stages above his, albeit when he was born, they were both at the early stages, and even if they were higher, their realm doesn't provide any sort of benefit to the child unless he struck the genetic lottery… which he didn't from a certain perspective.
How would one even explain his powers? Is it a constitution or is it some divine compensation?…
After a family meeting at the New Year and some revelations about his cultivation, he continued with his training with their blessings and support. He received a few items to help his training, but right now, they weren't useful at all.
While cultivating was expensive, this realm was low enough that a common household could offer him the needed supplies… This wouldn't last long, however. From the next stage onwards, he may need to rely on his scholarship for materials… but how much he'd gain was still a mystery.
Thankfully, right now, he didn't need anything…
At QI Gathering, each stage corresponded to a vital organ of the body. There was no precise order in which they should be awakened, but he went with the order specified in the book as it was the most optimal for the exercises.
In the end, all vital organs must be awakened, and the whole body will eventually undergo renewal by worldly energy. One should follow the path they believe and trust… which is something a cultivator must eventually endorse.
The Quasi and Neutral stages were based solely on gaining the sensitivity to feel the energy in the air, transforming an ordinary man into something more… And following that, it went as follows…
First Stage, Skin. Awakening the skin's sensitivity tunes the cultivator's awareness to external energies, making every pore an access point for energy circulation. Albeit nowhere near as efficient as just breathing.
Once this stage was reached, continuous cultivation could be employed, albeit it was so slow that the body's natural aging dwarfed any of its effects.
Second Stage, Lungs. The lungs act as the first transformation chamber of the body, helping transform and purify the wild and impure energy. Without a stable intake of pure QI, deeper organs cannot be nourished.
This stage also increases the overall capacity of the lungs, increasing the cultivator's resilience and how long they can hold their breath… which is pretty nice.
Third Stage, Heart. Lacing the Heart third ensures that both body and mind are aligned early through the proto-meridians, which are the veins and arteries. At this point, focus is key as the energy spreads around the body; thus, only a calm, focused spirit can sustain long-term cultivation.
Like the stage before, this stage considerably raises the cultivator's resilience. Putting them at a near-superhuman level.
Fourth Stage, Liver. After establishing the connection, you must remove the stagnation. The Liver's flexibility opens pathways for unhindered QI flow and helps promote natural detoxification and accumulation of impurities throughout the body.
For ordinary people, it helps them eliminate toxins from smoking and exposure to contaminants in the air, leading to a healthier and longer natural lifespan but nowhere outside the natural curve.
Fifth Stage, Spleen. A strong digestive center is essential before condensing QI more finely. The Spleen grounds the practice, providing stabler energy. It'll eventually become part of a complex system, but right now, it works mostly on its own.
Because of this, it can be taxing on the body; hence quick advancement is recommended. Which can be difficult given the size and complexity of the next organ… but the practitioner needs not panic as once the organ starts its transformation, the speed of advancement will quickly skyrocket.
Sixth Stage, Stomach. This stage burns raw material for usable energy from direct consumption. It works perfectly with the system built so far, and once this stage is reached, consumption of medicinal items is now possible, which can lead to extreme jumps in power if planned for appropriately.
To some people, this stage can be an issue since it raises their tolerance for the consumption of some contaminants like alcohol, which is heightened by the next stage quite substantially.
Seventh Stage, Kidneys. The Kidneys provide foundational strength and longevity. By this point, accumulation, refinement, and circulation should be smooth; now one must build depth and resilience so the body doesn't fall apart under in the next stage.
If someone follows a similar path as him, they'd stop at this stage for quite a while given the complexity of the next stage. However, even so, this combination of organs can give them a prolonged and healthy life most could only wish for… although in modern times, 90% of the population reaches this stage without issue before their 20s.
Eight Stage, Brain. With body and spirit secure, sharpening intellectual and perceptual clarity allows the cultivator to grasp higher truths and subtle QI patterns once indiscernible. It'll become the foundation of the next few stages and is the minimum for an ordinary person to function properly in society.
Of course, some intellectual individuals will still surpass cultivators that have tempered their minds, but if both reach the same stage, then the difference becomes substantial.
