’From what was known, there are four pillars of cultivation, which are The Carnal Frame, also known as The body. The altar upon which all power is built. Without a sufficiently refined vessel, no force in the universe can be safely channeled. The body is the first honest expression of a cultivator’s commitment; suffering endured willingly for the sake of refinement is the first act of true cultivation.

Will, referred to as the driver of all things. True Will is a complete, unshakeable identity, a self so defined that the heavens cannot dissolve it, so purposeful that even death cannot tame it. Every realm requires Will as a measure of one’s progress. Without Will, talent is nothing, and without Will, power is meaningless. This determines how far a cultivator is willing to go in its journey forward. One might have talent but not the will to move forward; as such, any roadblock, no matter how small, becomes a massive hurdle.

The Martial Spirit, the eternal companion. This pillar is mostly present in human cultivators. Not all cultivators are born with the same potential, nor are all martial spirits the same. The Martial Spirit begins as a sleeping Embryo, forms in the Core Realm, and fully awakens in the Martial Soul Realm. It is simultaneously a partner, a weapon, a guide, and a mirror that reflects and amplifies the cultivator’s deepest affinity with the Laws and Daos of the universe.

Heaven Qi, this is the ambient energy that permeates all of existence. Heaven Qi is a vast spectrum from crude World Qi to Origin Qi that predates the universe. As the cultivator advances, the quality of Qi they can absorb ascends accordingly.

Having a good amount of luck and being born with a handful of talent in any or all pillars gives a cultivator a massive head start over others. That is not to say that a lack of talent in these areas would cripple a cultivator’s journey forever. The heavens were merciful and provided ways to cover one’s weaknesses and enhance talent and potential through effort.

With the right resources and skills, talent and potential can be increased to levels surpassing your peers. You don’t have a good carnal frame (body/vessel); you can create one through alchemy or simply integrate the powerful bloodlines.

Not enough will? That can be built with enough hard work and persistence.

Your martial spirit is trash? You can simply integrate an external embryonic spirit before entering the core realm.

Heavenly Qi? There are plenty of sources that are lying around to be discovered.

All the heavens require of such people is hard work, which not many are willing to do. They would rather curse their ancestors for not having good enough bloodlines or simply direct their hatred to heaven for being born the way they are.

Alaric has no such plight, having discovered that he has a high-grade martial spirit of his own, innate to him. Even if he didn’t have such a fortune, he was already prepared for that outcome. He has mapped out every opportunity that needs to be taken in order to upscale his talent, if he lacked any to begin with. Now, feeling that profound presence, there was no need.

But...

There was a problem. From his studies, a scholar once wrote, ’Treat your martial spirit well, and it shall guide you properly.’ When he first read this, he thought the scholar seemed to insinuate that martial spirits seem to have their own consciousness, but many seem to disagree with that notion. What he was currently experiencing seemed to support that theory.

The body is not a vessel for cultivation. The body IS cultivation, its first, most honest expression. Before a single thread of Origin Qi can be safely channeled, before the Core can be formed, before the Martial Embryo can be housed, the physical form must become something worthy. The Body Refinement Realm is the process of transforming a mortal body into an extraordinary one.

The first stage, the flesh refinement stage, is heavily facilitated by the heavenly dao itself as a reward for successfully surpassing your limits. This step can also be influenced or resisted by the individual, as the heavenly dao isn’t forceful, but no one was foolish enough to hinder such a process, unless you have very spiteful enemies or very reckless friends; either way, they wouldn’t be different from each other. An incompetent friend is indistinguishable from an enemy in some situations.

His martial soul had just intercepted the heavenly dao’s refining of the origin essence for his fleshly body to adapt to, taking over the process. But he wasn’t too worried, after all, this was an eternal companion, one that could and would not do anything detrimental to his growth. Even if it failed in whatever it was planning, it would only result in a minor setback. He could just learn how to do it himself.

The body refinement realm is divided into 5 stages in preparation for the core realm. They are the flesh refinement stage, bone forging stage, marrow refinement stage, organ refinement stage, and blood sanctification realm.

The first, flesh refinement, as the name suggests, is the refinement of the Skin, muscle, and tendon. They are infused with essence under the Will’s direction. Impurities are removed from the body during this process. The refined flesh gains extraordinary density, muscles compact and harden while retaining flexibility, tendons become capable of storing and releasing force like springs, and the skin develops a resilience that makes it resistant to cutting. The cultivator can now exert force several times beyond a normal human’s limits without risking self-injury.

