After awakening, Ken didn’t waste time and began cultivating in his yoga poses. Qi continued to pour endlessly into his dantain and the density of qi in his heart kept increasing, but he couldn't observe any other changes until it was “yard time” again. Ken trained for fourteen cycles before he experienced any change. Oddly enough the change was not centered around his dantain or his heart. In the middle of his forehead, Ken could feel a strange pressure building. He had to feel up his forehead several times before he was convinced it was just a feeling and that physically he was fine. The feeling continued to grow for five more cycles and on the dawn of his twentieth cycle, Ken became aware of a simir yet different sensation coming from his heart. Although the sensations weren’t exactly comfortable, they didn’t feel harmful either, leading Ken to hope he was on the right track.

  Ken trained steadfastly cycle after cycle. The pressure in his heart built up far quicker than the one on his forehead, and at the beginning of the twenty third cycle, the pressure in his heart began to overflow, causing rich qi to begin to circute in his veins, and eventually reach every cell in his body.

  While practicing his posing for the twenty-seventh meditation period, Ken experienced a full body muscle spasm that put him on his ass, right before a wave of dizziness and a gentle relief of the pressure on his forehead. Unlike when the pressure at his heart was resolved, Ken didn't feel any different. The only way he knew that something had actually changed, was that EIS told him.

  BE ADVISED: You, Mind Body and Soul, have expressed an attribute: Perception

  You have cultivated an aura mark: Third Eye of Insight

  Ken spped his hand to his forehead immediately, and was both relieved and strangely disappointed to find his perfectly normal skin. Qi sensing didn't spot any differences and he didn’t feel anything abnormal. Aside from the “be advised” in all caps this seemed like a good thing, so Ken continued to train while closely observing himself for changes. He realized that his mind aperture seemed to be taking in qi faster and faster until it stopped at a flow that was simir to his dantain although slightly lesser. After his evening run, Ken received a new addition to the final evening message from EIS.

  Cultivation realm changes: Mind (Base 2->3)

  After three more training cycles Ken was notified that he had completed the Cleansing stage of Qi and entered the Saturation Stage. His training was altered. While the thirty hour days continued, he spent four hours less meditating and instead filled those hours with exercises that grew progressively more challenging and straining. On the thirty second cycle, his body rose from Base 1 to 2. By this point he had begun to observe a mild pressure building up in his dantain, which took ten further training cycles to mature.

  Upon awakening from his forty second slumber in his little white room Ken observed that the pressure he was under had multiplied, as he was not only feeling it in his dantain, but also in twenty nine other points in his body. There were five points on each leg and arm, as well as ten spread across his torso and head: thirty total. Three of the final ten, were his apertures. As the pressure continued to build, Ken didn't bother with the usual poses, and just y on the ground and performed his techniques to the best of his ability. A mere hour passed before Ken started to experience dramatic changes.

  The thirty pressure points began to tremble and Ken began to feel the pressure relieve, along with the most mind altering full body euphoria he had ever felt in his entire life. For a moment he felt as if everything wrong in his life had been righted and an intense pleasure jolted through his body. His entire being shifted. Ken observed the qi both within and without his body simultaneously for the first time. At the thirty separate points in his body, there were thirty little gravity wells of varying sizes, all drawing in qi that swirled around in vortices. He marveled at his new perception until he was startled by an interruption.

  Congratutions! You have reached the First Domain of Qi! You have entered the Drawing Stage of Qi.

  Current Priority: Reach the Peak of the Base Layer in Body

  Suggested Schedule:

  Period 1: Eight hours of sleep

  Period 2: Twelve hours of body cultivation

  Period 3: Ten hours of talent cultivation

  Do you intend to begin a training cycle?

  I need to get my body up to the level of my mind, and soul before I can break through. Ken thought. Ken stared at the st line. He remembered the nguage talent. He had very mixed feelings about that talent. Communication with other people had been a struggle for him his entire life, to the point he had decided to forgo it entirely. To think he was supposedly talented at such a thing. Despite the fact that EIS hadn’t led him astray so far, and he had felt himself begin to improve rapidly and reach new ground, he was skeptical. Ken definitely was going to try it skeptic or not, because it was highly recommended. From what EIS had said it was impossible to be detrimental, and at the worst it was a waste of time, his main priority was improving his body cultivation while he was in this qi rich environment. That said twelve hours of body cultivation was plenty enough to mess him up. Even in a pce like this, Ken understood that he could only take so much, so he decided to trust EIS’s recommendations and started a new training cycle immediately.

