“How much further is it?” Samantha asked a little desperately, the mental message sounding strained as she did her best not to breathe.

“Just a bit more, don’t complain so much! You told me to hide it somewhere no one would find it.” Silas retorted, mildly irritated at being asked the same question for the third time.

After Samantha had spent all night looking through the combat art manual, she had left the Braxand estate with her family. She and Silas had split from the group so they could fetch the stolen elixir in private, and had made quite an effort to move erratically enough through Yivesh to lose anyone who might be following them. Once they were certain they were alone, Samantha found a waterway entrance big enough for both of them to fit through and Silas led her into the depths of the sewer system even further below the city.

They had been walking through the winding maze of tunnels that grew more and more restrictive the deeper they went for nearly an hour–or maybe it just felt that way because of the smell–and her nerves were frayed thin. She was exhausted, stressed, and feeling guilty for the excessive mayhem and death she’d caused the night before. She thought back to the moments before everything went wrong and tried to figure out why the explosion had been so powerful.

Samantha had thought the small, pinky-sized essence vials would be enough for a mild explosion with lots of smoke and sound. In her mind, she had imagined that the Low-Bronze cultivator would check the alchemy lab once it was suspected the elixirs were missing (given the potion’s importance), and then once he did her trap would be sprung. The precariously balanced bomb would go off and he would be injured, but probably live. This would have been the distraction she needed to get away from him safely.

In retrospect, this line of reasoning was flawed in several areas. Now that she was thinking more calmly and clearly without the threat of a Low-Bronze literally hanging over her, she could see how many ways things might have gone sideways.

She wondered if that strange cauldron had something to do with the size of the blast. The way it jolted her hand and lit up after she touched it was suspicious. The truth was though, it could’ve been any number of things. She had assumed the result of her ‘distraction’ would be small without any factual basis. She had no alchemical training and knew nothing about the ingredients she used other than the information on their labels.

She had made a terrible mistake.

As a direct result of her actions, two mortals and a fellow cultivator were killed, and many more were injured. She could hardly believe how it had come to this. She had set out to seek justice for Aiden, and now it wouldn’t be surprising if people were seeking justice for those guards who died. At this point, was she any better than Ol’ Man Whisper? She couldn’t even ease her guilt by paying a blood price to the families that were affected. Any indication that the explosion was purposefully caused by someone could spell her or her family’s doom if there was an in-depth investigation.

When she was mortal, she resented cultivators for how they seemed to move through life without consideration of others. They damaged businesses, hurt people, and generally caused mayhem wherever they went. She didn’t believe that the protective services they offered the people of Yivesh were worth the trouble that followed them. If the ‘her’ from just a handful of months ago saw the current her, Samantha had no doubt the current her would be branded a monster. She had killed a man in anger, brawled and injured others for money and entertainment, feuded with another family so fiercely that three of its members were exiled to the next floor, stolen, lied, and now killed three innocent people just doing their jobs.

Maybe she was becoming a monster… but she didn’t feel like one. She felt like a person who was faced with impossible choices. Not so long ago she was just a 17 year old girl who’s most pressing concern was what she would wear and who she would marry, but now she could get her entire family wiped out if she did the wrong thing. She had become a cultivator because she was tired of being subject to the whims and biases of those with more power, but even with the new power she had gained nothing had really changed in that regard. Perhaps she had been judging cultivators as a whole too harshly. It was an unexpectedly difficult path to walk, and fraught with unintended consequences. She could understand now why so many cultivators cut ties with their mortal family or became distant like Thomas had.

She had to get stronger fast. Strong enough so that when she ascended to the next floor she wouldn’t be so easily forced to capitulate to the next ‘Lord Braxand’, whoever that ended up being. She didn’t fool herself into believing there would ever be a point where she was the strongest, but she didn’t have to be. Just like the Big Three of this city, she only needed to make it too costly to threaten or go against her. This elixir, as dangerous as she suspected it was, was her path to that freedom.

As her mind swirled with thoughts and her heart became heavier, Samantha tried to distract herself by mulling over the contents of the Braxand manual again.

*Combat Art: Indomitable Body

Expend 1 qi point to saturate a chosen body part with fortifying energy, temporarily increasing the Resilience of that part by 5 points for 3 seconds or until the energy is spent absorbing damage.*

Note: This technique has been tested and honed by the Braxand family for generations after an ancestor discovered a similar art while opening their third eye during a cultivation rank increase.

Recommendations: Multiple areas can be fortified simultaneously at additional qi cost, though it is not recommended to simply fortify the entire body. The most efficient defensive use of the art is to fortify an area targeted by your enemy right before damage is taken. The most efficient offensive use of the art is to strengthen a limb you are going to use in an attack that would normally cause self-injury.

Noteworthy Historical Usages: …

Despite the cost to get this tome, she was thankful she had learned of such a powerful technique before she ascended. This would be one of the most potent arts in her repertoire by far–second only to perhaps Flawless Regeneration.

There was no way that she could have fully learned the fortifying art in the few hours she had with the book, but it was more than enough time to carefully study each page and leverage her mind meridian to memorize the contents. She wished that the manual had the recipe for the elixir that went along with learning the technique so she could make a copy for Thomas, but she could understand why the Braxand’s would keep that information separate. The potion was essentially a ‘lock’ on the combat art, preventing it from being easily taught to others.

