The mystical herbal energies exploded outwards as soon as the Ten Ascensions Lily entered my body. I realised immediately that I wouldn’t be able to handle the sheer quantity of energy.

  It was like feeding a whole cow to a kid and expecting them not to burst. Even so, there was no other choice.

  I was uniquely suited to this task and hoped that my Fivefold Medicine Forge Physique might help me to survive this ordeal and perhaps come out the other side with some substantial gains. I’d be happy to simply survive.

  My consciousness faded in and out. I only remembered flashes. Searing heat of the explosion melting my flesh and blood, only for it to be immediately restored by the boundless medicinal energy.

  My lungs flooded with power, medicinal qi expelled with every choked breath. I felt as though I was consuming more energy than I’d done all the way until this point with every second, but the Ten Ascensions Lily showed no signs of diminishing.

  I passed out again, waking up to find a sword buried in my stomach. I heard the clash of steel and felt the tremors in the world as spiritual techniques were unleashed one after the other.

  The roars of beasts and the shouts of cultivators were like an orchestra of asuras playing out in hell as I struggled. The constant pain of the spiritual water trying to burrow into my flesh was another agony, but of all the pains it was the least of my concern.

  I felt a familiar feeling. The void within my dantian awakened and for the first time I felt the energy of the Ten Ascensions Lily take a noticeable dive as it was absorbed by the void. A single petal withered away, the remainder of its herbal energy being absorbed by my lungs.

  As I exhaled, the energy was infused into my stomach and I took control, directing the refining process for the first layer of the Fivefold Medicine Forge Physique. And then another burst of herbal energy exploded from the lily, knocking me out once more.

  ****

  Sun Deng had been one of many Middle Qi Gathering cultivators to sense the blooming of the Ten Ascensions Lily. He’d been one of the first to notice Wang Ren’s acquaintance right beside it.

  A one-star, clawing to rise above his station by stealing the treasure from under their noses. He could respect the ambition, but would not allow the bastard to achieve his goals.

  He was joined by many others as he launched a series of techniques at the flailing cultivator, but all were disrupted by a sudden explosion from under the surface of the spirit pond. The detonation of a beast’s core.

  He was forced to watch as the explosion consumed everything in its path. Spiritual techniques, weapons, and even the arrogant one-star cultivator weren’t safe from the detonation.

  A conflicting mess of emotions threatened to consume him. His rage at having the opportunity of a lifetime stolen from his grasp clashed with the satisfaction of seeing the whelp fail in his attempted theft.

  Wang Ren would be upset, but he was only a genius; they were as common as the clouds. Finding another talented disciple to draw to his side wouldn’t be difficult.

  Natural Treasures such as the Ten Ascensions Lily were sturdy and it was possible the detonation of the beast’s core hadn’t destroyed it entirely, but it was too risky to check now.

  Besides, there were still gains to be made on a battlefield. The Soaring Sword Sect had sent plenty of elites to try and steal the Cloudy Falls Sect’s opportunity and Sun Deng had no qualms alleviating them of their treasures.

  It might be a good opportunity to remove a few obstacles in his own sect if the chance arose. For now though he would cooperate with anyone wearing the red robes that marked the inner disciples of his sect.

  As the explosion cleared, he stood up and wiped the ash and sweat from his brow. He frowned when he looked towards the spirit pond, seeing that the Ten Ascensions Lily was nowhere to be found.

  He hoped it had only sunk into the depths of the spirit pond, but even he knew that was a naive hope. His gaze turned to the disciple who’d approached him from the left.

  “That one-star tried to steal my lily,” he said, an icy sharp edge to his tone that made Wang Ren pause. “Your… Junior Brother, was it?”

  Wang Ren had burns down one side of his body, nasty seeping blisters and charred skin that somehow made him look more heroic than before. They would soon heal, the vitality of a cultivator as potent as it was, but for now he had the ferocious presence of a cornered tiger.

  “It was my fault, Senior Brother Sun. I failed to protect him and it seems his desperation led to a rather foolish decision,” he replied, watching the man’s gaze for a hint of his true feelings. “Nonetheless, we can still make some meagre gains by claiming the treasures of these bastard sword cultivators.”

