Azreal, logging back into the world of Heaven’s Universe, feels a sense of power overwhelming his body, a torrent of foreign Qi empowering his very soul. His eyes flutter open as his vision takes a moment to focus, he barely manages to make out the mature woman with long midnight black hair and a voluptuous full figure sat next to him. She was channelling her Qi into him, with her hands placed onto his chest, a stream of constant yellow and white Qi swirled in her hands before it was massaged into his chest. Azreal manages a few blinks in an attempt to clear his blurry vision, as it becomes more clear, he realises that he is no longer in Lihan but inside a building. 

“Master” A whisper is all Azreal can manage. 

The flow of Qi becomes slightly unstable, as her eyes open and lock directly onto Azreal. Her surprised expression melts into a warmth that is unfamiliar to Azreal, the relief in her eyes evident as she moves her right hand to cup his face. 

“Finally, you're awake, I had thought my eagerness for you to grow had gotten you killed,” said Elder Juhee, the blame she carries is like a dagger being twisted into her back. “I am so relieved you're awake” Elder Juhee continued to pour her Qi into Azreal’s body. 

Azreal slowly moved his hand and placed it on top of his Masters, “Do not blame yourself,”

His weak words pushed the dagger of guilt deeper, her expression of relief becoming one of pain. “Azreal, I am a very young Great Elder, compared to the others who have hundreds of years of experience, I still feel guilt and sadness when a disciple under my direct care is nearly killed because of negligence” said Elder Juhee, her threads of Qi becoming infused with her anger and guilt which are feeding directly into Azreal. “Master” said Azreal, tapping her hands, in an attempt to bring attention to her actions as he is too weak to properly explain.

The Qi being channelled into Azreal immediately returns to a calm and warm Qi, as it evenly spreads throughout his body. “I am sorry Azreal, I haven’t slept since you’ve been injured, which usually wouldn't cause any problems. But I’ve been pouring Qi into you nonstop since I stabilised you at Lihan village,” said Elder Juhee. Azreal fully awakens and his senses returning, stares at her sharp marble-esque features and her shimmering purple eyes, finally notices the signs of fatigue. ‘If she has been pouring Qi into my body for about four days, shouldn’t I have absorbed that?’

<Master! You're here, I missed you so much, I want you to know that I have ensured to keep you alive and helped your recovery. Warn your Master to take a few steps back, I have managed to keep her energies pooled in your body and now that you’ve returned, it is time for you to refine it!> 

Azreal could feel the giddiness infused into the message he was reading, as the notification box jiggled slightly. “Master, can you take a few steps back?” asked Azreal. 

Elder Juhee, giving a sideways glance to her disciple as she was unsure why he would want her to stop nourishing her body, but her guilt forced her to agree. Nodding once as she stands and moves a few steps back, ensuring she is staying within distance to help him even if he doesn't want her too. Her eyes go wide and her jaw goes slack as she watches the scene in front of her, a sense of awe and clarity comes over her, she finally understands where all of the Qi she was pouring into him had gone. 

A sudden gust of ambient Qi begins to fill the room, acting as the calm before the storm. Azreal’s body acting as the eye of the cyclone, feels a familiar sense of power welling within him however, this time the amount Qi within his body makes him feel as if he's become a balloon that is soon to pop. Panic sets in, his eyes darting to his Masters location, stunned into silence, Azreal attempting to formulate a plan feels a sudden release and a burst of power surges outwards from his body, before he is assaulted by a series of notifications.

<Ding!> 

<Congratulations! You’ve just broken through to the Fourth level of Martial Adept!>

<Congratulations! You’ve just broken through to the Fourth level of Soul Initiate!>

<Ding!> 

<Congratulations! You’ve just broken through to the Fifth level of Martial Adept!>

<Congratulations! You’ve just broken through to the Fifth level of Soul Initiate!>

<You’ve broken through to the middle level of Martial Adept and Soul Initiate, due to the harmony between your body and soul, you’ve taken your first step to becoming a celestial!>

<Ding!> 

<Congratulations! You’ve just unlocked a new affinity: Blood affinity!>

<Due to your extreme exposure to blood and a massive infusion of Qi, you have skipped the requirements for the second affinity and directly unlocked the affinity>

<Ding!>

<Congratulations! Due to the massive infusion of Qi into your body, your blood affinity has evolved into Harbinger Blood Qi!>

<Affinity: Harbinger Blood Qi>

<Rank: Celestial Realm>

<The ruinous blood of a Harbinger, your Blood Qi becomes imbued with the power of ruin. Skills, techniques and abilities infused with this Qi herald the ruin of those they critically damage>

Azreal’s body remains unmoving yet is still pulsating with power, he floods the room with a domineering and blood thirsty Qi, startling Elder Juhee. Elder Juhee recovers quickly and manages to protect herself with a protective layer of her own Blood Qi. ‘What is this deep and dark pressure? I feel the eyes of the abyss are peering into my very being’ Elder Juhee begins to sweat under the pressure being omitted before the Qi in the room quickly retracts into Azreal and a calm stillness replaces it. 

