The place where the meditation session was about to commence was not just a 'tower.' It was a tall building, yes, but hollow inside, containing a beautiful garden, surrounded by carved rock, shaped into a building. It wasn't a traditional garden in the conventional sense, but rather a more terraced space carved directly into the building's side, going up multiple layers towards the top. There were no stairs or ladders leading up to the higher parts, so to reach them, one had to be capable enough to do so with whatever method they had. On the ground floor, mossy stone tiles patterned the ground, surrounded by the stone walls decorated with the swirling emblem of the Hollow Song Sect.

  Siu stood near the middle of the room, along with the other disciples, his robe fluttering once as wind came down from the top, making him wrinkle his nose. There was... a thicker sense of energy wafting down from the top, so he was sure that every level above them was for more and more advanced disciples to use. Around him, dozens of other newcomers like him settled into a chosen spot, being experienced enough to realize the tiles themselves were the indications where they could meditate. Scanning the people, he could pick out Lorean a few rows ahead of him, sitting perfectly straight on one such tile, focused, eyes closed, while exercising her breathing technique. Tian was also here, currently near the front, his arms crossed, looking more irritable than meditative... It was clear he had no clue how to do it and was trying to steal some moves from those who were already knowledgeable about breathing techniques.

  It made Siu smile, as he knew that one can not steal knowledge he has no understanding of. Of course, Neya followed him closely as they entered and found a spot to his left, already kneeling on the stone with eyes examining the place, clearly a bit nervous but doing her best to blend in. She was doing it better than Tian, that was sure.

  While waiting, knowing that the first lesson wouldn't be left to the disciples to tackle alone, he slowly relaxed his stance, getting ready for the very first lesson he would take. One that wasn't about just looking or acting through it, but actually participating.

  It didn't take long for one of the Elders, present at the examination of the newcomers, to arrive.

  Nobody could miss him, as Elder Baat didn't walk so much as stomp his way in, shaking the others out of meditation, doing it intentionally as far as Siu was concerned. Looking at him better this time around, this one of the Elders had to be one who focused on martial prowess rather than anything else. He was towering and broad, wearing his robe's sleeves rolled up, exposing his tree-trunk arms and muscles. In Sui's eyes, Elder Baat looked less like a teacher and more like a boulder someone had shaved and stuffed into robes... And when he began speaking, his voice matched his build: deep, rough, and hard.

  "Everyone, find your spot and sit straight!" He began, without any introduction, "For starters, I want you all to breathe naturally. I will impart to you a breathing technique tailored to your current breathing style. You!" He pointed at Neya, making her flinch, "Straighten up! If your back is slouched, you'll feel it later when your organs complain."

  "Y-yes!" She panicked, trying to follow orders, making Siu look at her, and encouraging Neya with a smile.

  While the disciples began following his orders, Elder Baat paced slowly between the group, his eyes scanning each disciple individually, sometimes correcting their sitting position, counting for them to breathe in and when to exhale before moving on. For the briefest moment, he stood behind Siu, making him feel his eyes lingering on his back, before moving on.

  "Okay, enough and listen up!" he clapped after a while, standing before them, tapping his chest with two thick fingers, "This is where your path begins and will separate you from regular mortals. But before we let you draw a sword or before you be capable of conjuring fire from your hands or..." He looked at Lorean, "tame a beast… You must learn to breathe and inhale the energy around us."

  Listening to his booming voice, some of the younger disciples shifted awkwardly, and Siu could swear he heard Tian scoff.

  "Cultivation is a difficult and deadly journey. It takes centuries to walk its path... So, you don't need to know everything about it because more than half of you will never reach far enough even to need to!"

  "..." His words were harsh, and many suddenly felt doubt in themselves. As Siu glanced around, he could tell who felt suddenly self-conscious, and by how the Elder looked at the same people... Siu understood it was precisely the reason he said it. It was not only true, but it was to let him see which disciples would need less attention from him.

  "Separate the wheat from the chaff..." Siu told himself, smiling sarcastically deep within, but his face remained calm and unperturbed.

  "Bone Tempering," Elder Baat continued, "Is the only thing you need to know about for now. The First Circle is not merely smashing fists into wood or carrying stones up mountains, no matter what the uninitiated think, just because it's named that way! It all starts with this... breathwork!"

  If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

  With that, the Elder suddenly took a deep breath, like a whale inhaling, and that alone felt like creating a strong draft of air; some disciples even tumbled out of their sitting position, landing face-first on the ground. They watched in awe as Elder Baat gulped down all that air, his muscles flexing and an incredible aura emanating from him, almost as if he had transformed into a monster, only to return to normal slowly.

