The Teacher’s implacable gaze swept through the audience of wide-eyed children and groups of whispering, scowling parents. There also seemed to be some older gentleman in merchants’ clothes outside the boundaries of the martial arena who was animatedly pointing and waving his arms while speaking with others. He appeared excited about something...

“The final portion of my lecture this afternoon will now include... you!” The Teacher had slowly walked up to the martial stage’s edge, towering over the first row of children, before pointing at a scrawny young boy who was not sitting close to anyone or whispering with a friend.

The young boy's soul practically left his body when his brain processed what his eyes were seeing.

The Teacher was pointing at him?! What did he do? What did he say- had he somehow offended?! The Teacher’s next words once more sent the young boy’s mind spinning.

“What is Qi?”

The young boy’s widened into saucers as he finally understood what was happening. The Teacher wanted him... to speak... in front of all these people? The blood drained from his face- he felt light-headed and dizzy.

The Teacher’s eyes narrowed.

A small girl stood up in the next row, offering a practiced bow to The Teacher that was as adorable as it was respectful. The girl’s mother would have fainted from happiness and love.

“Our life essence?” came her soft voice- nearly lost on the placid wind before it even reached the ears of those two rows down. The Teacher responded at once, though he kept his eyes on the shaking, mute boy.

“Are you asking a question of me, child? State your answer- express your thoughts!”

The young girl’s eyes slightly widened as she realized that this was the first time anyone had ever spoken to her in such a manner. She found it somewhat... displeasing. She would ask her mother about it when she got back to the palace. But for now, she would still answer the question- she knew she got it right, but the stinky old man just wanted to sound smart and come up with excuses to not admit that someone younger is smarter than him.

The fire in the young girl’s heart was ignited and challengingly shouted the answer.

“Um, it’s our life essence!” Her ‘shout’ was more like a single, loud squeak.

The Teacher cocked an eyebrow as he turned to face her.

“Good." He nodded once in acknowledgment.

"Now, although technically correct, it is so much more. Because not only is it our life essence- but it is also the vital energy which exists in all things.”

A small boy stood somewhere in the crowd. The Teacher paused and looked upon the boy- he was pleased. The more these children engaged with his words the more they would learn.

“Yes- you have a question?”

The boy inclined his head, speaking to his shoes. “Yes, Senior. Is this why Magical Beasts are possible?”

“An excellent question!” The Teacher's eyes noticeably brightened.

“As some of you may already know- Magical Beasts are animals capable of cultivation. Some are innately magical and simply grow stronger over time, while others must actively practice a type of cultivation method. Magical beasts are much more intelligent than their normal counterparts- you may even encounter Magical Beasts capable of speaking in our tongue. And not only this, but the primal methods of cultivation every Magical Beast is capable of also allows them to reach the heights of cultivation, and assume human form."

Hushed whispers broke out amongst the children. Animals could turn into them? Impossible!

“These Beasts often possess a Core within their bodies which contains their essence, which is essentially their cultivation base. These cores are extremely desirable to cultivators because they allow for direct essence absorption to forcibly increase one's cultivation base, or may act as the cornerstone of any high ranking formulas or magical items."

The young boy who had asked the question roughly bowed before taking his seat.

A young girl on the complete opposite side of the martial arena stood. The Teacher turned to her and patiently waited.

“What about demons?” She called out.

The Teacher cocked an eyebrow.

"What of them, child?"

The young girl became shy and almost bowed in apology, but was pushed upright by her gaggle of giggling friends who urged her to speak.

The young girl flushed red with embarrassment. There were thousands of people here and almost all of her friends! She opened her mouth to speak but couldn't find the words. She blushed even harder and practically crushed two of her friends to dive back into her seat.

The Teacher frowned but said, “I shall say this- and only this- as we have deviated from the proper subject. Demons are born when an animal, plant, or non-living object absorbs spiritual energy over a prolonged period and then may attain spiritual awareness. I will also explain something of importance- Demons are not inherently evil but may become evil. They possess the capacity for good."

“Now then," The Teacher resumed pacing.

