Instead of some part of the sect where I could feel the fluctuating waves of various elemental qi, Elder Hazeon led Alice and I to a building near his office that was under strict guard.

After exchanging pleasantries with the two guards—both of whom were nearing the highest level of the nascent soul realm—he led us inside.

As we entered, the room lit up brightly from light formations in the ceiling, it mimicked the harsh artificial light I remembered from back on Setria 9, which filled me with a sudden sense of nostalgia.

The room was larger than my personal home here at the sect, even if only slightly so, and the only other exit was a wooden door on the opposite side from where we entered.

The main fixture of the room was an impossibly intricate formation carved directly into the stone floor. I could pick out specific runes here and there that I might have been familiar with, but nothing I could say for sure I understood.

"What's this giant formation for?" I asked.

"This formation is a peak soul level Harmonious Elemental Gathering formation." He answered, pride lacing his words.

"What does it do?" I asked, thinking I might have figured it out already by its name.

"This formation gathers and stores elemental qi of all six of the base elements at a marked rate. At my level it's barely sufficient to supply me with enough qi to slowly progress a few times a year. But for you I expect you'll be able to catch up on your spiritual cultivation within the year you have to wait. That being said, your progression will decrease markedly once you've reached the Forging realm, but you should be able to gain significant progress within that realm as well."

I perked up. That was great news! I had neglected my body cultivation as of late and being able to steep myself in the elements for a while would be a great help.

I looked over the formation again, marveling at how incredible it was, and wondered if it would be useful to learn how to identify them by sight.

"Would it be difficult to learn how to identify formations like this?" I asked, curious if it was something I should devote time to.

Before he could answer, Alice spoke instead.

"As a recipient of an inheritance of the Aurion sect's creation, your cultivation implant has the capability to interface with Aurion sect technology and databases now that you've connected to the Aurion sect research ship." She said, bringing my thoughts to a standstill.

What?

WHAT?

"Alice, what are you talking about? This is the first I'm hearing about Text being able to do that. Why didn't you tell me this before? And does that mean I could have analyzed those pill recipes myself?" I interrogated the green haired girl, a little miffed that I was just now learning I could do something like that. It also reminded me that I hadn't talked to the little voice in my head in a long time and a pang of guilt shot through me.

For her part, Alice seemed nonplussed at my rapid fire questions and answered them dutifully and in order.

"Your cultivation implant can interface with any Aurion sect database or repository, which would allow you the ability to analyze formations at will through the implant. Once you were registered as the Head Researcher of Project Eden, your implant would have automatically been connected to the research ship. You didn't ask. Yes, analyzing pill recipes below a certain threshold of complexity is well within the research ship's, and your implant's, capabilities."

I narrowed my eyes at her, then looked at the formation again for a few seconds before turning back to Alice.

"How do I do it?"

"You can activate the analysis protocol of your implant by saying the word 'Analysis' with intent while looking at that which you desire to analyze. Once you've learned how to do it, repeating the act without speaking the word aloud will suffice."

I immediately looked back to the formation and said the trigger word, a loading bar immediately popping up in my vision for a few seconds. An animated image of a flickering flame hovered over the bar and swayed in an invisible wind as it progressed, speeding up and slowing down with the bar's progression speed. After only a handful of seconds, it finished and a new screen popped up and my heart lifted as I recognized the familiar blocky font of Text's words.

"Analysis Complete: Peak Soul Level Harmonious Elemental Gathering Formation (Good)

Effects: Gathers a harmoniously balanced collection of elemental qi of the six basic elements at a rate proportional to this formation's creation quality.

Most suitable for cultivators in the core formation realm and below or those below the muscle forging stage." He read and I smiled. Though a question came to mind.

"If this formation is so powerful, and can help someone grow as quickly as you say I'll grow while using it, why don't more people set up this formation?"

Elder Hazeon scoffed.

"Multiple reasons, really. Firstly, this formation is incredibly expensive to have running. The Radiant Halo Sect isn't rich enough to keep this thing running enough to support multiple cultivators. Secondly, due to it gathering all six basic elements of qi at once, it's only helpful for those with myriad branch spirits roots which is rare enough as it is. Finally, any normal cultivator would take nearly a full decade to achieve the same results as you and I using this formation so it's horrendously inefficient for its cost. We can consider it a miracle this formation even exists as it's one of the few formations I know of at this level for gathering elemental qi."

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"So it's so much faster for me because of the Elemental Unity physique? Why?" I asked, not sure I really understood what the benefit of the physique was. If it cut off your chances of increasing your lifespan, wasn't it just a curse?

Elder Hazeon smirked.

"It does seem unfair, no? This physique cripples your spirit root, forever closing off your path to immortality without intervention or a miracle. It is unfair, but it isn't without its trade-offs. Your spirit root becomes crippled because the Elemental Unity physique makes your body so efficient at bringing in elemental qi, that the nascent root taking hold within your soul is drowned in qi from the start. Even the most robust plant will die if flooded with normally nourishing water.

The trade off is that you can absorb elemental qi at an astonishing rate, allowing you to rapidly rise up through the realms of body cultivation in a fraction of the time a cultivator with a healthy spirit root could. This comes at a price, as you well know. The hottest flames burn the quickest, and those with the Elemental Unity physique are destined to die before they can reach the pinnacle of body cultivation.

You've escaped from that fate, and now you're in the perfect position to take advantage of this unique opportunity you've been given." He said, the explanation a bit more somber than I expected.

