Time flies when you’re busy. In just a few days the recruiters from the academies will come to see if there are any talents worth picking. Of course with my core formation state no one was going to find trouble for me. Not only that but since I was back at three already in the gathering stage I was already on their radar. They knew of me and would probably assign some stronger people to come here and ensure my safety.

  After all talent was a valued capital and since the lifespan of aether practitioners was not like those in xian xia books and even domain powerhouses could live to about 300 years. Of course genial legendary powerhouses have shown themselves even at 400. Some were even forgotten, only rumors circulating that they died around 500. It was a good lifespan, very good considering that life force techniques were not known…

  Aether was a very strange energy and probably very few peered past it and felt the more subtle energies condensed from the basic functions of the body… It was not very effective either, in my past life there were only a handful of legends about physical immortals and most legends about practitioners stopped at the lifespan of 300 at the very most.

  But enough of this. The few months that passed were very fruitful. Fjorn did his best to teach me and I worked hard. Without mobile devices or various forms of entertainment there was nothing else to do anyway. So I managed to forge some swords… There was a large order from the capital. Of course Fjorn and Stig took care of the more specific requests in the order while me and the apprentices were merely doing the standard equipment. The reason we did not pour them was Fjorn’s pride. No matter what all the swords or weapons delivered had to be of at least average smith quality.

  Not to complain but considering we had thousands to make it was really inefficient. At a rate of 2-3 per day per person… With us being 5… Well let’s just say they were productive months to gain experience and polish my skills. We still hadn’t finished all of them but Fjorn said I should spend my last days in the village outside and with my parents.

  Think it was just consideration? No! I earned it! I managed to make a high quality self-sharpening sword and Fjorn decided that I was passable. Yes, only passable… I really wonder how much more that old guy could show me.

  Anyway with all the newfound free time I couldn’t just stay home. I had to go out… But with my hardworking nature I had no friends aside from the forge staff… So I ended up walking aimlessly. The boys were almost all rallied up by Torsten against me anyway so it wasn’t like I could find people to make friends with now while most of the girls were busy helping around the house.

  I was finishing the household chores fast using aether so I was really left with nothing to do. After walking a bit more I ended up next to the bakery… The baker here was still working making bread. He had a young daughter. He tried a few times to get me to play with her and get close when I came to pick up the bread for home but I always refused. I never really liked this sort of mindless play so I kept my distance and politely refused or hurriedly fled each time.

  I softly smiled remembering this… But I didn’t dare dilly dally there. They were nice memories but the intentions were not good. How could I someone with a mental age of 30 dare to play with little girls… I was scared just thinking about it. I wasn’t like those guys that liked to grow and shape a girlfriend… My sight was fixed beyond this world.

  “Ha… My mom will suffer… No grandkids will come from me… I wonder how to let her know so they have another kid soon… I might not have time to take care of them in their old age or might perish ahead of time…”

  My steps carried me to the center of the village. The noon sun was quite overbearing still as we were in late summer before autumn. But for the me who was filled with flowing aether everything was alright. I sat on a bench. With nothing to do I closed my eyes to meditate. It’s been some time… I was now capable of observing and sensing more of the small meridians, or luo meridians. I especially focused internally on those that connected the five organs.

  Taoism has a five element system. This system had a creation cycle a destruction cycle. Each of the five organs was related to an element and I strongly suspected that spiritual roots were related to the organs as well…

  I planned on using the eight vessels and 12 meridians to handle the energetic transfer in order to create an internal creation cycle, quickly nourishing the organs and raising the internal elemental energy levels. Then using the luo channels lead the excess energies into the lower dan tian to contain them. Then after enough circulation and gathering the process is stopped and the focus should be changed to the dan tian. Unlike the KanLi method that produced a golden core and requires long accumulation this method is faster as the energy can be quickly produced. Also due to the presence of all five elements in theory it should be easier to harmonize the Yin and Yang and achieve golden core. After all, all five elements were just variations of the combination of Yin and Yang.

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  Of course the method is very risky… However it can directly produce high amounts of true qi and a strong core as long as someone had a strong shen. It was the kind of method that was high risk high reward. It’s downside was that no matter what using this technique repeatedly to produce true qi would consume the prenatal qi very fast and effectively burn lifespan for power… It could in theory however bring insight into the prenatal energies and allow one to advance faster to the nascent soul stage when instead of true qi one would have ling qi. This ling qi can be used to nourish primordial qi and even replace it in sustaining the body.

