"There is no need to consider any further. Let's go with the Five Element whatever plan one. But teach me several techniques before we start. I want something that improves my attack strength and variation.", Sari without any hesitation decided.

"Hmm..., actually with your martial art skill. Once you can imbue qi into your body, it will instantly improve your power. It takes practice to master it, but I think with your experience practicing a martial art, you'll be quickly master the skill.", Mingliang replied confidently.

There was a spark in Sari's eyes when she heard that, "Good, let's do it."

"Now?", Mingliang was taken aback by Sari's response.

"Yes, now. What are we waiting for?", She raised her eyebrows.

"Ah, okay. First, I'll help you to open your meridians and activate your Chakras.", Mingliang hastily replied and then turned to Somad, "Somad, you know what to do?"

Somad nodded his head, "Yes, Teacher. I will focus on mastering all the runes in the book you gave me. Teacher, can Black Jade accompany me?"

Mingliang gave it a thought for a second then nodded, "Okay, Black Jade stays with you."

"And how about me?", Sari stood up from the bench in high spirit.

Mingliang was in high spirit too, but for a few seconds, he hesitated, "We... uh, will be better if we go to one of the room here. We should prevent disturbance as much as we could."

"...eh... in a room... just the two of us?", Sari flustered and lost her stance for a moment. Her face was blushing now.

"Yeah... that's if you're okay with it.", Mingliang cursed himself since now it sounded ambiguous.

Sari coughed to clear her throat that suddenly dry, "Ahem... sure it's okay. It's nothing. It's not like, I never been in a room with you before."

"Of course. Yeah. Okay let's get started.", With broken words, Mingliang quickly concluded their conversation and went inside. Sari followed closely behind. Somad already ran inside and practiced in the room where the energy was abundant.

Mingliang picked a bedroom randomly. He checked the condition, and it seemed fine for what they were going to do. He waited for Sari to follow, and closed the door after she joined in.

"What should I do now?", Sari looked around the room.

At first, they felt awkward about the situation, but as soon as their mind turned to cultivation, they quickly focused about their training and easily got rid all the distracting thoughts.

"First, I'll teach you how to absorb qi from the air around you, circulate it, turn it into your energy using certain Chakras and then gather it in your dantian.", Mingliang started his explanation.

Then, Mingliang began to teach her step by step. After each step, he would ask Sari to give it a try. Sometimes he would help to clear a meridian. Slowly Sari got the hang of it, and a few hours later, she could do it on her own. After several rounds of circulation on her own, Sari opened her eyes and let out a long breath.

"How do you feel?", Mingliang asked. He had been staying there patiently to watch over her.

Sari had a deep frown as she explained, "I can feel it run through my meridians. Faintly I could feel each meridian and chakra work in me. I've been practicing martial-art for years. Qi felt different back then. Why is that?"

Mingliang smiled, "Probably, because what you felt back then isn't qi at all."

She raised her eyebrows, and he elaborated, "Back then, there wasn't much energy in this world. Without assistance, people couldn't get enough qi to open their meridians and chakras. But through meditation and usually your senses and awareness are heightened. You begin to feel all the sensation in your physical body."

"As your focus moved from one part to another, your awareness moved too. It gives an illusion of energy moving inside your body."

"Then all that effort is for nothing? Why you never told me this?", Sari felt a bit disappointed.

"No, it's not wasted. It helps your practice now. You already develop your concentration and awareness. Make it easier to practice, when you have a real qi to gather and process.", Mingliang comforted her.

"Hm..., you haven't explained, why you never tell me?", She didn't want to let him passed easily.

Mingliang smiled, "Because back then, I don't see any reason why you have to cultivate. Look, as you're cultivating qi, it's like upgrading your engine. Imagine what happened when you have a powerful engine without energy resource? At times, it becomes a burden more than a convenience."

"I see..., is that why many cultivators support their attempt to break the seal?", Sari pondered.

"Most likely, yes. Especially old cultivators who had lived for more than a hundred years. They're running out of life energy. Probably, they feel like a fish who was thrown on land, dying, gasping for breath.", Mingliang shrugged his shoulder.

"Your father...?", Sari hesitated, she remembered, how hard it was for Mingliang's father before his death.

Mingliang nodded, "Yes, it is known for many people. Those who are practicing will be having a hard time on their death bed. The technique both keep their life but also a burden."

"Most people would relieve themselves from the technique. Sometimes another practitioner would help them to destroy it from their body. But my father didn't have the heart to do it.", Mingliang's eyes looked to the distance.

"Because he learned it from your grandfather...?", Sari carefully asked.

"Yes, because it's part of my grandfather's legacy.", Mingliang turned to her and smiled.

"How about you? What will happen to you later? I know you well, you will never destroy your inheritance. Now..., now you even dive deeper into cultivation, more than your father.", Sari worried about him now.

"Hahaha, I'm fine, I still have years to live. Don't give me any bad luck, alright.", Mingliang laughed it off.

"Don't laugh at it! Don't you think, this is your chance to live normally? Not just that, but if you let the seal broke, your life will turn into a better one. You'll be..., a superhero.", Sari frustrated by Mingliang's negative attitude toward life.

Mingliang's expression turned cold. His words were calm but cold, "Don't tempt me. Life is suffering. Everyone has something they have to bear. What makes them different is, some people are willing to sacrifice others to alleviate their own. Some people try carefully not to hurt others, as they struggle with their suffering. And at the other end, some people are willing to sacrifice themselves to alleviate other's suffering."

Sari never saw him angry at her before. She was stuttering as she tried to apologize, "Sorry... I..."

Mingliang's expression softened, he gently patted her shoulder, "It's okay. I know you worry about me."

