“Concentrate, move faster.”

Ethan moved forwards and punched the air with his right hand, then stepped to the left and launched an uppercut with his left hand.

“Hah… hah… ha...”

“Steady your breath, match your timing.”

Ethan inclined his head and threw a downward right elbow strike, he rapidly rotated his hips and torso to throw another elbow strike, this time it was upwards with his left.

“Master… I need a break.”

Ethan complained as he threw a series of jabs.

“You will break your hand if you punch like that, correct your fist.”

“Like this?”

“Better, remember to match your breath with your attack, inhale to gather energy, exhale to release it, do it at the same time you throw your punch.”

Ethan continued shadowboxing for a couple of minutes until he completed the set of exercises. He looked towards his Master, he nodded, giving permission for Ethan to grab a bottle of water.

Navin and Ethan were in the middle of a desert, there was nothing but sand around them. They had been in this place for 3 days and kept walking in some direction looking for something Ethan didn’t know.

Navin had refused to make Ethan levitate, saying it was necessary for him to learn to use his breathing method while walking, so he had been practicing constantly.

Ethan was panting heavily, drenched in sweat, he had been practicing for 3 hours, it was a training session that included jumping, running, push-ups, squats and practicing the forms of punching and kicking.

All the while using a special breathing method, under the hot sun, on a freaking desert.

Although Ethan had to admit it wasn’t so hot as he imagined, and Navin had made a wooden platform for Ethan to train on.

Magic was very convenient.

Every time Ethan stopped breathing the way Navin had taught him, his Master would notice and immediately call him out on it.

He was very tired and felt every muscle on his body screaming from the exercise, at first it had been very enjoyable, feeling he was in better shape than he had ever been, but as he reached his limit yet kept going, it had been quite a bit painful.

“Alright, sit in the shadow and rest, but don’t just lie there on your back, sit cross-legged and steady your breath.”

“Ugh… alright…”

Ethan reluctantly obeyed and sat under a huge tent Navin had made.

“I know it’s hard at first, but you need to get used to constantly using this breathing method. Can you feel the energies around and inside you more clearly now?”

“Just a little bit more, but I still can’t identify multiple energies, Master.”

Ethan had managed to get a feel for the Qi in the world around him after a whole day of practice, but only a little bit of it and he kept losing track of it, it wasn’t easy to absorb this energy.

“Alright, let’s do this again.”

Navin stood behind Ethan, who was sitting cross-legged, and put a hand on his head, he started channeling Qi into Ethan’s body.

“Straighten your back and close your eyes, feel the Qi I’m putting into you and observe how it moves in your body, make sure to memorize it.”

Ethan obeyed and focused on Navin’s hand that was on his head, there was a warm sensation extending from it down into Ethan’s spine, and from there it started to expand, traveling across the body in a strange way.

The Qi moved across his body, stimulated his internal organs, massaged his muscles, expanded his blood vessels and repaired the bruised skin. There was a special rhythm to it; breathing, heartbeat and Qi flow synchronized to heal, cleanse and strengthen the body while calming the mind.

It was something they did after every training session, Ethan was trying to learn how to do this on his own, his Master said it was an important technique that would help him in many situations and even save his life.

“You have a strong body, you know? All your meridians are opened and they are wider and more resistant than an ordinary human’s. Your muscles are well-developed and your bones are also stronger than normal, it’s like you had already started cultivating before meeting me.”

“Eh? Really? Well, I exercised a bit riding my bike and playing soccer, but I don’t think that’s really more than an ordinary person. Ah, Master, a bike is a small vehicle driven by pedals, it’s made of 2 wheels attached to a metal frame. Soccer is a sport where 2 teams compete kicking a ball to throw it into a net called Goal that’s guarded by the other team.”

Ethan hurriedly explained terms from his world to Navin, if he came from another world he might not know about such things, even if he had traveled across the multiverse there was no guarantee he had been in a similar world who had bikes and soccer. However, his Master just laughed a bit.

“Ethan, I know what bikes and soccer are, but thanks for the explanation, I appreciate the effort.”

“Had you been in a world like mine before, Master?”