  Ken was panting as he sat down after twelve hours of insane physical training. He had followed along with the silver blob to complete an increasingly esoteric physical regime. After a full hour of flexibility training, he had been led through what he could only call a reflexes and perception test, where he had to touch glowing orbs of silver qi that appeared around him. After some time he had moved on to explosive strength movements. He had tried to follow the silver shape as closely as possible but performing some of the movements was still beyond him. The shape was able to go from a push up to standing in one explosive movement, and was beginning to do flips and explosive twists that were entering the realm of advanced gymnasts. Ken tried the best that he could. It helped that falling in this pce wasn’t painful at all, so he felt free to give his absolute full effort without worrying about injuring himself.

  BE ADVISED: You, Mind Body and Soul, have expressed an attribute: Endurance

  You have cultivated an aura mark: Perserverer

  Commencing training cycle period 3: Ten hours of Talent Cultivation

  Be Advised. To cultivate is to comprehend, experience, and express.

  Sense the surrounding qi, and comprehend to the best of your ability.

  As Ken viewed the surrounding qi, silver words began forming in the cloud in front of him. They continued to generate, and fell away after he had read them, so he read at a slow deliberate pace. He had to consciously stop himself from reading as fast as he could, because the subject matter was fascinating to him.

  On the Capabilities of Beings

  Since the origin of the universe, beings capable of cultivation have existed. Any being capable of cultivation, should not be underestimated. The capabilities of beings are myriad, and to comprehend them all is to understand the universe and its origins, impossible to mere mortals such as I.

  But still I seek to bring down such lofty knowledge to my level. For mortals and immortals alike to comprehend some part of truth I may expound can only be my karmic gain. Thus I seek to share the observations of a wanderer of this universe.

  All conscious beings of the universe are unique. There are no two perfectly alike. Because of Chaos, there can be no true w without exception. Therefore to seek to define ws and rules of existence is folly, and yet still I persist. To comprehend Chaos, and seek order despite It, is the goal of all the Societies and all true schors.

  Through much study and dispute, there are five main aspects of a being that can offer valuable perspective of a being's capability, to the degree that they are comprehended.

  The matter of beings is not unique, as matter is the presence of Order in the universe, and its types are widely understood. For example, a gaseous being may have capabilities impossible for most solid beings.

  The energy of beings is not unique, as energy is the presence of Order in the universe and all beings contain Qi, the most fundamental aspect of the universe. For example, a being of sufficient energy, may be able to transform its very matter, changing its capabilities greatly.

  The body of beings is unique, and is determined by a myriad of factors. The body is the form of a being, and comprehending it will offer information on a being's capabilities. The forms of beings are not inherently beneficial, and possess both strengths and weaknesses. Throughout the universe, there exists no being of perfect form.

  The mind of beings is unique, and is determined by a myriad of factors. The mind is the function of a being, and comprehending it will offer information on a being's capabilities. The functions of beings are not inherently beneficial, and possess both strengths and weaknesses. Throughout the universe, there exists no being of perfect function.

  The soul of beings is unique, and is determined by a myriad of factors. The soul is the meaning of a being, and comprehending it will offer information on a being's capabilities. The meanings of beings are often their most mysterious aspect. The study of soul and meaning is a topic of great interest even to the most enlightened of the universal societies, and much is unknown. Although it cannot be stated with absolute certainty, the universe itself is considered to express the only perfect meaning.

  These five aspects: matter, energy, body, mind and soul, are the known keys to understanding the capabilities of beings in the universe.

  Accompanying the five aspects, there exists five categorizations of capabilities that are reliable to aid in comprehension: Base capabilities, Skills, Talents, Gifts, and Aura.

  Beings of the uncultivated state, possess base capabilities according to their origin. It is the goal of many brilliant minds to understand the base capabilities of the beings around them. To understand the base capabilities of beings in a certain local, local sources are advised. When a being reaches a conscious state, its capabilities are increased. They continue to increase with each additional level, and the height that they can reach is unknown.

  All conscious beings can cultivate a myriad of Skills. Skills are capabilities that have been cultivated over time to a level of significance. Understanding the skills of a being will offer immense understanding of their aspects and capabilities both base and otherwise.

  All conscious beings possess and can cultivate singur or multiple Talents. Many talents are simir, but all are unique. Talents are considered an inherent part of consciousness, and how they come into being, and are determined is unknown. However, the talent of a being will always be within its capabilities to perform. Thus understanding a being's Talent will offer immense knowledge of their aspects, base and otherwise.

