Sunlight drifted in through the windows, and I heard the birds chirping in the distance. I was grateful that I could go a week or two without sleep, as last night, that had been spent in a blur of cultivation within my newly established spirit garden, wouldn’t have been possible otherwise.

Paper and scattered books covered my room, lying in a mess of words and pages. I sighed, closing another book with no hints on what I’d created last night. I turned my eyes to the lush green area where my spirit herbs had been planted. Many of the less potent herbs had grown significantly, with some of the stronger herbs budding new leaves. Spirit grass covered the floor in that specific corner, and the amount of Qi in my room had increased by a significant amount.

I chuckled as I saw Labby running like a cat high on catnip, she chewed through the spirit grass and grew more and more excited to be surrounded by so many spirit herbs.

I looked through the books lying on the floor once more, before I picked another one, and began to go through them. Something had to have some clue on how I’d managed to form the spirit garden area.

Another few hours of going through books resulted in no new results. None of the textbooks had any mentions of being able to grow herbs and spirit grass simply by cultivating.

“Guess I’m stuck.”

Great Master! Herbs! Pills! Can Labby eat?

Labby asked, her mouth already filled with a couple of stalks of spirit grass and I shook my head in silent amusement.

Yes, you can eat Labby. But don’t overdo it.

I sent to Labby, and I felt her joy rise as she jumped right into her leafy heaven. I’d looked up if spirit herbs could be overdosed on as soon as Labby had woken up. Thankfully, the effects were similar to catnip and simply wore off with time.

I took a breath, as I decided to go through what I’d done last night once more. The first step involved changing my cultivation, two loops of circulation, in a shape vaguely similar to infinity if I had to name it. The definition was inaccurate as there were no lines, but areas and volumes of Qi being moved, but the directional rotation would match.

The next step was reaching out to the essence within the spirit herbs, and then… something.

I scratched my head, as I tried to go through the feeling once more. A link connected me to the grove of spirit herbs. I could reach out, from here, and begin cultivating, and the herbs would start to draw Qi within themselves, channelling it slowly but surely, towards me.

I somewhat regretted not having taken notes, as I’d made the changes last night. Even though I was pretty confident in my ability to replicate things, some notes would’ve made it easier to closely analyse things.

Instead, I’d let my impulse get the better of me, as I’d sat down within the little patch of herbs, and cultivated all night long. I was honestly surprised I hadn’t simply gotten restless and moved on, or gotten exhausted.

But instead of any of that, I’d been soothed, comforted, almost like invisible unseen pains from my body had left me, as the Qi within my dantian had begun to grow after a very long time. The growth had been marginal, yet, it was like providing a drop of water to someone who hadn’t drunk anything in months.

The feeling was addicting, and I had begun to crave it. I could see why so many cultivators were baffled by the idea of not cultivating now. The growth was addicting.

As a result of my obsessive cultivation through the night, my Qi had begun to change. I could feel the essence of the spirit herbs, thoroughly mixing within my own Qi. The mist arts that Lu Jie had cultivated remained, but its presence was diminished. My Qi was beginning to change, to follow the new path I’d chosen, and I suspected, the more I cultivated, the faster these changes would progress.

I paused for a moment, frowning. Did I really want to do this? Keep going down the cultivation path? Who was to say that I wouldn’t be like any other cultivator, and eventually begin to chase strength and power above all?

After months, no, years, of stagnation for Lu Jie. Today, I’d taken a step ahead. I was still at the peak of the Third realm, and so my Qi would only grow marginally no matter how much I cultivated, but even that, had been something Lu Jie hadn’t experienced for months.

Even such a small step made me almost break out in a smile, filled with delight. It wasn’t quite the addiction of a drug, but rather, the addiction of working hard and having your efforts pay off. That mixed in with the sensation of your Qi and very being growing was a sensation I’d sensed for the first time, and even just that was enough to change my stance of cultivation already.

I sat in silence, thinking over things.

Cultivating had ultimately led to Lu Jie’s untimely demise. Perhaps I could argue that it was due to his weakness, yet at the same time, Lu Jie was me. At least, I was him now. This was my reality and this was my world to live in. Could I really walk down this path? I didn’t want to fight. I already knew what my path was, and it did not involve violence.

Yet… perhaps I’d been naive. Trying to not look at the reality, that I couldn’t achieve my dreams with growing my cultivation. Without gaining some measure of strength.

The conflict in my Path, left me worried, as I felt my Qi being unsettled. My path was not one of a cultivator. I wished nothing of the world of fighting, and conflict and death, and dumb young masters and sect elders. Yet, cultivation was required for me to grow both as an alchemist, and to explore the science behind cultivation.

Great Master… is worried?

I heard Labby’s voice, speak out, as she walked closer to me. Her fur glistened with pristine black, but I noticed a slight white spot forming on her forehead, tinged with an odd gentle Qi, that reminded me of the night sky. The effects of the pill perhaps.

I smiled, with an apologetic expression. I needed to practice not transmitting my emotions to Labby so much.

A bit, Labby. I’ve found a conflict in my Path.

I replied, feeling my Qi starting to unsettle even further, as I frowned.

Labby doesn’t understand, what is Great Master worried about?

I looked down at Labby, gently patting her head, less to soothe her, but more for my own comfort. I sat there in silence for a moment, wondering if I should tell what was essentially a child with an inflated opinion of me, that I wasn’t the infallible thing she assumed me to be. Neither was I some wise saint, but instead, just a guy doing nerdy things all by himself in his room. Something that hadn’t changed much from my past life into this one.