The elixir itself–as explained later within the manual–was a shortcut of sorts. It allowed for a person to utilize the art even if they did not have the relevant meridians open, albeit with diminished effectiveness. It opened ‘false’ pathways alongside the needed meridians which would eventually be absorbed once the appropriate channels were opened by the cultivator. The book was frustratingly vague on which meridians were important for the art though, probably by design.

When she felt power equal to a Peak Copper begin filling the tunnel, she paused. Given their location, the qi had to be coming from the potion (rather than another cultivator just happening to take a stroll through the sewers), but it felt different than it had less than a day ago. It felt… stronger.

“It’s too small for you up ahead. I’ll go get the elixir and be right back.” Silas informed her before hopping down an outlet channel too narrow to even get her head comfortably into.

Samantha knew upon feeling the waves of energy pouring into the space that she had to drink the elixir now rather than carry it around with her above the surface until she ascended. She couldn’t pretend that the aura it gave off was hers since it felt like a Peak Copper’s killing intent, and if she was caught walking around with the unique item there was no doubt the Ruler would take it back for himself from her cold, dead hands.

Besides, she was concerned about how consuming a medicinal intended for a Peak Bronze would affect her as it was. It was scary enough when it only felt like a Mid or High Copper’s killing intent, considering she had never heard of an elixir giving off anything other than the faintest aura of qi before. If this potion could get more potent than now she didn’t know if even the sublime healing pill could bring her back from whatever nasty side effects she’d need to endure.

Silas brought the small vial back proudly in a vest pouch and presented it to her.

“Here! Safe and hidden, just like you asked.” he beamed.

“Thanks, Silas. I’m hoping that this is really going to help us.” Samantha praised, taking the glass container gingerly from him.

Sensing her anxiety, Silas asked, “You’re doubting your decision?”

“Not exactly. I’m just worried about what this will be like for, well, the both of us. We could both die if things go badly. At the very least, I’m expecting this experience to be unpleasant.”

“Don’t worry about me. I can take it.” Silas said confidently.

“You can take dying?” Samantha joked, trying to lighten her mood.

“Well, I’d rather not… but I’ve endured pain before. Pain can happen a lot and last a long time. Dying only happens once and is over quickly.”

This thought process was strangely comforting to her. Still, she couldn’t help but ask, “You wouldn’t be upset at all? It wouldn’t make you mad if I did something that killed us both?”

Silas looked back at her confused, “How can you be upset when you’re dead?”

Samantha burst out into laughter at the small Jackalope’s response, “Thanks for that--that perspective actually makes this decision easier for me. In all seriousness, I don’t think we’ll actually die if I drink this. I think that it’s more likely that my cultivation base would be damaged or broken. If that happens… well, I guess that missing the deadline to ascend will be a moot point and we can stay here instead.”

“Does the thought make you relieved?” Silas inquired.

“Which thought?”

“Of having the choice taken from you. Of having your cultivation broken early and staying here?”

This was the first time Silas had ever asked her such a question. Usually when they communicated the concepts and topics were straightforward and simple–what certain things did or were called, battle strategies, and plans for the day. Being curious about Samantha’s feelings towards a complex personal problem was new territory for their conversations, and she wondered if this was intellectual capacity Silas possessed previously or had only recently gained.

Samantha looked down to the potion in her hand and really considered how to answer. If she could be completely honest and vulnerable with anyone, it was her bonded companion.

“When I first received that hidden quest I thought I didn’t have any choice because I didn’t know what the consequences of failing it would be. After talking to Ol’ Man Whisper and learning more about what would happen to me if I stayed, it took away some of the mystery and fear surrounding the quest. Unfortunately, even if I did choose to stay on this floor, I wouldn’t be able to continue to live in Yivesh. I don’t trust Ol’ Man Whisper to leave me or my family in peace if I stayed. It wouldn’t be hopeless, though. With the 100 gold I just got, I could hire another cultivator to escort us to another place and I could live out my life in relative comfort. There are surely towns far enough away that the Braxands’ influence couldn’t reach us...”

“Is that what you would want? You could just dump out the potion now and we could leave with everyone right away for somewhere new.”

“I… it’s not that simple I don’t think. The problem is that I want conflicting things. I want to stay with my family and I want to be safe, but I also want to grow stronger, fulfill my potential, and have control over my life. I’ve been thinking a bit about things, and I believe refusing to ascend is stepping off the cultivator’s path. The System only really becomes active once you start pursuing cultivation, and Ol’ Man Whisper said that choosing not to ascend marked him as ‘unworthy’ before it abandoned him. It would make sense then that ambition is a foundational part of what makes a cultivator. Would I really be able to live out the rest of my extended life and be satisfied? When my parents have died and Thomas has moved on with his own life and family, when I grow old–perhaps with a family of my own–and look back on my experiences, will I believe that I did all I could?”

