023: Dragon

1 MONTH LATER

GHADOVARA MOUNTAINS (SOUTH GHADOVARA)

ZERES BANDIT STRONGHOLD

It's been about a month since Divyat became an 'Experiment' within the stronghold, and in that time he had settled into a routine. He was not allowed to cultivate or practice his techniques. His days were actually just filled with test upon tests upon tests. Since the meeting with bandit lord; the Devil Zeres, it has just been one test after the other, however at the very least he got to mingle with the people in the stronghold, except of course most interactions just had to be them looking down on him or acting as if by being close to them the very air they were breathing had become polluted.

With everything that he has been through so far, with such treatments, Divyat slowly and gradually developed a cold demeanor, one that grew even more icy with each day that passed, easily matching his cold based powers and abilities. Either way, today was a little different than the previous ones, Divyat was still living in the igloo cell, he would not be given a proper home until his indoctrination was over, or at the very least until Cao Lin has finished with her tests, and deemed him not a danger to the people. It was funny and somewhat ironic, if this was a human society, everyone else here would be treated in this manner…like they were less than the dirt on the floor, heck they would probably be killed on sight. Nevertheless, he looked down at the clothes placed at his feet, then raised his head to look up at Cao Lin who had a small smile on her face, besides the clothes was his satchel, somehow it has survived along with him, but the only thing there were the techniques he had chosen to master.

"I've ran every test than I can possibly run on you…at the very least I feel I've learnt everything I can about you, your abilities and your body for your current state of power. But beyond that the winter stag is a spirit or rather was a spirit. Which means there's a certain degree of mysticism that my science and observation would not be able to pierce, no matter how robust my Qi and my control over it is. Nevertheless, we'll give you a home, and space for you to resume training, and then father will be teaching for 3 hours everyday." Divyat got up and asked her without so much as an emotional twitch on his face.

"Teach me what?" he asked her as he began to strip in front of her, not at all caring about his lack of modesty or shame.

"How to be an effective weapon of course!" she said with a laugh, looking at Divyat with eager eyes, obviously waiting for him to react to what she had just said. Instead Divyat gave her a nod and got back to putting the clothes on. Cao Lin huffed and moved back as Divyat got dressed. It was just thick woolen pants lined with leather. A simple yet thick shirt and a fur coat with a hood. He didn't need this much protection from the cold, in fact this much clothing would do nothing than encumber him, but it would be better to keep up appearances. Total and complete resistance to the cold would raise questions that neither Cao Man or Cao Lin are ready to answer. He got dressed and followed Cao Lin outside, taking one last look at the igloo before following her, hanging his satchel over his shoulder.

"Your body is still undergoing it's metamorphosis, but at a much slower rate than I would have liked, and I believe it is due to you not being in constant contact with Qi. So far there has been a severe lack of cultivation in your life, and that has slowed down the progress not your growth. Either way, that will end today, ultimately however there is something I found out that I believe you should know, as proper knowledge of it can help you survive. Your veins, arteries and Meridian channels are all interwoven. Such a phenomenon is called 'Rete Merablia' it's a phenomenon mostly found in animals and beasts, but ultimately it's a defining trait that's mainly found in a particular species of creature that even the Winter Stag belongs to….Dragons."

Divyat paused, his sudden halt crunching snow beneath his feet as Cao Lin turned to look at him, a questioning look on her face, as Divyat spoke up.

"Dragons are extinct, and last I remember dragons are winged lizards and 100 feet long serpents who can fly with extreme mastery over the elements and numerous other techniques. The history books called them the last gods of the divine era." Cao Lin shook her head, an annoyed look on her face.

"Leave it up to humans to give stupid information, that's just half the information as there's even a story there. Dragons are any creature, human, demon, demi-human, devil, heck even ghosts! That evolves to a higher state of existence or being after perhaps encountering a treasure, training to a certain level and experiencing a qualitative change both biological and spiritual. The Winter Stag is a dragon, along with the other nature spirits in existence, and you Divyat, by the time your metamorphosis is done, will become one too. Dragon is a state of existence, a level of evolution that's right at the peak where you develop the powers and abilities to bend nature to your will. But you did get one thing right though… because invariably regardless of how they came about the evolution, dragons are gods."

She paused, just long enough for what she had just said to sink into Divyat's head. Then she continued moving resuming her explanation.

"The 'Rete Merablia' system you have can convert Qi to stamina, blood etc. and vise versa. And beyond just that it helps you conserve energy and Qi, letting you use to at least a reduction of twenty percent, less Qi, and stamina for any activity or technique. And the worst part about yours is that it's a fucking recycling machine, everything from Qi, to food, to your blood is renewed and passed back and forth in a constant cycle. Your Qi is purer, the purest I've seen in my life and that's saying something I've been alive for over a thousand years. Nevertheless, unless it's an extended battle, you will never get tired again, exhaustion would probably only be something you have to worry about if you're gravely injured. And finally your capacity for Qi is astounding.

You don't have a Dantian yet, not until you step into the Qi condensation realm, yet! You skin, your bones, your tissue, organs and meridians are all storing vast amounts of Qi, that even for a foundation establishment realm cultivator you should not have! Which is why I say your body is more like that of a beast than a human. Heck I think the only race that pertains to you now is that of Dragon! If not all I can possibly call you is freak! Either way, we're here. This is your new home, you can resume training and practicing, we will give you a few days to gather your thoughts, and then your indoctrination begins. I wish you luck though… it is going to be painful."

And with that said Cao Lin turned around and left, leaving Divyat standing in front of the opening of a cave. Well he at least assumed it was a cave as there was door over it's entrance. He walked in, coming up into an open space, almost 20 meters in diameter, larger than he'd expected, but wide enough for simple training. There was a bathroom that actually had running water by tapping into water that was flowing in the rocks through the mountain. A kitchen, a bedroom, a tunnel at the back led out into a courtyard that was the size of small field. It was a large cave with an opening at the top where sunlight and snow slowly poured in. Divyat paused, and stood as flecks of snow dropped down, a small wind picking up as the snow revolved around him. He closed his eyes for a moment and looked up, his heart heavy, but no tears left to cry, he sighed, releasing a breath of fog as he said.

"So this is home now….a lair truly fit for a Dragon."