Chapter 3: Awakening the Essence: A Cultivation Journey Begins
After a few minutes, Alex arrived at the inn and spotted Nimmia, greeting her with a smile.
"Hey, Nimmia, I'm back!" he said.
"Hey, Alex, how was it?" she replied.
"The village is beautiful, and the Goldenwell is definitely a nice place to visit. I also met some kids throwing coins into the well, and they let me try," Alex told her.
"Oh, that's nice. Throwing coins into the well is an old tradition the children do. I did it when I was a kid too," Nimmia shared.
"Is it really true that you get blessed, and when you open your essence, you get powers from the Goldenwell?" Alex asked curiously.
"Yes, it works for most kids who do that, especially if they have a strong blood relation to the ancestors," Nimmia explained.
"Oh, I see," Alex responded, nodding.
"I can see that you haven't opened your essence, and you're already grown up. Is that because of the place you came from?" Nimmia inquired.
"Yes, where I come from is pretty secluded. We don't strive for personal strength there. But now that I've decided to go on an adventure, even though I'm past the golden age to start, it's better late than never. Maybe I have the talent for it!" Alex expressed it with a hopeful tone.
"I hope it works well for you, Alex," Nimmia encouraged.
"Anyway, do you need any help, Nimmia?" Alex offered.
"Yes, can you help me clear the tables?" she asked.
"Sure thing!" Alex agreed.
A few minutes later, Alex finished helping Nimmia clear the tables. Pondering about opening his essence, he asked Nimmia, "So, Nimmia, considering where I came from, can you tell me how someone opens up their essence?"
Hearing his question, a few people in the inn started looking strangely at him, murmuring, "Where did this kid come from? Not knowing how to open his essence."
As he heard the voices of the people around him, Alex started to feel embarrassed for asking.
"It's not that big of a deal, Alex," Nimmia reassured him. "My mother guided me on how to open it when I was younger, but there's a book that explains it clearly. Everyone has this book. Wait a sec, let me get it for you."
Nimmia headed to the back office of the inn, and after a few seconds, she returned with a brown leather-covered book that read "Guide to Cultivation."
"Here is the book; you can take it to your room to read it. If you don't understand anything, just let me know," Nimmia said, handing Alex the book.
"Thank you, Nimmia. I will return it soon," Alex replied.
"No problem," Nimmia responded.
Taking the book to his room, Alex sat down on his bed and opened it. Looking at the text, he saw a language he had never seen before, but somehow, he managed to understand it. On the first page of the book was an introduction:
"The 'Guide to Cultivation' is a foundational text in the world of essence cultivation, providing essential teachings on awakening and harnessing personal energy. It serves as a practical manual for beginners, detailing the steps to refine the body and spirit, and is a key resource for cultivators on their path to transcendence. This guide is indispensable for those seeking to understand and master the art of cultivating their life force."
On the next page, it said:
"Opening one's essence in the body to begin cultivation is a holistic process that typically starts with achieving a deep meditative state to access the inner life force, or essence. This involves mental focus, breath control, and sometimes the guidance of a mentor or a cultivation manual. The practitioner becomes aware of their essence, a subtle energy within, and, through deliberate practice, learns to activate and refine it. They then learn to draw in ambient essence energy from the environment, enriching their own reserves, which are circulated and absorbed to strengthen the body and spirit. Regular practice is essential to maintain and enhance this energy, marking the beginning of the cultivation journey."
'It doesn't say anything about awakening some kind of power,' Alex thought.
On the next page of the book, it is instructed:
"Let's start by entering a meditative state. Begin by focusing on your breathing and trying to feel it. Feeling the essence energy depends on one's talent—some take months, while others take days or hours."
After an hour in a meditative state, Alex started to feel something in the air near his chest. Filled with pride about his achievement, he thought that he might have a talent for cultivation.
He read the next page of the book, which instructed him to guide the sensed essence energy to the Dantian and showed the pathways to locate it. After a few hours, Alex managed to guide the essence energy to his Dantian. Feeling a bit tired, but suddenly, he felt a burst of vitality from his Dantian. Happy about finally achieving that, he thought, "This is really taxing. I shall get some rest for an hour before Nimmia calls me to work and continue it after that."
