DISCLAIMER: I own nothing related to RWBY
Like any other morning, Jaune can be found sitting in the grass field. He opens his eyes and sighs.
'Still no progress with the Paifang. Without access to my dantian, cultivation will be impossible. Body tempering can only go so far...'
He looks down and clenches a hand into a fist.
'There is quite some overlap between Aura and qi which is why I am able to temper my body in the first place. Those ranged strikes against CRDL were nothing special. Plenty of experienced Huntsmen with a strong grasp over their Aura can easily do the same. The only difference is theirs are visible while mine are transparent.'
"This discomfort of being unable to cultivate is quite the problem," he mutters to himself.
*** JNPR dorm room ***
"Pyrrha?"
She looks up from the book she's currently reading. "Yes?"
"I have been wondering for quite some time, but have been unable to come up with a satisfactory answer. Perhaps you could help provide some insight?"
Pyrrha closes her book and turns towards her leader, intrigued.
"What is the origin of Aura and Semblance?"
Pyrrha looks down in thought.
"That is quite the difficult question you're asking. Currently, there is no definitive consensus between the researchers and historians. Due to the lack of evidence, some simply believe that they are gifts granted by the gods, while others believe that a legendary figure from the past had discovered their existence and passed the practice down to the rest of mankind."
"Both hypothesis are quite similar..." Jaune raises an eyebrow.
"Indeed they are," Pyrrha nods.
'However... gods? Interesting.'
"Unlocking Aura. Is that the practice you are referring to? What exactly is the method?"
Pyrrha's expression turns strange.
"You are not pulling my leg right? This was not taught to you prior to Beacon?"
"If you'd be so kind to refresh my memory," Jaune chuckles.
'Strange. There is no memory of such a thing.'
Pyrrha clears her throat.
"Of course, I'd be happy to oblige. There are two main methods one can unlock their Aura. The first method is for the individual to unlock it themselves. Usually, this depends on luck, talent, and circumstances. It is seen as quite the accomplishment for one to unlock their Aura this way. The second method, which is much more common, is through external aid, via the Chant."
Jaune leans forward.
"What is the Chant?"
Pyrrha takes a deep breath.
"For it is in passing that we achieve immortality. Through this, we become the paragon of virtue and glory to rise above all. Infinite in distance and unbound by death, I release your soul, and by my shoulder, protect thee."
Jaune's eyes narrow.
'The slightest hint of cultivation philosophy is within those words, though there are fundamental flaws. Immortality through death? How naive. To be a paragon is to rise above all. Virtue and glory hold no meaning without the strength to back them up. The strong dictate the weak and the rules.'
His head tilts down in thought.
'Despite its flaws, it is still capable of unlocking Aura. Therefore, if those flaws were resolved, what would the effect be?'
"Jaune?" Pyrrha waves a hand in front of Jaune's face.
"My apologies. I was contemplating the Chant, thinking it to be rather interesting. Was your Aura unlocked in this fashion?"
Her emerald eyes shine with unbridled pride.
"I unlocked mine during intensive training, when I was younger," she responds with a smile.
"If the Chant is capable of unlocking anyone's Aura, why isn't everyone's Aura unlocked?" Jaune asks.
Pyrrha's expression turns serious.
"The unlocking of Aura opens one's soul to the world. Thus, emotions are amplified several fold, easily attracting the Grimm. This is why unlocking the Aura of a noncombatant is considered to be a serious crime, and reserved almost exclusively to Huntsmen and Huntresses. Of course, there are rare exceptions."
'As I'd suspected. Huntsmen and Huntresses are quite literally beacons that attract the Grimm. Beacon Academy is quite aptly named. In addition, it would be safe to assume that Huntsmen and Huntresses who unlocked their Aura independently are almost always exceptionally talented. I would not be surprised if all of RWBY and my team unlocked their Auras in this fashion.'
"So you say that you unlocked your Aura naturally during training? That is quite amazing."
