Rank 7?
A Rank 4 Magic Spirit was something only a few people in the entire empire had. Even by the most generous estimates, there couldn't be more than 100 of them in the empire. A Rank 5 Spirit, up until recently, didn't even exist in Harry's mind. Perhaps one would need to leave the empire to find such a spirit. And as for Rank 6, Harry couldn't even fathom how rare one of those must be.
Yet, Slughorn was saying his Magic Spirit was actually Rank 7!
"I have more evidence," Slughorn continued. "A higher Magic Spirit rank does have a bit of a downside – the amount of Qi you need to for cultivating is larger. Earlier, I said that one of those Body Nourishing Pills could get you to 3rd level of the Body Tempering Realm. That's only true if you had a low rank Magic Spirit, which you obviously do not."
"For Rank 4 and 5, those cultivators would require multiple pills. But even then, they wouldn't need as many as you do. Everything lines up, my boy!"
At this point, Slughorn had a maniacal look in his eyes.
"You really think he has a Rank 7 Magic Spirit?" the Exalted Cat snorted. "Do you realize how rare that would be? Rank 6 Magic Spirits may exist, but I doubt you could find one even if you searched the whole world!"
"True, but his refining speed is simply unbelievable – far faster than mine was. You're right that I've never seen a Rank 6 Magic Spirit, much less Rank 7, but it wouldn't surprise me if Harry had one. And even better, there is a simple way to test it – we just get him to the 3rd level of the Body Tempering Realm!"
"That'll take me a whole year though," Harry muttered.
"Harry, you are forgetting something very important."
"What is it?"
"I, Horace Slughorn, am an Alchemist. Ordinary Grade pills – I have hundreds of them! And Body Nourishing Pills – I have plenty! Even with your enormous consumption, I have confidence I can get you to the 4th level, much less the 3rd. And with your shocking refining speed, I believe we could even finish this experiment in a matter of weeks!"
Hundreds of Ordinary Grade pills? Harry suddenly realized his previous estimation of Slughorn's wealth was far off the mark.
"I am very grateful for your generosity," Harry said. "But, you've already done so much for me, and -"
"There's no need to be polite with me, my boy. First of all, Ordinary Grade pills have long become useless for me. If you don't use them, they would sit on my shelves until I die. Second, your mother was my direct disciple, and I had a habit of spoiling my disciples – as anyone who knows me can attest to, right, old cat? I still feel sadness over Lily's death, and if I can help her son out, well, why shouldn't I? Besides, it's possible that if you don't open your meridians by 20, you'll die. How could I sit by and watch Lily's son suffer from the cruelest poison in this world? How would I face Lily in the afterlife?"
"And furthermore," Slughorn smiled widely, "Which cultivator does not dream of seeing a Rank 7 Magic Spirit? Even if there is a slight chance, if I could see the birth of one, then my life would not have been lived in vain!"
And with a flourish, Slughorn upended a vial and poured out four more high-quality Body Nourishing Pills.
"Take them, Harry," he said magnanimously. "This will be enough for you to get into the 3rd level, and then we will know about your Magic Spirit."
"Thank you," Harry said, his voice shaking with emotion. He had never seen such wealth before, nor this amount of kindness.
He accepted the pills, but just before he was about to refine them, he paused.
"What does it feel like when a Magic Spirit awakens? And how will I know what it is called?"
"Ah, good question, I should have explained that. You won't feel anything physically, but you'll feel like something in your body has awakened, like a light has turned on, though the specifics will depend on the type of spirit you have. For beast type spirits, it's like a part of you has been roused from a deep sleep, almost like a second consciousness, for example. And as for its name, you'll just know it when it awakens, as if it had been in your mind all along."
"Alright," Harry said. Opening his mouth, he swallowed the first pill, and began refining. In just a few minutes, the Qi in the pill was assimilated with his body, and he felt his Heart Protector Meridian had opened a bit more.
The second pill went down his throat, and minutes later, the Qi had integrated into his meridian.
The third pill followed, and then the fourth. When he was finished, the very last bit of his Heart Protector Meridian burst open, and he felt his latent Qi rush through it, steadily providing strength to his body.
3rd level of the Body Tempering Realm!
It was a level he had spent years dreaming about, a level he thought he would need years to reach. But he had done it in just the space of a few minutes!
With his eyes still closed, he excitedly waited for his Magic Spirit to awaken. There would be another consciousness in his body, and he'd get the ability to manifest it. Just a bit longer…
A bit longer…
Soon…
Anytime now…
Why didn't he feel anything?