My path isn’t supposed to be one of chasing the heavens. My path is one to bring the heavens down and break them into understandable sections, making them tangible things with concrete rules. Yet, to do that, I need to cultivate, and get stronger, and get mired into the very world I am trying to escape.

I paused for a moment. I’m not the infallible great master you call me Labby. My talent is low, and many exist who are much more powerful than me.

I said, and I sensed confusion coming from Labby. I sighed. It made sense that she wouldn’t understand. She’d barely had a mind for a few days now.

Labby doesn’t understand. The Great Master can simply deny the heavens, and not fight if the need doesn’t arise.

I heard Labby speak, accompanied by a squeak from my mouth and I stared at my little rat in surprise.

Great Master isn’t great, because of his strength. Great Master is great because he is kind and clever, and because he helped Labby be who she is today. Because he is her Great Master.

The Great Master wishes to learn about the world but doesn’t wish to be like cultivators. If so, then the Great Master can simply follow his own path. Why does he have to follow the martial path and not his own, to grow in strength?

I stared at my little rat in wonder for a moment, before laughter burst through my mouth. I laughed, silently, as I felt my Qi settling down, from Labby’s words. I can’t believe I’d been so fixated on trying to avoid turning into a cultivator that I’d forgotten my original goal.

Wasn’t the entire point to start a new path? To spark the ideology of science, to have people try and see through the mysticism, and see what made things work?

I smiled, shaking my head.

Thank you, Labby. I needed that.

Labby is pleased to be of help!! Can Labby have a spirit pill?

I broke out in laughter once more at her clever tricks, and gave in, as I dug out a spirit pill and handed it to her. Labby picked the pill, and I could swear I heard a giggle in my head as she ran off. I sat there silently, feeling amused, as my Qi settled down.

My path was clear. All I had to do was forge on. And the first steps would begin with trying to find out what was different with my method of cultivation.

I got up from the floor, sorting and setting the books in a pile, to arrange at a later point. Leaving Labby to her pill, I walked to the door and began to head out.

I needed to talk to the Old Man.

***

The familiar scent of alchemical potions touched my nose, as I heard the bubbling noise of the Old man brewing some kind of potion.

I paused outside the chamber, sensing another presence inside. I heard the voice of a boy, saying something before the Old Man said something else in reply. I waited outside, till their talks had finished, and watched as a disciple walked out, with his arms tied in a cloth.

Someone got injured in a spar it seems.

I dipped my head, receiving a slight bow of my own as I walked past the boy, and into the chamber.

“Oh, Lu Jie, it has been a few days since you came,” the Old Man said, turning towards me with a gentle smile.

I bowed, greeting him. “I apologise for not coming more often, master. Some things had come up, and I’d needed some items to buy from the city,” I replied, deciding not to mention the events that had taken place for now. It’d take too long to go through them.

“The city huh, I see I see,” the Old Man replied, his eternally narrowed eyes narrowing even further as he rubbed his long thin beard. Just how did he see with his eyes always closed?

“Well, since you are here so early. I assume something has come up? You don’t seem injured to me,” Old Man asked, and I shook my head.

“I’m not injured, but I had a few questions. About cultivation.”

I saw his eyes widen just a tiny margin at that, as he stared at me, the pleasant smile falling slightly.

“Do you wish to return to your old path? To try and grow your cultivation once more?” the Old Man asked.

“No, I don’t wish to do that. I don’t wish to return to my old Path. I hadn’t lied when I’d said, I truly wish to learn alchemy. To do so without being prepared to follow through wouldn’t be an offence I’d be willing to give you master,” I replied.

“Then why come to me, my dear apprentice? This old man isn’t a cultivator after all.”

“Master, I just realised. To progress alchemy, ultimately one needs to cultivate, don't they? Higher realms and more Qi would be required to make stronger pills, in the end, the paths were the same, just with a different focus. A cultivator could be an alchemist, and an alchemist is always a cultivator. The only difference that lied was in what they wished to achieve with their strengths,” I said, in one breath.

“That is true. Yet not necessarily. You don’t have to grow, to learn alchemy. The knowledge is there to be gained. Yet, it is also true that the only way to grow as an alchemist is to grow your cultivation. Many alchemists choose to rely on pills to push past their limits or to gain wealth and make potent elixirs that could increase their strength to an extent. There are many ways to go about things.” the old man said, and I nodded.

“But the Path remains the same,” I returned and I saw the Old man pause.

“I wish to follow a different path master. And, I wanted to ask for your help. I don’t have enough knowledge to know where I’ve gone wrong. Neither do I know where to look. Nowhere near enough books, or texts, to try and find similarities.”

The Old Man walked towards me and gently patted my shoulder. “I’d made a mistake, thinking you were running away after your defeat, Lu Jie. Your ambitions are much beyond this old man. What is it that you need help with?” The old man asked.

I took a moment, as I began to explain the spirit herb garden, alongside the change in my Qi to the Old Man.

“Hmm, I’ve heard of spirits of the forest. In a land far to the west, outside the empire itself. The spirits are known to nurture groves and thickets filled with potent spirit herbs. But, I’m afraid this old man doesn’t know much more than that. Perhaps you should try and look through the library?” The old man said, and I stared at him as he casually dropped a massive bomb on me.

“There’s a library?!”