On the upper flank of the Mount of the Four Tributaries, just below the peak where the ceremony had taken place, stretched a small plateau surrounded by tall rocks and ancient bamboo groves. The wind there was constant, and the spiritual energy was denser than in the lower areas of the sect.
It was in that place that, by Sai's order, four small caves had been carved directly into the mountain rock. Simple, circular entrances, dug just deep enough to reveal a space where a cultivator could sit, meditate, and store a few belongings.
"So… this is where we're going to live now?" Wei Lian murmured, staring at the openings in the rock with a confused expression.
Yan Li approached one of the caves, touching the stone wall with her fingers.
"It's… so simple," she commented, disappointed.
Wang Tao remained silent, observing the place carefully. The position of the caves was not random. Each was slightly apart from the others, yet still close enough that they felt like part of the same space.
"In many sects, cultivators live in pavilions, dormitories, or houses," Sai said, watching the three with his hands behind his back. "But traditionally, a cultivator always has a cultivation cave."
Wei Lian blinked.
"Why?"
Sai gave him a simple look, almost amused.
"Because cultivation is not something done surrounded by distractions. Emotions, noise, relationships… all of that interferes with the flow of Qi and the stability of the heart."
He lightly touched the mountain wall.
"The mountain is stable. Silent. Ancient. When you cultivate inside it, the Qi of the environment is purer, and the mind finds fewer disturbances."
Yan Li tilted her head.
"So… it's like a place where only you and the Dao exist?"
"Exactly."
Wei Lian scratched the back of his neck.
"So… a cultivator without a cave is like… a warrior without a sword?"
Wang Tao let out a soft breath through his nose, almost a laugh.
Sai, on the other hand, nodded seriously.
"A crude comparison… but not wrong."
The atmosphere grew a little lighter.
Each of them chose their own cave. Yan Li took the one closest to the bamboo grove. Wang Tao chose the highest one, facing the valley. Wei Lian took the one nearest to the access path — though he couldn't explain why, he felt safer there.
As they organized their few belongings, the feeling was strange.
Just a few days ago, they had been ordinary disciples of the sect.
Now… they were direct disciples of an Elder who made the Heavens stir.
"Hey…" Wei Lian called, sitting at the entrance of his cave. "Do you guys also have this strange feeling?"
Yan Li, who was arranging her brushes and cloth, looked up.
"What feeling?"
"Like… everything changed all of a sudden." He laughed without humor. "Yesterday I was a lost mortal. Today I have a cave on a cultivators' mountain."
Wang Tao closed his eyes for a moment.
"Changes that come too fast usually demand a high price."
Wei Lian swallowed.
"…that wasn't comforting."
Yan Li, however, smiled faintly.
"But it also means we now have a chance that didn't exist before."
Wang Tao opened his eyes.
"Chance… and risk walk together."
The wind crossed the plateau, rustling the bamboo. For a moment, none of them spoke.
Then Sai broke the silence.
"Rest today. Settle in. Get used to the flow of Qi in this place." His gaze passed over the three. "Tomorrow, we begin true cultivation."
Wei Lian felt a chill run down his spine.
"True… cultivation?"
Sai smiled.
"Today you are only people with potential. Tomorrow, I will begin teaching you how to become real cultivators."
The sky was already turning orange when each of them entered their own cave.
That night, none of them cultivated. They only rested.
The next day, they gathered in front of the central cave, where Sai awaited them, seated on a flat rock.
"Before you learn how to cultivate… you must understand what you are cultivating against."
The three exchanged glances.
"The Earth provides energy. Qi, essences, spiritual veins. All of that comes from the world." He touched the ground with the tip of his fingers. "But the Heavens watch. They maintain the laws, regulate the cycle, and impose limits on life."
Wei Lian felt a shiver.
"So… the Heavens watch all cultivators?"
"Always," Sai replied. "The world seeks balance. A cultivator, by definition, breaks that balance by growing stronger than what was granted at birth."
Yan Li frowned.
"So cultivating is… wrong?"
"No," Sai said calmly. "It is allowed. But never free."
He raised his eyes to the sky.
"That is why there are bottlenecks, tribulations, and lifespan limits. The Heavens do not forbid cultivation… they only ensure that every step has a price."
Wang Tao lightly clenched his fists.
"And the Dao?"
Sai looked back at them.
"The Dao is how you respond to the laws of the world. It is not a technique. It is a way of existing."
He took a few steps.
"Two cultivators may both use fire. One follows the Dao of Destruction. Another, the Dao of Purification. Another still, the Dao of Forging. The element is the same. The path is not."
Wei Lian murmured,
"So that's why there are so many professions…"
"Exactly. Swordsmen, alchemists, formation masters, puppeteers… they are not classes. They are different answers to the world."
Sai then returned to the center point.
"Now, as for cultivation itself… there are three fundamental paths."
He raised three fingers.
"Body. Qi. Soul."
"Body cultivation strengthens the vessel. Bones, muscles, meridians."
"Qi cultivation is the most common. Techniques, spells, artifacts. It is what most sects are built upon."
"Soul cultivation strengthens consciousness, will, and perception. It allows one to resist illusions, manipulate spirits, command puppets, and face mental attacks."
Yan Li felt her heart race.
"But… aren't these paths separate?"
Sai shook his head.
"They are independent… but they resonate with each other at certain points. In some realms, one path touches another."
Sai narrowed his eyes, thoughtful and calculating.
"You know what, I will explain to you the first three realms of each path. I don't want you to remain frogs destined to never leave the well."
He made a gesture, and a circle drawn on the ground lit up, marked with the symbol of Qi.
"The path of Qi works with the energy of the world. You absorb it, refine it, and use it to shape techniques and laws."
"The first realm is Body Refinement."
"Despite the name, it belongs to the Qi path," Sai explained. "Here, you open the nine chakras of the body that connect the meridians. As Qi enters, the body is briefly refined. That is why it has that name."
Wei Lian frowned.
"And how do I open the chakras?"
"There are two ways," Sai said, raising two fingers. "The first is direct trial, guided by instructions. You try to lead external Qi to a blocked point. The difficulty is finding the point, since we cannot see it."
Wei Lian nodded as if he understood… even though he didn't understand much.
"The second way is chakra mapping."
Wang Tao's heart tightened.
"Mapping?" Yan Li asked, having never heard the term.
"An advanced technique that allows another person to guide Qi inside your body, pointing out where the blockages are," Wang Tao answered seriously. "They say that with it, body refinement becomes almost a boat ride… but only mid-level and major sects possess this method."
Wang Tao felt his chest tighten.
Chakra mapping.
Even within the Invisible Hand, this technique was guarded like a treasure. Only inner members had access to it.
And he is offering this… just like that?
For the first time, Wang Tao felt something strange in his chest. It wasn't gratitude.
It was… suspicion.
Why would he do this?
Sai nodded, satisfied.
"Exactly. When we begin training, I will use this method on you. But for now, we will continue with the theory."
The three widened their eyes in shock. They had never imagined they would receive such an opportunity.