Realms of Mental Cultivation
Mental Cultivation Realms (Mental Energy/Mana (mental energy + world energy but falls under mental cultivation)
1. Mind Source Awakening Realm / Apprentice Mage→ Novice Mage → Journeyman Mage
2. Mind Gate Opening Realm / Advanced Mage → Master Mage→ Grandmaster Mage
3. Mind Tempering Realm / Archmage→ Magic Saint → Magic Sage
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The conversation stretched for a few more hours as Doctor Bohn first explained the three realms of body and energy cultivation but did not explain any further, alluding to "it's something you should not know. Knowledge can be a curse as well." He then explained the structure of the Silver Star Sect. It was divided into the labor division, outer court, inner sect, and core sect, with various elders and other roles forming the hierarchy. Every time Astrid tried to ask more about cultivation, Bohn would divert the conversation, saying, “It’s better for you to discover it yourself.” After the eighth time her questions were redirected, Astrid gave up, reluctantly accepting his vague answers.
During their talk, a guard arrived with a delivery of food, and they sat down for a quiet meal. After eating, Astrid started to feel tired and decided to call it a day and head to bed. While the surroundings were unfamiliar, she felt some comfort in having a room to herself. However, when she noticed a cupboard full of clothes that fit her perfectly, suspicion flared up. She called out to Bohn, who quickly responded, “That was all arranged by Lys. She picked out the clothes, and I had a female servant help you. I’m not a pervert!”
Reassured by his response, Astrid slept soundly. When she woke up the next morning, she was greeted by a soothing fragrance that made her feel at ease. Instead of Bohn, a female servant named Xi Xuanji introduced herself. She explained that she worked at the Medical Pavilion, typically attending to high-profile patients, and informed Astrid that Doctor Bohn was in the middle of a pill-refining session and would be busy for a while. Xi then led Astrid to a bath, which she thoroughly enjoyed. Afterward, she dressed in the clothes Lys had prepared for her. Though they were comfortable, they were more form-fitting than she preferred, making her long for her old track pants and hoodies.
As the morning passed, Astrid and Xi chatted casually. Astrid's curiosity got the better of her, and she asked about the most bizarre or disgusting things Xi had witnessed at the Medical Pavilion. Xi didn’t hold back, recounting gory scenes in vivid detail. One description made Astrid gag and eventually vomit, much to Xi’s amusement. Embarrassed but unable to resist laughing along, Astrid found herself grudgingly enjoying the servant’s teasing, even though it left her slightly annoyed.
Later, when their next meal was delivered, Astrid devoured it ravenously. Xi made several attempts to slow her down, but none succeeded. By the end of the day, Astrid felt more comfortable in her surroundings. Her heightened senses had stabilized, and she had adapted to her sharper perception of space, sound, and sight. Yet her body still felt strange. Though she remained weaker than before her ordeal, the strength she had regained felt solid and controlled. There was an unsettling sense of balance in her body, one she wasn’t used to. She made a mental note to ask Doctor Bohn about it.
The day passed without incident, and Astrid had another meal before retiring to bed. The next morning, she was met by Doctor Bohn, who explained his recent absence. He had received a special order for a pill he specialized in crafting. This urgent request came from someone within the enclave of alchemists and doctors, and he had completed the order in a day and a half. Astrid didn’t press him for more details, uncertain if she’d understand whatever he explained.
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Finally, Astrid asked, “Why is it that after being treated, I feel a sense of balance I didn’t have before? I was so used to the imbalance that the balance feels... wrong.”
“You can already feel that? Your aptitude for understanding and perception is quite high.”
“That doesn’t answer anything.”
Bohn chuckled, then explained, “To put it simply, I rid your body of all the bestial and chaotic qi that had built up due to your bad eating habits. Yes, they were bad—but given your situation, I couldn’t help but empathize. Lys shared her memories with me.”
“Memories? Cultivators can share memories?” Astrid’s eyes widened.
“Well, yes. Why do you ask?”
“Then... could someone peek into someone else’s memories?” Astrid asked, her voice lowering.
Bohn paused, then replied with a grim tone, “What a sharp perception. Yes, it’s possible. The technique is called [Soul Search]. But it’s extremely dangerous—it nearly cripples the person it’s performed on.”
“This place really is a mess...” Astrid muttered.
Bohn laughed but warned, “Ahaha, don’t say such things in public, or it’ll get you killed.”
“Really?”
“People in this world are incredibly spiteful, haughty, and arrogant.”
“So, I’ll have to deal with those kinds of people in the future?” Astrid sighed.
“Yes,” Bohn replied solemnly.
“Great... Anyway, about the technique slips you mentioned, do you think I’m ready to start learning them?”
Bohn looked thoughtful for a moment before replying, “We’ll see. Let’s not rush into it just yet.”
Astrid nodded, feeling both frustrated and intrigued by his responses. She knew Bohn had more to teach her, but he clearly preferred that she figure things out on her own, leaving her to wonder just how much more there was to discover.
“I guess I can teach you basic martial arts, though. Otherwise, you’ll get fat,” Bohn joked. “Just kidding, with your appetite and energy requirements, not being a scarecrow is a good thing.”
Astrid’s face turned purple with annoyance, and she was about to give him a piece of her mind when he added, “But you are currently limited to only two hours of practice. So let’s get started.”
Astrid was quite interested in learning actual martial arts, as she had long since realized her hunting skills were quite haphazard, to say the least. Maybe martial arts would help. This calmed her down.
He stood up from his chair and walked out a door into an open courtyard. The courtyard was clean, with a tiny pond in one corner, surrounded by the building that stretched in all four directions like a traditional inner courtyard found in classical East Asian architecture.
Astrid followed him. He motioned for her to sit down on the ground, and she did. He said, “This is a basic movement technique even mortals can perform. It’s called [Quick Step]. The first thing it allows you to do is move quickly in short bursts, and second, it allows you to stay relatively stable on uneven ground. But mainly, it gives you short bursts of speed.” He demonstrated the [Quick Step] very slowly, step by step. “This is a basic technique that can give you a boost in fleeing or a quick opportunity to get a hit in and get away.”
“That’s interesting. Should I try?” Astrid asked.
“You can. I’ll be back in two hours to stop you. Practice often distracts one from the flow of time. Don’t overdo it. Food will be here soon,” Bohn said as he left.
“Fine, I won’t overdo it.”
Astrid started practicing the technique, and much to her own surprise, she didn’t realize how quickly time had passed.
Astrid made middling progress, but considering how little time she had to practice, it was to be expected. Afterward, she was treated to food, which she devoured voraciously. Then she retired for the day after being handed over to the care of Xi. She was always quite tired after each workout.
Over the course of the next two weeks, Bohn taught her how to properly punch and kick. After asking her to demonstrate her skills, he was quite annoyed that she couldn’t even throw a punch or kick properly. Astrid shifted from two to three meals in the meantime and was allowed four hours of training by the end of the second week. On this day, Bohn drew a footstep pattern in the courtyard.
The next day, he showed Astrid how to move across the footstep pattern without using any upper body actions. He explained that it was part of a body training exercise that would work all her muscles. It wasn’t actually a technique, but something devised by cultivators to train their own descendants. Over the next month, Astrid practiced the technique, much to her chagrin, as it was quite complicated. By the end of the four hours, she often nearly passed out and would take a bath before her meals. She was slowly getting used to the routine.
Astrid enjoyed the month and a half of training, but she was annoyed that Doctor Bohn wouldn’t let her access the technique slips, citing her weak physical condition. He warned that she would only hurt herself if she tried to practice anything from the slips, leaving him with yet another thing to deal with.