The brain regulates the operation of all other organs, leading to an even longer life-expectancy of 100 years. Although that is still heavily based on genetics… Around 85% of the population will reach this stage before their 20s.
Ninth Stage, Dantian. This final stage synthesizes every prior awakening into a singular, self-sustaining circuit. The core of the system that will be carved onto their body in subsequent transformations, readying the cultivator to move beyond mortality into a true alchemical transformation.
Around 70% of the population will reach this stage before their 20s.
Finally, Completion, and Perfection refer to nothing but the connection of the nine vital organs and the gathering of sufficient energy to kick-start the next transformation. Once someone awakens all vital organs, they reach Completion almost as quickly as they reach the 9th stage, and once they gather enough QI to fill their whole body to the brink, they reach Perfection… just one push away from the next stage.
Around half of the population will reach this stage before their 20s.
On the first two days of the new year, he reached the third stage, tempering his heart and transforming it with energy.
At the same time, Zhuo felt it, the awakening of his fourth clone!… Albeit… it did not come. However, it was close.
Zhuo thought the clones would come one after the other following a doubling schedule of one month, two months, four months, and finally eight months, but it seemed something had interfered with the time… and he could only think of his cultivation.
It seemed cultivating affected the time, or maybe it was a requirement. Either way, it was close, he could feel it.
With the assistance of his three clones, mostly his first two since his third clone lost interest in traditional cultivation in less than three days, Zhuo reached the fourth stage within the first week of the year.
One week later, he tempered his Spleen and reached the fifth stage. Not only that, he also began to reach Mastery in both techniques, but he was still short of it.
For his stomach, he could tell things were going to take some time; however, his third clone suddenly decided to join in on the fun and push things further. With a sudden burst of interest, the third clone pushed his comprehension of both techniques to Mastery within a day, causing his cultivation to explode, and with it, for him to gather enough QI in three days of tempering his Spleen for him to temper his stomach, causing his cultivation to explode as now he could consume some of the gifts his family gave him in both his birthday and New Year.
Within four days, he tempered both kidneys, and within the week after as the first month came to a closure, he finished tempering his brain, reaching the final step of the beginning of his journey... forming the Dantian.
To form a new organ in the Navel region. The Dantian will become the cornerstone of future stages, but right now, it's more like a tumour enveloped in veins and arteries with the sole purpose of regulating the energy flow of the body, albeit without the meridians, its existence only complicated the process further as QI could already flow smoothly through the veins on its own.
Forming the Dantian took… a single day. With the special medicine he had, he fed it to his second clone and the beast processed the energy in an hour, forming the new organ with extreme precision and efficiency.
He learned that his clones were better at processing energy than him. In fact, he could consume the medicine himself and then create clones. This would cause the energy within him to spread to the clones perfectly as if it was being copied, and while that wasn't the case, it allowed each clone to tackle it before fusing it back to him and allowing him to proceed with their improved bodies and understanding.
However, at the end of the day, he thought best to leave it to a sole clone than to divide the process. At least that was more efficient for now.
Once he followed the clone's teachings and formed the Dantian on his own… or at least tried. Then, he reabsorbed the clone to complete the process.
Now, one month before his class started, he could at least appear in class without fear of being bullied… too much at least since he was likely… no, definitely the one with the lowest cultivation still.
Either way, it was a start. On the same day as well, he reached Completion, but Perfection would take some time.
It took him one week to process the medicinal properties of the medicine he took, and once he did, he immediately took more through the same process as before, gaining enough energy to reach Perfection and prepare for his next stage… QI Condensation.
QI Condensation was divided into five stages: Energy Flash, Meridian Mapping, Half Revolution, Meridian Connecting, and Full revolution.
Energy Flash is about a sudden, all-over ignition of condensed QI that "light-bulbs" every cell. By enriching every tissue, it lays the groundwork for precise meridian work, for no pathway can be mapped or unblocked if the surrounding flesh can't detect and store higher-grade energy.
It's essentially the same process of QI Gathering but now expanded to the rest of the body.
Meridian Mapping is about charting the body's hidden channels with the newly developed senses. Each person has their own uniqueness. And even if everyone's bodies are about 95% similar in proportions, it's the 5% that matters.
