The slight shaking of the carriage stirred John from his deep slumber. Slowly opening his eyes, John looked around his enclosed scenery in confusion.
"Where am I? Wasn't I just out in the forest? The Dark Spotted Panther! Wait, I remember it dying before me…" John's thoughts were a mess as he tried to remember what exactly happened before he passed out.
"Ah John, you're awake." A voice beside John stirred him out of his thoughts. John looked to his side to see various people inside the carriage with him, namely Waylon Varis, Miko Varis, and Ella Varis.
"Uncle Waylon, what happened? Why am I here?" asked John.
"We were on the way to the Fenix Clans celebrations, celebrations in your honor I might add, when we saw you flying out of the forest half dead. Luckily, Miko managed to kill the beast before it landed its final blow on you" replied Waylon Varis, pausing briefly before continuing. "John, what exactly happened? Why were you out alone in the forest and why were you fighting a Dark Spotted Panther?"
"Ah, now I remember. Right before I passed out, I felt that surge of energy before that sword light from behind me killed the panther" thought John as the final scenes before he passed out became clear to him.
Thinking of Waylon's question, John replied "I was out in the forest hunting Earth Wolves. For some reason, the Dark Spotted Panther was near the road and started hunting me. I fled as fast as I could, just barely managing to make it back to the road. Thankfully you were there."
John thought about it for a second, but decided to keep the part about the surging energy a secret. For some reason, he believed that in that final moment against that panther, he would have been fine.
"We're all relieved that you are safe. Thankfully I had a few extra Life Spirit Healing Pills on me, otherwise you would have had half a foot in the grave" said Waylon Varis.
John quickly analyzed his body and realized it was in much better condition than when he had fainted. Otherwise, he would have needed to rest and recuperate for weeks at the minimum.
"Thank you Uncle Waylon," John responded.
"Of course. However, I'm sure this venture of yours was not approved by your parents, otherwise you would have had some guards to protect you. Am I wrong?" asked Waylon with a questioning tone.
John could only wryly smile at the question. His expression revealed the answer to Waylon, at which point Waylon Varis continued "I'll cover for you this once, but don't go out and try something like this again. Understand?"
"Thank you Uncle Waylon. I understand," replied John. Keeping this a secret from his mother would definitely save him a big headache of having to deal with that fallout.
The Varis entourage continued on towards the Fenix Clan before eventually arriving before the Fenix Clan gate.
"The Varis Clan has arrived" shouted one of the Varis Clan guards. Several Fenix Clan guards came out to greet the Varis Clan, before escorting them to the Fenix Clan festive hall.
The entire ride back, Miko was asking John various questions, including what John was doing in the forest and how he had survived the attacks of the panther. John gave short one sentence answers while his mind was elsewhere.
"That panther almost killed me several times today, and were it not for the Varis Clan coincidentally being there at the right time, I might have died. Even if that surge of power I felt saved me, I was still half dead at that moment" thought John.
"That panther that I struggled so hard against, the one I could barely scratch with my full power was effortlessly killed by Miko in a single stroke of his sword...I'm weak. Far too weak" He kept thinking about that sword light that killed the panther so easily.
Despite Miko being only eleven years old, he was far stronger than John at the moment. John didn't even know Miko was capable of such an attack, but the attack truly showed him the difference between Body Refinement cultivators and Mist Creation cultivators.
After traveling a bit towards the festivity hall, John thought for a moment before saying "Uncle Waylon, I'll get out here and head home to wash and put on a new robe. This one is quite torn up."
"Yes you're right. We'll see you at the celebration. Don't be late again" responded Waylon before opening the carriage door.
John walked for several minutes before arriving in front of his house. He quietly checked the interior before proceeding. Noticing that both his parents were not home, John scurried up to his room to wash himself clean and put on a fresh robe.
"Ahhhh, much better" said John as he put on the new robe. After looking at himself for a few seconds in the mirror, John strode out of his bedroom and down the main staircase, before leaving his mansion through the front door.
Turning down the road in front of his mansion, John walked towards the celebration hall, arriving a few minutes later. He stopped for a few seconds to take in the sight of the majestic hall, before proceeding through the front door.
"Ah, John, you're finally here" called out Barden Fenix as he saw his son enter the building. He continued "Now that you're here, we can start the festivities."
Cade Fenix, standing a few feet to Barden side nodded his head before loudly calling out "Friends, family. We are all here to celebrate John's newfound ability to start his cultivation journey. Many of us thought this day would never come, but I suppose the heavens really aren't blind after all. To John"
"To John" everyone in the hall shouted out happily before downing the drink in their hands. John sheepishly rubbed the back of his head before walking towards the table his family was located at.
The celebrations continued late into the night as wine was drank, food was eaten, and good times were had. The attending clan members and invited guests partied for some time before eventually retiring for the night and heading back to their respective clans.
