"Yes, we are actually related. I am the Third Elder's uncle and am the second highest under the Patriarch." First Elder explained with a big smile as he stroked his white beard like an old sage.

"Oh, nice to meet you then." James said with a smile as he finally took in his surrounding. However, there were no surroundings. The only thing James saw as he looked around was blue. The blue of the sky!

When James came to the realization of this he looked below him and realized they were flying in the air! James and the First Elder were sitting on a small little carpet that was quite pretty and moving at a speed that even James couldn't comprehend.

"WOAH! WHAT IS HAPPENING?! HOW ARE WE IN THE AIR?!" James asked in shock as he fell backward from the edge of the carpet in fright.

"Hahahaha! It has been a long time since I have been able to shock someone like this. If a simple flying artifact like this shocks you then you are in for a treat going forward." First Elder said with joy as the carpet continued to glide through the sky passing hills and rivers making it all look like a blur.

James and First Elder sat in silence for a while enjoying the scenery while James questioned why he couldn't feel any wind from how fast they were going. Any time he asked something like this the First Elder just said it was due to the artifact protecting them.

"So I was told you have truly never cultivated before and from looking in your body that seems to be the case." First Elder said as he looked at James closely.

"That's right. Third Elder and everyone else kept mentioning this cultivation thing but my parents and neighbors never told me about something like this." James said nodding his head.

From what James could recall everything in his village was normal to his standard including the people. There weren't any people like the Third Elder who had been able to let out that strange invisible force.

"Interesting. Well, I will give you an explanation since we have plenty of time before we reach the sect. Cultivation is the channeling and use of one's inner Qi. All throughout your body you have these points called meridians. Each of these points is a channel that works together with the rest of your body to make a flow of Qi by absorbing the Qi in the air around you. By absorbing the outside Qi you can slowly fill your meridians and your dantian. The dantian is the part of your inner body that slowly fills with Qi and powers you over time. Qi is what empowers me and the other elders allowing us to not only live longer and be stronger but to also power things like this flying carpet here." First Elder explained as he placed his hand on different points of James' body showing him where the meridians are.

"In addition to this, there are also things known as cultivation levels. These levels are the levels that show your mastery and strength in cultivation so you can compare with others. There are also things known as Dao's but you can worry about that later." First Elder explained further while showing James' where his dantian is.

"Wow, that's a lot! How do you begin using these meridian things and taking the Qi out of the air? I can't see it and I can't feel anything no matter where I look." James said in confusion as he looked at the sky and air around him trying to understand the First Elder's words.

The First Elder chuckled at James' words before going into a lotus position, "Just watch closely. You need to void your mind of any other thought and feel the air around you. Feel the sounds and the feeling of any texture as you turn off your mind and deeply inhale." First Elder said before he did exactly as he had said.

At first, James saw nothing strange happening but after a few seconds of waiting James could see a thin line of blue swirling around the First Elder. The blue was swirling around him quickly before going into the First Elder's stomach. It looked like he was absorbing whatever the blue stuff was at a very fast pace.

"Is this Qi?!" James asked in shock at the bizarre scene.

"Yes, it is. This is how we cultivate the Qi of our surroundings and bring it into our bodies. This is the most simple and beginning step for every person's journey through cultivation. Why don't you give it a try?" First Elder said as he opened his eyes from his meditative state.

When given an opportunity like this James couldn't help but sit in a meditative state just like First Elder clasping his hands together and closing his eyes as he tried to clear his mind. James cleared his mind and focused on the sound of the passing wind trying to feel the air and all of the land passing down below.

At first, James entered a peaceful state but showed no progress on the outside making the First Elder think about giving a helping hand. However, right as he was going to do that James' thoughts went to the scene of his parents in the village.

The way he had found their dead bodies on the lawn and the scene that had surrounded him. As he thought of these there was a disturbance outside his body that only the First Elder saw. The blue energy that he had been intaking before was now showing a similar scene outside James quickly rushing into his body and absorbing into his meridians at an even faster pace than First Elder.

As this happened James' thoughts then moved to a scene where he had the strength of someone like the Third Elder or First Elder. Where he was able to defend himself and his family from whatever came their way. If he had this strength his parents would never leave and he would have that warm feeling forever. They would never leave! Everything would be alright! Everything would be like before! HE WOULD HAVE LOVE FOREVER!