  All conscious beings possess a Gift. The Gifts of beings are unique and most of their aspects are unknown. Gifts cannot be cultivated, but may be comprehended. Comprehending one’s Gift will awaken it. All conscious and cultivating beings should attempt to contempte and awaken their gift, as it is believed to offer understanding of one’s own meaning. Further comprehension of one's gift, as well the increase of the previous three aspects, may increase the control and retive power of a gift. A being's Gift may often be misrepresented by an observer as a Talent or Skill, as it can be incredibly challenging to distinguish them. As the comprehension of one’s own gift is difficult enough, the pursuit of the contemption of others’ is considered folly to mortals, and is relegated to immortals and beings of great timespan. Should you comprehend the Gift of a being, it may offer a deep understanding of previously unknown capabilities.

  All conscious beings can cultivate and express an Aura. A being’s aura is tied to its energy and matter, and is hidden until it is expressed, either partially or fully. Conscious beings cannot sense their own aura, and can express it both consciously and subconsciously. Because of the possibility of subconscious expression, observers of beings have found the study of Aura to be incredibly informative and reliable, second only to the study of base capabilities. Like Talents, Aura is considered to be an aspect of consciousness, and may grow in both intensity and complexity with consciousness level, although growth is not guaranteed or linear. Comprehending a being’s Aura may offer information on their cultivation and their five aspects, even to the point of allowing an astute observer to experience glimpses of events from a being's past. Aura is an intricate piece of being’s capabilities that can offer some of the deepest knowledge of beings to those able to comprehend it.

  The Study of the Five Aspects and the Five Categories is and perhaps will always be one of the main focuses of the great Societies which offer their tutege to any aspiring students capable of proving themselves suitable to join one.

  Only with the perfect knowledge of existence can one achieve true Origination.

  Evarious Lemus, Director of the Nature Society- 2nd Age in the Era of Expansion

  Ken sat and contempted the lecture he had just read. He had learned much during his time in CCC but this lecture was on a different level from his random tangents of questions to EIS and it answered questions he hadn't even thought to ask. He had been notified about gaining two aura marks, and understood that some part of him was growing, but now he understood the reason he couldn’t sense any changes: he was never meant to. His third eye was a representation of his perception not for himself to understand but for others. Ken hoped to gain more of these marks to represent his good qualities to others he met in the future. He had also learned a lot about his Gift. Of all his “capabilities” he felt that this was the most significant one. He now understood more of the mechanics behind his gifts behavior. His gift had awakened at the same time as his consciousness, causing him to believe it was part of his base capabilities. Ken had immensely poor control over his Gift, because he had no idea how or why it did what it did. Insight allowed him to sense the essence of other beings, as the lecture called it their “meaning”. But how on earth was he doing it? He had no clue it had just always been there, working.

  Due to the nature of his Gift, Ken had observed many beings with his Insight, and a lot of the statements in the lesson range true to his own experience. Although he wasn't going to make any statements about the universe, Ken believed the statement that all conscious beings were unique. He also appreciated the well roundedness of the Five Aspects and Categories. Equipped with this new knowledge Ken’s mind began making a multitude of connections. He began to analyze his memories of beings he had interacted with in the past and tried to guess their Skills, Talents and Gifts. Even his pets had them! New knowledge was clearly changing his perception. He realized that after learning about the Five Aspects and Categories, he wouldn’t be able to “unsee” them.

  Congratutions! You have learned the Skill: Analyze (Novice 1) - Use your perception, knowledge, and mind energy, to analyze the capabilities of a being.

  Ken was reminded of his personal status, and prompted EIS to pull it up.

  Personal Status: Ken Enderson

  Level: 3 (Soul: 3 Mind: 3 Body: 2)

  Race: Primordial Savage

  Qi Domain : First - Drawing Stage

  Skills: Meditation-(Novice 3) Marksmanship-(Novice 3) Hunting- (Novice 2) Foraging-(Novice 1) Analyze (Novice 1)

  Talents: Language

  Gifts: Insight

  Aura Marks: Third Eye of Insight, Perserverer

  Personal Goal: Reach the First Domain of Soul

  “To cultivate is to comprehend, experience, and express.” Ken thought long and hard about these words, and about his Talent it what it meant to cultivate nguage. From what information he had it seemed like talent cultivation was a long term endeavor, and he expected to spend a significant portion of time, possibly years, on the “comprehend” part.

  Talent Cultivation Exercise: Learn Society Standard

  Sense the surrounding qi, and comprehend to the best of your ability.

  And so it begins. Ken chuckled. He had a feeling this was going to suck.