  “Among other things, I am a sword cultivator, Wang Ren,” Sun Deng snapped, turning a cold glare on the man that made his spine tingle. “However, I was thinking the very same thing. The heavens always provide a path to enlightenment, even when they slam another door in your face. You are not forgiven, but I will spare you for now.”

  Wang Ren felt like punching the older disciple in the face almost every time they spoke. He was self-important to a fault, but then again he couldn’t blame him for his upbringing.

  Being the prized descendant of one of the sect’s more influential Elders instilled a measure of pride that meant he valued face and strength above all else. At least he was a useful way of climbing the ladder of the Cloudy Falls Sect.

  “I will endeavour to regain your favour, Senior Brother Sun. Starting with their heads,” he replied, pointing his glaive at a pair of cultivators in blue robes who were clashing with a wounded awakened beast.

  Sun Deng didn’t answer as the man rushed off to begin fighting once more. He looked towards the spirit pond as he felt the fluctuation of the ambient spiritual energy—a breakthrough. “It is not you who needs to seek my forgiveness, Wang Ren. If I can’t have the Ten Ascensions Lily, no one can,” he sneered.

  When they had been waiting for the Ten Ascensions Lily to bloom, there had been a standoff between the strongest cultivators present. Held back by the other elites, they couldn’t make a move on the natural treasure without preparation.

  None of them dared to act first, lest they find the others joining hands to strike them down. One couldn’t reap the harvest they’d sown if they weren’t alive to do so.

  Now however, with the lily gone, the only reward left to claim was the glory of killing their rivals and claiming their treasures. Instead of having to be wary of a dozen opponents, each of the elites now focused on the enemies nearest to them.

  Sun Deng’s eyes finished taking in the entirety of the rocky basin and landed on a small outcropping nearby, where another inner disciple of the Cloudy Falls Sect stood tall, his robes fluttering in the wind.

  Huo Ze Qiang leaned lazily on his spear as he locked eyes with Sun Deng, both men narrowing their eyes as a flicker of hatred bubbled up and was squashed in an instant. Their rivalry was as old as their time in the sect, but now was not the moment to settle it.

  Neither wanted to be the first to break the staring contest, their gazes simultaneously falling to a point beneath them. A six-star gorilla beast was beating its chest after turning a disciple into a bloody pulp, the woman’s mangled remains trampled underfoot as it roared and rushed towards another terrified disciple.

  The beasts of the Jagged Sword Mountains were going all out. They too had been after the Ten Ascensions Lily. Without a goal to unify them, the most powerful awakened beasts were going on a bloody rampage.

  A six-star beast was a troubling opponent. Sun Deng wanted nothing more than to slice Huo Ze Qiang’s throat, but if they didn’t cooperate the beast would tear them apart.

  Sun Deng drew his sword as he darted down the sloped rocks, Huo Ze Qiang twirling his spear theatrically as he did the same, flames dancing around him like miniature stars. The two men attacked in unison, qi empowering blade and spear as they engaged the savage beast in battle.

  ****

  A heavy object crashing into me broke me from unconsciousness, but my focus was instantly drawn inwards. The faint metallic scent of blood mixed with the burn of the spiritual water, but I ignored it in favour of the chaos unfolding inside my body.

  Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

  Since it had greedily devoured a portion of the Ten Ascensions Lily’s energy, it had been dormant—as far as I could tell anyway, given I’d been unconscious. Eight drops of vibrant qi splashed around in my dantian, uncontrolled and running rampant.

  I’d heard cultivation described as pursuing inner purity, but I had to wonder whether that particular fellow had actually cultivated himself. This was nothing of the sort!

  My body seemed to have managed not to implode under the assault of the lily’s seemingly endless abundance of spiritual energy but it was not benefiting me. Like a beautiful garden required a guiding hand, so too would I need to take control of the situation to make any gains.

  It was hard to ignore my surroundings when a dead body had fallen on my head, but leaving the spirit pond now wouldn’t be safe. Any of the elite cultivators could reap my life with the ease of a farmer harvesting cabbages.

  First, I guided one stream of spiritual energy from the lily towards my lungs. I tried to ensure a constant flow at the limit of what my lungs could convert to medicinal energy.

