Shawn breathed in the world's natural energy at a rapid pace. Small motes of multicolored elemental energy collected in his dantian; rapidly filling it. He greedily absorbed the energy till he felt like he would burst.
He exhaled and released the energy from his dantian, letting the energy languidly flow through his body. This part of the cultivation process was the hardest part for him, mainly because there wasn’t anything he could do to speed it up. He sat perfectly still as the world's natural energy became acclimated to his Qi; slowly transforming into energy he could utilize.
His body buzzed with energy, but he didn’t dare move a muscle. He had learned the hard way that if he moved too much during the acclimation process all his progress would be lost, and he would have to start over.
While he couldn’t speed up the process, he could make it more efficient. A large portion of the energy leaked out of his skin and returned to the atmosphere even if he sat completely still. Through experimentation he had found a solution to the problem, if he ran a thin layer of Qi along the edge of his body, the energy would have a harder time escaping.
The process was difficult, causing beads of sweat to drip down his brow, but he didn’t mind. He didn’t have anything else to do. Plus, it helped him with his Qi control, something Lin had told him during one of their training sessions that he was terrible at.
A slight ding rang out, signaling the end of his cultivation session. Even without looking at the notification, he could tell he had increased a cultivation level. His body felt lighter and his Qi capacity larger. He opened his eyes and stretched out a kink in his back. Sitting in one place for hours on end wasn’t easy. It was hard work!
A single cycle of absorption and acclimation only took a few minutes. But the time quickly added up, especially when you consider the sheer amount of cycles he had to complete to improve his cultivation a single level.
However, he couldn’t complain. His current cultivation speed was freakish; especially compared to how fast he was when he started. He still wasn’t as fast as The Founder, who according to a t.v show completed the Flesh Tempering Stage in a single day, but he doubted there were very many people in the outer districts of Najian who could cultivate faster than him.
He opened the notification and smiled widely.
Your soul has strengthened and gained the capacity to contain more skills. Skill Slot +1.
He had no idea why he had gained an extra skill slot, but he wasn’t going to look a gift horse in the mouth. He opened his [Skill List] and was hit with a barrage of blue boxes.
You have pending skills, do you wish to see them? Y/N?
“Of course, I want to see them,” Shawn muttered as he pressed yes. He tensed in excitment.
Minor Aerokinesis Lvl 1: Take control of the wind and accomplish your wildest dreams. Though the skill lacks in power, it is not limited in its application, your imagination is the only limit to its potential. The strength of the wind created is based on the amount of Qi spent. Qi cost decreases with skill level. Accept Y/N?
Something deep inside of him screamed at him to take the skill. He had half a mind to listen to it. [Minor Aerokinesis] was the first pure manipulation type skill he had seen. He had come across skills that had elemental effects before but never had he seen one with such a broad range of applications.
Ever since he had gained Green’s memories he had wanted to fly. With this skill, he could make that dream a reality. Potential uses jumped out at him, making the skill more attractive. If he really pushed the skill to its limits, he could probably even increase his endurance by using Aerokinesis to bring more air into his lungs.
The prospect of easily manipulating the wind appealed to him. Sure, he could control the wind right now, but it was a long and arduous process. It required deep concentration for him to make even the slightest of breezes.
Something that he had realized while reflecting on his experiences was that skills simplified the process of doing things immensely. For example, before his [Qi Enhancement] skill upgraded, reinforcing his bones was a difficult task that required his utmost attention. But, once the skill was upgraded, it didn’t require any effort at all to achieve the same effect. All he had to do was activate the skill and his bones would be reinforced automatically. He hoped gaining the aerokinesis skill would have a similar effect on his wind manipulation.
Another thing that he felt dumb for not realizing earlier was that combat made skills level faster. The pattern was clear, every time he got in a fight, his skills would level multiple times. To be fair to himself, he was too distracted while fighting to put much thought into how quickly his skills were leveling. However, now that he had this knowledge, he was developing several plans to power level his skills.
He focused back on the mass of blue screens that hovered before him, he had skill descriptions to read.
