Cultivation is Creation

I remember reading once that possession was supposed to feel like slipping into a warm bath. Whoever wrote that clearly had never actually possessed anyone, because let me tell you – it feels more like trying to squeeze into pants three sizes too small while simultaneously solving a complex puzzle blindfolded. In the dark. Underwater.

The initial contact was the strangest part. As I approached the young master’s dying form, I could feel the resistance – not from him, he'd already given his consent, but from reality itself. It was like pushing against an invisible membrane that bent but wouldn't break.

For a moment, I worried this would be another failed attempt, but then...

Pop.

That's the best way I can describe it. One moment I was outside, the next I was in. The sensation was... peculiar. Imagine suddenly having weight again after floating weightlessly, except multiply that by about a thousand and add in the awareness of every single cell in your new body screaming in protest.

"This is... different," I managed to think to Azure, trying to organize my thoughts through the chaos of new sensations. The body – my body now, I supposed – felt both foreign and familiar at the same time. Like wearing someone else's perfectly tailored clothes.

Speaking of the body's original owner, I could sense the young master’s soul. It had retreated deeper into his body, entering what felt like a hibernation state. Not gone, not merged with mine, just... sleeping. Which was probably for the best, considering the current situation.

"Master," Azure's voice cut through my contemplation, "the body's condition is critical. The lung wound alone—"

It was then the pain hit me – really hit me.

A sword through the lung isn't exactly a paper cut, and this body was letting me know exactly how unhappy it was about the situation. Each breath felt like swallowing broken glass, and the warm wetness spreading across my back suggested I was still losing blood at an alarming rate.

I tried to move and immediately regretted it. My new body responded sluggishly, its muscles already growing weak from blood loss and shock. The stone beneath my cheek was cold, and I could taste copper in my mouth. Not great signs.

"Master, your healing options are limited..."

He was right. Without the Woodweaver rune inscribed in my inner world, I couldn't use my usual healing techniques. That left only one option – the blue sun's energy.

"But without a concealment rune specifically designed for it..."

"Yeah. Anyone familiar with Life Realm energy would be able to detect it. However," I glanced at the three mercenaries who were watching me slowly bleed out with professional detachment. "I don't think staying dead is a better option."

"At least in this declining world," Azure added, "it's unlikely anyone would recognize the energy signature. From what we've overheard, they haven't had a higher Tier Rouqin in centuries."

The leader of the group was saying something – probably more threats or mockery – but I was already turning my attention inward, reaching for the blue sun’s energy.

The moment I called for it, I felt that familiar cool sensation – like drinking spring water on a hot day, but throughout my entire being. The vessel's green eyes flashed brilliant blue as the healing energy surged through the body.

The sensation was... intense.

I could feel the torn flesh knitting back together, damaged blood vessels sealing themselves, even the punctured lung reinflating as the blue sun's energy worked its miracle. The pain didn't exactly go away, but it transformed – shifting from the sharp agony of a mortal wound to the deep ache of rapid healing.

The mercenaries' reactions were everything I could have hoped for. Their expressions shifted from professional detachment to confusion to outright alarm as their victim's fatal wounds visibly closed before their eyes.

"Impossible!"

"What in the name of the Celestial Sovereign...?" one of them muttered, taking an involuntary step back.

I couldn't blame them for their shock. In a world where the ambient energy was so thin it could barely sustain cultivation, spontaneous healing probably seemed like something out of legend.

The leader, however, was made of sterner stuff. He gestured to one of his subordinates – the one closest to my position. "Don't just stand there gawking! Make sure he stays down this time!"

The mercenary nodded and stepped forward, blade raised. I could see his intent clearly – this wouldn't be another survivable wound. This time they'd separate my head from my shoulders and be done with it.

"Master," Azure's voice held a note of warning, "based on their energy signatures, these men are at what this world would call 'Late Tier 1.' My analysis suggests this is roughly equivalent to the fifth and sixth stages of Qi Condensation. The one approaching appears to be closer to fifth stage."

I did a quick assessment of my opponents. The one closest to me was indeed around the fifth stage equivalent, while his companion seemed slightly stronger. Their leader, however, radiated the kind of energy I associated with the sixth stage of Qi Condensation. Not overwhelming, but in my current situation...

"We don't have most of your usual runes," Azure reminded me. "No Blink Step for mobility."

