Morning came and I found myself still exhausted from the previous night. I headed to the food hall for some early breakfast and saw Dong eating on his own. Walking over, I placed my tray opposite his.

"Good morning Dong, can I ask you some questions?"

"Ah Oscar, you're up early! Sure, fire ahead."

"When do lessons start? Do I have some time just to cultivate?"

"Well, we want you to spend another two days getting used to the school. Afterwards, every day you'll go to martial training."

"Some days you'll have class after lunch. The teachers will take care of that for you, so just head to Yard whenever you hear the bells ring."

"Training every day? Do we get any rest days?"

"Rest days?" Dong seemed confused, "why would you want a whole day to rest if you're not injured? You get plenty of time to rest or cultivate in the evenings."

"Oh, I understand."

It seemed that there was no concept of weekends here. School would be quite intense, especially if I wanted to cultivate in the evenings.

"One last question Dong, can I go outside?"

"What, you want to leave already?" Dong laughed.

"I don't mean like that - I want to go cultivate with Crow."

"Hm. You know the Crow?"

"Yeah, he helped me in the past with my constitution, and.." I adopted a plaintive tone, "master doesn't want to help me, and I don't know where to start.."

"Ah.. well.. okay. It's not strictly allowed, but.. I think I can make an exception. Here."

Dong pulled a scrap of paper from his robes and placed his finger on it. A glowing golden crest formed on its surface, and he handed it to me.

The crest was a fish with two dragon heads facing left and right. The right head was closed and peaceful, with waves in the background, whereas the left was in flames, snarling with teeth bared.

"Pass this to the guards on the way out and tell them I gave you permission. If you're not back by dinner, I can't let you go out again, you understand?"

"Thank you so much Dong! I promise, I'll come back by dinner."

"Alright, good luck with your cultivation!"

"Thank you!"

With that, I ran out of the food hall, eager to go cultivate in the mountains. Also, if I could build a bond of trust with Dong, perhaps he would let me cultivate outside in the evenings.

Passing by the guards, I handed them the note, and they let me through without hesitation. Dong's crest seemed to carry some weight around here.

Standing just outside the gates, it hit me. This was the first time I was free. There was nobody to guide me, nobody to stop me, and I could go wherever I wanted.

An urge to flee tugged at my gut. To just run away and see the world for myself. Eight years of being molly-coddled and tied down had made me restless and eager to explore.

What could I do? What could I see? Was I prepared to face the world yet? Thinking through it, I probably wasn't. I barely had any strength, and my knowledge was severely limited.

Another urge came, and it was stronger. The magnetic pull of cultivation. The realisation that just a few kilometres from here was Crow, a man with knowledge that could help me.

Calming myself and setting my priorities straight, I began walking in the direction of Crow's cave. It dawned upon me that with this freedom, I could also practice my mobility.

Movement arts were crucial for cultivators; to not be shackled by the speed of a horse, and to have swift positioning in a fight. I hadn't touched on them yet, and I wanted to experiment.

Starting with what I knew, I sent some qi into my legs, strengthening my muscles. I practiced walking, then jogging, then sprinting as fast as I could.

It was difficult to know how fast I was running, but the wind whipping around my face encouraged me. I slowed down after 15 seconds or so to take a break and found myself exhausted.

My lungs were on fire, and I bent over double, heaving. Sure, I hadn't exercised much in this life, but this was a problem. My physical capabilities were the same as a normal person on earth.

It didn't matter how much I strengthened my muscles. My stamina was still low. If I wanted to move like a cultivator, I needed a different strategy.

After catching my breath for a minute, I thought of the previous night. If I could use qi explosions to travel, I could limit the strain on my muscles.

I stood still and gathered qi in the lower dantian. Learning from my past experiences, I took a tentative slow step forward. My balance slipped, my core tensed, and the qi scattered.

This was harder than punching, as keeping my balance without tensing my core was nearly impossible. Instead, I steadied myself with my hand on a nearby building and tried again.

After a few attempts, I managed it, but there was no release of pressure. This was confusing, as I was sure I had done everything right, but subsequent attempts confirmed it.

Perhaps the difference was intent. I had punched with the intent of sending force through an imaginary target, but now I was just thoughtlessly moving my muscles.

I centred myself and conjured an image of my foot bursting off the ground, sending my flying forward. This time, when I placed my foot down, a burst of pressure jolted me backwards.

I had succeeded, but it was difficult to control. I definitely needed more practice, and this wasn't the time for that.

I jogged the rest of the way, but it still took a lot out of me. My stamina was terrible, and I definitely needed to change that.

After around half an hour, I arrived at the entrance to Crow's cave. Two guards in green cuirasses stood to attention by the doorway.

"Hello sirs, how can I see Crow?"

"Who are you kid?" the guard on the left replied, "are you from the military school?"

"Yes sir, I'm Oscar Schwarz, I'm one of the new scholars."

"Schwarz, eh?" the guard on the right perked up, sounding surprised, "rings a bell.. I'll go ask Sir Crow, just wait 'ere."

He disappeared into the cave, leaving me alone with the other guard outside the gate.

"So, kid, you're a scholar eh?"

"Yes sir."

"What's it like being a scholar? My boy told me they're all monsters. I mean.." he cleared his throat, "no offence."

"No sir, none taken. I'm just a new kid, so I don't know much."

The guard nodded thoughtfully, but still looked at me expectantly.

"I mean, they all seem really strong. I think everyone has a lot of pressure on them."

"Must be hard for a kid. If you ask me, it's crazy to make kids fight so young. I never really liked all the violence," he looked up to the sky and sighed, "I guess that's why I ended up as a guard."

"Oi, kid!" the other guard called out from the cave entrance, "Sir Crow said he'll give ya a few minutes!"

"Wow, I guess that's a scholar for you," the guard next to me leant over and whispered, "Sir Crow's a very busy man, so be quick!"

"Yes sir!"

I jogged past and into the cave's entrance. The rock-hewn hall was just as tranquil as before, and the guard brought me to Crow's door, before walking off.

I knocked twice, and a small iron window slid open. Crow's wizened face peeped through, his eyes darting around the hall.

"Hm, he's gone. Alright, come on in Oscar."

With a few heavy clunks, the iron bound door creaked open, and Crow ushered me in. He slammed the door behind me, then turned his back and walked to the shelves.

"So, what brings you here?" Crow fiddled with items on the shelves as he talked, peering into bottles before putting them back.

"Um, I had a few ideas and I thought you were the best person to talk to."

"I'm the best person to talk to about a lot of things, which one is it? Pill making? Alchemy?" he slanted his head and gave me a cheeky grin, "Women?"

"Actually, none of those things."

"Hm, okay. Cut to the chase. You've only got a few minutes, or else those guards will suspect that I'm not all that busy in here."

"Okay, well I was thinking of using the demon brand to absorb qi."

"That's what it's for, so what's the trouble?"

"I'm going to be taking in a lot of qi.. and I want to keep it balanced. And I don't have any affinities, so I want to use the strongest source."

Crow stopped his tinkering, then turned his full attention to me.

"So, earth qi.. and unless you really want to be struck by lightning.." he perched on the desk and gave me a quizzical stare, "so you want to cultivate here, with me?"

Crow wheezed a tortured laugh, then lowered his tone, "I've known your dad for a while, but I've already done plenty to help you. The answer is no. Piss off."