Shawn briefly browsed the rest of the skills, there were some cool skills, but his heart was set on [Minor Aerokinesis]. All the other skills paled in comparison. Intellectually, he knew he should wait to select a skill, there wasn’t a time limit, he could wait as long as he wanted, but the prospect of playing with the wind was too fun to delay.
His back tingled as the skill sunk into his body. Without any fanfare, he activated [Minor Aerokinesis], eager to see its effects. Basic knowledge on how to use the skill filled his mind.
Shawn mentally reached out and grabbed ahold of a strand of wind, he felt a connection form between him and the wind. Like controlling a third arm, he was able to easily move the air across the room, causing a slight breeze. His Qi levels dipped slightly from the exertion.
He opened his [Status Screen] and checked his Qi.
Name Shawn Jones Cultivation: Qi Gathering 8 0/275
Hp: 40/40 Qi: 92/92
Strength: 9 Dexterity: 16 Perception: 19 Endurance: 9 Resilience: 12 Agility: 19 Intelligence: 9
He grinned wildly, in just three days he had more than doubled his Qi capacity. The extra cultivation speed [Devourer] had given him was the sole reason he could advance this quickly. It would have taken him at least a week and a half to get to this point without his most recent boost to his cultivation speed. If he relied solely on his natural talents, he estimated it would have taken him months to reach this point.
Even though it allowed him to progress quickly, he wasn’t sure if the extra speed was worth it. Along with the general trauma of containing the memories of a rat caused, he had also almost died. To add to the list of the negative side effects of absorbing the wisp, he was no longer able to bring himself to harm rats.
A switch had been flipped in his mind and he now considered the animals too cute to hurt. Unfortunately, that meant he was no longer able to make progress towards discovering what would happen when he completed the counter that appeared on his [Devourer] skill page.
Well, he was being a bit overdramatic, he could still find out what happened when he reached the end of the counter. He had already made progress on completing the counter next to his fly perception wisp. It wasn’t a major setback, he was already close to completing it. His new attitude would just make him have to wait an extra day to find out.
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Shawn’s grin deepened, he hadn’t lost a single point of Qi during his experimentation. It was time to put the skill through its paces. The skill had two functions, the first in which it controlled the wind and the second function which produced air. He would be testing the second function.
He ripped approximately five points of Qi out of his dantian and forced it to gather in the palms of his hands. Once the energy had gathered, he held his hands out in front of him like one of his favorite movie characters. “Unlimited power,” he screamed as gusts of wind shot out of his palms. The air currents whipped around his room causing his bed to slightly lift off of the ground. He immediately stopped the flow of Qi to his hands and rubbed the back of his head.
It wasn’t his brightest idea to test his new abilities in his bedroom. He would have to wait till he went to the gym with Lin to test more dangerous applications of the skill.
Even though he had almost destroyed his room, he had learned an important lesson: it was significantly more expensive to create air than it was to manipulate it.
Shawn put on a clean shirt Tian had given him and walked downstairs to the tavern. After being saved by Rund three days ago, he started to spend more time with the members of the Scorpion’s Den. No longer did he feel like an outsider while standing in the rowdy tavern. He softly smiled to himself, he shouldn’t be so formal, they were his friends.
Idly, he noted that this new social drive that had developed in the last three days wasn’t natural. In the past he had been quite anti-social, preferring to spend his time locked away in his room reading. It wasn’t like he disliked talking to people before, but he was definitely more comfortable when he was alone. Now he couldn’t stand the thought of not interacting with his friends.
While he had been able to regain control of his psyche with a little cultivation, little abnormalities like this remained. If he had to guess, some of Etar and Green’s desires likely still lingered within his mind. He couldn’t complain though, the situation had improved greatly in the past couple of days. While working in the kitchen on the first day, he had lost focus and collapsed to the ground; causing quite the stir.
Shawn deftly navigated through the tavern, expertly dodging elbows and the wait staff. He slipped into a chair next to Tian. The blond teen didn’t look up, too caught up in what he was watching on his holographic screen.
“What are you watching tonight,” Shawn asked.
Tian spun around the screen, letting Shawn see. Immediately, he recognized what he was watching. Like every night, Tian was watching the t.v show The Founder hosted.