He was right. What I did have was the Aegis Mark for defense, Shroud to mask the Red Sun's energy, Soul Ward for... well, that wouldn't help right now, Hawk's Eye for enhanced perception, and Leaf Storm for offense.

Not my preferred loadout, but it would have to do.

I waited until the mercenary was within striking distance, his blade starting its downward arc. Then I activated the Shroud rune, masking the Red Sun's energy that I was about to use. Immediately after, I triggered Leaf Storm.

The result was beautiful in a terrible sort of way. Dozens of leaves, each sharp as a razor and propelled by spiritual energy, materialized around me in a swirling storm. Before the mercenary could process what he was seeing, the leaves shot forward like tiny guided missiles.

The first few leaves he managed to deflect with his sword, showing impressive reflexes. But there were too many, coming from too many angles. Several sliced through his throat while others found gaps in his defensive stance, targeting vital points with surgical precision.

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He didn't even have time to scream. One moment he was advancing confidently, the next he was collapsing, eyes wide with shock as his lifeblood painted the alley walls with crimson patterns.

I took no joy in the killing – I never did. But just as with the Sun-Touched I'd faced in the Two Suns world, survival sometimes required unpleasant choices. At least these deaths would be quick and relatively clean.

The remaining mercenaries reacted with admirable professionalism to their comrade's death. The one Azure had identified as equivalent to late fifth stage Qi Condensation circled to my left, while their leader – the sixth stage equivalent – moved right. Classic flanking maneuver, forcing me to divide my attention.

I rose to my feet, immediately sensing something odd about this body's energy system. The pathways that carried rouqi were similar to the meridians I was used to, but... not quite right. They felt rougher, less refined, like a child's crayon drawing compared to a master's brushwork.

"Fascinating," Azure commented. "The entire system appears to be a degraded version of what we're familiar with. It's like looking at a copy of a copy, with each iteration losing some of the original's fidelity."

I gave the sword in my hand an experimental twirl, trying to channel rouqi through the body to enhance my movements. The result was... less than graceful. The energy moved sluggishly, resisting my attempts to direct it in the smooth patterns I was used to. I nearly dropped the weapon entirely when an attempted enhancement made my arm jerk awkwardly.

"You'll need time to adapt manipulating rouqi,” Azure advised.

He was right, and it looked like an opportunity to practice was right in front of me.

"Young Master Han," the leader's voice carried a new note of respect, though his blade remained steadily pointed at my heart, "it seems we underestimated you. I didn't realize the Han family had such... interesting techniques in their arsenal."

I didn't bother responding. Instead, I activated Hawk's Eye, the rune's enhancement sharpening my perception to supernatural levels. Time seemed to slow as my awareness expanded, letting me track both opponents' minute muscle movements, predicting their attacks before they launched them.

I then tried channeling rouqi again. This time, instead of forcing it into patterns that I was familiar with, I let the body's muscle memory guide me.

The difference was immediate. Rather than trying to fill the crude channels completely, like pouring a gallon of water through a straw, I needed to work with their natural limitations. Small pulses of energy, timed with each movement, like a drummer finding the rhythm of an unfamiliar song.

The two mercenaries came at me simultaneously, their coordination speaking of long practice fighting together. The leader's blade came in high while his companion attacked low, trying to catch me in a scissors motion that would be nearly impossible to defend against.

Nearly impossible.

I parried the leader's blade, this time successfully enhancing my arm's strength with a quick pulse of rouqi. The timing was tricky – too early and the energy dissipated uselessly, too late and the enhancement came after I needed it.

At the same time, I activated Leaf Storm again, creating a barrier of spinning leaves that forced his companion to abort his low attack or risk death by a thousand cuts. The leaves pursued him, keeping him on the defensive while I focused on the more dangerous opponent and getting used to this strange energy.

My first few attempts at rouqi-enhanced footwork were still clumsy, leading to several close calls and a shallow cut along my thigh. But by our tenth exchange, I was starting to find a workable pattern. Short bursts of rouqi timed to key moments – the instant before blade contact, the push-off for a dodge, the split second when muscles needed that extra bit of power.

The leader was good – very good. His bladework flowing like water, each strike led naturally into the next, forcing me to constantly adapt my newfound rhythm. But the Hawk Eye rune let me see his attacks coming just far enough ahead to adjust, and with each exchange, my control over this body's strange energy system improved.

