Hiding like a rat

Now that Hao Xuan had gotten a general understanding of the principles of this place his attention was pulled towards the next point of contention which was even more vital.

"Once I leave...how will I get back here?"

Leaving was rather easy but coming back was another story entirely- unless he was willing to put himself through the same degree of torture every time and hope for the best. Not to mention that each subsequent time would have to be even worse so he won't be able to get accustomed to the pain.

Hao Xuan shook his head without giving it much thought, "Nah, even I'm not crazy enough to do that. But then...what?"

Unknowingly, he had begun to brush the meditation scar whenever he was lost in deep thought since it had become somewhat of a bad habit. It was quite sensitive so doing so kept him fairly alert and attentive.

And when he accidentally applied too much pressure a sharp pain brought him out of the stupor.