Spending the morning talking to Elena about his experiences, Casmir felt his conflicting and murky thoughts clearing away slowly. Casmir was able to put everything that was out of his control behind him, focusing on what he could do now rather than dwelling on future possibilities.
After all, even though he knew there was something wrong with the life Giver Orb, Casmir also knew that he didn't have the ability or knowledge to do anything about it. Only with time, hard work and a constant pursuit of cultivation would he gain the opportunity to break free from the invisible shackles the Life Giver Orb had placed around him...
Later that day, Casmir and Elena returned to their family home to the surprise of his rest of the family who were not expecting him to come home so soon.
Knowing that it would be impossible to lie about his experience to his family, Casmir explained what he could to them, avoiding the details that he had promised to Redfire to keep secret and those regarding the Life Giver Orb.
However the rest of his family, especially Casmir's Grandmother Barbara and his aunt Felicity were shocked and enraged that Casmir had faced such danger.
Even more so when Casmir explained that he had seen the remnants of the Ellaris Guard Camp, filled with the dead. They were absolutely appalled that Casmir had to see such a thing, not realising that Casmir was barely moved at seeing such a scene.
Barbara, nearly marched straight down to the Academy for answers and to find some unwitting teacher to vent her frustrations upon.
Fortunately before she could leave, a representative from the Academy who's job it was to deal with situations such as these, arrived.
The representative, a short, young lady, used her eloquent tongue and innocent smile to subdue Barbara and ease the frustrations of the rest of the family. She was clearly experienced in negotiation and even though Barbara was angry, she couldn't find it in herself to rant and rave at this innocent looking young lady.
After receiving a sincere apology from her and a promise of compensation, through the writing off of Casmir's tuition fee's for the rest of the year, Casmir's family was subdued although they still held some lingering frustrations.
Once everything was taken care off, the representative left and all eyes turned back to Casmir, questioning him about every detail that he was either unable, or unwilling to explain to them.
Thankfully, Rose could see Casmir's dilemma and the complicated situation he was in. She quickly asked Elena, to explain everything else that she could to the family while she convinced everything that Casmir needed to rest.
In Casmir's quiet but comfortable room, Rose silently listened to Casmir as he explained everything to her at his own pace.
She had seen people go through traumatic events in her past, so she knew how to handle them, but it surprised Rose that although Casmir was still angry at the Truth Religion, he was still himself. Casmir had learned from his experienced but he hadn't been influenced by it negatively, he was still open, he didn't retreat inside himself or hide unnecessary things from her and most importantly he was still happy to talk to her.
Seeing this, Rose new that Casmir would be fine, a few days rest is all he needed...
=========
"Mmhm..." Rose groaned as she woke up the next day.
Noticing that Casmir wasn't sleeping next to her, Elena sleepily sat up and looked around for him. She quickly noticed the trickling sound of water coming from the bathroom, informing her that Casmir was having an early bath.
Still concerned about Casmir's condition after recent events, Rose reluctantly left the warmth of the bed covers and walked over to the bathroom.
Casmir never locked the bathroom when he used it, so Rose easily entered the room and found Casmir washing himself in a warm bath with a smile on his face.
"Morning Casmir.. How are you feeling?" Rose asked as she walked over to the bath and sat down next to it.
"Oh, morning Rose... Sorry I must have woke you, I tried to be quiet.." Casmir replied, still smiling as if excited about something.
Rose was curious why Casmir was so happy this morning.
"Why are you smiling so much..? I hope you're not expecting some special treatment from me.. because I'm only available for the rest of the morning.." Rose said suggestively, slightly loosening her night dress to tease him.
However Casmir quickly reached over and pulled her night dress back together as if worried about seeing Rose's voluptuous body.
"Ah, ah.. Not today rose. Not that I wouldn't love some attention from you, but I'm going to be busy today." Casmir said quickly.
"Busy?" Rose questioned.
"Yep.. I forgot to mention it to you yesterday, but I'm going to breakthrough to Qi Grade 2 today, can't afford to be tired or distracted today." Casmir replied, glancing at the parting in Rose's night dress, before he forcefully shook his head to dispel any thoughts he had.
"Y-you're breaking through today?" Rose said in surprise.
Then in a worried voice she continued "I thought you were waiting until you got a good Qi Catalyst from your Master? Have you even fully filled your Dantian yet? You haven't even fully recovered from your injury..."
"Don't worry, don't worry..." Casmir said calmly as he interrupted Rose and grasped her hand.
"I'm perfectly set up to breakthrough, my Dantian's fully built up for a breakthrough, my Master gave me a perfect Qi catalyst yesterday and she's even coming to watch me today in case anything happens.. Of course this is just Qi Grade 2 remember, barely anyone gets injured trying to breakthrough so don't worry." Casmir explained.
Rose looked at Casmir for a moment, worry still visible on her face, before she eventually exhaled a deep breath to calm herself down.
