When he awoke the next day, he felt like a new man. Part of him wanted to spend the day in bed, but that wasn't an option, which is why he was in the main meeting room. He wasn't the only person who had transformed. There were several people who had scars that they hadn't had before. Despite the injuries, the people felt stronger. It was hard to tell on appearance, but he would put most people at around level 3 or 4. Now that he had suppressed his aura people were willing to get close to him, though not quite close enough to touch. The people around him were all different from the first time. He figured that the last stunt had caused him to be well known. Well, that and the affinity test. The dwarves appeared a few moments later. The trio looked over the crowd for a moment before Thrawn stepped forward and the day began.

  "Good morning, fledglings." His voice boomed. "I am glad to see that you've survived. You have completed six assignments. There are only three left and nine days until you return to your homes. Until you begin the process of taking your home back from the monsters." He paused for a moment as if he wanted the words to settle onto everyone's shoulders. "For now, though, we must continue your education. Today we are going over energy and the various types you have access to. First, you all have learned to manipulate Spiritual energy. That is the energy you cultivate and use for your skills. That is the most important of the energy you have. It is the one most common and the one you will use throughout your journey. After that, we have Stamina. The energy you all understand the most. It is the one that existed long before the others. Your physical energy it's what lets you get up and go"

  Maximilian listened along but there wasn't much there. Thrawn went over several types of energy that he already knew existed. Mental, which he now knew would help him when he gets a Dao. After that he showed off a few ways to use spiritual energy that Maximilian had already figured out. He could amplify his voice, clean himself off e.t.c. Things got interesting when he revealed that you could push spiritual energy into your feet. Doing so would let you walk up walls or even across liquids. Maximilian had tried it out while he sat there and found it was a bit harder than Thrawn led them to believe. He wasn't about to stand up and try on the wall, but it required you to control your energy to a high degree. It wasn't something he would be able to do in a fight. At least he didn't think he could do it now.

  "Now that we've gone over the basics, it's time to get to the important stuff." He then pulled out a translucent stone. The stone was about the size of his palm and looked like a worse version of the slips. Only something told Maximilian that there was more to it. The stone felt like energy. For lack of a better word. Like someone made it out of spiritual energy. "These are spirit stones. The stones or crystals with spiritual energy sealed inside. They have two uses. The first is that you can absorb the energy inside. They were cultivation resources, though that would be a bit wasteful. They are wonderful after a battle, and you need to recover the energy used. The second use is the more important. They are a currency that cultivators and practitioners use. Now, before you begin asking questions to let me clarify. Credits are the most common currency in Network space. That doesn't mean that everyone conducts business through them. As you go out into the wide world you will find people who conduct business in all kinds of ways. Spirit stones are but one method."

  Thrawn summoned three more crystals all of them tinted with a different color. One was a forest green; another was bright red and a third was a frigid looking blue. He held the four up like he knew a secret that he wanted to share but couldn't. "These are spirit stones with attuned energy. Instead of the neutral energy you are used to. Attuned means that the energy has affinity with a specific Dao. These are worth much more than the unattuned and thus are much harder to get. They recover your energy much faster since your channels won't have to convert the energy for you. Which means you get back to top shape sooner. They also feel good for people who cultivate the corresponding Dao. That is increased for people with high affinities. It is common for cultivators to decorate their cultivation chambers with these. They also shatter them to improve the ambient energy."

  Maximilian nodded along as Thrawn continued his explanation. He wanted to find some of the stones but he wasn't in a rush. Right now there cultivation area was good enough. He was pretty sure that the rarer stones weren't going to be available in the tutorial. That they were another way to get us excited and ready to act. Like a car salesman. He wouldn't get himself wrapped up in it. If he could get them, he would if not he wouldn't. The idea of improving his cultivation chamber did interest him though. He made a mental note to find ways to do it once the tutorial was over. From there Thrawn's explanation became less interesting. There were a few questions about using energy to power mechanical devices. A topic that interested Maximilian, but the dwarf refused to explain much. Spiritual energy replaced electricity as the main form of energy. Through the use of arrays. Maximilian decided to look into the process when he could. It sounded like something he would like and something Earth would soon need.

