Cultivation. It is both a means and a state of existence. By using martial arts, meditation, or medication, it allows you to become one with the universe. Thus letting you draw upon the power of nature around you.
Or rather, that is what it was once considered. ‘Purists’ still consider it to be so. Modern Galactic society however has come to believe that cultivation is a natural step in evolution. Any race sufficiently advanced enough to step forth from their home planet and into the galactic scene naturally comes into contact with the forces of the wider universe.
Rather it be scientific inquiry, psionic training, or any number of other methods, all races eventually come into contact with Astra. Thus they develop ways to harness Astra for themselves. This naturally includes cultivation of the individual. The advantages of introducing it into a population are too great to ignore.
Which is why every species we’ve ever come into contact has contained cultivators. Regardless of their natural talents or power levels. The search for extended lifespans and strength is too irresistible to turn down.
- Galactic Reliquary, Introduction to Cultivation.
Cultivation has always been the main crux of society. Every school kid, regardless of their race or social standing, is introduced to it at a very young age. Starting from childhood, cultivation is used as a supplement that touches every part of life. Maybe too much of a person’s life.
Getting a good job, finding a good spouse, having good kids. All of these things depend upon cultivation. It’s the same regardless of rather or not a person becomes a Star Fighter or a scientist or a trader. Strength has always mattered, and in galactic society, it is even more highly regarded.
Usually, before a race makes it out into the wider galaxy, the rule of law matters more. The race has been able to harness the natural resources and energy supplies of their planet. They no longer have any natural predators. No reason to grow stronger, unless it is in constant fighting against each other.
These pre-Galactic races are protected by both Concordant Law and a sort of natural law that exists within the Universe. The Universe wants these myriad of races to grow along their own, in isolation, so very rarely does one society have any foreknowledge of what is awaiting them in the space beyond their home solar systems.
This passive defense and isolation however only continues so long as the race remains within the borders of their original solar system. As soon as they develop any sort of faster-than-light travel, the universal laws that protects them disappear without a trace. Sad as it is to say, a great many are not prepared to what is awaiting them. The first trial of which is the galactic radiation.
X-Rays, Gamma Rays, Microwaves. All sorts of radiation flood into the newly unprotected solar systems. Uncontrollable, it changes both the sentient species as well as every living, and in some cases non-living being present during that time. Extinction events are rare, but one would be surprised at how many ‘purges’ happen when a society tries to eradicate the ‘transformed’ members of their species.
Usually a Concordant Envoy makes it in time to stop such foolishness, but the Milky Way Galaxy itself is massive, so it isn’t always possible to get there in time. Another problem is the evolution of beasts, demons, devils and the like. Some races are entirely overrun by rapidly mutated and changed beasts that destroy them utterly before they can respond.
That is, however, the way the world works. It’s a natural law of such magnitude that even the huge power known as the Concordant Council can do nothing but lay down rules and laws to stop people from trying to tamper with it. Non-intervention is the law in this matter.
That said, most races come out of the trial in far better shape than when they started. Not that the transition from singular race to just a part of the galactic society is always smooth. Really, it almost never is. The rapid changes that happen within these newly unsealed worlds often birth treasures and resources that already established neighbors drool over. Subjugation is just one option that can happen. Slavery, or being wiped out entirely can also happen.
At least until this new race has garnered enough strength to fight back and claim their rightful place. And that all depends upon cultivation. The power of a single high ranked cultivator can overturn vast armies and fleets of spaceships. It’s a very common, if eye-opening sequence of events that has repeated since the galaxy was just forming.
Cultivation however depends upon the individual. There’s no ‘right’ way to cultivate. While there are manuals and legacies and techniques which can assist, strengthen, or enhance a person's ability to cultivate, it still all comes down to the person in the end. The individual.
In this case, the individual known as Jordan Lockes has shifted into a cross legged position on the plain bunk. He sets his hands upon his knees, and slowly close his eyes. His breathing is deep and steady, and his mind has gone still and quiet almost instantly.
As a human, Jordan was considered to have a decent talent as a cultivator. His great renown as a scientist far outshadowed that talent however. The fact that he hadn’t resisted when he’d been captured also served to hide his own great strength. Too bad by the time he’d learned that things were not what they seemed, it had been far too late to fight back anyway.
Still, his previous foundation as a cultivator had been about as solid as one could be. He neither rushed nor dallied along his chosen path. This gave him quite a bit of experience. So even though he’s having to start over here, at the absolute lowest ranks, it didn’t bother him too much.