Rose, although less familiar with cultivation than Casmir or Elena, still knew that Breakthroughs between Qi Grades held dangers. Thus hearing that Casmir was going to breakthrough she was concerned, however Casmir was right that the first major breakthrough from Qi Grade 1.5 to Qi Grade 2 was anything but dangerous for a healthy young man like Casmir.
Even his injury posed no impediment to a successful breakthrough as long as it didn't effect his Dantian.
It was only as cultivators progressed that breakthroughs became more dangerous. Higher Grades of Qi energy were more unstable and required greater control, older cultivators often faced complications due to their health and each Breakthrough required more and more in depth knowledge about the fundamentals of Qi energy.
However Casmir didn't need to worry about such things yet.
"Do you want to watch? It won't be very interesting because human breakthroughs are mostly internal changes.. You should have seen Elena's.. it was a fantastic sight.." Casmir said as he reminisced about Elena's breakthrough that he witnessed.
Without a second thought, Rose quickly nodded her head "Yes of course! This is an important moment for you.."
Casmir smiled hearing her enthusiastic reply, he then stood up and quickly got out of the bath before wrapping a towel around his body.
All the while he wore a slightly cheeky smile as he watched Rose's reaction.
Her alluring eyes were glued to Casmir's manhood the whole time, a flush of red and a seductive smile unintentionally flashing across her face as she grew excited.
Only after a towel obstructed her view did Rose come to her senses and remember that Casmir wasn't going to play with her this morning.
A pouting expression appeared on her face as she called out to Casmir, "Show off!"
=======
A few hours later, Casmir alongside Elena and Rose left their home and made their way into the nearby Ellaris Park.
Casmir brought a clean set of clothes, some food and some other miscellaneous items that he might need for his breakthrough along with the most important item, the Thousand Year Tree Heart Qi Catalyst.
They quickly made their way to a certain place in the forest where Casmir had decided to have his breakthrough.
It was a small clearing in the forest, situated by a quiet pond.
This was the place Elena had brought Casmir when she herself broke through to Qi Grade 2 and told Casmir about her true race. It was for this reason that Casmir chose to come her for his breakthrough, as a way to give greater meaning to this Breakthrough and make it a memorable moment for both him and Elena.
Unfortunately this clearing looked a lot different to when Elena had broken through in the past.
After all it was now the beginning of winter, many of the trees had long shed their leaves and the vibrant green sea that was once filled with life, had retreated. Only the evergreen bushes, ferns and long thick grass remained on the forest floor, revelling in the freedom that their compatriots hibernation had granted them.
However even though the scenery had grow less vibrant, it was still a lovely place to visit at midday, as it was now.
"Ok, lets quickly set up a place for everyone to sit down. I imagine my Master will be here anytime now.." Casmir said as he unfolded a couple of thick blankets to be laid on the dew-ridden grass.
Elena and Rose quickly helped Casmir, setting up one large blanket for themselves to sit on while Casmir placed his at least a dozen metre's away.
He did this so that he would have ample room during his breakthrough, as during such times vigorous waves of Qi energy can be released that, while at Casmir's level weren't harmful, should still be avoided.
As they prepared the seats, Rose suddenly asked Casmir about his Master whom she had never met.
"What exactly is your Master like Casmir? I know she's an expert cultivator, but what's her personality like? You don't speak about that part of her much.."
Hearing her question, Casmir almost tripped over himself as he straightened out his blanket.
With a complicated expression on his face, Casmir replied half heartedly "Oh.. erm.. well she's quite strict.. she means well but.."
"But what Casmir?!" A slightly loud yet cold and discerning voice suddenly rang out from afar.
From the nearby forest, Bluefire dressed in her usual pretty blue dress appeared, a cold look on her pretty face as she walked over.
Just to the side, Elena who was fully aware of Master Bluefire's personality and Casmir's attitude towards her, couldn't help but chuckle slightly before she forcefully closed her lips.
Casmir meanwhile walked over to Bluefire with a smile on his face, completely ignoring her question as if it had never been asked.
He quickly greeted her and asked her a few unimportant questions about his breakthrough while Elena walked over to Rose's side and whispered a few words into her ear.
"You really pushed Casmir right to the edge of a cliff with that question Rose, hehehe.." Elena said with a look of schadenfreude on her face.
A confused look quickly appeared on Rose's face as she whispered back "What do you mean? Why does she look so annoyed, I was just curious about her?"
"I know.. but Casmir's Master is very cold and prideful.. she's like Gloria as a matter of fact. She's constantly got a... up her you know what.." Elena whispered back as she gestured with her pointed figure to a commonly seen object on the forest floor.
Rose immediately realised what Elena was alluding to and the kind of character Bluefire had. Rose quickly put on her nicest smile as she saw Bluefire and Casmir walking over to them.
"Master, this is Elena and this is Rose... and girls, this is my Master, Bluefire." Casmir said, introducing everyone.
Everyone quickly exchanged greetings although Master Bluefire seemed to be quite interested in Rose, eyeing up her body silently before she looked back at Casmir.
