The Silverpoint Business Library looked like every other university library Marcus had ever seen—until he walked through the doors.
The first floor was normal enough. Students at computers, study carrels, the faint smell of coffee and old books. But his Network Sensing was going haywire. He could feel energy flowing through the building like currents in water, stronger on the upper floors.
A student brushed past him, and Marcus felt it—a pulse of qi so strong it made his teeth ache. Stage 8 at least. The guy didn't even glance at him.
[Tutorial Tip: Your Network Sensing ability allows you to detect cultivation levels and qi flows. Higher-stage cultivators naturally emit stronger auras. This sense will sharpen as you progress.]
"Thanks," Marcus muttered to the floating text. "Very helpful."
The directory by the entrance listed floors one through three as standard library resources. Floor four was listed as "Advanced Business Resources - Restricted." Floor five didn't have a label at all, just "Authorized Access Only."
Marcus headed for the stairs. If there were cultivation resources, they'd probably be on four or five. But when he tried the stairwell door to the fourth floor, it didn't budge. His student ID card got him nothing.
[Access Denied: Minimum Stage 8 Required]
Of course.
Back on the third floor, Marcus found what he was looking for: a section labeled "Foundation Business Practices." It was tucked in the back corner, and unlike the rest of the pristine library, these shelves looked worn. Used.
There were maybe a dozen students in this section, all of them radiating the weak, flickering auras of Stage 1 cultivators. His people. The blind candidates.
Marcus grabbed a study carrel in the corner and opened his Basic Network Formation manual.
The first page had a foreword:
"Congratulations on awakening to corporate cultivation. You have taken the first step on a path that will reshape your understanding of business, power, and reality itself. This manual will guide you from Stage 1 to Stage 2 of the Intern Realm—a journey that typically takes seven to ten days for blind candidates without prior guidance.
Do not be discouraged by this timeline. The foundation you build now will determine your future advancement. Rushed cultivation leads to unstable foundations and blocked meridians. Take your time. Master each principle.
- Dean Helena Cross, Silverpoint Business Institute"
Seven to ten days for Stage 2.
He had three.
Marcus flipped to Chapter One: "Understanding Corporate Qi."
"Before you can cultivate, you must understand what you are cultivating. Corporate qi is not the same as traditional Eastern qi. While Eastern cultivation draws power from nature, martial discipline, and spiritual enlightenment, corporate cultivation draws power from structure, hierarchy, and human organization.
Every business interaction generates qi. Every email sent. Every meeting attended. Every deal closed. This energy normally dissipates, unused. Corporate cultivators learn to capture, refine, and internalize this energy.
Your first task is to sense this qi in action. Find a place where business is conducted—a café, a networking event, even a busy coffee shop. Observe. Feel. Learn to distinguish corporate qi from background noise.
Only then can you begin to cultivate it."
Marcus read the paragraph three times. So he needed to... go watch people do business? That was cultivation?
He kept reading. The next twenty pages were dense theory about qi meridians, dantian points (apparently his was located somewhere near his solar plexus), and the difference between "extractive cultivation" and "generative cultivation." His eyes started to glaze over.
A notification popped up:
[Skill Gained: Basic Cultivation Theory - Level 1]
[Reading cultivation manuals now 5% more effective]
Well. That was something.
"This is insane," someone muttered nearby.
Marcus looked up. A few carrels over, a Black guy around his age was glaring at his own copy of the manual. He had the same flickering Stage 1 aura as Marcus.
"Completely insane," the guy continued, apparently talking to himself. "Three days to learn magic. Sure. Why not. Makes perfect sense."
Despite everything, Marcus smiled. "Could be worse."
The guy's head snapped up. "How? How could this possibly be worse?"
"We could have found out after we'd already failed," Marcus said. "At least we have warning."
The guy stared at him, then laughed—short and sharp. "That's either optimism or denial. I can't tell which." He stood and walked over, extending his hand. "Daniel Torres. Stage 1, obviously. And yes, I'm freaking out."
"Marcus Chen. Also Stage 1. Also freaking out." Marcus shook his hand. No weird qi transfer this time—apparently that only happened with higher-stage cultivators. "But freaking out doesn't help, so I'm trying to figure out what the hell this manual is telling me to do."
"Right?" Daniel dropped into the chair across from him. "I've read this first chapter four times and I still don't get it. 'Observe business interactions.' What does that even mean? Do I need to spy on people? Is that legal?"
"I think it means go to a coffee shop or something," Marcus said. "Watch people network. Feel the qi."
"Feel the qi," Daniel repeated flatly. "The magic business energy."
"Yeah."
"That we learned existed two hours ago."
"Yep."
Daniel rubbed his face. "My mom is going to be so disappointed when I wash out on day three."
"Then don't wash out," Marcus said. It came out more confident than he felt, but Daniel needed to hear it. They both did. "Look, we've got three days. The manual says most people take seven to ten. That means it's possible to do it faster."
