At a particular location in the world, Jake was in.
On a mountain peak, a man sat in a lotus position, with his eyes closed. He breathed slowly and calmly as if in a tempo. Everything around him was influenced by his breathing. The mountain softly shook with every peak of his breath. The luminous sun brightened on him as if welcoming its son. His white hair dangled in the air, it moved like the river heading for the sea, slow and calm.
Even the leaves levitated in the air, not daring to touch the ground.
*Whoosh!*
Suddenly, he opened his eyes, and a terrifying pressure exuded from his body. It stopped any object in motion, freezing them in their place.
The man shifted his gaze in a certain direction. His expression tranquil as he waited for something
"Master, bad news!"
A female voice was heard, as a beautiful woman appeared from the direction.
She was dressed in white robes, but the clothes failed to hide her voluptuous figure.
"Galleria, what have you panicked on this beautiful day?"
For the first time, the man talks, and what comes out is a soothing voice, that is pleasant to anyone who hears.
"Master, there is news from the Star Scryer Hall," responded Galleria.
As she didn't want to embarrass herself in front of her teacher, she spoke in a calm tone.
"What does it say?" The man sharply glanced at her.
The Star Scryer was in charge of the sect's oracles. They were tasked with providing secret information to the sect. They were a crucial part of the sect and acted as their alarm system, in case of unforeseen situations.
"The leader of the hall sent their report for the year and an extra report list. She stamped it with a red seal, meaning that it is very important. Opening it, I found some terrifying information..."
Galleria shuddered as she tried to inform her master.
Noticing her mental state, the master pointed his hand on her forehead, guiding her "And…."
The finger sent a cool stream of energy into Galleria, effectively calming her mind.
She then continued, "The first news, over the year the Nether energy has reached an unrecorded level, the signs of the Netherans activity has been brimming.
The second one, weeks ago, there was a forced entry into our world. they do not know what it is. All they know is that the power required for it is extremely strong. Yesterday, they sensed the same energy signature, but it was brief, so they could not get a grasp on the location."
She paused allowing him to digest what he just heard.
"Is that all?"
"No."
"Then go on."
"The third one, their oracle divined the appearance of a storm that will summon clusters of evil stars which will swallow the whole world!---"
Galleria's voice croaked as she tried to talk, "--The leader, with her stubborn mind, tried to get more information, but something interfered with her divination. She is now comatose!"
"The extra report list was a detailed analysis of all the extraordinary events that occurred over the past few years. The hall linked them together and found out....."
The man scrutinized his gaze and interrupted her, "That there is a war coming, isn't it?"
"Yes, master," replied Galleria.
She found out that her master was not surprised and asked, "Master, did you know?"
"No. I sensed it. Heaven has grown quite restless. That could only mean that there is a turbulent time to come," said the master, as he gazed mysteriously at the sky.
"Master, what do we do?"
"Send our findings to the other factions. Reduce the quota for our sect membership, but increase their training. Also, send our best healers to tend to the Star hall's leader."
"Yes, master."
Galleria kowtowed to her master before she left. No time was better than the present.
Galleria's master was left all alone again. He gazed at the blue sky and clouds, looking at something invisible to the naked eye.
"The wheel of fate has begun to spin..."
...
Pinesun City, Aztec Kingdom
A young man opened his windows and breathed the fresh air of a new day.
He listened to the birds chirping and smiled, thinking of what they would taste like.
"Breakfast room order!" a voice sounded outside Jake's room, accompanied by knockings.
Jake opened the door for the person. It was a young boy dressed as a waiter.
On his hands was a tray carrying dishes that Jake had previously ordered.
"This is your order, sir," said the young boy as he gave it to Jake.
"Your payment is 5 coppers."
"Hmm..," Jake dug into his pockets and paid for his meal.
He abruptly closed the door as he prepared to wolf down on his meal.
*Burp!*
Five minutes later, the only thing that was left on the plates was a piece of bone.
'That was a nice meal, but I didn't feel full. With the increase of my cultivation, my food consumption would also grow.'
Jake sighed as he thought of the number of coins he would use to pay for his meal in the future.