His breathing became rhythmic, drawing the energy from the atmosphere and resonating it with his flesh, trying to draw them in, but the ethereal martial soul pulsed slowly, drawing every origin energy within the environment. A breath later, it released grey colored essence and guided it into Alaric, starting the refinement process.

A cooling sensation overcame him as the satisfying feeling of growing stronger excited his cells. What was an excruciating process for most became one he enjoyed and scrutinized.

’What a lovely sensation.’ He sighed, releasing impure air from his lungs.

This process lasted sixty days before gradually coming to a stop. He hit a wall, feeling he had reached the peak of the flesh refinement stage.

Still sitting in the same position, he flexed his muscles, feeling the power settle within them.

’I can probably destroy a small mountain with this much strength.’ He frowned. If he went by the records stated in the books, he was certain that while flesh refinement stage cultivators were powerful, they were not so exaggerated.

’It probably has something to do with that mysterious energy. Even after sixty days of constantly trying to understand the properties of that energy. All I could make out was the conversion process, so from now I wouldn’t need my martial soul for that, though the process would take longer.’ He sighed briefly before spreading his perception.

A new reality seems to overlap his existing one. Origin energy. Before this, he had no qualification to behold this profound existence. But now, he could clearly see it.

’So beautiful.’ Before he could decide to spend another sixty days analyzing this beautiful, all-encompassing energy, an object flew his way at a rate that was impossible for a mortal to react to. Stretching his hand, he caught, having realized what it was.

It was a letter sealed with a piece of sealing wax bearing a draconic symbol.

The paper had a very beautiful design and held a gentle fragrance.

He could guess where this was from.

Over the past few years, Tian has been hearing in his head about a fiancée he doesn’t know of. At first, he thought it was just teasing, but over time, he came to realize he might not be joking. Having gained substantial knowledge about this realm, he came to realize this was normal practice. Partners can be chosen without the consent of both parties. Even the heavenly dao sometimes chooses ideal partners for individuals known as dao companions.

Though it was standard practice, he couldn’t help but feel resistant to the idea and could imagine how the other party would react to such news. So he was prepared for whatever rejection this letter might entail.

’Well, here goes nothing.’ He took a deep breath before opening the letter.

’Hello Alaric,

Congratulations. The news of your progress has come to my attention through a messenger from my father.

It is not easy to transcend the limits mortality has imposed on us, so it is worth celebrating the evolution that comes with breaking beyond them.

I do not have the time to leave the post I have been assigned, so all I could do was prepare a gift for you. I hope it serves you well for a long while on your journey.

On to other matters, I was sitting in my post, awaiting reports from my subordinates, when a letter from my father arrived through a bird messenger. I wondered why he would do such a thing, when delivering any information can be done personally, as he usually does. Upon reading, I understood why.

Turns out I have a fiancé now, one I have no recollection of. 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

I did some digging and found out he and a friend made a pact in their younger days, and my old man isn’t man enough to tell me to my face. At least, he has some shame.

I will be blunt with you.

I do not love you.

I do not wish to hold your hand while we walk for a long time, admiring the scenery.

Nor do I wish to see the stars with you.

I do not wish to know the sound of your breathing in the dark, nor do I seek the particular warmth of your presence against the cold of a long night’s cultivation.

I do not feel the desire to be in your presence, nor do I feel dissatisfied by your absence.

I do not wish for you to be my companion on this cultivation journey of mine, nor do I desire your unique insight into profound daos.

I do not love you, but be assured, I shall perform my duties as a companion without fail.

When the path ahead turns treacherous, I will walk it at your side. When your enemies come, they will find me standing between you and them.

When the world offers you nothing, I will offer you a hand that does not waver, a presence that does not flee.

In success or in failure, I shall remain your companion.

I light, or in darkness, I shall remain your sanctuary.

In joy and in sadness, I shall shoulder your burden.

This is simply what I choose.

Remember, I do not love you... yet.

Your fiancée, Alaya.’

Alaric was stunned speechless. Confusion written all over his face as he read it again, then again... He read it ten times, ensuring he didn’t miss a single word.

’Wow. I wasn’t expecting that at all. Of all the thousands of ways I thought she would react, I didn’t predict this. She must be accustomed to the culture of this realm, unlike me.’ He smiled before tucking the letter away.

"What’s got you so excited?’

A voice came directly from behind him. His smile faded, and his face turned frigid. ’I remember that ominous voice.’