Had I never found this inheritance, Elder Hazeon and I would both have succumbed to our relatively mortal lifespans. It made me shudder to think about and this strange overwhelming desire to cultivate welled up from within me.

"Can I start right away?"

Elder Hazeon nodded, then pointed to the door on the far wall.

"You're aware of what happens at each minor level within a realm, you should find clothes more suitable for body cultivation breakthroughs as well as showers in that room."

I looked to the room and then back to him.

"Showers?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. He smirked.

"I found it difficult to forgo some of the niceties I enjoyed off world when I came to Dou Can. Also, while you're here cultivating, what of miss Eden? She seems quite attached to you. I assume you have no qualms with me taking charge of guiding her in her training?" He answered. Then brought up a point I hadn't thought of. She couldn't stay here the whole time while I cultivated.

I frowned.

"Alice, until I'm done cultivating will you be alright going to Rin and learning from Elder Hazeon? She'll probably be busy training for the tournament, but I'm sure she'll be eager to get started on making progress on Project Eden." I asked the girl who nodded in response.

"As Head Researcher, growing stronger is imperative. I will assist Vice-Head Researcher Rin in progress on Project Eden, and I can sense Elder Hazeon will be an apt teacher to continue my combat training." She said, but just to be sure, even though she didn't strictly need orders, I didn't want Rin to be the only person she would listen to.

"That's good. While you're in the sect, listen to Elder Hazeon, Senior Zi Fu, and Senior Situ Yin. Even if they aren't part of Project Eden, they're going to help you grow stronger as well, and once I've progressed in my cultivation, I can help with the Project more effectively." I told her, hoping to ensure she listened to someone if her free will hadn't fully kicked in yet.

"Good luck on your cultivation, Astra. I'll send Yin to fetch you when it is time to take a break and begin proper body cultivation training. Until then, enjoy the fruits of your unique physique." Elder Hazeon said as he led Alice out of the room and left me by myself for the first time in what felt like ages. I looked down to the formation, thinking 'analyze' and smiling when the information for the formation showed up in my vision. It was time to get started.

***

It turned out that 'when it is time to take a break' came somewhere around a month after I first entered the cultivation room. It hadn't taken long for me to break through into the flesh forging realm, the resulting expulsion of impurities from my body making me thankful for the disposable training clothes Elder Hazeon had prepared for me, and for the showers that had blissfully molten water.

I felt incredible after breaking through! I could feel every part of my body much more clearly than before, and doing some stretches I found I was way more flexible than before.

After my breakthrough, I spent the rest of the month cultivating as much as I could until Yin showed up to pick me up. She let me get cleaned up, though I hadn't exactly done much to warrant it. It felt weird to not at clean up before going to meet people, despite my breakthrough meaning I didn't really need to worry about personal hygiene as often as I did before. Turns out that fewer impurities within my body meant I didn't smell nearly as bad nearly as often, though the buildup of grime and dirt from not showering often still made me feel gross.

Yin led me to a training ground nearby and I found Alice performing warm up routines and stretches that beggared belief, even for my newfound limberness. She wasn't that much further along in her body cultivation that I was, unless Elder Hazeon had a metal affinity cultivation formation lying around somewhere which…wasn't impossible I suppose? Either way, Alice's current position with her chest lying flat on the ground between her legs that were raised up slightly made my hips and thighs hurt to watch. It definitely wasn't something a human was capable of and it reminded me that despite her budding humanity she was a human machine hybrid—though I wasn't going to treat her as such.

She was wearing a tight fitting training outfit that was surprisingly solid black in color that I found suited her perfectly and gave her petite frame a kind of elegant lethality I wished I could pull off half as well. I noticed her hair was pulled into a tight bun and figured Rin had had a hand in that particular development. I was glad we could at least help fulfill part of Artemia's wish.

Elder Hazeon noticed us approach and smiled widely.

"I see you've broken through, Astra. Congratulations, I'm sure the difference is immense! I remember when I broke through to the forging realm I ran around from sunup to sundown, my energy barely waning by the time I returned home.

Now, to get to why I've brought you here. It's time to teach you proper body cultivation fighting for those of us lucky enough top have special constitutions. I noticed when you flared your body cultivation before that you're not utilizing your unique gift as much as you should be. Now, step into the arena with Alice and I'll have you two spar using hand to hand combat and with only your body cultivation." He told me as I approached before motioning to where Alice was in the middle of the training field.

"Thanks, Master, but what do you mean? How can I do my body cultivation any differently?" I asked.

He waved me off with a hand and lightly pushed me toward the arena.

"Worry not, Astra. After a short demonstration all will be revealed. It's best to experience this kind of thing firsthand rather than just have someone tell you about it. It won't feel nearly as impactful without a little sparring first" He chuckled as I took my place across from Alice.

I got into a combat stance, though I didn't know much about hand to hand fighting, I was primarily a sword fighter but I supposed I wasn't that proficient in that either. I needed to find someone to help teach me how to use a sword more expertly before long, otherwise I might find myself falling behind others in my realm.

I put thoughts of sword tutoring aside as Alice got into a combat stance of her own, easily sinking down into a stance that exuded danger and had no easy avenues of attack that I could see, and Elder Hazeon counted us down from ten.

When he counted off zero, I flared my qi throughout my entire body, feeling an insane rush of energy and power flood me as I launched myself toward Alice, ready to test my new level of body cultivation.

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