As Samantha spoke, her resolve hardened, “No… I need to do this for myself. I have a gut feeling that whatever is beyond the ascension obelisk is too much for me to handle right now. Even with my training I'm afraid it won’t be enough to face what’s next. So, to answer your original question, I do feel relieved in a way. The only choice that I have now is to take this elixir or not. If I choose not to take this, I might as well give up on being a cultivator entirely and step off the path. This is a rare opportunity many would kill for, and that I in fact did kill for. Dumping this potion is proof enough that I don’t have the ambition required to go further. If I choose to take it, I will have at least proven to myself that I acted with courage and decisiveness in pursuit of becoming a true cultivator. At that point, whether I ascend or not will be up to the results of that ambition.”

She could feel Silas’s acceptance and pride as he replied, “Then let’s do it. I will support you all the way, whatever happens.”

Samantha looked around for a spot that was relatively free of filth to sit down. She resisted the urge to be sick as she avoided the unidentifiable puddles and chunks scattered around the area, but blessedly found one tunnel that was relatively clean. This was definitely not the ideal environment for cultivating or advancement of any kind, but she couldn’t be too choosy. At least here, 50 feet or so below the streets of Yivesh, no one would sense what changes were happening.

Samantha took a few deep breaths to center herself, then nearly gagged as she got a mouthful of sewer air. Upon reflection, perhaps deep breathing exercises weren’t the best in this situation. Once she recovered, she gave Silas an encouraging pat as he rested nearby, and downed the flavorless silver liquid in one gulp.

*Ding* Congratulations! You’ve solidified the core concept of ‘Ambition’ in both thought and deed.

*Ding* Congratulations! As your first core concept, ‘Ambition’ has been revealed as your foundational tenet. ‘Ambition’ will influence the acquisition and impact of all other core concepts going forward. Rejoice and beware! It is often said that those with Ambition as their foundation walk paths that lead to the highest peaks, but they also risk suffering the farthest of falls. Step carefully along the roads of rulers and gods, lest you stumble and descend into the realm of fools.

New Body Cultivation Types will be unlocked upon reaching Low Bronze.

Seeing these notifications, some information she had previously counted among strictly esoteric knowledge now made sense. During her times studying in the Athenaeum and trying to understand ‘Xiao Qian’s Compendium of Efficient Art Formation’, Samantha had picked up more than just information that could immediately help her in a duel. She had also read up on more advanced cultivation techniques and theory that she didn’t have access to before she became a cultivator.

Cultivation, at least at the Copper level, emphasized condensing qi. If a Low Copper’s qi could be envisioned as having a mist or vapor-like quality, a Peak Copper’s qi was on the brink of beading up into drops of liquid. It was when that liquid finally condensed and a cultivator had to form a core to contain it that they advanced to Low Bronze. This unique core would have different qualities based on what they had accomplished thus far– such as which meridians were opened, how they approached forming the core itself, and the tenets or core concepts that they valued. This, in turn, would affect what kind of Body Cultivation Types a cultivator could or could not embody.

Samantha had thought that the ‘tenets or core concepts’ a person valued was a bit of a vague addition. She had eventually settled on the idea that it was something like a personality trait or a personal belief. This definition made sense, since the core was a sort of spiritual manifestation of the person themselves and thus their beliefs would clearly affect its formation. She realized now though that the description was much more literal. A core concept was something that the System actually recognized from a person’s thoughts and actions.

Before she could analyze the notifications further, a gentle heat originating from her center began to spread through her body and left a trail of invigoration in its wake. Every part of her felt empowered, and Samantha felt like she had gained some form of invincibility with how marvelous she felt.

The changes had already begun, and she didn’t have the luxury of allowing herself to become distracted.

Using meditation and her spiritual senses to look inwards, she was amazed to see that the elixir had created a sort of mini qi nexus within her. Her dantian easily absorbed the energy from the artificial fount without much conscious direction from her–a useful effect of the elixir if she had to guess. As her dantian was quickly filling to the brim, Samantha determinedly worked to condense its contents.

At first, Samantha’s progression was catapulted to unbelievable heights as the near-bottomless well of qi within fueled her advancement. She was thrilled that what would have initially taken weeks or months of consistent effort to achieve was instead attained in minutes. At this rate, she could break through to Peak Copper in less than an hour. She could see energy flowing down the thread of her spirit bond rapidly strengthening Silas as well.

That excitement quickly turned to frustration when the speed at which power flowed into her dantian continued to increase to the point where she could no longer harvest and capture all of it. That which she could not efficiently condense either overflowed into her open meridians or was expelled into the external environment. With each escaped burst of energy she inwardly cursed. She could practically feel the wasted potential as the power slipped from her control.

It was when her meridians also reached capacity that her frustration morphed into worry.

The pleasant, almost comforting internal warmth she had experienced so far quickly turned feverish.

Samantha clutched at her stomach which painfully began gurgling with blistering heat, and a cold sweat broke out over her body as her stomach tried to reject the elixir. She briefly stopped cultivating as she was distracted by the pain, gasped a mouthful of sewer-flavored air, and fought back the urge to vomit. The pain escalated as the still-increasing flow of qi flooded her cultivation pathways and swelled her meridians as they were edged beyond their limits. A squeak of pain from Silas let her know that she wasn’t the only one suffering either.

Sensing imminent danger, Samantha gritted her teeth and clamped down on the vapor in her dantian with an iron-clad will. She was determined to benefit as much as she could from the elixir, and redoubled her efforts to not let even a single scrap of potential vanish from her grasp.