“The same as always. You should watch this episode. It's really good.” Shawn chuckled as he watched the tall white-haired man display various mythical creatures. The show was well-produced, but he didn’t enjoy it as much as Tian did. Something about the show rubbed him the wrong way.
“I’d love to, but I have a meeting I have to attend. Plus, you say that about every episode.” Shawn’s eye twitched as the man on screen rode a bird made out of fire through the sky. It didn’t make sense! How could someone stand on fire? “I’ve been meaning to ask, how does gaining more skill slots work?”
“No one knows the exact details, but most people unlock more skill slots when they advance a stage in cultivation. Some talented individuals receive extra skill slots in the middle of a realm, but that’s rare. I’ve also heard stories of people who gained an extra skill slot for achieving some great accomplishment,” Tian said, his eyes never leaving the screen. “I personally think it’s random.”
“Thanks for the help. I’ll let you focus on your show.” Shawn watched the show for a bit then got up and left.
If what Tian had said was true, then the most likely reason he got an extra skill slot was that the system deemed him talented. He had a hard time believing it, but it had to be true. He definitely hadn’t accomplished any extraordinary yet.
Maybe [Devourer] interacted with the system in a weird way, leading to it misjudging his talent levels and falsely giving him an extra skill slot. Shawn stopped himself from continuing, his thoughts were devolving into the realm of wild conspiracy theories.
Shawn worked his way through the tavern stopping occasionally to talk to acquaintances. After being harassed by Rund to retell the story of the raid on the Crimson Lotus, he sat next to Lin at the bar counter.
“Thanks again for lending me another healing pill, I’d be in pretty rough shape right now without it.”
Lin drank a large glass of orange juice, taking her time to finish it. Her choice of drink surprised him, normally she wouldn’t drink something that healthy. “Don’t make it a habit, I’m not made out of money. Besides, I’d be bored out of my mind if my training partner was holed up in his room recovering.” She smirked. “Are you ready to go?”
Shawn returned her smirk. “Always.” The duo jogged through the street quickly reaching the gym they had trained at previously. Over the past couple of days, they had gotten into the habit of training together after Shawn finished work. He was pretty sure it couldn’t be considered training for Lin though, she was still able to beat him in a fight with barely any effort.
The old man, Lao stopped them as they walked in the door. “Boy, what have you done? Your scent has completely changed,” the small old man said, emphasizing each word with a poke of his cane.
“Excuse me,” Shawn said in confusion. The old man’s words made no sense to him.
Lin sighed. “Lao is trying to ask you if you gained any new skills recently.” She shot Lao a pointed look. “But for some reason, he’s unable to ask questions like a normal person.”
“Ya, I gained a new skill not even an hour ago.” He took a step back, his opinion of Lao skyrocketing. He had been able to tell that he had gained a new skill just by looking at him. He may be a grouchy old man, but he was wise.
If he remembered correctly, Lao had said he helped train Lin when she was younger.
“Tell me more.” Lao’s eyes practically sparkled in excitement. He sniffed the air. “Is it a wind based skill? It feels like one. Is it [Air Step], no that doesn’t sound right. How about [Gust]? Am I close,” he said, talking so quickly that Shawn had a hard time understanding his words?
Shawn conjured a gust of wind, eager to show off his new skill. The man’s clothes flapped in the wind and his excitement grew.
“Sorry about Lao. He’s really passionate about skills. You don’t have to tell him the details if you don’t want to.” Lin said, her hand placed on his shoulder in support.
“It’s fine, I don’t mind sharing. The skill is [Minor Aerokinesis] it lets me manipulate the wind freely.”
Lao nodded rapidly. “Good, good. Follow me, it’s rare I meet another wind user. I have something to show you.” A hole appeared in the wall and Lao disappeared into it. Shawn and Lin shared a look of exasperation before following the old man.
They descended several levels of stairs before entering a large underground training room. Streams of water and plants lined the walls, giving the room a tranquil atmosphere. Bullseye targets were scattered across the large room, seemingly placed at random.
