Ed looked at the old man's piercing eyes for a second and looked away.

“I only heard of it in passing. Not sure where,” Ed said. How could he explain that that was where he was from, that Those places were home?

“Fine. I will not ask if you don't want to say,” Tie Nse let the matter drop.

“I want to test how many energies you can perceive before I give you this technique. Do you want it now?” he said slyly. Ed nodded and Tie Nse's smile widened.

“Good! Then it is time you accept me as your master,” he said and Ed stared at him blankly.

“What? It's simple, you bow to me and say master teach me,“ Tie Nse instructed as he saw Ed's unmoved face.

“You really are an old pervert,” Ed said.

“What? You don't want the technique?” Tie Nse said loudly with his palm cupped around his ear, acting as though he could not hear what Ed said. Ed sighed and made a stiff bow while sitting.

“Old Pervert, teach me,” he said and Tie Nse nodded his head proudly before he registered Ed's words and paused.

“How is that even a bow? Say, master. That is the official ceremony for taking a master,” Tie Nse fumed as he instructed Ed.

“This is as far as my waist bends. This is all I’m offering, do you want it?” Ed said and Tie Nse frowned.

“Fine I’ll take it...wait, you are talking as though you are selling me something. This is why I don't take in disciples. This younger generation talk is too tiring,” Tie Nse complained.

“So, what now?” Ed asked.

“Come closer, give me your hand. Let me test how many energies you are absorbing at a time,” he said and Ed did as told. Tie Nse's placed two fingers on Ed's wrist and sent a wave of energy from his core into Ed. The energy felt like a warm hug and a sharp knife as it passed through Ed. This feeling was very comfortable and prickly at the same time.

Narrowing his eyes, Tie Nse withdrew his hand with a frown. He looked into Ed's expectant eyes in shock.

“I feel four energies within you. How is this even possible?” he said.

“Is that good?” Ed asked with a frown.

“Good? One cannot really say. Impossible? Even more so,”

“Speak clearly. Does this mean the technique will not work?”

“It will, but boy, what you can do, should not be possible. It is rare that two energies could flow within one person. Usually when that occurs, one of the energies eats the other out or the person dies. I assumed if you have stayed this long in this state, without any of these two things happening, then you must have a jade body. That is why I took you as my disciple,”

“Jade body?” Ed asked.

“This is a type of body created when one has reincarnated 36 times in the same region. The person becomes almost indestructible. Even countering energies on the skin would not do anything to him,”

“But I am not,” Ed said. He was sure of where he was from. There was no way he had reincarnated 36 times.

“I cannot feel it from you. You must not be one. But looking at the energies in your core, they are existing without eating each other out, without conflict. This is impossible,” Tie Nse said solemnly.

“Then, what?” Ed asked.

“Well, this is new for me. I'd even swear that this is new for everyone. The first thing I want to see is if you will survive your spirit picking. If you do, then we will see,”

“You sound as if you are sure I will not,” Ed frowned.

“Forgive me boy, but you are cancelling the basis upon which the metaphysical exist. The laws of the metaphysical insist that you will not survive this,”

“Since all these laws bear no resemblance to me, it means the outcomes are so too. I will not die, not here,” Ed said confidently.

“Fine. First of all, we must make sure that you can survive the pain of a spirit picking of multiple energies. Before I give you this technique, you must train. Come,” Tie Nse grabbed Ed and they vanished.

When they appeared, Ed found himself in a forest. He was not quite sure this was the same one they were in.

“This is Baju valley,” Tie Nse said and Ed turned to look at him. He could hear howling from afar.

“This is where the entire Ohm realm sends the worst criminals,” Tie Nse said solemnly,” no one can enter and leave as he likes. Even me. Appearing here is only possible because I have a key,” his words caused Ed to frown darkly.

“Are you trying to kill me before I even do my spirit picking?”

“Don't worry, there is no criminal here at the moment. Everyone dies within the first night. Even though you are at the soul awakening stage to the highest cultivation. No one can survive here,”

“Exactly my point,” Ed hissed.

“You must reach the other side of the valley. There, an inn sits. I will be waiting there,” Tie Nse said and vanished. Ed wished he could drag the old pervert back and skin him alive.

“Never take strangers as your master, Ed,” he whispered to himself in anger, looking around the dark and eerie forest. He suddenly felt as though he was being watched.