  When Thrawn and the others left Maximilian ran back to his apartment. Despite his progress it felt like he was running out of time. He had gotten stronger, much stronger but every step forward revealed more danger. Whether it was the odd lion creature or the assassin there was always something stronger. Once he returned he would be playing for real. People would live or die due to his actions. He had to be perfect. Or at least as close to it as possible. He scolded himself for the impossible goal, but he knew himself better than that. His father's words filled his mind. "Aim for the stars and you would land on the moon." He sighed as he entered his cultivation chamber. He didn't let himself consider that either of his parents wouldn't survive the month. That the world he would return to would already be gone.

  He sat down on the mat and took a steadying breath. He hadn't touched on it during the battle or the run, but he was on the cusp of something. He was sure that it was a Dao related to the lightning. Which meant he should expect the worse. He only wished he knew what the worse was. Would he get struck by lightning? Or would lightning blast outward from him? There was also the chance that nothing would happen, that it would be the equal of a new skill. Despite the myriad worries there was also excitement. He would get stronger. He would be better. He closed his eyes and reflected on the battle. He focused on the way his spiritual energy changed as it passed through the symbol for Static Bolt. He slipped deep into his meditation when something changed. It felt like he was a drift in deep space. The tutorial, earth even his body all faded into the background. Still there, still present but less. A spark of something passed through him. So soft, so subtle that he almost missed it. He resisted the urge to chase after the feeling. Something told him that was wrong. That he couldn't force this change. The passage of time wore down his patience until worry sprouted in his heart. Worry that he had been wrong.

  That he was passive when he should've been aggressive. It happened again. A spark that passed through his body. A tingling sensation as if his whole body had been asleep spread through him. The feeling irritated him far worse than anything he could remember. The sensation picked up until it became one continuous effect. One that refused to end. In the next moment understanding slammed into him like lightning. For a single moment he became the tower lightning struck. His world was bathed in color, and he could see it. Understand it. The awareness was like an ephemeral dream as it faded. He wanted to reach out for it, to embrace its light but he could tell that it wasn't for him. That it wasn't possible. He didn't complain about the loss for long. It had left something behind. A spark in comparison to the lightning bolt that he glimpsed. Still he wasn't in a hurry to open his eyes.

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  There was a serenity in the moment. A serenity that hadn't quite faded yet. He wasn't sure how long he sat there focused on nothing but the moment before the illusion was broken. He was aware of his body, the mat beneath him, the metal room, even the tutorial. His anxiety and worries were distant, but he could feel them. Like a mosquito buzzing outside of reach. He opened his eyes and checked his notifications. Sure enough there was something new. Something he was more than pleased to see.

  Lesser Dao Comprehended

  He raised an eyebrow at the notification. He assumed the greater sensation was related to Lightning or even was the Dao of lightning. What he had gained should be a simpler version. His question was had the Network broken it down like this or was that the natural way? He had a vague understanding of what the "Dao" was from a religion course he took but it shouldn't have been like this. At least he hadn't though it would. As he pondered on that a new notification appeared.

  Beloved by Dao: First in World to Comprehend in a lesser Dao: Reward: Luck +5, Luck +20%

  He opened his status screen to confirm that the prompt was real. Sure, enough there were two chances the first was the title. He had gained a massive boost to his luck attribute. One that let the stat break the one-hundred-point barrier. He didn't feel any stronger or different, but he figured the Network wouldn't lie about it. He also felt somewhat confident that the attribute affected his instincts. The early warnings hadn't started until his stat had cross fifty or so. He couldn't pinpoint it of course. Nor could he say it was any different from the feelings he got before the craziness, but he was willing to bet some money on it. The question was how strong could the effect get? What would it do at say one thousand luck? Or one million? Would he be warned about plots days in advance? He was pretty sure that last question was no. If he assumed that people grew like he did than there would be no plots in the universe let alone the multiverse. How many kings, queens and whatever else out there would receive an early warning about plots on their lives? Assassins had to have a way around the attribute at the very least.