After an hour of rest, Alex heard a knock on his door. "Come in," he said.
Nimmia entered. "I brought you some water," she said.
"Thank you," Alex replied.
"How was it?" she asked.
"It was really taxing, but I managed to feel the essence energy after an hour in a meditative state, and then after a few more hours, I guided it to the Dantian until I felt a burst of vitality from it," Alex explained.
"An hour?! You really have a talent for cultivation! It took me three months, and my mom says I'm a little genius! Shame that you started it pretty late," Nimmia commented.
"No worries; with my talent, I will catch up to you soon," Alex said confidently.
"We will see. It took me four years just to reach Mid rank 1. By the way, when you reach rank 1, you will also get your special kind of power, like my 'Auric Mending,'" she said, demonstrating a golden water blob the size of an apple, which she threw onto Alex's head.
As Alex got wet, he asked, "Was that your power? That looked so cool!"
"Yes, that was a spell called 'Luminous Refresh.' It's a Tier 0 spell that removes fatigue and enhances regeneration," she explained.
"Tier 0 spell? That's interesting! I wonder when I will reach rank 1," Alex said, his curiosity piqued. "I'm sure you will reach it soon," she replied confidently. "And when you get to rank 1, you will feel that your essence energy is changing color. Some people have special ones, like mine, which is golden and related to the Goldenwell water, and some have colors from the basic elements, like wind, fire, earth, water, and lightning." "I see. Thank you for telling me," Alex expressed his gratitude. "No problem. Now, let me take you to the kitchen; you have some work to do. You can come back to cultivate later," she instructed.
Putting the book aside, Alex and Nimmia left the room, heading to the kitchen on the first floor.
Entering the kitchen, he was greeted by Eliss. "Hey, Alex, how was your day today? I heard you started to cultivate today. How was it?" Eliss asked with a warm smile. "Thank you, ma'am. My day has been great. Yes, I just started to cultivate today. Where I came from, we don't have this privilege," Alex responded. "I understand. I guess there are some places like this in this world. Maybe that's why you want to use the village library to find out more." Eliss said, correctly guessing his intentions. "Yes, that's why," Alex confirmed.
"Okay, you can start work now, Alex. All the dishes from today are in there," Eliss instructed.
Getting to the dishwashing station, he greeted Syf on the way and got to work.
After finishing washing the dishes, he said his goodbyes to Eliss and Nimmia and returned to his room.
Sitting on his bed again, he opened the book to the page where he had stopped.
The page says:
"The next step after guiding the essence energy to your dantian is to accumulate more essence energy inside your dantian, deepen your connection with the essence energy both inside and outside your dantian, and stabilize it to contain it within your dantian. After reaching about 25% fullness of your dantian, you will reach Low Rank 1, and your essence energy will undergo a significant change. You may awaken a special energy essence related to your roots or one of the basic elements: wind, fire, earth, water, and lightning. And if you're lucky, you might awaken an even rarer element."
After reading, Alex does as the book says. After some time, without noticing, the sun is already rising, and Alex opens his eyes and thinks, "It's been a whole night, and I'm only halfway there; I should get some sleep until Nimmia comes to get me for work."
After getting a good sleep, Nimmia knocks on his door. He gets up from the bed to open it.
"Hey, Nimmia," Alex greets her.
"Hey, Alex, you didn't come down this morning. Is everything okay?" Nimmia asks.
"Yes, it's all good. I was just cultivating all night and didn't get any sleep," Alex explains.
"Oh, I see. That's normal. Most people lose track of time while cultivating. Okay, let's get to work," she says.
After arriving in the kitchen, he greets Eliss and Syf and gets to washing the dishes. Alex thinks, "After getting Low Rank 1, I should attempt to read the Lexicon again."
Eliss comes from behind him and says, "Alex, my father should be back tomorrow, so after work tomorrow, Syf and I will take you to him to ask for permission to use the library."
"I understand; thank you, ma'am," Alex replies.
"Sure thing," Eliss responds.
After a few minutes, Alex finishes washing the dishes and makes his way back to his room, saying goodnight to Syf, Eliss, and Nimmia.
Arriving at his room, he starts his cultivation again, working through the night.