“Yeah, there are many worlds like yours, with only one intelligent species dominating the planet and relying on technology due to the absence of magic powers.”

“Oh, that’s cool, what other worlds have you seen?”

Ethan was very curious about Navin’s adventures, during these days they had been on the desert they had talked a lot, and Navin had told many stories to Ethan.

“I have been in many worlds, some were similar to yours, some were so different you’d struggle to make sense of them, there are worlds that use magic, some have robots, some use tamed monsters to fight. Hey don’t open your eyes, focus on your practice. Like I was saying, there are all kinds of worlds out there, with countless types of people, innumerable species, races, and cultures. Even I haven’t visited them all.”

“Amazing, I wish I could see them all.”

Ethan yearned for those kinds of adventures, visiting many different places and meeting new people, he had grown up listening and watching those kinds of tales in books and movies.

“Well, you have already started your journey, haven’t you?”

“Hmm, I suppose.”

Ethan had a bit of a goofy smile on his face as he laughed with his eyes closed, he realized Navin’s words were true, he had indeed already started his journey across dimensions.

“Anyways, we had gone out of track. I was mentioning that your body is extraordinary, but you had never felt anything abnormal in you, right?”

“Well, no… at least not until that catastrophe with the cracks and rifts in space.”

“You said the cracks were everywhere except around you, right?”

Ethan had told his story to Navin already, how he had survived while everyone else on the planet was torn to pieces.

“My guess is that you had a particularly stable body, based on what I can see on you now. That’s what allowed you to stay in place as space cracked around you, you were very lucky. You also said you grew a bit and got more muscular when you fell unconscious in the shower after that event, do you want to know why that happened?”

“Yeah.”

Ethan opened his eyes and turned his head to see Navin, but this time he wasn’t scolded. Navin sat next to him and started to explain.

“You are the only survivor of your species and even of your whole world. You are a Lone Survivor, which is a very painful title but it’s also very special, it means you are unique and that you carry the weight of the survival of your kind on your shoulders.”

His teacher didn’t have his usual smile right now, he had an austere expression as he looked into the distance, then waved his hand in the air and a diagram appeared in the air.

“You know the theory of multiple timelines created when one takes a decision or makes an action, right? Countless possibilities spawning from a source, and as many individuals enter the fray, more situations can be formed, some possibilities disappear and also new ones appear. It is in that huge network of possible scenarios that we live our daily lives, taking a path among the infinite ones.”

One line extended downwards and then divided into two lines that continued to expand and divide again, such a process was repeated over and over as Navin continued speaking.

“You also have games in your world where experience from killing monsters is absorbed by the killer to become stronger, right? That principle also applies to all forms of life in the cosmos, however, it is a bit different, and someone who is not a cultivator would not be able to take advantage of that absorbed life force and ‘experience’. A mortal killing dozens of people won’t become directly stronger although will have some changes in him, like his mentality and behavior, maybe become a bit more skilled in doing it due to repeated action. But a cultivator will advance by leaps and bounds when killing a strong foe, whether it is another cultivator or a monster. We absorb the energy of what we kill. Even in a fight without death, when our forces clash, we gain insights and greater comprehension on our own path by studying our opponent.”

The lines started to combine back, the huge net that had appeared started to contract as all lines joined into one and continued downward.

“But what happens when there is only one individual? What happens when there is only one actor left on stage, only one person to hold the potential of his kind? What happens when thousands of millions of people die at the same time and only one person is left? Even if that person didn’t kill them, he is the only living being capable of taking in all that life force and ‘experience’, so he takes it all in and evolves.”

The single line formed by the combination of the others descended into a human figure and that figure started to shine.

“One person carrying it all, by the will of the cosmos and the instinctual desire for survival of his species, that person who is the Lone Survivor, now possess an immeasurable potential and becomes the Paragon of his species. That’s what you are, Ethan, and that’s the reason for your change.”

When Navin finished his explanation, Ethan’s eyes and mouth were open wide, it took him minutes to close them.

“To put it into the terms of those games you told about and loved to play so much, which are very interesting and contain shards of truth about some of the worlds and species in the Cosmos despite none of them actually existing in your world, you are a level 1 character, but you got a massive boost that made your stats rise until they were like those of a level 30 character.”

