After analyzing the latest haul from sector B, I rounded out my ring collection for elemental absorption rings and had a few extra copies of some. I also discovered a few additional deception treasures. Most of what I found were duplicates though, like someone was mass manufacturing them somewhere. But why hide them in antiques when you could just sell them?
I took a look at the symbol on the holo-note again and decided that maybe Text would know about it.
"Text, do you recognize this symbol?" I asked the mysterious text in my brain.
"ANSWER: No knowledge of this symbol is included in the inheritance. Would you like me to keep an eye out for this symbol in the future?" Text answered.
"You can do that?!" I asked, surprised.
"ANSWER: I have many functionalities that are intended to support the user in growing stronger until the full inheritance can be absorbed."
"Well that’s cool, yes please be on the lookout!" I told Text.
"Speaking of, Text." I posed.
"Do we have enough treasures to combine into a new cultivation method?"
"ANSWER: Yes. You can use all of the treasures currently collected minus the qi sensing glasses to create a new cultivation technique thanks to your current cultivation level."
"Nice! Well let’s not waste any more time! Combine those cultivation techniques and give me my super cool and explosive cultivation technique!" I told Text prompting a progress bar to spawn in my vision. To my horror, this progress bar moved at a snail’s pace. I remembered I needed to do some cleaning around the apartment so I resolved to keep myself busy while waiting for Text.
Finally after a few hours of cleaning, cultivating, and lazing around a ‘Ding’ popped up in my vision and I excitedly sat down on my couch, eagerly awaiting my new cultivation technique.
"Text, what is a cultivation technique anyway?" I asked, realizing that in my excitement over my shiny new toy I forgot to even ask.
"ANSWER: A cultivation technique is a set of breathing techniques, qi manipulation, and physical bodily movements that promote the user’s cultivation to harmonize in a specific way and provide the user a path to follow in their future growth. Without a cultivation technique, it is possible to climb through cultivation stages, but the user’s foundation will be stunted. The foundation is the most important facet of the user’s cultivation, without a strong foundation the user’s attainments in the future will be limited."
"I think I understand." I said aloud.
"So this cultivation method will let me build my foundation up strongly in a specific way and allow me to climb up higher in the cultivation world?" I asked, hoping Text would validate my understanding.
"ANSWER: Yes, that understanding is mediocre, but more or less correct."
I squinted my eyes at the suddenly sassy text on my screen but ended up losing my anger. It was just some text after all, no reason to get angry at it.
"So Text, what’s my super cool cultivation technique called?!" I asked, bouncing up and down on my couch.
"ANSWER: The technique that has been created to facilitate the user’s myriad branch spirit root is new to this world, a culmination of multitudes of cultivation techniques left behind in the inheritance. As it does not have a name, I have taken the liberty to give it a name. It is called the Myriad Elemental Halcyonic Scripture." Text told me.
My mouth dropped open.
"That sounds so cool! What does halcyonic mean though?" I asked.
"ANSWER: peaceful, gentle, or calm." Text answered.
I narrowed my eyes at the text.
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"What use is a cultivation method if it’s calm or peaceful?! Cultivation techniques should be explosive and powerful!" I bemoaned.
"SUGGESTION: The user should try out the technique first before whining about its name." Text shot back. Was Text getting more sassy as the days went by?
"Fine, fine, I’ll try it out. How will I know what to do?" I asked.
Without warning, a splitting headache overtook my senses, I couldn’t move let alone scream as my head felt like it was exploding. I vaguely understood a progress bar was making its way forward in my vision, but I couldn’t think about anything at the current moment. As quickly as it appeared, the pain was gone and I was breathing heavily laying back against my couch.
"Text, what was that?!" I asked.
"ANSWER: The information on how to perform the Myriad Element Halcyonic Scriptures has been loaded into the user’s brain. The pain occurred because the user’s body cultivation is still lacking. Should the user’s body cultivation improve, this process will not be as painful in the future."
