“…”
For a while, Arthur did not know how to react. After all, Sisa told him just now that the chances of obtaining something that was Inferior-grade were incredibly low. Yet, with how he had just obtained an Inferior-grade Spirit Manual…
Was his luck that bad? Or was his luck so good that it allowed him to obtain the bad stuff?
“Didn’t you just say that the chances of pulling an Inferior-grade thing was low?” said the young man with a slight tinge of betrayal, his attention wholly focused on Sisa. “Or am I missing something here?”
“The chances of pulling Inferior-grade items are definitely low,” replied Sisa, giving Arthur a figurative bitter smile. “However, what you should keep in mind is that those chances only apply to Aptitudes. After all, there wouldn’t be much sense to the Spirit Vein Ascension Apparatus if it were to hinder your progress by giving you an Aptitude stat below 1 from the get-go.”
“With that being said, the chances of you getting your hands on Inferior-grade Spirit and Vessel Manuals are slightly higher than your chances of getting a Low-grade variant,” she added, her figurative smile turning even more bitter as she noticed Arthur frowning even more. “However, just because the Spirit Manual you got is Inferior-grade doesn’t mean that it’s bad. Take a look at it for yourself by saying ‘Identify’ and then the type of manual you want to identify.”
At those words, Arthur let out a sigh as he reminded himself that it wasn’t her fault that he got an Inferior-grade Spirit Manual. After all, that was part of the risks that came along with the gacha.
Then again, the fact that he had gotten what was considered the worst result formed a yearning for him to pull another gacha in the hopes of getting a better Spirit Manual. However, since he did not know what kind of currency was needed to pull the gacha, nor did he know the price he would pay to pull for another gacha, he shifted his focus back to Sisa’s suggestion.
“Identify Spirit Manual.”
Whir…
Hearing a faint wind begin to blow around the pedestal where his system lay, Arthur watched as the orb went through its usual light show before sending out a strand of light that reminded him of the appearance of the gacha feature. However, rather than transform into a space, the strand of light instead transformed into a hologram of a thin-looking book as a screen appeared before Arthur’s vision.
Qi Cultivation for Dummies 101 Grade Inferior (can be evolved) Level 1/10 (upgradeable)
Got yourself thrown into the world of cultivation but have no clue as to how cultivation works in the first place? Well, have no fear, this book shall answer all of the basic questions that might plague you at the beginning of your cultivation journey!
Known as the best-selling Spirit Manual in the New Cosmos, Qi Cultivation for Dummies 101 is a compilation of all of the instructions, tips, and tricks you’ll need to take your first steps on the Path of the Spirit and become a fully-fledged cultivator!
Get your own copy of Qi Cultivation for Dummies 101 today for only 20 copper coins! Taxes not included.
Note: Qi Cultivation for Dummies 101 is not and should not be used as a basis for a proper path for cultivation. At most, it should only be used as a basic foundation for one’s cultivation, only to be replaced with a better Spirit Manual later on. Side effects of using Qi Cultivation for Dummies 101 beyond its intended cultivation realm limit include nausea, diarrhea, qi deviation, qi clogging, muddy qi, and occasionally, qi implosion.
Effects:
> Increases the efficacy of Qi Purity and Qi Regeneration Rate by 2%
Cultivation Realm Limit Peak of the Qi Gathering Realm
Skimming through the contents on the screen that appeared before him, Arthur quickly ignored the manual’s lengthy yet amusing flavor text as he focused his attention on the parts that truly mattered.
“Huh.” Taking a look at the effects the Spirit Manual gave him, it was only now did Sisa’s earlier words regarding the benefits of pulling on the gacha finally click with him. After all, even though he obtained an Aptitude stat that Sisa considered to be good, he had no clue as to what kind of tangible benefit such a good Aptitude stat brought for him yet.
On the other hand, the effects the Spirit Manual gave him was easier to understand, even if it was minuscule in the meantime.
Opening up his status screen beside the Spirit Manual’s description, Arthur noticed that his Qi Purity had gone up to 1.02, while his Qi Regeneration Rate had gone up to 0.051 points per hour. Sure, they might not seem like much at the moment, but with the fact that he could upgrade the Spirit Manual and evolve it beyond Inferior-grade, the young man knew that it wouldn’t be long before his stats turned into large numbers.
