Lia had been researching about the world and it wasn't as peaceful as she thought. Half the world was considered wilderness where wild qi beasts roamed. Inter-country battles plus the threat of a random high tier cultivator coming across your planet and destroying it because it irked him was possible. The current planet Silus had a population of 1 billion. Over thousands of years the wild beasts were mutated into powerful qi monsters. A qi rich world also made the environment rich in qi in which animals adapted to. The beasts were largely unorganized but would often swarm under higher level beasts who could have intelligence beyond humans. Lia sat there with her stomach in knots. Thousands of cultivators died everyday protecting the walls and lines against the beasts. While there was still social media and civilization with cities, everything was at much greater risk than earth. Information outside the planet of Silus was largely locked. Maybe it was so terrifying the higher powers didn't want normal people to know. All that she could find was that interstellar travel was only possible with nascent level soul cultivators. She read further into each level. Qi refining was where people tried to cycle qi through their bodies to eliminate impurities and increase their qi capacity. While the most basic level only 1 in 10,000 would get above the fifth level in their lifetimes. One's destiny was really set at birth with the quality of their meridians. A level 9 qi refining expert could lift over 10 times their weight and move 10 times as fast. Breaking through to the foundation establishment was a qualitative change the body expelled many impurities and the very DNA was qualitatively changed by qi. Lia had truly been a genius and many basic sect members would try most their lives to break through to foundation establishment. Once in foundation establishment cultivators would use the liquid qi to break through several more blockages of the meridians. They would cleanse all their meridians of impurities and be able to build a lake of qi to try to form it into a solid core. That would take them to the golden core stage. Lia got up and walked around the sect with new eyes. This wasn't a Harry Potter fantasy land. These sects were part of the defense of millions of people from the hordes. Lia sitting around for a month and not helping to cull the beasts could result in lost lives of many mortals. While Tim was going through a crisis as Lia in the cultivation world he was starting basic martial arts training. He looked at multiple gyms and martial arts places but decided to go to a local gym that was a martial art he had never heard of before. Soaring Phoenix Fist. It sounded ludicrous but also sounded like the cultivation world which had ludicrous names. Upon entering he could see almost no one except an old man, a 20 year old girl and some local school children and grandpas. "Ah you must be my last student for the night, I am Kurokawa Ryo sensei."
The man appraised him with deep eyes before nodding slightly. "Come sit boy." The girl beside him smirked eyeing Tim up and down critically while other elderly students ignored newcomers entirely focusing instead on slow movements resembling tai chi mixed with drunken boxing almost... Kurokawa sensei grabbed Tim's wrists and closed his eyes. "Ah I think you are here for more than just some exercise," the man said. "But an unstable fat body is the foundation of nothing." The girl stifled a giggle and Tim rolled his eyes which got him a smack on the wrist. "No attitude. And you Yui will teach him how to exercise and then recover. Use method number 4 breathing recovery technique. 8 weeks minimum before any forms can be taught," the master told her before standing up and walking away leaving Yui standing over Tim with an evil glint in her eye.
She cracked her knuckles before grabbing Tim by the shoulders forcibly dragging him toward gym mats saying cheerfully: "Welcome to hell newbie~!"
Tim realized too late that this place wasn't normal either—Yui moved way too fast for someone without qi…
---Riku arrived at her mansion after being picked up by the family butler. She flopped down on the couch kicking her feet up and closing her eyes. Varek had finally arrived at the local city. His mission had to be to help cull monsters in the surrounding area and he had done a great job. Riku smiled on the couch. "This is like an MMORPG," she thought, "just 1000 times more realistic." She looked at her communicator to see no replies from Tim. "Ugh what a lame chick," she thought. All she had done as Varek was fight low level qi beasts. It was amazing to have this unchained masculine energy under her control. Varek looked like a pop star but was incredibly ripped. As Riku used Varek's body to walk through the city she appreciated how different it was to be a man. To not have other men looking at you in desire but jealousy. To have women not look at you as a threat but an object of desire. Riku was letting the testosterone get to her head. She walked into a hotel and asked the counter girl for a room. She threw in a wink like she had seen Tim do on occasion as she asked. The girl rolled her eyes and said "That will be half a silver." Riku in Varek's body strode to his room and quickly started undressing for the shower. Not realizing she was now in a male body. Riku's mom walked in seeing her daughter laying on the couch with her face completely red. "Riku are you okay? You look like you have a temperature. I think I need ice," she whispered.
"Oh sweetheart let me get some," her mom left immediately returning seconds later with a cold towel placing it across Riku's forehead gently while worrying silently about sudden fever symptoms appearing out of nowhere...
