Morning soon came, and the early morning sky was filled with beautiful clouds as the sun began to rise in the east. The chirping of birds could be heard. Robert was still asleep when a digital alarm rang, which was on a desk close to his bed, prompting him to wake up immediately. He looked at the digital alarm: it was 7 a.m., day: Saturday, date: 13 April 2556. Then he yawned and stretched his arms and body. Just then:
"Good morning, Robert. What shall I do for you this morning?" an AI's voice sounded in the room.
"Oh, good morning, Alexa. Just open the curtains," Robert instructed the AI, and the window curtains were automatically opened. Early morning sun rays burst in through the window into his room, lighting it up.
"Just another beautiful day. I wonder what's in store for me today, because I've got a lot to learn," Robert said to himself.
"Finally, you are awake," Ling Zhong's voice came from behind, scaring the shit out of Robert.
"Morning, Master Zhong," Robert greeted.
"Morning, Robert. You did a great job last night, so this morning you will be doing some workouts, starting right now," Ling Zhong informed him.
"Ah, come on, I just got up from bed," Robert complained.
"Or are you too weak to do a common workout?" Ling Zhong taunted him, and this pissed Robert off. He got out of his bed quickly.
"I am not weak, okay? So what workout are we starting with, Master Zhong?" Robert asked, already ready.
"Well, why don't we start with a hundred push-ups?" Ling Zhong gave a smirk as he said this, and Robert couldn't believe his ears at what he had just heard.
"What?! You mean a hundred push-ups? I can't even do ten push-ups! Are you trying to kill your student?" Robert protested, and Ling Zhong became disappointed.
"You idiot, then what is your cultivation body for? Last night you absorbed Qi into your body, and it not only makes you break through in realms, it also strengthens your body," Ling Zhong lashed out at him.
"You could have just said that from the beginning and not used so many words," Robert replied. Then he removed his shirt and began to do the push-ups. At first, he started slow, then became quicker and quicker, and he was sweating a little.
"Hey, this isn't hard at all. It's like my body can't feel stress nor pain. This is amazing, doing it without much difficulty," Robert said as he kept doing the push-ups.
"That's the power of absorbing Qi into your body. Well, you still have a long way to go in strengthening your body perfectly, so we have to start with early steps," Ling Zhong explained to Robert.
Then there was a knock at the door.
"Robert, are you up already?" It was his mom, who was already up in the morning.
"Yes, Mom, I'm up already," Robert responded while still doing push-ups.
"So, may I come in?" she asked.
"Yes, Mom, you may come in. Master Zhong, you can't just be floating around; you need to hide so my mom won't see you," Robert told Ling Zhong.
"Don't worry, she won't see me," Ling Zhong assured him.
Then Robert's mom walked in and immediately saw him doing push-ups. He was a bit sweaty, which surprised her greatly, and she saw his developed body, which she couldn't believe her eyes.
"So, have you been secretly doing a workout routine all this while? Because this is unlike you," his mom asked him.
"Well, Mom, this is kind of hard to explain, but nevertheless, having a workout routine is great," he told her with a smile.
"Well, it's just that since we saw what happened to you, you have changed a bit. You need to start speaking up," his mom made herself clear.
"Okay, Mom, I will," Robert assured her.
"Okay, if so, make sure once you are done you come for breakfast, okay?" she said and then left.
Then Robert finished the workout.
"Wow, my mom couldn't see you even when you were right here, Master Zhong," Robert asked Ling Zhong.
"Well, that's because you are the only one who can see me. Well, put that aside for now and cultivate. But just a minute—" Then Ling Zhong entered the crystal, which was on the table, and came out with a large box in his hand.
"I almost forgot. Here are some spiritual stones in this box, which will help you cultivate faster." He put the box on the floor.
"Oh, so it's full of spiritual stones. Well, I guess I have to start cultivating now," Robert said, growing impatient.
He opened the box, and there were lots of spiritual stones glowing with a light blue color. Then he took out five spiritual stones as instructed by Ling Zhong. Ling Zhong had said these spiritual stones were of average quality, which was good and stable for a beginning cultivator like him.
Then Robert sat cross-legged and began to cultivate as he absorbed spiritual Qi and, at the same time, spiritual energy from the spiritual stones. Some hours passed, and the five spiritual stones were already exhausted by him. Then he got up, feeling stronger as a green light enveloped his body. He had broken through to the second stage in the Nascent Realm.
"Well done, Robert. You are now at the second Stage in the Nascent Realm," Ling Zhong congratulated Robert.
"Thanks a lot, Master Zhong. Well, now I should get ready for breakfast, and I definitely need a shower."
He walked and changed, then went into the bathroom to brush and take his shower.
During breakfast, Robert started to make up a cock-and-bull story about what had happened to him, since his parents saw him in that state, and also because they didn't know about the crystal.