As Ludovic was leaving, the Evolving Village began to glow.
"What's that?" François asked
The priest approached, taking the book. Then, he opened it with a smile on his face.
« See for yourself,» he said, holding the book to François. The others approached to see.
t was a language he didn't know, but numbers his mother had taught him from a young age were here too. Numbers in the hundreds replaced numbers reaching or nearing the four digits.
1017→ 641
*****
953 → 347
*****
"What're these numbers ?" Alain asked
"That's the evolution coming." Ludovic said, seemingly satisfied." It is coming fast for people having taken that much time in the awakening."
"Wait, does that mean that book is linked to us 4 ?"
"Obviously. It is linked to all those who awakened together."
He took the book and closed it.
"Well, you better find a way to progress soon," Ludovic said as he left.
This kind of seance bored Alain out, even for the little time they took. He could accept not going into cultivation, but not having wasted two of his years there – and a good part of his body strength and then needing to still waste time.
Resolutely, he found a solution he hadn't thought of.
"Dad ?" Alain asked as he returned home from the Church. His father always neared his house.
"You're here already?" The man asked, resting as he ordered a servant to pour him some more wine.
"The priest doesn't want to teach me cultivation," he said dejectedly.
"He doesn't want to teach you?" the man frowned. "The fuck is that. I wanted you to form some relations, but I guess you learning something is a bit too much of an asking. Humanians are so slow there's a reason why they got conquered." He said.
"Come here."
Alain advanced
"Okay, now, go in a cross-leg position. Yeah, that's it. Close your eyes."
In his mind, Alain repeated the emotion one by one. He closed his eyes and took deep breaths of 5 seconds each.
"In and out. Remember to think about happy things. Happy memories, something you like."
Alain thought about the feeling of running, of succeeding in hide and seek, and repeated the exercise for 5 minutes.
"Okay!" Said Alain's father. "Now, open your eyes and go to bed."
Alain moved to the bed.
"Put your elbows at the level of your head, and gently cross your arm joining at your hands. Less than a hand must separate your hands from your head. Okay, you good."
"And now?"
Take a deep breath in, wait for a breath of time, and let your breath out three times, each time feeling your body relax."
"Is it really cultivation?" Alain asked
"You're at your best when you relax, and cultivation needs the best out of you."
Alain executed.
"Okay, now give a single order to your mind, a precise one, imagining the situation involving your body, then shut up and do it until pain and paralysis come to your hands. Once that happens, place them alongside your chest. That's it. It takes some time, but it's the basis."
"You sure?"
"One cannot control the flow of the body. What you need most is control and habits."
After a few groups of minutes, Alain felt his arms slightly hurting and elongating near his chest.
They began heating up, but then, nothing other than him sleeping happened.
Dejectedly, he came to Ludovic's course the day after.
"Do any of you have cultivated?" Ludovic asked. None nodded.
"Well, all the good, I suppose. Today, as they are beginning to evolve very differently, we will talk about wiseness, and what kind of wiseness!" he said with a smile.
"The awakening is a radical thing. To surpass yourself, you have allowed your body to be free, and as you cultivate it, some parts of it might attack you. They will only get stronger from now on, each version strengthened by the killing of the precedent. One day, if they become strong enough, your spirit will change, or your body will separate or explode. To counter that, you must forever evolve and try to pacify them. Think of it like this: all means of reality are but experiences to better control your body."
Ludovic glanced at the children, who were yawning.
"Well, if that doesn't interest you, maybe I can make it more interesting. If you tell me the sense of life and get it right, I'll tell you how to cultivate."