Behind Riku's glazed eyes was her controlling Varek getting him to try the helicopter. "It's like a tail that doesn't listen," she thought. "How useless."
Meanwhile Tim was using jump rope while Yui threw insults.
"Faster! Your feet move like dead fish!"
Tim gasped for air, sweat pouring down his back. He'd been at this for hours. Jump rope wasn't even supposed to be part of martial arts—was she just torturing him?
Yui smirked, arms crossed. "Master said build foundation first. That means endurance." "Your tits are bouncing around more than a woman's," she jibed. It was a direct hit and Tim knew better than anyone that Lia's tits would bounce less than his now. 8 weeks minimum. Then he could start basic training. At least for tonight though this hell is done. Yui tossed a water bottle saying "Same time tomorrow don't be late" before walking off towards the changing rooms leaving the collapsed heap formerly known as 'Tim' lying motionless on the floor .
----The next day Tim walked into class hobbling slightly. Riku snorted seeing this before messaging privately through their rings:
Teacher did u get beaten up??
Tim shot her a glare but replied via Lia's account: Worse. Personal trainer from hell.
Riku grinned widely typing back excitedly: Varek could teach you how to be a strong man. He can even do the windmill. Tim closed his eyes. "What does that even mean?" and then it hit him. Lia typed. Wait what do you mean windmill?
She sent a video showing Varek naked doing helicopter spins with his dick while cackling maniacally. The class had still yet to sit and Riku did a little hip twirling windmill motion that no one saw but him.
"Oh my goodness," Tim thought. Riku then sent a message with a side eye glance. "Come on Lia is a hottie, I know you have showered with her eyes open. Don't act all innocent Mr. pervert." Tim didn't reply but sighed. "i thought women were meant to be more responsible and less childish."
That evening at Soaring Phoenix Fist after jump rope and basic exercises, Yui's demeanor shifted from a sadistic trainer to something more focused and serious. She gestured for Tim to sit cross-legged on the worn tatami mats, the familiar scent of old sweat and incense filling his nostrils.
"Alright, fat boy," she said, though her tone had lost its earlier bite, "time for recovery breathing. This isn't some new age meditation crap—it's the real deal."
She demonstrated the technique, her hands moving to specific points on her torso as she breathed. "Breathe in through your nose, but don't just fill your lungs. Feel the air traveling down different pathways—imagine it flowing through your chest, your abdomen, even down to your lower back. Hold it for a count of seven, then release through your mouth while guiding it back up through the same pathways."
Tim tried to follow along, but it felt awkward and forced. The breathing pattern seemed almost impossible—how could air travel to his lower back? It felt like he was trying to push oxygen through imaginary tubes that didn't exist. His body tensed with the effort, sweat beading on his forehead despite the cooling evening air.
"You're fighting it," Yui observed, moving behind him to adjust his posture. Her hands pressed against specific points along his spine. "Don't force the pathways. Let them open naturally. Your body knows how to do this—you just forgot."
Minutes passed in uncomfortable concentration. Tim's legs began to cramp from the unfamiliar position, and his breathing grew ragged. Just when he was about to give up, something strange happened. The air seemed to flow more easily, as if invisible channels had suddenly opened throughout his torso. The sensation was warm, almost electric, spreading from his core outward through his limbs.
"There," Yui said with satisfaction, stepping back. "Feel that warmth? That circulation? Your muscles are already starting to repair themselves. Do this for twenty minutes every night, and you'll recover three times faster than normal."
Tim opened his eyes, surprised to find that his earlier exhaustion had lifted considerably. His breathing felt deeper, more efficient. The aching in his muscles had dulled to a manageable soreness. "What... how does this work exactly?"
Yui shrugged, already gathering her things. "Old family technique. Been passed down for generations. Most people think it's just breathing exercises, but..." She trailed off, giving him a knowing look. "Let's just say there's more to the human body than what they teach in school."
As the other students filtered out, Tim remained on the mat, practicing the breathing pattern. Each cycle felt more natural than the last, and that warm energy continued to circulate through his body. This couldn't just be oxygen efficiency—could it? The sensation reminded him too much of the qi cultivation in the cultivation world, but that was impossible. This was just a run-down martial arts school in an ordinary city.
From the shadows near the back of the dojo, Master Kurokawa observed his newest student with ancient eyes that had seen far more than their weathered appearance suggested. The old man's expression remained impassive, but there was a subtle nod of approval as he watched Tim unconsciously guide energy through meridians that most people didn't even know existed.
The boy had potential—raw and untrained, but unmistakably present. His spiritual pathways were naturally wide, though blocked by years of sedentary living and poor health. With proper guidance, he might actually develop into something worthwhile.