One of the primary and fundamental teachings of Tianhae Cultivation Academy was this: even if the path is arduous, with the right skills and perceptions about the world, you could fulfill your goals as a cultivator.
Every being carries within themselves three fundamental gates: the Gate of the Body, the Gate of the Mind, and the Gate of the Soul.
The first shapes physical strength, endurance, and vitality.
The second refines intelligence, perception, and mastery over techniques and theories.
The third — the deepest and most difficult to refine — connects the essence of the self to the spiritual world, opening the door to the true cultivation of Inai.
As stated before, any being with proper cultivation methods could refine the gates within themselves. But there was a small detail...
...Although any living being could walk this path, it was inevitable that they would be born with a natural inclination.
One of the three gates would always be more receptive — an innate talent, a spark that burns more easily.
But, as with everything in the balance of existence, that brightness brings shadows: the other two would inevitably carry a certain sluggishness... a resistance.
Some are Body geniuses but stumble in cultivating the Mind.
Others are born with a Soul that nearly touches the heavens, yet lack the strength to even protect themselves.
That is the burden and grace of cultivation: to know your limits — and, with luck, transcend them.
Velyth already knew all this. He had failed at all of them. And succeeded in many.
But this time was different. With the accumulated knowledge he now possessed, his abilities might not take long to bloom — which is why he needed to awaken all three gates in the shortest time possible.
Tianhae taught him about the balance of the gates. But they never knew what to do with someone like him.
---
"...First, compression. Then, awakening. And finally, refinement." Velyth, still with his eyes closed, repeated to himself, as if recalling teachings from the past.
'The first step is already engraved in my essence like a scar... It was like skipping a vital part of a game because I already know how it works.'
He thought as he continued to meditate in the middle of that clearing.
Normally, awakening would require, at best, weeks of effort and focus. But with Velyth, it was different.
Due to the countless variables already marked in his essence, he reached awakening in what might have been the shortest time in history.
Well... nothing less than the bare minimum expected from someone with a thousand lives of experience.
Velyth remained still for hours, immersed in the silent current of Inai. Time slipped by without hurry, and he didn't even notice when the sky began to turn orange.
A dry growl escaped from his stomach, cutting through the clearing's silence.
"Hmm... maybe spending the whole day refining wasn't the brightest idea," he muttered, opening his eyes with a crooked smile.
A soft glow still danced across his skin — a remnant of the cultivated energy — but his body was already demanding its price. With one last look at the sacred place, he stood up slowly, feeling the hunger gnawing from within. It was time to return.
---
The way back wasn't long, but the weight in his steps made it feel like the minutes stretched unnaturally. The clearing that was once a sanctuary of silence now lay behind.
The trail to the village's outskirts snaked between roots and dried branches. The sounds of nocturnal birds began to emerge, and the shadows of dusk stretched across the ground.
Velyth, though tired, didn't let himself be distracted. He was used to exhaustion. Discomfort was just another part of the process.
When he reached the village, the suspicious stares didn't take long to fall upon him. His face was new. No one knew him. And, to make things worse, not even he fully knew that body.
His steps were hesitant. His clothes, too simple. And his stomach... growled again.
He stopped in front of a soup stall, the smell invading his nose like it was trying to torture him.
He wanted to ask for some, but didn't have a single coin in his pocket. No documents. No name. Nothing tying that body to any known story.
"Are you gonna order something, or just stand there?" the vendor asked, eyeing him with suspicion.
He hesitated. The hunger pressed hard, but so did the pride.
It's not like he could just explain he came from another life, another time, another body.
"I can... pay later."
She frowned, her eyes scanning from his clothes to his feet and his awkward posture.
"You're not from around here, are you?"
He simply shook his head.
"It's more complicated than that, but... you could say yes."
The woman sighed. She served a bowl and pushed it to the edge of the counter.
"Just this once. Then disappear."
Velyth bowed slightly, thanking her without words. He picked up the bowl with trembling hands.
The scent was simple, but at that moment, it felt like the finest feast in the world.
'Miss Mai... I know you. Your heart's too soft to let anyone go hungry.'
He thought, as he drank the soup in quick, yet restrained sips.
'This body... still needs a lot of adjustment.'
He looked discreetly at his hands — thinner, less calloused.
'But the Inai flows well. And my mind is still mine. That's enough... for now.'
Velyth rested his elbows on the table and stared into the steam rising from the pot. He thought about what came next.
The access to cultivation — the awakening — had already been achieved. Along with it, the initial refinement of the soul gate.
Considering that the refinement of the mind gate involves study and the acquisition of knowledge... there wasn't much to be done at the moment.
In a peaceful village like this, only known for being close to the Tianhae cultivation academy and its towering mountains, knowledge in abundance would be hard to find.
At the very least... it was frustrating.
Because of the scars in his essence, Velyth was nearly omniscient. The mind gate had everything to be his greatest talent — and ironically, it was the least active right now.
So, for the time being, all that was left to him was the gate of the body.
"Anyway... that's that," he murmured.
"What? Did you say something?" the vendor leaned in, confused.
"Nothing important." Velyth just pushed the empty bowl back to the counter with a slight smile.
He turned to leave, adjusting his messy clothes.
"I swear I'll repay you one day. Thank you for everything, Mai."
"...Huh? Wait... How do you know my name?"
But he had already walked away, vanishing into the shadows of the village, as if he had never been there.
Now in an alley far from the square, Velyth made his way back home. The body gate was different from the others. Simpler in its demand — but by no means easier.
Refining it required constant physical effort — training, combat, endurance.
It was a process of forcing one's limits so that, little by little, the body would accept and channel Inai more naturally.
It didn't require deep thoughts or spiritual connection. Just practice.
With time and repetition, the body learned. And with that — it evolved.