Kyle wasn't sure what he'd expected after being accepted as a disciple of the Verdant Mist Sect. Maybe a dramatic thunderclap. A new robe descending from the sky in a beam of holy light. A jade slip slamming into his forehead with the secrets of the universe.
Instead, he was handed a plain token, shown to a modest wooden room with a cot and a desk, and politely told to "meditate on your purpose" until someone came to get him for orientation.
He stood in the room alone, staring at the wooden walls and bamboo mat.
"…Y'know, considering how dramatic the Sect Master was, this is surprisingly IKEA-core."
He flopped onto the cot. It creaked like it had already seen the rise and fall of three dynasties.
He stared at the ceiling for a while, trying to piece together everything that had happened in the past… what, eight hours?
1. He woke up in a mystical forest.
2. He found out he was suddenly a flawless Chinese cultivator-man.
3. Spirit animals bowed to him like he was a nature emperor.
4. He got scouted into a powerful cultivation sect by a girl with movie-star energy.
5. He got grilled by a cranky elder.
6. He got personally recruited by a goddess-tier Sect Master who might be older than calculus.
"Yeah," he whispered. "This is officially the best and weirdest day of my life."
Just then, a soft knock tapped on the door.
Kyle sat up. "Come in?"
The door slid open and Lian Mei stepped inside, now carrying a wooden tray with a steaming teapot and two cups. She smiled. "You looked overwhelmed. Thought tea might help."
Kyle blinked. "You brought me tea?"
"Our Sect believes in harmony and hospitality."
"Well… dang. Back home, the only welcome gift I ever got was a suspicious coupon for expired tacos."
She set the tray down on the desk, poured them each a cup, and sat across from him. Kyle reached out, took the cup carefully, and sniffed it.
"Mmm. Earthy. Like warm tree thoughts."
Mei giggled. "It's Spirit Root Leaf Tea. It soothes the nerves and balances qi."
Kyle sipped. The taste was rich, slightly bitter, and somehow refreshing. A tingling sensation danced along his throat.
"Okay, that's actually amazing."
They sat in comfortable silence for a while. The only sounds were the distant rustle of bamboo leaves and the occasional soft chirp of spirit birds somewhere outside the window.
Finally, Kyle asked, "So… what now?"
"Well," Mei said, "you'll begin as an Outer Disciple. That means you'll attend basic cultivation classes, learn foundational techniques, and assist in some of the Sect's duties—like herb gathering or cleaning the bamboo terraces."
"Cool, cool. So like spiritual summer camp, but with higher stakes."
"More or less," she said with a grin. "Once you develop your qi sense and begin accumulating spiritual energy, you'll advance to Inner Disciple status."
Kyle nodded. "Alright. So... uh, do I have qi?"
She looked him over curiously. "Well… I sensed some fluctuation around you earlier. But you've never cultivated before, right?"
"Nope. The only thing I've cultivated is a high resistance to sleep deprivation."
Mei smiled again and stood. "Then I'll guide you through your first session."
Kyle blinked. "Wait, like now?"
"There's no better time to begin walking the path."
"Man, you cultivators don't mess around."
He followed her out of the room and through a quiet side garden filled with gently glowing stones arranged in spirals. A trickling waterfall murmured in the background as Mei led him to a circular stone platform surrounded by wind chimes and paper talismans.
"This is one of the beginner meditation circles," she said. "It's aligned with the local qi flows, so it's a good place for novices."
Kyle stepped onto the stone ring and sat cross-legged. Mei sat across from him.
"Alright," she said gently, "close your eyes."
Kyle obeyed.
"Now… breathe in deeply through your nose. Slowly. Let the air carry energy through your body."
Kyle inhaled. The air tasted like morning dew and ancient wisdom.
"Now exhale gently, letting go of tension. Clear your thoughts."
He exhaled.
"Feel the world around you. Listen to the wind. The leaves. The faint hum of the earth beneath you."
At first, Kyle felt nothing but his own pulse and a slight itch in his left sock zone. But slowly… something changed.
The air grew still.
The sounds became sharper—not louder, but more precise. He could feel the breath of the trees, the ripple of water over rocks, the swirl of air curling through the bamboo.
And then… there it was.
A thread. A current. Like a barely visible river flowing all around him. It wasn't physical, but it tugged at something within him. Not a muscle. Not an organ. Something deeper.
He reached out—not with his hands, but with his awareness.
And the current pulled back.
His eyes flew open—and the wind chimes exploded into a frenzied dance. The talismans rustled as if caught in a storm. The nearby waterfall surged louder.
"Kyle!" Mei called, eyes wide.
Kyle gasped, falling backward out of his meditative pose. His hands were shaking slightly.
"What the hell was that?!"
Mei rushed to his side. "That was qi. You touched it. No—you resonated with it."
Kyle blinked. "Is that… good?"
"That's incredible. Most beginners can only sense qi. But you connected with it. That shouldn't be possible this soon."
Kyle groaned and flopped onto his back. "That felt like someone plugged me into a cosmic battery and set it to 'vibrate.'"
She laughed. "That's not entirely wrong."
"So… did I pass my first cultivation test?"
Mei looked at him, her smile both proud and curious. "Kyle… you didn't just pass. You leapt over it."
He lay there for a moment, letting the sky spin above him.
"Well, great. Guess I'm going to have to figure out how to not blow up next time."
---
Later that evening, Kyle returned to his little room, feeling like his soul had done two hours of cardio. He collapsed onto the cot and groaned.
"I need like… three naps and an immortal chiropractor."
He pulled up the inventory panel from his ring again. The pills were still there. Thirty hunger suppression pills. Each one enough to last a full month.
"I don't need to eat. I don't need to poop. And now I'm inhaling invisible power streams. Yup. Cultivation life is wild."
Just then, a new line appeared in front of his eyes.
---
[Spiritual Affinity Detected: Forest-Type Qi Resonance]
Special Trait: Passive Qi Attraction – Nature-Based Qi will drift toward you over time
Warning: Uncontrolled intake may lead to overaccumulation
Suggestion: Begin learning a Qi-Guiding Technique immediately.
---
Kyle blinked.
"…Okay. That sounds like something I should definitely not ignore."
Another notification blinked into existence:
---
New Quest: Begin Your Cultivation Training
Objective: Acquire a Basic Qi-Guiding Technique
Reward: Unlock Spiritual Core Progression Path
---
"Great," he muttered. "I've officially got a main quest line now."
And for the first time since waking up in that forest, Kyle smiled without confusion or panic.
Because this? This was the good stuff.
Not just magic.
Not just swords and robes.
But purpose. A path. A story.
"Alright, Verdant Mist Sect," he said softly. "Let's see just how far this rabbit-hole goes."