That quiet observation was broken when Mikael’s attention shifted. A new conversation had caught his interest.
“Did you hear about the recent turmoil in the Tempest Region?”
A Core Disciple took a slow sip of his tea before replying, “Yeah, the Varnari genius. Heard he’s been tearing through the region, going from one top sect to another, challenging their leading geniuses and crushing them one after another.”
Another Senior Sister interjected, “The Tempest Region cultivators are really unlucky—especially the Thunder Palace Holy Son. I heard he got challenged by the Varnari genius, and in his anger, he spouted so arrogant nonsense... only to be slapped in the face when he was taken down in just a couple of rounds. And that’s with the Varnari having a lower cultivation level!”
“Poor bastard,” muttered Brother Li from nearby, having been drawn into the conversation as well.
That sparked a wave of chuckles throughout the pavilion. By now, the attention of all Core Disciples had shifted to the ongoing discussion about the Varnari genius, and Brother Li’s comnt didn’t go unnoticed.
“Still,” added a lively Senior Sister, “I can understand the Thunder Palace Holy Son losing his temper. Getting challenged like that in your own sect, especially by a Varnari—who are notorious for their arrogance—it’s no wonder he snapped.”
The surrounding disciples nodded in agreent. Then a Senior Brother spoke up, “The arrogance of the Varnari is definitely infuriating... but it's hard to deny that it’s backed by real strength.”
Another Senior Brother let out a sigh. “They are, after all, a superior race compared to us humans. So it’s not surprising that their so-called genius turned out this powerful.”
Most of the Core Disciples inwardly agreed, even if outwardly they grumbled in discontent or muttered other justifications.
However, not everyone shared the sa view. One Senior Sister huffed in clear annoyance, “The Thunder Palace Holy Son is just trash. No wonder he got beaten up by a Varnari genius. But if this ‘genius’ had the guts to challenge Senior Brother Renjiro, his winning streak would end on the spot—cut down with a single slash of Senior Brother’s sword!”
A few Senior Sisters nearby nodded fervently in agreent. There was, after all, a reason people said that love made one blind…
As for the Senior Brothers—and so of the more composed Senior Sisters—they remained silent. But inwardly, they all understood one thing: even if it had been Renjiro in the Thunder Palace Holy Son’s place, the outco likely wouldn’t have changed much. The Thunder Palace was slightly stronger than the Wandering Sword Sect, and yet their own so-called genius had been thoroughly crushed by the Varnari challenger. That alone was enough to imply that Renjiro’s result wouldn’t have been vastly different.
‘A superior race compared to us humans, called Varnari... I see.’ He quietly stored the information in a corner of his mind, but gave it no further thought. His attention shifted back to the ongoing conversation, which had now moved on to another topic—the Varnari genius was only a fleeting curiosity.
‘Huh?’ he inwardly blinked in surprise as he felt a soft touch. Turning to his right, he saw that Kiara—who had been sitting beside him—had silently moved. Her smaller hand now gently held his beneath the table, while she leaned in and rested her head against his shoulder in an intimately natural gesture.
Mikael responded with a faint, half-smile at her gently possessive action. He began to slowly rub the back of her hand with his thumb but made no comnt. There was no need for words between them—they shared an unspoken understanding.
Their quiet mont didn’t go unnoticed. A few glances were thrown their way, and so teasing comnts fluttered about the room, but neither Mikael nor Kiara reacted. Their skin was far too thick for such things to matter, and the Senior Sisters, seeing no response, quickly dropped the subject.
And just like that, the Core Disciples Hebdomary eting drew to a quiet end. The two of them made their way back to their Cultivation Manor.
Once there, Mikael initially planned to go his separate way. He intended to focus entirely on pushing his comprehension of all the Cultivation Arts to the Entry level. But Kiara had a different idea. She suggested it would be better if he cultivated beside her, as she could support his comprehension by playing Threading the Veil.
At first, the idea tempted him—he had already seen how her music could heighten perception and unravel complexities. However, he quickly recalled a crucial detail. To play Threading the Veil, she needed her entire concentration which prevented her from doing or comprehending anything else. If she chose to help him now, it would delay her own cultivation progress.
Following that realization, Mikael decisively refused her offer. Yet, Kiara remained undeterred. She persisted, gently but firmly insisting that she wanted to help him. She even threw in reasoning to support her stance—claiming that by playing Threading the Veil, she wasn’t wasting her ti but rather deepening her mastery of the technique itself, while also furthering her grasp over the Music Dao.
Mikael knew her words weren’t false. In fact, they held so truth. But he also understood that the main reason she insisted was simply because she wanted to support him. And he understood that desire perfectly. After a brief mont of hesitation, his resistance softened, and he finally accepted her help with quiet gratitude.
Soon after, the two moved to a spacious ditation chamber within the Cultivation Manor. While this chamber wasn’t one of the specialized high-grade cultivation abodes located behind the manor, it served their purpose just as well. More importantly, it offered greater comfort—sothing valuable for long, quiet sessions of comprehension.
After all, unlike cultivation itself, comprehension wasn’t directly affected by the ambient density of Qi. For that reason, practicing in a high-grade abode provided no real advantage when the goal was to grasp complex concepts or insights.
In fact, trying to comprehend within such environnts could sotis be counterproductive. Comprehension often relied on monts of inspiration, natural stillness, or even sothing as subtle as observing the rhythm of nature—none of which could truly be found in the sterile, Qi-rich confines of a cultivation abode.
