The Warrior Scholar Chronicles. Ink and Moon on Rice Paper.

Chapter 7 Wonderous Discoveries.

His master and even Elder Deng, scolded him, his master's voice growing louder with each word and the sound of his armrest being struck with his fist with each thump, thump, thump ringing in the chamber. Elder Deng's beady little eyes, hidden beneath his bushy eyebrows, were like two black stones, fixed in a permanent frown as he glared.

"Tang Yun, The San Seal, is the bedrock of the Silver Circle Sect, our most powerful cultivation technique. It's the difference against the annual beast incursion. It is our salvation. Cherish this treasure. Both the sect and empire does and you, boy," as his master pointed his long boney finger, "need to find your seals!"

"Old wind bag and bark face," Tang Yun mumbles as he continues to skip out of the audience chamber, listening to the pleasant sound of his shoes thwacking the large stone pavers as he left.

As the wooden chamber doors closed with a loud thud, Tang Yun's smile slipped away as he stopped in his tracks.

The dread of going to his mother's Spiritual Sea was overwhelming, causing the atmosphere to become icy and still. What do they know anyway? Shaking the shivers from his spine.

As he folded his arms, it's just another stupid cultivation technique from the handbook. It was a fleeting thought that he quickly pushed aside, not wanting to dwell on it any longer.

Nevertheless, his recent developments left him with minimal options as he stood in front of the seals in his enchanting spiritual realm, his slight build contrasting with the awe-inspiring setting. With intriguing images and sensations flooding his mind, demanding his attention, his initial reluctance to delve into them waned. One such image caught his eye—a vibrant surge of soul qi pulsating within one of the San Seal domes he had discovered.

Another image appeared: Soul Qi, resembling ethereal eels, shimmered and undulated in a sinuous ballet. The eel like energy coiled and tightened upon itself with liquid-like fluidity. Scratching his chin, he refrained from touching these pools of Soul Qi, questioning their abundance and existence within his spiritual sea. Another thought followed: why did it flow through a network of pathways that extended beyond his spiritual sea?

Half curious and half hesitant, Tang Yun blinked from one location to the next before his astral body left his spiritual sea and followed this mysterious energy thought out his body. While tracking the rapid trajectory of soul qi, coursing through his intricate pathways, he pondered its ultimate destination.

With each blink, he moved closer and closer until he found his astral-self floating at his fingertips. Tang Yun's breath caught in his throat as he witnessed the awe-inspiring display before him. His eyes widened, as the almost ball shaped soul qi, diffused out from his fingertips. Before the swirling ball coalesced into a mesmerizing invisible teardrop of qi energy enveloped in shen.

The air around Tang Yun settled as he raised a brow, studying the opaque globule drifted away? Why would his qi leave his body in such a manner? How weird. The sensation of a part of his soul qi fading away was peculiar and unexpected. Tang Yun barely paid any attention to the qi, since it was a mere drop in the vast sea of qi he had stored. Unsure if he should even bring this up with his master, Tang Yun shrugged before a soft yawned escaped his mouth.

Chuckling to himself, even his astral self thinks this is boring. In an instant, he willed himself to the mysterious sphere's located in his lower dantian, the golden furnace region.

Tang Yun glided into the golden stove region of his lower dantian, his eyes filled with awe and wonder at the enchanting scene unfolding in front of him. His gaze locked in place; he couldn't help but wonder.

"Was this real? Could it truly be happening?" The words slipped out of his mouth. With a deep inhale, he greedily sucked in the celestial air. His silence spoke volumes as time ticked by. While still drinking in the most amazing scene, he had ever witnessed. And then, from deep within, a joyous belly laugh burst forth, tears streaming down his astral face.

As delicate snowflakes, an ethereal substance glowing white, descended from the ever-spinning sphere, blanketing everything in its path. Everything here was white, covered in a blanket of beauty? It was a moment of pure wonder.

"It's real!" he exclaims in a hushed, breathless tone, his voice filled with disbelief and hope. The words escaped his lips in a rush, carrying with them the weight of profound realization. The sheer magnitude of the truth hit him like a thunderbolt, leaving him speechless.

His face lit up with uncontainable joy, and eyes glistened with a deep, brilliant black, darker than the expanse of the midnight sky. Overwhelmed by the realization this wasn't a dream, his legs gave way, and knees bent and crashed to the ground, tears continued to stream down his face like a cascading waterfall. The moment sank in, and he bowed humbly before the enigmatic sphere.

Ever the sceptic, his heightened spiritual sense enveloped the scene before him, washing away any lingering doubts. In an instant, the truth washed over him like a crashing wave. His whole being trembling with the weight of knowing that it was irrefutable.

Tang Yun's spiritual awareness allowed him to just comprehend the nourishing life force within the white substance, that enveloped his body in a pristine white coating.

Startled, Tang Yun beheld with wonder as a crystalline flake descended upon his hand. A surge of icy energy pulsed through his veins as the ethereal flake dissolved upon contact with his astral flesh, revitalizing his spirit with its potent essence. Astonished by the magnitude of its power, he raised his arm high above his head, clenching his hand into a triumphant fist before spreading his fingers wide. His senses ablaze with awe, he marvelled as the vibrant white energy dispersed throughout his astral form, illuminating every fibre of his being with newfound vitality.

Fuelled by an insatiable curiosity, he plunged further into the enigmatic depths of his body. With rapt attention, he observed as the luminous substance enveloped his bones, organs, and skin. The ethereal white essence infused them with a revitalizing life force, each cell pulsating with newfound vigour and resilience. In awe, he witnessed as the transformative energy elevated their strength to unprecedented heights, unlocking untapped potential within his very being.

And the transformation didn't halt there. His meridians, the intricate energy channels coursing through his body, underwent a profound metamorphosis as well. Those few meridians that came into contact with the luminous substance experienced a miraculous enhancement. They became more robust, agile, and resilient, their size expanding by perhaps fifty percent while their power surged to twice their previous capacity.

Overwhelmed by the magnitude of the changes unfurling within him, Tang Yun couldn't help but marvel at the swiftness of their occurrence. Once the realization stuck him and the sphere finished its refining process, his body would emerge transformed into a healthier version. The diminishing of his pain now seemed logical.

Could the sphere cure him so fast? That the affliction which had plagued him throughout his brief life was now vanquished? Intrigue and awe danced across his face as he pondered the extraordinary capabilities of this mysterious sphere. Yet, amidst his wonder, doubt lingered. Could it truly bring about such profound change?

Incredibly, he witnessed such a profound sense of renewal spreading throughout, from his lower dantian to his heart and lungs. Yet, what astonished him most was the seamless gathering of soul qi by the white-coloured Soul Well and vortex from his meridians and pathways. Huh? The once-dreaded ritual of warding off excruciating pain each morning was now a thing of the past, replaced by effortless automation.

Filled with overwhelming joy and shedding his lingering fears, Tang Yun's astral form dissipated as his weary eyelids fluttered open, revealing eyes sparkling with vibrant intensity and a broad cheesy grin that stretched from ear to ear.