When I sat in my quarters, cross legged, looking at the jade box holding the water essence, I felt a deep connection to its energy; it called to me even through the containment patterns in the box.

  "Okay, so now that we've got the water essence here, what do we do?" I asked Azure. "We can’t physically put objects into the Inner World at Qi Condensation, can we?"

  "No, we can’t,” Azure admitted. “But the World Tree Sutra has a method to bypass that.”

  With that, he brought up an image of the technique to the forefront of my mind.

  It was known as the Flowing Rivers Formation.

  The cultivator would channel their qi through their hands following a very intricate pattern.

  A pattern that was supposed to allow the cultivator to transmute the essence into a form that the inner world could actually absorb.

  Closing my eyes, I placed my hands on both sides of the container.

  I tried to trace the pattern using my qi, but the precision the technique demanded was difficult to achieve.

  Every attempt ended with failure.

  My energy kept slipping away from the prescribed paths and dispersing into the air.

  "You're being too stiff," Azure warned. "Don't force it. Just let your qi flow freely like how water finds its own path.”

  Water finding its own path? That sounded frustratingly vague.

  Despite that, I tried my best to let go of the need to perfect the pattern.

  Instead, I focused on the feeling of the flow of my energy and where it wanted to go.

  Somehow that actually worked.

  While the path created by my qi wasn’t completely correct, the flow was a bit smoother.

  "Much better," Azure said. "Next, try to synchronize your breathing with the pulse of the essence.”

  There was a faint vibration coming off from the box.

  I closed my eyes once again and tried to coordinate my breathing with the beat of the essence.

  The pattern in my mind became clearer, and I gained a better idea on how the energy wanted to flow.

  Finally, on my fifth attempt, everything came together.

  My qi flowed perfectly through the pattern, and I felt a resonance develop between my hands and the box. The jade began to warm up, and using my spiritual sense, I watched as the water essence started to react.

  "Now," Azure instructed, "use your qi to pull it into your dantian. Guide it through the pattern and into the center of your body."

  I changed the direction of my qi circulation and created a gentle pull. The box's containment formations dimmed somewhat as the water essence began to flow out, following my energy through the Flowing Rivers Formation. It felt odd, as if I was drinking liquid light, if light was somehow liquid and alive.

  The essence entered my dantian, and for a brief moment I worried that it might dissipate or reject the foreign energy. However, my Genesis Seed responded by stirring; the massive shape turned towards the new arrival with interest.

  The seed's mouth opened and the water essence flowed inside, and I felt... complete. It was as if a missing piece had been inserted into a puzzle.

  "Great job," Azure said. "Take a few moments to watch how it settles."

  Using my spiritual sense, I looked inward at my Inner World. The water essence swirled around the Genesis Seed, eventually becoming absorbed into the seed's structure. Not all of it was absorbed however; some of it was released and flowed through my Inner World as ethereal rivers.

  "I can feel it," I exclaimed. "That is... now part of me?"

  "In a way," Azure replied. "The Genesis Seed has absorbed enough to set the groundwork, but has also left some for future use. In time, you will be able to draw upon the stored essence to create real rivers and lakes in your Inner World."

  I smiled at the possibility of creating my own oceans, and having that much control over my Inner World... it was both thrilling and frightening.

  "Continue with the absorption," Azure encouraged. "There is still more essence to process."

  The next hour was spent in quiet focus as I channeled the remainder of the water essence through the formation. With each cycle I became more comfortable with the pattern and rhythm.

  After the box was empty, I felt a great surge of energy in my Inner World as it grew.

  "Well done," Azure said after I opened my eyes. "How do you feel?"

  I took a minute to assess myself.

  Status Update:

  Cultivation: Qi Condensation Stage 3

  Inner World: Radius of 12 meters

  Soul Essence: 102

  Spiritual Essence: 25

  Physical Essence: 16

  I felt different. I felt more fluid, somehow. As if my qi had taken on new properties.

  "You should break through to the fourth stage of Qi Condensation at any time," Azure observed. "The water essence has greatly enhanced your base in preparation for the next stages."

