A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step

"Hoo! Hah! Hoo! Hah!"

Training in the courtyard like a maniac, Jean was sweating profusely, yet kept "tempering" his body through... extreme methods. One such method was the "reverse anvil" method where he would jump off one of the surrounding walls and land ab-first onto a wooden pole, which he had placed beforehand - like an anvil (Jean) hitting the hammer (the wooden pole).

*** The day before ***

Gradually lowering himself onto his knees, he paused. After a brief moment of silence...

"THIS LOWLY DISCIPLE GREETS MASTER ZHANG!"

"What are you doing?!"

... he kowtowed towards the young man, banging his bandaged head on the ground multiple times, and shouting.

"Your wounds still aren't healed! You're making it worse for the both of us!"

"THIS UNFILIAL DISCIPLE OF YOURS ADMITS HIS SINS! PLEASE PUNISH ME MASTER!"

He stopped injuring himself further but carried on shouting, louder than before.

"Shut up! Why are you even shouting? And when did I became your master, huh? No need for formalities, but you can call me brother if you want."

"Brother Xiang, is it possible to learn this power? Where I come from, cultivation is just a myth!"

"Hmm. Usually you'd have to start at around the age of 5. You look around 17 or 18, so I guess it'll be hard, if not, impossible to start cultivating now. Sorry. Plus these are my family techniques - I'm not supposed to hand them to outsiders."

"Then I'll have to find another a way to- wait, what? 17? You're joking right? An old man like me looks 17?"

Bewildered, he asked for a mirror from Xiang and looked at his reflection. To his surprise, he looked identical to when he was 17. He was clean shaven, and the blonde hair he spent a life time growing down near his waist was gone. He looked at Xiang's long, flowing, smooth, black waist-length hair with eyes of jealousy and compared it to his own reflection, to which he frowned at.

"Do you want me to teach you about cultivation and the Azure Lake Kingdom? I assume your knowledge is limited, being from a faraway place with no cultivation."

"Thanks brother Xiang. I've only read a book or two about cultivating and don't even know why I'm here."

He was lying. By "a book or two", he meant every wuxia and xianxia novel or manhua he could find. He had read thousands of them, and at one point, tried to write his own. He knew more about cultivation than being a normal, functioning member of society. He only listened because each story differs in terms or cultivation and realms and stages.

After a long discussion, Jean learnt a few important details. This was a typical Cultivation World set in ancient China. The Azure Lake Kingdom was the weakest kingdom, of the weakest continent of the weakest world, of the mortal realm. Demonic beasts, magical weapons, pills and the whole lot existed as well. As the saying goes, "bully the weak and fear the strong". Xiang was part of the once-large Zhang Imperial family. After being destroyed by the current ruling family, Xiang's branch family were the only living descendants. Xiang was working had to get revenge, but was powerless and far from his goal. He wasn't even part of a sect and lived on his own in a small mansion.

"Brother Xiang. Since you can't give your cultivation techniques to outsiders, how about I join as a servant! I can help you in a lot of ways!"

"As good as that sounds, I don't have a lot of money to hire you with. That's whole reason I live on my on!"

"I'll work for free! All I need is help in cultivation! I can even earn money for you! Please!"

"..."

"Please?"

"...alright. I could use the help. But I'll only give you the techniques after a month. Until then, prove your worth."

In all the stories he had read, one thing always came up as the most important thing - establishing a good foundation. Doing so was vital towards future cultivation: the better the foundation, the higher they could reach, and the less they'd have to suffer for it. Before being able to condense qi, there were quite a few steps beforehand. He needed to have strong muscles so that his body could withstand the powerful qi he would be condensing. Dead set on tempering and strengthening his body, Jean found a suitable courtyard to start. Helping out around the house with miscellaneous chores, he had half of every day for training, eating, sleeping, Etc., most of which was spent on an intense workout regime.

*** One month later ***

Jean's previously skinny physique had transformed into a toned and chiselled one with subtle, yet bulging muscles. This was a man who trained himself, putting one foot in the grave with no regard for his life. After all, he had already died once, what's one more time? Any normal person would give the second they saw his routine. It's too monstrous to even mention. He focused on hardening his muscles - instead of having more of it - and achieved a body of steel in such a short time frame.

Though he had only trained for a month in this world, he had been doing things like this for nearly 2 decades on Earth in preparation for being taken as a disciple by a wandering immortal. Jean was knowledgeable in all things to do with cultivation - from martial arts to stances, meditation and herbal remedies, war strategy and fictional pill formulas, none were his match.

"You've worked hard. Too hard. Like wayyy too hard. But now's the day you can start cultivating the Azure Lake Imperial cultivation technique."

"Yes! Young Master Zhang!"

"I said to call me brother Xiang! Anyway, sit down. You need to open your meridians to absorb and condense qi. There are 72 in total, and the more you open now, the higher innate talent you have. Opening half of them is at the level of genius."

"How many have you opened brother Xiang?"

"Well wouldn't you like to know! Listen well! I'm a genius at the 4th stage of Qi Condensing and I've opened up 51 meridians!"

He came off as slightly, albeit jokingly, arrogant and was proud of himself.

"Sugoi! Are you the top youth cultivator in the city or something?"

"What? Of course not. Far from it actually. The top cultivator of this city's younger generation is a master at the peak of Qi Condensing! Well, let's start!"

Jean sat cross-legged on the courtyard floor in a meditative position. Xiang placed his hands on his bare back and inserted his qi to stimulate his meridians. One by one, his meridians were opening in his body and he had already started absorbing qi. With taut muscles rife with pain, and blood rushing around his body, the qi began improving his muscle and bone density after being circulated from the meridians to the flesh and bone marrow and viscera. The excruciating pain was made bearable by the endless hours of body refinement he underwent throughout this process.

"He's still going? Impressive! The is pain is not something to scoff at."

Thinking back on a meditating cultivation method from a Tai Chi class, he tried out using what he learnt to see if it was actually real. A burst of aura exploded outwards and more meridians started opening up. The amount he opened was extraordinary - 69 had been opened. Fearing he would open more, he stopped. Well, actually, he couldn't open more even if he wanted to. Opening any amount between 62 and 72 was considered a godly achievement.

It worked! I can't believe it actually worked! Does that mean the other "techniques" I learnt on Earth would work as well? Haha! I was wondering what kind of cheat or fortuitous encounter I would have. The luck of a protagonist is truly terrifying!

Jean started laughing maniacally despite it already being night time. Xiang, who had left hours ago but checked on him regularly, went to the courtyard again after all that noise and was astonished. Upon entering, the wave of aura was intimidating, and the qi fluctuations were violent. Without learning the Azure Lake imperial cultivation technique, he was already at the second stage of Qi Condensing - something that would take at least a few years from childhood.

"Impossible! Such a prodigy is actually working for me for free! I need to keep at all costs!"

"My journey to immortality has finally started! I will split the heavens with a palm strike and destroy the mortal realm with a snap of my fingers! All emperors will bow before me and even gods themselves will pay me tribute! I will own everything and make the whole of existence submit to me ! Mwahahahahahahahahahah!"

Howling harder and louder than before, his mind had completely gone to ruin. Even insanity itself would be afraid.

"Shut up! Get out of here! You're fired!"