Defying the Heavens

The next morning, an alarming number of dishes piled up around Alm and Bruno as they ate. The sight of a single person consuming the equivalent of an entire mortal village in a single meal was impressive. However, Ruri calmly and skillfully served more and more dishes.

After they finished eating and their minds returned to clarity after the feeding frenzy, Bruno commented, "It looks like there was triple the normal amount of food."

Alm agreed. "Indeed. I'm mildly satisfied, maybe fifty percent?" 

Bruno looked at the petite maid who was collecting all the dishes on a cart and added, "It seems like you've mastered some mental Qi, influencing the cook and maids to prepare more food. Well done."

Ruri smiled with satisfaction, but Alm quickly took over and added, "Don't get cocky, brat. They're just mortals. If you try any tricks against cultivators, you'll be discovered and killed."

She lowered her head, seeming to understand, before leaving the room, taking all the dishes with her. "You don't have to be so hard on her. It's already quite remarkable that she achieved this level of control in just one day," Bruno said.

Alm had his reasons. "Don't you remember when we first started our cultivation? We thought we were superman himself and ended up brutally beaten. We spent a week in bed because of it."

"Well... it's better to keep her in line," Bruno agreed, recalling that embarrassing scene from their recent past when they had just reincarnated from Earth.

Less than an hour later, Ruri returned to the room with a determined look. Bruno looked at her and had her sit close to them. Then, he began to speak.

"Cultivation is a path of self-discovery and personal elevation. You've taken the first step now, but if you want to reach the top, you need to understand that you'll always be below the possible limit. Your mindset should always be to maximize your improvement, never to be satisfied."

"Qi, body, and soul are the three treasures that make up a living being, an individual's life force. When a cultivator practices martial arts and techniques, it's to enhance and temper these three parts; that's the ultimate manifestation of cultivation."

"The Qi gathering cultivation method is the most basic and natural of all, practiced everywhere. Its pinnacle is infinite, and your entire existence becomes one with the world and its laws."

"It's divided into six Mortal Realms and six Divine Realms. You're in the Qi Gathering Realm, the first of them. The clan's patriarch is in the Core Formation Realm, the third realm," Bruno explained in a didactic manner.

Ruri then asked, with a pure and curious look, "Are there other realms above the divine?"

Bruno hesitated for a moment. It was an obvious question, something they themselves had questioned when they first heard about it. However, their past teacher had simply ridiculed them, saying, 'There's nothing above a god, you idiot!'

Now, they knew that it was possible to reach levels above the Divine Realms, and they had surpassed that threshold themselves. Turning to Ruri's curious gaze, Bruno said, "You should only concern yourself with what's within your reach; don't try to go beyond your capabilities. The world's karma is ruthless with those who know too much."

She lowered her head, trying to understand those words, and then asked another obvious question, "But what is karma?"

Bruno sighed; children were indeed very curious. He held back Alm, who was about to take over and say something nonsensical, and continued gently, "Karma simply means 'action.' Everything you do or fail to do generates a response from celestial laws. A cultivator, when reaching a certain level, will be blatantly challenging the heavens head-on."

The idea seemed to frighten Ruri, making her tremble. 

Still, Bruno continued. "After a certain realm, the heavens will react with fury. And to continue rising, you'll have to survive their wrath."

"The more karma you've accumulated over your head, the more power the laws can pour down to try and kill you," Bruno explained. "Even the laws must follow an order, regardless if that order is to kill someone. So, be careful with your actions and what you ask."

Alm took over from there. "That's what all cultivators teach. But if you truly wish to go beyond the pathetic, be prepared to step on mountains of corpses and kill until you've covered an entire planet in blood."

Bruno was about to reprimand Alm, but when he looked into Ruri's eyes, he saw something surprising: there was no more fear in her. She seemed determined and prepared for anything, which made him sigh. This time, Alm was correct.

"Acting with gentleness isn't always the best path," Bruno continued, reflecting on his words. "Greed and wickedness are also used in cultivation. If you're not firm and retaliate with more force than the enemy, you'll inevitably be plotted against and swallowed by them."

"Well... the Qi Gathering Realm boils down to sensing the celestial Qi that permeates everything in the universe. Then, slowly accumulating Qi in your meridians through breathing, gradually strengthening yourself, gaining strength, speed, and senses superior to ordinary living beings."

"I'll teach you the 'Way of the Dragon' breathing method. It's quite efficient. You must come to my side every day and only cultivate when I can protect you. That way, I can ensure that no one will find out." 

The laws of this universe were completely different, so their universe's cultivation techniques simply didn't work. Yet, the Way of The Dragon was just a breathing method that didn't depend on any laws. Thanks to that, simple methods like this were still usable.

"When you've accumulated the limit of Qi in your body, practice the Soul Sealing Technique to the limit. And then start collecting Qi again. You have one week to make some progress, so you can be of some use," Bruno concluded sternly.

Ruri listened attentively and bowed with determination. "I will work hard; I won't disappoint you!"

"Great, but... remember to bring the food for dinner as usual. That's important too," Bruno added awkwardly. Ruri smiled sweetly in response.

That day, Alm and Bruno stayed by Ruri's side, observing, answering questions, and correcting her common mistakes. The next day, to their surprise, she had already improved her control over her mind's power.

"Her bloodline is really strong in this kind of thing," Bruno commented.

Even Alm was a little jealous, although he didn't show it. "Just mind techniques alone aren't enough to survive. Her talents are very specialized. Later on, we'll have to show her the harsh reality." 

Ruri wasn't ready to be useful yet, but she could already create a small layer of diffusing Qi around her. Inside their room, where no one held any expectations, not to mention no reason to investigate, she could cultivate herself peacefully with this simple method.

Soon, they left the room with a strange smile on their faces.