It had been eleven days since I exited the dungeon. According to my map, I was almost through the mountains. It appeared that I only had one or two days left until I would pass the last significant area, and then I would have open plains until I reached Crescent City.

There were a couple of areas that I could have veered off and made it to the nearest road, but I was doing fine traversing the wild. Also, I didn't know what kind of trouble I would run into on the road. The kingdom guards could have been actively searched for me.

The more I traveled, the more I second-guessed the decision. After weeks of traveling, my clothes got ragged, and my food stores were low. Although I hunted animals and gathered fruits and vegetables to help with food. My goggles were really helpful with both of those tasks, so I was too bad in that aspect.

My clothes were becoming the real issue. I only had one change of clothes, and both sets were becoming threadbare. To top that off, I left the river area a few days before, so I could no longer clean them. I had been wearing the same set of clothing since then, and I didn't want to change until I was going to enter civilization. I didn't think I would be welcome if I looked and smelled horrible.

Regardless, I was making great strides in increasing my compatibility. I was close to getting my percentage up to five. There would be no way I could have gotten so far on the protected road. Sure, monster attacks happen on those roads, but it wasn't often, and the monsters were often weak. It seemed I was constantly on guard and defending myself while walking through the mountainside.

I was feeling great as I traveled; a combination of austere living and an increase in my cultivation, which I was practicing every night. I completed the basic course the night before. I would need to get another training program when I stopped for the night. I still felt I was making good gains with the introductory cultivation method, and moving to the next one wasn't needed yet. I wanted to try some of the other available programs.

I was leaning toward a martial training program. I really needed to improve my skills with the spear. I had long hours practicing simple thrusts and swings on my own, but they lacked any real skill. While I managed inside the dungeon, I felt I could have had an easier time if I had been more proficient.

These were all things I thought about while traveling around and through the mountain. I was hoping for some more monsters to face while walking so I could get over the five percent compatibility mark, but it was an uneventful day.

I stopped close to sunset to check my map once again. It showed that I was on the verge of the mountain range. I wanted to have a good vantage point to plot out my path.

I decided to travel over the more prominent hill I was on instead of staying in the lower area. I mistimed how long it would take me, and it was well into the evening when I crested the hill. Looking around, it was too dark to make anything out, but I did see a couple pinpricks of light. I even thought I could see an outline of a city in the distance.

I managed to find a secure area and made camp for the night. Once everything was set up, I pulled up the Augmented Reality Training Programs list to search for good fighting skills.

"CoreLink, open Augmented Reality Training Programs," I stated

- Confirmed…

-Searching local CoreLink Cluster Server for Augmented Reality Training Programs…..

- Augmented Reality Training Programs –

As it once did, a secondary screen opened to show a substantial alphabetical list of training programs that I could choose. I used the bar at the side to scroll toward the section for weapon skills. While scrolling quickly through that screen down to the spear section, one category caught my eye.

-Non-Weapon Attributed De Skills

With nothing to lose from checking it out, I selected it.

The Technique of the De-Blade: Level One

This technique uses the cultivator's internal energy to create a blade made of condensed De. The blade's strength and size depends on the mastery level and the amount of energy output, which is capped by the user's cultivation level. There are five levels for The Technique of the De-Blade; Point, Blade, Beam, Burst, and Transform. The training program covers the first level of the technique.

Would you like to download the training module? Y/N

"Yes."

I felt optimistic about the program, but I didn't know why. I always liked it when weird things just jumped out to grab my attention. Whenever it happened, it felt like serendipity, and I never regretted my decisions.

Of course, the program needed to download, and it took about the same amount of time as my cultivation method, which was about thirty minutes. While waiting, I scrolled through the other lists, including the weapons training area, where I noted a promising fighting style that specialized in the spear. I made a note to download it later so I could practice. The De-Blade technique excited me, and I didn't want to delay getting into it.

The program finished downloading, and I was informed by the familiar buzz in my head and a message.

The Technique of the De-Blade: Level One program download is complete. Would you like to open the module in the Augmented Reality Training Program? Y/N

Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.

I agreed, and my area of vision went through the same process as the other times. After the startup, there was the silhouette of a man standing in the center of the training area. As I walked closer, more features became visible. I was expecting the same figure as my cultivation program but was surprised to find a different person.

While I couldn't be sure since this person was standing and the cultivation teacher was sitting, I felt that this teacher was much bigger. He was at least broader in the shoulder. I wondered how the Augmented Reality Training program did it. Was it a likeness of the original creator of the technique or the person who taught it to the program? Could it be a random human silhouette? Is it always different?

I was pulled from my thoughts as the teacher started talking when I got close enough.

"Greetings," the pseudo-man said.

"Hello there," I waved.

The training instructor nodded at my greeting and promptly began teaching the course. He was a no-nonsense teacher that didn't answer any questions I had. Unlike the cultivation teacher, it seemed he didn't even know I was there.

