The dark green minivan stopped at the Dawn Lotus sect’s entry point. The main campus was a wide, open area with multiple large buildings all made with the same red brick. Large vines covered most of the buildings, and along the vines sprouted different kinds of small flowers. It gave the whole campus an ancient flare, impressing upon anyone working or visiting the long history of the sect.

Mara rolled down the window and had a short conversation with the gatekeeper, handing over her and Jade’s identification. As they crossed the threshold to the facilities Jade could feel a tingle pass over her skin. That must be the security formations. They made their way to Mara’s parking spot and got out of the car.

“Good that I had all the materials already prepared and stored here. We need to get them from my desk and then we can head into the chamber.” Mara took out a bag from the car that contained spare clothing and some equipment from her cultivation room back in the apartment.

This was Jades first time in the restricted area, she had only been in the visitor center upfront. She looked around at the place that was illuminated by lights all around. She could still see student’s faculty and some full sect members walking in and out of the buildings.

“It is always like this. Once you get into the higher levels of cultivation you can go longer without sleep, which means there is almost always someone here doing something.” Mara and Jade headed towards the right most building in the campus.

“These are the research labs and offices of the Alchemists. Here I assist the senior alchemists in their projects and concocting. Sometimes, I even get to use the facilities to do my own work.” Mara pointed to the left side of the large two-story building.

Jade could see large chimneys sticking out of that section of the building. These must be needed to get rid of all the smoke and toxic gasses that can occur with pill and potion making. Mara led them into the building going upstairs to the offices. There was a large room with multiple desks and cubicles which must be the workspace for the junior alchemists.

Alchemy was as for the most part theoretical work; practical work would only be done after extensive research or with established recipes. Jade could see all kinds of diagrams, pictures of ingredients and books stacked on the alchemist’s tables.

Mara headed to a desk about midway into the room, whispered some words and waved her hand in front of her desk. Suddenly the upper drawer of the desk opened on his own accord, showing its contents.

This was the first time Jade actually felt the mana used in something her mother did. It was accompanied with a smell, Jasmine. Her mother’s favorite plant. Something to ask about later. Inside the drawer were several porcelain bottles that were covered in a script jade identified as spiritual runes.

She knew of them but could neither read nor write them. They were used in formation carving and mana smithing. The cultivation supplements her mother got must have been more expensive than she initially thought. Cheap stuff usually did not come in this type of container.

“All there, good. Let’s go Jade. The sooner we get there the sooner we can start figuring out your concept.” There was a small gleam in Mara’s eyes that told Jade that her mother was itching just as much as herself to figure this out.

The cultivation chamber was located in a different part of the sect. They left the alchemy building and made their way through the back gardens towards a stairway that led up a forested mountain. The stairs were ascending in levels, each level had a small shrine. Words of the previous generation were engraved on small bronze plaques.

They all supposedly contained the wisdom of centuries of cultivators, to Jade they all looked like empty platitudes or words without much meaning such as.

“The inner self represents the outer self, cultivation changes the soul, and the soul changes the body.”

Another one was:

“He who walks the path to heaven must first leave behind himself, then cross the earth and finally ascend the stairs to the heavenly gates.”

In Jades opinion the elders put these stairs here to give their disciples more exercise and to sound like profound old men and women who knew everything between heaven and earth. You know typical self-important ancient cultivator stuff.

They made their way up the stairs in silence. At the top of the hill stood a building in the shape of an octagonal pavilion. There were nine stories each smaller than the previous one. The higher up you got the better the cultivation chamber.

Mara headed to a chamber on the ground floor. These were the most numerous ones. Also, the ones most used by the sect’s people. There was a reputation like currency in most sects that would be given out depending on status and accomplishments. These contribution points could be exchanged for some materials and services the sect provided, like these cultivation chambers.

Mara went up to one of the doors and held her cultivator ID against the access panel. There was a small beep and the door slid open, cool soothing air exited the chamber, refreshing Jade instantly.

Stepping inside the refreshing feeling went up a few notches, creating a prickly sensation over Jade’s skin. This must be the greater mana density inside the chamber.

The door closed behind them and light went on inside the chamber. There was a large runic formation engraved in the bottom of the room. Next to the entrance was a control panel that let you regulate light and atmosphere inside. Better chambers could even change the mana density or manipulate the mana type.

“Let’s set up, Jade please get my meditation mat and put it in the center of the circle. I will prepare the incense and cultivation aides.”

Jade set up the round meditation mat. Her mother had it made with her first paycheck as a junior alchemist. It increased concentration and helped calm your emotions. Both important things when cultivating.

Mara had by now set up four different incense burners at the four cardinal directions. Each held a different stick of incense. These were made with special ingredients that helped the body accept mana more easily.

After everything was set up Mara gestured Jade to sit in the center of the circle. She herself sat down outside the circle on a cushion they brought with them.

“Are you ready Jade?”

“Yes, I am ready.” Jade replied eagerly.

“Take some deep breaths we have a lot of time. It is best to get into a calm state first.”

Jade went through the meditation exercises she learned in school. Taking slow measured breaths, concentrating on the feelings in her body. One after the other she willed them to slow down. Calm slowly settled over Jade.

“Good. The First step will be to extend the sense you have of your body to the mana that already resides inside it.”

Jade concentrated on her body trying to recreate the feeling she got stepping into the campus and when Mara opened the drawer. She closed her eyes creating an image of her body in her mind. She started with an outline of herself, then she added details. Skin, hair, eyes, nose, and fingernails. Then she went deeper imagining muscles, ligaments, bones, and her blood vessels. Once her body was there fully as it should be, she felt something missing.