  I briefly wondered what the difference between that energy from my lungs and my qi was, but there was little time for distraction. There was every chance I would discover such a thing naturally as I progressed, so I wasn’t dismayed by my current lack of knowledge.

  Once I had stabilised that flow, my body felt more intact. The combination of spiritual water burrowing in from the outside and the rampant energies of the lily inside had been tearing my body apart like a pack of starving hyenas, but now the medicinal energies kept the damage at bay.

  It didn’t prevent it entirely but it would delay it long enough for me to focus on what came next. I gathered the eight droplets of qi in my dantian, forcing them into my control.

  It took me a few tries but eventually I had a singular stream of qi that swirled around my dantian like a kite dancing in the wind. It was a strange feeling. I felt so powerless and weak compared to those around me, but every single drop of qi in my dantian had enough power to eradicate a mortal in moments.

  The scale of power in this world was skewed to a ridiculous degree. I took the time to remind myself that my accomplishments were worthy of admiration, even though I had a long way to go before I would have the luxury to feel safe.

  I circulated the stream of qi through my first meridian, my body humming with power as I did. The concept of the meridians still intrigued me; eastern medicine on Earth had similar concepts but here it was far more tangible.

  The typical path of progression through the Qi Gathering Realm required one to open eight meridians. The quantity of qi required to do this was actually standardised, which surprised me given the huge variation in methods and techniques used by the various cultivators and sects.

  However, outliers were commonplace too. Mostly it was the talented cultivators with unusual methods who deviated from the standard path, sailing past bottlenecks that other cultivators would struggle with for decades in a matter of months or even weeks.

  From Zhao Dan’s notes I knew that the second meridian could usually be opened once a cultivator had gathered 9 droplets of qi. A pleasant flowery scent wafted out from the void in my dantian.

  Not a second later a ninth drop of qi splashed out from the empty abyss into the base of my dantian. As the stream of qi finished circulating my meridian I guided it to gather the new droplet.

  It joined the stream seamlessly and I probed my second meridian with my mind, feeling the blockage for weakness. It felt similar to the first, like a drainpipe clogged with leaves and dirt for decades.

  I knew the most efficient method for opening it already, having experimented the first time around. That didn’t mean I couldn’t try to optimise it further, but I had a better starting point than before.

  Imposing my will on nine drops of qi was more strenuous than doing the same with a single droplet, but I soon transformed the fluid stream of qi into the shape of a surgical scalpel. I almost began cutting away the blockage immediately, but something held me back.

  With my new perspective I already saw improvements I could make to the process. With one drop of qi I’d been limited, but with nine at my disposal my method could be refined further. It was the same with any surgery; the first time you performed it was nerve wracking, while each additional iteration was smoother and more efficient.

  Three drops of qi formed the handle of the scalpel, ensuring it was stable and easy to control. Four droplets seamlessly fused into a razor sharp blade, able to slice through any blockage and clear the second meridian with ease.

  The final two droplets, I attempted to infuse with the devouring toxic intent and coated the blade, hoping my idea would work. They turned a darker shade of green and clung to the blade, making me satisfied with my work.

  All that came next was to break through. I guided the scalpel towards the clogged meridian and in a single fluid motion, sliced through the opening.

  The impurities offered little resistance to my qi, falling apart and then being expelled out of my dantian. And that wasn’t all.

  My experiment worked well, the devouring qi coating the blade burning away large swathes of impurities at a time. That single stroke opened almost a third of the meridian in one go.

  A few seconds later I had unblocked the entire thing, except for a few stubborn clumps that refused to budge. The scalpel having done its job, I let it fall apart. Before the nine drops of qi could escape my grasp I reformed the flowing stream as a tenth droplet fell from the dark void.

  Quickly scooping it up, I merged it together as I circulated my qi through the second meridian. The remaining impurities burned away under the onslaught and I soon completed a full circulation.

  Next I cycled my qi through both the first and second meridians before returning it to my dantian. A wave of rejuvenating energy washed over my body, healing my injuries and purging the spiritual water from under my skin.

  It lasted a short moment, but that brief respite was like rain falling from the heavens while stranded in a desert. More drops of qi began falling from the void, as I continued to absorb and refine the energies of the Ten Ascensions Lotus.

