Accept This Humble One In Your Rows

If you were to do a survey on the most popular or most beloved place in the Outskirts, here, outside of Monsoon's gargantuan walls, the replies would probably find way more common ground than you'd initially project.

In fact, a bored young woman once unofficially asked random people sauntering the sandy ground of the East-Sided Outskirts.

The survey was driven purely by boredom and a tinge of curiosity.

She questioned an array of various inhabitants from young to old, trying to take into account as much diversity as possible for the survey to hold some significance.

A young housemaid, hired for 80 coppers a week, for example, pondered a bit and finally decided on a corner in the Pluvial Grasslands, the wide grassy meadow covered in sporadic deciduous trees, situated on the northern end of the city.

An older Madame revealed her favorite place to be an adorable café with the name Patisserie Bouvardia. It advertised appropriate prices and neat service, along with comfortable inner architecture.

A rough-looking man said he enjoyed the gambling-den located on Soremary Street the most.

There were replies of all kinds but the absolute majority of the poll mentioned one place in particular.

Be it the drunkard seeking a tight grip on a sideroad's wall or a mine worker on his way back home, or even the regular housewife on the streets. Fact is, when she asked them, the most common answer she had received was overlapping.

"The pub obviously?!"

"Ever tried the beer at Joeys?"

"Tsk. According to my man it's the pub, sadly."

Near the edge of the outskirts, there stands a pub, solid as a rock, truly a symbolic boat cresting monstrous and hungry waves.

It's the revolving lamp on top of the lighthouse, directing forlorn ships to the safe and placid harbor, away from the gruesome storm of what is everyday life to the average person in the slums, and of course also partly in the outskirts, especially in the last couple days.

They say when nothing goes your way, there's always a way out and the pub for that, is well received by it's frequentors.

High Noon has arrived and the sun hung high up in the sky, burning down on the pavement with a vengeance.

Yes, it really was a hot day considering that summer has yet to arrive and the pub was even more densely packed than usual. The capacity of the pub has been exhausted a dozen customers ago, but if Joey learned anything in his time owning the pub, it's that the customer is king and when their throats are parched, it's only respectful to fill up the cups to the brim. The extra profit such days bring, he also didn't mind of course!

"J-brr-oey, brrring me another one!" a customer burped in a babble.

"Coming right up Kendil but are you sure you can handle any more, hahaha?" the burly bartender teased with a loud laugh.

"Don't worry about meee, Ium fineh."

As these words left his mouth, the customer plopped onto the ground with a big thump.

"Forget about the refill! Someone help old Kendil up and get him home!"

"Leave it to me, Boss. I live right across him. hyuck," another customer assured, while not sounding very reassuring himself.

"Oh man, it sure is hot for a spring day," Joey sighed as he fanned air down his shirt, "Well... make hay while the sun shines. Or in my case... it would be some coppers hehe."

Joey was visibly satisfied with the customer traffic.

"I wonder what the kid is doing. What exactly was he thinking when he left such a stupendous treasure with me... He didn't seem like the gullible kind."

Defeated, Joey sighed and leaned back with a troubled and weary look, "I couldn't catch much sleep mulling it over yesterday night."

At this moment the door of the bar opened once again and the brass bell, which was hinged over the frame gave ring to a sweet peal. Two new customers stepped into the abode but at this point in time, the pub was plastered with all kinds of customers and it was almost impossible to have more traffic in the already packed pub... normally that is! Joey did not stand on decorum and waved them over while he was busy wiping a glass.

"Come in, it's very body contact friendly today, but if you're not aversed to squeezing and huddling up a bit it won't be prob... hey, wait! ...Speak of the devil and he will appear. Kid, It's you."

Joey was suprised by the timing of Sparks arrival and waved them in his direction in a more focussed and pronounced manner.

"I thought I told you to stop calling me a kid, old man." Spark returned the greeting with a hint of annoyance.

"And I thought I told you to stop calling me an old man, I'm not that old!" Joey retorted with an ugly face.

Joey suddenly remember what he wanted to say and he scolded Théo in a somewhat angry tone.

"KID! I can't accept your gift! Take it back! Now! Immediately! You're not a dumb one, so don't make mistakes like that."

