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Leroy's Room-

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Having gotten enough food to eat from the cafeteria, Leroy made haste to get back to study. He only spoke with the members of the Hamlet to check in and see how they fared. Luckily they were able to get in with members who had good relations with the Hamlet.

Searching the books he found stuff on Qi and full methods on Body Tempering past breaking though to the Qi Condensation Realm. Reading it intensely and surprised it was literally the same thing as all the other ways said in light novels, mangas, games, and anime.

Sitting in a chair, Leroy went over the methods for sensing it as well as how to get back to the place he was in when fighting against the former body owner. The area that he was in had all sorts of names.

But he settled on the Name of Internal Space. Also what the hell does the Flame Vortex happen to be from the screen.

It was stored in what they called a Dantian. But something about it was off completely. It was not really connected to the Flame Vortex that resided in him. The Dantian seemed to be changing into something actively.

He had two different locations that took in Qi. The Flame Vortex took in Qi and this Dantian that was changing took in Qi.

*Fwoosh!* Inside himself but not inside himself in his core was a type of wispy flame. Like a warm sensation from standing next to a heater too long. Leroy followed the instructions moving the heat about. It moved from his Flame Vortex Core, to something called the "Life Gate" in his lower back.

*Wiggle!* Like a string, it pushed with effort along the lower back, then along the spine through the "God Gate" in the crown of his head.

*Scatter!* It started to dissipate so Leroy sent another little wave back up through the same way. It was easier. Like he uncorked it somehow. The second wiggle tangled with the first. They then went down the front. Back to his Flame Vortex Core, which was a direct center of his chest physically.

"Haaa!" Leroy exhaled with a little force. It was a strange sensation. Cultivation in this World was not as powerful as in others he thought. "Things feel quite different when compared to past memories of what I have read."

*Flicker!* Leroy's hand had some red-white lines around it. The heat in the room vanished as all the Qi was taken away into his body forcefully.

The Flame Vortex Core reached over and pushed into the Qi Refining Realm from the little bit of cultivation added. Another wave passed as a fire burned through his body entwined with Qi it created.

*Fwoosh!* The other Qi holder, was the same as other Flame Martial Arts like the Dark Tiger-fire Family at first but bolts of lighting swirled around the Dantian visibly. With a few more rotations to stop at the Qi Refining Realm I Rank.

The red lines thinned out. Vanishing is unnoticeable to the eye before getting engulfed and turning blue. A headache arrived the same as before but this time the words were understandable. Inside Leroy's Internal Space, a tribal black man spoke to him with a booming voice like thunder.

"Hello Champion Candiate, I am Shango. A human ascendant God." The proclaimed god said. "Your arrival was an accident as you can tell and not legal in any way. You were not supposed to end up here."

"Well send me home then." Leroy said quickly. Not really mindful that the individual before him was a god. "Did the Backdoor Afterlife Terminal have anything to do with the scaffold falling on me when trying to save Rexford?" A small part still thought he was hallucinating a bit and this was a possible fever dream. But a good portion of him was varying about the floating man god response. "That frown is telling me not happening."

"Correct." Shango said. "Your Spiritual Brother Rexford is indeed on a journey same as you and you really were hit by scaffolding. You were not supposed to be hit... at this time." The man-god stopped talking and listened to the surroundings. The waves from the Flame Vortex Core inside Leroy were growing nicely. "..you have cultivated already nicely as well as removed the soul of the original. Even unlocking the true qualities of your soul already. You can not leave anymore, however because of this."

The man-god was smiling as this was a chance for the Pantheon all the same.

"You look oddly happy about that." Leroy frowned at him. "Aren't gods supposed to help their people?"

"Pfftt!" Shango scoffed and rolled his eyes. He turned to Champion Candiate amused somewhat. "When was the last time you worshipped us?"

"Umm, haven't the foggiest idea." He gave a shrug, he only said what he did tot est the individual in front of him. "To be fair I am not the worshipping type as a man modern person of science. In fact, I have little knowledge about you period. Those you represent as well."

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

"I know. Trust me I know." Shango looked a little hurt by the words. "Our people barely remember us as it is."

"Most likely cause you all suck. Or failed us." Leroy shrugged but found himself burning inside. As if he wished he actually knew deeper about his heritage from the other side of his family. Then he thought about it, hey!" The man-god looked at him still slightly amused from the inner turmoil. "How do I control that!?"

He pointed to the Flame Vortex Core that still had fire discharging from it. They were small little tuffs but they entered into the man-god Shango. Feeding into the Deity information on Leroy. Such as his active thoughts right now.

"Can't." Was the immediate reply. The man-god received a frown at that. "Can not give you what I do not know. Price of not tributing correctly and worshiping correctly."

"Humph! I bet!" Leroy tried to but couldn't put it out of his mind. "So what happens now?"