Despite being used to praise, Pyrrha feels her cheeks turn red when hearing it from Jaune.
*** The following morning ***
'For it is through the defiance of the Heavens we shatter mortality. Through strength and tribulation, we rise above all to become the paragon. Pursue the Dao. Reach the pinnacle.'
Jaune mentally chants while breathing in the morning air. He waits, feeling for any changes or disturbances within himself. When nothing happens after several minutes, he verbally recites his modified Chant, but like before, nothing changes.
'Is my speculation wrong? This should be a genuine mantra. There should have at least been some reaction.'
He frowns.
'Is it because my Aura is already unlocked?'
Jaune quickly slips into his meditation state and soon finds himself in front of the split Paifang.
'As usual, the left feels familiar, while the right feels foreign. Both leak waves of strength-'
'Leak?'
Jaune places his hands on both halves.
'Does this mean my Aura is not unlocked, rather, I'd confused Aura with whatever power was leaking from the Paifang? If both halves are emitting Aura...'
He recalls the knowledge he'd learned so far.
'Aura is the power of the soul. Then... the left half feels familiar because it represents myself? If that is the case, then the right must be... Jaune Arc.'
'Do I have to choose? No... if I choose the left, then I am admitting that nothing has changed from my previous life. Therefore, I must accept Jaune Arc into myself. However, I can not discard the left half, for I am not a mere replacement for Jaune Arc. My identity is the fusion between Jaune Arc and Rong Shan.
Jaune manifests a sword and grasps it with a serene expression.
'I know what I must do.'
Without hesitation, he swings down through the divide, severing the boundary between the halves.
'Sever!'
As a result of his action, the two halves of the Paifang crumble apart and the pieces get sucked into the boundary that Jaune swung his sword. The space around him rumbles like thunder, and his connection to his soul is severed.
In the outside world, a shudder runs through Jaune's body and his face pales with blood dripping from his mouth.
Ignoring the searing pain of severing his soul, Jaune claps his palms together, willing the boundary to condense the fragments of Paifang halves. Though it only took a few seconds, it felt like hours from Jaune's perspective. The rumbling comes to a stop and a bright flash of light erupts from the point he'd condensed the fragments.
When his vision returns, a fully intact Paifang stands before him. The previously empty gateway now shimmers like water, and above the gateway is an inscription, declaring the words proudly for all the world to witness.
For it is through the defiance of the Heavens we shatter mortality. Through strength and tribulation, we rise above all to become the paragon. Pursue the Dao. Reach the pinnacle.
Intense waves of power pulsate out from the Paifang's gateway, and Jaune erupts into laughter.
'This is the correct path!'
He steps through the gateway.
'My dantian. At last.'
Jaune admires the vast sea of Aura surrounding him, though at this point, his Aura is so pure there is little difference between it and qi.
"Incredible. Is this the potential of both my and Jaune Arc's souls combined? It is absurd."
His eyes reopen and he sighs in satisfaction, reveling in the warmth coming from above his navel.
'The path is finally open.'
Jaune smiles to himself.
'Early stage is a pond. Middle is a lake. Late stage is a sea. To skip directly to late stage Houtian speaks volumes for my potential. The next step is to stabilize my cultivation through constant meditation. Then the final step is my Heavenly Tribulation to break into Xiantian. The 3-in-9 Lightning Tribulation.'
Jaune stands up and peacefully gazes up towards the Heavens.
'Failure is death, but that is a given on the path of cultivation. I look forward to it.'
He collects his belongings and strolls towards the dorms.
'My strength is far beyond what was shown against CRDL, though I was holding back considerably during that match as well. But now, it is the difference of Heaven and Earth. Remaining inconspicuous is the best course of action. Needlessly revealing my strength would be foolish. One should not so easily reveal their trump card, after all.'
He glances down at his blood stained clothes.
'A good start to remaining inconspicuous would be to get this cleaned.'