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  "It feels odd," I said. "A good odd, but definitely different. Will this be the same for the other elements as well?"

  "Each element will have a different impact," Azure stated. "Water tends to smooth out the flow of your qi, the flow of your techniques, and your thinking. Earth will bring stability. Wind will give you the ability to move freely. They are all building blocks for the creation of the terrain."

  I nodded, then stood up and stretched.

  To my surprise, my muscles felt loose, even though I had been stationary for such a long period of time.

  Another effect of the water essence?

  "Time to pack," I said, glancing around my sparsely furnished quarters. "Wei Lin said we’d leave in a few hours."

  "Oh yeah, the joy of traveling without a storage ring," Azure said dryly.

  I let out a laugh at that. Storage rings were almost standard equipment in cultivation novels, however, the truth of the matter was very different. Only disciples from rich families (like Wei Lin) could afford them. Everyone else packed their belongings into regular bags.

  I was finishing up mentally counting how much stuff I needed to bring, when someone knocked on my door. I opened it to reveal Wei Lin and Lin Mei, both smiling and already packed for travel.

  "Ready to go?" Wei Lin asked enthusiastically.

  I blinked at the sight of Lin Mei. "You’re coming too?"

  "Wei Lin wanted me to meet his family,” she nodded, readjusting the strap of her luggage.

  "I figured why not kill two birds with one stone?" Wei Lin smiled. "I can show off my best friend and my girlfriend all at once."

  Lin Mei’s smile became a little bit menacing. "I noticed how you said ‘best friend’ first...”

  Wei Lin's face became panicked. "That’s because Ke Yin is standing RIGHT THERE! You know you’re the most important—”

  “Just kidding,” Lin Mei said with a chuckle, her eyes sparkling. “But you might want to work on your priorities before we meet your family.”

  I found myself laughing. Seeing them as a couple was still strange, but they worked surprisingly well together.

  “Give me a minute to pack,” I said, backing away to allow them to enter. “I don’t have a storage ring, so it’ll take—”

  “I’ve already taken care of it,” Wei Lin said with a wave of his hand, tapping the black ring on his right forefinger. “I’ve got room in my ring. Just grab whatever you need for the trip itself.”

  I tried to protest, allowing someone to store your possessions in their storage ring was a major act of trust, but Wei Lin dismissed my concerns.

  “You’re my friend,” he said simply. “And I know how much everything you own is worth, so don’t worry about it getting stolen.”

  “How reassuring,” I said dryly, but I was moved by the gesture.

  Lin Mei was scanning my quarters. “You live a simple life,” she said. “Most disciples decorate their rooms in some way.”

  She was being diplomatic. Compared to most Outer Disciple quarters, my room was almost empty. There weren’t any decorative swords hanging on the walls, no cultivation art, not even the basic comforts that most disciples accumulated over time. Just the cultivation texts I had borrowed from the library, plus my scattered research notes.

  “I’m mostly training,” I shrugged. “I haven’t had much free time to buy anything.”

  Or much money to spend on things, but that remained unsaid.

  We all knew Outer Disciples without family backing lived on tight budgets.

  “Speaking of training,” Wei Lin said as I was packing the essentials, “How did the water essence absorption go? Any explosions or sudden mutations?”

  “It went smoothly,” I reassured him. “But I’m fairly certain my seed tried to drink the water essence like tea.”

  “Your technique is so weird,” Wei Lin said with a shake of his head.

  “The World Tree Sutra is a little odd,” I admitted.

  No need to mention just how odd.

  Heaven ranked techniques were rare enough, but what I was studying went far beyond that.

  Lin Mei looked contemplative. “The principles sound similar to how spirit herbs take in the natural essences of plants,” she said. “Not just absorbing energy, they process it, convert it into something they can use for growth.”

  I nodded in appreciation of her insight. “That’s actually a great analogy. The seed does something similar, just on a much larger scale.”

  “Fascinating as cultivation theory is,” Wei Lin broke in, “we should get going if we want to arrive in decent time. It’s a three-day walk to my family’s property, and that’s assuming we don’t run into any trouble.”

  “Trouble?” Lin Mei asked.

