'Another bottleneck?' Right as she thought it, she cycled her Qi to break through. Unlike her previous record of failure in the 3rd stage, it happened almost immediately, boosting her into the 5th stage.
This time, the breakthrough didn't bring a wave of exhaustion. Instead, it was the opposite. Aneira was bursting with energy, ready to be released. Aneira jumped up from her sitting position and ran outside to the courtyard.
'That breakthrough filled me with so much energy! I wonder how strong I am now?' Aneira wondered as she entered the courtyard. Walking up to the tree she hit previously, she struck out with her fist.
"Crash!" The tree collapsed. Although the tree was small, it wasn't weak by any means.
"My goodness, what strength!" As this happened, two figures entered the courtyard.
"Senior Mark, Grandma! Did you see that?" Aneira ran up to them and asked excitedly. "I am now a proud warrior at the 5th stage of Body refining!" She said with a smug expression.
"I heard the news of you reaching the 4th stage, but the 5th stage so soon? You must be a late bloomer, there's no other explanation." Senior Mark explained, astonished by her quick growth. As he said this, Heta walked towards the tree to inspect it.
"Mark, would you mind testing her strength?" Heta asked.
"I'd love to! Lass, punch my fist with all your might!" Mark exclaimed, putting his palm out. Mark was one of the high-ranking warriors within the clan, reaching the realm of Qi Palace. He wasn't an elder because he was not a part of the Boreal Family, but he still held a lot of respect within the family, sometimes even more than some other members.
Aneira walked up and prepared to strike out. She gathered her strength, with her fist back, and then struck out with everything she had. It landed perfectly on Mark's palm, but he didn't so much as flinch. Seeing this, Aneira was astonished. 'Even my full strength didnt move him! Is this the power of Qi Palace?' she thought
"Good Strength! That is at least 1000 pounds, no doubt about it." Mark was astonished. "That's beyond even the 8th stage!" Upon hearing this, Aneira was ecstatic.
"No one in body refining can beat me, haha!" she exclaimed.
"Now, don't be conceited. Although you have the strength, do you have the skill to back it up? It doesn't matter if you have all this power if you never hit your opponent." Heta said, somewhat worried about Aneira's quick growth. There have been too many a tale about geniuses with insurmountable strength being killed by a warrior supposedly weaker than them.
"She has a point lass. Tomorrow I'll be back, and with a new training regimen. We'll focus mostly on your technique and skill with the sword." Mark said.
"Now, I know you're all excited Aneira, but you stink of sweat and dirt. Go bathe before it becomes worse!" Heta said, pinching her nose. Aneira's face flushed immediately and ran inside. "Why didn't you tell me sooner!"
As she entered the house, Heta's expression changed to a concerned one. "I have my worries about her training speed. To hit 5th stage after just hitting 4th? I fear there's only one explanation."
"don't come to conclusions too quickly. Maybe it was just her latent talent being bottled up, and now it just gushed out, boosting her to 5th stage." Mark said. "At least, I hope that's the case." He mumbled.
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Aneira rushed to the washroom, fearing the stench would grow even more potent the longer she took. Having been engrossed in cultivation for the past two days had made her negligent of other things.
"Growwll" Her stomach had rumbled. Eating was another thing she had forgotten, her ferocious appetite rearing its head out. 'I need a large meal after this for sure! To think I even forgot to eat!'
Aneira prepped the heating stone for the bath and filled the tub with water from an indoor water source that flowed mysteriously from a stone in the wall. Both were functions of a natural rock called Qi Stones. Depending on the region where the stone came from changed its function. Water stones spout water, Fire stones heat an area around them, Earth stones build a natural wall around a certain perimeter, and wind stones create a gust of wind. These 4 elements are the most abundant, but there are others with more niche applications. The Qi Stones are also split into Low, Mid, High, and Peak grades. The higher the grade, the stronger the effect. The ones used for much more general use like in housing aren't even low-grade and are found almost everywhere with a little work.
Aneira made sure the water was at a tolerable level, and took her training outfit off. but as she did, she noticed a significant change on her arm. The serpent tattoo coiled around her arm. Her eyes widened in shock, almost yelling out."Maybe it's just dirt in an unnatural pattern' She got into the tub and tried to scrub it off to no avail. Quickly finishing her bath, she put on a new training outfit and rushed outside. She entered the kitchen and saw Heta prepping a large slice of meat and Mark on a chair patiently waiting.
"Grandma, look at this!" Aneira rolled up her sleeve with a worried expression, revealing the serpent on her arm. Heta frowned instantly when she saw this.
"Let me see," She walked up and grabbed Aneira's arm, inspecting it. Mark also approached, a complicated expression written on his face. The two of them looked at each other, seemingly conversing by thought alone.