No longer able to wait, he opened his eyes and looked around.
"I don't feel anything," he blurted out.
He looked up at Slughorn and the Exalted Cat, only to see them looking back at him with disbelieving expressions.
"Where do I even begin?" the Exalted Cat muttered.
"Five high-quality Ordinary Pills, each gone in minutes. I thought only Qi Absorption Realm cultivators could do that," Slughorn said with a look of shock in his eyes.
"Boy, do you feel any problems? Do your meridians hurt?"
"I feel fine," Harry shrugged.
"Hah, you could bankrupt people in a single day. But more importantly, your Magic Spirit hasn't awakened."
Slughorn and the Exalted Cat shared a long glance. Perhaps they really were communicating through telepathy.
"Er, do you think it's above Rank 7 then?" Harry finally asked to break the silence. If the pattern continued, Ranks 7, 8, and 9 would awaken at the 3rd level of the Body Tempering Realm.
But when even Rank 6 was a legend, who could possibly have a Magic Spirit above Rank 9?
"No," Slughorn sighed. "There is no way such a spirit could exist. And I was so sure… everything would have made perfect sense. How could it still not appear?"
"Perhaps you really are Spiritless," the cat remarked.
Harry's face fell at that thought. Being labelled a "Spiritless Cultivator" was no different than being labelled trash. Anywhere he went, he'd be met with mockery and disdain.
"Well, there's no point in worrying about this. Even if you are Spiritless, it is undeniable that your refining speed is blazing fast. Take a few days to circulate your Qi and strengthen your foundation. After that, I'll give you the pills to break through the 4th layer."
"What do you mean by 'strengthen your foundation'?"
"Right, I suppose you were never taught that. I'll explain it like this. The Body Tempering Realm is the easiest realm to advance stages in, because all one needs to do is open your meridians with Qi, which can be supplemented with pills. The wealthiest clans in our empire, the ones in the capital for sure, have amassed thousands of these Body Nourishing Pills. So, why don't you hear about groups of little children at the 9th level of the Body Tempering Realm?"
"Well, they wouldn't be used to their strength."
"Exactly. The sole rule of cultivation is this – there are no shortcuts along the path of cultivation. If you were to open your 4th meridian right now, your body's Qi would be unaccustomed to flowing through the 3rd meridian, which would be disastrous for your future. Cultivation must be advanced step by step. Once you advance a level, you can't immediately advance to the next. You must take your time, and get accustomed to your strength. Therefore, you must practice circulating your Qi before advancing further."
"Ok, so how do I strengthen my foundation?"
"It's a very simple matter, really. Just spend a few days driving your Qi around your newly opened meridians, allowing it to get used to your body. There isn't really any special technique to it. It's just a matter of time and practice. It should only take a few days per meridian, and to reach Perfect Opening, maybe a few weeks."
"Perfect Opening?"
"It's like this," the Exalted Cat explained. "You open a meridian, you advance a level in the Body Tempering Realm. Once you open all nine, you'll be at the 9th level of the Body Tempering Realm. Then when you reach Perfect Opening in all nine, you'll enter the Qi Absorption Realm."
"How will I know if I reach Perfect Opening?"
"You won't be able to miss it. The turbulent flow of Qi will settle in your meridians, and pushing Qi through will be very smooth. Don't worry, you'll definitely know when it happens."
"Oh, I've felt that!" Harry exclaimed. "After I opened the first two meridians, I felt something like that a few days later. I just didn't know it was called Perfect Opening."
"A few days?" Slughorn echoed. "It usually takes a few weeks."
"Uh, I think it happened in a few days. But I'm not sure. It was a while ago."
"Well, in any case, you should go practice now. You don't need to reach Perfect Opening before opening the next meridian, you just need to get your Qi used to the new meridian."
"Thank you," Harry bowed to Slughorn, despite his protests.
"You've done more for me today than anyone has my entire life. I know I am still weak now, but if I am able to one day, I will definitely repay you back."
"No worries, my boy. Go on and practice, while this old cat and I do some catching up."
Thanking Slughorn once again, Harry returned to his guest room and began practicing.
The next two days passed rather monotonously. Harry spent his time in Slughorn's place, wholly immersed in pushing Qi through his new meridian. From dawn to dusk he focused on practicing the technique, stopping only for meal breaks.