John and his parents eventually decided to call it a night as well, and retired back to their mansion. After several minutes of walking, they all arrived at their house and walked through the front door. John bid his parents good night before retiring to bed. He crashed on his bed and thought about the harrowing events of the day.
"I have to get stronger" thought John as he quietly drifted to sleep.
The next morning, John washed up and put on a fresh robe before heading out. With his newfound passion for getting stronger, John visited the martial training arena from sunup to sundown. Every night he would come home battered and bruised, but content that he had done all he could to raise his combat power as fast as possible.
Every night after arriving home, John would meditate for hours on end, trying to feel the Qi in the air and direct it into his body. For most, this was a long and arduous journey, with most cultivators taking half a year or more to be able to fully condense their Mist Creation dantian.
Laying in bed a few nights after the events with the Dark Spotted Panther, John stared at the ceiling.
"I'm still not strong enough, and my strength is rising too slowly right now. Although I am getting stronger, I'll still be far too weak to participate in the pocket realm by the time it comes around."
While cultivating and sparring within the clan grounds was helping John steadily improve, he knew it was still quite some time before he broke through to Mist Creation, let alone get strong enough to participate in the pocket realm.
"When I was fighting with the Ironhide Lizard and even the Dark Spotted Panther, I could feel my comprehension and abilities rising at a pace I haven't felt since. Perhaps putting my life on the line is much more beneficial when it comes to cultivation and grasping the essence of the techniques I've learned" thought John while staring blankly into his bedroom ceiling.
"Also, I still don't know what that strange energy that welled up inside me was. It seemed to surge when I was on the cusp of death, although I can't be too certain if that's what caused it. Regardless of the reasons, I must find out more about it."
John thought about everything that had happened for quite some time, before a determined look flashed across his face as he fell asleep.
The next morning, after getting prepared for the day, John strode out of his room and went to go find his parents. Finding them both in the living room, John paused for a few seconds before walking in and saying "Mom, Dad...I have something I want to talk to both of you about."
His parents turned to look at him, at which point they noticed the serious expression on his face.
"Let me go grab some tea. I'll be right back" said Rachel Fenix as she got up off the couch and walked towards the kitchen.
John walked over and sat on the couch opposite his father. Rachel Fenix returned a few minutes later with the hot tea, pouring tea for everyone before sitting down herself.
Sitting there in silence for quite some time, John was thinking about how he wanted to word his next statement.
"Mom, Dad, I think I'm going to leave the clan for a while and explore the surrounding world on my own" stated John as he stared deeply into the living room fireplace in front of him, the fire crackling energetically.
"Wh..What? What are you talking about John? Why would you need to leave the clan?" responded his mother, perplexed at what he was saying. Barden Fenix looked at John with a straight face, not saying anything.
"For my entire life, I haven't been able to cultivate. The feeling of watching everyone around me soar to heights I can only dream of while I stay powerlessly grounded is a feeling I never want to experience again. And now, with the pocket realm opening in less than a year, everyone is doing their best to be prepared for it and I'm still stuck in the Body Refinement realm."
John breathed deeply before continuing, "While I am immensely thankful that I am now able to cultivate, that feeling of powerlessness hasn't left me. In fact, it's growing even stronger. I don't want to be a disappointment to myself, and I don't want to be a disappointment to both of you."
"John, never once have we considered you a disappointment. You are the greatest blessing in both of our lives" responded Rachel Fenix. She was about to stand up and hug John before Barden Fenix put a hand on her shoulder, gesturing to let John finish talking.
He took another deep breath before continuing "I know that, and I know I can never repay what both of you have done for me. Still, this gnawing feeling inside of me won't stop. My greatest desire right now is to advance my strength as much as possible, even if it means putting my life on the line. While staying in the clan is a surefire way of raising my strength, It won't be enough by the time the pocket realm comes around. Only through drastic measures will I be able to improve to a sufficient level within a year."
While John mentioned the pocket realm as a reason for his desire to increase his strength, he decided to keep the secret about that energy that he felt inside of him to himself. He surmised that most likely, only through extreme measures would he come to learn the truth about that power.
Rachel Fenix was at a loss for words while she tried to think of something to say to John to persuade him off this path.
"Sigh!"
A deep sigh filled the room as Barden Fenix looked towards his son, a complicated look of both pride and sadness filling his eyes.
"Rachel, there's no reason to try to convince John otherwise. I can see that he's made up his mind on this matter." stated Barden. Despite Rachel's protests, Barden managed to convince her that there was no changing John's mind.
Barden looked at his son for a few seconds before saying "Son, if this is the path you want to take then I support it." Barden Fenix then stood up and gestured towards John to follow him.
"But before you head out, I want to teach you a few things regarding cultivation."
John nodded his head resolutely before hugging his mother one more time, at which point he turned and followed his father, a determined look visible on his face.