In a realm of cultivation and impending doom, Bao Chi's despair began to consume him as he mumbled to himself, his thoughts slipping away.
"No, no, no, this can't be happening," Bao Chi whispered in a trembling voice. "If I die, then my revenge, my clan... all the hard work I've put..."
Tatsuki, observing Bao Chi's fragile state, couldn't suppress his rising temper any longer.
"Tatsuki," he said, his voice edged with frustration, "are you purposely trying to annoy me, Bao? Because I tell you, it's working, alright."
Bao Chi's knees gave way, and he knelt on the ground, his eyes pleading with desperate despair as he looked up at Tatsuki.
"But, brother, I'm going to die," Bao Chi stammered.
Tatsuki sighed, exasperated. He wanted to convey his point, but Bao's pessimism was trying his patience.
"Would you stop making these presumptions and let me finish speaking for once?" Tatsuki implored.
Bao Chi, his life force seemingly draining with every passing second, wiped his tears away, leaving a rash under his eye. His red eyes, sad face, and trembling tone conveyed his fear.
"Brother," Bao Chi began, "how much time do I have to fulfill my lifelong purpose?"
Tatsuki thought to himself, his annoyance mounting. Bao had gone through all this just to ask that?
He sighed deeply and spoke to his desperate brother.
"Well, Bao, as I was trying to say, you've been mana-intoxicated, and now, only you can save yourself. So chin up and trust your big brother."
Amidst the confusion, Bao Chi's face met the ground as he thought, "I'm supposedly going to die. Meanwhile, someone younger than me proclaims himself as my elder brother. I'm doomed, definitely..
Tatsuki sighed, "Aw, Bao, why do you look so troubled? Is what I said that hard to comprehend?"
Bao Chi, feeling a glimmer of hope, got into a kneeling position and bowed his head before Tatsuki, asking politely, "Enlighten me, Master."
An annoyed Tatsuki couldn't help but comment, "Do you have some kind of on-off switch for calling me 'Master'?"
But Bao Chi continued with his act of obedience, ignoring Tatsuki's words.
Tatsuki pressed on, "Answer me this, Bao. What do you think cultivation is?"
Bao Chi pondered for a moment, wondering what this had to do with saving himself, but he answered, "Brother, cultivation is the procedure required to increase the capacity and capability of oneself (mages), and the procedure which helps in accumulating ki (chi), the second form of life energy which is then combined with mana and forms manacoal for us."
Tatsuki probed further, "Then, what is mana?"
Bao Chi explained, "It is the force of nature, the mother of life, required to sustain life itself."
Tatsuki questioned, "Then why does this mana harm you by turning into such a lethal poison, and just what is the way to remove it?"
Bao Chi revealed, "Because when I, bearer of yang, cultivated wrongly and overfilled my body with mana, which is unable to transform into fuel, it is trapped inside of me, now poisoning me to free itself... so then I have..."
Bao Chi surprised himself with his newfound insight on how to cure himself of manatoxication. He quickly left the ground, rushing toward the roof of the cave, jumping with excitement as he spoke.
Bao Chi's revelation brought a glimmer of hope. He celebrated, spinning in joyful circles, dancing in his newfound understanding. Excited, he approached Tatsuki.
"Bao, you're a genius! Now you just need to teach me the way to remove all the excessive mana, and everything will be back to normal," Bao Chi exclaimed.
Tatsuki, however, urged caution. "Hold on, let's not get too excited. You still need to know the consequences of doing that."
Undeterred, Bao Chi replied, "I don't care, brother. Whatever happens, as long as I live, I'll beat any consequences."
Tatsuki's next words took Bao Chi by surprise. "Even if you were to be a mage no longer..."
Bao Chi was shocked. "Brother, what are you saying? How can I get what I want if I cannot be a mage?"
Tatsuki explained, "Isn't it obvious? If we were to extract all that mana from your body, you will also lose all your cultivation up to now, and you have to start afresh. That's the only way I know..."
For a moment, Bao Chi's expression turned somber. But then, he spoke optimistically, determined not to be discouraged.
"Mistake I did, so the price I shall pay... But, brother, I can still cultivate after that. Then why do you say I would be a mage no longer?"