“Speaking of which, what does Cultivation Realm Limit imply?” With all of the other parts of the manual’s description being self-explanatory, Arthur eventually focused his attention on this line of text as he asked Sisa for more information.
“It basically dictates how high your cultivation in that corresponding path could reach before the manual loses its effect,” replied Sisa. “For reference, the Qi Gathering Realm is the second realm of cultivation on the Path of the Spirit. But as I’ve said earlier, I’ll explain everything you need to know in more detail later on.”
“Anyways, why are you delaying it even further? Go pull for a Vessel Manual already!”
‘Easy for you to say.’ Hearing Sisa’s excitement in wanting to know the results of final gacha for the meantime, Arthur inwardly let out a sigh as he closed his status screen. After that, he took a look at the hologram the blue orb generated, noticing that the book looked quite similar to a line of books he usually came across whenever he frequented bookstores in the past.
Finding it slightly amusing that even something like that was carried over to the new cosmos, he soon closed the manual’s description screen before returning his attention to the space before him. Taking in a deep breath as he made a solemn prayer to the heavens one last time, he focused his intent towards the button corresponding to the Vessel Manual gacha, hoping that the heavens would take pity on him this time around.
Watching the space transform into multiple streams of nomological lights one last time, Arthur moved his sense of sight elsewhere for the meantime as he fervently prayed for a good result. Feeling that a screen had appeared in front of him bearing the gacha’s result, the young man shifted his gaze forward, only for a bitter smile to appear as he read through its contents.
You have obtained the Vessel Manual ‘How to Get Ripped in 90 Days or Less’ (Inferior-grade).
‘Is the system pulling some prank on me? How could something like this have something to do with cultivation?’
This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
Though he was slightly incensed that the result he’d obtained was the same as the one he got after pulling the Spirit Manual, his anger quickly cooled down as he recalled his earlier findings once more. Taking some time to compose himself, he then commanded the system to show the manual’s description.
How to Get Ripped in 90 Days or Less Grade Inferior (can be evolved) Level 1/10 (upgradeable)
Ever felt like your body is lacking in comparison to your progress in the Path of the Spirit? Want a quick and surefire way to improve that in a short span of time? Well, look no further! This manual right here might just be the thing you need!
A hit in the lesser sectors of the new cosmos, How to Get Ripped in 90 Days or Less details the basic information one would need to proceed onto the Path of the Vessel. By following the instructions, tips, and tricks written within this manual, you’re guaranteed to have a sturdy body within 90 days or less, turning yourself into a force to be reckoned with!
Get your copy of How to Get Ripped in 90 Days or Less today for just 10 copper coins! Taxes not included.
Note: How to Get Ripped in 90 Days or Less has only been tested on a small, curated sample of candidates. The effects that the manual mentioned that it would provide have not been proven to appear for most people. Please proceed with immense caution. Side effects of using the manual beyond its intended limit may result in skin and muscle tears, fractured bones, impotence, and a husk-like body.
Effects:
> Increases Qi and the efficacy of Qi Tenacity by 2%
Cultivation Realm Limit Peak of the Body Refinement Realm
“I guess I should’ve expected the effects to be the same. Just focused on the other stats.” Understanding that the Vessel Manual provided a similar benefit to his Spirit Manual, Arthur took note of the cultivation realm written on the screen before opening up his status screen once more. Seeing that his Qi and Qi Tenacity went up just like his two other stats, the young man soon closed both screens as he briefly glanced at the book hologram before him.
Similar to the design of his Spirit Manual, the appearance of the Vessel Manual reminded Arthur of those incredibly cheap books that showed off a toned body on its cover, only for it to be filled with content that had a few good tips here and there, but was mostly spouting nonsense. Feeling a slight sense of nostalgia for what was essentially a scam book, the young man willed the hologram to disappear, as well as the space that housed the gacha feature.
“So, what’s next?” asked Arthur as he looked at Sisa.
With her tone that of slight gratitude, Sisa responded to Arthur’s question with a hint of excitement and expectation. “Since you’ve already looked at your status screen and perused the gacha, let’s move onto your skills!”
Hearing her words, Arthur’s eyes widened in surprise. “I have skills?”
“For now, just one,” Sisa clarified. “However, as you proceed through the path of cultivation, the number of skills you’ll have under your belt would naturally increase.”
