To concentrate on his cultivation, Tommy stopped all of his school activities. As Principal Gai had allowed, they can skip any class they liked, and he really maximised his newly received rights.

Even with all the exceptional cultivation resources he was given, retraining would not be a fast process, and he did not have any spare attention to go to class. Furthermore, Kairos promised to teach him anything he missed in the future.

Once he started, it would be a long while before he is done.

…..

Tommy laid down within the centre circle of the Crystal Valve like a log. Although it looked as though he is simply resting, this is his unique cultivation stance, equivalent to the Lotus sitting position that most cultivators use.

He sent his consciousness deep into his body, touching the dried-up Ki Centre hidden within his core muscles.

Then, he started looking for the Heavenly Energies around, but to his surprise, he found himself unable to feel anything at all.

The strength has left his body, and even his path forward seemed to be destroyed.

“There’s no way I’m giving up at the first step. There must be a way to cultivate.”

He took out a spirit stone and held it in his hand. The ore contains a large amount of Heavenly Energy in crystal form, but no matter how he struggled to draw it out, he could not make any connection to it.

Again and again, he tried. Thinking that it might be the stone’s problem, he took out another and failed yet again.

In the training stratagem where Heavenly Energies should be abundant, he could feel nothing.

Gritting his teeth, he sat up and took the standard Lotus position, but this attempt did not give him a different result from before.

He changed to another stance and another.

Kairos’ stance, Edward’s stance, Jim’s stance, Headstand, One-legged stand, the sleeping Buddha stance, the toad stance, and every famous cultivation stance. Hours later, having tried everything to no avail, he finally broke down.

“Even if I’m prepared for the worst cultivation process, WHAT CAN I DO IF I CAN’T EVEN START!?”

His frustration brought tears to his eyes, and he pounded the ground with his fist.

*AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!*

“Tommy, are you alright?” A familiar voice suddenly said. Worry and trepidation were filled in the tone.

He looked up and through the tears in his eyes, he saw a beautiful face. The girl who secretly became the goddess of his heart. He wiped his face on his sleeve, then gave a toothy smile.

Snow who had just entered the Crystal Valve, saw Tommy laying down hugging a spirit stone like how corpses are placed in the funeral parlour and had a great fright. Although, the deceased holds flowers instead of Spirit Stone. Fortunately, it was just the latter trying out a cultivation stance.

With a face full of concern, she went to his side and sat down, “Are you trying to deceive me?”

“N..no?”

“Then why are you smiling like everything is alright?”

“I… I do not want you to worry, that’s all.”

“I’ve heard what happened to you from Kairos,” Snow paused, looking at Tommy who hung his head, then continued, “All of us are here for you. Even if you give up, we will still be here for you.”

Snow knows, what she said is not the whole truth.

When they raise in cultivation, they will eventually leave behind those who cannot catch up. The world that they see, the battlefields that they tread will all be unthinkable for the Rankless.

And after a few decades, while the practitioners are kept young by the Ki cycling in their body, their friends or family who could not cultivate will all fade away.

Tommy knows this as well, and it is the one thing he refuses to let go.

“I’m not giving up like this. It’s just… I can’t even draw Heavenly Energies anymore.”

“Let me help you,” Snow said, then instructed Tommy to face away from her. With the two of them seated, she placed her palms on his back and started circulating her Ki into him.

When children first start cultivating, the adults would often assist them this way to sense the Ki within their body. The amazing energy grants them a feeling of vigour that instantly perks up anyone that cultivates it.

The adult will then lower the amount of Ki that is sent into the child’s body, allowing the allure of the Ki to encourage the latter to draw the ambient energies themselves.

It may take a few tries, but eventually, the children will develop their own method to draw strength or be declared a Rankless.

But even with this method, after an hour of trying, Tommy had no response at all.

His eyes dimmed with disappointment.

“Maybe I really couldn’t cultivate anymore? Dharma Constitution, how is it possible when I can’t even start.”

Snow observing how frustrated he looked, touched his hand and looked into his eyes.

She did not know what to say to cheer him up in this situation, but she felt deeply that letting him continue this way wouldn’t do.

“Maybe you have been trying too hard? You know, I slowly fell in love with how reliable you always are, but sometimes I feel that it is okay for you to give yourself a break. When you are tensed up, how could you exert all your strength?

And, I know that you brothers are unique and exceptional. So, if Kairos said that it is possible for you, then I would trust him. Won’t you?”

“I… ah. You’re right. I don’t know what came over me. I should’ve trusted him. As my brother, he would never mislead me or give me false hopes. I’m sorry, I had been silly… Ah!! Wait a minute, did you just declare your love for me?”

“You must’ve heard wrong.”

“I’m sure I didn’t!”