And some people are even born with unusual bodies with either extra or fewer meridians, mapping them all properly is extremely important for the health of the body and foundation of future cultivation.
Usually, one can tell if there are meridians missing by the resistance as their QI flows. Only when it can flow without effort, can one truly say they've opened them all. But that isn't relevant at this stage.
Half Revolution is about sending energy partway from lung to Dantian through the still-stubborn channels so the body understands exactly which segment needs clearing while enforcing the rhythm required to push QI through resistance.
Meridian Connecting finishes what the second stage started; Purging, polishing, and fusing every channel into one smooth network with the Dantian at the center.
There is little need to describe why this process is relevant. It is the central system of early-stage cultivation. It needs to be sturdy and fail-safe so issues do not arise in the future.
Finally, this leads to the final test… Full Revolution. Completing the grand loop through every extremity and doing the very basics of cultivation.
Cultivators usually measure their training based on how many revolutions they perform in a session. Thus, having mastery over the process and smooth pathways is the bare minimum since a cultivator will find themselves full of issues to solve regardless… so they might as well solve the easy ones first.
Zhuo originally intended to take his time to reach this realm, intending to at least reach it before he finished his first year no matter how much bullying he suffered. But his clones outdid themselves, and with their help, he'd reach it within three months…
Once he reached the Pinnacle of QI Gathering, three weeks before class started, he began his preparations… or rather, just bulldozed straight through!
The thing is, while the technique for this realm was the same, it was an entirely different manual. And while his proficiency could still carry on, he couldn't call himself a master anymore!
At best, his understanding of the second chapter was at the Advanced level. But honestly speaking, he was at the Intermediate stage… which was still enough to breakthrough!
With that in mind, Zhuo pushed himself and broke through on his own without anyone's help! Once he did so, he immediately summoned his clones to assist him in the following stages.
Under their leadership and guidance, he used the energy within him to go through Energy Flash, jumping straight to Meridian Mapping. But as fast as that was, it wasn't unexpected.
Truth is, all the early realms were once part of one major realm which was broken into sections to ease comprehension. Some older and more conservative clans still follow the old methods, calling the first three major realms "Mortal Ascension".
Of course, that was just a name. Only the process mattered.
At that same day, once he broke through QI Condensation, his fourth clone finally manifested!
Standing at exactly the same height as him but with slightly altered proportions difficult to notice at first, his fourth clone was exactly like him in every aspect.
His talents came in the form of enhanced martial acumen beyond even the second clone. This clone was a beast when it came to learning martial arts and anything related to it. In short… this clone was born to fight.
It had a near-legendary level of combat acumen as it could learn and master martial arts mid-combat or merely by watching others. Of course, it couldn't decompose a cultivation technique from looks alone, but if he were given enough time and experience with the art, then maybe…
Zhuo found it funny given the dynamic between his clones. His first clone was entirely mental, his second clone was entirely physical, his third clone was mostly mental, but his fourth clone was now mostly physical.
There was a pattern here for sure, but he wondered where this clone's downside stood… but that didn't take long.
This clone was extremely antisocial. So much so that he'd often refuse to even reply to him, the original when addressed. Opting to grunt and gesture vaguely rather than speak. Which made conversation extremely annoying and inconvenient.
Because this clone wouldn't even speak telepathically, even though doing so cost nothing, the only way to converse properly with him was by absorbing him and learning his thoughts. Zhuo found this ridiculous but endured the frustration… what was he going to do? Punch himself?…
If he ordered or if he felt like it, the clone would speak. But most of the time, it remained quiet. Which was troublesome! He was clearly able to speak normally, so why keep quiet all the time and cause drama?!
Anyhow… the fourth clone, promptly named "Unbeatable me" for his combat sense was born… and right on time.
Starting now in the first year, Jal-Xin Academy was going to push for practical classes and many of those included combat-related lessons. With the fourth clone being excellent at field activities, this issue could now be covered, even if partially.
Zhuo felt satisfied with his layout. He had everything he wanted, although he wondered what the next clone would be… either way for the three weeks before class began, he put his all into threading even further in his realm so he wouldn't be too far back in class.
