Dawn slowly streamed through the windows of the Rin family home in the overcast city of Jade, painting the floor with a faint glow, as if the first sunlight of the day echoed between the wooden corners, evoking the quiet memories of the house. In the backyard, Eil Rin moved with intense focus, his slender body flowing with precise coordination, repeating the initial exercises of the Body Foundation stage. His breaths were steady, his joints making soft creaking noises with each movement, and sweat gathered on his brow despite the cold air, as if his body were testing the first boundaries of its newfound abilities.
Yet within this body, in a depth no creature could perceive, Asher sat in the Chamber of Consciousness—a vast, dark space, interwoven with dense gray mists. In its center floated a circular platform resembling a command cockpit, surrounded by dim lights and three-dimensional maps of different locations in the world. Before him appeared the world as seen through Eil's eyes alone, complete with the echoes of the surrounding sounds— from the trickling of water in the garden to the tap of birds' footsteps on the rooftops. Every tiny detail was clear to his awareness, as if Eil's body had become a living camera, transmitting precise data to the spiritual command chamber.
Asher raised his hand in the air, and light-bound ledgers unfolded before him, holding Eil's memories and the chronology of his past and present life. He read in a soft voice, as if the words resonated within the walls of consciousness:
"My father is Hawk Rin, the family resource officer… my mother is Miranda Rin, granddaughter of Corvin Rin, one of the great elders."
He shrugged indifferently and said coldly:
"Very well… Eil will handle them. I have no intention of drowning in family drama right now. Our focus must be on the body and energy, not on family politics."
He shifted his gaze to other data—information about the house's location, the family's position in the city, their reputation among the three major families, their commercial ties, and level of influence. He saw Eil pause briefly to catch his breath after a few movements, and Asher sighed inwardly:
"The body's talent is moderate… good, excellent… of course, I won't have a heroic start. And though the family is powerful, they won't invest resources in someone they consider limited. I must accelerate the Body Foundation stage at any cost."
A three-dimensional chart appeared before him, depicting the cultivation and spiritual energy pathways in this world. Eil repeated the exercises cautiously while Asher reorganized information in his mind, analyzing every detail about Eil's body. The preparatory stage consisted of seven steps: skin, muscles, bones, blood, organs, heart, and the harmonious body. The purer the body and the earlier the completion of this foundation before the age of twenty, the greater its future potential. But Eil was still at the first step, and time was passing quickly, increasing the pressure on Asher to accelerate progress.
"This won't be enough," Asher muttered as he focused on the chart. "I need to enhance this body quickly… and I'll need better techniques to absorb energy when I enter the Spiritual Energy Realm. I can't rely on what the family has. If I don't act now, time will be lost, and obstacles will only grow larger later."
Data about the seven official worlds flowed before him, ranging in age from three centuries to thousands of years. He stared at them with suppressed excitement and astonishment:
"A mad world… and lifespans are unbelievably long."
He then chuckled lightly:
"But reaching these realms isn't easy. And certainly not with an average body. The body must be pure and prepared, or all attempts will shatter at the first hurdle."
Days passed—two, three, then four. During this time, Eil trained tirelessly, lifting light weights, running, practicing balance movements, focusing on his breathing and bodily awareness. Meanwhile, within, Asher learned and meditated, monitoring every thread of energy flowing through the body, every heartbeat, every muscle twitch, every pulse of blood. Gradually, he began to understand the limits and true potential of this body, including areas of strength and weakness, the energy that could be directed, and the techniques that needed to be developed.
On the evening of the fourth day, Eil made his way to his room after a long day of continuous training. He sat on the floor in a meditative posture, closed his eyes, and began to focus on the flow of energy within his body. At that moment, Asher felt a different vibration within the Chamber of Consciousness, as if a thin barrier between him and the body had begun to weaken—a first sign of potential direct interaction.
A spectral image of Eil appeared in the chamber, not his physical body, but a transparent spiritual version, allowing light to pass through. He stepped calmly toward the command platform where Asher sat, a gentle smile on his face, though weariness was evident.
"I've been watching you… you understand this world much faster than I do," Eil said softly, yet firmly.
Asher rose from the command chair and looked at him cautiously:
"You are the body's owner, and it would be illogical to surpass you without your consent."
Eil stepped closer, his features becoming clearer:
"It's not surpassing. You… are me, in a way. You've taken my previous life, and your knowledge is vast. If I continued to lead now, we'd be stuck in the preparatory stage for years. But you… you can compress ten years into one… maybe less."
Asher paused for a moment, comprehending the weight of responsibility, then said in a slightly sharp tone:
"If you take the lead, you'll remain here… in the back seat. I won't block you. You'll see everything, and I'll listen when you need to speak."
Eil smiled and raised his hand in a gesture of understanding:
"Exactly… like a driver and a passenger. When my turn comes, I'll take over from you again."
Asher felt a strange relief, something he hadn't felt since entering another body. He also extended his hand, and when their hands touched, something like a deep vibration ran through the Chamber of Consciousness. A soft light enveloped Eil, and his spiritual body began to retreat backward into the darkness, forming a second seat behind the main command chair. He sat quietly, legs crossed, observing the scene, occasionally smiling, taking note of every precise movement.
"Go ahead. Move forward. The body is yours now," Eil said, leaning back with his arms behind his head in a relaxed tone.
Asher settled into the true command seat and felt as if he were flowing into the body from the inside. Every sound became clearer, every breath of air passing through his lungs became tangible and real. Heartbeats were part of his immediate awareness; every sensation, every subtle feeling, became perceptible to him directly.
He opened his eyes in the real world for the first time. A sense of liberation and empowerment swept over him, a subdued smile forming on his lips, yet he knew the real journey had only just begun.
He looked around the backyard, at the small garden, at the jade trees swaying gently in the breeze. He felt that his body was not just a tool for movement, but a vessel of energy, a force, a whole world waiting to be explored.
He drew a deep breath, a calm smile spreading across his face:
"Alright… let's begin."