Chapter 23: Observing an Ascension
Uzman woke up at the crack of dawn and decided to start his training by testing the golem set at the mastery level. He had not had the opportunity to test the golem since his growth during the dungeon trial. He changed the setting of the golem and faced it unarmed. Uzman channeled air to increase his speed and give himself a better chance of landing a hit. However, the speed and precision of the golem were awe-inspiring. It used efficient moves to dodge or block any blows while unerringly hitting any exposed targets that Uzman provided. In ten minutes of sparring, Uzman was knocked down four times and did not land a single hit. However, he was happy about the many cuts and scrapes as they were needed for continued tempering of the body.
When Uzman was tired of being beaten by the golem, he changed its settings to adept for Fatima, who had just woken up, to start her training. Uzman went to one corner of the repelling formation and settled down to start cultivating. He had already mastered the necessary skills for forming crystals in his Dantian. The immediate outcome was that he was pulling in more energy when cultivating as the crystals had a higher storage capacity.
He quickly filled his Dantian with Chi and then started pushing at the bounds of his core. He had learned that the size of the Dantian remained permanent after it became a solid core when ascending to the Mind Ranks. As a result, it was important to always expand it at every opportunity during the Body Refining stage of cultivation. In this case, Uzman’s Dantian remained immovable; a bastion that held the golden blue power of his Chi. After failing to increase the size of his Dantian, Uzman turned to condense his Chi. This exercise was easier as he had already internalized the process. However, it was also very slow as it required selecting motes of energy, bringing them together, and then exerting pressure using his will to force them to collate into crystals.
After filling his core and condensing a few more crystals, Uzman stopped cultivating and went to practice his forms against the golem Fatima had tired and started cultivating. Uzman adjusted the golem to advanced settings and settled into his favorite fire affinity fighting stance. This was the most suited for his style as he did not like defending passively. Using his glaive, he attacked the golem furiously augmenting his form with air for speed. He matched the golem in skill and speed but could not achieve an edge.
The two combatants flitted through the forms seeking an advantage that would lead to a victory. They traded hits, parries, counters, sweeps, and slashes. The main difference between the two combatants was that one was tiring and the hits were taking their toll. The golem was easily shrugging off Uzman’s hits and could reform easily. On the other hand, any hit that Uzman received caused him pain and in some cases, caused serious harm. After sparring for around two hours; the golem was leading with 22 hits to 16. However, Uzman was too tired and hurt to continue.
For the next two days, Fatima and Uzman established a pattern of training to take advantage of the available resources. Uzman had helped Fatima to improve her forms and was now fluid in her execution. Additionally, her fights with the golem helped to hone her skills and improved her tempering. She progressed quickly moving to the cusp of ascending to the second rank. The only barrier stopping her from progressing was the lack of insights about her martial path.
Uzman had also improved in his martial prowess and could match the golem in the advanced setting. Their matches were still equal but he was gradually taking the upper hand. His advancement in cultivation was also proceeding apace having created crystals for a third of his Dantian. He needed to have at least half of his Core in crystal form to move to the final stage of the second rank.
At the end of the third day, Kenzo and Jurdur returned from their foray into the forest. They were ragged, tired, and sported a variety of bruises on their bodies. However, they were elated by their excursion in the forest. Jurdur could not stop talking about their exploits. They had faced six level one beasts and two Rank 2 beasts. However, they had only returned with a few herbs as they were not very knowledgeable on this issue. Jurdur could not stop talking about their fights and how they had won.
“At last, I can consider myself a warrior of the clan since I have been bloodied in battle,” Jurdur boomed.
Before Uzman and Fatima left for their foraging excursion, he showed them how to power the golem and set it at the adept level. Additionally, Uzman held a brief training session to show them how to use their cultivation to augment the forms and make them more deadly. This skill contributed to Uzman transcending the adept level of martial arts proficiency. He also advised them on the best training schedule to maximize their gains at the camp.
Uzman led Fatima into the forest for their foraging expedition. Fatima was a bow user at range and relied on short spears in close combat. If they met any Rank 1 beast, Uzman had agreed to let her test herself against them and only step in if it became too dangerous. Using his sense meridian to assess energy flows, Uzman led the duo to several precious herbs that would fetch them good coin at the Academy.
After they had been walking for around five hours, they had their first taste of combat when they espied a group of four goblins. The beasts were chattering in a small clearing oblivious of the people stalking them. A quick assessment indicated that two of them were at Rank 1 while the other two were at rank 2. The biggest goblin in the group was dressed in a loin cloth attesting to the possibility of the goblins having a form of organized hierarchy and community. Additionally, it was hefting a crude club gesticulating as if giving orders.
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Uzman conferred with Fatima to develop a plan of attack. The team decided that it was better to face the goblins at close range since the aim of the excursion was to train. Uzman was almost certain that he could take out the goblins on his own. However, he had promised Fatima to let her test herself and hone her fighting skills.
