[Info dump incoming; please bear with it, and I'll try to answer any questions you guys have in the comments.]
After speaking those words, the old man gestured for Cade to follow him. They walked through the palace gates into a massive hall made of what seemed to be white marble. After a few twists and turns, they eventually reached a corridor with multiple doors on the sides. The old man pointed to one of the doors and said, "This is where you will be staying for now. I'll come and fetch you in the morning."
Cade nodded and walked through the door. When he entered, he was greeted by a room more luxurious than anything he had ever seen in his past life. The walls were an elegant shade of grey, exuding an air of quiet sophistication. Delicate golden patterns traced along the edges, forming intricate, swirling designs that shimmered subtly under the soft glow of floating lanterns suspended in the air.
The floor was polished marble, dark as midnight yet veined with silver that gleamed like captured moonlight. A plush crimson carpet stretched from the doorway to the center of the room, its fabric so rich and thick that Cade could almost feel its softness just by looking at it.
At the far end of the room stood a massive window, framed by heavy drapes of deep blue embroidered with silver thread. Through the window, an otherworldly landscape was visible—towering mountains wreathed in mist and rivers of liquid light snaking across the land like glowing veins. The sight alone was enough to steal one's breath away.
In the center of the room was a grand seating area. A low, blackwood table rested atop the plush carpet, adorned with an exquisite tea set crafted from jade and gold. Surrounding it were several seats—cushioned, high-backed chairs lined with soft velvet, the material a rich shade of purple that contrasted beautifully against the room's darker tones.
To one side, towering bookshelves stretched from floor to ceiling, filled with thick tomes bound in fine leather and scrolls made of fine parchment. Some covers gleamed with mysterious symbols, while others appeared ancient. A faint, subtle fragrance of exotic incense burned in a delicate silver brazier near the corner and spread through the room.
On the opposite side of the room, an ornate canopy bed rested against the far wall. Its frame was carved from dark wood, inlaid with golden filigree that depicted dragons and other mythic beasts twisting through swirling clouds. The bedding was silk, dyed in a deep midnight blue, with pillows embroidered in celestial patterns that shimmered faintly under the lantern light.
Every inch of the room radiated opulence, but not in a way that felt excessive or gaudy. It was refined, purposeful—designed for both comfort and grandeur, for a being of power and status.
Cade exhaled slowly, taking it all in. This was no ordinary guest room. This was a chamber fit for a king.
He turned back toward the doorway, where the old man stood watching him, amusement glinting in his eyes.
"Not quite what you're used to, is it?" the old man mused.
Cade shook his head, still somewhat in awe. "Not even close."
The old man chuckled while turning around. "Then consider this your first lesson—greatness does not come to those who think small. If you are to walk the path of immortality, you must learn to accept the extraordinary as your new reality."
Cade swallowed, his gaze lingering on the receding back of the old man for a moment before turning around.
After the old man left Cade close the door and immediately started exploring the books and scrolls but after reading a few of them he concluded that he understood nothing and instead decided to go to bed to prepare for the long day tomorrow, opening the closet he found a robe similar to the one the old man was wearing but in black and far less opulent, after getting changed he went to bed.
The next day Cade woke up early as he wasn't that tired and after wearing another black robe he waited for the old man, he didn't have to wait long as he heard a knock on the door, opening the door he found the old man waiting dressed in a robe similar to the one he wore the other day the only difference was the sword and sheath attached to the man's back.
The man smiled and greeted Cade with a " Good Morning !" before walking away, Cade took that as signal to the follow the old man as they walked the old man started to explain the training plan, " First I'll introduce the first few cultivation realms to you as well as some other basics then I'll teach you how to cultivate after we'll see from there. "
Cade nodded curiously, ready to learn more about this new world that he had been thrust into. After a few minutes of walking, they reached an open garden with a calm stream cutting through the middle and a white platform on top of the stream. Walking to the platform, the old man suddenly pulled two black velvet pillows out of thin air and placed them on the ground before taking a seat.
" Take a seat, and we'll start." Cade complied, still somewhat amazed at the old man's abilities. "The path to immortality is long and is split into several realms each being split into 9 sub-realms, the first realm is Spirit Apprentice at this realm a mortal is just starting to sense the spiritual energy around them and begin to absorb it, the more spiritual energy you absorb the farther along you go, after Apprentice is Spirit Warrior with the only significant difference being the increase in your physical abilities after is Spirit Master, here you can learn to fly and to create attacks with your spiritual energy alone.
It's also where things start to get tricky; to break through Spirit Master to Spirit Grandmaster, you must comprehend an intent. Intents are the first step to mastering a dao, something that is extremely crucial to cultivation, There are as many Daos as there are stars in the sky, all with different thresholds and difficulties, some being easier to comprehend than others, but in the end, all that matters is your comprehension. For example, the dao of the sword may be easier to comprehend than the dao of space but that doesn't mean that it is necessarily weaker than the dao of space, all that matters is ones comprehension of a dao." the old man rambled for a bit before coughing and apologizing looking somewhat embarrassed," Sorry, I strayed from the main topic, anyway the first step to comprehending a dao is comprehending its intent, with each step being split into 7 levels. To reach Spirit Grandmaster, you must comprehend at least one intent to the first level. At the Grandmaster realm, you start being considered a true cultivator. Now enough of that; we'll talk more about the realms after we reach that point."
Cade was stunned by everything he had just learned. As a lawyer who had attended one of the country's top law schools, he was no stranger to long lectures, but nothing he had studied before had ever been this fascinating. The sheer fantastical nature of the information made it all the more thrilling. Needless to say, he was eager to begin.