Unfortunately, her desire alone was not enough to stop or control the ever-increasing surges of power and she felt her cultivation system begin to sustain damage from the overflow. During one particularly potent burst from her internal nexus, a small tear opened along her heart meridian and qi began trickling into the surrounding tissues. The flesh reacted painfully to the qi exposure, shriveling away from the raw energy.

In a desperate bid to contain more of the qi and prevent her overloaded meridians and dantian from rupturing further, Samantha opted to break the rule of the Golden Ratio and began opening more meridians. By her logic, she only needed to free up more space in her cultivation system to relieve the pressure. She decided to start with her right foot since that would increase Flurry’s usefulness and lessen the chance that she would hurt herself when using it.

*Ding* Congratulations, you’ve opened your right foot meridian! +1 Agility gained, +2 to Qi pool.

*Ding* Temporary qi pathway for Swift absorbed into right foot meridian! Baseline Swift efficiency increased by 25%. Changes have been made to ability description.

*Ding* Temporary qi pathway for Flurry absorbed into right foot meridian! Baseline Flurry efficiency increased by 25%. Changes have been made to ability description.

Samantha had always been curious about how exactly her bond abilities worked, since none of them required any open meridians even though some were clearly targeted towards one body part or another. This notification suggested that bond abilities had a similar functionality to the elixir that went along with the Indomitable Body technique. Temporary pathways were opened up when you learned the ability so that anyone could use it, though at a detriment to efficiency.

Samantha felt the pressure on her cultivation system ease slightly as the energy equalized throughout her body. Her new foot meridian eagerly drank up the qi until it too began to reach capacity and the pressure began building again–though slower than before. Her idea had worked, but it wasn’t enough. She needed more open meridians. She decided to increase the efficiency of her abilities further and opened the meridian in her other foot.

*Ding* Congratulations, you’ve opened your left foot meridian! +1 Agility gained, +2 to Qi pool.

*Ding* Temporary qi pathway for Swift absorbed into left foot meridian! Baseline Swift efficiency increased by 25%. Changes have been made to ability description.

*Ding* Temporary qi pathway for Flurry absorbed into left foot meridian! Baseline Flurry efficiency increased by 25%. Changes have been made to ability description.

This second new meridian was not as easy to open as the first, but the overwhelming pressure her internal nexus provided allowed her to eventually clear it out. She was starting to get tired, but this meridian was already starting to fill up as well. She had enough energy for one more meridian though, so she moved on to working on the next meridian she suspected would increase ability efficiency.

*Ding* Congratulations, you’ve opened your right leg meridian! +1 Strength gained, +3 to Qi pool.

*Ding* Meridian synergy detected: Right leg, right foot. +0.5 Agility gained, +0.5 Strength gained, +1 to Qi pool.

*Ding* Temporary qi pathway for Swift absorbed into right leg meridian! Baseline Swift efficiency increased by 25%. Changes have been made to ability description.

*Ding* Temporary qi pathway for Flurry absorbed into right leg meridian! Baseline Flurry efficiency increased by 25%. Changes have been made to ability description.

Samantha felt like that third meridian was near impossible to open. While the first couple had come relatively quickly and easily, she had to struggle against the rock-hard detritus in the right leg for what felt like ages before it showed any sign of giving way. She exhausted herself from the effort of cultivating and opening so many meridians back to back, but the immediate benefits she gained were undeniable. Now, with the unexpected notification about meridian synergy she couldn’t help but reach for one final meridian before she stopped.

According to the Golden Ratio she had already opened as many meridians as a Low Bronze should have, meaning she’d likely have a difficult time opening more until Mid Bronze. Considering the fact that her progression would be slowed after breaking the ratio, she decided to push the limits of her endurance further while she had ample opportunity to advance. Perhaps it had something to do with her new core tenet of ambition, but she felt the bonuses from the synergy combined with the increase in efficiency to her abilities was too tempting a prize to pass up.

After a monumental struggle that felt like she was pushing an impossibly large boulder up a steep incline, she finally received the notification she was looking for.

*Ding* Congratulations, you’ve opened your left leg meridian! +1 Strength gained, +3 to Qi pool.

*Ding* Meridian synergy detected: Left leg, left foot. +0.5 Agility gained, +0.5 Strength gained, +1 to Qi pool.

*Ding* Temporary qi pathway for Swift absorbed into left leg meridian! Swift has reached maximum efficiency. Changes have been made to ability description.

*Ding* Temporary qi pathway for Flurry absorbed into left leg meridian! Flurry has reached maximum efficiency. Changes have been made to ability description.

Samantha felt a mix of both elation and dismay. Elation because she never dreamed of making so much progress in such a short amount of time. Dismay because, just like the meridians before it, the new leg meridian absorbed the unceasing energy within her and in no time became full. She had only delayed the inevitable.

The minutes ticked by agonizingly slowly as more small tears began to open across all of her meridians. Her body seized with pain as her spirit and flesh clashed dangerously together–a torment she guessed few cultivators ever experienced. Even in battle, an opponent could not easily inject their raw qi into someone and cause them damage due to the natural defenses a person’s cultivation system afforded. That energy would either be immediately forced back out of the body, or harmlessly absorbed by the one who was attacked. This, however, was no foreign-entity’s qi. Due to the qi originating from her own body, Samantha’s cultivation system did not reject it or attempt to reabsorb it–not that the overloaded system could take anymore abuse anyway. She couldn’t even repair the holes in her meridians with Flawless Regeneration since that art only healed physical wounds.