He went up to the two and his voice went quieter and he nearly whispered very faintly, "I thought I told you yesterday ... that crystal ... its not something to gift away. Some people in the slums would unironically kill just to hold this thing in their hands. You haven't seen what poverty can do to a man."

The youthful man shaked his head and dismissed Joey's scolding.

"Forget about that for a second. I've come here for help Joey."

"It's urgent," Spark said and nodded towards Tali, who didn't make so much as a noise since entering through the door. The red corner of her eyes and the dried tears were very apparent.

Sensing something isn't right, and judging by the somber tone of his voice, Joey concluded immediately something was amiss and waved them both to the kitchen.

"Come with me..."

Jessie was in the kitchen preparing snacks for customers when Joey, Spark and Tali entered.

"Oh hello, little Cultivator. Short time no see." Jess teased and glanced at Tali before reading the mood almost instanteneously, "Hey, who are you? Did something happen?"

"That's what I want to know, too" Joey pulled back a chair for Tali to sit on, "So, tell me. What is the problem? Who's that little girl?"

Tali looked over to the boy who considered himself Spark by now, "Spark ... can this big uncle really help save my daddy?"

"Let's explain the situation first and go on from there, okay?" Théo gave her a light smile and a nod.

"Mhm," Tali agreed, a little anxious and overwhelmed.

It didn't take the skilled speaker to portray the situation concerning Tali and her kidnapped father concisely.

[...]

"THESE DAMN BASTARDS," Joey shouted out in furious irritation and slammed his hands on the kitchen table.

Mustering the last bit of calm inside him, he posed a question, "You said it was the Milo and Bilo brothers chasing her down?

"There are quite a lot of troublemakers around these parts, but the one they are part of is quite infamous in the slums... The leader at least."

"Can you beat him?" Spark pointed at the elephant in the room.

"Can I beat him?" Joey shaked his head and formed a clear frown when he simulated and ruminated inwardly, "Honestly, I am not confident."

Tali was petrified upon hearing the confession and tears started to well up in her small red eyes.

"We are both in the peak of the Body Tempering Realm, but..."

Joey paused for some moments before turning his gaze toward the two again. His eyebrows were knit together tightly, his mouth was puckered up.

"This man is a wild beast! They don't call him Mad Dog for no reason..."

"Hahhh, it would be another story if I reached the Qi Realm... But to accomplish this, even the Spirit Crystal you gave me yesterday is insufficient."

You could hear the regret in his voice, not being able to help this little girl, when she needs help the most. It's something that contradicts his morality deeply but can he just risk it all? His life is no longer only his own.

"You won't believe how gladly I would want to take it upon myself to make the world a better place by wiping out that brutish scourge."

Jess was staring at him, knowing full well of the inner battle taking place in her husband right now. But she couldn't bring herself to say a word.

Neither for, nor against helping. The only thing she could do, was press her teeth against another and bear the decision her husband reaches.

"I understand the gist of it," Spark said calmly.

He put his hand on Tali's head and told her, "Tali, go and show uncle Joey the book. Perhaps it will change things."

"But daddy said..."

Spark shook his head and interrupted her, "You can trust him... Go ahead."

Tali hesitated for a bit before ultimately complying. She pulled out the tattered old book from inside her fine brown robe and placed it on the table. The monochrome clouds held the same illusory exquisity they had before and Joey, much like Spark and even quite a bit more exaggerated, widenend his eyes in utter shock.

"Hm? What's this? Clearing Cloud Qi Circ.. " before he could finish the word, his throat felt like a he had swallowed a fly and not another tone would leave it for a while.

In his eyes, the font on the book shined golden.

Blinding...

So much so, that he had trouble reading, and processing their meaning.

Caught in a loop, he read it over and over again.

Once, twice, thrice just to make sure his eyes didn't fail him.

"Thi- thi- this is ..."

It became apparent that Joey was without a doubt, a helpless stammerer when he gets very nervous.

"W-where did you get this from. Wait! That's the reason you were chased? Now it makes sense that Celas would go so far as to kidnap your father. I heard he has been searching for a way to break through for quite some time now, too."

He rattled his thoughts out loud before enthusing about the book in front.