Tatsuki sighed and continued, "Bao, you turned to 'the God Devourer' because your cultivating speed is too slow, and you needed immense power in the quickest time, isn't that right? Do you really think there were no side effects for all that power? Without it, will you be able to catch up to the rest of the world with your sluggish cultivation speed?"
Bao Chi remained resolute, declaring, "Brother, I do not care whether it takes 10 or 100 years. I will have my revenge. I'll not give up. I'll cultivate day and night if it helps me restore my clan's pride."
Tatsuki nodded, acknowledging Bao Chi's resolve.
"Well, you tried that already and see how you ended up, so you plan on repeating it all over again? Look, I like your spirit, Bao. So, I'll tell you what. Your resolve has managed to impress me. I'll even teach you a way to overcome your slow cultivating speed... (smiles)."
Bao Chi, overwhelmed with hope, asked, "Brother, can you really do it?"
Tatsuki grinned, "Yes, of course, I can. It will only take a few decades or so..."
Bao Chi grabbed his head and sat down, moaning, "I'll never be able to do it then..."
Tatsuki chuckled and teased, "Oye, where did all your optimism go? You're so pessimistic."
Bao Chi sighed, his concern evident. "But, brother, it's useless to wait that long. How will I cultivate if I have to wait decades just to solve this issue?"
Tatsuki laughed heartily. "Hahahahahaha! Impossible. Well, Bao, there's a saying back at my home, which is impossible itself, says 'I'm possible.' I have a way, so do not worry..."
Bao Chi was shocked to his core by Tatsuki's revelation, leaving him almost speechless.
"But... but that ability defies the law of nature itself," he stammered.
Tatsuki and Bao Chi continued to talk and devised a plan that defied the natural order, something unexpected.
"Year after year passed, and season after season came. Spring and summer brought new leaves, then autumn shed them all. Finally, many seasons later, snowy winter arrived and swallowed the land, covering everything in a white blanket."
Two years had passed outside the cave, but inside its depths, three decades had come and gone.
A young boy, hardly 10 to 12 years of age, crawled out of the Avacasta cave, his body devoid of strength. An echoing voice resounded from within, chiding him.
"Come on, Bao. You already cost me an extra year. Now you want to cause me more trouble, huh? Just get up, you drama queen," Tatsuki's voice echoed from the cave.
Bao Chi turned around, looking exhausted and spoke, "Brother, you are an immortal. You don't age, you don't die. How would you know what I'm feeling? You were too cruel to me from start to finish. I don't have any energy left to even crawl anymore..."
Tatsuki, ever the unyielding teacher, urged him, "Get up, Bao. It's time to go."
Tatsuki ran ahead, and seeing that, Bao Chi summoned the last of his energy to follow. While chasing after Tatsuki, he asked, "Brother, are you sure that you want me to go with you?"
Tatsuki, with a blunt face, questioned, "What are you afraid of?"
Bao Chi, with a tinge of sadness, replied, "Brother, you know people will loath you too if anyone recognizes me. They will treat you poorly as well..."
Tatsuki responded without hesitation, "Hm, so what? I'll just beat every single one of them."
Bao Chi heartily laughed and said, "Hahahahaha, brother, you've got no idea how the world works, do you?"
After traveling for quite some time, Tatsuki and Bao were about to reach the entrance of the Aurous City. The mere sight of it brought a touch of emotion to Tatsuki. As they arrived, they noticed someone harassing the gate guards. They rushed in for action, and Tatsuki shouted at the troublemaker.
"Oye, what do you think you're doing...?"
The person harassing the guards turned out to be a young girl around their age. She turned swiftly and gracefully, causing Tatsuki and Bao Chi to stop in their tracks. As she approached them, the girl's arrogance was evident in her voice one look was enough to remind Tatsuki who she was.
"What do you two want? Just go back to your family inside. This is none of your business," Aiko declared.
Bao Chi couldn't believe his eyes. "You..."
Tatsuki raised his left hand, gesturing to Bao Chi to stop.
He slightly tilted his head and waved a cute smile toward aiko, thinking, "I kept you waiting."
The girl responded with confusion, "Huh? Who the hell are you, and why the hell would I wait for you...?"
Tatsuki realized he had made a mistake. He had forgotten that she possessed the supreme ability of "mana sense," allowing her to hear thoughts if one's guard was down. Tatsuki mentally berated himself, trying to distract her by making a series of whistling sounds.