And so, Mikael began delving into the comprehension of his various Cultivation Arts, guided and supported by the effects of Kiara’s expertly played Threading the Veil. Under the lingering resonance of her music, days began to bleed into one another, and ti passed swiftly in this harmonious state.
Midway through the process, Alia and Lyra also joined them. They too benefitted from Kiara’s refined technique, using the opportunity to deepen their own comprehension.
This continued until more than a month and a half had passed since Mikael had started what could only be described as a nearly uninterrupted comprehension session.
That morning, Mikael made the decision to finally end it. Not because he had reached his goal—far from it. Despite his constant efforts, he had yet to attain Entry level comprehension in any of the new Cultivation Arts he had studied. He wasn’t far, but the line remained uncrossed.
So why stop now?
The reason was simple. Over the course of the past six weeks, his theoretical understanding of all eight Cultivation Arts had grown imnsely. Even the three he had paid less attention to because he had already reached Entry he still saw noticeable improvent. His grasp of cultivation principles had beco sharper, more coherent, more whole.
In fact, when it ca to theory alone, he had already surpassed the threshold of Entry, reaching a state close to Small Success. However, theory without practice was insufficient. Because he lacked real-world application, he couldn’t yet anchor that understanding into genuine Entry level comprehension. He knew that if he pushed forward for another month or so, he might barely cross that threshold through theory alone—but it wouldn’t be efficient. Not anymore.
And so, Mikael parted ways with the girls, making his way toward one of the high-grade cultivation abodes located behind the Cultivation Manor.
“THOOM!”
A deep echo reverberated through the corridor as the massive stone door slamd shut under the influence of Mikael’s divine sense.
The sound was loud enough to draw attention under normal circumstances. But now, Mikael didn’t even glance back. His focus was entirely drawn inward—fixed on the atmosphere within the cultivation abode.
The interior was just as he had expected: a modest stone cave in design. However, there were several key differences that imdiately caught his eye. Most notably, the floor wasn’t made of bare, cold stone but was covered with a luxurious carpet that looked especially comfortable. Spending hours or even days in ditation here would be far more bearable than on unforgiving stone.
But that wasn’t what drew his gaze the most.
What truly captivated him was the presence of white mist swirling silently throughout the room. It carried a faintly ethereal glow, and yet when Mikael passed a hand through it, he felt it unmistakably—it was real.
His eyes narrowed with a spark of recognition.
This was Qi. Actual, condensed Qi suspended in the air like a natural phenonon.
A sight like this was rare, even in the Core Court. There, the concentration of Qi was indeed high enough to create illusions of mist—but those were only illusions. In truth, the Qi outside never condensed to the point where it could be touched, where it felt like mist. But here, in this secluded abode, it had reached a level of authenticity that bordered on the miraculous.
With one final look around, Mikael gave a small nod, clearly satisfied. Cultivating in this place would undoubtedly accelerate his progress. Even if he couldn’t make use of its full potential now as he still never cultivated, once he began to cultivate to increase his realm the benefits would beco apparent soon enough.
Without wasting another second, he sat down cross-legged, quickly adopting a lotus position. Closing his eyes, he began to follow the precise internal circulation outlined in the Elental Unity Path. His goal: to establish a solid foundation for his Qi cultivation.
He could have chosen the Sun-Moon Unity Technique instead—it promised greater battle power. But for now, he favored the Elental Unity Path, drawn to its superior adaptability. That trait, he believed, would prove crucial in the future.
Thus began his first attempts at absorbing Qi directly into his body.
Ti and ti again, he ca close—only to fall short at the final mont. Each attempt exposed a new flaw, a missing nuance that theoretical knowledge alone had failed to address. It was a humbling reminder that no amount of study could replace experience. Even so, Mikael didn’t falter.
With each failure, his movents grew more precise. His control sharpened. His internal sense of Qi circulation refined itself with every misstep. Progress ca in incrents, but it was steady.
And when two days had passed, sothing finally changed.
***
The dense mist of Qi inside the cultivation abode began to stir, no longer remaining still as it had before. Slowly but surely, it started drifting toward Mikael, who sat in deep ditation at the center of the room.
It wasn’t a violent pull, but a subtle, consistent attraction—as if the Qi itself had grown curious about him. Yet, even as the mist coiled around his form, it repeatedly failed to enter his dantian. Every attempt fell short at the final step, until—
“Boom.”
A muffled shockwave burst out from Mikael’s body the mont the Qi was successfully absorbed into his dantian for the first ti. The surrounding mist rippled in response, disturbed by the pulse of newly initiated power.
Mikael instinctively understood that this mont marked his official Entry into the Elental Unity Path. As the shockwave dissipated, he could clearly feel the Qi inside his dantian undergo a dramatic transformation.
Its volu increased, its density grew heavier, and its purity sharpened by a noticeable margin. Yet what stood out most was a newfound adaptability within the Qi—a subtle but vital trait that would undoubtedly prove invaluable in future battles and cultivations.
These changes didn’t signify a realm breakthrough. He was still in the first layer of the Spiritual Foundation Realm. Rather, they were the natural result of selecting and actively practicing a proper Qi Cultivation thod.
Mikael slowly opened his eyes, a flicker of satisfaction lighting up the calm depths of his gaze.
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— End of Chapter —
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