"But there are things more important than life itself.", he didn't explain any further, but for a moment Sari could feel his presence filled the room almost overbearing. The pressure gradually subsided, Mingliang sighed and turned to Sari, "For now, try to practice the technique. This time I will help you to clear out your meridians."

Sari gladly changed the topic. She complied and began to focus on gathering the qi around her. Mingliang put his hand above her head and slowly guided his qi to help Sari clearing and strengthening her meridians. Just as a clogged pipe cleared out, she felt energy flowed through her meridians smoothly.

She was enjoying the feeling when she heard Mingliang spoke, "You can keep practicing. That's all I can do for you. Now, it's left to you to train your energy system. Just like you train your muscles, the more you make it work, the stronger it will be. But don't excessively force it beyond its strength, because you can injured yourself instead."

She felt Mingliang left the room. For a moment she lost her concentration, but quickly she regained it and continued her practice. Meanwhile, Mingliang went to the source of all energy in that house, the gate to the other world, and found Somad and Black Jade training there.

To his pleasure, the boy diligently performed drawing one rune after another, flawlessly and smoothly. He didn't disturb the boy but quietly watched from the side. Black Jade leisurely fluttered and rested on his shoulder, chirped some greeting. Her days of socializing with human, made her learn human's behavior more and more. Mingliang could recognize some words from her.

When he thought of their first encounter, who would expect her to behave like today?

Mingliang remembered a passage in one of his book and softly whispered to the snake, "Black Jade, here is a chant and a spiritual law. You listen and remember it well. Once you memorized it, go to meditate over and practice it diligently, there will be the time when you can transform into a person."

Then slowly Mingliang told Black Jade, the chant and the law. The young demon snake listened reverently. Mingliang patiently repeated it four times before she memorized it completely. The snake rubbed herself to his cheek gently, before fluttered to a corner and then meditate over the law.

Mingliang turned his attention back to Somad. Now, the boy was practicing the last part of the book. He hadn't completely mastered the runes. Sometimes he failed, but he would just start over, unceasingly.

Toward his only disciple, Mingliang had no complains at all. He felt grateful that fate led the boy to him.

Mingliang patiently watched the boy practicing. At some point, he approached the boy and patted his shoulder, "That's enough. Have some rest first. Trying too much could be just as bad as not trying enough."

The boy let out a long breath, his forehead filled with beads of sweat and his clothes wet from perspiration. Turning to his teacher, the boy valiantly spoke, "Teacher, I think I could master all the basic runes within a week."

"A week? Ha. That's such a brave words boy. I'll see how you're doing a week from now.", Mingliang laughed and punched the boy lightly on his shoulder.

"Hehee, Teacher, you want a bet?", the boy grinned mischievously.

"Not a chance. I will never bet against sly little monkey like you.", Mingliang flicked Somad's forehead as usual.

Before the boy could throw another word, Mingliang put his finger on his lips, "No more joking. Meditate, let your body and spirit relaxed. After that, we'll have some serious discussion."

Somad obeyed it at once. Mingliang didn't have to tell him twice. The boy quickly adjusted his mood and sat on the floor. He closed his eyes and started meditating. Within seconds, his breath became long and smooth, his whole body relaxed, his expression softened. Mingliang sat in front of him, patiently waited for the boy to finish.

After nearly 10 minutes, Somad ended his meditation, he opened his eyes and found Mingliang was waiting for him. The boy then patiently waited for his teacher to speak.

"Kid, I have decided to accept the detective's proposal. Which means I will teach some of our inheritance to other people.", Mingliang began.

"However, I will teach only its basic and superficial knowledge. My only true disciple and the only successor of our legacy is you. On your shoulder, I will put a great burden. We don't know what will happen, six months from now on. You must listen to each of my commands. If I command you to leave, then you'll have to leave immediately. No question. No complaints. Not even waste a second to stay there."

"Do you understand?", Mingliang stared down at Somad solemnly.

There were a few seconds when Somad hesitated, but when he saw Mingliang's stern face, he held the words he was going to say. He bit his lips and nodded.

Mingliang's expression relaxed, "Good, you have given me your word, and I trust you to keep it."

"Somad, now I will give you a trial, a challenge as the true successor of our lineage. Tomorrow, we'll return to my room to take all my belongings, books and sacred items. You will be its keeper from now on. I will tell you about each one of them."

"And when Detective Jim comes with the men to form that special unit. You will be their instructor."

"What? Me? I'll be the one instructing them?", Somad stood up, jumped from the floor, his eyes wide opened.

"Yes, why? You have any problem?", Mingliang smiled, but his eyes stared at the boy sharply.

Somad took a deep breath. He watched Mingliang for a few seconds. He saw his teacher wasn't joking with him. He gritted his teeth and then nodded, "If that's a task from you, Teacher, then I will do it."

"Good, I know you won't disappoint me.", Mingliang stood up and patted the boy's shoulder.

"Now, go to sleep. Your body needs a rest too.", Mingliang gently pushed the boy toward the door.

"Okay Teacher, I'll go to rest first.", the boy slightly bowed to Mingliang then left the room.

Mingliang watched him left the room and secretly sighed. He showed confidence to everyone, but deep inside he had no confidence at all. He just knew that not trying would be the worst decision. They had a slim chance, but it was still a chance.

He sat on the floor on full lotus position and closed his eyes. Carefully he observed the runes in his body. Slowly he began to etch more runes, completing his 2nd and 3rd layer of Xuan Wu body. For now, he didn't think any other distracting thoughts.

Little did he knew, online, the thread he started on the forum, began to get new posts. Reports from many other members slowly filled the thread.