"Henry, what do you know about energy, or ki as the people of this continent call it."

  "I mean, I know that when I cultivate, I take in natural energy and, like my diantian, filter it into usable energy for my meridians. Old timers in my old world told me you had to sit still and focus on drawing in this energy so you don't explode," Henry said as if dredging up old unused factoids.

  "I never really did that though. The Government Subsidized Sect I enrolled in gave all the students an A. I system and had it automate the process for us. Some folks said that would stunt our growth in the long term, but I was never the kind of guy to sit still and contemplate the universe, so I just went with it."

  "I figured that would be your answer. You didn't strike me as the kind to ponder the deeper mysteries of the universe. From what I could gather from your memory, you don't really know how to cultivate in the true sense of the word."

  "Yeah, pretty much, Goldy. Hey, wait a minute. You can see my past. Can you tell me why I killed myself? Was I strong? Why do I keep thinking about money?" Henry said excitedly, like a golden retriever puppy that had discovered a ball.

  "When your blood hit that tablet, I could pierce the veils between worlds and see your memories. It was pretty weird, though, because I couldn't see much. It was like someone was censoring bits and pieces of your past."

  "Sounds pretty ominous, and I'm not in the right kind of headspace to deal with that shit right now. Past me was kind of a loser anyway. Now that I think about it all I can remember is how to punch shit and like a handful of other things", says Henry scratching his head.

  "I was good at punching things."

  "That's good, Henry. Here is a gold star. Now follow along."

  Goldy morphs into a wizened old college professor with a tweed jacket and everything. He waves his hand, and a blackboard appears. Goldy picks up a piece of chalk and starts to write on the board as he speaks.

  "The Thundering Shenlong Heart Mantra is my cultivation method. It is the culmination of my Dao."

  Goldy draws a goofy picture of himself flexing on the chalkboard.

  "Goods and commerce rule the civilized world, Henry. Cultivators lose sight of that. They deal in natural resources and cultivation regents that have no real value to mortals. I realized during my travels that mortals, too, were dealing with energy that Cultivators would never value. Everything has energy, Henry, from the fanciest set of armor down to the singular gold coin."

  Below his portrait, Goldy draws orbs, potions, herbs, and fancy-looking regents Henry assumed. Goldy continued to write as he spoke.

  "As I watched the mortals barter and trade for goods and services, I saw the transfer of potential. The potential to change your future or destroy it."

  "There was energy in this potential, which spoke to my Dao. The value of the items or the currency increased as it changed hands, taking a little bit of its past owner potential with it."

  "This was an untapped resource pool that had never been utilized before. I could take this potential into myself and strengthen my cultivation. I didn't have to risk my life for the scarce resources my contemporaries warred over."

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  "Stop me if you have any questions, Henry; I realize this groundbreaking truth must be quite the revelation for you."

  With an excited smile, Goldy turned away from the blackboard, now full of graphs and writing.

  Henry stared at Goldy like he was trying to explain nuclear thermal dynamics to him. A little drool escaped one corner of his mouth, and one of his eyes spasmed uncontrollably.

  "Damn it; I lost him. Henry, blink if you are still alive."

  Henry blinked.

  "Ok, let me try to break this down for you in simpler terms."

  Goldy swipes his hands, and the blackboard and his professor outfit disappear. He is back in his true form, putting both claws on Henry's face and staring him in the eyes.

  "Mortal treasures equal power for me. The more cool and valuable shit I can get, the more powerful my cultivation can be."

  Henry snaps out of his stupor.

  "Dude, why didn't you just say that to begin with."

  Henry smiles a big shit-eating smile and says, "So I just have to get the loot, and that'll make me punch harder."

  "It's a little more complicated than that, but yeah, if you want to be pedantic about it, that pretty much sums it up."

  "I don't sweat the details, man. So, how do we get started? Are you going to give me some crazy powerup or some cheat one-shot kill move? Cause I am ready to get juiced, man," Henry said as he rubbed his hands together.

  "You don't even want to know about potential dangers to yourself by learning my cultivation? What about the time limit? Do you not care about the pressure you will be under? Not to mention, how will you even get the treasures necessary for advancement?"

  "Goldy, goldy, goldy. The way I see it, I am playing with house money at this point, so what do I have to lose? You seem like a chill guy. Also, I know what it feels like to be hopeless. Obviously, if I had options in my previous life, I wouldn't be here now," Henry whispers, suddenly no longer his jovial joking self.

  "Of all the things I can remember from before, other than the punching, of course, the thing that sticks with me the most is what my mom told me in her throes of sickness."

  There is visible sadness in Henry's eyes, as if even thinking about the memory brought him pain.

  "Life can be hard, and life is never fair, but if we try to show just that little bit of sympathy and understanding, then maybe it doesn't have to always be like that. People may forget what you say forget what you have done, but they will never forget how you made them feel. So promise me, Henry, even in those tough times, you will try to be kind."

  Goldy was dumbfounded. Who was this person in front of him? The vulnerability in the words and the look of understanding in his eyes. Was this even the same Henry he had been talking to just a moment ago?

  Henry squares his shoulders and rubs his eyes.

  "She had Ki poisoning from not being able to cultivate, and I was too broke to get the adequate help she needed. She was strong, though stronger than me, and at least she was fighting through it all. Even then, she was so kind, telling me it wasn't my fault ."

  Henry pats Goldy on his back and gives him that shit-eating grin again. "You said you needed help, and I can help you, so why shouldn't I try my hardest to get it done? I don't want to live my second life with regrets, and I refuse to live it like those cultivators in Peng's memories, so tell me what I need to do to learn your cultivation."

  Goldy just stared at Henry for a moment,t letting the weight of his words settle. This whole time he just assumed that this mortal was a simpleton and that he was doomed to his fate. Henry surprised him, though, and that was pretty hard to do. He had not sensed even one ounce of mistruth from his statements. Henry believed what he said.

  Goldy had read Henry's thoughts and knew that, to his dying breath, he would try to be kind in the face of the cultivation world's cruelties. Goldy had been burned before, but he wanted to believe that his intuition was not wrong with Henry.

  Goldy knew he was a degenerate gambler and that Henry was a long shot, but what kind of gambler would he be if he didn't at least try?

  Goldy would let it ride, and if he crapped out, then fuck it; at least he would try and go out with style.

  "It's pretty simple, Henry, to learn my cultivation. All you have to do is…."

  Help a Bro Out!