"The people who do it faster probably have tutors. Family support. Private cultivation resources." Daniel gestured around the empty section. "We've got a library corner that looks like it hasn't been updated since the nineties."
He wasn't wrong. But wallowing wouldn't help either.
"So we help each other," Marcus said. "Two heads are better than one, right? We're both starting from zero. Maybe we can figure it out together."
Daniel looked skeptical. "You know corporate cultivation is competitive, right? We're literally being ranked against each other."
"We're at the bottom of the rankings anyway," Marcus pointed out. "And we both need to hit Stage 2 just to stay enrolled. After that, sure, we can compete. But right now, we've got the same goal."
[Quest Updated: Survive Orientation Week]
[New Objective Available: Form a Study Group]
[Benefit: Shared insights, faster learning, +10% cultivation speed when studying together]
[Note: Corporate cultivation rewards both competition and cooperation. Choose your allies wisely.]
Marcus blinked at the notification. Apparently the System agreed with him.
"Did you just get a quest update?" Daniel asked, staring at something in his own vision.
"Yeah. Study group bonus."
"Same." Daniel drummed his fingers on the table, thinking. Then he sighed. "Fine. Okay. We're doing this. Partners until we both hit Stage 2, then all bets are off."
"Deal."
They shook on it, and Marcus felt a subtle shift—like something clicking into place. A faint thread of connection formed between them, visible only to his Network Sensing.
[Connection Established: Study Partner - Daniel Torres]
[Benefit Active: +10% cultivation speed when studying together]
"Did you feel that?" Daniel asked.
"Yeah. I think we just formed an actual cultivation link."
"This is so weird." Daniel pulled his chair closer, opening his manual. "Okay, so the first chapter says we need to observe business interactions. There's a coffee shop on campus—Renaissance Roasters. Place is always packed with students networking."
"Perfect. We go there, observe, and try to sense the qi?" Marcus flipped through his manual, looking for more specific instructions. "There's got to be more to it than just watching."
"Page forty-seven," Daniel said. "There's a diagram. 'Basic Sensing Exercise.' We're supposed to focus on our dantian—that's the cultivation center in our chest—and try to draw ambient qi into it."
Marcus found the page. The diagram showed a figure sitting in what looked like a meditation pose, with arrows indicating qi flow from the environment into the body's center.
"The Basic Sensing Exercise is your first true cultivation technique. Begin by finding a location rich in corporate qi—anywhere business is conducted. Sit comfortably. Close your eyes. Focus your awareness on your dantian. Feel the warmth that awakened during your initiation. That warmth is your cultivation foundation.
Now, extend your awareness outward. Feel the qi in the environment. Corporate qi has a distinct signature—sharp, energetic, purposeful. It feels like ambition. Like forward momentum. Like deals being made and futures being shaped.
Once you sense it, visualize drawing it toward you. Do not force it. Invite it. Let it flow naturally into your dantian. With practice, this will become automatic. For now, each successful draw will strengthen your foundation.
Practice this exercise for at least two hours daily until advancement to Stage 2."
Two hours daily. For seven to ten days.
They had three days total.
"We're going to be doing this a lot," Marcus said.
"Better start now then." Daniel stood up. "Renaissance Roasters?"
"Let's go."
They gathered their things and headed for the stairs. As they passed the other Stage 1 students, Marcus noticed they were all alone—each one isolated in their own carrel, struggling through the same material.
"Should we ask if anyone else wants to join?" Daniel asked quietly.
Marcus glanced back. One girl looked close to tears. A guy had his head down on his desk, the picture of defeat.
"We can mention it on the way out," Marcus said. "But if they want to work alone..."
"Their choice," Daniel finished. "Not our responsibility."
It felt harsh, but also necessary. They had seventy hours left. No time to save everyone.
As they descended the stairs, Marcus pulled up his status screen.
[Marcus Chen - Status Update]
- Stage: 1 (Network Sensing)
- Progress to Stage 2: 2%
- Skills: Basic Cultivation Theory (Lvl 1)
- Connections: Daniel Torres (Study Partner)
- Time Remaining: 70 hours, 12 minutes
Two percent. Just from reading the manual and forming a study partnership.
Ninety-eight percent to go.
Marcus felt the weight of it, but also something else. A spark. The same feeling he'd gotten when he'd finally cracked organic chemistry, or when he'd nailed his GMAT after months of studying.
The feeling that said: I can do this.
"You know what's funny?" Daniel said as they pushed through the library doors. "This morning, I was worried about whether I'd packed the right business casual clothes for orientation."
Marcus laughed. "This morning, I was worried about making a good first impression."
"And now we're hunting for magic energy in a coffee shop."
"Yep."
They walked across campus toward Renaissance Roasters, two Stage 1 cultivators with terrible odds and three days to beat them.
But they were walking forward.
That was something.