First Stage Elementary Realm

'This- why is there a trace of Dao around him?!' First Elder thought in shock as he watched James cultivate for the first time in front of him. For some reason, there was a sudden disturbance in James' cultivation making a trace of Dao appear seconds later to ease the disturbance!

The shock was so great in the First Elder that he forgot to breathe and soon after began coughing, 'It seems we have found a great pupil! A great pupil indeed!' First Elder thought although he was still confused about why the color of James' Dao was such a dark black color.

While First Elder was in his own world of shock James was experiencing a feeling he had never felt before in his life. After he had thought of himself saving his family he began being able to feel the meridians around his body and even the dantian that the First Elder had talked about before.

'What a strange feeling.' James thought to himself as he continued to absorb the strange feeling in the air. As he was absorbing it he suddenly felt like the area in his stomach was completely full and about to break!

'What is this?! Am I going to die?!' James thought in shock. He thought about quitting absorbing the stuff in the air but it was far too late. The feeling in his stomach was beyond what he could control and he suddenly felt the area in his stomach explode!

It was such a sudden feeling but the pain that James expected to feel wasn't there. In fact, instead of pain, there was an oozing feeling of pleasure throughout his body as he also felt every part of him become stronger. Not only that, the thing or the dantian in his stomach didn't actually explode, it expanded!

The dantian had somehow become larger than before allowing it to absorb even more stuff from the outside air. At this point, James was beyond shocked by too many things and decided it would be better for him to pause for now.

When he finally came out of the position and opened his eyes the first thing James saw was the gawking face of the First Elder, "Y-you broke through?!" First Elder said in shock as he began to scan James' body all over trying to confirm what he thought just happened.

"Broke through? Do you mean that nice feeling I just had?" James asked in confusion to First Elder's question.

"Yes exactly! That's what we call breaking through. After breaking through for the first time you have successfully entered the first stage of the elementary realm! This makes you an official cultivator just like the rest of us." First Elder said with glee as he patted James on the back.

"Really?! All I did was sit here for a few minutes and I became a cultivator?" James asked wondering if it was truly that easy to become like them. When First Elder was presented with a question like this he laughed.

"While it may be true that you got to the first stage quite fast it doesn't mean everything is going to be easy. With each stage you climb and even each realm it will be harder and harder to continue." First Elder explained educating James on the ways of cultivation.

"For now you should consolidate your breakthrough. When your dantian expands like this it leaves it in quite a vulnerable state. If you don't take the time to absorb the Qi around you to stabilize it then it's only a matter of time before you can't cultivate anymore." First Elder explained while pointing toward James' stomach.

When First Elder mentioned this James quickly closed his eyes and tried to imagine looking inside his stomach at the dantian. When he did this he was surprised to find he could see a mental image of the sphere inside of him. From what he could tell it had truly gotten larger but the casing around it had signs of cracks and weakness.

James then took a second to absorb some Qi once more using it on the outer shell of the dantian instead of absorbing inside. When he did this he was surprised to see the cracks and instability healed in front of his eyes.

"I see what you mean, this is amazing!" James shouted with a smile as he clenched his fist repeatedly feeling the new strength in his body.

The First Elder smiled at this, it was the first time he had seen someone with such a lack of knowledge excited about cultivation, "That it is. It makes us stronger and extends our lifespan. Remember to always consolidate your realm after your breakthrough so the stars are the limit. No matter how far the peers around you go always focus on your own situation and goals. Letting the outside affect you will only cause destruction." First Elder said giving a sudden speech to James as he listened closely.

James listened closely to the First Elder despite the sudden lecture because he thought First Elder was someone who had seen much more than himself in life. It turned out to be true because as James listened he thought of many situations in his mind where he might have faltered if not for the words of the First Elder just then.

"I will do my best to follow your words." James said to the First Elder bowing in respect.

First Elder was astonished by the boy's attitude and gave a wide grin as he stroked his beard, "Ohoho~ It seems we have one that actually listens. If you keep going on your path like this then the sky will truly not be the limit."

From that point, James and First Elder talked some more about cultivation before the First Elder let James sit at the back of the carpet and consolidate his breakthrough.

James continued to do so until he found that his dantian was just as sturdy as when it had started, perhaps even stronger than before, "You're right on time. We have just arrived at the sect." First Elder said as James opened his eyes for the first time in many hours.