Chapter 11 - What You Give, What You Get

“These are the foundation that you create to break free of humanity.”

A sigh could not help but escape Evan’s mouth as he remembered the state of his own locus. Realizing that he was still instructing the children, he took out two books from his spatial ring and passed them to Mark and Daniel.

“Mark, since your martial spirit has similar specializations to mine, you’ll be training with my Balanced Swordsman Cultivation Method. It’s my very own cultivation method. Don’t look down on its plain name. I created it from the Silver Cloud Clan’s three supreme methods.”

The Silver Cloud Clan was one of the five famous clans that were granted self-governance in the Deatus Empire, to the west. The thousands of members of the clan all inherited a Rank 6 Martial Spirit, the Cloud Sage. This inherited Martial Spirit and its higher mutated forms, coupled with the three Supreme Cultivation Methods, had given birth over time to a clan that had the power to inflict a grave wound to the Empire if they ever were to be in opposition. Its Patriarch (Law Soul Realm), Grand Elders (Law Soul Realm), and many Elders (Palace Creation Realm) gave them an unshakable position and powerful influence.

They were also known to be very possessive of their cultivation methods. If it were ever found that their unique cultivation methods were in possession of a stranger, a hunt for that individual would ensue. Mark thus almost threw away instinctively the book in his hands.

“Don’t worry. The essence of the methods are mixed together, so no one should be able to surmise that it is a cultivation method of the Silver Cloud Clan.”

Mark could only nod, although some doubts still remained on his mind.

“As for you Daniel, what I gave you is your mother’s clan’s cultivation method, the Primordial Ash Method. It’s only to start cultivating. Creating an ecosystem around your tree spirit in your Soul is probably the best on the long term, so I will be working on that for a while.”

Evan’s eyes shifted to the last child, visibly dejected by the fact that he did not get a cultivation method, which seemingly reaffirmed his perception that he would not be able to cultivate. A sigh once again escaped Evan’s mouth.

“Dellons. Do you really want to cultivate, no matter what?”

“Yes.”

“Even if the process will hurt you much more than your friends?”

“Yes.”

“Even if there is a chance you may lose your mind?”

“Yes.”

Unshakable determination, unbefitting a ten-year-old, rang out of Dellons’ larynx. A third sigh decorated the scene. A red crystal appeared in the master’s hand.

“I propose that you cultivate like a Qi Creature. To do so, you’d need to have a Qi Heart. This dragon’s heart is exactly that. Implanting this will change your blood and thus the quality of the body and you will be able to breath in Qi from the air, just like the Qi Creatures, such as dragons, do. I have a dragon’s heart in my body as well, but I didn’t have as much risk as you do because I was already in the Xiantian Realm when I had my heart transplanted. So, the first step you will have to take is to train your body until can undergo such an operation.”

A sudden gust of wind flung a half-open window to its most extended state, the natural phenomenon personifying the child’s excitement as Evan’s words started to sink into his heart. Mark’s face wore a bright smile as his friend’s excitement infected him. Daniel’s brows, however, were knit together, as he thought about the implications of the transplantation. A certain father’s hand ruffled his hair, easily redirecting the child’s thoughts with his cultivation philosophy.

“You get out what you put in. If you want more, give more. The effort you put in to your cultivation will form who you will be. As long as you don’t lose sight of who you are and put in the effort, you can reach for the stars.”

And thus began the three friends’ cultivation journey.