A moment later, the wooden door to the room slams open with Elder Lu wielding a heavy black staff, his expression changing from fear to curiosity as he appears next to Elder Juhee. “What was that feeling, Elder Juhee, don’t tell me it was that boy” said Elder Lu, his eyes never leaving Azreal.

“I do not fully know either, Elder Lu, I am just as curious as you are. He awoke from his unconscious state and spoke a few weak words before his body started to transform the Qi I had given him into his own power,” said Elder Juhee. 

Elder Lu, still staring at Azreal, walks to his side and places two fingers against Azreal’s wrists before sending the smallest strand of his Qi into his body. Using the Qi he injected into Azreal to investigate his current status, turns to face Elder Juhee. “He is perfectly healthy, even more so than before we sent him on that mission. I would guess that every ounce of Qi you’ve injected into him was stored and somehow absorbed into his body,” said Elder Lu as he recalled his Qi and removed his hand from Azreal’s wrist. 

Azreal hadn’t said anything, as he was immersed in the notifications and his new found power. Once he had received his checkup, he immediately wanted to check his status page.

 <Name: Azreal>

<Title: The Fallen Prince>

<Cultivation Pathway: Heaven's Exile>

<Cultivation Level: Martial Adept 6, Soul initiate 6>

<Qi Accumulation: 12,000/16,000>

<Strength: 115>

<Vitality: 100>

<Dexterity: 130>

<Intelligence: 130>

<Spirit: 170>

<Affinities: Lightning Qi, Harbinger Blood Qi>

<Bound Equipment: Soul Sword (Calista), Pink and Gold Talisman>

<Abilities: Heaven's Exile, Revenging Pathway (Poisonous Sword Stance), Celestial Gaze, Stormblade Surge (First and Second Stage)>

Azreal almost puked blood at his status page, the growth he had felt was immense and to see it quantified onto a status screen reinforced the enormity that each minor realm had in between each other. ‘Just how much Qi did Elder Juhee give to me? I have to repay her for accelerating my growth like this. I can now compete against the top tier outer disciples and probably even crush them if I went at full strength’ Azreal for the first time in his life, a budding confidence blooming within his heart. 

Azreal, having undergone two minor realm breakthroughs, feels refreshed and full of energy. He bounces off the bed and stands before the two Elders who are still on edge due to the oppressive feeling of ruin that had once flooded his treatment room, located inside of Elder Lu’s personal sanctum. Each of the Great Elder’s of the Heavenly Root Sect are given a sanctum anywhere in the Sect’s grounds and allowed to infuse their Qi into the environment and shape the spiritual state of their sanctum as their own. Elder Lu’s sanctum was infused with a bright and warm healing water Qi, which carried natural healing properties and infused those within a faster recovery speed. 

“Master, Elder Lu, Thank you for saving me” Azreal, knew this was the moment to show sincerity. He took a deep bow, only rising once both of their Elders had shared their desire for him to stop.

 “Azreal, are you feeling okay?” enquired Elder Lu. “I feel the best I’ve felt in my entire life! I just broke through twice in rapid succession, I feel amazing but I do have a question if I may?” said Azreal. 

Both Elders nodded and waited for his question, “Is it normal for breakthroughs to occur this quickly? I have only been apart of this cultivation world for a short time and yet I’ve gone from no cultivation base to the fifth level of both Martial Adept and Soul initiate” 

Silence was all that awaited Azreal, both Elder Lu and Elder Juhee stare vacantly at Azreal whose bright and happy smile began to fade. A feeling of tension grips Azreal, making him feel as if he was under an extremely critical gaze, and little did he know that both Elders had thrown caution to the wind and used their divine sense at their peak strength to investigate Azreal. 