The only potential problem was that of his body. It was the wild card that makes even Jordan a bit nervous. The reason for that is all ‘human’ cultivators share common traits, regardless of the method or technique they use to cultivate. Other races also have their own such traits in their cultivation systems. All of these though have been devised and researched over thousands upon thousands of generations, making them as close to perfect as can be.
Jordan though will have to literally start from scratch on his own. It’s an aspect that is both exciting and scary at the same time. That thrill of excitement and fear rampages around his guts even after he’d already calmed himself down. It doesn’t seem to want to fade at all, even as he turns his concentration to the first matter at hand.
The absolute basis of cultivation is the ability to feel Astra. Astra is everywhere, and exists within all things. Even the nearly empty void between galaxies, where the massive gravities of the galaxies themselves have pulled nearly every atomic mass to them over time, contains Astra. As a part of the fabric of reality, Astra truly can be found in all but the most warped or twisted of spaces.
Thus, the first thing a cultivator has to do is learn how to feel the presence of Astra. For those with basic, low levels of talent, this can take up to six months. Even using meditation techniques to clear the mind and help with focusing, it is just that hard to do. For those with even slightly higher levels of talent though, this process can be greatly sped up.
As for Jordan, who’d already long ago mastered this part, the only difference is the way this new body of his perceives the world. Perception changes reality. This is a principle that has been known for countless ages now. Some see Astra as great floating clouds. Others as burning fire. And other still sense it as even more complex structures.
In the end though, it doesn’t matter how they sense it. Only so long as they can. This is the Astra Sensing level of Cravings rank. The lowest of the low, and yet the basis of all cultivation.
Breathing in and out deeply with a steady, constant rhythm, Jordan closes off his normal senses and concentrates on finding the presence of Astra around him. As his body relaxes further, seeming to almost seem asleep, his perception stretches outward from his mind to touch upon the world around him. This sort of perception is very weak and fleeting, almost ethereal.
For Jordan though, this release of his perception is a great boon. An unexpected gift. It paints a picture of the world within his mind's eye, allowing him to look for details he’d normally miss with his eyes. It was something he’d spent quite a lot of effort to learn to use before, and he’s quite overjoyed to find that he still has the knack for it. So much so that he almost knocks himself out of his meditation, much to his chagrin.
This sort of perception is known as the One Eye. A technique that uses the will of a cultivator to see the real way the universe works. This ability allows for far greater range of perception, as well as comprehensive ability. It also has an enhancing effect on the Cravings rank of cultivation.
Very, very, extremely few people are born with the innate ability to use the One Eye technique. Like, one out of ten million humans. Everyone else has to train to unlock the use of it later. Those who start out with it are almost always hailed as geniuses that’ll surpass anyone else of the same rank.
For Jordan though it isn’t that he was born with the ability, but that he’d managed to retain it after dying and being reborn. The effect will be the same however. It’ll allow him to reach greater heights faster.
He ends up taking a little while to calm himself and push the distracting thoughts into the back of his mind. Centered once more after several minutes of restlessness, he breaths in deeply and blows out like bellows as he focuses his concentration again. Distraction at this stage will only hinder him.
Opening his One Eye technique again, he no longer focuses it on the room, but instead disperses his will as a thin film around here. This film increases his sensitivity to even the smallest things. A nifty ability when searching for the smallest particle ever found.
Within only moments he’s able to catch an odd feeling passing through his perception. Swiftly focusing there, for a long moment he finds nothing before something absolutely tiny appears in his mind. A tiny mote, a dot, of dim light. A solitary beacon in the darkness.
But as Jordan focuses on that mote of light, others appear within his mind as well. They seem to flash into existence, one after another. Then rapidly propagate until the entire guard station around him is full to bursting with them. The Astra flows and meanders, never staying still, and completely unaffected by things such as walls and doors. The Astra passes through solid matter freely.
This free floating, raw form of Astra has been called many things by many races over the eons. Mana. Yuan Qi. Elementium. Different names used to describe the same thing. For Jordan, now that he is able to sense the Astra around him, he no longer has to focus so hard. Getting use to the feel of it, soon enough he doesn’t even have to concentrate or think about it in order to feel its soft presence around him.
Roughly thirty minutes after starting, it could be said that Jordan has mastered the first level of the Cravings rank. He can freely sense the presence of all the Astra within nearly a hundred yards, or three hundred feet of himself. Compared to others, it is an absolutely monstrous ability. Children who just start out on their path of cultivation rarely feel the Astra within a few feet of themselves. Only someone in the middle ranks of cultivation can feel the Astra within a couple hundred feet of distance.