After eating, he gazed back at the sky through the window.
'In my previous world, the clouds were white, but here they are blue. That's strange.'
He continued gazing, as delved into his thoughts
'It's been four months since the event at the forest. One month ago, I finished cultivating the [Physique Modeling realm]. I possessed all the requirements to break through to the next realm, but for some reason, I didn't.'
Jake had spent the past month gazing at the sky. Whenever he tried to break through, he would feel hesitation coming from himself.
It was similar to what one would feel when they tried to dip their hands in a pot of hot oil. It was a basic instinct, warning them of something. In the case of the hot oil, the "something" was the risk involved. In Jake's case, it was unknown.
For the past month, he had been trying to figure it out.
After a lot of wasted time, Jake decided to resort to his last option. If couldn't get any clue from that, then he would proceed to the next realm.
What was his last option? One would ask.
Well, it was simple. Jake just needed to meditate, to enter a deeper level of meditation to find out the reason.
Jake had tried to access this level of mediation before, but it all ended in failure.
So today, he was going to take a different approach to it. He would access it through a mantra, a mantra from his pre-rebirth(before his rebirth).
Due to the effect of his rebirth, Jake didn't remember a lot of important stuff, he could only remember general stuff. But there was one thing he vividly remembered!
It was the [Mantra of Origin]! A mantra he got from the dungeon. A mantra, so profound that it left Jake in awe at its majesty.
Strangely, he could recite it vividly as if he had done it all his life, which he hadn't.
Jake closed his windows and curtains. He buried down the questions in his mind as he sat in a meditation position.
The instant he thought of the mantra, a stream of information flowed through his mind, as he recited it.
'One begets two.
Primordial chaos is the source of all life.
Without Order, its perpetual twin, Chaos cannot bloom.
Two begets three.
Chaos and Order are a cycle, a duality destined to eternally chasing one another, not understanding that there is always a part of themselves in the other.
Three begets four.
Chaos flows in a rhythm beyond comprehension.
But hidden deep in it is a beauty that transcends all.
Four begets five.
Primal, Origin, Chaos, Order and You.'
Jake's voice resounded in his mind as he echoed the mantra. With every iteration, his consciousness dulled as he found himself edging on something, something greater than himself.
He felt free and in the presence of the countless mysteries, he searched for. He felt the perfection he sought was just within a walkable distance. With each iteration, he felt himself closer. Closer. Closer…...to the moon, the sun, the stars, the beings of perfection.
Finally, he lost himself. Eternally chanting the mantra, like a machine.
He kept repeating the mantra until nightfall….
His eyes awoke and shone pureness comparable to that of a newborn child.
He glanced at everything like it was his first time seeing them.
'Wow, something feels different in me. I feel whole,' thought Jake.
The whole experience made Jake enlightened.
'Most important, I understand what I must do!'
'Physique Modelling Realm…,' Jake smiled as he thought of the title of the realm.
He was a firm believer in the saying that there was power in words. So, he couldn't help but think why the title of the realm was named such.
It could have been named something else, but it wasn't.
The name directly referred to the word "Physique"
What was a Physique?
It was the complete structure of one's body. Every part of his body. Not just bones. Not just organs. Not just skin. Everything!
So, judging by the name, the ultimate aim of the realm is to awaken one's full physique. To awaken the full potential of the mortal body.
One could advance to the next realm without doing that, but they would not enjoy the benefits of the awakening.
It was a difference in quality. Like how steel can never compare to gold.
Jake didn't know the benefit, but he knew they would be good.
'I understand what I'm missing, but now the problem is how to achieve that. I have tempered all parts of my body, not one part was left untempered,' thought Jake.
'So what do I need to do? Physique…..Physique as a whole…..,' Jake derailed into his thoughts.
Suddenly, a bulb lit in his head, 'That's it. I need to temper the whole body. I need them to represent one object, my body. They wouldn't be the complex combination of bones, skins, organs. They would just be the Body, functioning together as one!'
Jake had learned about the body, so he easily understood what to do.
'It seems like the things I remember aren't useless after all.'
With no time to waste, Jake proceeded to awaken his physique