Her only hope for a full recovery was that the rank up to Peak Copper would restore her tattering meridians and she could perhaps search for a solution while her third eye was opened. The trouble was that she didn’t know if she could last the extra few minutes to reach that rank up.

Her dantian ached and groaned under the strain, and the next notification she received only confirmed how dire a position she was in.

*Ding* WARNING! Cultivation base collapse is imminent. Cease cultivation.

During normal cultivation, having intense internal qi pressure would actually be beneficial for Samantha’s advancement, as that was what allowed for dantian compression in the first place. The problem was the speed at which the pressure was increasing. Normally, a person’s cultivation system would have time to adapt to the changes and would naturally stretch and expand to accommodate things. As it stood now, she couldn’t keep up and was fit to burst, but she couldn’t stop even if she wanted to.

The new meridians had helped but it didn’t slow the process down enough to adjust fully, and though some energy was escaping her body entirely, not all of it could. Even as she attempted to willingly vent some of the qi herself or futilely try and activate arts, the amount was miniscule compared to what the nexus was producing. She only needed to hold out a few more minutes until breaking through to Peak Copper though, so there was one more thing she hadn’t tried yet.

“S-Silas. How are you handling things? I’m in trouble, can you take more?” Samantha asked hopefully. She had never actively fed Silas power before, since the process of his siphoning off some of her cultivation was passive. She could, however, see the bond connecting them and the energy flowing through it. By directing the energy towards the binding thread similarly to when she was opening a meridian, she should be able to force some qi through.

“I’m fine. It hurt a bit at first but I’ve gotten used to it. I can take it.” he said confidently. Samantha was glad that she had shouldered most of the strain thus far, and that As One did not seem to activate against the spiritual damage she was accruing. She only hoped that she wouldn’t accidentally hurt Silas too.

“Get ready then, I’m sending power your way.”

Samantha visualized partially damming up the river of power flowing out of the nexus and redirected the newly formed stream towards the spirit bond. As the bond sucked in the energy and directed it outside of herself and into Silas, the strain she felt was instantly alleviated. Unfortunately, there was only so much that Silas and the gossamer-thin strand could take from her. Once Silas reached his limit as well the pressure would possibly crush them both.

Silas squeaked in pain and surprise when the first new drops of power reached him, but she could sense his determination. For the next several minutes both companions worked to keep each other afloat in the sea of qi. When Silas was about to reach his limit and be harmed, Samantha pulled back on the amount of power she fed him. When Samantha’s cultivation system threatened to collapse Silas actively pulled more energy through the bond to help her. As each party pushed and pulled qi through their binding thread, it began to change. The thin string thickened and grew brighter, until it looked roughly like a blue string of yarn or twine in Samantha’s senses.

*Ding* Congratulations, you’ve strengthened your spirit bond with Silas!

Few cultivators would share more power than required with their bonded companion. By choosing to widen the binding thread, you have increased the amount of energy that will be passively siphoned from you while cultivating. This will slow your progression, but enhance the growth speed of your bond.

+1 Bond Ability Point awarded for this feat!

New Bond Abilities have been unlocked!

As Samantha and Silas struggled to maintain the balance and stave off disaster, the minutes rolled by and she crept ever closer to Peak Copper.

*Ding* Congratulations, your Spirit Bond has increased in rank (Rank 4 Mid -> Rank 4 High)

Silas has received +1 to Strength, +1 to Agility, and +1 to Resilience. You have received +1 Bond Ability Point.

The pressure eased once more as Silas ranked up and his capacity for qi slightly increased. Before long, Samantha received her own notification.

*Ding* Congratulations, you’ve broken through to Peak Copper!

You’re a cultivator who embodies dichotomy and contradiction. While being amongst the top percentile for advancement speed and open meridians, you are amongst the bottom percentile for attribute levels relative to your peers.

For being bonded to a spirit beast at the time of your advancement, +1 Bond Ability Point.

Samantha prepared for her third eye to drag her into a confusing vision once again and needing to frantically search for some art or technique to help her through this tribulation. However, what she saw next was not like anything she’d expected.

Samantha looked down from her perch in the corner of the room, observing her bonded human speak with his master Zhao. Her bonded had been preparing for this day for the greater part of a year. First, he opened his heart meridian so he could fully utilize the shared bond ability Flawless Regeneration. The potent healing art would be necessary for enduring the destruction and rebirth of his body. Next, he gathered many alchemical concoctions, spirit pearls, and enchanted items to assist him as worked through the transformation. Finally, he found a secluded place to attempt rebirth, in case things went wrong. Soon they would be left alone on this mountaintop to either emerge from the purifying flames with new life, or be burnt to ashes.

“Farewell, master. I’ll see you again soon!” he said cheerfully. Despite his outward confidence, she could feel his concerns through their bond.

“Yes, I’ll have some fine wine ready for when you’re finished. Don’t forget what we spoke about.” Zhao replied equally cheerfully.

Zhao departed quickly, and her human took up the lotus position in the center of the room. “Are you ready, Feng?” her little human asked her.