“I know we talked about undertaking both pathways but how have you managed to cultivate your body and soul in perfect harmony? I can even see faint traces of them blending together.” said Elder Juhee. 

“I just followed Master’s and Lin Xue’s instructions, I have only broke through the last two levels due to your Qi. My body had managed to store the entirety of it and allowed me to refine it into my own.” said Azreal as he rapidly spoke trying to get out everything he can before angering the Elders. “You misunderstand Azreal, we are not angry, far from it, we just had to ensure you were telling the truth. Being able to achieve this as an outer disciple, even one being looked after by a Great Elder, is a feat that is almost impossible. I only say almost because you stand before me,” said Elder Lu. 

Elder Lu turns to leave and beckons Azreal to follow with Master Juhee walking next to Azreal.“Those who wish to rise above the first heaven must ensure neither their body or soul powers ever become too unbalanced. The law of the first heaven restricts anyone above the Martial King realm from entering without restricting their base or paying a heavy price. However, to ascend to the next heaven one must pass a trial or heavenly tribulation, depending on their strength. Each of these trials of tribulations test your potential, body power, cultivation and soul power, and the difficulty that you face is set at the level of your highest power, body or soul” explained Elder Lu, leading Azreal and his master onto a balcony which overlooked the herb garden within the Sect’s walls. 

Thousands of excotic plants, perfectly lined up within an ethereal bubble which seemed to be injecting plants with a beautiful green Qi. Each of these plants being tended to by Spirit Harmony Pavilion disciples, Azreal had the thought that it looked similar to a colony of Ants trying to please their Queen, or Elder Lu in this case. 

“Magnificent, isn't it?” remarked Elder Lu as he noticed Azreal’s expression. 

“Azreal, I had not explained any of this to you when we first had tea, as I did not believe you would be at this point so soon. With the trial of heavens or facing a heavenly tribulation, those who focus on a single pathway struggle to ascend. And only those at the very top manage to ascend, those who walk both pathways with what we call a dominant path, which is the most common. This is where a disciple will pick a path of cultivation that suits them and develop it as a primary pathway, while ensuring their secondary pathway only falls a few small realms behind,” said Elder Juhee. 

She moves to stand in front of Azreal before bringing her hands together and a ball of energy forms in her hands. The ball of Qi splits itself in half, “Now imagine, you are a normal cultivator, talented but nonetheless normal, one of these halves is easier to increase in size and gain power. The other is incredibly difficult and slow, which would you choose?” 

Azreal stares at both halves, “The easier one?” 

“Yes, almost everyone does, but it is common knowledge that having a weakness is not advisable, so they use treasures, pills and form partnerships of teams with other cultivators to ensure they can have their weakness covered,” said Elder Juhee as she returned to the two halves to the same size. 

“Now imagine that you're truly talented, blessed by the heavens some will say, cursed to bear the burden of success. Both halves grow with the same ease and neither is more difficult than the other, which half do you pick?” questions Elder Juhee. 

“It would depend on my preference, bloodline, and what resources are around me. But I would attempt both” answered Azreal. 

A soft smile spreads across Elder Juhee’s face, “Correct! Often these gifted disciples manage to keep their cultivation realms in both body and soul at a similar level, even the same sometimes. However, most of these disciples have an inherent preference and a specific style usually surfaces. Now imagine that there is a cultivation method that can be used to fuse both your body and your soul power, creating a newer stronger power within? Would you choose to take this method even if you have already been cultivating for an extremely long time and would have to restart from the bottom?” 

“Yes, I believe that if there is a chance to be stronger, restarting is the best way to move forward.” replied Azreal, his firm response startling both Elders for a moment. 

“Correct, in the literal sense however, you have a skewed idea of time as you’ve managed to start with this method. Ninety nine times out of one hundred, cultivators do not believe this is worth the risk. Their enemies would kill them before they even had the chance to cultivate again, and those forged in safety are not the same as those forged on the blade of adversity.” Elder Juhee 

She stopped to look towards the peak of the Heavenly Root Sect mountaintop, a small sigh escaping her lips before she returned her gaze to Azreal. “Those gifted with the talent to train both body and soul in harmony with one another, and have the fate to find a technique to enable this is especially rare in the lower heavens. I am going to ask you a question, Azreal, and it’s greedy and unlike how a master should treat her disciple, so you are free to decline if you wish” said Elder Juhee, her tone becoming serious and her posture awkward. 

“If you have a cultivation method that allows the harmony of both body and soul, will you teach it to me?”