Something was leaving Stan's body, moving directly into Alex's through Stan's hand. At least, Alex thought that Stan was passing some form of energy to him.
"What are you doing?" Alex asked, his voice tense.
"Don't panic," Stan replied calmly. "I'm not giving you energy. I'm just shifting it around within you. Your body needs to familiarize itself with this sensation. Memorize what you're feeling right now—it's crucial. This will be your foundation moving forward." Stan kept his hands steady on Alex's back, maintaining the connection.
Alex, meanwhile, found himself in a strange state, focusing intensely on the unfamiliar sensation flowing through him. He tried his best to lock this feeling into his memory. Just then, a soft ding distracted him, pulling his attention toward the system message that had appeared.
[Your qi core has been opened]
"Hey Stan, my system's showing something new," Alex called out, trying to get Stan's attention.
"That's a good sign," Stan said, his tone slightly lighter. "That means I can stop this now." He withdrew his hands from Alex's back. Immediately, Alex gasped for air, panting heavily as if he had just run a marathon.
"What was that?" Alex demanded between breaths. "I thought you were supposed to share energy with me, not take it away."
"That's not how it works," Stan explained, his voice firm. "I was never giving you energy. I was simply moving the energy already inside your body, making it circulate to different places. What you need to do now is get used to this sensation—learn how to control it. Once you do that, you'll be ready for the next phase of training." With that, Stan turned and walked away, leaving Alex sitting by the edge of the cliff.
Alex sat there, drenched in sweat, trying to chase the sensation he'd felt moments ago. He felt like it had already slipped away.
"Come on, just one more time," Alex muttered to himself. "I promise I'll remember how it feels this time."
Stan, overhearing him, shook his head. "If you can't figure it out by now, you're not fit to be a Paragon," Stan said bluntly. "Let me make something clear, Alex: the amount of qi in your core is abnormal for someone at your level. You should be able to handle this on your own."
Alex sighed but didn't argue. Instead, he crossed his legs and went
Closing his eyes, Alex began to focus, doing his best to block out the surrounding noises. He concentrated deeply, trying to shut out every distraction.
Suddenly, everything became silent. Startled by the sudden quiet, Alex opened his eyes, but all he saw was darkness. His entire surroundings were enveloped in a void, like he was floating in empty space.
Alex looked around, his eyes searching for something—anything—but there was nothing.
'Where is Stan? Am I dead? What just happened?' Alex thought, feeling the beginnings of panic rise in his chest. Just as the fear started to build, he sensed something coming from all three sides. It was a strange sensation, a mix of heat and cold passing through him in waves.
He turned toward an area of the space he had overlooked earlier. There, in the darkness, he noticed a fog gathering in one spot. Without meaning to, Alex found himself drawn toward it, his body moving on its own.
As he got closer, Alex began to guess what it could be.
'Is this my sea of consciousness? And why is this fog here?' he wondered. Approaching the fog, he noticed that it seemed to part for him, clearing a path as he walked forward until he stood before three floating orbs. One orb was glowing faintly with a yellow light, while the other two appeared dim and lifeless.
"Qi, mana, and bloodline cores... just like Elder Rooney said," Alex thought, recalling his teachings. However, something else caught his attention. The mist around him began swirling and gathering in one place, forming what looked like an orb made entirely of fog.
'What is this thing?' Alex wondered, staring at the misty orb. But before he could investigate further, he was distracted once again. From the side, one of the three orbs, the yellow one, began to emit a familiar energy.
'This must be my qi core. If I want to call out that feeling, I need to do it through this,' Alex thought, focusing his mind on the yellow orb.
Meanwhile, Stan stood nearby, watching over Alex as he meditated. A small smile appeared on his face as he observed Alex's progress. At that moment, a strange glow began to radiate from Alex's body, covering him from head to toe in a soft light.
'Body purification... he's doing it without much help from me. That's impressive,' Stan thought, feeling a sense of pride in Alex's rapid improvement.
A few moments later, Alex had finished his task. Opening his eyes, he found himself back in the real world, still sitting by the edge of the cliff. Without wasting any time, he began explaining to Stan what he had seen inside his sea of consciousness.
"So, what do you think that mist is?" Alex asked, curiosity evident in his voice.
"To be honest, I don't know much about peace energy. You should talk to Elder Rooney; he probably has more information on it, and I'm sure he'll share it with you," Stan replied, sounding somewhat disinterested, as if the topic didn't really concern him.
Alex hesitated for a moment. There was something else he hadn't told Stan—not because he didn't want to, but because every time he thought about it, a strange feeling held him back. It was almost like a mental block.
"No," Alex finally said, his tone firm, though he still felt uneasy inside.
"Alright then," Stan said, brushing off the subject. "We're done for today. We should head back to the base. Maybe you'll find more answers about this peace energy there."
Together, Alex and Stan walked back to the spot where they had first arrived through the portal. As they approached, one of the three ancient trees split open, revealing the glowing portal once more.
"When we get back, I'll be a little busy," Stan said as they stepped through the portal. "You can either hang out with the others or go straight to Elder Rooney."
The portal closed behind them, and soon, they were back at the base. Alex stood still for a moment, unsure of what to do next. Usually, this would be the time for training, but today, Alex felt a strong need for clarification, especially about what he had seen in his sea of consciousness.
After some thought, Alex decided to visit the library. He needed answers, and that seemed like the best place to find them. Following the directions, he soon arrived at a grand hall filled with towering bookshelves, lined up in an old, traditional manner.
The shelves were packed with books, scrolls, and even tablets detailing various martial art techniques. Some contained strange symbols that Alex assumed were related to magic spells. It was an overwhelming amount of knowledge.
Alex reached out and touched one of the books. Instantly, his system absorbed its content, storing the information into his personal library. He repeated the process with several other scrolls and tomes, grabbing anything that seemed useful, as well as a few that he didn't fully understand but thought might come in handy later.
As Alex continued to work, deeply absorbed in his task, he had no idea that he wasn't alone in the library. Unbeknownst to him, someone had been quietly watching him the entire time.
"Damn it, none of these books say anything about peace energy," Alex muttered in frustration as he grabbed another book to store in his library.
"Seems like you need help with that," came a deep voice from behind. Alex turned to see an elderly man with long black hair, streaked with strands of red, approaching him.
"Elder Rooney," Alex quickly stood up straight, feeling the need to show respect. Elder Rooney was one of the leaders at the base. While there wasn't any formal protocol for addressing them, Alex instinctively felt the urge to be respectful.
"Relax, we don't go for formalities around here," Elder Rooney said with a wave of his hand.
"So, how was today's lesson?" the elder asked, his gaze piercing but calm. Alex hesitated, thinking over his response.
"I was hoping to learn more about this peace energy," Alex finally admitted.
"Well, if that's what you're after, none of the answers you're looking for are in these books," Elder Rooney said with a knowing smile.
"Where can I find it?" Alex asked, now more curious than ever.
"Follow me," Elder Rooney instructed, turning toward the exit of the library. Without hesitation, Alex followed close behind, eager to learn more.