“Ehhh… so little, doesn’t seem as impressive as when you said it before.”

Navin poked Ethan’s forehead with his index finger and laughed.

“Greedy kid, you expected to be level 100 or 200? In those games, a character will select jobs and classes to specialize, and its stats will rise differently according to the job/class selected, right? But you didn’t raise your stats irregularly, yours is an overall growth, perfectly balanced. You had unlocked all hidden attributes and possess the capability to learn all Skills. Do you see now? It is by no means a small thing, the ‘You’ right now is a cheat character starting the game with 30 times the strength of an ordinary person.”

Ethan had once again his mouth agape, Navin extended his hand and closed Ethan’s mouth, then put the hand on his shoulder.

“That’s another reason why you have to train constantly, to learn how to control your new strength and use your power properly, otherwise you might hurt yourself or cause problems for those around you. I want you to at least learn to restrain and release your strength at will before we get to a city.”

Ethan stood up and inclined his head towards Navin. It wasn’t a proper bow and it was quick, but Navin understood the gesture and felt the honest emotions of Ethan, it was full of gratitude and respect, and a sign that Ethan was seriously reflecting on his actions.

“Wanna eat a hamburger?”

Navin asked with a huge smile.

Ethan’s eyes shone like stars when he heard that.

“Yes, please!!”

“Right foot, left foot. As you are moving forward, balance is the key.”

Navin half-sang as he directed Aina in her training, she was practicing moving while holding a fighting stance.

“Come on, don’t lower your hands, keep your guard up.”

Navin held two sticks that ended in soft wooden balls, he lightly taped Aina in her head, neck, shoulder and any place unprotected whenever she let her guard down to show her she would be hit by an attack.

It didn’t hurt, but it was annoying to be tapped by those staves, and she didn’t want to make mistakes. She was a fast learner, but she was still unaccustomed to fighting, 3 days of training could only do so much.

“Okay, try to attack now, remember your breathing and the stances.”

“Yes!”

Aina rushed forward, she stepped out with her left foot towards her left, she inhaled as she rotated her hips while raising her right knee pivoting on her left leg, then she extended her right leg and exhaled as her shin made contact with her teacher’s thigh.

“Excellent, now do it again.”

Navin had made his body softer for the sake of her training, if she hit him as he usually was, it would be like hitting a wall of steel, that would only harm her pointlessly, even if he could heal any wound, there was no need to make an unnecessarily harsh training since they were in no rush for making her stronger.

He would increase the difficulty as she improved.

Aina repeated her low kick with her right leg, this time hitting with more strength and taking longer to return to her stance.

Navin used the pole in his left hand to push and rise Aina’s right leg, making her lose balance and fall to the ground.

“Good, but remember to be careful of the recoil and make sure to return to your stance after the attack, otherwise you would be left open to your opponent’s counterattack.”

“Yes, Master!”

“Do it again, then kick with your left leg.”

“Yes!”

Aina was quick and decisive in her movements, she had a strong impetus. It wouldn’t be long before she moved towards more advanced forms of combat, like following an attack with another and learning to use a move to create an opening for the next one.

They kept practicing kicks and footwork until Maria told them lunch was ready.

They were at the foot of a hill near a big city called Buri. If they crossed the hill they would enter the main road and the city would be only 20 minutes away.

Maria said Buri City was one of the wealthiest cities in the Kingdom, it was a cultural and economic center with even its own Order of Knights stationed there.

Due to the importance of Buri City, the City Lord possessed a big status and political influence in the Kingdom.

The city had fortified walls 50 meters tall, with dozens of guards patrolling the walls at all times, many squads of City Watch moved in the streets inside the city keeping public order.

Navin could feel there were runes on the walls and formations across the city, it was part of the defense of any decent city of a world with magic in it, and such an important city for the Kingdom certainly had a high-level array protecting it.

At least, by this world’s standards.

Long lines of people were entering and exiting the city constantly while watched by the guards, some carriages of goods were inspected but no identification was asked, only in case of a legal dispute would proof of identity be required.

Nobles and influential people could skip the queue, it was a benefit of their status and power.