  My progress on the luo channels was however slow. Still, considering that all my plans were for after turning eighteen, I had ten more years to expand my shen and map out the required meridians.

  I did not have a long peace. Torsten showed up with the other boys to find trouble with me again…

  “Look boys, it's the 'Genius.' Too good to play with us. Too good to even talk to anyone. He just sits there like a statue. What's wrong, Cato? Is the forge the only place you feel important? Once you leave for the Academy, you'll be all alone. No one will even notice you're gone.”

  The corner of my mouth twitched. ‘What’s this shit you come to me with? Do you think I care? It’s better if it would truly be as you say, no heartache to worry about…’ I did my best to ignore him and keep focusing internally. But of course it wouldn’t be that easy… Torsten seeing his taunt fail continued.

  "Heard you're leaving soon, 'Master Smith.' My grandfather says you're an 'essential asset.' You know what that means, right? It means you're just a tool. You're not a warrior. You're not a leader. You're just the guy they'll lock in a basement to hammer out swords for real fighters like me while we're out winning fame and becoming legends. You're just a glorified background speck in the big picture. Have fun making our weapons, Cato.”

  I pursed my lips but didn’t open my eyes. He caught my attention and I couldn’t just focus inwards easily now… ‘I’ll just wait for the fly to pass…’ He’ll get bored if he sees nothing from me… Or so I thought… But no just like a dung sucking fly it couldn’t leave. It had to keep buzzing… Seeing that I kept maintaining my poise he went further, fearless.

  He came closer and said near my ear, but loud enough for everyone to hear.

  "You know, everyone in the village talks. They say your father was just a failed adventurer, and your mother married down. They say the only reason you work so hard is because you're desperate to escape this backwater place and leave them behind. They sacrificed everything for a son who can't wait to abandon them. When you're gone, what will they have? Just the shame of a son who thinks he's too good for them. You're not as important as you think, Cato. You're a leech sucking your worthless parents dr…"

  With his last words I exploded in anger. Even a Buddha will kill if you keep annoying him! Aether was pushed out of my body all around me. It danced from my body like a purplish flame and the world darkened… Not clouds just the light getting warped into purplish color. I opened my eyes and saw all the others look worriedly at Torsten. They didn’t agree and couldn’t understand where the words came from.

  My outburst of aether shoved Torsten back a step, but he was too caught up in his own conceited pleasure to realize what was happening. I grabbed his head and, with overwhelming force, dragged it downwards diagonally across my body with a twist powered by a kick to the ground, amplified by tightening the core and puling with my pectorals. Torsten ended up plowing the ground with his face before the fear of my aetheric aura even settled in. Finally the others cried out in fear and ran. Seeing this I sighed. My aether calmed down and the atmosphere returned to normal.

  Looking at the fleeing kids and then at Torsten that started crying out in pain with a bloody face on the ground I sighed again. I turned around to leave but stopped after a step.

  “You’re right. Few will care or miss me when I’m gone. But I prefer it like that.” I said to Torsten still facing away.

  I started walking again. I headed home, not worried about the mess I did with Torsten. Everyone knew that he was always seeking trouble with me, so no one would find fault in my actions. At most I’ll be scolded a little, but anyone would see that I was not excessive… After all Torsten’d be dead by now if I was serious.

  I reached home and went to my room. I tried to meditate but I was still restless from earlier… So I went outside and started throwing aether enhanced punches. I was moving with all my might and aether in a wild display… ‘He really annoyed me this time… Only a few days. There are only a few days and he won’t have to worry about me anymore! Why’d he have to come and bother me…’

  ‘But I was at fault too… I shouldn’t have stopped in the middle of the village to meditate. I knew I was prone to meeting him if I stopped in such places and yet still did it… Not thinking through is really bad. I should be more careful in the future… Let this be a learned lesson…’

  As my thoughts reached this point I calmed down and stopped. I had kicked up a huge cloud of dust and was panting… I shook my head. ‘What a fool I am… He wouldn’t have gotten to me if I didn’t think he was right… Or rather if I didn’t fear he was right…’

  I spent the rest of my days at home and soon the caravan from the academies arrived.