Nodding in response to her words, Arthur more or less understood what he needed to do, uttering the codeword that would lead him to this still unvisited feature.
“Skills.”
With the orb responding with its showcase of lights once more, a holographic screen swiftly appeared in front of the young man’s vision, listing down a singular skill that undoubtedly piqued his interest.
Active Skills:
[Qi Transmutation Lv. 1]
“Identify Qi Transmutation.” Though he knew that Sisa would have mentioned him to do something like this if he were to ask her a question about it, at this point, Arthur felt like he was finally getting a general idea of how he could navigate through the system. With that, it did not take long for the skill’s corresponding description to appear in front of him, its contents giving him more information than he initially thought.
Qi Transmutation Grade Inferior (can be evolved) Level 1/10 (upgradeable)
Though qi can exist in a tangible form to cultivators of higher realms, qi is generally considered intangible to many, with the descriptions of cultivators merely visualizations and interpretations of their own qi. However, one existence has the ability to transform qi into something more tangible, and that would be the spirit vein.
This skill allows the user to transmute 1 point of their own qi into a tangible byproduct, condensing qi for a certain duration until it takes on a solidified form. The amount of byproduct produced is reliant on the user’s Aptitude and Qi Purity and the byproduct’s Difficulty Factor, while the duration to produce the byproduct is reliant on the user’s Aptitude and Qi Tenacity and the byproduct’s Difficulty Factor.
Chosen byproduct
Spirit Slag (Difficulty Factor: 1)
Amount of byproduct per transmutation 12.04 grams ((10 g. x Aptitude x Qi Purity) / Difficulty Factor) Time it takes to transmute 49 minutes, 51 seconds ((60 mins. x Difficulty Factor) / (Aptitude x Qi Tenacity))
List of possible byproducts to transmute into:
> Spirit Slag (Difficulty Factor: 1)
> ??? (requirements to unlock unknown)
“What is the skill’s purpose, exactly?” Once he felt like he had gained a general understanding of how the skill worked, Arthur looked at Sisa, his expression turning into that of confusion as he wondered why an inanimate object would have such a unique skill. “I know that it could let me transform my qi into that Spirit Slag thing, but for what purpose?”
“This is how you’ll mainly be getting Ascension Points!” replied Sisa, instantly catching the young man’s attention after hearing her say those last two words. “For every 100 grams of Spirit Slag, you’ll obtain an Ascension Point in exchange. The more Spirit Slag you exchange, the more Ascension Points you get!”
At that, Arthur nodded in understanding. “I see. So, how do I activate it, then? Do I just say [Qi Transmutation]?”
“…Ngh?!”
Just as Arthur had uttered the skill’s name, the young man felt as if a small part of himself had been torn off without him knowing. Feeling a wave of pain wash over him, Arthur soon noticed that there was a small addition to the drab landscape of his internal world in the form of a small cloud of energy.
Sensing that he held a faint connection to this cloud of energy, the young man instantly understood what was going on, seeing that the blue orb was hard at work condensing the cloud into one spot through the strands it released.
“So… all I have to do at this point is… wait, right?” Feeling slight pain wash over him every once in a while, Arthur tried his best to ignore it as he asked Sisa for more information.
“Pretty much,” replied Sisa as she figuratively nodded. “Though, you’ll have to endure a bit of pain for the entire duration of the skill until it turns into the byproduct you chose.”
“…Will that pain go away if I upgrade the skill?” Wondering if he had gotten the short end of the stick by choosing to be reincarnated as a spirit nucleus, Arthur asked Sisa once more. Though, her response only brought him more disappointment.
“No,” she told him with a firm tone. “However, the pain would become more and more negligible once you proceed through the path of cultivation to the point you wouldn’t even notice a thing.”
“But for now, I’d suggest enduring this one.”
Though he wondered what reason Sisa had to give such a suggestion, Arthur decided to follow her words, recalling the benefits her earlier suggestion brought to him.
And so, the young man endured the pain of having a part of himself ripped off for about 50 minutes, only for that sensation to swiftly disappear once the cloud of energy above the orb had fully solidified into a smattering of bluish dust.
But just as he was about to take a look at the item in greater detail with the help of the system’s identification abilities, the system seemed to have its own plans, instead prompting a screen to appear in front of his vision.
You have completed the quest ‘Learning the Ropes’.