"Alright then Casmir, no need to waste time. You get started and I'll be monitoring the Qi energy around just in case anything happens." Bluefire said calmly, uninterested in chatting with Casmir's girlfriends.
Knowing this would likely be her attitude, Casmir wasn't surprised by her words. He nodded and calmly walked over to the blanket he had set up and sat down with the Thousand Year Tree Heart resting in front of him.
Casmir took of his shirt, revealing his well built upper body, as he prepared himself.
"This might take me ten minutes or so, so Rose and Elena you can sit down and wait for me.. there's some food in the bag if you're hungry." Casmir called out to them from a short distance away.
Rose and Elena nodded, chatting while they waited for Casmir to begin...
The process of Breaking through to Qi Grade 2 was a rather simple one compared to the higher Qi Grades.
The only requirements for a cultivator was that they could control the output of their Qi energy to a degree of 0.5% of their maximum output. This was why Casmir and the other cultivator he trained with needed to train their Qi energy control, otherwise during their breakthroughs they might release too much Qi energy and fail to breakthrough or not release enough and injure themselves internally.
The core to Casmir's breakthrough would be the Qi Catalyst, only by using the Qi Grade 2 energy inside of it could Casmir force his Dantian to begin the transformation from Grade 1.5 Qi energy to Grade 2.0 Qi energy.
However before he began, Casmir spent the next few minutes practicing the motions of controlling his Qi energy to flow out of his Dantian at varying degree's of intensity. Only when he was happy with his control did he proceed to pick up the Thousand Year Heart Tree and place it against his bare navel, just a layer of skin and muscle away from his Dantian.
"I'm starting now!" Casmir called out calmly, closing his eyes to focus on the feeling of his Qi energy inside his body.
With a deep breath, Casmir fully unleashed his Qi energy from his Dantian, controlling it to flow directly towards the skin on his navel. The strong flow of Qi energy couldn't leave Casmir's body without dissipating, so it collecting in his skin briefly before Casmir pushed the Thousand Year Tree Heart against this patch of skin.
Like a ball of snow pressing against a heated plate, the green gem melted away onto Casmir's body. The crystal itself simple falling apart into a fine dust that fell into an open pouch that Casmir had placed bellow him earlier, while the energy inside of the gem entered Casmir's body and merged with his Qi energy.
Without a second thought, Casmir controlled his Qi energy to circulate his body, replicating the process he would normally use to cultivate. First the Qi energy passed up through his body to his skull, then it passed down his spine merging with the various cells across his body before the main part of this energy entered into Casmir's Dantian.
"Sss..."
With a slight sizzle sound, Casmir's Dantian began to swell but Casmir didn't release the excess energy yet. He waited quietly, pressuring his Dantian so as to not let any energy out.
Then, Casmir suddenly felt a slight shiver from his Dantian as it started to shrink, however even though it shrunk it began to feel even more pressured as if large amounts of excess energy were waiting to be released.
Feeling his Dantian shrink, Casmir new that it had begun to transform, now he only needed to control the flow of excess Qi energy to succeed in his breakthrough...
Waiting nearby, Rose, Elena and Master Bluefire watched as the veins and arteries across Casmir's body began to glow slightly. The portion of the Thousand Year Tree Hearts energy that had n't entered Casmir's Dantian, quickly circulated his body emitting a faint green light as it combined with the excess energy Casmir began to release from his transforming Dantian.
Carefully watching nearby, Bluefire quietly commented to herself "Very good control.. no changes in his Soul Energy.. good, good.. Hmm? He's smiling... Well.. It is quite the unique feeling I suppose.."
Bluefire's observations were correct, Casmir was smiling because he was enjoying the strange tingling feeling across his body. It was like the warm embrace of a lover that touched every part of his body, exuding not a lustful pleasure, but a loving touch.
The strange sight of Casmir's glowing body continued for at least a minute as Casmir deftly controlled his Qi energy flow, making sure not to pressure his Dantian too much.
This part was no problem for Casmir as he had quite the talent for Qi energy control, even the Elder, Jing-Sheng, whom was there when Casmir first became a cultivator had praised his natural ability to control the Qi energy flow.
Soon enough, the green glow across Casmir's body faded away, Casmir's Dantian had calmed down and a thick layer of sweat was covering Casmir's body.
Elena and Rose watched with slightly flushed faces as Casmir's naked torso rose up and down, his tight muscles stretching and contracting in a very satisfying manner for a lady's viewing.
However Master Bluefire didn't care for such matters, not even glancing at Casmir's body and only focusing on the currents of Qi energy flowing around Casmir's body.
When she noticed the currents completely change from Grade 1.5 Qi Energy to Grade 2 energy, she even smiled slightly as she called out to Casmir.
"Well done Casmir! You've broken through successfully."
In response to her voice, Casmir slowly opened his eyes, a confident smile on his face as he felt the Qi energy inside of his body slowly extending from his body.
'One more step forward..'