It took only two days for me to fully recover, a fact that astonished both me and the medic. The reason was that after the first day, after I received the third round of treatment I had grasped his technique. It was really interesting. Grabbing each fiber of the muscle with aether, then forcing a double helix flow with each helix having an opposite direction flow. Also the two helixes spun. This caused the fibers to mend… How were they called… Actin and… Myosin. Yes these two were the ones on each he mainly acted. By also cutting the torn, dead cells he effectively allowed me to heal faster. However there still was a buildup of residue that he had to wait until it was cleared and reassimilated by my body.

  After I caught on what he was doing I still waited. During the first night I slept like a log as my pain was greatly diminished in the absence of the constant shaking and under the effect of some special internal massage the guy performed on my muscles. The bones were fixed together, not fully healed but set in place well enough so that basic actions would not damage them, with a similar method. This allowed me to act during the second day and the second night.

  By using aether as the scalpel and stimulating my jing and qi a little, so that they’d flow more in my limbs, I managed to obtain double results with half the effort. The jing and qi stimulated natural recovery and the removal of the damaged residue while my aether operated with surgical precision on all the damaged tissue. With the greater responsiveness created by jing and qi and the physical impact and shaping by aether, my limbs were soon operational again, but there would still be a long time until I would be able to properly fight again.

  I never got to know the name of the doctor. He said that finding that out was also a test… I couldn’t be bothered with this weirdo… Although he gave me the feeling that he was skilled beyond the norm and that he knew a lot of things, I was also deeply aware that he was most certainly a troublemaker… It would have been fine if I could fight or protect myself if it came down to it, but most permanent instructors were at the manifestation stage.

  Vane, that guy was just an assistant and a first stage training instructor. He was not worth mentioning before the high circle of the academy. This circle was formed from people that could no longer advance but were part of the higher end of power. Be it due to age or injuries these people lacked the opportunity to reach the Domain level so they cast their sights on the next generation. As such they were here to select a successor to their knowledge, rather than just teach. Out of them all only the dean was at the early parts of the domain stage. His situation was more special, as someone that has exhausted the potential of his will or mental power.

  This was in fact the main bottleneck that most people faced. Something that until now, no one has found a solution for. It was known that the very act of cultivation trained and enhanced soul power, but there was a point where the tipping point was reached and soul power would start developing very slowly.

  These were all facts that I managed to learn from that black clothed walking warehouse. Of course, I could not just blurt out that I had just the solution for that though. Besides I did not reach the needed stage to prove it. I still relied on natural refinement in order to not trip or damage the growth of my body, so I was in a not so good spot yet for spreading the method by any means. Also, my aether nourished my jing… but that was because I always allowed it to grow freely within my body. Others that forced aether… Might not have the same benefits as me… But then again… If they did not, how was the lifespan increased?

  I shook my head and left all these unnecessary worries behind. I was now headed for the secretariat. As I was discharged it meant I no longer had anywhere to stay for the night unless I went and received my room. And so, I arrived, being a bit too short for the tall counter I had to first make some noise…

  “Ahem… Please excuse me for the trouble, but could you help me a little.”

  An old woman wearing heavy makeup and ostentatious jewelry came up to the booth and looked down at me. ‘Huh… This was probably intentional… Unless she’s a giantess, the floor behind that counter must be elevated. Do they want to intimidate us?’

  “What do you want?” Her voice was sharp like a shrill. It sounded somehow sour and carried a lot of annoyance. ‘What the hell is her deal isn’t this her job?’ Regardless I just went on with it.

  “I want to pick up the key to my room. I was taken to the medicine ward as soon as I arrived, so I didn’t get it.” I replied in the politest tone possible. When dealing with this kind of person that is mad at the world and everyone in it for existing, it’s better to just not engage and play small, besides my matter would soon be gone.

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  “What is your name?” I didn’t think it was possible, but the annoyance in her voice grew.

  “Cato.”

  “Ah, it’s you!” Suddenly the annoyance was gone and I swear I could hear some glee in her voice. Then she went away. I couldn’t see in the office, being too short, however I didn’t need to as soon she was back and handed me a key. Then she snarled at me. “Go away, stop dawdling here!”

  “I’m sorry but I don’t know where I have to get to use the key…” I was pretty fed up with this woman already…

  “Go past the medicine ward, near the servant quarters, the tower there is yours.”

  “A whole tower? Aren’t students supposed to only get a room?” I asked feeling excited.