  After my breakthrough the intensity increased, but so did the rate at which I could absorb the spiritual energy contained in the treasure. I felt more objects striking my body from outside, but it was mostly corpses and falling weapons—nothing to worry about yet.

  The drops coalesced in my dantian and I gathered them up as they splashed against it. Twelve drops, then thirteen. Fifteen. Twenty.

  All this time I hadn’t neglected to continue refining my stomach and I suddenly felt a metallic clang alongside a rising heat. The Ten Ascensions Lily suddenly released another burst of its alluring aroma, then tried to escape my stomach!

  However, my stomach suddenly flared with heat and green chains burst forth to seal the lily. I marvelled at the development, but it wasn’t over yet.

  Under the pressure and heat, the energies of the lily were being absorbed even faster and the second petal withered before my eyes. Truly, it lived up to the name of Fivefold Medicine Forge Physique. Even potent natural treasures such as this were unable to escape.

  With this increased speed, I had to focus more intently. The amount of energy surging in my dantian grew and even the void seemed indignant at the development of my physique, suddenly devouring more energy as a third petal withered.

  The number of qi droplets coalescing in my dantian was now a torrential downpour. The twenty seventh droplet appeared and I immediately went to work as my dantian swelled, smashing through another bottleneck as I broke through to three-star Qi Gathering.

  The third meridian was open and after a few circulations of qi I felt far more powerful, like I could decide the life and death of anyone below peak Body Tempering with a wave of my hand. Still though, it wasn’t enough.

  After the stomach, the third step of the first layer of my physique was to refine the liver. I suspected that would give me some kind of ability to resist or more efficiently absorb toxins, but I couldn’t be sure.

  I split the spiritual energy from the lily between refining my liver and continuing to gather qi, multiple forms of energy clashing and winding through my body. However, like a skilled conductor I was orchestrating the vast majority of this controlled chaos.

  Qi was condensing so fast that a mortal mind would lose track, but my thoughts had gained more clarity with each breakthrough. It was as though I had been trudging through mist and darkness all my life and only now entered the sun.

  With the speed of my thoughts I had no issues keeping track. Once I had gathered fifty-four drops of qi I wasted no time in clearing the fourth meridian, my body brimming with power as I entered the middle stage of the Qi Gathering Realm by breaking through to four-star.

  There were still two petals left on the Ten Ascensions Lily. Each petal represented another breakthrough, putting me at six-star Qi Gathering. I had no reason to stop, as there was no threat to my life.

  The chaos of the battle had hopefully drawn attention away from me, but with my consecutive breakthroughs I wasn’t sure how long that would last. I continued refining the energy as the fourth petal withered away.

  I waited for eighty-one droplets to condense so that I could open the fifth meridian, but as the eightieth splashed into what was now a small lake of qi, a tingle ran down my spine as my senses exploded with danger.

  My eyes snapped open, but the lily was restrained by my refined stomach and it didn’t break free of my control. My gaze darted around until it landed on a rapidly approaching awakened beast; a huge five-star bear. Unfortunately this one didn’t seem as friendly as the last bear I’d encountered.

  I clenched my fist. Absorbing the rest of the energies would have to wait, but with the lily restrained for now that wasn’t a problem. Besides, I’d just broken through three consecutive times, now a four-star Qi Gathering cultivator.

  I was eager to test my new strength and this beast gave me a perfect opportunity. I had been contemplating my path while meditating at the bottom of the pond and had come to a realisation.

  Healing was about taking control of other people’s fate. You had their life and death in your hands while guiding them back to health. Thus, as a man who had decided to step on the path of healing, how could I allow others to decide my fate.

  I’d been forced into the schemes of others all this time, but I refused to continue in this manner. While I was still far from the peak of this world, I at least had the strength to contend with those gathered here.

  The water vibrated and I dodged to the left as a blade of ice shot past my cheek. Above me, a female disciple of the Soaring Sword Sect had entered the pond and was also racing towards me, her sword glowing with frost as she prepared to use her technique once more.

  Clenching my fists, I stood up in the thick water. It offered less resistance to me now. Where there was carnage, there was opportunity to heal.

  In my case, that meant gains to be made. I couldn’t help but shiver in anticipation of the coming battle as the awakened beast and the female disciple rushed towards me.