  "It's all about absorption." He explained, "The method we teach here is the best you can get, refined by countless experts before you. And if done incorrectly... Don't blame anyone else; blame your own inadequacy, because you will hinder yourself permanently. Or die... if you are that bad."

  He didn't wait for his words to settle as he began walking around the disciples, instructing them on a specific rhythm and making adjustments as necessary.

  "Begin... Stop." He sometimes said, placing a hand on the disciple's back, "Follow my breath, I will guide you."

  Some, like Lorean, didn't need much help. It was clear that she had her own technique, already mastered, and she could cultivate it on her own; she just waited until she was accepted into the Sect to begin. Which... was a smart move. Elder Baat wasn't lying when he said if they made a mistake, it would be the end for them... many people had run into the issue, ending up bleeding out or crippled by their own hands.

  "Four beats in... Use your lungs, girl!" He echoed, standing behind Neya now, "That's it. Now... Two hold. Four beats out... Good. Pause! That's it... Relax now and start over. Keep the same rhythm."

  The scene made Siu feel... nostalgic. He also had a breathing technique already tailored to him... The only issue was that he never actually used it; he was forbidden to do so.

  "Well..." He thought to himself, closing his eyes, "Let's see if the Old Man really knew what's best for me."

  At first, it was like any other regular breathing exercise he'd done over the years, the 'fake' variants, modified so his body wouldn't start changing before finishing its development. Now, rearranging it to the correct sequence taught to him... at first, there was no change. But by the third cycle… something shifted, and he could sense it immediately.

  He felt the air rush into his lungs in a different way. It wasn't just filling them; instead, it was pressing deeper, winding through his ribs, slipping past muscle and settling into his spine. No... It wasn't the air... it was the energy within the air that got carried through every spore of his body. It wasn't cold or warm… just... was. Following his rhythm, when the next breath came, it moved deeper once again, running along his veins, down to his legs, disappearing into his flesh.

  "..." A faint ache tingled at the back of his knees, and then his ankle, waist... going up to his neck, making him furrow his brows. He knew about the effects, but theory was different than reality. For the first time, he was unsure if this was normal or not.

  He opened his eyes slightly, just to glance at the others, wanting to see how the others fared in their first, actual lesson. Some were indeed squirming, while others were still trying to find the rhythm. He even caught Tian sneaking a look at Neya, whose face, to her credit, was rigid with effort but determined to succeed. Knowing it was all good, Siu also returned to his own breathing, getting lost in the feeling, focusing only on himself, then on.

  By then, his chest rose more confidently on the next inhale, and as it traveled around his being, a memory flashed behind his closed eyes.

  He was around five years old... He remembered being surrounded by water and a relative darkness. He tried to come up to the surface, but a hand grabbed his head, pushing him back down, keeping him underwater.

  Yet... even being submerged, he could still perfectly hear the man, trying to 'drown' him.

  "Not yet!" It was a gruff voice, "Hold it... Hold it longer. You can do it, Siu! Don't cheat or you'll drown for real when it matters."

  He remembered the weight, the grip of the hand, and the cold river around him. There was hurtful pounding in his ears and fear... He remembered how he had cried the first time he was forced to exercise underwater... How the Old Man followed him everywhere he went in the Sect.

  But... Even though the training was harsh... He wasn't cruel... It was quite the opposite... He was saving him and also... teaching him.

  He was preparing him, making him do exercises that didn't require him to cultivate, to draw on the energy from the world. He did it behind everyone else's back, keeping up the facade that Siu was doing his best to cultivate. But... He forbade him from ever trying it for real.

  "Endure." The Old Man said many times, "Endure it, my boy."

  "..." Siu knew he wasn't talking about the harsh training, but... the looks. The mocking jests from the others, the laughs that echoed the sentiment that the so-called 'genius' was nothing but a fluke.

  "I know it's hard." The man said in a kind voice, finally letting Siu come back from under the water, gulping in air in a hurry, "But they are short-sighted idiots... One day, you will be ready. Until then, endure. Patience is the greatest virtue, my boy."

  With a smile, Siu returned to the present moment with an exceptionally strong and long inhale.

  Now it all made sense...

  The reason his breath moved so easily now was that his body already remembered. He'd been prepared, even if he back then didn't piece together why he was made to do certain things, over and over again. He just knew he couldn't cultivate, not for real... he had to pretend. But the Old Man was right... the wait was worth it.

  With that in mind, he let out the breath slowly, matching the beat of his heart. And when his lungs became empty, then it happened.

  There it was... A faint ripple shook his muscles and resonated within his organs and bones. It was the very first rush of pure energy, washing through his body. It wasn't something he could maintain yet, not something he could access consciously... but the very first revolution of the worldly energy had been completed inside of him.

  "So..." He thought to himself, allowing his mouth to curl upwards, "This is what cultivation feels like..."