"Breath deeply in! Feel the morning qi rush into your lungs and circulate through your blood."
Yun Feng sat down alongside a group of children, instructing them the basics of cultivation.
"Make sure your entire body is relaxed and feel the impurities expel from your body."
Alice stared at them, "Is that really it to cultivation? Aren't those just cardiovascular exercises to improve lung capacity? And what's this nonsense about impurities?"
Yun Feng made sure not to cultivate too seriously in case the qi was too thin and he would deplete it all. Instead, he breathed like a normal human, absorbing only thirty percent of what he would usually do. Unexpectedly, qi gushed into his body like an open dam and the energy revolved around his body with high speeds, cleansing his flesh and bones faster than he had ever experienced.
In a panic, Yun Feng stopped absorbing the qi and begun inspecting the surroundings carefully. His eyes widened in surprise as he probed the amount of qi in the air, 'How could this be?'
Yun Feng began to absorb qi once more, this time giving his all. Instantly, a tsunami of qi swarmed his body, unblocking his previous bottlenecks, rejuvenating and revitalising his meridians. 'Such an abundance of qi! The energy in the air is almost 10 times more abundant than his previous world and yet it was just as subtle. What is going on here?'
"Alice, have you always been training under such magnificent conditions?"
Alice looked over at Yun Feng with a confused expression, "Magnificent conditions? This is quite a remote place that has only been inhabited for a few years, how could it be magnificent?"
Yun Feng's eyes gleamed with excitement as he realised the reasons behind this immense difference. This area had not been inhabited before! This meant that the natural qi made during the formation of the world was still present, even if a little dissipated.
Yun Feng glanced quickly over towards the children who were diligently absorbing the qi. His eyes popped out of their sockets as he felt their cultivation rise rapidly. In mere hours, they had already reached the early stages of the Elementary Realm! At this rate, they would surpass Yun Feng within a couple of months if he didn't diligently cultivate as well.
Suddenly he remembered that during his training, he had been required to train his battle techniques as his cultivation increased. If he didn't allow those children to train and consolidate their cultivation before advancing cultivation realms, they would only possess raw strength and would be unable to contest against those of equal power.
"Alright everyone, you can stop your breathing exercises! I'll now teach you some fighting techniques to consolidate your culti... make this game more fun!"
One by one, the children exited their peaceful state of mind, turning their attention to Yun Feng, who was now waving desperately for all the children to stop.
Yun Feng materialised a bundle of softwood planks, carving them to look like round targets, before placing one in front of each child. "Alright, I want you to try punch the wooden board in front of you. Try to use all the muscles in your arm to form a swift strike before you retreat back into a normal stance."
Yun Feng demonstrated the movement against a large hay bale. Upon striking the hay, his power exploded and concentrated within his fist, not only sending the hay bale flying, but also splitting it into thousands of fragments. Even though he was simply giving a demonstration, his father had always told him to do his best in every situation.
The children stared as the shattered hay bale reformed and collected back towards Yun Feng's out-stretched hand. Soon, a brand new hay bale formed and plopped on the floor next to Yun Feng's feet.
"Punch just as I did. I doesn't matter if you can't shatter it like I did, however I want you to put your all into each and every one of your punches."
Yun Feng instructed the children, who were now punching away at their own hay bales, before walking up to Alice and standing beside her. "These children are very diligent, aren't they?"
Alice nodded, "They've never had any entertainment other than playing with themselves, so having such a kind man teach them new things, it must be exciting and interesting."
Yun Feng stared into the setting sun. His first contact with cultivation had been equally as exciting. He was one of the most enthusiastic students in the family and his passion for cultivation had allowed him not only to awaken his hidden raw talent, but also ignite an even greater love for cultivation.
Unknowingly, a nostalgic expression appeared upon his face as he remembered his youthful days of fun and joy. Alice's gaze landed upon his calm and almost porcelain face. Some mystical force kept her eyes glued to the man. 'Have I ever felt this before? My heart rate is racing by simply gazing at his face. How can he be so calm, collected... attractive..."
A deep blush spread over her face as the thoughts began to invade her mind. She had heard other people talk about this feeling before, love, they called it. But how could she fall in love with someone she had only met a few days ago? Without warning, her eyes became misty, she hadn't a clue why.
Noticing the change in atmosphere, Yun Feng quickly turned back to see Alice staring at him, eyes watery, face flushed a slight shade of red and cheeks puffed, forming an expression that seemed like she had finally found something she longed for.
Yun Feng rushed over with concern, "Alice, are you alright?"
Without warning, Alice leapt towards Yun Feng, hugging his slim frame while crying endlessly into his shoulder.
Yun Feng was truly concerned now, however he kept his cool and patted her head, whispering in a soothing tone, "It's alright, if you need me I'm here. What's wrong?"
The two continued the awkward embrace, one crying into the other's shoulder and the other patting the crying girl.
After what seemed like forever for Yun Feng, Alice disengaged from the embrace, lightly pushing Yun Feng away. Her face revealed an embarrassed, yet fulfilled expression.
Her lips parted and let out a whisper that sounded like a cat's purr.
"Thank you"