“Death and I are old friends. I’m not worried for myself.” she said.

“Well, maybe you could put in a good word for me then? Tell them to hold off on meeting with me though.” he joked.

She sighed, “Death is impartial. But, as always, I will do what I can to hold it at bay for you. You always say you don’t wish to meet them, but your actions tell a different story.”

“Isn’t that why we make such a good pair? Only someone who dances along the knife edge between life and death can be a fitting partner for one of your kind.”

She flapped her wings in amusement, “I think you’ve already lost your balance. Hopefully my next partner will be more competent.”

He only shrugged in response, “That would hardly be any fun for you, would it? Besides, you have enough competence for the both of us!”

She let out a caw of laughter, “Are you finally admitting that I’m the reason you’ve survived this long? It’s about time.”

He pulled out a glowing blue bottle from the satchel that was sitting nearby and held it briefly in his lap. His lightheartedness turned somber as he said, “Yeah… I guess I am. Thanks Feng, for everything. I really did luck out when you offered to bond with me all those years ago. It’s been a grand adventure. I hope that whenever it ends, we can meet again in the next one.”

“Nonsense. Don’t get sentimental on me now. We’ll get through this together and come out stronger, just as we always have.”

He swallowed the potion and nodded, “I hope so.”

Feng shifted to her spiritual form and entered his body through their binding thread, taking up residence in his dantian which was becoming more turbulent by the second. The concentrated qi he consumed ravaged his cultivation system as his open meridians struggled to contain the unbridled power. She felt his panic as he was already losing control of the process.

“Be calm. I am here with you. You have trained for this, remember? Like your master said, push the qi out of your tributaries and saturate the surrounding flesh. I will help with the injuries you can’t heal yourself.”

His emotions stabilized as her words acted as an anchor in the sea of qi, and he found a rhythm of rebirth. He started with the extremities, pushing the energy through the countless tributaries connected to his open meridians. The qi desiccated whatever it touched and caused his body to shrink in on itself as it forcibly expelled impurities out of the flesh. In the wake of necessary destruction, the qi would saturate what was left and Flawless Regeneration would return it to a healthy state. As a result, the flesh would be ‘reborn’ as closer to perfection–stronger, more durable, and more responsive to qi.

He did well at converting the areas he could reach easily through open meridians, as those were the fastest and least painful. It was when he moved on to the areas without open meridians–where he struggled to control how much qi was passed through the tributaries--that he made his first costly mistake.

When working to convert his lungs, he saturated too much of the vital organ at once which caused the entire thing to collapse in on itself. At his stage of cultivation, he could feasibly go for hours without breathing, but that didn’t change the fact that the discomfort was incredibly distracting. That distraction would be his doom if he could not reign in his primal instincts.

Feng assisted in repairing the damage, but couldn’t force the lungs to re-inflate. His main plan of action would need to be to finish the process and deal with the collapse after the fact. It wouldn’t take long to fully convert his body so long as the energy kept flowing.

Unfortunately, his stress combined with the fact that he was trying to push to finish quickly caused him to make even more mistakes.

Feng watched from within helplessly as her Flawless Regeneration began to be outpaced by the cascading damage and her bonded–her friend–began to die. He writhed in silent agony as organ after organ began to shrivel and fail, the filth and blood from impurities being expelled pooling in a murky circle around him. He stopped all attempts to heal himself with Flawless Regeneration, and Feng made a risky decision in a last attempt to save his life.

She exited his body and rushed to the satchel in her physical form, grabbing every potion and pill within and forcing him to consume them–though she didn’t know what everything did. One of these at least had to be some sort of healing item.

She watched in horror and misery as his condition briefly improved, only to decline once again. His limbs curled up like a dead spider as his entire body shriveled and seemed to mummify before her eyes. She felt the thread between them be pulled taut, and she cried out in sorrow as it finally snapped.

She laid her body across his corpse as the nexus was freed from its confines and consumed them both in an orb of raw qi, burning everything away. It didn’t feel like the flames of her rebirth at all. It was cold and unkind.

“May we meet again in the next adventure.”

“--am! Samantha! Come back!” a voice urged her.

Samantha? What an usual name.

“You need to come back! I need you.” Silas pleaded.

And then she remembered.

Samantha screamed as she yanked herself from the vision and her heart still ached from the feelings of loss she felt. She sensed Silas’s panic and recognized the problem instantly. In that second when she opened her third eye and lost control of her senses, Silas had taken on the entire burden of the nexus to prevent her from being torn apart. She immediately pulled back on the qi flow and equalized the load between them. A small, naïve part of her hoped that the increasing pressure would ease up any moment now, but even as she had this thought the internal nexus was gaining in potency.

Thankfully her meridians were freshly repaired and were already beginning to expand slightly to reflect her new cultivation rank. She noticed immediately that the pathways were more resilient than before, and flexed more when pressurized instead of tearing. These minor changes didn’t buy her much time though.

She cursed the elixir and also her ambition. Would she only get respite after she was ripped in half?