This is actually very important, cause the ability to feel or sense the Astra within a given range depicts how much of it a cultivator can gather and absorb at any one time. It is the pivotal point upon which the next two levels depend upon, and form the basis of cultivation as a whole. The more a person is able to sense, the more they are able to use!
For Jordan to be able to sense the Astra within such a huge area is simply unbelievable. Or would be to others. For Jordan himself though, it’s actually fairly natural. Three hundred feet was about the previous range he was able to sense when he was at the peak of his cultivation previously. To start off at that same level could be considered a boon by the gods. In truth though it has more to do with his body’s abnormal sensitivity.
Jordan’s body had literally been reconstructed with absolutely massive quantities of Astra. Of which the vast majority was stolen from others. While purity of Astra was the way to go in cultivation, vast quantity is also a quality all of its own. Even though his body has no free flowing Astra within it, the basis of his body is such that every drop he’d taken before is locked inside of his cells. Or more accurately, nearly 90 percent of his body is made up of the Astra he’d taken. And just how a magnet is sensitive to another magnet, his body is extremely sensitive to the Astra around it now.
When it is all said and done though, just this much isn’t enough to really surprise Jordan. He’d reached this level before. It excites him to think that this is his new beginning, but it isn’t a completely alien experience. The familiarity of it is enough to leave him calm and collected unlike when he found that he still had his One Eye. He only has to take a few slow breaths to resettle into his meditation, reaching for the second level.
The second level of the Cravings rank is the real game changer. The Astra Resonance level is the first true test of any cultivator. While being able to sense Astra could be considered a heavenly experience, it is rather meaningless if a person isn’t able to control it. Astra resists almost all attempts to be controlled by man or machine. Even technology based upon the usage of Astra requires enormous amounts of electrical power before it can tap into the raw Astra. Much less the limited strength of a person.
Even the Astra Reactors of starships require nearly full energy stores before they can come online. It’s like an old fashioned car that requires a jump every time someone tries to turn over the ignition. Space stations make quite a bit of money off of recharging a ship’s stores if they have had to take their reactors offline for repair or maintenance.
For a cultivator though, it isn’t about any sort of physical strength. It’s about the strength of the mind. Of the will. All cultivators, big or small, not only cultivate the body, but also the mind. The Astra Resonance is how they do it. Being able to reach out with your thoughts to touch the unseen, and thus able to persuade it to do as you desire is the entire principle behind the Astra Resonance Level.
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By becoming one with Astra, a cultivator is able to learn how to use it. For the common Galactic citizen, this is about as far as they are able to go. Simply by achieving Astra Sensing level, they gain a bit of strength due to the innate connection that is formed. But for real cultivators, the Astra Resonance level is considered the true start. A person who is never able to learn how to control Astra will always remain as a mortal!
For Jordan however, it could almost be described as a cheat. Almost as soon as he pushes his will outward from his body, the Astra around him starts to seethe. Like a bubbling cauldron, the Astra surges and condenses right toward him, creating a massive pressure that causes him to freeze. He cannot help but grunt, and almost instantly breaks out in a cold sweat as a tsunami-like wave crashes right down upon his body.
The next moment though leaves him absolutely astonished however. Because that Astra wave does nothing to him. As soon as he’d let go of his will, the wave dissipated as if it had never been. The pressure vanished without a trace, and everything calms down.
That isn’t to say that there wasn’t any evidence of what just happened though. All the junk he’d left on the floor and on the bed around him is now scattered all around the room. Just looking at it wide eyed, Jordan almost cannot believe it.
Raw Astra is very, very rarely strong or dense enough to affect the physical world. It is too dispersed, too calm in its free flowing state to do so. There are some places, rips and tears in reality that causes vortexes of Astra strong enough to rip planets and stars apart, but those places are all well known and documented. The phantom mass of supermassive black holes are only one such example.
For it to happen here is the biggest shock Jordan has experienced ever since he started scheming his plans. If only because of how unbelievable it is. If that Astra wave had hit him, he’d likely have been flung across the room as well. Simply astonishing.
It literally leaves him panting and wide-eyed for several long minutes. But always the scientist, Jordan soon turns his mind to the issue at hand, not even pausing to catch his breath before delving into it.
‘There was no control there. Just a summoned mass in response to my call. Hmmm… backlash, is it? Too much force of will…’ His internal dialogue goes just that way. As he comes up with a viable reason he starts to calm down, and cannot even help but chuckle to himself. Wiping the sweat off of his forehead makes him think about when he was a young kid, just starting on his training. Where the unexplained caused him to freak out. Which later lead him to seeking all the answers he could as a scientist.
