1 Life of Chase

"I finally got this Stone Essence, now I can finally start cultivating the technique teacher provided to me."

Chase, a 12 year old boy with an average height common for a child like him is running while holding a small sack in his hands. The sack contains 2 Stone Essence that helps cultivate spirit energy.

I wonder what father will think if I finally succeeded on cultivating.

Chase giggled as he finally reach a worn out house on top of a Cliff.

"Father? Are you here?"

"Yes, yes, I'm here"

Responding to the call of Chase, a voice replied. Chase entered the house and saw a man lying on the bed with wounds covering his arms and face.

"Father! What happened!? "

Chase immediately go near beside his father. Looking closely, the wounds is not that bad, but there still a lot covering his father's body,

just what the hell happened.

"This is nothing, I got this from working too hard I guess."

Coughing, his father answered.

Working, you said? These kinds of wounds is obviously did not came from working, this is obviously from them, those bastards.

"Wait here father, I'll go get some water."

Chase go out and immediately came back with a bucket full of water and a cloth. He dipped the cloth in the water, twist it, and gently rubbed it on the wounds of his father.

"Father, you should always be careful, more than now that your getting old."

Chase's father looked at him, looking closely to what his son has become, kind, helpful, harworking, it really makes him proud. Looking back now, Chase was just a baby abandoned in the Crimson Forest, he was covered in a cloth, so little and innocent, still ignorant of what the world is. Now, looking at him all grown up, Chase's father can't help but tear up a little.

"Thanks Chase, don't worry, this old man is still strong as a bear, hahaha"

"I really do hope so."

Chase finished cleaning his father's wounds, and as he clean up he remembered what he wants to say.

"Oh, father, I finally been able to buy that stone essence and 2 of them at that."

Chase showed the inside of the small sack he was carrying earlier, inside was a two small, almost 2 inches radius, round red stones.

"Wait, where did you get the money?? This is not something a child like you can easily buy."

Suprised at what he saw, chase's father asked.

"Hehehe, I saved up by earning coppers selling herbs I got from the forest."

"Selling herbs is not enough to buy this, and two pieces at that. Tell me the truth, Chase. "

His father still not convinced from what Chase said, he asked, but more firmly. Stone Essence is a rare element that can only be bought by those with stable income. Chase looked at his father, they looked at each other for a while and Chase finally answered, unfortunately he couldn't lie at his father.

"Fine... I, I stole from the shop I was working."

"WHAT!? "

His father couldn't believed at what he just said, he sat up and shouted at Chase.

"Why would you do that? I told you that even if we are poor, we should live our lives honestly! That's the only thing we can take pride on!"

His father has a rule, it's that we shouldn't do any wrong thing that will cause trouble to others. Chase was raised by him, and has always been reminded that living honetly is the way they should live, and will take pride on it. Chase has done a thing against their way of life, therefore his father couldn't tolerate it.

"I know that! But if we stay like this, we will only get bullied by those who have power. Like what they did to you now. "

"I said I got this from overworking."

His father feigned ignorance, but Chase know what happened even if he was not there. They are poor, his father is a member of the Violet Family but his job is only a Farmer, in short, he's just a slave for the Elder's of the Family. Annually, all farmers should give tribute to those at the top of the family as a tax, they said it was a payment for taking them in and protecting them but it was just something they made up. If his father wasn't able to give tribute to them, they would result on assaulting us to engrave fear. This year has a very bad harvest, so his father couldn't pay the tax to the Family and so, they sent cultivators to teach him a lesson.

"You think I don't know? The Elders sent those bastards to assault you, these marks at your face couldn't be from farming."

"Wha-"

His father couldn't say another word, he didn't think his son would know about the assault, after all since Chase was still a child, he didn't want him to feel any worry, so he hid all the problems and sometimes the wounds he recieved. He expected that even if Chase grow up, he will still able to hide those things from him but I guess not everything goes according to plan.

"Still, it is not a reason for you to do wrong things. If you just ask I could give you some Copper."

"What are you talking about? That's what you were saving, right? I don't want to waste your money. Especially, when I'm a crippled. "

His father suggested, but Chase didn't want to. Chase knows better than anyone what state his Spiritual Nerve is in, every normal child can start cultivating techniques if they come in the age of 10 years old, normally one can cultivate with just meditating. Calming your mind, and feeling the presence of nature, that is the very basics of cultivating spiritual energy, spiritual energy fills the spiritual stem by doing it the body will strengthen and thus able to practice Cultivating Techniques but Chase is different, he hasn't been able to cultivate his Spiritual Energy, 2 years ago he started meditating, there he felt a warm presence but suddenly that feeling vanished, until now he meditates expecting to feel that warm presence again but to no avail.

"Don't say thay, your Spiritual Nerve just haven't bloomed yet, I heard a guy that just started cultivating when he was 15 years old, now he's a successful Master Cultivator."

Chase looked at his father, he knows that his father just want to cheer him up and give him hope, his really greatful that he has a father like him.

"Don't worry father, now that I got these stone essence I can finally start cultivating."

With stone essence, cultivating will become very easy this is because these stones contain a Massive amount of Spirit Energy, normally spirit essence is in the Nature, it is everywhere though it cannot be touched physically, but rarely those spirit energy compress and turns to a stone that can be touched directly. Chase couldn't do the normal practice but with these stones, spirit energy will enter your body directly and all Chase has to do is guide those energy to his Spirit Nerves, at last I will be able to cultivate, thought Chase.

"But stealing is still not acceptable."

Chase's father still do not accept what Chase did.

"I know father, don't worry I will give the money back and apologize to them, I promise."

"That doesn't change that you stole, but what's done is done. Be sure to apologize truthfully."

"I know. Anyway, I'll go to the forest to start cultivating, I'll be back at noon with some food."

And so, Chase got out of the worn out house.