"What's wrong? Is this bad news?" looking at their faces, Aneira grew more worried.
"It seems you've been blessed with an Ancient bloodline." Heta Explained.
"How is that a bad thing?" Aneira was confused. Usually, those who awaken an Ancient bloodline are regarded as some of the most powerful. Each cultivator with an Ancient bloodline has a record of beating those in a higher stage than them. The current emperor is someone with an Ancient Bloodline, and is referred to as the most powerful being in the Empire.
"Well, it's a good and a bad thing. Your cultivation advances extremely rapidly and your strength will be unmatched by those in the same stage, or sometimes even realm. But there's a serious downside that nearly cripples all Ancient Bloodlines." Heta explained, hesitant to say the next words. "What I'm about to tell you, don't let it shake your determination. No matter what happens, there's always a way." Hearing this, Aneira was extremely worried.
"Although Ancient bloodlines are extremely rare, there have been enough to record and document each one. I know of every single bloodline that has appeared in the past 1000 years, but the serpent on your arm doesn't match any I know of. To make matters worse, although they are blessed with heavenly strength and power, in order to actually cultivate past Body Refining, they need a specific Cultivation Art that suits their body perfectly. Otherwise, they are doomed to be stuck at 9th Stage Body Refining." Heta explained, with a somber tone.
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Tears welled up in Aneira's eyes hearing the explanation. "You mean, I'll never reach Qi Refining?" The tears were released and she started crying. Heta wrapped her arms around Aneira to console her, not knowing what to say.
"Who says you can't reach Qi Refining?! All we have to do is find you the right manual!" Mark exclaimed, hoping to boost her confidence. That did nothing, and only made Aneira cry harder. "That's like finding a needle in a haystack!" she sobbed. Breaking free from Heta's embrace, she ran to her room.
"This has gotten tough," Mark said, frowning.
"Aye, all we can do is hope." Heta turned away. Seeing Aneira's reaction had saddened her. "I shouldn't have told her! What was I thinking!"
"It was only a matter of time. Are you sure you haven't heard of that bloodline?" Mark asked.
"I'll have to go tomorrow to check the library. There is no way it's never appeared within the past thousand years." Heta went back to the meat that was cooking. It seemed just about done, so she sliced almost half of it and put it on a plate. She walked up to Aneira's door and put it down in front and knocked twice. "I left dinner in front of your door. Just know that there is always a way. You will NOT be stuck at the peak of Body Refining, I promise."
Aneira opened the door with a fake smile on her face. "Thank you Grandma." she took the plate, unable to resist her hunger, and closed the door.
Heta walked back to Mark. "She'll come out of this more determined, I know it." Mark nodded his head in agreement.
"I'll ask all the contacts I have. Any hint will help. I'll be back before you leave for East Wind." Mark turned and left. Heta sighed and turned in for the night.
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The next day-
Aneira was in her room, Cultivating like usual. Tears were stained on her face, but instead of sadness, there was a newfound determination. 'My fate isn't doomed, not yet! I'm not even at the peak of Body Refining, who is to say I'll be stuck at the 9th stage.' After another night of cultivation, although she didn't feel the breakthrough, she felt great improvement, nearing the peak of 5th stage. She exited her room but didn't see Heta, who would usually be sitting and reading a book about something random. She washed her face of tears and left the house into the courtyard, ready to do her daily training.
This time, she started with the sword swings.
300 swings.
750 swings.
1200 swings.
2000 swings. She had performed 2000 swings and had yet to feel any exhaustion. she was even able to perform them much quicker. Yesterday, it took her half the day to perform 2000, and yet its only been 3 hours. She kept going until 3000. Even then, she had yet to hit her limits. Seeing as it was approaching midday, she stopped.
'It seems I'll need to get a heavier sword.' She thought ruefully, Moving on to her next set of practice, the Mountain Splitting Ice Art.
She performed the first move, Split the Wind, but felt something was off, but couldn't exactly pinpoint it.
Performed the second move, Split the Stream, the feeling became more prominent. She felt the move had more strength to it, but lacked everything else.
The third move, Gathering Ice. She quickly transitioned from the second move to the third, but before she could finish, the sword flew out of her hands.
"Huh?" She was confused. "I could perform the first three moves so effortlessly, but now, the third move is a struggle? Again!"
She tried again. And she failed again.
"Hmm, I don't believe it. Again!"
Once more, she failed. And failed and failed. After constant failures, she was starting to get angry. But the angrier she got, the easier she failed. Soon she started losing control on the second move. Her repeated failures frustrated her to no end, and she threw her sword towards the wall.
"AHH! Where's Senior Mark when you need him?!" She yelled. She was breathing heavily from a mixture of shortness of breath and anger. She had been practicing all day and the sun was beginning to set, but she hadn't made any progress in her sword art. Aneira sat down to catch her breath, and her mood began to settle. 'It's just a minor setback, I'm sure I'll figure it out.'
