Despite exercising for the better part of three hours, Nobu still felt as though he was brimming with energy. The sweat covering his body had built up to the point it was dripping profusely, yet, in spite of this, he felt like he could keep going until his muscles tore and it still wouldn't be enough to fully exhaust him.

"What the fuck is wrong with me...?"

Directing the question towards Yui and Onihime, both of which had been sitting silently in the hall, Nobu nearly lost his footing when the former explained, "Your body has absorbed an excess of Yin Elemental Energy. Inami-sama has been consolidating her cultivation base for the last six thousand years. If she were to venture beyond the mountain, countless people would spare no effort to seize her for themselves. Though I am reluctant to admit it, she may very well be the best dual cultivation partner in all of Nian..."

Though he already had a basic understanding of dual cultivation from his previous world, Nobu had already learned the specifics from Yuriko. Suzune's words were also fresh in his mind after what had transpired so it didn't take long for him to recover and accept Yui's words as a statement of fact. He just didn't like it.

"How annoying..."

Plopping down between the two girls, Nobu was preparing to snatch the stone tablet from Onihime when the latter handed it to him with an exuberant smile, saying, "Congratulations, Master. It would appear you've reached the threshold for the Second Realm."

"Huh...?"

Since he was still waiting for his mask to arrive, Nobu had been hovering between the 4th and the 6th Rank thanks to Midori, Sachiko, and Nariko. He allowed Onihime to click at his behest, but, for the most part, he had been regulating his growth by analyzing items, people, animals, and even the weather. He found it hard to believe that he would suddenly shoot from the 6th Rank to the 10th as he was exercising.

With countless questions appearing within his mind, Nobu grabbed the stone tablet before closing his eyes, leaning his head against the wall, and muttering, "Fuck..." in an exasperated tone.

"Nobu...?"

"Master...?"

Without opening his eyes, Nobu replied, "Just give me a moment..." as his mind desperately worked to sort through the information he had just obtained. He had seen the 10x multiplier listed beneath his aura value, and, based on the remaining time, he could assume that it directly correlated to the amount of time he and Inami had been fucking.

Thanks to the medicine she had given him, Nobu ended up going to town on Inami from around 1 PM to just around 9 PM. Since then, roughly seven-and-a-half hours had passed. This left him with just under thirty minutes. As for why his cultivation had shot up so much, it was due to the fact that Midori, Sachiko, and Nariko had already awoken. They generally only contributed around 500 AU a day, but, thanks to the 10x bonus modifier, the amount they had contributed was a startling 5287.

Simply put, having sex with Inami really had benefitted him a tremendous amount. This made him feel a little better, but, at the same time, it ignited a flame within his heart. He had spent most of the previous night and much of this morning brooding over how he could increase his strength as quickly as possible.

Though he had resisted the idea when Yuriko proposed it, Nobu's desire for strength had been increasing with each passing day. He would need to become exponentially more powerful if he wanted to save Cho and the others. Thus, while a part of him vehemently resisted the idea, a much larger part of him was willing to do whatever it took to increase his strength. Only then would he be able to protect the things he cared about.

As that thought crossed his mind, Nobu was startled to realize just how much he cared about Yui and the others. It was hard to say he was willing to die for them, but, at the same time, they were one of the reasons he had decided not to kill himself. He couldn't remember who said it, but there had been a famous quote in his previous life. Something about the legacy of a hero being found in the ideas and people they dedicated their lives to protecting rather than the circumstances of their death...

"Fuck me..."

Feeling he was getting pulled even deeper into whatever narrative the world had in store for him, Nobu couldn't help cursing under his breath. He knew he wasn't a Hero. If anything, he would have become an anti-hero if he had been given power in his previous world. Heroes were full of shit and villains were often poorly written. Thus, rather than become the lapdog of any particular nation, he had always envisioned himself as being a vigilante passing judgment on pieces of shit the system couldn't prosecute due to corruption and other foundational issues...

Imagining himself in a Deadpool costume, a wry smile developed across Nobu's face as he jokingly muttered, "Maximum effort, eh...?"

"You do you, big boy. Just make sure you give those assholes a few good slaps for daddy, okay?"

Opening his eyes, Nobu shifted his gaze left and right to find Yui and Onihime staring at him with varying degrees of concern on their face. This caused the smile on his face to transition into a grin as he internally mused, ("Guess I've finally lost it. Well, whatever. I haven't exactly been playing with a full deck ever since I was a kid. Who knows? Maybe this is all some kind of fever dream. Might as well enjoy it while it lasts.")

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With that thought in mind, Nobu pulled the rag from his face before standing up and saying, "I'm going to advance my Realm. Are there any places on the mountain where the wind is particularly strong?"

Though a few places entered her mind, Yui couldn't help asking, "Are you certain? Didn't you want to wait until your mask arrived?"

Nodding his head, Nobu replied, "You're not wrong. However, I have no intention of just sitting on my ass for the next month or two. I wasn't fucking around when I told you I wanted to help. I can't do that while I'm still a weak and useless piece of shit. Besides, there are only like four or five days until I have to meet with my folks, right? I figure they would be a lot less stressed out if they learn I basically went from Level 0 to Level 10 in less than a month."

