59 Steven, Do You Know What Cultivation Is?

Floating in an ethereal space, he was dreaming.

Things he would forget when he woke up.

. . .

The wind tenderly brushed the grassy fields surrounding the flat training ground which was filled with targets and dummies (and children). Standing in front of the impressionable young lads was an eccentric female teacher whose loud and clear voice was pounding inspiration and determination into the growing minds of these students.

"I... am your cultivation teacher, Ms. Yang, and unlike those silly boring teachers, like Mr. Tang…" She coughed, "I will teach you what you actually need to know. Sure, history is interesting and yadda, yadda, yadda! But some traits cannot be distilled in a classroom setting! Some things have to be learned from experience. And for these things, studying doesn't amount to success!"

She promptly burst out a flame arrow from her hand and threw it at the target. In the blink of the eye, the originally happy and not-on-fire target burst into flames.

The little kids clapped.

"I'm not sure I like this teacher…" Cyril whispered softly, turning around to see the glowing radiant eyes of Max and Jess.

"This teacher is so cool!" Max shouted.

Jess nodded then looked at Cyril, "Cy, did you say something?"

"Nevermind," Cyril grunted. "Nothing."

The teacher continued on.

"Right now, I will teach you how to cultivate, then fight... and then fight for real." Her tone became colder on the last word. "In a real setting, on top of physical prowess, your tactical and strategic skills matter immensely if you want to win. Do you have the guts, the courage… to fight a real battle?"

Half of the boys and girls didn't know half of the words she just exfoliated, but they screamed yeah!

Cyril said, "I guess".

It was drowned out in the more enthusiastic shouts of the other students.

"First, you must understand how to cultivate. Who doesn't know the basics of cultivation?" Ms. Yang asked.

No one raised their hands.

"Good." She acknowledged. "At least you're better than my last batch of students. Now, you just have to show that you're not all talk. Cultivate now, and I'll observe your forms."

The students quickly sat down and started cultivating, eager to please the teacher who made quite an insightful comment about Mr. Tang and his lectures. Mr. Tang was a great teacher who had the ability to make his students fall asleep.

Max closed his eyes. At first, just a cold darkness greeted him, but when he took his first breath of air, he could "see" something. He could feel it.

Pure energy.

He could see the energy that composed each and every cell in his body. Positive and negative charges fizzing throughout his entire body. Chemical energy that allowed him to move. Thermal energy that radiated out of his body and warming the nearby air. Despite not being able to actually see, he could sense the energy. Like the intangible air, formless and invisible, it entered his body.

Almost like currents in a river, it flowed through the pathways in his lungs before gathering at a single point in his chest. Still unstable, it was like gas sealed in a reverse vacuum, eagerly waiting for an opportunity to escape. Every time he took a breath, more and more energy congregated together. Finally, it stabilized and gradually took tints of color- shining like the night sky. If he opened his eyes, he would have realized that his entire body glowed with a faint light. The light resembled the colorful curtains found in the arctic night sky- the auroras.

Next to him, sat Jess, who was also cultivating earnestly. His eyes were closed as he tried to absorb the energy surrounding him. His right eye glowed with a golden light and his left eye shined with a purple hue. His vision was split into a blend of gold, brown, and purple. But he didn't see this.

. . .

Never can people see with their own eyes, at least, not without a mirror. Humans can see the inside of their eye, but not the exterior. Humans can see the exterior, but not the interior.

That would be what a harsh realist would say. What a cynical critic would remark if given this subject. But humans are not black and white. They're not shades, but colors on a spectrum.

There are a lot of colors that humans themselves cannot see. A lot of humans are blind to what they don't know. But just because they cannot see it... does not mean it does not exist.

That is part of the learning process. If humans were perfect, they would have no opportunity to learn. People often want perfection, but if they had it, they wouldn't strive for it. They wouldn't strive to improve.

Look merely for what shines and what is valuable will be missed. Don't look for only talent but the resolve to reach higher levels. If talent is a ladder, then resolve is what allows the climber to continue. A ladder won't be enough for the infinite apex, for climbing the endless mountain. The climber needs to keep climbing. Talent often is like a peak. A climber may think he has reached the top, but the heavens always stretch higher. If there is no more mountain to climb, then fly up to the skies.

There is no single path in life. An explorer is meant to discover new paths, not to follow the path laid out for him. Perhaps, this new path, the path less taken, will be more dangerous, but innovation is taking risks.

Cultivation is about finding a unique path.

. . .

Steven smiled in his sleep.

Whatever, it was a happy dream.