  “Usually, the road is safe,” Wei Lin said. “But bandits are always waiting to ambush cultivators. Plus, there are wild spirit beasts, rival sects, and the occasional crazed hermit who believes everyone is trying to steal his enlightenment.”

  “That last one seems to be a rather specific problem,” I murmured.

  “Let’s just say my last trip home was... interesting,” Wei Lin said with a grimace. “Someone was trying to steal his enlightenment; it just wasn’t me.”

  I finished stuffing my travel bag with basic supplies and a few essential cultivation materials, and handed the rest of my belongings to Wei Lin for his storage ring. Watching my possessions disappear into the ring's dimensional pocket was a little unsettling, but I trusted him.

  “All ready?” Lin Mei asked, already at the door.

  I nodded, and then hesitated. “Almost.” I walked to my bed and lifted the loose floorboard below it, pulling out a small pouch containing my entire accumulation of spirit stones. This was the result of months of frugal spending.

  “Seriously?” Wei Lin raised an eyebrow. “Hidden compartment under the bed?”

  “Says the person with three secret pockets in his robes.”

  “Actually five, but that’s beside the point.”

  “If you two are done comparing ways to hide your valuables, we really should be leaving,” Lin Mei said as she turned away from us. “The morning patrol will be changing soon, now is the best time to slip out without raising too many eyebrows.”

  She was right. While Outer Disciples were allowed to leave the sect, too many questions regarding where we were headed could create issues. Especially considering what we were going out to get.

  We began making our way through the nearly empty corridors of the Outer Sect quarters, timing our departure to miss the regular patrols. Wei Lin appeared to know exactly when each guard would pass, which likely helped explain how he ran his unofficial business ventures.

  When we reached the outer gate of the sect, I could feel a warm sensation radiating from my dantian. The water essence had finished integrating into my Inner World, becoming a permanent addition to my foundation. One element complete, two to go.

  “Hey,” Wei Lin said softly as we walked, “Thanks for trusting me with your stuff.”

  I chuckled at his seriousness. Trust was an ambiguous term in the cultivation world, but in this instance, the math was simple.

  Wei Lin's storage ring definitely held more valuable items than I would ever see in a lifetime of Outer Sect stipends. If anyone else should be concerned about trust, it wasn’t me.

  "It’s not like a huge gamble,” I said. "Your jade meditation pillow is probably worth more than everything I own."

  “Still,” Wei Lin continued, “most cultivators won’t… it’s about the principle of things. Everything is about leveraging advantages and disadvantages. But you…”

  “I’m weird?” I suggested.

  “Really weird,” he agreed with a grin. “Which is why we get along so well.”

  Lin Mei cleared her throat. “Should I be jealous of this beautiful friendship moment?”

  “Definitely,” Wei Lin said seriously. “Ke Yin and I have a profound spiritual connection formed from our shared hardships and questionable business dealings.”

  “Mainly the questionable business deals,” I added.

  “Well,” she laughed. “I guess I’ll just have to accept being the third wheel on this romantic journey.”

  “Never,” Wei Lin declared, taking her hand. “You’re at least a second wheel. Maybe even a wheel and a half.”

  That earned him a playful punch of the shoulder.

  As we passed the sect gates, the first signs of dawn were beginning to touch the horizon. The guards barely looked at our exit papers, likely assuming we were just another group of disciples traveling to town to gather supplies.

  “Three days to your family’s property?” I asked Wei Lin as we started down the mountain trail.

  He nodded. “As long as the weather holds and we don’t encounter any crazy hermits. Although…” He glanced at Lin Mei with a somewhat worried expression. “Maybe we should move a little slower. The terrain becomes quite rugged after the first day.”

  Lin Mei shot him a flat look. “I spend most of my time climbing all over the herb garden. I think I can handle a little rough terrain.”

  “Yes, of course,” Wei Lin backpedalled quickly, raising his hands in the air. “I just meant—”

  "That you're being overprotective and slightly condescending?"

  “Exactly that, thanks for understanding.”

  I couldn’t help but smile while I watched them.

  Whatever happened on this trip, at least it wouldn’t be boring.