Red and Silver immediately rushed to Yuan when Senior San left. There were tears in Red's eyes which shocked Senior San. Red had never seen Yuan in so much pain. He was the only one who knew Yuan's real background but he couldn't speak.
When Yuan woke up, he felt his body aching all over. For a brief moment, he thought about quitting. The idea of going through so much pain six more times was too much to bear. But a flicker of hope remained in his heart as the thought of cultivation quelled the desire to give up.
"I can't quit now," he whispered to himself.
He approached Senior San after a few moments, "Is there any other way, Senior?"
Senior San didn't look surprised by the question. "This is the simplest, fastest, and easiest method," he replied with a hint of a grin. "There is another way, of course—waiting for the seal to undo itself naturally. But who knows how long that would take?"
Yuan face tightened, but he nodded slowly. The process was painful, but the prospect of waiting for years without any guarantee of success was unthinkable. Thankfully, he had to go through it only once daily.
He thought if he was able to bear it once, he could do it again, but only later he found that the pain seemed to increase with each attempt to the point of his body being numb and almost falling unconscious. Every night, his body would ache and tremble, and he would dream of relief that never came.
There is a famous saying, "After hardships come relief. After pain comes happiness"
A week of agony passed, and finally, one day, Senior San told him, "The first layer of the seal has been loosened. You can now cultivate."
Yuan's heart leaped in his chest, and with trembling hands, he reached out, trying to sense the spiritual energy around him. The first few attempts were unsuccessful, but after a few moments, a faint, warm current of spiritual qi flowed into his senses. His eyes widened in joy. "I can feel it! I can feel the qi!"
He looked up at Senior San, gratitude filling his heart. "Thank you, Senior San. I'll never forget this."
Senior San's expression softened, but he shook his head. "Do not cultivate yet," he cautioned. "You need to rest and let your body recover properly. If you rush it, you might undo all the progress we've made."
Yuan's face fell for a moment, but he took a deep breath and nodded, accepting Senior San's advice. He had waited so long, and a few more days of rest would not hurt. He stayed with Senior San few more days while recovering himself. He even told Senior San about his dream of becoming a BEAST MASTER.
After hearing about his dreams, Senior San thought a lot of things about Beast Taming. Yuan had learned some basics from PM Meng, but Senior San's teachings were more advanced. He explained that taming a beast was not about dominance; it was about forming a bond based on mutual respect.
"Every beast responds differently to taming," Senior San explained. "It depends on the person's skill, understanding, and connection to the beast."
Yuan listened carefully as Senior San went on, explaining the risks and rewards of beast taming. If a beast was treated poorly, it could betray its tamer at a crucial moment, or even turn against them. However, if a beast trusted its tamer and felt cared for, it would fight and sacrifice its life for them in battle.
Senior San had tried to teach Red some beast cultivation techniques, but Red had refused, not trusting the methods of a big bear. On top of that, he didn't let Silver learn from him, much to Senior San's frustration.
Most beasts learned their cultivation through their bloodline and Red and Silver had such powerful bloodlines. Although he could understand the reasons behind their resisting his teaching, he still felt frustrated. He sighed and shook his head.
Despite this, Yuan's bond with Red and Silver grew stronger, especially with Silver and he learned much about respecting beasts. He realized that it was not enough to simply control them; he needed to listen to their needs and understand their personalities. Only then could a true bond really be formed.
After his body was completely recovered, Yuan slowly approached Senior San with heavy steps. It had already been more than 1 and a half month since he last left home. He knew his parent, especially his mother would be going nuts by now. He had never stayed in the forest for that long before.
Senior San understood his intention, so before Yuan could speak, he asked, "Yuan, how many cultivation stages there are?"
"I know a few i.e. Body Tempering realm, Qi Gathering realm, Foundation Formation realm, and Golden Core realm. There are 9 sub-stages in every realm. I heard that there are more realms but I don't know how many." Yuan replied.
Senior San nodded after hearing him. He remained silent for a moment and then began, "Yuan, there are some secrets about cultivation only very few know about, but I think you need to know them because of your unique situation,"
Yuan face instantly grew serious as he listened to Senior San's words carefully.
"In Foundation Formation Realm, there is actually a hidden 10th stage known as Consummation Stage after the 9 sub-stages." Senior San said.
Yuan was bewildered.
But Senior San didn't stop there and continued, "Similarly, there is a false realm known as Void Core Realm between the Foundation Formation realm and Golden Core realm. Not many people can reach these stages, maybe 1 in millions or tens of millions, but I have a feeling that you'll have to reach them to break the seal."
Yuan didn't know what to feel. For a moment, he was happy that he was now finally able to cultivate and could chase his dream, however now, he wasn't sure anymore.
Senior San laughed when he saw him like that. "You don't have to think much about that. True, it is very difficult to reach but that doesn't mean you can't. So just try your best and I am sure you'll reach there."
"Here, these are for you" Senior San waved his hand and placed 2 things before him, a book and a strange rock.
Yuan took the things without hesitation and bid farewell after thanking him again for his help.
Senior San smiled, though there was a trace of sadness in his eyes. "Go then, but remember—this is only the beginning of your journey. You have a long way to go before you can truly break the seal."
Before Yuan left, Senior San gave him one final piece of advice. "Do not speak of the Consummation Stage or the Void Core Realm to anyone. And make sure you return once you reach the Void Core Realm before you form your Golden Core."
Yuan nodded, though he didn't fully understand why, and promised to return. He followed Silver's lead once again, who had grown up a lot during this time on Cloudy Mountain. As he descended the mountain with Silver at his side, Yuan felt a strange sense of peace. The path ahead was uncertain, but for the first time in his life, he felt he could finally move.