"Kids, do you know the worth of this book? Granted, for a cultivator or a sect it might just be a one of many methods, but what are the odds of a normal townsfolk to aquire such a thing?!"

"Can you even imagine just how long I was searching for a suitable Circulation Technique? To think I would one day really get to see it first hand. I just hope that...."

Joey shaked is head in disbelief and Jessie covered her mouth in astonishment.

"You couldn't measure its worth in gold! Most Cultivators hold their Cultivation Methods a well-kept secret, even more so from ordinary people who aren't connected to any sects."

"I can't believe it's you who brings this to us yet, again," Joey and Jessie stared at Spark with their mouth agape.

He must have seemed like the god of luck to them.

First a Spirit Crystal...and now a Cultivation Technique?

Not to mention, all of this in the short span of two days, or even just one if you only take the hours into account. Not even 16 hours have passed!

"Well it's not exactly me who brought it... Rather the young girl next to me here is the rightful owner. But enough of that. Wipe the saliva off your mouth Joey! Do you think you could reach the Qi Realm with this?"

"If it's the real thing, it's possible for a breakthrough method to be inscribed... I sure hope it's there."

Joey pondered for a while before he nodded.

"I can give it a good try, as long as there's enough Spiritual Energy for me to take in. I have the Spirit Crystal you gave me yesterday, but... I cannot really tell if it will be enough by itself."

"Just trying means a lot already, and if it's not enough... I have more of them with me," Spark assured.

Joey gave Spark a strange glance. If Spark read it right he should have thought something along the lines of:

'What?! That brat has even more?'

Spark didn't mind and instead turned to Tali, "You have to trust Uncle Joey and me this time, alright?"

"Okay, big brother."

Big Brother? If you see me as a Big Brother I cannot possibly disapppoint you, can I? Spark thought to himself.

'...You can't let her down Joey, or I wouldn't know how else to help. She put her trust into me and you breaking through is quite honestly the only way for her father to have a chance!'

Spark grit his teeth at his own helplessness. He came across the wondrous concept of cultivation just yesterday, and already found himself in a troublesome situation.

Joey, Jessie and his mother were right. The Cultivation World brews with endless danger. One misstep and your head will fly. Spark's mind sharpened up subconsciously when he registered the reality of this place once more.

"Are you ready to start? It's better to be save her father rather sooner than later. We can't waste any more time," he said in urgency.

Taking the Circulation Arts from the kitchen table with the gentlest touch his massive hands allowed he nodded with a resolute expression, "I'll start reading immediately. Reaching the Qi Realm is no easy matter, it'll take a bit."

"You see, I'll need to create my Soul Core and successfully connect to the Grand Dao. It absolutely cannot go wrong or my future as a Cultivator is doomed!"

"If I won't die, I'll be a fucking cripple for life!

"Reaching the Qi Realm is the first step of a thousand. I can't afford to twist my foot."

Seeing the serious bearing of Joey rubbed off on Théo and he nodded in acknowledgement.

"I understand, Joey. You need to be careful about it, but we need to hurry up. Who knows what they will happen if we're too late..."

Spark worried about the situation of Tali's father quite a lot. He hasn't heard much about the Mad Dog, but the things he had heard from Tali, the reaction of Milo and Bilo and Jessie and Joey were nothing but worrying.

Amidst all the worry and stress, though, a bit of curiosity gleamed up inside him as well.

He wondered what Element Joey would be bestowed by this so called Grand Dao.

"You're right."

"Let me close up the shop first," Joey said and hurried out of the kitchen with fast pace.

Shortly after he said this, his thunderous voice roared up without reticence, "Dear customers! The shop is closed! We have a family emergency here... Shu Shu," he motioned everybody out the door after going up there himself and flipping the open sign around to closed.

In a matter of minutes and loud groans, the store was completely devoid of people and only booze bottles, emptied cups and the four of them were left in the tavern.

"Lily is with her grandparents, right?" Joey asked in a somber tone.

"She is."

"Alright, let her stay there for today. You better go home, too. I'll be busy," Joey grinned to make her feel at ease.

Jessie's face contorted with worry. But soon after, clear traces of determination replaced the worries. It seemed like she knew more about the dangers than she was ready to admit.

