The First Immortal Art

"I used to think dawn meant I had to endure another day." Zhi Zun Bao suddenly spoke. "Today, for the first time, I think dawn is actually pretty nice."

Goten said nothing, but he thought to himself: Zhi Zun Bao had changed.

He had gone from a slick-talking bandit chief to someone who would sit beneath a tree and wait for dawn.

Patriarch Bodhi came out.

Today, he wasn't wearing a Taoist robe. Instead, he wore a short, close-fitting outfit.

He looked less like he was going to teach Immortal Art and more like he was about to teach martial arts. He walked to the open ground, looked at Goten, and said only, "Today, you'll learn your first move. Not Immortal Art."

Goten was stunned. "Huh?"

"You think Immortal Art is something you do by waving your hands around?" For once, Patriarch Bodhi's voice carried a hint of sternness. It was the first time Goten had heard him speak in that tone.

"The foundation of Immortal Art is having a body that can withstand Origin Energy flowing through it. Your meridians can only withstand thirty percent right now. You need to train them to at least seventy percent first. How? By training."

He untied a rope from his waist. It looked like an ordinary hemp rope, but seven stones were tied to it.

Each stone looked small, but together, they hung heavily. "Carry this and run. Run to the summit, then back down. Do ten laps, and you'll be done for today."

Goten took the rope and slung it over his shoulders. His wrist sank under the weight. Each of the seven stones looked small, but carrying them felt like carrying a whole ox. "Okay."

He shouldered the rope and started running.

The first lap was fairly easy. On the second, his legs began to ache. By the third, his breathing was ragged. On the fourth, sweat blurred his vision, but he gritted his teeth and kept running. By the fifth, his body began to resist the flow of Origin Energy. His meridians felt blocked, and every step was like struggling through a swamp.

He wanted to give up.

But whenever the thought crossed his mind, he remembered what Zhi Zun Bao had said that morning: "Dawn is actually pretty nice." So he kept running.

When he reached the eighth lap, a faint pop sounded inside him, as though something had opened up. A force awakening from its slumber was breaking through his meridians.

The Origin Energy that had been blocked in his meridians suddenly flowed freely. His steps grew lighter, and his breathing steadied. Carrying the seven stones, he ran faster than he had on the first lap.

Patriarch Bodhi stood at the summit, looking down at him. The corners of his mouth lifted slightly.

The ninth lap. The tenth. Goten finished them, every breath burning in his lungs, every step pushing him beyond his limits.

He collapsed on the ground, panting heavily, but his eyes were shining. During the final lap, he had felt his meridians widen. Origin Energy flowed through his body at least twice as fast as it had that morning.

He looked at Patriarch Bodhi, who didn't praise him. He only said, "Tomorrow, you'll carry ten stones."

Goten's smile froze.

Night settled over Fangcun Mountain, quiet as still water.

Goten lay in bed, every muscle aching, but he couldn't sleep.

He raised his right hand and stared at his palm in the darkness. He could feel Origin Energy gathering there.

It wasn't like the flow forced out of him by training during the day. This time, it gathered there naturally, as smoothly as a stream flowing into a hollow. He gently clenched his fist, compressing the Origin Energy in his palm, then relaxed it again, like breathing.

The next morning, when Goten stepped outside, a new rope lay by his door, with ten stones tied to it.

He bent down, picked up the rope, and slung it over his shoulders. This time, it didn't feel quite so heavy. The stones hadn't gotten lighter—his body had grown stronger.

He looked up. The sun had just risen over the mountain, bathing Fangcun Mountain in gold. Zhi Zun Bao was waiting for him beneath the Old Locust Tree again.

When Zhi Zun Bao saw him, he asked, "How many laps today?"

"Ten."

"And after you finish?"

Goten thought for a moment, then smiled. "After I finish, I'll go find Patriarch Bodhi and ask him to teach me my first Immortal Art."

Zhi Zun Bao stood up and went with him to the mountain path.

From that day on, whenever the first rays of sunlight fell on Fangcun Mountain, two figures could always be seen running along the mountain path.

One carried stones, while the other held a bamboo staff. They didn't talk; each ran at his own pace. But for some reason, neither of them felt quite so tired when they ran together.

He closed his eyes, a smile on his lips.

Tomorrow, he would learn his first Immortal Art.

And he still didn't know that it would be the most important morning of his life...