"Depending on your world of origin, you might have a different word for it, so I will call it your core. The beginning process of using the Technique of the De Blade is similar to feeling the energies coursing inside you when cultivating the De field. However, it differs in two regards. First, you are not just feeling the energy but manipulating it.

"Second, the power you manipulate will feel like it's leaving instead of coming. Before going any further, you must learn to manipulate your internal De energy. Please inform me when you have completed this step, and we will go on to the next."

The instructor paused and stood rigid after that, no matter what I did. I thought about just saying that I was good, but I wanted to at least try to do what the program said. I was just incensed that it didn't offer any information on how to manipulate the energy. I decided that I would at least try to do it for half the time. If I was unable to control the energy, I would just tell the program I completed it, so I could move on to the next step.

I sat down in my cultivating position and closed my eyes. I focused internally on my core and the energy I could feel swirling on the inside. It felt like a fire burning incessantly, yet contained in a central area. I tried to exert my will upon it, but it was useless.

After the prescribed amount of time I gave myself to attempt manipulating the De energy, I quit.

"The step is complete," I told the instructor.

The instructor abruptly stopped his statue impression and looked purposefully at me for a long moment.

"You have not achieved sufficient mastery of the energy manipulation to move on to the next step. Continue your practice." The instructor then once again made like a statue and wouldn't respond.

"Are you serious?" I fumed. "If you can tell, then why do I have to tell you when I'm done? You tell me when I'm done. How long does this process even take?"

The instructor didn't say a word or twitch a muscle. When I looked closer, I noticed it didn't even blink.

"I guess I'll just sit here and manipulate my energy," I pantomimed a ridiculous pose for trying. Even though I used humor to deflect my annoyance, I really did want to be able to manipulate the energy. Regrettably, no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't manage it.

If I knew how long it would take, then perhaps I would be able to have some sort of reasonable expectation of my failure. I then had an idea that I really hoped would work.

"CoreLink, search time for step one of the De Blade technique."

Searching CoreLink…

Approximately 77,900,000 results (0.27 seconds)

GCC.martialforum.cos/QnA/MartialProwess/technique_of_the_De_Blade/…

How long is it going to take me to master Energy Manipulation for De-Blade? – Martial Forum

R'Aann 16, 20094

Q – I've been practicing the Technique of the De Blade for a long time and have yet to master step one. My question is how long….

A – The correct answer is that it depends. The more you practice, the easier it will become. Also… (see more)

I was surprised and relieved that the first choice on the long list that popped up seemed to have the answer I was seeking.

I selected to see more and was surprised as a full-color screen popped up with the same title I read on CoreLink. It also had a lot of other answers below the question. It seemed that others had replied to the primary response. The list of replies seemed inexhaustible, so I didn't try to read it all. I just skimmed through, looking for the best answers.

Disappointingly, all my reading amounted to nothing. It appeared that step one could be completed near instantaneously to never. It did seem that the average amount of time to learn energy manipulation for those who cultivated was about half a cycle.

This information forced me to look up what half a cycle was. Apparently, it was half a rotation of a planet around its star, which made sense. Still, my research indicated that different planets took different amounts of time to reach that milestone. Further study showed that most planets that harbored life were in an orbit that was very similar, yet half a cycle varied from between six months to a year.

My research failed to mention how often these people were trying to manipulate energy. Additionally, there was always the factor of someone having zero talent in energy manipulation. However, being able to cultivate and not being good at energy manipulation was very rare.

After spending hours lost in a downward spiral of research on the topic, my eyes and head were throbbing. Being unable to complete the first part of the training, I went to sleep upset at my own failure as well as the unhelpfulness of the training program. Nonetheless, my mood was slightly ameliorated due to obtaining some information via Corelink.

I woke up the next day to the smell of damp ash and the feel of wet clothes. I wasn't drenched, but the clouds seemed extremely low and contained dark thoughts of rainy days. Still, the area was significantly brighter due to the sun shining on my back. It was at that sweet spot where it was above the mountains but below the clouds. Everywhere I looked in my vicinity appeared as if I was in a world of rainbows.

After admiring the area, my gaze turned to the path before me. I looked down the hill I had camped on to the land below. Still bathed in the shadow of a mountain, I could make out a small town about a day's walk from the base of the hill.

It was difficult to tell beyond that. Perhaps another day's walk or so, I could see the outline of a much larger city. It was hard to make out due to the weather and the distance, but I could tell it was much bigger than anything else I had ever seen.

A wide road that I could clearly follow through the small town and toward Crescent City in the distance was not far from the mountain's base. Along the road, I could see numerous signs of life pockmarked everywhere. I was worried about being recognized if the town guards reported my father and me, but there was nothing for it.

No more mountains were along my path, and I couldn't hide forever. Seeing the signs of civilization made me realize I was tired of being alone. I knew I didn't need to socialize with anyone, and I knew that I should steer clear in case I was a wanted person, but the thought of nearby people created an ache in my chest that I didn't know would manifest. So, with nothing else holding me back, I continued my journey.