"What do you mean by ‘in the future’? We only have to do this once right?" I asked, hopefully.
"ANSWER: Whenever the user learns a new technique or method from the inheritance, the information on how to perform that technique or method will be directly uploaded into the user’s brain. The user should further their body cultivation to prevent future suffering."
My head drooped down. I didn’t know the first thing about body cultivation.
"How do I go about starting body cultivation, Text?" I asked.
"ANSWER: To cultivate one’s body, the user must immerse their body in qi of each element matching the branches of their spirit roots. As the user immerses their body in elemental qi, the impurities within the body will be expelled and the user's body will be reforged in qi. As the body is reforged, it will become stronger. Traditionally, cultivators choose either body or soul cultivation but not both. Just like with traditional cultivation, body cultivation also consists of realms. The realms are as follows; Training, Forging, Tempering, and Ascending. Each realm must cultivate the body’s individual parts in each realm. The parts that must be cultivated are as follows; Flesh, Viscera, Muscle, Bone, and Marrow."
"Well, how do I immerse myself in the various types of qi?" I asked Text.
"ANSWER: you must find locations that are steeped in the qi of the element you wish to train. I can sense locations within this large structure that house large amounts of qi. Closest to this location I can sense sources of fire and metal qi strong enough to reach the peak of the training stage in each element."
I thought about what Text said. Text had said that people generally don’t cultivate both the body and spirit, but why not? If it will make me even stronger, then I should do whatever I can right?
On one hand, it sounded like it would take a long time to cultivate my body, but I’m not really in a rush at the moment. On the other hand, my hands will be full cultivating my spirit, but what if I can cultivate both at once? I decided it would be worth trying at least.
I brought up the information on the Myriad Elemental Halcyonic Scripture cultivation technique and studied it in my head. The breathing technique would be simple enough to do, as would the body positions I should move through as I cultivate, but the qi control necessary to perform the cultivation technique might be difficult. The cultivation method requires me to link the opposing elements of qi within my dantian and spin them around each other constantly so they form a sort of harmony between them.
The harmony between the opposing qi in my dantian should allow for the creation of new qi much more quickly than using the traditional spirals and will prevent any backlashes I may face from the opposing qi interacting with each other.
I reached within my dantian and grouped first the wood and metal qi within my dantian together. I joined their spirals and forced them to meld together spinning in time with one another but not obstructing each other. The spirals mixed flawlessly thanks to the image of the cultivation method I had in my head and I quickly copied the method for the fire and water qi, and earth and wind qi respectively. Once I had all of the spirals changed to the new method I began focusing on the breathing technique while moving my body through the motions of the cultivation technique. Once the cultivation began in earnest, I was able to sit down and only rely on the spirals and the breathing method to continue cultivating.
The speed at which I was now able to cultivate was astounding! The amount of qi flooding into my dantian was unfathomable to me. The energies continued pouring in creating drops upon drops of the liquid qi in my dantian. I soon broke through to the next rank in foundation building in record time.
"This cultivation method is incredible, Text!" I exclaimed.
"SUGGESTION: The user should focus on body cultivation before cultivating further. The foundation of the user’s spirit cultivation will become stronger as the user’s body cultivation increases."
"Why doesn’t everyone just do both cultivation methods to begin with?" I asked Text.
"ANSWER: It is not well known in the cultivation world. Most focus on spirit or body cultivation and realize one day that their cultivation has plateaued and cannot be increased. The immortal who left the inheritance understood this limitation and when he reached the pinnacle of where he could reach on his cultivation journey he left his inheritance so that one day someone would come along and succeed him. I’ve been bestowed with this knowledge, and now you have too." Text stated.
I think I understood. It wasn’t well known, but someone else out there has to be doing it. If Text thought it was a good idea for me to work on body cultivation then I supposed I should go work on it.
"Text, can you point out the locations of those places where I can cultivate my body?"
"ANSWER: Yes. I will point them out as you find them."