  “With a genius such as you… It’s only right you receive some preferential treatment, no?” As she answered me, she wore a very sly grin… Despite all my initial excitement I couldn’t help but feel a sense of foreboding… That tower… probably wasn’t anything good…

  “Alright… Thank you. What should I do if there are any issues?” I asked with an apprehensive tone.

  “That is none of my damn business!” She pulled down on the heavy wooden shutter and slammed it down… If this was not putting an end to the conversation, then I don’t know what is…

  Faced with this kind of attitude I could only leave. I didn’t know where to find Garrick or that strange medic now, so I would have to rely on myself for now... I kept a rapid pace as I walked through these grand halls with arched ceilings and shiny floors. The materials looked like sandstone and marble, but I wasn’t sure. I didn’t major in constructions…

  Soon I was out of the building and headed for the tower. Regardless of what was to come, I was sure that I’d thrive, after all if it was rundown, I could repair it myself, if there was a lack for basic necessities I could buy or make do some other ways.

  Soon I saw it. A stone tower with a broken roof. A massive bird's nest was wedged into a gaping hole in the roof, visible even from a distance. The structure looked like an old watch tower, probably used to maintain security in the small settlement that the servant ward was. It seemed to have about three floors and was wide enough. Surrounding it was a fence with a small, locked gate. Most probably the entire area was mine to use.

  I tried to unlock the small door, but it seemed the keyhole was rusted, as I was unable to. I used aether to scan it and confirm that at the very least the key was supposed to be used on it. Indeed, the only problem was rust. I thought back to Earth trying to remember some good ways to remove rust. In the end I could only think of ultrasonic descaling. I hesitated to use this method however as I risked breaking essential pieces of the locking mechanism. In the end I proceeded with it. If anything, I could just jump over the fence and just replace the lock.

  Now came the exciting and difficult part… I had to achieve the ultrasonic frequency… It was a hard to achieve effect… Why? Because the human senses couldn’t be used to reliably assess that sort of vibration… My shen wouldn’t be able to keep up either so modulating the aether to generate that sort of frequency would be very hard. So, I could only rely on indirect generation. I looked around and soon found an iron rod like piece that was feebly caught in the fence. I took it off and went back to the door.

  Now the reason this is important was because I needed a solid piece of material that would resist aether flow and turn the constant flow of it into vibration. Additionally, it needed to be able to withstand and transmit the vibrations into the locking mechanism. Metal was the best option. I started accelerating aether above my palm. I added more and more of it in a circular pattern. Soon a small glowing vortex was formed above my right hand. Using aether I lifted and pressed the iron piece on the door. Then I neared the vortex to its end that was pointed towards me.

  After a bit of time passed, I stopped. I placed my hand on the lock and sensed with my aether again. I couldn’t help but smirk. ‘Victory!’ I shook my hand and inserted aether within, cleaning the rust dust away. I inserted the key again. This time the key turned, and the lock opened. It still required quite a bit of force to turn, but at least I could properly enter now…

  I made my way further in. The courtyard was about twenty meters wide and thirty long. Aside from a stone path that persisted the erosion of time the rest was basically covered in weeds and other overgrown plants. Light hardly made its way on the path as the plants were twice as tall as me, so about two meters to two meters and a half. Still if this was a property back on Earth… The price would be quite high, requiring several years’ worth of savings… So, I was quite happy regardless.

  I used aether to form a protective film before me. I think anyone can agree that getting stray cobweb caught in your face or hair is annoying, so I decided to prevent such an incident. I made my way through the stone separated vegetation and reached the door of the tower. Luckily this wasn’t locked so I managed to make my way in without any problems…

  There was no source of light inside. If not for a few stray rays of light coming through the floor from above I wouldn’t have seen anything. I condensed some aether in a small ball to produce some more light. The air smelled of putrid wood and was damp. An earthy smell specific to mold filled my nostrils together with the dust stirred by my entrance. The walls were made of stone bricks. The bricks were visible through big cracks of the plaster. Some vegetation made its way inside through a broken window and through the holes left by some missing bricks.

  Despite the dilapidated state in which this place was I couldn’t hold back my happiness. Overall, this tower had more space than my apartment back on Earth by about a half and could be expanded! Together with the outside courtyard this was a massive jackpot for me! Who cares about some claustrophobic room? Some mowing, a hand of plaster and some bricks together with some planks and this place would become a paradise! Time to get busy!