  He decided to leave those questions for another day. His eyes settled on the other new edition to the screen. There was a new category. One named "Dao" and it had one entry. The Dao of Static. The name confused him for a moment. He would've assumed he would get the Dao of sparks or something. He figured it had to be due his skill. Which made him curious. If he tried could he also get the Dao of sparks? Would it be different from static? He wondered if there would be a difference in spark if he focused not on lightning but on fire? The more he thought about it the more questions he had. He had to stop himself from going down a rabbit hole by turning his attention to screen. The new title hadn't explained the increased stats which meant his Dao had come with gifts. He focused on it until it expanded.

  Lesser Dao of Static - Comprehension: Low. Attributes: Intelligence +15, Wisdom +5,

  Thanks to it his Intelligence was also beyond one hundred with Wisdom not too far behind. He reviewed his attributes one more time before he closed the screen and turned his attention to the Dao. It took him a few moments to find it inside himself. It was like his enlightenment had opened a spot in his mind and stored his Dao inside. When he tapped into it everything changed. Electricity surged through him. Bluish-white sparks of power danced across his skin. Through his hair and in his eyes as if they had always been there. It felt like he had regrown a limb he lost years ago, like he had been blind his whole life and now he could see. Part of him urged control. Urged him to not let the lightning go free but it felt like trying put a bird back into a cage. It wanted nothing more than to be free. He relished the sensation for what felt like both an eternity and a second before he relaxed. It took several more seconds before he had calmed enough to open his eyes.

  He watched the small blush-white sparks dance across his palm in fascination. He had no idea how this would possible. The rational part of his brain had gone quiet which left the fantastic free to play. He held his hand up palm toward the door and tried to will the electricity forward. He had intended to unleash a small spark of electricity what he got was closer to a laser. The electricity leaped from his control and into the metal. His eyes widened when he saw the scorch mark it left behind. He had an idea on that things durability which terrified him. how strong was a Dao that a uncontrolled burst was able to do that? That thought sobered him right up. It now felt like he had a loaded gun in his hands. He lowered them into his lap and suppressed the electricity. As soon as he did a wave of lethargy washed over him. As if he had drunk the coffee and was now dealing with the crash. It took him a moment to figure it out. It was mental exhaustion. A weird artificial one. He was still far from his limit so it wasn't a problem. He would need to spend sometime experimenting with it during the next quest. Speaking of which, he decided to try and test the difference between his skill and his Dao.

  After an hour he was tired and had figured out the answers to most of his questions. What he found was a mixed bag. It turned out his Dao was stronger than his skill. His skill didn't leave a mark in the wall whereas his Dao did. He couldn't test the paralytic effect here, so he didn't bother. At first, he thought he had solved his combat issue. That he wouldn't need to engage in hand-to-hand combat at all anymore and that was somewhat true. As long as he had mental energy, he could blast people with his Dao. The problem though was that the combination of Dao and skill was stronger than the either alone. He refused to test how much of a difference it was. He had the same gut feeling as Severing Disc which told him all he needed to know. The wall healed the damage from his attacks, so he wasn't going to get killed for destruction of property. He wasn't even charged for it as far as he could tell. He made a note to get some more healing pills tomorrow if he could. He was low and didn't want to run the risk of getting killed during the next quest. With everything else settled he decided it was time to rest. His strength had increased more than enough for now. Tomorrow he would focus on getting to level six and then on gathering enough energy for the next quest. As he left his chamber, he wasn't sure if he was more nervous or excited for what the rest of the tutorial would bring. Either way he would face it, and he would conquer it. That was the only way forward.

  He spent the entire next day inside his cultivation room. He felt like the end of the world had transformed him into a recluse, but he couldn't argue the results. Not only had he reached level six, but he had also increased his reserves. It was hard to know how long he could fight since it depended on several factors. Factors like the number of attacks and other things he couldn't control but he should be good. If he could come up with an excuse to not attack anyone, he would level up next time. Of course, he knew that wasn't the case. He tried to meditate on his new Dao to improve his comprehension. Either it was too new, or he hadn't met some other need. He could tell there was some progress, but it wasn't notable. If anything, it would be easier to focus on a different one. Either way it was a problem for another day.