He had offered to help Slughorn with some household tasks, but had been waved off, and was told that he should focus on cultivating. So, Harry had done exactly that, practicing the Qi circulation patterns over and over. Meanwhile, Slughorn and the Exalted Cat were locked in a conversation, something about training something, that Harry was not privy to.
It was oddly relaxing, meditative even, and Harry could easily lose track of time, engrossed in sensing the Qi in his body. It was as if he had entered a state of enlightenment. For some reason, this kind of practice was very easy for him.
Two days later, he exited his room and went to find Slughorn and the Exalted Cat.
"I reached Perfect Opening," Harry reported.
"What?"
"I said that I reached Perfect Opening on my third meridian," Harry repeated.
But Slughorn and the Exalted Cat just stared at him, so Harry repeated himself once again.
"I reached Perfect Opening on my third meridian."
"I heard what you said," the cat snapped. "I'm not deaf."
"Then why didn't you say anything?"
"Boy, do you think this Exalted Cat is gullible? It takes weeks to do that."
"I know that, but I spent most of the last two days practicing. So of course, I'd finish a bit faster."
"If a person were to neither eat nor sleep, and do nothing but practice, it would still take a week!"
Harry snorted.
"It's just circulating some Qi. How could it take that long?"
"Boy, are you mocking me? This Exalted Cat spent two weeks before reaching Perfect Opening!"
"It also took me two weeks," Slughorn added. "We weren't expecting you for at least that long."."
"Why don't you show us?"
Harry obliged. He sent his Qi through the Lung Meridian, then the Heart Meridian, and then the Heart Protector Meridian.
When they sensed the flow of Qi in Harry's body, Slughorn and the Exalted Cat stared at him with dumbfounded looks. Indeed... his third meridian had already reached Perfect Opening!
"Your Heart Protector Meridian only opened two days ago… amazing, truly amazing."
Slughorn was lost in thought, his eyes staring far off into the distance.
"How is this possible... ah, perhaps, you have inherited your mother's cultivation talent."
"Anyways," he snapped back to attention. "Seeing that you're done, there's no need to delay. Here are 10 high-quality Body Nourishing Pills. Hopefully these will be enough for the fourth level."
10 high-quality Body Nourishing Pills! This was an unimaginable amount of wealth!
Feeling some regret, Harry opened the vial and took out a pill. Immediately the medicinal fragrance filled his nose. Indeed, like all of Slughorn's other pills, this one was also high-quality.
Harry tossed the pill in his mouth, and guided it through the Lung Meridian, then the Heart Meridian, and through the Heart Protector Meridian. Thanks to his diligent practice over the last few days, his third meridian had no problem handling the rushing Qi. Harry gritted his teeth and guided it towards the fourth meridian, the Triple Burner Meridian.
The moment the Qi entered, there was a flash of pain along his chest. The Triple Burner Meridian ran from the heart to the intestines, so the pain was spread through his body.
One infected with the Fetal Crippling Poison will experience pain as each of the body's meridians are opened. When opening the first three meridians, there is a slight pain, easily bearable. When opening the next three, there is a much sharper and long-lasting pain. When opening the final three, the pain becomes extremely intense, enough to make the cultivator lose conscious, and can even cause cultivation deviation."
At least, that was written in one of Slughorn's books on poisons. Just as the book said, the pain of opening the first three meridians had been very slight. It was so slight that Harry didn't even realize it was unnatural. But for the 4th, it intensified greatly. Nonetheless, Harry was determined to open all of his meridians, and expel the poison from his body.
It started as a dull throb, like something about to burst out of his body. He could feel his meridian aching and cramping, yet Harry continued pushing Qi through. All of a sudden, there was a horribly painful feeling, like something in his body being torn apart, and Harry let out a groan.
'Ignore it, ignore it,' he chanted to himself.
He continued guiding Qi into the meridian, resolutely ignoring the pain. After all, compared to the beating he received at Dudley's hands, this was like a spring breeze.
The pain lasted for a few minutes, and when enough of his Triple Burner Meridian was open, the pain disappeared. Along with that, it felt like a barrier had been removed, allowing Qi to flow through more of his body.
"I'm alright," Harry assured Slughorn and the Exalted Cat.
Taking a few deep breaths, he adjusted his state of mind. Maintaining a proper mental state was extremely important when cultivating – one had to focus and not let themselves be distracted. That was the reason the Fetal Crippling Poison was so devious. To get rid of it, one had to cultivate. But to cultivate, one had to suffer through torturous pain.