Uzman and Fatima burst into the small clearing startling the goblins that had remained oblivious to their presence. The goblins quickly moved to surround them, their eyes gleaming in anticipation of a meal. Uzman decided to target the bigger goblins to ease the odds in their favor. His first thrust was aimed at the largest goblin. However, he was surprised when the goblin conjured a small earthen shield that deflected the glaive. What had seemed like a routine fight was shaping up to be vicious as one of the goblins was at the same stage as Uzman.
Fatima was struggling with the other Rank 2 goblin while being harried by a pair of the smaller ones. Uzman realized that if they were not careful, they may sustain serious injuries. Uzman feinted a thrust at the big goblin then rushed quickly to support Fatima. He caught one of the smaller goblins by surprise and killed it with a vicious swipe on its neck. Meanwhile, Fatima had managed to kill another Rank 1 goblin.
Uzman turned to face the bigger goblin and only escaped injury by activating an air shield as the goblin had lunged on him from the back when he had turned to help Fatima. The ability of the goblin to conjure small shields meant that Uzman had to rely on speed to have an advantage. He threaded air with fire and enforced himself with vapor. As the goblin swung its club aiming for his head, Uzman ducked under the blow and swiped at its legs. The goblin stepped back to evade the blow. However, it was too slow; Uzman lunged forward quickly thrusting for its chest. The goblin responded by creating a small shield to cover the chest.
Uzman had anticipated this move and quickly angled the glaive up. It slid over the shield and connected with the neck and sinking into its throat. The goblin dropped the club and used its hands to hold the glaive in an attempt to stop the bleeding. Uzman released the glaive and retrieved his sword. As the goblin held its throat, Uzman stepped forward and stabbed it in the heart.
Turning quickly, Uzman noted that Fatima was lying on the floor wounded and bleeding. She had managed to kill the goblin but had suffered serious injuries. One of her legs was twisted at an unnatural angle while she was holding a gash on her chest to stop the bleeding. Uzman retrieved a high-grade healing pill and passed it to Fatima. He advised her to start cultivating as she ingested the pill and meditate on her marital path.
As Fatima meditated, Uzman scouted the surrounding area to ensure that there were no hostile beasts that had been drawn to the fight. He then kept watch while experimenting with his shield forms. The fight with the goblins had shown Uzman that it was possible to create a small shield to cover a targeted area. His shields had usually covered most of his body as he had been projecting Chi over his skin. Developing smaller shields would conserve Chi and offer more maneuverability. Uzman had not been using Metal Chi for his shields as they would make him immobile. However, he could thread fire and earth and create a smaller shield to cover his torso.
The main problem he was still facing was the inability to split the Chi flows and use different affinities at the same time. He made a mental note to ask Master Khalid as it would substantially improve his combat power. When using his air shield, it was susceptible to blunt force attacks from stronger opponents. The shield provided safety from bladed and edged weapons but transferred the blunt force to his body. Additionally, the strength of a shield reflected the Chi of the user. As a middle-level practitioner, his shields were weaker than those of a late-stage practitioner.
To continue improving, Uzman needed to understand the shields intimately and how they interacted with the enforcement of his body. Shields were created from innate Chi projected from the Dantian. Normal mages could only create shields that were aligned with their affinities. They were less versatile in their creations but would end up more experienced and familiar with the ins and outs of their shields. For Uzman, the ability to use all primary elements and thread them into different types created versatility at the expense of familiarity. What’s that saying about a jack of all trades and a master of none? He mused as he continued with his introspection.
Uzman continued training while occasionally checking on Fatima to ensure that she was okay. Her healing had been successful and she was immersed in her cultivation training. Suddenly, there was a spike in her energy aura, which continued increasing until she was wreathed in a bluish glow. Uzman had not seen a person ascend in Rank before but instinctively knew that Fatima had found some insights that enabled her to move to Rank 2. As he watched, the glow would increase in intensity and then taper off only for the process to restart.
When a person ascended to a higher rank, their body was reformed by the primal energies, making them more compatible with their element. Additionally, the meridians and body were strengthened to handle the increase in power. Uzman theorized that the bluish glow denoted the water element which Fatima had an affinity for. Finally, the glow subsided completely leaving Fatima with dirty viscous secretions. The smell of the sloth covering her body made Uzman hold his nose and move a few meters away, in the hope of fresh air.
After a few more minutes, Fatima slowly opened her eyes, coming to terms with her surroundings. From his own experience, Uzman recognized the feeling of bewilderment and displacement after engaging in a rigorous cultivation period where your thoughts were mainly turned inward.
“I have finally caught up to you guys, what’s that smell?” Fatima Asked as she wrinkled her nose testing the air.
Uzman smiled enigmatically and gestured at her. Fatima let out a self-conscious shriek after looking at her condition. She then requested they return to camp where she would clean herself and get attuned to her new power.