He had been assigned to class 1-A, the highest of them all. Jal-Xin Academy had four classes: A, B, C, and D. Class A was viewed as the most prestigious of them all, where only the best gathered, while class B was where the elites above the average stood.
Meanwhile, Class C and D were where the "average" students remained. If you could even call them that.
Each class had three designations. Being 1, 2, and 3. He didn't know if there was a difference between those, but he wagered it was best if he kept his position in class 1-A.
He thought he wouldn't be able to do it before… or rather, he pushed this issue for the future him, but now it seemed he had a chance to not only remain in class, but to excel in it.
So with his remaining time, he pressed on for his success!
Mapping his Meridians took no time at all. Four clones and himself all working together… Within one week, not only did he reach Advanced comprehension over the second chapter, he also mapped all meridians and prepared for his next stage.
Half Revolution… took one day. The fourth clone easily performed a revolution, and so did the second and first clones… the third clone only did well because he felt competitive.
Somewhat all clones did around the same effort despite having unique views of the process… it was quite interesting to see and experience firsthand once he absorbed them all.
Meridian connecting was the one that was likely going to take the longest of them all. Even if he knew where his meridians were, connecting them was a different matter, even if he coordinated with all clones at the same time.
He didn't trust the third clone on such a delicate matter, so he left it to his first clone to coordinate both the second and third clones with himself while he worked on it as well.
After much work, only two days before class started, Zhuo succeeded and connected all meridians together! Albeit he did have the assistance of some medicinal items his parents bought him.
Mostly incense that helps in purifying energy, food, and the Purifying Vein Tablet which can be eaten over seven days, that helps clean and unclog the meridians.
The price was quite steep… the cost of a full family trip to the other side of the world for a month. But his parents knew what was best for his future.
With his remaining time, he focused on processing the aftereffects of the medicine and accomplishing his first full-revolution. And while his clones had no issue doing it right off the bat, Zhuo wanted to do so himself.
So while they focused on whatever they wanted, Zhuo put his attention on his meridians… and after one sleepless night, he succeeded in one awkward, slow, clunky, and weird circulation!
Once he absorbed the clones, however, he soon understood his issues, learning from his mistakes.
With his remaining time, Zhuo focused on nothing but sleep, preparing for the start of his new school life surrounded by privileged and rich children.
How would he fare, he wondered? There was only one way to find out…
Time passed.
…
"… Did you pay attention, Zhuo? Do you know what to do?"
"Yes mom. I know how to get on the subway. It isn't my first time…"
"Do you have your documents? Where is your student ID?"
"Everything's here, I made my bag yesterday."
"What about your schoolbooks? Is the subway card full so you don't have to wait in line?"
"Yes… I'm bringing the books for today's schedule as the posted on the website… The subway card has enough for the entire month, and even then, the student ID from the Academy pays for everything. It's part of the scholarship, remember?"
"Uhum… The Academy is right in front of the station, so just cross the street and you're there. Don't be late!" His mother said as she opened the door and left their home
His father could be seen waiting outside on the street with the car. From today onwards, Zhuo would be going to school on his own since the Academy wasn't on the way to their work. He'd be going through the subway system from now on.
Thankfully, the Academy was so influential it had a stop right in front of it, so he wouldn't need to walk that far to reach it. Even then, it took half an hour to get there.
"Take care son. Remember to behave there. The Academy has quite a few influential figures, you know how it is." His father said as he looked at him through the window
"Yes, dad."
"See ya! Have a nice day son!"
"Bye mom, bye dad. See you soon…"
/Vrooom!…/
"… Sigh… Let's go."
Zhuo checked his bag one last time and put his feet on the road, pensive…
'It's around 6Am. I shouldn't arrive too late for the first day… I hope I prepared enough.'
'My uniform is fine; everyone will wear the same one. I bought new shoes in line with the Academy's requirements, my hair is perfect, my appearance is as good as it can be… Anyone would think I'm the son of an influential figure just from looking at me in this uniform.'
Jal-Xin Academy was that prominent in the city. It was impossible not to recognize its students.
'I also bought a new, expensive bag. It's nothing extreme, but I shouldn't stand out too much just from that… The only issue would be my method of transportation, but I can't afford to go there by cab every day. Maybe once in a while will be fine, but yeah.'
