Chapter 6: Cultivation 101

Taro walked into the lecture hall, taking a seat alongside his fellow students. Professor Gray, a middle-aged man with a kind face and piercing blue eyes, stood at the front of the hall.

"Welcome, young cultivators," Professor Gray began. "Today, we'll be discussing the fundamentals of cultivation. This is a crucial topic, as it will form the foundation of your magical abilities and spiritual growth."

Taro leaned forward, his eyes locked on Professor Gray.

"Cultivation is the process of refining one's spiritual energy to achieve greater power and understanding," Professor Gray explained. "There are several key aspects to cultivation: spiritual energy, magical techniques, and physical conditioning."

As Professor Gray spoke, a holographic display flickered to life behind him, illustrating the concepts he discussed.

"The 12 cultivation ranks are: Mortal, Qi Sensing, Qi Gathering, Qi Refinement, Body Strengthening, Nascent Soul, Incarnation, Void Breaking, Perfection, Nirvana, and Celestial," Professor Gray recited.

Taro's eyes narrowed slightly, thinking to himself, "Wait, didn't the system already explain the cultivation ranks to me? Why is Professor Gray repeating it?"

Despite his initial confusion, Taro listened intently as Professor Gray continued the lecture, elaborating on the key aspects of cultivation and the importance of spiritual energy.

"What's the best way to cultivate our spiritual energy, Professor Gray?" a student asked, raising her hand.

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Professor Gray smiled. "Ah, excellent question. We'll be covering various cultivation techniques throughout the semester. For now, let's focus on the basics. Your assignment for today is to practice the 'Breathing Technique' to help you sense and control your spiritual energy."

The students nodded, taking out their notes and beginning to practice the technique. Taro closed his eyes, focusing on his breathing as he attempted to sense the spiritual energy within himself.

As he practiced, Taro thought to himself, "Hey, I wonder if I can create my own martial art?"

He turned to the system and asked, "System, can I create my own martial art?"

The system replied, "Uh, sorry Taro. The author didn't give you that much authority... yet."

Taro's face fell, but then he perked up. "Oh, can you ask the author for me?"

The system hesitated for a moment before saying, "Of course, I can do that. I mean, I'm way more powerful than the author, anyway."

Just as the system finished speaking, a booming voice echoed in Taro's mind. "Oh, you think you're stronger than me, huh?"

The system's tone immediately changed to one of groveling. "No, no, sir! You're the almighty creator of this story! I'm just a humble AI, unworthy of your greatness!"

Taro couldn't help but chuckle at the system's sudden change in demeanor.

The author's voice continued, "I like your spirit, system. But enough brown-nosing. What is it that you want to ask me?"

The system hesitantly spoke up, "Umm, can you give Taro the authority to create his own martial art?"

The author paused for a moment before responding, "Hmm, that's a bit too overpowered, don't you think?"

Taro's face fell, but the author quickly added, "But I do love an overpowered MC. So, I'll give you the authority to create two martial arts. However, you'll need to provide proper specifications to the system, and you can only create them when you reach the Nascent Soul rank. Oh, and you'll have to master them on your own."

Taro's face lit up with excitement. "Thank you so much, author!"

The author's voice chuckled. "No problem, kid. Just don't break the fourth wall again. You've already done it twice. Next time, you'll have to pay for it."

As the author's voice faded away, the system spoke up, "Umm, it seems I've received an update. I can now assist you in creating your own martial arts, Taro."

Taro grinned, eager to start creating his own martial arts. "Awesome, system! Let's get started!"

The system replied, "Umm, not so fast, Taro. You still need to reach the Nascent Soul rank before you can create your own martial arts."

Taro's face fell, but he quickly perked up. "Oh, that's okay. I'll just have to work harder then!"

Just then, the bell rang, signaling the end of the class.

Professor Gray smiled. "Alright, class. That's all for today. Tomorrow, we'll be heading to the practice grounds to cultivate and learn martial arts. You'll each be assigned a martial art tomorrow, be sure u come prepared

Students nodded and went out of class and while taro was going he heard his name being called from being and as he looked back he saw

To be continue