Ember that refused to die

Elder Shu started his lessons,

"In the energy body of human system, there are a total of seventy two thousand pathways or meridians. These 72,000 meridians spring from three basic ones– the left, the right and the central – the Ida (Yin-type), Pingala (Yang-type), and Sushumna (the attribute-less). These meridians do not mean nerve. These are pathways or channels of energy in the system. They don't have a physical manifestation. In the sense, if you cut the body and look in, you will not find them. But as you become more aware while purifying and cultivating your energies, you will notice that the energies are not moving at random, they are moving in established pathways. These are 72,000 different ways in which the Qi moves…."

Elder Shu explained the energy physiology of human system in such great detail that even Pure Yang lord was having difficulty grasping some things.

"Once you can sense an entire energy pathway, the pathway gains a subtle glow. On the day that you can sense all the 72,000 Qi pathways, your energies will grow to a certain maturity which opens the path to immortality."

Astonished, he couldn't help but interrupt Elder Shu, "Immortality? Are there really immortals in this world?"

The elder nodded without hesitation, "That is true according to our ancestral records."

Pure Yang lord's mind reeled. He had roamed from one world to another chasing after higher realms, immortality unsure if there is such a thing, almost like a fading dream. Finally, he found some clues.

"Then, how do you know that there are only 72,000 pathways? Can't there be more?" he pressed, hoping to squeeze more knowledge out of him.

A faint smile appeared on the elder's lips.

"Maybe, it's possible that there are more."

A gleam of proud and respect appeared in his eyes and he stated, "We had the fortune of having several talented ancestors who could perceive beyond these 72,000 pathways. Every elder who reached that level invoked heavenly tribulation without any exception."

"As you might have noticed, our lifespan in this body is limited which restrict in how much energy we can gather in our lifetimes," he added with a distant look.

"Moreover, due to restricted ethereal content in our world, there are no ways for us to strength our bodies. Hence, our bodies are too weak against these tribulations."

He continued with a sparkle in his eyes, "Despite these limitations, a rare few of them were able to overcome these tribulations. But there are no records of what these experts spoke about what's beyond 72,000. What lies beyond… is still a mystery. It was mentioned that they ultimately shed their mortal shell and left this world to become immortals."

This made Pure Yang lord realize the immense possibility of humanity, even in dire situation, humanity still had the ability to adapt and find ways to progress. The desire to attain the apex reignited in his mind.

"How many pathways have you sensed, Elder Shu?"

The white-robed elder humbly responded, "This one has limited talent and is only able to sense sixty nine thousand nine hundred and thirty six pathways till now."

'So close to 72,000,' Pure Yang lord thought.

"How long did it take you to attain it?"

A proud gleam appeared in his eyes. "I was already able to sense beyond 64,000 at the age of 21. But from then on sensing new pathways became too hard and I eventually lost my heart to cultivate."

Apparently, the meaning behind his words were: I'm not improving further because I'm just too lazy to cultivate.

Pure Yang lord's mouth twitched, 'What a humble showoff!'

Here, Pure Yang lord didn't know that Elder Shu was not pretending. He was the most talented in this world. He was the first person to reach such a level in the shortest period of time in the history of this world.

 

Recalling the memories of his time with Elder Shu, Alister was filled with newfound confidence.

"So what if this body has so many problems?" Alister clenched his fist with determination.

"Those people in 'Tishira' had no etheric support to improve their cultivation. Did they ever give up their aspiration to rise to the beyond?"

The fire of determination burned in his eyes. Based on the methods he learned in Tishira, he started with observing his breath, the sensation associated with it slowly going deeper and deeper trailing into the pathways associated with breath.

He put his full attention and focus on sensing Qi pathways.

Due to his accumulated experience from the life as Pure Yang lord, he was able to effortlessly get into deeper states of meditation where he was unravelling Qi pathways one after another.

1… 2… 3… 4…

A subtle glow started appearing inside his body that slowly increased in numbers to such a state that it became visible on the outside.

Unbeknownst to Alister, two figures hovered in the air above him, cloaked by clouds, staring at him. One of them was the young boy that left on his chariot, Ishan, arms crossed and face crumpled in frustration. While the other one… was even younger. A child-like face that radiated an intense presence.

Ishan wore an aggrieved face as he questioned, "Grandfather, why did you send me to rescue that boy before? I almost lost my purity."

Surprisingly, the child didn't retort when a boy older than him called him grandfather but instead continued staring at Alister.

"When did I send you to rescue anyone? I simply said garb an opportunity that will present itself if you go in that direction," the 'grandpa' child snapped.

"But there were only those two in that direction. Moreover, she was going to force herself on him and he screamed for help. I thought that was the opportunity you were talking about to rescue that boy," Ishan pointed out.

"Not the boy. I wanted you to meet that girl," the 'grandpa' corrected. "She's a bit unique. I wanted you to acquaint yourself with her."

Ishan said in confused tone, "But what's so special about her? Her cultivation might be good but in your eye that must be nothing special. You don't even put the strongest expert in this world in your eye."

A sparkle appeared in his eyes as he continued, "Though her looks are fine… and her shape looks promising. She'll definitely be a great beauty in the future. Say, you aren't looking for a granddaughter-in-law, are you?"

Then, he remembered the scene from before and deflated.

"You saw how rough she was with that boy. You wouldn't really want me to go through it for your so-called tests, right?"

He slowly backed up as if readying himself.

"Grandpa, please, I don't want to go through that. You definitely saw the look on that boy's face. It was the most listless eyes I've ever seen. See there, his body has already started glowing. Maybe he's going to commit suicide by detonating his energies. You don't want your grandson to commit suicide, right?"

Nerves could be seen dancing in the grandpa's forehead after hearing Ishan's words. Then,

A sharp "thwack!" echoed as the 'grandpa child's knuckles met Ishan's temple forming a big tower.

"You imbecile! Why would your grandpa want to harm you?" grandpa shouted in controlled anger.

Tears appeared in Ishan's eyes as he winched in pain holding his head, "But you always torture me in the name of tests. You don't even let me cultivate in peace. I'm fed up with your whims."

"I sometimes doubt if you're some evil demon pretending to be my grandpa just to torture me."

"You!" grandpa gritted his teeth in anger.

"I'm doing this for your own good. Being an idiot, you'll die a worthless death somewhere if I left you to mature on your own. So, I'm letting you go through these difficult situations earlier on to prepare you to face them in real life. In the future, you'll definitely be grateful for it one day."

'Not even a fool will be grateful for you, old fart' Ishan muttered inwardly.

"You fool! That girl is the one who carries the fate of Valoria. If one day these seven continents prosper, it'll be because of her or somehow this world gets destroyed, that'll also be because of her," the 'grandpa' child declared.

"This boy is also not simple," grandpa spoke while turning to Alister. "He's definitely an anomaly, I can see his past but his fate and destiny seems to be… veiled, almost as if bound by something. You should be extremely careful when you're around him."

Ishan spoke in surprise, "I'm amazed that there is someone in this world that grandpa couldn't look through."

Alister piqued his interest. This was the first time his normally taciturn grandpa evaluated someone so highly.

Grandpa spoke, "You think you grandpa's omniscient. There are still countless unfathomable things in the world."

He looked at the glowing figure beneath him, a strange feeling blooming in his chest.

"So, if even grandpa can't figure him out. Just who… is this guy?"