His companion recovered from the initial leaf assault and rejoined the fight, forcing me to divide my attention. A strike slipped through my guard, opening a shallow cut along my ribs. Another caught my left arm, the blade biting deep enough to scrape bone.

I retaliated with a combination of swordwork and Leaf Storm, managing to drive them back momentarily. But without Blink Step, maintaining distance was proving difficult. Every exchange left me with new cuts and bruises, while they remained frustratingly unscathed.

Time to change tactics.

The next time they attacked, I deliberately left an opening in my defense. The weaker mercenary took the bait, lunging forward with his blade aimed at my apparently unprotected side. At the last possible moment, I twisted, letting his momentum carry him past me. My sword found his kidney while a concentrated burst of Leaf Storm opened his throat.

But he wasn't done. Even dying, he managed to grab my sword arm, holding me in place for one crucial second. One second was all his leader needed.

I saw the killing blow coming but couldn't move in time. The blade descended toward my neck in what seemed like slow motion, Hawk's Eye letting me appreciate every detail of my impending death. I tried to raise Aegis Mark, but I knew it wouldn't manifest quickly enough.

That's when something unexpected happened. A green blur shot out from my body – a familiar vine that wrapped around the leader's sword arm with crushing force.

Yggy.

I had forgotten about my vine companion in the chaos of possession and combat. But Yggy hadn't forgotten about me. The vine squeezed, and I heard the distinct sound of bones breaking. The leader's sword clattered to the ground as Yggy continued constricting, wrapping around his torso and neck like a python.

The mercenary leader tried to fight back, his eyes bulging as he channeled his rouqi to resist the crushing pressure. But Yggy was powered by the red sun energy, it wasn’t something rouqi could compete with directly.

The struggle was brief and decisive.

When it was over, Yggy released its grip on the corpse, letting it fall to the ground with a thud, and turned to me, leaves rustling in what I recognized as its "proud of itself" gesture. I reached out to pat it affectionately.

"Thanks, little friend. That was excellent timing."

Yggy preened under the praise, though I noticed it kept a tendril wrapped loosely around my wrist, as if wanting to make sure I was really okay. The concern was touching, though at the moment I had bigger problems.

The repeated use of Leaf Storm had nearly depleted my Red Sun energy reserves, and I was standing in an alley with three corpses and no idea what to do next. I didn’t have access to this body’s memories and had no way to ask the young master any questions while his soul was in hibernation.

I had a feeling I'd need that information soon. Very soon, given the way events had been unfolding.

That's when I felt it – a stirring in the back of my mind. The soul that had folded away from my intrusion was beginning to unfurl, like that same flower opening with the dawn. The young master was waking up.

And he was not happy to find himself a passenger in his own body.

The surge of panic and rage that I felt brush against my soul was impressive, even if it was ultimately futile. I could feel him trying to reassert control, pushing against my presence with all the strength his wounded soul could muster.

"Calm down," I projected the thought toward his consciousness. "I'm not here to hurt you. In fact, I just saved your life."

The mental equivalent of incoherent sputtering came back at me. I got fragments of thoughts – confusion about still being alive, fear about being possessed, worry about his sister and father, and a deep, burning hatred for someone named Zhou.

"Look," I continued gently, "I know this is weird. Trust me, it's weird for me too. But maybe we can help each other out. You clearly have enemies, and I..." I paused, considering how to explain my situation. "I'm sort of stranded here."

The panic began to subside, replaced by cautious curiosity. I could feel questions forming in his mind, though he hadn't quite figured out how to properly communicate them yet, it looked like he needed time to recover.

"Tell you what," I offered, "give me a little time to figure out how this whole body-sharing thing works, and then we can have a proper conversation. In the meantime, I promise not to do anything to harm you or your family. Deal?"

There was a long moment of consideration, then a reluctant sense of agreement. The soul equivalent of a handshake, I supposed. Then the young master’s consciousness retreated slightly, not back into complete hibernation but into something more like a meditative state.

"Well," I murmured, "this should be interesting."

Yggy rustled its leaves in what might have been agreement, while Azure somehow managed to convey the spiritual equivalent of raising an eyebrow.

"Master," he said, "I believe that might be the understatement of several lifetimes."

Looking down at the three dead mercenaries, then at the blood staining my robes, I had to agree. Somehow, I had a feeling that this world-walking experience was going to be very different from my previous ones.

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