"We were discussing Qi... Cultivators practice breathing techniques to refine their internal and ambient Qi, and if that cultivator practices martial arts, this refined Qi becomes something known as internal strength. This becomes the cultivated energy within a martial artist’s body.”

“And with this internal energy-” the Elder’s form flickered, turned transparent, then completely vanished.

Exclamations of surprise and wonder erupted from the stands- some students even jumping to their feet and pointing at the stage. It was the first time that hundreds of young boys and girls had seen a cultivator’s martial technique with their own eyes. A storm of emotions rose within all the students’ hearts. Some eyes were sparkling with wonder, others ambition, some confusion, and the rest with fear. The Teacher reappeared on stage in the same position. A slight smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.

“-a martial artist can accomplish almost anything. It can even be used to heal wounds and nullify the effects of most poisons.”

“And once you have accumulated enough Qi to refine internal energy, where is it stored? How is channeled throughout our bodies?”

“The root of life. The very foundation of one’s body and soul. Cultivation usually requires some minimum level of innate talent, so someone with bad luck or a poor bodily constitution may find it impossible to even take the first step. These roots vary in quality. Listen closely- here are all recorded spiritual root qualities, in ascending order: damaged, poor, normal, superior, flawless, perfect, profound, immortal, and celestial. The quality of an individual's Spiritual Roots determines how pure their bodies can naturally refine the ambient environmental Qi they absorb through breathing exercises and meditation."

“The Dantian is located here." The Teacher placed his right index finger, three finger-widths below his navel.

Almost everyone in the audience repeated the motion on themselves.

“And how does the Qi within our Dantians travel through our bodies?" The Teacher looked around before simply answering.

"The meridians! A network of channels in our bodies through which your refined Qi flows. Think of your Meridians as blood vessels for your Qi."

Murmuring and whispers erupted. What was The Teacher talking about? They had never heard of anything like this? Was he making it up to sound smart? Some of the children looked to their parents and found them thoughtfully scowling.

“And how many meridians does the mortal body possess?” The Teacher continued.

“You, explain!” The Teacher pointed randomly into the crowd.

“Yes, Teacher.” a young boy stood straight; chin held high. His eyes were practically glowing with pride from being personally called upon by the legendary Teacher.

“There are twelve meridians!” he confidently exclaimed.

“Incorrect!” The Teacher’s declaration sent a shock down the young boy’s spine. His eyes widened in complete surprise- he had known this! How could he make such a fool of himself during a public lecture? His cheeks flushed red with shame as he bowed his head and quietly returned to his seat between his friends, who were pointedly pretending as though they did not know him.

“The Young Master is only referring to the twelve principal meridians. Which are of course further subdivided into Yin and Yang groups. I shall briefly list them now for those who have never attended my lectures: The Yin meridians of the arm are the lung, heart, and pericardium. The Yang meridians of the arm are the large intestine, small intestine, and triple burner. The Yin Meridians of the leg are the spleen, kidney, and liver. The Yang meridians of the leg are stomach, bladder, and gallbladder.”

Shock, alarm, and urgency appeared across the faces of every guardsman. They all desperately looked between one another, hoping against hope that it would not be their responsibility to alert the Guard Captain. They were also not interested in attacking the old man. What he was lecturing on was not... forbidden or bad. It was just remarkably suspicious. The Teacher's current lecture would be something that was only offered by the strongest, wisest, and most venerated cultivator Elders of the five great Sects of the Kingdom. His audience, the time of day, his clothes, and the information he was providing was the equivalent of a ten-thousand-year-old Immortal descending from the Heaven Realm to sell Spiritual fruits and vegetables at the local produce market. It was wrong. And the guardsmen were stuck in indecision about who they would offend the most- the visiting Sects, or an old man that is seemingly never in trouble despite his preaching. And that was what the guards were worried about the most. What kind of Hidden Expert was this old man, and even worse... who were his connections within the Kingdom. They silently met each other's eyes and agreed that if they received the order, if, then they would feel more certain about their course of action. Until then... they would make sure the children remained safe.

“The 12 pairs of primary organ meridians function as rivers. Countless branches come out of the primary meridians: the rivers, enable the water: Qi, to flow into the landscape and irrigate every part of our bodies.