“Then, you must be hallucinating.”

“I am…?”

“Poor you, you must have too much stress on yourself and started having wishing thinking.”

“I… I… I do like you, Snow!”

*cough cough cough*

For no reason, Snow almost choked.

She realised she had accidentally told him her feelings, but just seconds later, their roles had switched. Unfortunately, it did not make her feel any less embarrassed.

“I…I’ll think about it,” She said.

Tommy, despite the mess he is in, suddenly felt happiness like never before. Like his world had brightened up again. Like the sunlight had seeped through a thick mist shrouding him.

“She did not reject me! A beautiful and talented girl with hugeeeeee background… did not say no…! Even though I’m penniless… and rankless.

I’m sure the captain wasn’t exaggerating about the Dharma Constitution. Snow, wait for me… When my cultivation returned, I will definitely bring you home… an..andd…and... Meh..mehryy..marry…”

“Let’s do it again, Snow!” Tommy roared with renewed determination. It was with an overwhelming manliness, only possible because he matured faster than the rest.

Snow who is still blushing deeply did not catch his meaning, “D…do? Now?”

Of course, girls usually mature faster too, and Snow had always been leading in this area.

“Yes, of course! Help me circulate Ki in my body once again. I’m sure it will work now!”

“Oh! Oh…, that? Right… sure, you meant that…” She mumbled, somehow slightly disappointed.

“The heck was I expecting?”

She rolled her eyes and then helped him get into position, and the two attempted another time to help him sense the Heavenly Energies around. This time, almost naturally, he felt a tiny strand of ambient power, no larger than a piece of thread, but it was enough to cause his heart to pound.

He directed it in, like welcoming a lost family member, and it flowed into his body in broken sections. Slowly at first, then steadily into a thin string of cultivation energy.

The shrivelled Dantian within himself greedily stored the Heavenly Energy away, prepared to refine it into his own Ki.

The human body is a strange machination. It was reluctant to begin, but when it started, it roared to life.

Tommy tugged strongly at more ambient energies, and Snow’s Ki that was a convenient source was also taken in with force. She had to urgently stop her connection to him, not because it was dangerous for her, but it is impossible, and meaningless, for her to feed him Ki all the time.

Tommy needs to draw it from the environment himself instead of becoming used to her Ki.

It had been smoother and swifter than she expected, and a smile appeared on her face. He had gone into a cultivation trance with her help and started training by himself. The girl placed a warm palm on his hand, then took it close to herself and lightly placed it on her cheeks.

“I’ll wait for you.”

When her worries lessened, and she left his side, it was the first time that Snow noticed the strangeness thickness of the Heavenly Energies in the air, and just how powerful the training circle they are in is. It was a ridiculous place that defied reason, but what was more shocking was the tiny section where Tommy is laying down at was even more potent than the rest.

“Kairos… you really were chosen by the Primordial one… Thanks for trusting me.”

It was a valuable opportunity given to her, all because she is a friend of Tommy’s but on the other hand, Kairos knew that right now she will be the most helpful for his situation than anyone, or anything else. Even the Ambrosia or the Yggdrasil Fruit cannot replace her.

For his sake, she had applied to defer her classes for a year, and Principal Gai relented. And under Princess Relestia’s help, the Autumn Blossoms clan had not objected.

After all, they are all members of the Snowdrifts clan, and ought to help each other.

But, it didn’t deter the four mischievous boys from making fun of her ‘sacrifice’ and addressing Snow as “Sister-in-law” whenever they met her.

A term that always made her lose her temper when she heard it. Not because she hated it, but that she secretly liked to be called as such. Of course, there is absolutely no way she could let her friends know that.

However, now that she thinks of it, what sacrifice was there? Repeating a year of school to train seven times quicker?

Snow wanted to close her eyes and start cultivating right away, but, the girl couldn’t help herself to look at Tommy once more. That serious frown on his face, and his weirdly straight stance while lying on the ground… Somehow, it brought a smile to her face.

The strangeness of Tommy’s stance, the sleeping log position, was lost on her. However, if it works for him, then she has nothing to comment on.

Though knowledgeable, the girl came from a clan of historians. Even if she had studied a lot on cultivation stances, Historians do not alter history but merely records them. Besides, she also trusts Kairos, if he approved this cultivation stance, then… “Maybe… I should try it too?”

She shrugged and quickly discarded the idea. What works for one person might not on another.

“One man’s meat is another’s poison... I guess?”

She sighed. Helping him to cultivate was already breaking her clan laws.

A terrifying thought overtook her and Snow took a sharp breath. Perhaps, before I realised, I’ve already been pulled into limelight… in that case, what awaits me is… banishment? I… I won’t get to see mother and father again?”