There were thousands of people inside the city, people from many races walked in the streets, talking, buying, selling and interacting in various ways.

It was a place bustling with activity and life.

Humans were the majority, but there were Elves, Dwarves, and Beastkins in the city too.

Magicians, swordsmen, archers and more, there were people from all professions.

In the area around the city, there were many scouts and spies arranged in different positions, they were part of the city’s security ring and information network.

There were also some scouts and spies from different influences stationed both outside and inside the city.

Navin calmly explained to the mother-daughter pair the situation of the Kingdom investigating the cause of the destruction of their village and Lei Clan searching for a child with a special physique of Lightning Affinity. He told them not to worry about it, just remain alert. He assured them that he was stronger than the whole Lei Clan and the Kingdom, nothing could harm them as they were under his protection.

Although he warned them to be cautious and to avoid unnecessary trouble, if it came to a confrontation he would immediately act, he would not allow anyone to bully or hurt them.

They were going into the city under the excuse of getting information about the Kingdom and other countries of this world, but Navin mainly did it for Aina and Maria, he wanted them to relax in the city and enjoy some sight-seeing.

They were comfortable living in the Traveler’s Cabin and had all their needs taken care of by Navin. Food and clothes were provided without restriction so they had no complaints, but Navin wanted them to enjoy the trip more, it wouldn’t be a fun trip if they were constantly hiding or afraid of being hunted down.

So Navin wanted them to visit the city and walk through it with their heads held high, he wanted them to enjoy freedom.

There wasn’t even a need for Navin to enter the city, he had already used his Divine Sense to observe the city and listen to conversations of the people inside, he got an accurate idea of the dealings and customs of the city.

And he was also aware of the inhabitants of the city.

Artorius Lei was staying on Buri City right now, but Navin didn’t really care about it.

A Magus of Lightning was no threat for someone who had ripped the beating heart out of the chest of the Divine Beast of Thunder.

Ethan noticed something as he walked behind Navin: his Master didn’t leave footprints in the sand.

His teacher walked with decisive steps, his back straight and head held high, proud and graceful without looking arrogant. Navin had told Ethan that he should also match breathing to walking, but Ethan hadn’t really understood how to do that. He suspected it would be easier to do it once he learned how to properly channel Qi.

“Master, you mentioned using many energies, but don’t Cultivators only use Qi?”

Ethan asked while walking behind Navin, trying to imitate his way of walking, it was a bit awkward walking with both hands on the back and having his head high made it harder to look where he was stepping, he had almost slipped twice.

Rolling down a sand dune was not something Ethan wanted to try anytime soon.

Navin turned his head towards Ethan but continued walking, he smiled looking at Ethan’s attempt of imitating his posture, but didn’t make any comment about it, instead, he slowed down his footsteps and made his breathing more obvious, he made a colorful haze move across his body matching his Qi movement.

Anytime is good for a lesson and practice is an essential part of his life.

Of course, whether Ethan would be able to pick up the correct way of walking was entirely up to him and the effort he made to comprehend it.

Some things were better when learned via trial and error, and even if Navin told him everything, it was still necessary for Ethan to experience the practice with his own body to fully understand and gain his own insights about it.

Subtly guiding him to the answer and letting him find it will be much more rewarding and satisfactory for both of them.

“Not necessarily. In the stories of your world, Cultivators from Huaxia gathered Qi from the world and used it to become Immortals in a period of many years, right? The term ‘cultivator’ comes from the fact that we gather energies inside us and make it grow, just like cultivating a plant, carefully nurturing it and taking care that it grows healthy and strong. And just like with a plant, when the seed sprouts, the plants grow, the flowers bloom and the tree bears fruits, a fully grown plant doesn’t look like a seed, right? Neither does the Qi of a high stage Cultivator resemble the Qi of a beginner, because it has gone through a set of changes, filtering, channeling, and evolution, increasing both its quantity and its quality. Even in the stories of your world, a higher-level Cultivator will wield higher-level energies, like Elemental Forces, Martial Intent, Astral Qi, Laws of the World and Divine Power.”

Navin’s words carried a strange power in them, he was filling them with Intent, to stimulate Ethan and make him pay more attention to the truth hidden within.