Now that his 4th meridian was in the opening phase, he would no longer feel any pain as he cultivated. He could refine pills normally until he full opened the meridian, at which point he would be in the 4th level of the Body Tempering Realm. But after that, when he started opening his 5th meridian, the pain would return, and be even worse.
After Harry recovered, he popped the second pill in his mouth, then the third, until all 10 were finished. Yet, he sensed that his meridian was only two-thirds of the way open. It seemed Slughorn was right about his consumption – it was enormous.
"I can't believe it," Slughorn muttered. "I can't believe anyone can refine pills so quickly."
"You are simply a bottomless pit," the Exalted Cat added. "You really don't feel anything wrong?"
"No," Harry shrugged.
"Are you sure? Horace, check the boy's body. There has to be some backlash in his meridians. Boy, it wouldn't surprise me if your body exploded."
For the next hour, Slughorn poked, prodded, and examined Harry's body, using a variety of medical equipment and techniques. Even after reporting there was nothing out of the ordinary, the cat forced him to examine Harry again. After the third examination, Slughorn just sat back down and helplessly shrugged.
"I found nothing wrong. If you're determined to find a problem, then you'll have to take him to someone else."
"Fine," the cat grumbled. "I know your skills. I just don't believe it."
"I don't believe it either, but it's happening before our eyes. Not only are his refining speed and consumption extraordinarily high, so is his comprehension speed when it comes to learning cultivation techniques. These are the textbook characteristics of a high rank Magic Spirit!"
"More like a fat pig Magic Spirit," the cat snorted.
"Well, since there are no problems, here are five more pills. I have only a couple more, so we'll have to figure out something else for the future."
"Alright," Harry said. Opening his mouth, he swallowed the 11th pill. A few minutes later, the 12th pill went down his throat, followed by the 13th, 14th, and 15th.
Once the last section of his Triple Burner Meridian was full, his meridian opened and Qi began naturally flowing through it. His body was stronger, and felt more complete.
He had stepped into the 4th level of the Body Tempering Realm.
The 4th level!
With that, he had pretty much caught up to the other children at the Crystal Mine City!
'Will my Magic Spirit appear?' he wondered.
He hopefully waited for another consciousness to awaken in his body.
And waited.
And waited.
He waited a few minutes, but still didn't feel anything. Sighing, he shook his head.
"It still didn't appear," Slughorn frowned in disappointment.
Not just Slughorn, but Harry was also very disappointed. Was he truly a Spiritless cultivator?
"1 in a thousand have Rank 3 spirits, 1 in a million have Rank 4 spirits, and even considering the billions of people in the whole world, only a handful have Rank 5 spirits. A Rank 6 Magic Spirit would be unimaginably rare, occurring only once every hundreds of billions of people, or even rarer than that. Anything above Rank 6 must be impossible," Slughorn concluded.
"Right," the cat said. "Don't even think about Rank 10, even Rank 7 is impossible. Boy, the sooner you accept that you're Spiritless, the better it will be for your mentality. Don't cling onto something hopeless."
"Well," Slughorn said uncertainly, "there are cases where the Magic Spirit does not immediately appear. It's very rare, but has been documented. It can take a few minutes, or even a few hours."
Although he said that, it was clear he didn't believe his own words.
"I suspect it's a side-effect of the poison. As I've mentioned, this poison does not exist in our empire. I have never seen it, nor have I treated any cases. I know very little about it, and cannot make any guarantees about what its side-effects may be. There's no way for me to know."
"Perhaps your Magic Spirit is Rank 1 or 2, and your impossibly fast refining speed is due to something else in your body. Or perhaps your Magic Spirit has higher rank, but cannot manifest due to the poison. Or perhaps you are a Spiritless Cultivator. With my limited understanding of the poison, I don't dare to suggest anything."
Harry sighed. Why was nothing in his life simple?
"But no matter what it is, remember this," Slughorn sternly said. "If rumors spread that you have a high rank Magic Spirit, even if that is false, you will be targeted. In this world, there is no shortage of talented cultivators who were killed in their youth."
Harry easily agreed. That was one of the first lessons he had ever learned. If he didn't want Dudley stealing his Qi Crystals, it was best to act like he had none. It was the same principle, just on a grander scale. A high rank Magic Spirit was something coveted by all. Even rumors of possessing one would put his life in danger.
"If there is ever a situation where you are asked to show your Magic Spirit, just say you are a Spiritless Cultivator. It's better to deal with mockery than with suspicion. Your pride comes secondary to your life."
Harry sighed again, but had no choice to agree. Slughorn was right. This matter was simply too important, and carried too much risk.