"No! Are you crazy? I will stay! You think I'll just leave you here? What if something happens to you?"

"You really worry too much," Joey shook his head and bend over to give his wife a long and passionate kiss.

"... Well then, I'll start preparing now."

Without wasting any more unneccessary and redundant words, Joey opened the Circulation Arts on the first page and started reading the black ink penned on the decrepit yellow pages with intense focus.

* * *

A couple hours later Joey nodded with a satisfied expression after closing the book. It seemed he had finally understood what exact part had been missing in his knowledge all along. His eyes clearly carried traces of enlightenment and his lips bent upward to show a confident arc.

"I've memorized the crucial part. The crux always was to open up a pathway for Spiritual Energy to flow within. But for this method to be so intricate and detailed about the exact force and direction of Mana needed in each part of the body to create enough momentum for the Soul Core to form is honestly baffling.

"Yes... there are a total of 9 small steps before the Dantian takes shape. I can certainly do it."

Joey spoke seriously about the difficulty of the requirements but his expression betrayed that he was mentally prepared to take this step a long time ago.

"I wanted to return the Spirit Crystal but it seems like I'll have to put myself in your debt, Spark. Let's hope it will be enough."

"Don't worry about it. It was a gift anyway. Instead, do you mind me watching you breakthrough?" Spark asked in hope of witnessing the wonders of Cultivation first hand.

Joey lightly grinned and nodded, "Sure, just watch! But don't disturb me."

"Of couse! Just treat us as hot air," Spark reassured and took a few steps back, also pulling Tali back with him to give Joey enoug room to concentrate.

Spark was very excited. Finally he'll witness the process of Cultivation and not just that, but something far more exciting and unbelievable. A breakthrough to the Qi Realm, or in other words, The Awakening.

For him it held great symbolic meaning. What he was about to see if Joey succeeded was the shattering of the mortal chains tethered to every human at birth. The same chains he despised with all his heart, back in his past life.

Which Element will it be and... wait, just what Elements are there anyway?

While he was busy with his thoughts the had begun.

Joey pulled out a translucent, blue crystal out of the little pouch he carried under his linen shirt, and sat down into the lotus position. He decided on the position without hesitation. Maybe it was the recommended by the technique...

Taking a few deep breaths, the air around him started to change. Only one thing circled his mind, it was to circulate the energy to the best of his ability. With the crystal right under his navel, Joey took another deep breath.

With this breath, the crystal flickered lightly and emitted energy, which from then on began to flow into him. It accumulated, and continued to fill his abdomen.

Small vessel-veins stirred an abundance of Mana around, in a process that seemed either uncomfortable or exhausting, judging by the pearls of sweat on his grimassing visage.

His expressions switched and churned every once in a while, but there was only one direction left to go once he started the first step, and that was forward.

Simultaneously moving the Energy up his chest, down to his legs, up to the shoulders, along the legs, to every single toe, and back to his arms, hands and every finger, the energy seemed to be swallowed up by the meridians.

Gaseous power swirled around in a big cycle from his hands back to the feet, from his neck to his brain, where it pooled up to a circuit and back down to his limbs and hull.

It seemed like a neverending process to Joey but he couldn't afford to become careless because if just one mistake were to happen, it would definitely turn him into a useless waste for life.

Losing control and letting the Energy go rampant in your body was desribed in the technique under, "Energy Flow Reversal" and it usually didn't end well once it started.

...

Joey lost track of time. It seemed like weeks passed, but at the same time it could have been just an instant. Awakening is a feeling that can't be accurately described. The countless iterations of the Energy Circulation Cycle made keeping track of time arduous and insignificant.

It's like exploring a new sense . Just as you aren't able explain color to a blind person, it's impossible to explain the feeling of Mana coiling through your meridians with such vibrance, without having experienced it before.

Tali and Spark were watching quietly and intently. They couldn't tell what's happening inside Joey's body, but the layer of azure mist was gradually forming into a hazy cocoon, giving the sense of ungraspable mysticism.

A wondrous sight occured right before their eyes and both of them were mesmerized and pulled in by it. They didn't miss a second, even blinking was too much of a waste.

But very suddenly things took a turn for the worse.

