After making sure my three handlers were all set for the next day, I stopped briefly at home before heading to Mu Lin’s. With a quick change of clothes and some money in my pocket, I then stopped at the central market for some more persimmons and a jug of rice wine.

“Yo, I’m here!” I called while banging on her door.

Mu Lin answered after a few moments, bags under her eyes. “I was praying you weren’t still coming.”

“Here,” I said, presenting her the bag of persimmons.

She took the bag and tossed it onto her bed before plopping down next to it yawning. “Okay, so what’s so important? And if it’s got anything to do with Xi Xha… I don’t want to know.”

“Huh?” I said, but then laughed when I recalled she’d last seen Xi Xha hanging off my arm while leaving with me the night before. “Nah, nothing to do with her. But if you want to know, after you left, we had a great time. Especially—”

“No!” Mu Lin shouted, covering her ears while closing her eyes. “Don’t want to know. Don’t want to visualize anything.”

I laughed again, pleased with her predictable reaction. Not that I was really going to spill the beans on that night. Mu Lin still needed to respect Xi Xha as her teacher, after all. “Okay, I don’t want to keep you too long. I just need to ask you a few questions first.”

“Fine, but hurry up, I’m tired.”

“Alright, how do you actually go about sensing the strength of other people’s Qi?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, can anyone do it? Or is it just a special skill that you have as a scholar? And can you sense different types?”

“I swear you ask the weirdest, most random shit sometimes, Chun.”

“Humor me, please. This all has a point, I swear.”

She sighed gazing upwards in thought. “Yes, but it depends. Yes. And yes, sort of.”

“Huh?”

“Look, yes, anyone can sense Qi once they’ve reached 9th Tier in Body mastery, but it’s a skill like any other. The more skilled you are, the more sensitive you become to small amounts and at greater distances. What my additional skills as a scholar allow me to do is to quantify that sensitivity.”

“Like how you’re able to tell if someone is just foundation realm or mid-tier core realm from a distance?”

“Exactly. But its sort of like an art. I don’t have some magic meter that pops into my head when I see someone. You just get a feel of what relative strengths are like after a while. The better you get, the better you are at doing it from a distance too.”

“Okay, so for most other people, they’d have to be really close to sort of detect what level a person truly is?”

She breathed out heavily again. “Yes. Why is this important?”

“I’m getting to it. And can you detect like different flavors of Qi? Like if its fire or ice based?”

Mu Lin looked genuinely intrigued by the question, tapping her chin. “That’s like an even deeper level of sensitivity. I can’t yet, but maybe Xi Xha could, if she could really study the person, but it’s kind of a moot skill to have.”

“Why’s that?”

“Because you can usually figure out a person’s aspect by the techniques they perform or hell, even the names of their styles are dead giveaways. Path of the Icy Blade, Way of the Fiery Talon, blah blah blah.”

I nodded, considering that for a moment. “Will definitely need to take that into account.”

“For what?”

Shit, I’d said that out loud. “For what I’m about to show you. You know I’m thinking about entering the tournament, right?”

“Yeah…which, full disclosure, I do have money on, by the way.”

“What? You and Lee are betting on me again?”

“I’m not going to tell you the odds and which side I’m on so don’t ask.”

I chuckled. “Damn, I thought you guys were my friends.”

“Nope, you’re just our entertainment,” she said deadpan with a smirk. “Speaking of which, will you get on with it? I’m falling asleep here. And I still have plenty of studying to do later.”

“Okay, okay,” I said. “So anyway. You know the book you lent me?”

“You mean the one I lent to your friend?”

“Yes…my friend. Anyway. I thought about what you said about the shit-tier league and I wanted to give cultivating another shot. So, I started studying the book and I think maybe I’ve had a breakthrough, but I can’t be sure. Can you…study me to see if you can sense anything?”

“Seriously?”

I nodded slipping my hands into my pockets and then leaned forward with a look of determination on my face. “Just tell me when you’re ready.”

She shrugged with another sigh. “Okay.”

As she leaned forward adjusting her glasses, I cycled my frenzy within me. “Sense anything?”

“No. Why are you standing with your hands in your pockets like that?”

“Shush! It’s the only way I’ve been able to focus doing this.”

She rolled her eyes shaking her head. “Well, it doesn’t seem to be working, Chun.”