He chuckles at that line of thought before shaking his head to clear it. Once more, he slows his breathing and sinks down into the black forgetfulness of his prefered style of meditation. This time however he doesn’t push as he did before. Instead, only a tiny sliver of his will reaches out to touch upon the Astra which is still several times denser than it had been before.
That light touch though still causes a reaction, but just one that isn’t anywhere near as powerful as the previous one. This time his will calls upon a mass of Astra the size of a fist, which surges toward him like a well placed right hook. However, Jordan is ready for it, using his light touch of will to force the Astra to disperse before it gets the chance to clobber him.
There was only the vaguest sense of control in that one, but it is far better than before. And also proves his own hypothesis. The Astra is naturally drawn to him. But that’s basically saying that too much of a good thing is a bad thing. If he tried with the entirety of his will at this stage, the roaring Astra that he summons up would scatter him to bits.
It is a bloody thought that both scares and excites him. It is not the sort of power a Cravings ranked cultivator should have. Or a Foundations rank, for that matter.
Still, it isn’t the sort of thing that makes him want to give up. Far from it. So for the next three hours, he does what he does best. He experiments. During that time, Jordan literally tries everything he can think of. He disperses his will as fine as he can. He creates large bursts that he then lets go of. He tests the various causes and effects that come from it.
After that time though, he comes up with a solution that gives him the balance he needs. He splits his will into tiny countless threads, and then spreads them out as far as his perception will let him. He literally fills the full three hundred foot radius around him with the lightest of touches.
It’s a totally different way of doing it that would leave others flabbergasted. But it is the only way he found that gives him the control he requires. He literally creates a 3-dimensional spiderweb in the shape of a sphere with his will. Constantly touching, feeling, controlling every speck of Astra within his range.
Sadly, he finds that the constant manipulation of his will in such a way takes a very heavy toll upon him. He’s only able to maintain it for about five minutes before he has to withdraw his will quickly once the Astra starts to rampage at the fridges. It leaves him both gasping for breath and once more feeling utterly drained.
“Damn… Just what the hell is going on here?” Jordan cannot help but mutter to himself in a croaking voice as he takes the time to catch his breath. Soon after, he has to wobble his way to gozzle down more water, then go hunt for food and nutrients for his stomach. Once again he scatters the garbage around him, and looks quite forlornly at the empty vials of Soldier Pills.
He’d ended up eating them all before he felt strong and stable again. There wasn’t a single Soldier Pill left in the entire guard station. What would have lasted twenty people at least a week was downed by him in a mere span of hours. If anyone else were to witness it, they’d die from the shock.
To Jordan however it presents a very big problem. He knew his body would be high-spec, and thus high maintenance, but he never once suspected it would be so over the top. Just the cost in soldier pills that he’d consumed would bankrupt any regular low-level Star Fighter. Too an organization like the Concordant Guard, it’s a trifling sum, but for everyone else it’s far too much.
Spending a few minutes to adjust his plans in his head, he realizes that he’s going to be far more active than he’d wanted. His original plan called for him to lay low and build up his foundation while waiting for his chance to escape. But now things are different. He’ll have to get out and about in order to gather the resources he needs. On top of not knowing how much time he has. His plans have already been set in motion, and there’s no way to pause them now.
“Tsk.” Jordan cannot help but click his tongue before he shakes his head and smiles a bit in self-ridicule. “Not every plan survives…”
Setting it aside after considering his next steps, he once more calms himself and slowly spreads out his awareness. Following soon after his will is dispersed, which is a bit easier than the previous time, and soon enough he’s able to feel his control of the Astra around him. At the same time though he can feel the time limit he has before he loses control again, and thus decides to skip the expert control that most have to gain during the Astra Resonance level.
The natural draw of his body will just have to be his primary control at the moment, and as he slowly relaxes his will, the Astra starts to be drawn toward him in a steady, if rapid twinkle. He does however keep it under a tight leash, not letting it become agitated or fierce as it is drawn toward his body, which would make it impossible to absorb. However, even he couldn’t describe the feeling that comes from him as the first thin threads of Astra enters his pores.
The feeling is utterly indescribable. Like taking the first long breath after being underwater for ages. Like having the first full meal after being starved. Or holding a beautiful woman in your arms for the first time. So much so that even as all of Jordan’s pores open up, he cannot help but let out a groan in pleasure.
The feeling is so vastly different from his previous experiences with cultivation that he doesn’t even notice that as the Astra is drawn into his body, it all but disappears. Not a wiff of it remains. His cells are so hungered that they devoured it completely, leaving not a speck behind.