Joey started sweating a lot and became more restless. His face turned red and filth streamed from his pores, which usually indicated a cleansing of the body, but why did Joey look so much more uncomfortable then?

The mist around him flickered and the radiant azure lost its luster before lighting up again in a coruscating litany.

The energy within Joey was wracking havoc. It flowed and circulated correctly, but his body just couldn't make the jump to create the inner core on its own. Unrhytmical flickering accompanied by heavy groans made the three people standing around him worried and restless.

crack

A shattering sound ringed around the room and the crystal pressed on Joey's stomach broke apart into a fine grey dust.

...What now? Joey wasn't finished with the process but there was no more Energy to take in.

"The Crystal wasn't enough!" Jessie exclaimed with an ugly scowl.

Because Spark watched intently over the whole process, he immediately realized something was wrong and came to the same conclusion as Jessie. Quick acting saves lives and Spark understood that with astute haste.

With a swift motion he grabbed the other two crystals in his possesion and softly jammed them into Joey's hands.

Joey began to recover from his berserked state when he grasped onto the crystals tightly, lighting them up in brilliant radiance. Their inherent energy was greedily devoured and the veiling layer of mist thickened up again, illuminating the room in a vibrant azure colour.

The sudden influx of energy catalyzed the main process and Joey's Dantian began to take on form.

A solidifying wall of Energy established itself under the immense pressure of the circulation vortex.

Before completely taking on a solid form, it hungrily opened up wide like a whale's mouth and the energy masses plunged and crashed into it like a deep abyss before rotating at dangerous speeds again.

The inner structure became more and more apparent. It was like a endlessly rotating cycle, a motor of sorts, giving drive and life to where there was nothing before.

crack

Another Spitit Crystal turned into fine dust.

The energy masses started to flow rather, than clash and all the Qi rotated into a single point, where a ball the size of a ping pong ball wolfed them down with endless gluttony.

Joey screamed on top of his lungs.

"GRAND DAO! ACCEPT THIS HUMBLE ONE IN YOUR ROWS!"

crack

Accompanying his heart-felt cry the last Spirit Crystal shattered into nothingness.

The turbulances inside his Dantian seemed to calm down and the ball-sized clump has finally settled.

The Dantian has formed! The meridians were washed clean with undulations of Mana and most importantly, his soul imprinted itself onto crystalline lump in his body.

"Hahh"

Joey let out a deep breath. The uncomfortable sensation he felt had dispersed and he no he was engulfed in the feeling of an unimaginable connection with the universe.

It was like being reborn.

"It's done," Joey said while grinning from ear to ear. He let out a loud hearty laugh without trying to contain his excitement.

"Honey!" Jessie shared his joy teary-eyed and threw her arms wide open.

"I really did it!" he shouted while running into the heart-felt embrace of his partner.

In the next moment he jumped up and hugged Tali and Spark with the same enthusiasm.

Normally Spark would've said something to oppose his rough behaviour but he didn't. He was still rooted in a daze, and so was Tali.

Their eyes twinkled like bright stars, stumped by the view they had just witnessed. It was like a scene of a different world.

...Well, for Spark that was really the case.

The hazy blue mist wreathing around Joey's figure, the discarded nasty, black toxins and the radiant resplendent Joey. Everything hinted at a wonderful metamorphosis of his body... self-induced, mind you.

Both of their chests started to beat hard in anticipation of their awakening one day.

Tali sniffed shyly before she faintly said, "Uncle Joey, you smell really funny."

"Urgh, you really do." Spark also smelled it. "Resembling foul eggs," he unneccessarily added.

Joey smelled at his clothes and tilted his head in embarassment, "Hehehe, you're right. It must be all the unhealthy filth that built up in my body. Give me a second to clean myself up."

Joey guffawed without restraint when he made his way to the sink, "Hahaha, I feel so good."

"Ah," Spark uttered. Joey turned around, "What Element were you bestowed?"

Joey's eyes widened before he closed his eyes in tranquil cogitation for a moment before confidently announcing.

"It's... Fire."

'Oh? He already knows...?'

Leaving Joey to his own devices, Spark dismissed his thought and reminded him, "Make haste! We have no time to lose. Don't tell me you forgot about our objective?"

Joey's face became a little bit more stern and nodded.

"You're right."