As I maintained my focus with [Struggler’s Resolve] I fumbled with the lightning core wrapped loosely in the rune-covered cloth in my right pocket. Feeling for its rough surface I exposed a small sliver of the core.

“Anything?”

“Nope.”

I exposed a little bit more.

“Anything?”

“I told you n—whoa!” She suddenly leaned forward, her eyes shooting open. “What the hell, man?”

“What? Is it working?”

Her eyes darted back and forth. “It’s fluctuating but damn, Chun! You did it! You actually did it!”

“How strong?” I said, straining my voice artificially. “I’m pushing it. Want to see what my peak is.”

She got off the bed, staring at me like I was a rare specimen at a zoo. “Foundation Realm, mid-tier even? Chun, what the hell man? How did you do this?”

Perfect! I though. I collapsed in a heap, rolling my eyes into the back of my head.

“Chun!”

I felt like an ass faking in front of Mu Lin like this, but it was all necessary. Now that my test was successful, I needed to protect her from the truth. I made a mental picture of the exposed area of the core as I circled it with my thumb and then covered it fully with the cloth again.

“Chun!” Mu Lin shouted again, trying to rouse me.

As she shook me, I stirred, hoping to look bleary eyed when I stared up at her. “Damn, what happened?”

“You passed out.”

“Did you see anything? Did you see my strength?”

“Mid foundation. But…” She stared at me again. “I don’t sense it anymore. What the hell was that?”

“Maybe it was just a fluke,” I said. “Or that elixir I bought just didn’t work.”

“Wait, you spent your money on an elixir?”

I shrugged, knowing she would take the bait. “Well, I figured I needed something to help get me across the line. Do you think it worked?”

“Holy hell, Chun. I don’t know what kind of elixir you can buy for under five taels, but that stuff was likely complete shit. You’re probably lucky to be alive.”

“Yeah, but it worked, didn’t it?”

“Temporarily, I guess.” She shook her head at me. “Hey, you’ve got to promise me you won’t do something dumb like this again, Chun. That’s seriously dangerous stuff. Where’d you even get it?”

Shit, I didn’t think that far ahead yet. “Probably best you don’t even know. But I hear you. Guess I just got desperate, that’s all.”

She kneeled down next to me. “Desperate? Desperate about what?”

I didn’t really want to pull on Mu Lin’s heartstrings with this, but I supposed I was being honest in a way. It was a bit of a desperate gambit that I was playing at here, even if she didn’t understand the full context.

“You’ve found your way out, Mu Lin. And I’m behind you 100 percent to see that you succeed. But I need to find my own path to freedom.” And then I couldn’t help but adding, “To all of our freedom.”

She crinkled her nose at that quizzically, but then her eyes softened as she nodded. “I understand, man. Just don’t try so hard. Cultivation takes time, you know? There’ll be another tournament next year. If that shit-tier elixir somehow gave you a breakthough then take that as a win, but don’t gamble on it anymore. You’d be gambling with your life. Just keep studying and training. That’s the best way to progress. No shortcuts.”

I smiled at her. She didn’t even realize how applicable those words were to me. “Thanks, Mu Lin.”

As I faked struggling to get up off the floor, I reached for the jug of wine. “Hey, I brought this in advance to celebrate my ascension. Go get some cups.”

“Didn’t you just say you were trying to help me pass my exam? I’ve got to study!”

“Come on. One drink.”

She rolled her eyes and brought us back two bowls which I generously filled with the rice wine.

“To freedom!” I toasted.

She laughed, clinking our bowls together. “To freedom and a clear head when I come to later.”

We gulped down the wine laughing together.

“Hey, you know what?” Mu Lin said. “I don’t know what’s gotten into you these last couple of weeks, Chun, but you really are changing. And for the better, I mean.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah,” she said with a half-drunk head nod. “Here’s to you, Chun. May you always be the amazing, implausible, unpredictable miracle of reality that you are.”

I could only laugh. “To Chun!”

* * *

Phase one of my plan was a complete success.

The concept worked.

I could use the core as a means to mimic having a Qi foundation. But now came the hard part. Phase two. Before I began, I stopped by the market again and picked up a crab and shrimp dish before heading to Yu Li’s. It wasn’t the restaurant district quality like I had envisioned giving her earlier, but it was still pretty good.