…..

Within a week, Tommy’s cultivation reached F rank again. The period between G to J ranks flew past in a flash, but it still took far greater time than the last time for him to achieve this level of cultivation, considering the ten times cultivation training circle he is in and the resources he had. The difficulty came from his body’s messed up state, but that was not the worst part.

When he broke through to F rank, he felt a gut-wrenching pain. As though every piece of bone in his body fractured one by one.

He broke like glass, shattering into dust that could no longer be restored, but still, he did not lose consciousness.

It was hell that he had never seen before, his internal injuries that were healing had shredded itself apart once again, as his body attempted to correct the fault repairs in the past. It was an experience far more excruciating than losing his cultivation the first time since he fainted half-way that time.

His mind went white with searing pain, and many of his teeth were ground into dust from the torture.

It was a horrific experience. He did not want to go through this again. Just thinking of facing this once more made cold sweat roll down his back. Even his soul felt to has flown away.

He pushed himself up, taking grasps of biting cold air while his sweat poured down like rain.

After heaving for a few minutes, he noticed another person by his side. Gently wiping his body with a white piece of cloth. She was a strong girl.

After making her decision, she will follow through with it till the end. It was the same when she first saw Aisa appearing next to Kairos. Even when she realised the fate that awaits her by continuing this path, she did not falter.

She couldn’t understand why herself. The boy did not spend much time with her. It’s true that they fought side by side in the East Hill last year, but so did a hundred others. No, she actually knows why. Even if she tried not to see it, but the truth would never go away.

She had noticed him since he first stepped into Saint Cadets Academy. Despite the rags he wore, he shone like a glowing statue carved out from pure bronze with his tanned skin. She had fed herself with the lie that she was just doing her duty as a historian and recording everything that happened.

But, she knew the truth. She had always smiled when penning down how he fought against others to protect his brothers; Even though every time, he was beaten up in the end.

She can’t remember the countless times she sighed to herself how foolish this boy is when his brothers had gotten into trouble, and he took the blame for them without them even knowing.

Snow had noticed Tommy long ago. Maybe… she had already stepped into this fate without chance to return when she let her heart be secretly stolen.

Of course, she will never admit it to him that she developed feelings first.

On the other hand, for Tommy, Snow has become his energy that chased away the looming darkness. Just as he is Kairos, Jim, Edward, and Alan’s pillar in their hearts, she has become his.

A smile reappeared on his face, but his mouth now no longer have a full set of teeth and caused Snow to burst out laughing.

“P…please eat this quickly. It’ll regrow your teeth,” She struggled to stop herself from trembling as she took out a Bone Growing pill and shoved it into his hands. It is an expensive medical pill, a tier higher than the Bone Softening Powder that Alan had used to reshape his arms.

It was only because she has a high status, one that allowed her to even speak for the Autumn Blossoms Clan that such luxurious pills could be found in her pouch. These are things that the boys, who had suddenly gained their wealth, did not know they have to keep on hand.

After Tommy had lost his cultivation again, his body had been reforged for the first time.

“Four more times… That’s not too bad.”

After his teeth had regrown, he popped a restorative pill into his mouth. Through the new Origin Cultivation Method that Kairos had altered for him, it is encouraging his body to heal the correct way.

The damage he had incurred previously, is slowly fading away like an old scar.

However, his training menu did not only consist of cultivation. He looked through a list of things he had to do, and a timesheet that he must follow and let out a heavy sigh, “What’s with this schedule? It’s like Kairos is getting a kick from torturing me. Gah…”

Groaning in anticipation of his coming sufferings, he stood up and ruffled through a heap of items left by Kairos for his training.

Within the assortment, he took out four simple metal cuffs to strap on each limb. It is weight training with Heavy Mountain Irons.

He exited the Crystal Valve and ran to the mountain behind their academy. A safe, stony natural formation that is free from beasts. The only students that now climb it are those that wanted to cultivate in isolation or practice techniques that requires one to bask in the moonlight.

Tommy, however, came here for the other side of the mountain where only steep paths and vertical slopes are on the surface.

It is a famous challenge spot for those who wish to show-off their physical prowess. Anyone who succeeds at reaching the peak through this path would find a tall boulder that is flat like a wall.

They must scale it without the aid of any tools, and with their speed and technique inscribe their names on the highest point possible.

With the height of the mountain, the boulder is always covered with a thick layer of frost. Even with powerful Internal Energy, few could reach very far.

Tommy, without any cultivation, decided to reach the peak before attempting to enter E rank.

Kairos had only advised him briefly, “Right after your first cultivation destruction, your body will start restructuring itself during the healing process. At that time, you can reach greater heights by physical training.

But how far you want to go, depends solely on yourself.”