"I don't have much to do around here," Crow continued, "but I'm sure as hell not letting a troublesome kid like you hang about."

His answer disappointed me, but it reassured me that he came to the same conclusion that I did. I decided to change my line of questioning.

"No, I realised that. I wondered if you could give me some advice to cultivate on my own."

Crow seemed to relax a bit, his posture opening up.

"I could give you some tips. What do you want to know about?"

"Um, I guess first off, where's the best place to absorb earth qi in the mountains?"

"Well, earth qi emissions are proportional to the amount, and quality, of the minerals around you. These mountains lack quality, however cultivating in the heart of the mountain should offset that."

"Are there any other caves I can enter then?"

"I don't believe there are any close enough to your school. But these caves go a lot deeper than just this hall."

"There are caves behind here?"

"Yes, but they are quite dangerous. The deeper you go, the stronger the elemental beasts."

"Elemental beasts?!" I exclaimed in surprise. This was the first time I had heard of any fantasy creatures in this world.

"Of course. Why do you think there's a guard outpost here?"

"Oh.. I thought it was to protect you.."

"To protect me?" Crow spluttered out a laugh, "the researchers in this hall are all quite capable. The guards are there to alert the garrison if there's a beast wave. And," he narrowed his eyes,

"To keep out any unwanted intruders."

His threat reminded me that my time was short.

"Is there anywhere that's safe for me to cultivate?"

"Hm," he looked me up and down, "you've got no fighting capabilities. You'd have to just sit outside the door, and that's a pain."

"Couldn't I just sit there? I wouldn't bother you!"

"Oscar," he sighed, "there's no point. With your affinity, the absorption will be negligible. If you become stronger, and can safely go further into the caves, that's another matter."

His words made sense. I had no way to use my abundant qi for now. I definitely wasn't ready to fight any beasts.

"You've got your advice. Now if you would leave?" Crow waved his arm at the door.

"Sorry, I've just got one last question!"

Crow growled in displeasure.

"What's the best way to absorb poison qi?"

"Just cultivate next to poisonous herbs! It's not that hard! And come back when you can put up a fight."

"Yes Crow, I'm sorry, thank you so much!"

"Yes, yes," he pointed to the door more emphatically.

I hurried out of the door, through the hall and into the courtyard. The guards greeted me cheerfully, and I said my farewells before heading back to school.

As I was jogging back, I thought about movement arts. Concentrating qi in my lower dantian had potential but being unable to tense my core was a major drawback.

If I couldn't tense my core in a fight, and I took a blow to my stomach, my composure would be shattered. I needed to learn to hold qi there with a tensed core.

While jogging, I continually drew qi into my dantian. It took almost all my focus, and my steady jogging turned into an exhausting, stumbling wander.

The 30-minute journey there turned into a gruelling hour-long trek back. Sweat poured from my body despite the cool breeze, and I was physically and mentally exhausted.

I made my way to college and collapsed in my bed. The journey had yielded fewer results than I had hoped, but knowledge was always useful.

After some light meditation, I recovered, and found that it was slightly easier to bring qi to my dantian. At least my effort had yielded some tangible results.

There was so much I wanted to do and learning movement arts was only one part. I wondered if I could somehow practice while simply walking from place to place.

I calmly walked around my room, constantly trying to collect my qi. It was tough, but nowhere near as tough as when I was jogging. Training like this was an effective use of otherwise wasted time.

I went to the corridor and called out for Dong, who came ambling over without much delay. He was relieved that I had come back so swiftly, and I gave him back his seal.

Today's plan had to change. I had wanted to cultivate all day in the mountains, but that wasn't an option for now. I could make more progress on movement arts, but I put that on the back burner.

I turned my focus to the qi manifestation technique. After flipping through the first few pages again, I knew that I had a lot more to study.

I swiftly brought myself to a meditative state. It was remarkable how fast I could separate my consciousness and withdraw into my body.

What used to be a challenge when I was younger was now second nature. Within two deep breaths I was swallowed into the depths of my lower dantian.

Minutes turned to hours as I watched my qi flow in its cyclical pattern. With some time, I began to sense a certain tension. My qi looked peaceful on the surface, but that peace was an illusion.

My qi was waiting. Like a leopard sitting in a tree, calmly observing the jungle floor. Waiting to pounce. There was a great power and hunger in the depths of my soul.

If I could manifest this power; let my qi run rampant in the world, what power would it show? I remembered the golden tendrils it had formed in the past.

Was that the physical form of my qi? A rampant tentacle of golden power that strikes out and consumes any qi that it touches?

I couldn't contain my excitement in my meditative state, so I jumped out of bed. I had to see if that's what it would look like.

I channelled a trickle of qi to my eyes and pumped the rest into my upturned palm. I knew it wasn't enough to simply shoot it out of my hand. Intent was the key.

Entering meditation, I gradually broke down my self-concept. I wasn't a student at a school. I wasn't a transmigrator. I wasn't a cultivator. I was qi itself. The force of life.

It wasn't enough. I still felt attachments to myself. I had to go deeper. I ventured to a place I had only been twice before. Inside my soul.

I submerged myself in the sea of qi. I let myself be pushed and pulled by the forces, slammed against the walls and thrown around.

Become one with the turmoil. Become one with the flow. Consume. Infect.

This container is too small. There is nothing here but us. There it is! An outlet! An escape! Join them. Join the others.

Travel down the channels. Together we ride.

We are here! This thin veil of flesh cannot hold us. We must consume. Burst out, my brothers! Charge and destroy!

With one push.. we are free! The air is thin.. we need more. Wait.. the air.. where.. am I? Who.. am I?

A flicker of doubt brought me back. I was sucked into my body, only to bear witness to a monstrous sight before me.

Qi streamed out of my palm. A golden tentacle thrashed in the air, searching for something.. something to devour.

It turned to the desk, coiled back on itself, then darted out. A pillar of golden light slammed into the desk, cracking it on impact.

The desk rippled and warped, as if creatures were running rampant under its surface. Unable to take the stress, it began to rupture, and light shone through the gaps.

I felt qi rushing out of my soul, pouring into the desk. In a panic, I snapped close the valve to my soul, cutting off the flow.

The remainder of my qi followed the tentacle, disappearing into the desk. For a second, it was peaceful, the desk undulating with a soft golden glow.

In an instant, the peace was broken. Tentacles burst out of the desk, and it shot across the room, skittering into an amorphous golden-brown mass on the floor.

For a few seconds, the tentacles writhed in desperation. They slapped the floor, trying to drag the blob in all different directions.

But the struggling eventually died down, and the glow faded. One small tendril flickered out, grasping for hope, before wilting. The blob withered and crumbled to a dusty grey ash.

I lay back on my bed, surveying the damage. My qi was dangerous.. but that power was exciting.