Samantha pulled out the sublime healing pill and popped off the cork sealing the vial in preparation to consume it. She had gotten into the habit of having Silas consume medicines because there were no negative effects for him, but that also meant the effectiveness was diminished for her because it had to be passed to her through their bond. In this case, both the elixir and the pill were high-grade medicines with low amounts of impurities, so she didn’t need to worry about toxicity. She should be able to handle taking both, and then could benefit from the majority of its healing effects. The injuries she took from her own cultivation system did not activate As One anyway, so she didn’t worry about Silas not receiving the care he needed.

“Silas, you still have some healing herbs and items from our duel, right?”

“Yes, why?”

“I need you to eat all of them if you start to see me shrink.”

“Shrink? What do you mean, shrink?”

Samantha concentrated on the visual of the cultivator shriveling up and sent the image to Silas.

“Oh.”

When Samantha ranked up and opened her third eye, she would sometimes stumble upon whatever would be the most helpful at the time–provided she emerged from the experience with her mind intact. This happened when she ranked up to Mid Copper and discovered Flawless Regeneration, and expected other cultivators experienced something similar based on the descriptions about how the Braxand family discovered the Indomitable Body art. She had to believe that this most recent vision was the same.

If the qi raging within her was going to try and break free of her meridians anyway, she might as well control the process as best as she could and get something out of it. She could only hope that she could saturate her body with enough qi so that it eased up on the pressure.

Samantha started with her feet since they were the furthest from anything vital and this was a new process for her.

Even fully expecting the discomfort, she screamed as she felt the flesh die and then painfully tingle back to life when she healed it. Blessedly, the distressing process did what she needed most–it slowed the pressure building in her meridians. As the points from her qi pool were constantly spent on Flawless Regeneration and replenished by the nexus, the pressure dropped to a near manageable level.

Encouraged by the progress, she moved up her legs, forcing herself to tolerate the sensation of death and rebirth. She had almost gotten used to the sensation by the time she completed both legs, but still wasn’t comfortable tackling the open meridians of heart and mind that were connected to vital organs. So, she moved on to her hands and arms instead.

Her resolve faltered as the sensation of accessing parts of her body with closed meridians was nearly unbearable. When the flesh first died it felt like she stabbed herself with a branding iron. Then, just when that burning pain began to ease with healing, the limb started to feel like it had blood flow returning to it after hours of being ‘asleep’--only much, much worse. She could understand now why in the vision the other cultivator had lost control of the process. Her progress slowed as she fought through the pain as best she could, but she was quickly losing hope.

As her speed at converting her body slowed down, the pressure began building once again. This was unsustainable. She couldn’t take her time and play things safe or else she would explode before she was finished.

“Silas, I changed my mind. Eat the medicines now.” she commanded, mentally preparing for what was about to happen.

“Stay strong Sam. We can do this.” he encouraged, following her instructions.

Samantha downed the sublime healing pill, and a new wave of soothing power washed over her. Then, she fully committed to conversion rather than healing.

Samantha spread the purifying energy through multiple parts of her body at once instead of focusing on one area at a time. The only ‘comfort’ she allowed herself was to avoid all vital organs and save them for last, ensuring she would not accidentally kill herself outright. The energy spread through her body like a disease, decaying all that it touched before almost immediately being healed. Her screams echoed through the sewers as she was constantly broken down and rebuilt, but she persisted in destroying herself. She instinctively understood after the vision that this was a process that could not be stopped part way.

The one thing that kept her sane was the occasional burst of soothing, revitalizing energy of the healing pill. Whoever had made the item had included ingredients that numbed pain as healing occurred–or maybe Samantha was just losing the feeling throughout her body. All other thoughts, feelings, and sensations left her as her consciousness was consumed by purifying fire.

Once all extremities and non-vital organs had been converted, she turned her attention inwards to try and give her mind a small separation from the vast pain and trauma she had just experienced. As impossible as staying calm and collected felt, the last remaining organs were the most important to be careful with: the brain, heart, and lungs. If she made an irreparable mistake at this stage, so close to completion, it will have all been for nothing.

“Silas, I need to slow down for this final part. Take on as much energy as you can handle.” she said, remembering how the cultivator’s rushed process was his downfall in her vision.

He sent her an affirmative and she felt the pressure in her meridians ease.

Samantha started with the lungs, because at least she had some knowledge about what not to do. She took a more active role in healing herself again even as the healing pill’s power still affected her, refusing to take any chances on not healing quickly enough considering the lack of control she’d have. She utilized Flawless Regeneration to fix up the parts of her lungs that took damage, and slowly but surely she succeeded in converting the first vital organ.

Next, she tackled the heart, not wanting her clarity of thought to be affected by working on the brain first. Unlike with the lungs, her open heart meridian made this conversion go much more quickly and smoothly. Regrettably, she still ran into some issues. She had to fight off the primal terror of having her heart stop and start repeatedly whenever she overtaxed her heart and caused it to stutter. This was a mistake she couldn’t afford to make with her brain.

She could feel Silas straining himself to the limit, but she absolutely could not rush this last organ. She worked to calm her nerves and carefully started converting her mind.

The brain was by far the most challenging of all the organs to convert. Every time she flooded a part of it with qi, a raging headache would crop up accompanied by a slew of disconcerting side effects. Bleeding from her eyes, ears, and nose, loss of her senses, brain fog, phantom pain, hallucinations… everything an alchemist could possibly warn her about when prescribing a medicine she experienced. After several careful minutes of work, the last of her flesh expelled its impurities and she found herself irrevocably changed.

