An old man with a wise beard dawning purple robes stood at the entrance gate of the arena. His presence alone caused a slight but involuntary pressure to push down on all the students in the arena.
"Thats enough" He spoke.
"Headmaster" Wu Zhan cupped his hands in the direction of the old man and bowed.
The old man walked into the arena and placed his right palm above Zhou Xinqiu's inert body easing her inner pathways that had been inflamed due to the fight.
"Students, the arena will be closed for a couple hours please heed my words and exit for the time being." The old man smiled and ordered. "Thank you for your help Wu Zhan, you may leave too."
"Yes Headmaster" Wu Zhan bowed once more and left with the other students.
About 30 minutes later Zhou Xinqiu's eyes opened.
"Ahh" She yawned and sat up straight looking at the old man next to her with caution "Who are you?"
"My name is Ziwei Shan. I heard some commotion nearby and came to take a look only to find you sleeping in the arena."
"Uhm well I wasnt exactly sleeping, last I remember I was fighting some Wu Zhan."
"Wu Zhan… hm… the Wu family is particularly known for their martial techniques. Dont be put off by your loss" The old man smiled with crescent eyes.
"Loss? I wouldnt say I lost, he was way above my cultivation! If anything, I had a breakthrough in my technique, so Id call it a win on my part." Zhou Xinqiu crossed her arms.
"Hahaha, the youth really do bounce back fast. If thats how you think then all is well" He laughed.
"Bounce back? There wasn't much to bounce back from…" She rolled her eyes.
"Mmm let me ask you a question little girl. Why do we cultivate?"
"why do we cultivate? For safety and survival. "In this world strong prey on the weak until the weak become the strong." I once heard this from my father."
"That is true. That is true. How about those who reached the peak? Why do they still yearn for more? There isn't much need for more strength at that level no?"
"Mmm for fame? To pave the way for others?" Zhou Xinqiu sat in thought.
"Ah.. but is it so? Take scholars for example. Why do they continue to study past what is needed."
"To answer unanswerable questions. To seek knowledge?" She proposed.
"Correct! In everlasting search for knowledge. Now I ask again. Why do we cultivate past our limits?" The old man repeated the question again.
"In search of a higher power?"
"A clever girl indeed. We cultivate in everlasting search of the heavenly dao. The pinnacle of existence. No, what lives beyond the pinnacle! Remember this in your heart when you cultivate. Only then will you be able to reach even higher than before… able to reach for the stars and beyond."
Zhou Xinqiu seemed to be in a trance as gold aura began to spill out of her body. Her body trembled slightly and her hair began to fly.
"aha she grasped it quite quickly…" The old man stroked his beard and took a step forward and sealed the arena with an invisible formation.
She placed her hand in a triangular formation in front of her stomach channeling the surrounding Qi into her body.
"Let me give you a little push" Ziwei Shan tapped his finger on her neck softly inserting his rich dark purple colored Qi into her body accelerating the flow of Qi into her core.
Within a few minutes the golden aura tripled and began to cause the entire arena glow.
"Condense!" She pushed her palms together and opened her eyes. Breathing out, the last of the golden aura left her body from her mouth.
"3rd level Qi circulation, and a quite stable one already. Not bad!" The old man resumed his crescent smile.
"Ah thank you, it was all thanks to your words"
"Girl, the amount of students I've told these words to are uncountable, yet those who understood its meaning can be counted on one hand. Its all thanks to your insight"
"Sir can I ask what your cultivation level is? I cant seem to find your level"
"Hm?" His smile became more mysterious.
She looked at his robe and saw its intricacies and she suddenly realized the constant pressure of his aura. "Ziwei… Shan? Ziwei… academy? Are you…?" She suddenly fixed her clothes and stood up with a slightly more respectful expression.
"Seems my cover was blown. You're quite smart aren't you? The old man began to laugh heartily once more.
"Headmaster?"
"Headmaster or student, emperor or citizen, rich or poor, aren't we all just the same? In the end we all are students in search of the ethereal heavenly dao. Only materialistic things differentiate us from each other. Don't you think so? Zhou Xinqiu" The old man turned around and gazed out the window with his hands behind his back.