“Quickly come here, I have a technique to show you.” They followed the old man to a black square in the center of the room; unsure what to expect. “Take a seat. Be grateful, this old man will share his wisdom with you. Shawn sat down with his legs crossed. He had been in situations like this before, it was usually best to just let the old person talk till they got too tired and were forced to take a nap.
“What is the wind to you?”
Shawn snapped to attention, not expecting the man to ask such an open-ended question. “Freedom,” he answered quickly. The bridge in his soul hummed as he brought his attention to it. The desire for freedom was the very basis of his connection to the wind.
“Good answer, but it’s more than that. The wind can be sharp. It can act as a pair of eyes. The wind is shapeless, so it can be anything.” Lin stifled a laugh, enjoying his confusion.
Shawn tilted his head. “Why does it matter what I think of the wind?” He had read enough books to have an inkling of suspicion about where the conversation was headed, but he wasn’t sure. If he didn’t have any meta-knowledge he would be completely lost.
“The Dao is complicated, its very nature will shift based on your beliefs. A kind man can heal any wound with the wind, whereas a cruel man, can do untold damage with it.”
Shawn nodded as understanding dawned on him. The power of the bridge in his soul, or in other words, his Dao, was based on his understanding of the concept. As he connected with more aspects of the wind, his power would grow further.
He may have originally gained his connection to the sky through Green, but their ideals of what represented the wind diverged significantly.
Green envisioned the wind as something impossibly tall, towering over everything in existence. Its majesty forcing all to bow before it. Shawn on the other hand viewed the wind as carefree and gentle; a dandelion floating in the wind.
Their two different viewpoints led to them having drastically different abilities. Green’s broader understanding of the Dao made his use of the wind more powerful. Even if Shawn was as experienced and powerful as Green, he would still fall short powerwise because of his narrow view of the Dao of the Wind.
“Good, I can tell from the look in your eyes that you understood the lesson. However, do not despair, as long as you are truly convinced that your belief is the truth it will be a valid road to power."
“Put in normal human terms, Lao is trying to say that when you use your Qi, you use your inner energy to affect the outside world. But, when you use the Dao, the outside world affects you, boosting your strength and the effectiveness of your Qi. The broader your understanding of the Dao, the more the natural laws of the world will have the chance to positively affect you,” Lin said.
Shawn blinked. He had thought he had understood what the old man had been trying to say, but it turned out he missed the majority of his message. Lin really was better at explaining things than the old man.
“Don’t interrupt my lecture young lady!” He swung his cane through the air, which was a lot more intimidating now that he learned that the man had such a high understanding of the Dao. “Now watch carefully as I demonstrate a technique, if you continue improving at the rate you are now, I will teach it to you.”
The old man stretched for a moment before stabbing his cane forward. A barely visible bullet of wind shot off his cane and in the blink of an eye traveled all the way across the room, cutting multiple targets in half in the process. The wind cut a thin hole into the concrete wall. Shawn’s mouth hung open, he didn’t know the wind could do that.
Lin clapped politely. “Wow, that was amazing,” Shawn said as he bowed deeply. He wasn’t sure where the idea had come from, but he wanted to show his respect and appreciation to the man. He had helped him immensely today.
Lao lightly whacked him on the head with his cane. “Don’t bow to me, I’m not that old.” Shawn raised an eyebrow but wisely decided to not say anything. “Now leave me alone. It’s late, I want to sleep.”
Shawn and Lin climbed the stairs and entered their usual training room. The second they were alone, Lin burst out in laughter. “Why did you bow to him? It isn’t the stone age anymore, no one does that except for stuck-up government officials.”
Shawn scratched the back of his head. Karate movies had led him astray, he was under the impression that bowing to a martial arts teacher was polite, but he guessed they didn’t do that here. “It felt like the right thing to do, don’t blame me.”
She laughed even harder.
He strapped on his boxing gloves and entered the ring. “If you keep talking like that I won’t hold back when I hit you,” he said with a stupid grin on his face. Something about fighting in a safe environment was highly enjoyable for him.
Lin hopped into the ring an equally large grin on her face. “You couldn’t hit me even if you tried.”
The pair lost track of time as they traded punches till the early hours of the morning.