Soon, Heta entered the courtyard carrying a pile of books. Seeing Aneira training brought a wide smile to her face.
"Hello dear. Follow me inside," Heta said, entering the house, Aneira following. She put the pile of books down next to the table and gestured for Aneira to sit. Aneira tossed her practice sword in a corner and sat, slumping her face on her hand.
"I can tell you are frustrated without even looking at you. What's wrong?" Heta asked.
"Well, I can't make any progress with the Moutain Splitting Ice Art! It seems I'm even going backward, I can't even perform the 3rd movement consistently!" Aneira Sighed. "I've been practicing all day with no improvement."
"Well, there lies the problem. Practicing all day leads to burnout and frustration if there is no obvious progress." Heta explained. Heta wasn't the greatest battler, even considered rather weak by those in her realm. But her theory was unmatched. Years of study have led to her rather respectable position within the clan. "I'm not as strong as Mark, but I'm sure I can help. Tell me your troubles."
"Well, I keep losing control of the sword as I try the next move. Yesterday, it was during my attempt at the fourth move, but today I couldn't even perform the third move. As time passed, even the second move was trouble!" Aneira said, her frustration becoming more apparent.
"Ah, that sounds like a lack of control. Not with the technique but with yourself! It seems, that you can't seem to control your newfound strength." Heta explained as she reached towards the pile of books, grabbing a rolled-up piece of parchment. She unfurled it on the table and revealed a map.
"This is a map of the entire North Snow Province. Here is the Boreal Manor," She pointed at a large house icon near the north border of the map. "If you didn't know, our family manor takes up about 40 kilometers of land. We have many subsidiary towns and cities around."
"I never really explored the manor much, so I had no idea it was so huge!" Aneira, upon seeing the map felt a small tinge of excitement.
Then Heta pointed at a town nearby, "This is Cold Pond town, about 10 kilometers away. It's not the most populated town, but a lot of business flows through it, that's because of its close proximity to the Cold Pond and the aptly named Cold Pond forest."
"This is where I want you to travel. The forest has no lack of fierce beasts at ranks 2 and 3. There might even be a few rank 4 beasts. Rank 3 beasts are perfect targets for your training." Fierce beasts were a threat all across the continent, the strongest ones having territory of their own rivaling large families. They were split into multiple realms, each realm having 4 ranks. A rank 1 force beast was equivalent to a Body Refining stage 1 and 2 warriors. Rank 2 equaled Stages 3, 4, and 5. Rank 3 stood their own against stages 5, 6, and 7, and rank 4 signified stages 8 and 9.
Hearing this, Aneira's small tinge of excitement turned into a wave of fervor and joy.
"Does this mean, I can leave the family grounds?!" Aneira asked, a wide smile on her face.
"You've been cooped up in this courtyard for years, rarely taking a step outside. Before, I feared you weren't strong enough, but now I need to let your wings spread. Tomorrow you will set out, so get some rest after dinner." Heta said, a smile creeping up on her face. She hadn't let Aneira out too much, not just because she wasn't strong enough, but because of the intense ridicule she might face. Others saw Aneira and thought she had no talent, to be stuck at Stage 3 for so long. The mockery and ridicule would get to her young mind, which is something Heta wanted to avoid.
Heta prepared a sumptuous feast for Aneira. A large steak from a rank 3 fierce beast, the Frost Boar, weighing at least 15 pounds.
"Remember, never underestimate a beast. They may not be as smart as humans, but they can sometimes be cunning. And also, you might run into some family members out there. If they humiliate you, ignore them completely. Don't even engage in a fight with them. Also, don't forget the basic first aid I taught you. Also-" As they ate, Heta bombarded Aneira with warnings and tips. Aneira finished her meal as fast as possible, to avoid the hours of warnings Heta would give her, and ran into her room. Heta saw this and shook her head with a smile. She put up the dishes and put the pile of books on the table, studying them. On the cover of one, it read 'Introduction to Ancient Bloodlines.'
Inside her room, Aneira was cross-legged, in her usual spot. She suppressed her excitement and shut her eyes, guiding Qi into her body. Instead of guiding it throughout her muscles though, she brought it deeper, towards her bones. There was a slight resistance as it hit bone, but the Qi soon penetrated the hard layer and entered the marrow. Aneira winced, not expecting a sharp pain to arise, but her concentration didn't break. As time went on, that sharp pain grew. After about an hour, it felt as if a thousand needles had pierced her body. She broke out into a cold sweat and felt her consciousness slipping, but she persevered. Not so long after, she felt a breakthrough and a wide smile appeared.
'6th stage!' She thought, as she got up exhaustedly, and collapsed on her bed.