The room was quiet except for the soft flutter of the curtains in the breeze and the occasional chirp of distant spirit-cranes near the lake.
Taryn sat cross-legged on his bed, spine straight, hands resting on his knees. The morning's sunlight bathed his face in gold.
The scroll of Cultivation Theory 101 lay neatly rolled up at his side.
He exhaled slowly.
"System," he said with a calm breath, "I've finished the first chapter. I'm ready."
A shimmer flickered in the air. The glowing system avatar appeared midair, floating on a conjured recliner with sunglasses, a cocktail, and a tiny parasol overhead.
"Well, well," the system said, adjusting its sunglasses. "Look at you. Enlightened and eager."
Taryn smirked. "Guide me to the best way to break through."
"Alright," the system said, tossing the cocktail away as it exploded into glitter, "I got you. But before we get to your inner cosmic power journey, we gotta check something."
It snapped its fingers.
A floating board appeared above Taryn's head, titled:
"So You Think You Can Cultivate?" — Beginner Edition Quiz
"Seriously?" Taryn raised an eyebrow.
"Oh yes," the system grinned. "Just a few little questions to make sure you didn't just speed-read the chapter while imagining yourself as some rooftop-hopping sword god."
Taryn coughed. "...No comment."
The board lit up with the first question.
Question 1: What is the name of the first stage of cultivation?
Taryn, without hesitation: "Spiritual Sensing Stage."
Ding!
"Correct!" the system said, throwing fireworks into the air. "You win absolutely nothing! But still, I'm proud."
Question 2: What's the purpose of the first stage?
"To develop awareness of spiritual energy and start absorbing it."
Ding!
"Another right answer! Look at you, not completely hopeless!"
Taryn gave a smug nod. "Told you I paid attention."
Question 3: Can you cultivate while eating fried spirit chicken and doing a handstand?
Taryn paused. "…Technically yes, but I imagine it's... counterproductive?"
BZZZT!
"Wrong!" the system bellowed. "The correct answer was: Only if you want to explode spectacularly and become a cautionary tale!"
Taryn burst out laughing.
Question 4: What's the most common reason a beginner fails to advance in Stage One?
"Hmm... Impatience. Forcing the energy too fast into their meridians without stabilizing the sense."
Ding ding ding!
"Correct! And I'll have you know that eighty-seven percent of beginner cultivators try to go Super Saiyan on day one. Spoiler alert: They end up bald and bitter."
Question 5: How many meridian points are commonly activated during early cultivation?
Taryn tapped his chin. "...Twelve?"
Ding!
"Another win! You do have a brain under that pretty hair."
Taryn smirked. "Was there ever any doubt?"
The system gave an exaggerated wink. "No. I always knew. Just had to make sure you weren't going to meditate upside-down in the pond."
It snapped its fingers again, and the quiz board exploded into tiny spirit birds.
"Alright, golden boy," the system said, now wearing a headband labeled Coach Mode. "Let's get started."
Taryn straightened his back, feeling something stir in his chest.
His first real step on the path to cultivation wasn't just reading a scroll or passing a test.
It was now.
"Close your eyes," the system said, now serious. "Breathe slow. Feel the world beyond your skin. The wind, the air, the pulse in your fingertips. That's the edge of spiritual sense. That's where your path begins."
Taryn obeyed, breath steadying.
"Let the energy come to you. Don't chase it. You're not a dog after a bone. You're a mountain calling rain."
His heartbeat slowed.
A hum—subtle, like a silent melody—tickled the edges of his mind.
And for the first time… he felt it.
The breath of the world.