"Live your new life Champion Candaite." Shango's eyes looked back at the Flame Vortex Core that still spun. Even at this time, Leroy was cultivating. Albeit slowly in a way to control his soul. "A proper contract between us was never formed, so you do not have to do the type of work Champions do. This place is also not on the verge of collapse so you are clear there as well."

Leroy just looked at the man-god confused as can be. Processing everything while still trying to get a grasp of what would happen next. The fact Shango did not attack or rebuke him for his attitude said a lot about the man-god.

"Well, would you like me to do it while I try to make it back home?" Leroy already made up his mind to gain artifacts to deal with the Afterlife Backdoor Terminal. "Do I need to worry about the Backdoor Pseduo-Deity?"

"Just become stronger and that will resolve itself. After you have the strength, you can return home where we can establish a correct contract." Shango looked away from the Flame Vortex Core then to the Dantian that mutated. "I shall offer some small help to you and a means to send me messages on your progress."

*Fwish!* A clear flame appeared and settled in the Dantian down below. Small traces of information flowed into Leroy's mind. A method to communicate with the man-god for one. As well as instructions on what the Flame Vortex Core already happened to be to him. Basically reaffirming his thoughts so far.

"Good luck!" Shango disappeared in instantly in a burst of fire and thunder.

Leroy was already at work on the information to rule out incorrect assumptions. He would not receive quests or anything like that to help him. No System or an A.I. to facilitate his growth either. What he bought from the Afterlife Terminal was a lie. The only thing he did receive from it was that he was able to access a screen mentally to see what he currently had and that was suspect since the Flame Vortex Core would provide that all the same.

He had been duped by it and was bound by the agreement to get back to Earth. But from what the man-god Shango spoke, if he grew strong enough he could return home all the same.

'Ughhh, why didn't he leave the information on the exact details of everything?' Leroy shook his head before pulling out of his Internal Space.

The moment he did the old tiger removed itself from the void. It did not dare to make a single utterance of gazed towards Shango who appeared. The old tiger also couldn't get over the audacity of the human Leoy when speaking with a Deity.

As it thought it over more bits of the fire came down with traces of lightning. The spirit fragment grew in strength and understood more because of it. Decisions needed to be made in regards to its Streak that was near the Hamlet.

Communicating with the majority of it's soul had grown easier some how.

Looking at the books in his room, Leroy figured the best course of action was to get to reading even more.

'At least he gave instructions on creating an Internal Space inside myself that was habitable. Perfect for hiding stuff.'

Reading a few more books, Leroy continued to circulate the Qi he had so far. He kept the process of doing one then another to see what would happen. Never doing all of it at once, since it took a lot of concentration. And this method seemed to cut away at a type of blockage in his body as well that he missed.

"Lots of weird info here. A way to help build more Qi. Just painful as hell.. Whelp, sounds like my kind of thing. Pain equals power and all that." Leroy finished the book and stood up to grab another. "This book says to break every pathway open just a bit, then at once to solidify one's power."

*Pulse!* Pushing through the gates in the body was not that difficult. Especially since Leroyu had several wiggles of Qi from the Flame Vortex Core to help along instead of a burst like it wanted for some locations in the book. That just seemed stupid and might get him killed if he messed up.

*Crack!* A small crackle erupted within him. The gates broke away and crumbled sending its way back into his core. The good news, was that he had Qi in there still to help with recovery. The pieces of the gate dissolved sinking in there slightly.

*Swirl!* Circulating the Qi caused it to mix with. Sending the now thicker strings of Qi through, took more effort but bashed the gates easier. Leroy was dripping with sweat after only 14 passes along. The sudden urge to shit took over him. So he stopped.

"Like I have a pot of coffee poured directly in my gut!" Leroy ran quickly. Sitting on the pot just quick enough and thankful it was not a hole in the ground like his Hamlet hut. "Oh shit!" The force and pain of the shit was enough for him to faint. Another go made his knees buckle. "Ughhh!"

Unable to move, Leroy just kept circulating his Qi. If he passed out at least it would be face first. And not backward. Doing so caused him to crap more and the smell rose up. The gates remains tore apart inside and down below so to speak.

It was a long night and a long morning. He literally crapped more than what he had inside his body.

Washing himself with a bucket of water and changing clothes were first. A slight pep in his step and an obvious change in his body. He was slightly taller and more defined in the muscle area.

"Well, what was the next part in the book." Going over, he checked the citation for the next book. Reading it over quickly was not that bad. There was a way to increase the size of his core. As well as the power of his qi. Required the blood of beast to do so. Which didn't sound to bad, if he was allowed to boil it. "Hmm get some later. Need to go to this blasted meeting."

Grabbing a few other books he wanted to read and a bag, Liang Yu left. Dressing in some comfy clothes to enjoy himself.