It isn’t until the feeling starts to dull after drawing in several more strands of Astra does he finally come back to reality. Uses his senses to feel his body, he’s quite surprised to find that there is no Astra inside of him. None at all. Every drop of it had disappeared as if into a black hole!
The shock is enough to cause him to have a momentary lapse in control of his will, once more causing the Astra within his area to boil up in a frenzy. It surges, and the shockwave is too close and too fast for him to regain control before it hits him like a solid block of stone.
The blow is enough to cause his mind to shake and the bunk underneath him to shatter, knocking him to the floor. However, the physical pain of being hit by such a great backlash doesn’t occur. Instead the Astra is drawn into his eager body without any hint of control. Instead, it is all gobbled up nearly instantly, causing him to feel none of the pressure that would cause other cultivators to black out.
This reality, which is utterly beyond Jordan’s comprehension, completely shatters the remaining will that he’d managed to keep in check. Regardless of being tossed around like a rag doll across the floor, soon enough the entire guard station is a howling whirlwind of Astra that all but screams as it is drawn to Jordan like a magnet. And it doesn’t seem to matter just how much is pulled in, cause as soon as it touches his body it’s completely and utterly absorbed.
At the same time, that pleasurable feeling has returned with full force. Utter bliss which nearly wipes all conscious thought away. In a way, it’s almost better than sex as every cell within his body continuously sends out pleasurable signals as they gobble up something that had been completely lacking.
In truth, the lack of Astra was the biggest reason for Jordan’s near-lethargy. His body is not a true biological thing. It is not natural. It cannot survive on water and food alone. His biological parts cannot produce enough energy all their own to maintain the proper functions of the non-biological parts. Which explains why he is able to go through so many supplements and so much food.
But Astra is a form of pure energy. Once absorbed, it can be used to unleash massive amounts of power, of energy.. Which is why cultivators are ranked based on how much Astra they have inside their bodies. The more Astra, the more powerful they are.
Without having to use his conscious will to control the Astra, Jordan is able to absorb massive quantities of Astra without a break. Eventually it reaches the point where he’s no longer being pushed around by the utterly wild flows as well. The fact that by this time he’s already up against the wall and squeezed into a corner doesn’t matter. However, the fact that the Astra has become unnaturally thin within the three hundred feet radius of his control doesn’t escape him either. Or the fact that the pleasure he’s feeling from it is lessening very quickly.
By the time the Astra has become almost non-existent within his space, Jordan is feeling better than he ever had before. He felt strong, and clear headed. Looking inside of himself, each and every one of his cells, starting from his skin inward shines like tiny stars all of their own. Sadly, while his skin layer is almost completely full, the deeper parts of his body are far less full. They are that much dimmer within his sight.
Also, there still isn’t even a speck of loose Astra within him either. With it all trapped inside of his cells, there isn’t any way to use it for techniques or arts. This leaves him with little choice but to use his physical body if he gets into a fight.
On the other side of the coin, he does notice that he isn’t required to refine the Astra he absorbs. Refining Astra is actually the more time consuming step of the whole process of cultivation. A Star Fighter is not able to use the Astra they absorb unless it is refined, or attuned to that person. Thus Star Fighters rarely absorb more than they can refine at any given time, vastly limiting how much they can take in or how fast they can progress.
This brings a wide, eager grin to Jordan’s face, cause removing that limit removes one of the biggest hurdles he has of regaining his former power quickly. Refining is limited to the talent of the cultivator as well as various aspects of their body. Drawing in too much uncontrollable Astra can cause vast amounts of damage inside the body. The fact that Jordan’s body doesn’t require this step at all is another considerable boon.
This gift though has a very obvious downside that causes Jordan’s brows to press together once he starts to think about it. Mainly his lack of control. Controlling raw, unrefined is several times, hundreds of times harder than controlling refined Astra. His obvious lack of progress in the Astra Resonance level is a blatant example. It could prove quite a huge hinderance until he’s skillful enough to do it as easily as breathing.
Jordan will require continuous fine, real-time control of the Astra. Just like a computer, in a way. Continuous, feedback based control. Ugh. Just thinking of how much mental effort is required for something like that draws thick black lines across his forehead.
For how though that doesn’t matter. There isn’t enough Astra remaining in the area for him to continue his cultivation. Nor is there enough food and soldier pills remaining for him to wait for the Astra to replenish itself. He’ll have to move, and quickly.
Before that though, as he glances down at himself, another shower is definitely required. All the garbage has splattered him with all manner of remnant food stuffs. Also, a change of clothing would be nice. The towel from his previous shower has been flung somewhere else, leaving him rather naked. Not the most presentable way to show himself to the outside world.