Focusing on that feeling she felt a rush of new sensations as she could suddenly feel the mana that sat passively in her body. It was unfocused, a chaotic distribution. There was a fine sprinkling of small crystals distributed evenly in her body. That must be the crystal system that merged with her mana.

“I’ve got it, Mom.”

“Good. The next step is going to be the most difficult for you. Now you must find your Concept, you need to find what it means to you. Once you have that image of your concept we will continue.”

Usually this was the point where you would get help by your cultivation technique and the knowledge of your elder. Most Concepts were already established in their definition. There were always differences in the same Concepts between people but the main idea was the same.

It was actually proven to be more efficient to create your own cultivation technique at this point as it would be more tailored to your version of that specific Concept. But the draw back was that you would have to blaze your own way forward through unknown territory. That is why most people who had an inheritance would use proven cultivation methods. They would make thinks faster overall and you would have guidance by your seniors.

That was not an option for Jade. There were no techniques for Genesis. She could use the empire provided technique. That would be a waste since that technique was low level and would slow progress in exchanges for stability. It was good for the common soldier or if you had nothing else to go on. It also required less cultivation materials, in exchange for less power.

Jade thought on her Concept. Genesis, its definition was origin, source, or root. It was the beginning, the start of something. But her concept was not Origin or source but the word Genesis. It must have a special meaning. So far, she knew Genesis Energy was present in living things like plants. Her stats skill said she could take it from anything and infuse it into anything.

An outrageous thought crossed Jade’s mind. What if her concept was the beginning of everything? The root of the world. The origin of the universe.

“Yes, that thought right there. That was it.”

Mara’s voice rang like a loud echo in her mind. The origin of the universe. What a Concept to get her head around. It didn’t matter, if that was to be her concept she might as well go all in with it.

“Now, Jade focus on my voice and do as I say. That feeling of the mana you have inside your body. I want you to extend that feeling to your surroundings.”

Jade focused on that feeling again and imagined it to push outward like she would push a way water. Her senses started to expand slowly, at first it was only an inch off her skin. But minute after minute the sphere she could feel the mana increased. The farther she went the harder it got to push even more.

“Yes, just like that. Keep pushing, the bigger your sphere is the first time the more mana you will be able to cultivate every day.”

Jade kept pushing and pushing. One meter. One and a half meter. Two meters. Two and half. Three. By now it felt like she was pushing a car up a hill. She strained with all her will but only got to three and a half meters. She could push no further; it took all her concentration to keep holding it at this point.

“Good keep holding for now. And grab the bottle before you.”

Jade her eyes still closed felt for the bottle. After a second, she found it and grabbed it.

“Take the pill out and slowly dissolve it in your mouth. As it dissolves push your sense another time.”

Jade did as she was told. The pill had a strong wooden flavor to it. It slowly dissolved int her mouth. A sudden rush of energy surged through her body pushing away the mental fatigue. Jade pushed again, this time it was not as easy as at the start but it was much better than at the end of her first push.

She managed to push the sphere to a total of 6 meters, which was almost at the wall of the circular room. It took her a total of three pills to get there. The mana she could feel within her senses was now enormous. The drain on her to hold her senses this far out was also just as enormous.

The smell of Incense suffused the atmosphere around her and managed to sooth her strain will a little.

“The next step is to take that idea you have of your concept and spread it all the way through your sense let it permeate the mana around you.”

Jade thought of what she knew of the origin of the universe. Scholars have theorized that everything originated from a single point and expanded outward from that. She imagined the smallest most singular point she could and deemed it the origin.

From there it expanded all around her. Genesis. The creation of everything. On the outside Mara could see a wave of stars and nebulae expand rapidly out of Jade. It went past the six-meter border she made before and would have probably gotten much farther if not for the isolation formation on the walls. As regretful as that might be six and half meters was still the range of a genius.

Jade burned. Her body burned, her mind burned, her soul burned. At least that is what it felt like. She could feel herself slipping out of control from the strain.

“MOM, what next I am losing control!”

Mara snapped out of her musing and said calmly:

“Take hold of the mana your Concept permeated and draw into your dantian.”

Jade gasped and gnashed her teeth. She pulled the last vestiges of her will together and pulled on all the mana in the room. A loud whooshing sound sounded through the room as all the mana was pulled rapidly into jade’s dantian. An infinitesimal crystalline dot appeared inside her dantian, her cultivation core.

Jade collapsed breathing heavily. Trying to calm her racing heart. Two gentle hands slowly moved her head into a waiting lap that now doubled as the worlds most comfortable pillow. At least in Jades opinion everyone else be damned.

“Good job Jade. You did well.”

“I am super tired; I could sleep for a week.”

“We have the room for the whole night and most of tomorrow. You can sleep.”

And with that Jade was out cold, a big smile on her face.

Mara looked at her adoptive daughter peacefully sleeping. Her child had an amazing future ahead of her, but she was afraid that it would come with a lot of trouble. She had never seen such a small cultivation core before. Even the most basic low-level core was at least walnut sized. But the concentration of mana inside Jade was incredible.

It was denser than her late-stage Tier 2 core. And she was just a step away from breaking through to tier 3. The amount was normal for what she absorbed but the density was something she had only seen in her teachers and they were Tier 4 cultivators. Mara hoped the best for her daughter as she gently combed through Jade’s hair.