"Anyways, enough of that. Let's talk about your future. You need to enter the 9th level of the Body Tempering Realm to expel the poison, but the few pills I have left are certainly not enough. We could buy them, but the pills are always in high demand. I doubt they have enough for you."
"Is there another option?"
"Of course. With my skills, creating some of these pills is no trouble at all. However, I am missing some of the ingredients. That's where you come in."
"The old cat and I have been in deep discussion, and this is our decision. Outside of Ox Ford City are the Wyvern Woods – the forest that the old cat found you in. It is one of the largest forests in our empire, home to many Magic Beasts. As it happens, to refine a batch of Body Nourishing Pills, I require the Beast Cores of beasts at the Body Tempering Realm, along with a few Magic Plants."
"This is a good chance for you to gain fighting experience, and also to build your foundation. The old cat will accompany you into the Wyvern Woods. Your task is to kill Magic Beasts, and collect Beast Cores. The old cat will give you pointers, and gather the plants. Once you two have collected enough, return and I'll concoct the pills for you."
Harry immediately agreed. That was a very reasonable exchange – in fact, it was far more than reasonable!
In the entirety of the empire, alchemists were rare existences. It was common for people to wait months before they could request one to refine pills for them. Further, when they did so, they had to provide their own ingredients, and pay a high fee.
Of course, this was only for those who lived in wealthy areas. People from Crystal Mine City didn't even have the qualifications to visit an Alchemist and request a pill, not that they could afford one anyways. Yet Slughorn only asked Harry to provide one of the ingredients. How could he disagree?
"What's a Beast Core?"
"It is a bead found in the body of a Magic Beast. For beasts at the Body Tempering Realm, they are not very big, maybe the size of a walnut. It contains their energy and essence, but is impure and unsuited for human refinement. However, they can be refined into Body Nourishing Pills."
"Think of it like the seed of a fruit," the cat spoke up.
"I see. Just one more thing. I don't have a weapon."
Surely Slughorn didn't want him to use his fists to kill Magic Beasts, right? And if not, where was he going to find a weapon?
"I'll give you one," the Exalted Cat said. "It's just an Ordinary Grade sword, no need to act like it's precious."
"Thank you," Harry said hesitantly, wondering why the cat would own a sword. It seemed like there were great secrets surrounding Slughorn and the cat, but he squashed his curiosity.
"Great. You and the cat can set off whenever you're ready. But before that, there's something else I'd like to give you."
"You've already given me plenty, Dr. Slughorn," Harry quickly refused.
"Well, this doesn't really belong to me. Rather, it was left to me by your mother. I think it is fitting that you have it."
"My mother?"
"As I told you, two days before she died, she visited and left me something. This is that something, and I've held onto it all this time."
Slughorn walked over to a closet and opened it, pointing at a small rock laying on the ground. It was the size of a human head, but rounder and perfectly smooth. In fact, it looked a lot like an egg.
"A rock?" Harry asked. His mother's last act was to gift Slughorn a rock?
Sure, the rock was polished very nicely, but it was just a rock.
"It appears to be one. Lily said she obtained it outside the empire, yet it had something to do with you. How that could be, I have no idea, as you weren't born until after your parents returned. Lily refused to elaborate."
"I didn't think much of it at first, since I thought she would return to pick it up in a few days. And then… well, you know. After that night, I examined this rock more closely, and it is not as simple as you think."
"How so?"
"First, the rock is extremely hard. It is harder than any other object that I have seen, and as an Alchemist, I have seen many materials. Further, I dare say that it is unbreakable – I can't even leave a scratch on it, no matter what methods I try. I can only speculate it is made of a very precious material, something that can't be found in the Scarlet Phoenix Empire. At the very least, it isn't a material that I recognize."
"Second, the rock is far heavier than you would believe. Just try lifting it," Slughorn offered. "If you can lift it, well, hah, I'll give you a million Qi Crystals."
Harry walked towards the rock, intrigued. With his new 4th level Body Tempering Realm cultivation, he had far more physical strength now than last week. He could lift nearly 50 kilograms, so a small rock would be no problem at all. He grabbed onto it and prepared to exert all his strength.
The moment his hands came in contact with the rock, it started to hum and glow. Startled, he tried to let go, but his hands were stuck, restrained by a mysterious force. He felt Slughorn rush forwards and try to pull him away, but his body didn't budge.
The humming grew louder until it deafened his ears, the glow grew brighter until it blinded his eyes, and then he lost consciousness.