'I doubt there's a single kid out there that goes on foot to the Academy like me. Maybe the ones that live nearby since the district the Academy is located in is quite affluent.'
"Then the only thing remaining would be… My Cultivation."
'I already accomplished the Full Revolution of the QI Condensation realm, this should be enough to participate in classes as normal… it has to be.'
'The next stage shouldn't be too difficult to go through. QI Refining… It's divided into three stages.'
'The First Stage, Impurity Extraction. One must force out the lingering physical and energetic impurities that QI Condensation left behind. It's nothing difficult, but it usually takes hundreds to thousands of continuous revolutions to achieve the necessary purity.'
'Simply doing revolutions is not enough. One must use their cultivation technique to purify it with intense concentration and will. And right now, I'm barely at the Intermediate comprehension of the third chapter of my cultivation art.'
'According to the government statistics. Only 30% to 35% of the population will reach this stage before their 20s.'
'The Second Stage, Essence Alignment. Once the energy is pure, it must be harmonized with the cultivator's body, mind, and Spiritual Root. This is the stage where the Spiritual Root first starts mattering in the grand scheme of things. This means that now, just concentration and hard work isn't enough.'
'Certain people with more aligned bodies, bloodlines, and unique mentalities will begin to speed ahead of others. While the process remains the same to all and there aren't any bottlenecks one must overcome aside from their own focus and patience; the gap between talent will become apparent.'
'Now that it mattered since people with such traits were already ahead due to background, resources, techniques, and the teachings from already experienced individuals.'
'I have no idea how well my Spiritual Root is developed, but I hope it is ordinary at the very least. As long as it isn't shriveled or damaged, I can proceed on Cultivation as normal and won't need to look for a way to remedy the situation.'
'On the same note as before. Only 25% of the population will reach this stage before their 20s.'
'Finaly, the Third Stage, True Essence Formation. Worldly QI is elevated into True Essence, also called Zhenqi. It's the first "post-basic" energy form, the building block of higher realms.'
'Inner QI will go through multiple transformations as one evolves, and this is the first one… This stage is likely the one most people will truly struggle at. The first wall, so to say. The reason for that is because it takes immense focus to condense a strand of True Essence, and even more to keep it stable.'
'There is a certain percentage of one's inner QI that needs to transform into True Essence before it becomes stable and one can relax. This usually needs to be done at once in one sitting, so until the cultivator does so, they'll keep reverting back to the starting point.'
'There is a term for when someone reaches the stable point, but it's not like that it matters much in the grand scheme of things.'
'Before I forget. Only 15% of the population will reach this stage before their 20s… and only 5% will go beyond it and reach Foundation Establishment before they cross that threshold. Doing so is usually a sign that someone will go far in life, as to most people, reaching that realm early guarantees good life prospects for the individual.'
'… My parents did not cross the threshold. And according to the doctors when I was born, I only had a 25% chance of crossing this threshold given my genetics. Pretty grim, but it goes to show how important that is.'
'Hard work does pay off though… If you stay half the day cultivating while forgetting all worldly possessions. The reason I advanced so much in three months is that my clones are the equivalent of twelve or even more people working in tandem the whole day over fourteen hours a day on cultivation and relevant studies.'
'If we apply the time, it would've taken for me to do the same on my own, then yeah, I would be very close to the prediction of the doctors… and that's assuming I maintain that level of dedication every day for the next four to five years… no way I'd be able to do that.'
'My predictions for how long it'll take me to go through this realm vary. All three stages take focus and commitment, but if I were to stipulate… somewhere around three to six months. The time equally divided between the realms.'
'This time can greatly change depending on the progression of my understanding and mastery over my cultivation technique and breathing art. Not to say my envyroment and resources… The Academy will certainly provide me with those.'
'In fact, I may even be able to ask for better cultivations from the Academy with my recent achievements… Even if they refuse me, it's worth a shot. For now though, I need to get on the subway.'
'I've absorbed all the clones, leaving none behind just in case I may need them in the Academy, you never know… I'm ready.'
As he crossed the street and turned the corner, dashing to the subway in search of his destiny.
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Notes