Waking up after accomplishing a difficult task always felt good for Mark, whether that be an exam, an application, or, in this case, a session of grueling cultivation. This return to the land of the living was accompanied by a very unhappy girlfriend.
She wasn't loudly or physically unhappy, she just sat and stewed in silence. Watching his sleeping body like she was already looking at a dead corpse and now she just needed a place to hide it, she impatiently waited for him to wake up.
Mark's eyes gradually fluttered open at precisely eight in the morning, his internal clock seemingly synced to the atomic clock that orbited the Earth. Turning over with a warm smile that froze over with the iciness in Olivia's eyes, he began with a hesitant laugh, "H-he-heyyy baby, how'd you, uh, sleep?"
GULP
She continued to stare at him, as if waiting for him to confess his guilt. The pain and vivid feelings of her body being remade lingered within her psyche. Although she understood, logically, that there was nothing Mark could do to change what she experienced, it didn't take away from him being the progenitor of those sensations.
She maintains the icy look for a few more seconds before hugging him tightly. "I-I… I thought I was gonna die. I was so scared… I needed you and you weren't there to help me."
He tightly hugs her back, transmitting his love to her in the best way he could. "Never again, my love. I'll always be here."
…
After an emotionally charged wake up, they both settled into a peaceful silence. Mark took this time to admire the new changes to his beloved.
Her face had become near perfectly symmetrical, angular, and without any blemishes. She was always a stunning beauty that mixed cuteness with a sense of natural beauty, but now… her features leaned into innocent sensuality that inspired the protective instinct in a man.
Staring into her eyes was like looking into the cosmos themselves, a purple and pink glint occasionally reflecting through them, while her pupils shone like a neutron star. Her hair cascaded down her back like a bubbling brook with her natural curls on display, the color changing from its previous dark brown to a deep jet black that seemed unnatural with how it absorbed the light around it.
His gaze traced down her body, her coffee toned skin smooth like porcelain, her waist, hips, and other features fit onto her body like an art piece painted by the gods themselves. Her height jumping from a petite 5'3" to a moderately taller 5'7". Her whole being radiated inhuman perfection.
Mark almost jumped on her then and there. Ahem, keep control. There's infinite time for… that at a later point.
As she observed herself in the mirror, she exclaims, "Wow, I should become a model! I finally have the height for it."
Mark rolls his eyes and gives her a small nudge, "You always could have been a model, my love."
"It is… weird, though. This is like totally uncanny valley, I hardly recognize myself." A flicker of unease flashes across her face as she attempts to jump through the mental hoops required to readjust to an almost entirely new face.
Mark understood that feeling very well, "Tell me about it, I woke up with a different face and twenty pounds lighter. 205 to 185 was a very big jump… I feel like a feather."
She turns to look at him, her eyes raking over his body, greedily drinking in his new form. "We have to be hottest couple in the world, right?"
He stares back and nods like a chicken pecking at feed on the ground.
Clearing his throat, he begins her physique description. "My love, I have granted you the Star Queen Physique. With the potential to master gravitational and nuclear forces, your power is rooted in the cosmos. One day you may even be able to form black holes on a whim. You will always be my Queen in this infinite universe. Also… be prepared to do a total career change into physics."
Olivia's blush at Mark's words and her own admiration of her new body freezes at that last sentence. With an eye twitch and menace in her voice, "I have to do what, now?"
…
At 10 AM, the Knight house finally fully awakens. Mark already sent out all the invitations to meet the following day, early in the morning, claiming it was urgent that everyone attends.
Anyone who says they can't will be guilted and emotionally manipulated into joining, no exceptions.
Thankfully, it didn't come to that. Mark had a sneaking suspicion that God had arranged for everyone's schedules to be free so that hassle could be avoided. Maybe the beginning of eternity shouldn't begin with psychological blackmail... Meh. All's well that ends well.
With the plans for the day set, Mark decided to test some cultivation hypotheses that have crossed his mind recently. First, he needs to see how much visualization is required for the first step of Qi refining.
"You both have been able to familiarize yourselves with your new bodies and physiques. For now, just follow my voice. Close your eyes… breathe. Four seconds of inhale, hold for four, and exhale for six."
The sound of rhythmic breathing filled the air in the living room. His parents' breaths calm and steady as they follow their son's instructions.
"Now… search. Search for something, something foreign, an energy inside that you've always ignored. Dig and dig. Continue the pattern of breathing." Mark's voice takes on a hypnotic property that puts his parents in a trance.
"Feel for the color, the warmth, the refreshing coolness that fills a void that you never knew you had. Breathe. Feel for it. Trust that it's there. It's unforgettable once you discover it. That… is Qi."
His parents' trance lasts for a couple more minutes until they both fall into a lull, their breathing serene as the world around them melts into indescribable color and sensation. There it is, that feeling of returning to the embrace of an energy you never knew you missed.
Several minutes later, both pairs of eyes flutter open at the same time, now feeling and seeing the world through the same lens as their son.
Olivia watches on in fascination, surprised that Mark could guide them both to sense a mystical energy that shouldn't exist. She memorizes his words and teachings to reference later when she begins her own cultivation. For now, however, she focuses on familiarizing herself with her new body.
"Perfect! Now that we're all on the same page, you should realize that the Qi won't actually settle within you. It just leaves your body after a short period of circulation."
Grace and William, still in a bit of a stupor from the recent sensations, slowly nod. They can actively feel the Qi dissipating from their bodies. This causes a feeling of distress to permeate their beings, similar to a word being on the tip of the tongue, but impossible to find. A subtle sense of... wrongness intrudes on their new euphoric bliss.
"How do we… keep it?" William realizes that the recognition of Qi is only the first step.
"Mom, you'll be studying and memorizing as much information about the structure of the cell and DNA. Afterwards, you'll do your best to recall the information, imagining your own DNA, while simultaneously calling upon Qi to flood the system. Imagine the Qi changing your DNA into its most correct and perfect version."
A nod of determination and a serious face filled with concentration comes from Grace as she instantly opens her laptop to begin research.
"And Dad, you'll just be rawdogging it. I want you to imagine your cells and DNA in whatever form that comes in for you. Get comfortable, visualize it in your mind, and start trying to flood those forms with Qi and force a change."
Before either could ask, Mark begins a short explanation, "We need to establish how much flexibility we have in terms of creativity and actual knowledge to actually accomplish cultivation. Will knowledge make it easier? Will a lack of knowledge make it impossible to even begin? What are our bounds, and how do we maximize our ability to cultivate?"
Answering these questions are crucial to establishing a full system that will continue to function all the way up to true godhood.
Realization dawns on Mark's parents' faces. Pride comes next; they're not oblivious to the fact that their son was essentially inventing a universal first and they were going to join in his glory. What more could they ask for?
"We got pretty lucky, huh?" William chuckles, as proud as a father could be. Getting up, he gives Mark a bear hug, and studies his son's face. "You've got this, little man. We trust you and you're doing a great job."
A warm smile crossed Mark's face. He studies his parents and feels a renewed sense of purpose. I won't stop. I've got people who believe in me and a universe to explore. Earth is just the first step, Qi Refining is the very first step.
"I love you both so much. I can't wait to share this gift with everyone else. So, to perfect it, I need you both to start and unlock your potential. You have the lock and you have the key, you just need to open the door."