She received a new notification as her spirit thrummed with new power, as if signaling its approval of her efforts.

*Ding* Congratulations! You have successfully saturated your body with qi and completed the first stage of spiritual transfiguration.

Your aptitudes for Strength, Agility, Endurance, and Resilience have increased.

Your dantian, meridians, and tributaries have been expanded, doubling your qi pool capacity and regeneration rate.

Changes have been made to your status page.

Samantha took back the majority of the spiritual load from Silas, her companion collapsing to the ground in exhaustion as she did. The first thing she noticed was that her expanded cultivation system was much better able to handle the incoming power from the nexus. Instead of being pushed to the point of breaking, it felt closer to an uncomfortable stretch. The experience was still unpleasant, but she was no longer in a state of crisis.

In addition, for the first time since drinking the elixir, she felt the power from her internal nexus stop increasing. The energy output held steady for several minutes as she diligently returned to advancing her cultivation before finally, finally starting to decline. She let out a sigh of relief. She was near the end, at last.

As the qi from the nexus was spent, she pulled up her status page to fully appreciate her gains.

Name: Samantha Cray

Age: 17

Cultivation Level: Peak Copper

Qi pool: Vital Wellspring Cultivation Technique (Mid Copper)

82/82 (+3 qi point/hour [+6 with Sage’s Rumination])

*Excess qi regen currently allocated to Flawless Regeneration

Body Cultivation:

Qi Saturation (x2 to qi pool and qi regeneration)

Heart Meridian (Endurance)

Mind Meridian (Mental Acuity)

*Left Leg and Foot (Strength and Agility)

*Right Leg and Foot (Strength and Agility)

Marks:

Vortex (Dantian)

Core Concepts/ Tenets:

Ambition

Combat Arts:

Flawless Regeneration (Variable cost)

Meridian Requirements: Heart

By cycling qi through your heart meridian and circulatory system, you can repair any physical wound your qi has access to! All regeneration will occur without scarring, incorrectly set bones, or misplaced organs, so crippling injuries are a thing of the past! Qi cost varies greatly based on severity of the damage and the speed at which you want the healing to occur.

Inspect (Base cost 1 qi)

By focusing your spiritual senses on a target, you can get basic information about it. This art will have a higher rate of success for targets at or below your cultivation level and stage. On failure, has a chance to notify the target of your attempt. Extra qi can be expended to learn more details, but the cost will always be a minimum of 1.

Swift (Base cost 0.5 qi/second) [100% efficiency]

For the first 0.5 qi points spent per second, you will gain +2 agility. For each additional 0.5 qi points spent per second, gain +1 agility. After the ability ends agility will return to normal levels

Flurry (Base cost 1 qi/second) [100% efficiency]

By spending 1 qi point per second, your kick speed will be doubled and kick damage will be increased by half.

Passive Arts:

As One

You and your bond share vitality. If one is wounded or healed, the effect is split between the two parties. You will rise or fall as one.

Prey’s Awareness

Passive Effect: Gain increased perception of your surroundings that affects all senses.

Active Effect: Can enter a hyper-focused state that greatly enhances spatial awareness of immediate vicinity (Rank 1: 15 foot sphere)

Poison Connoisseur

Inherit the toxin processing abilities of your bond. You will more easily gain resistances to any poisons you encounter

Blood Toxicity Tolerance - Rank 2

Future blood poisoning will have its effects and duration decreased by 2/3rds.

Corrosive Poison Resistance – Rank 1

Future encounters with corrosive poisons will have their effects and duration decreased by half.

Sleep Poison Resistance - Rank 0

Sage’s Rumination

You have mastered the art of multitasking. Regardless of what your conscious mind is doing, you are

able to maintain a permanent state of meditation, doubling your natural qi regeneration rate.

Attributes:

Strength: 10

Agility: 14

Endurance: 8

Resilience: 6

Spirit Bonds:

Silas (Rank 4 Lunar Jackalope – High)

Strength: 5

Agility: 15

Endurance: 7

Resilience: 6

Bond Ability Points: 4 remaining

Swift (Rank 2 – 2 Points) - For every 0.5 qi point spent per second, you will gain +2 agility. After skill ends, effects will persist for 5 seconds, losing 1/5th of gained Agility per second until the original agility level is reached. Herb Hunter (1 Point) – Like the Lunar Hare, you have an uncanny ability for finding the best quality herbs around. Translucence (Rank 2 - 2 Points) – For every 1 qi point spent, you will become mostly transparent for 60 seconds. All other signs of your presence will be partially muted (sound, smell, aura, etc). Remaining motionless while translucent will make you exceedingly difficult to spot. As One [Special] (Rank 3 – Cost 3 Points) – ????? Energizer [Special] (1 Point) - You and your bond can share vital energies. Pulling energy from your bond will instantly restore some of your qi pool in exchange for increasing the cooldowns for their abilities. Your bond pulling energy from you will reduce their ability cooldowns in exchange for consuming qi from your pool. Antler Genesis (1 Point) - You can spend at least 1 qi point to grow an antler from any bone. Size and shape of the antler can be affected by increasing qi investment during creation. Once disconnected from the body, the antler will continue to exist for 1 minute or until consciously dismissed.