"For example, the primary meridian leads Qi into the arm-" The Teacher demonstrated on himself tracing a finger across his sleeve. "-small branches then lead the Qi away from the primary meridian to the periphery, all the way to the skin and the bones and even into the bone marrow.”

Even the supervising cultivators and instructors standing guard on the lecture venue’s boundaries listened with wide eyes and rapt attention, let alone the wide-eyed students. This information was a profound learning experience for them!

“The twelve principal meridian’s Yin and Yang qualities may further be categorized by Greater, Lesser, and Faint. And more than this- some meridians are directly stimulated through the cultivation of a specific element.”

A teasing smile appeared on his wizened features.

“I will not be disclosing this information. As perhaps the coming Sect Masters would have my old hide.”

“Now then, what I will tell you, is that there are more than the twelve principal meridians.”

A deathly silence descended over the hundreds of assembled children. Everyone held their breath. No one blinked. No one dared move a muscle.

The Teacher smirked and mysteriously flicked the long sleeve of his robe.

“There are an additional eight meridians in the mortal body. These meridians are known as... The Eight Extraordinary Meridians!”

“The Eight Extraordinary Meridians act as reservoirs or pathways for the circulation of Qi. These eight meridians differ from the standard twelve organ meridians in that they are storage vessels or reservoirs of energy. As the Twelve Principal Meridians act as rivers, the Eight Extraordinary Meridians act as lakes that accumulate an excess of water from the rivers, so that rivers do not flood. And when water is scarce in the rivers, the lakes provide enough water to restore balance.”

“This is known as Qi Circulation– the act of controlling Qi to flow from the dantian, through the meridians, and back into the dantian in a cycle. This replenishes stamina, purifies the Qi, and strengthens the meridians.”

“And how do we perform Qi circulation? It is a highly intensive mental exercise that also requires breathing exercises- a distinct way of breathing that expels the turbid Qi within the body and draws in the Qi of the natural world. This is an essential part of cultivation! And once those of you who discover the quality of your spiritual roots on Sect Visitation Week and try to pursue cultivation and attend a Sect, they will provide you with their breathing exercises for you to train.”

“Now then, someone tell me all the Spiritual Cultivation stages in ascending order.”

“Yes. You there- speak.” The Teacher pointed out into the crowd.

A young boy stood and said in a trembling voice.

“Qi Gathering. Foundation Establishment. Gold Core...Nascent Soul...?”

The Teacher nodded.

“You have named the four initial stages- I am pleasantly surprised. Listen closely, for I will now complete the list. Following the Nascent Soul stage, there is the Half-Immortal stage. After which comes:

Sage Immortal, Bright Immortal, Immortal Noble, Immortal King, Immortal Emperor, God Realm, and finally, the Celestial Realm. Each of these Spiritual realms is subdivided into ten distinct stages, each one building upon the foundation of the last and indicating a marked increase in the cultivator’s spiritual strength.”

“And once the cultivator has completed every stage of Foundation Establishment, they will have to form their Gold Core. This process is incredibly difficult- with over a 70% chance of failure.”

Furtive whispers and gasps erupted among the stands as students turned to one another with wide eyes or spoke with hands over their mouths.

“Indeed. It is one of the most difficult bottlenecks to overcome in the initial stages of cultivation. But nowhere near as difficult as Heaven itself testing a cultivator’s desire for immortality as they enter a higher stage of ascension.” The Teacher’s eyes swept the crowd of young boys and girls, ensnaring their attention- making them hang onto his every word.

“Judging by some reactions- some of you already know of Heavenly Tribulation.”

Some students exchanged glances of confusion, while a handful of wealthy, influential students surrounded by an entourage of others grimly nodded with closed eyes- recalling images and the words spoken by their family Elders.

“The Heavenly Tribulation is encountered by cultivators at key points in their cultivation, which they must resist and transcend. Because immortal cultivation goes against the Will of Heaven, the Heavens will send down a lightning storm tribulation to oppress the cultivator."

A deathly silence hung over the martial arena.

The guardsmen all had their palms resting on sword hilts.