The First Steps

Heng held out his hand to help me get out of the car. He led me through the large oak door that opened up to a grand foyer. Dark wood covered everything. A large staircase centered the room, two large ornate vases sat on each side. A few maids stood at attention awaiting Heng's instruction. The Mansion was filled with high-end antique furniture and items from across the world. Each room was dedicated to another part of the world, I noticed as he led me through the home. He showed me the massive kitchen, every appliance gleamed as if polished. Then he showed me the gym, filled with top-notch equipment.

"You'll spend a lot of time here. I will have a few trainers come to assess your capabilities tomorrow. There's a pool in the back end of the property. The whole property is about fifteen acres. We have a survival course that I will put you through as well. I warn you now that you choose this path, things will never be the same for you again. I want you to understand that you still have a chance to walk away before tomorrow. This could be a decision that ultimately leads you to your death." Heng explained as he showed me to my room.

"My mind was made up, there is no going back for me. Scott must pay. I must be strong enough to stand on my own feet. I can no longer hide behind my mother's death as an excuse to be sad and pitiful for the rest of my life." I replied without taking my eyes off the extreme amount of luxury around me.

I Heard Heng sigh as he opened a large heavy door. He ushered me inside the darkroom. He flicked on a light, and I was blown away. The room itself was the size of a large one-bedroom apartment. Furnished in the same style as the rest of the house, a large four-poster bed sat against one wall at the foot was a large chest. In the center of the room was a living area comprised of a large sofa and two armchairs with a small end table in between them. On another wall was a large fireplace with a tv mounted above it. Several pieces of art decorated the walls. A large glass door opened up to a balcony with a gorgeous view of a lake in the backyard. Heng turned to me and handed me a thin book. On it read Breathing for Beginning Cultivators.

"Follow this book word for word. IF you can comprehend it within a week, I would say you are gifted. I wish you luck, get some rest. I will have Alexander fetch you in the morning for breakfast." He said turning around without looking back at me.

I looked at the book and shrugged. I walked over to the bed and sat cross-legged while flipping through the book. Its pages detailed several breathing exercises with oddly specific instructions, which I followed to a tee. I began practicing what the book instructed and almost immediately felt a surge of cold energy coursing through my veins. While it wasn't painful it was uncomfortable at first, then quickly became more and more warming and settling. I could feel the energy in the room swirl around me. My breathing became more and more stable, my mind clearing as if a fog had lifted from it. I felt energized, the more I practiced the more I felt at ease, the stress of my previous situation lifting off my shoulders. Hours must have passed me by because before I knew it, I heard a male voice call out to me.

"Master Dewitt, Master Liu is waiting for your company in the dining room. Breakfast is about to be served." Alexander, I assumed called out to me.

I stood up; I was drenched in sweat. My body felt lighter, my mind was defiantly sharper. I opened the door to see the skinny butler from yesterday standing there waiting on me.

"Master Dewitt you look exhausted; did you spend all night practicing?" He asked as he led me to the dining room.

"Yeah, Heng gave me a book to practice some breathing techniques and I wanted to give it a go," I replied with a stretch.

Alexander smiled slightly as he pushed the dining room doors open.

"I present Master Dewitt," Alexander called out as I sat down.

Heng looked at me with a semi-shocked expression on his face before he chuckled.

"Did you even rest at all?" He asked.

"I mean you could call it resting," I replied, as huge plates of food were sat down in front of me.

It was more than I had ever seen before. Massive amounts of food were piled onto the table as Heng filled his plate.

"First things first, you have taken the first steps as a cultivator. This is not an easy path to walk, however as I'm sure that you've noticed, you already have gotten stronger. I wasn't expecting you to reach the qi refining stage after one night of practicing the breathing techniques. You successfully formed your dantian and your spiritual roots. I also have to make sure you train your mind and body to handle the burden cultivation places on your frame. This will be a long process." Heng explained as he sipped on coffee.

I looked at him for a second deciding whether or not I bought this story, However, I remembered how I felt just practicing the techniques in the book.

"I made my decision yesterday Mr. Liu, now I can only give it everything I have," I replied starting to feel extremely hungry.

My belly let out an extremely aggressive growl, Heng looked at me for a second and laughed.

"Dig in Jason. Practice will often leave you feeling extremely hungry. Eat as much as you can." He said with a chuckle.

I nodded and began devouring the countless slabs of meat and other various foods. By the end of breakfast, I had probably polished several pounds of food, several glasses of water, and several deserts. I sat back in the chair and looked around. I had just noticed a well-built female sitting in the corner of the room reading a book that looked similar to what I had read last night.

"What is she reading?" I asked, my curiosity getting the better of me.

"A book that details an advanced martial art skill. Heaven's palm. Would you like to see it, little boy?" The female replied without looking up.

"Sure, it couldn't hurt to read it right?" I asked standing up and making my way over to her.

Heng watched our interaction with a solemn look on his face. I stood in front of the woman as she sighed and closed the book. She glared at me for a second before speaking.

"I was being a smart-ass kid." She replied with a tone of aggression.

"Are you afraid that I might understand it better than you?" I asked glaring at her, my patients with people's crap at zero.

She glared at me as if she was going to kill me, however, she looked over at Heng and he nodded.

"Fine." She sighed with attitude before handing the book over.

The book was extremely detailed, however, what shocked me was it was as if the images of the martial art were burnt into my head.

"That's trippy," I muttered taking a step back.

The woman stared at me for a second with a puzzled look on her face.

"Focus your energy in your forearm and then expel it through your palm." She said standing up and moving out of my way.

I nodded and felt the energy well up in my chest, then my forearm. I focused on the ideal of energy exploding out of my palm as I swung out at the air. At first, the energy was insignificant, however, with each repetition of the art, I could feel the energy increasing until my final strike. Everyone looked shocked at the giant crater that was the wall behind where the woman had been sitting.

"What the hell are you?" She muttered looking afraid of what had just happened.

Heng walked over and stood behind me. He grabbed my wrists and corrected my stance. He then circled me before smiling.

"I knew I was right about you." He laughed.