A man died during the pandemic in 2020, but as he closed his eyes for the last time, something stirred in his mind. When he opened them, he discovered that he had been reborn in what appeared to be ancient China, yet he retained all his memories from the future. 

Let us follow Shen Mu, as he makes his way in a world he knows nothing about and learns the truth about the world, and his mission as a cultivator.

Can his memories of the future help in a place where magic is real? And what is that other presence in his mind?

Rebirth and Reincarnation

‘Breathe. In and out, in and out. Let the air match the flow of the element.’ I recounted my first lessons with Shen Mu. Elemental breathing was but the first step towards the building of the spirit. ‘Then comes visualization: see the element filling the inside of your body from the bottom up. Start with your feet, visualize each finger being surrounded by the element, then slowly move up through every single part of your body; your heels, your calves, your knees…every bone and muscle until you are one with it.’ 


I felt the heat of fire rising through my legs and I sat unmoving on the floor. It wasn’t scalding, but warm and gentle. Fire relied heavily on the intention of the cultivator. Our enemies could be burned by it, or it could increase body temperature in life-threatening freezing conditions. It could destroy just as it could save lives. The difference was, as always, the intent. 


I led the fire up to my head until it was all around me, surrounding me in a warm blanket. 


VII: Budding relationships Part 3