Since the Realms were conveniently divided into Ten Realms, each with Ten Ranks, Nobu felt it was easier to regard it as a traditional RPG leveling system. The Cultivation Techniques were essentially just different Classes, and, while he would invariably be able to spec into multiple different Classes, he would need to level his current Class before the rest unlocked. Thus, for the sake of himself, the people he cared about, and just about everything else, he needed to grow stronger. Much stronger.

Seeing the resolution in Nobu's eyes, Yui was honestly a little taken aback. Fortunately, she was able to conceal this behind a mask of calm as she answered, "Very well. There is a small gorge located on the Eastern slope. The winds there are particularly strong due to the frigid waters and the relatively temperate climate. If you require elevation, I could ask Grandmother to lend us Hisui..."

Though he was feeling fairly ambitious at the moment, Nobu wasn't quite at the point where he was ready to meditate atop a massive bird made of jade and other forms of stone. He also had no idea how long it would take for him to advance to the next Realm, so, without needing to consider his response, he answered, "The gorge should be fine. I'll need to meditate at a higher elevation in the future but the Second Realm only requires me to cultivate in a place where I can feel the wind against my skin. There's no need to trouble your Grandmother..."

Nodding her head in understanding, Yui raised her left hand to form a seal as she stated, "Very well. I will defer to your judgment on this matter. The only advice I have to offer is that you should invite everyone to accompany you. I believe it would bolster their morale quite a bit if they were given the opportunity to observe you breaking through to the next Realm..."

Since he had no reason to refuse, Nobu returned a nod before saying, "Sounds good. I'm not sure how long it'll take though. They should be prepared to camp out for a few days."

Returning a smile, Yui confidently replied, "Not a problem. I'll have Cho prepare a few garnishings, and, if necessary, we can always fish from the river."

Having personally experienced Yui's ability to survive and gather resources, Nobu had no doubt regarding the ability of everyone else to do the same. Thus, after supplying another curt nod, he said, "We'll leave around noon. That should give everyone plenty of time to prepare. As for me, I'm gonna hit the bath. I smell like ass."

Now that he had removed his face covering, Nobu was able to smell his own musk in all its glory. Advancing four Ranks hadn't helped, so, despite appearing relatively calm, he was actually on the verge of gagging every time he inhaled through his nose.

As Yui nodded and prepared to meet with the others, Onihime extended her hand to grasp Nobu's sleeve, muttering, "Master...please allow me to accompany you. I will wash your back..."

Since it had become something of a routine for him to bathe with pretty much everyone, Onihime included, Nobu just shrugged his shoulders and said, "Whatever. Let's go." before rising to his feet and heading towards the bath. In response, Onihime quickly fell into step behind him with a smile while Yui, feeling somewhat exasperated, exhaled an inaudible sigh before vanishing into thin air as she went to meet with the others...

...

..

.

Though it had been troublesome and awkward in the past, Nobu would be lying if he said it wasn't pleasant to have someone wash his back. He had always enjoyed getting his head rinsed whenever he got a haircut in his previous life. Now, thanks to the position he had been born into, there were more than a dozen girls who were ready and willing to wash his hair and back. Some of these were brats, but, so long as he ignored them, their nudity no longer affected him as much as it used to.

"Humans really are capable of adapting to anything, aren't they...?"

Surprised by her Master's statement, Onihime paused for a brief moment before replying, "Indeed. There are many who claim that Humans are the most adaptive among the Eight Sovereign Species. It is this adaptability, combined with their ability to procreate, that has allowed Humans to conquer much of the known world..."

"Mmm..."

Recalling the species that Shizune and Kumiko had mentioned, Nobu couldn't help thinking there was something fundamentally wrong with worlds such as this. Like, the Dragons were supposed to be so powerful that the individual members of their race could rival entire nations. In spite of this, they generally kept to themselves until some overpowered and egotistical assholes tracked them down in order to harvest their resources. They had basically been pushed to the brink of extinction, yet, even when their numbers had dwindled to the point that it was possible to name virtually every member of their species, they still acted as though they were untouchable.

As someone with a burgeoning desire for power, Nobu felt there was a lot he could learn from the other Sovereign Species. He hadn't been brainwashed by the propaganda that presented humans as the dominant species on the planet. After all, back in his previous world, people were retarded to the point that they literally viewed other humans as 'beneath' them due to arbitrary bullshit such as race and ideology. In this world, even the Gods had nearly been wiped out as a result of their own hubris, so, now that he had decided to become as powerful as possible, Nobu was resolved to avoid the mistakes of his predecessors. At the very least, he wasn't going to be a racist asshole that joined in on the circle-jerk of racial superiority purported by asshats across the world...

With that in mind, Nobu surprised Onihime even more by saying, "Turn around. You've washed my back. Now let me wash yours..."

...

..

.

(A/N: Is this what they call growing from trauma or is Nobu just allowing himself to be consumed by something more...?)