When I knocked on her door to surprise her with it, her eyes said she was still a little mad at me, but as soon as I gave her a grin and she smelled the food, her features melted into a smile. Salt and pepper seafood was her favorite. We had dinner together and she even enjoyed a little bit of the wine, mindful she was still breastfeeding. We didn’t discuss the tournament again and ate mostly in silence, just enjoying the food while entertaining Su Ling. Which was fine by me. When I was about to leave, I slipped her a tael of silver.

“For the next two month’s rent,” I said.

Her mouth hung open a little bit. “Chun, how are you getting all this money?”

I shrugged with [Struggler’s Resolve]. “Work’s been good lately. Don’t worry about it. I even have enough for my own rent this time.”

She shook her head as I laughed it off and then she pulled me into a hug. “You’re a crazy idiot but I love you, Chun. Thanks for looking out for me again.”

“This is just the start.” I grinned at her. “Like I said. We’re going to own this place one day.”

She smirked at me, but more playfully this time. “You know, I’m actually starting to believe you.”

I felt a bit of lemonade come from her as she said it, genuine admiration and faith in her words. It was a welcome primer for what I knew had to come next. After saying goodbye for the night, I locked myself in my apartment and prepared.

I started by feeling for the core in my pocket, unwrapping it to the point I had memorized with my thumb. When I pulled it out, I saw that barely a tenth of the core was exposed. That was good. It meant I’d still have a good bit to sell afterwards.

Scoring around the core with my skinning knife, I focused my frenzy to saw at the hardened crystal. Small bits of lightning still flashed within it and I wondered if it was a good idea to even try breaking off a piece of this thing. Nothing in the manuals said you couldn’t break a core in two, but I didn’t suppose it was a very common activity either.

I was just going to have to find out.

“No guts, no glory,” I said to myself as I held down the core and raised my axe above it to strike. I channeled my frenzy as I brought it down and with a flash of lightning my axe bounced off of it. Shit! Steeling myself with [Struggler’s Resolve] I focused again and this time raised the axe even higher.

Sweat beaded on my brow as I aimed at the small sliver of blue crystal at the edge of my fingers. One slip and I was joining Zu Tien’s club. Releasing a breath, I let the axe fall.

“Two Log Chop!”

With a loud crack the axe slammed down, the small piece of core flying off with a clean break. My heart was pounding with relief and exhilaration. Wrapping up the core, I grabbed the sliver that had bounced onto the ground. It was the size of a wen coin and perhaps twice as thick, small sparks of lightning running through it.

Phase two completed, I thought.

I grabbed the jug of rice wine and began chugging to prepare myself for phase three.

I didn’t know much about the human anatomy, but I’d skinned enough animals and monsters in my life to know the various layers of skin and how deep they went before you hit muscle. I was counting on that knowledge now to pull off the unthinkable—burying a piece of someone else’s core under my own skin. I prepared a needle laced with thick thread in advanced and then downed half the jug of wine.

Exhaling, I grasped my skinning knife, pinched a piece of flesh just below my navel.

And started cutting.

* * *

I came to on the floor sometime later, wallowing in a pool of my own blood.

Firey pain immediately engulfed my stomach and I cried out in a moan as I curled into a fetal position. I’d forgotten just how much pain truly hurt without the mitigation of rage and frenzy. Looking at how much blood I’d lost, I was perhaps lucky to still be alive. I’d drunk the wine to steel my nerves more psychologically than anything else. Taking blows in a fight was one thing, but willfully cutting into your own stomach took a whole new kind of mental fortitude. The wine had worked, I’d done it, but I didn’t give thought to how hard it would make trying to sew myself back up afterwards.

[Struggler’s Resolve] saw me through the worst of it and I trained my Internal Strengthening to burn off the alcohol so I could give myself a crude stitch or three. Considering the condition I was in, I did a half-decent job, I figured.

I decided to leave cleaning up the mess until the morning. I was way too zonked out now. Pulling myself into my cot, I lay there still in pain but with a smile on my lips. Phase three was complete. I now had my mask. As I touched the tender area below my navel, I figured it would leave a rather nice scar that would be camouflaged by all the rest.

I was one huge step closer to my dream.

The training wheels were off.

I could now cut loose as a full-blown cultivator.

Tomorrow, once I healed up, it was time to sign up for the tournament.