Navin made a book appear on his hand while he walked, this was a book Ethan had given to him, a printed copy of a novel about cultivators, on the cover the title was written on the original language.

Navin made the book float in the air and got it closer to Ethan, two of the characters that made up the novel title started shining and flew out of the cover, becoming big as a human head, then he made the book disappear, leaving only the shining words behind.

Ethan stared at the holograms but continued walking, he kept on trying to use the technique Navin was using.

“The original word in your world for ‘cultivation’ is 修真, Xiūzhēn. Xiū means to cultivate, to build, to repair, to study, and to comprehend; Zhēn means truth, real, and genuine. So together they don’t simply mean cultivation, they mean comprehension, understanding of the truth. And they are correct, because the true essence of being a Cultivator is not to simply gather the energies of the cosmos, but to study and understand them. Becoming immortal is not the goal, but a benefit, a consequence of our studies and practice, and a necessary thing to continue our comprehension to higher levels.”

Navin saw Ethan was deep in thought, carefully analyzing his teachings, repeating his words over and over in his mind.

Each world had its own languages and different names for cultivation, Navin chose to explain using the words from Ethan’s world, since they would be more familiar and hold more meaning for him, even if Ethan didn’t really know that language.

“Every living creature is a cultivator on a basic level, taking life force from the world around them, struggling to survive and extend their lives. Every living being instinctively tries to comprehend the universe full of mysteries that extend beyond their imagination, what makes a true cultivator stand out above the rest of organisms is that we are conscious of this, we willingly go on this Path, making active efforts into comprehending the cosmos.”

Navin raised his right hand to his side with the palm up and made a fireball appear above it, floating in the air.

Ethan stared at the fireball as his teacher continued the lecture.

“A scientist studying combustion in a laboratory to know how a fire starts and understand the process of how chemicals react with each other, transforming matter and releasing energy.”

The fireball started spinning, numerous sparks flew out of it, forming smaller fireballs that danced around the bigger one, like many planets orbiting the Sun.

“A shaman who asks the spirits to grant him the gift of flames, borrowing their power in order to wield fire. A wizard who uses runes to produce fire, with chants to summon it and use it in combat.”

The group of fireballs continued spinning, new shapes emerged from the bigger fireball, miniature phoenixes, dragons, salamanders, golems, fairies, and other creatures made of flames gathered around the fire, walking and flying around it.

“The many creatures born from flames and the organisms that learned to produce flares naturally with their own bodies, those who were touched by its grace and those who made fire be a part of themselves, taking fire into their very souls.”

The figures all started shining and mixed with the bigger fireball once again, and it changed into a sphere of light, then it seemed to open like a curtain, and behind it, a black space with many lights shining could be seen, the cosmos revealed beyond the fire.

“They are all the same, simply looking for a way to see the truth, walking their own paths towards their goal of understanding the cosmos. On that, they are all the same, each one is a cultivator, with varying levels of power and comprehension. But there is one kind who stands above all others, and there is a clear difference between them and the rest.”

The cosmos in the fire started to rotate and contract as Navin slowly raised his hand, his fingers started covering the flames as he closed his hand.

He stopped walking and turned to look at Ethan in the eyes.

“True Powerhouses. The ones who really control the power of the cosmos, those who had truly understood the essence of it and hold it in the palm of their hands. The difference between a real Master and a mere scholar is this: true control of the aspect of the world you have understood in your studies. Don’t become one with the flame; be the hand that commands the fire and bind it to your will.”

Navin closed his hand and ended his speech.

They were at the top of a sand dune. Right in front of them was a black spire, most of the structure was buried under the sand, this was the place Navin had been searching during these 3 days since they arrived at the desert.

Ethan was silent and in contemplation, reflecting on Navin’s words and the figures he had seen in the fire during the lecture.

The Master noticed the light of understanding dancing within his Disciple’s eyes that were shining with a soft golden color as he stared into the distance, deep in thought.

Navin silently looked at the ground behind Ethan then turned his head towards the black spire while a huge joyful smile formed on his face.

At some point during their walk, Ethan’s feet had stopped leaving footprints in the sand.