I opened my eyes the second time tonight and came face to face with Xie Wen's worried expression again, "Yu Song?" she asked and a wave of deja vu hit me.
I smiled, "Hi, Xie Wen."
"Yu Song?" She asked.
I grinned, "Yep, still me,"
I stood up and started looking around, save for my own bed- which I ruined- the room is the same as it always was, messy and is something I can describe as something belonged to people living in poverty. Though, judging by Xie Wen's words on what's it like outside, I guess that description is pretty far from the mark.
The second thing that I noticed is the fact that the spirit stone is now much weaker than before, "did I take in most of it?" I looked at Xie Wen and the girl gave me a wry smile.
She nodded, "Yes, after you... started going through your breakthrough-" my eyes widened at her words, "- the room suddenly felt cold and the Qi inside of this place suddenly started getting depleted, it was like your ice didn't just absorb heat, but also Qi."
looked around and noticed that there isn't a single bit of ice on the ground. Because Xie Wen noticed my confused expression, she started explaining why, "It melted halfway through for some reason."
The mannequin. I thought and touched my chest, is it just there? Inside of me?
If that's the case then I basically have a way to stop my ice from getting out of control. That is if I can somehow control the mannequin.
I don't know if the thing back in the Gym melted my ice because I'm in danger or because I put ice all over the boxing ring. I remembered that it used a Qi attack for the first form of the bunch but didn't for the second and now that I think about it, did it bait me to circulate my Qi or..?
"Yu Song?" I stared at Xie Wen, "It's probably because you managed to put it under control. That's why the ice melted."
I smiled and huffed a lungful of air, "I guess?" I stared at her for a second longer before looking away, "pretty perceptive of you," I told her.
"You're not good at hiding your expressions," was her reply.
Am I though? Last I checked I had a pretty good poker face. I looked back at Xie Wen and smiled, "I guess you can say that."
She only nodded.
"So about the whole breakthrough thing..."
Xie Wen explained to me what happened during my time inside the Gym and I got paler with each passing second that I listened. Apparently, Xie Wen ended her meditation only after I went inside the Gym and by that point, the ground around me had already become frozen. She also said that the room got colder and that for some reason, her cultivation started to slow down. She couldn't even circulate her Qi at one point.
At first, she thought that we were being attacked and that the rebellion started but when she saw that it came from me, she realized that I was breaking through and unlocking the potential of my Spirit Root, which has the ice element.
"When I saw your breakthrough, I realized that you are very strong." Xie Wen admitted with a shake of her head, "Usually, when people like you break through, only the air becomes colder but freezing the floor isn't uncommon for those with Ice based Spirit Roots as well." she said, "But slowing down Qi? I've only heard that in the stories my father used to tell me."
I nodded, "Did your village have a cultivator with an Ice Spirit Root?"
I looked at Xie Wen's reaction when I mentioned her village, I thought that she would get hurt or even get sad but she seemed fine.
This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.
"Yes," Xie Wen confirmed, "I- well, we knew her but at some point, that person just left the village after she finished the Bone Refining Stage of the Body Refinement realm."
"Where did she go?" I asked, that person seemed pretty strong and because of that, I can guess what someone like that went out to do but I wanted to hear Xie Wen's opinion on the matter.
And as it turns out, I was right- "There is a legend in our village, actually," she started, "it is said that in the north where two mountains meet, in between, there is a treasure left behind by an immortal long ago and who obtains that treasure gains the power of immortals."
"Sounds stupid," I said.
Xie Wen giggled, "Definitely!"
I shook my head with a smile, "You should probably get back to meditating, I'm gonna see if I can get some sleep before tomorrow."
Xie Wen nodded, "okay," she replied softly.
After she shut her eyes, I fixed my bed and shortly did the same. While waiting for sleep, I thought about the whole ice thing and found it weird that my bed isn't even frozen. I squeezed the sheets and it didn't even feel wet. Odd. I thought with a frown, It's exactly the same when the mannequin defreezed the gym.
There wasn't a single hint of anything ever getting frozen when the mannequin unfroze the boxing ring too.
I closed my eyes and slept.
When I woke up, I checked Xie Wen and saw that she was still meditating, the glow of the Spirit Stone right by her feet had gotten weaker too. I guess she spent the entire night cultivating. I thought and wondered at what stage of Qi Gathering is Xie Wen at right now. Oh, and I guess I'm curious about what realm I am now too, Status.
User: Yu Song
Qi: 100/1500
Realm: 1st Stage (Body Refinement)
Techniques:
- Punch
- Run
- Throw
- Palm Strike
*First to Sixth form
- Fist of Danger
* First to Second form
Quests:
*Reach Body Refinement Realm - Completed! Rewards Ready!
*Reach Foundation Establishment Realm - (1/15)
The only Quest left I have is now completed and again, it's gonna give me rewards if I mentally press on it. Since it's something that feels so hard, I wonder what I'm gonna get?
I'm feeling excited at the thought of opening something that looks like the very first Quest given by the System which, I guess if you think about it as something that encourages me to cultivate, then this is probably gonna be the first Quest that the System gonna give. Now that I think about it, the first thing that made me realize I have a System is the notification that told me I completed the Quest for putting Gang Gong in his place.
This means that it's Yu Song that's the first user of this thing.
I mulled over that fact before I heard the first bell of the morning. It was also when Xie Wen woke up and turned to me, "Yu Song?" she asked groggily like she had just woken up from sleep. "How long have you been awake?"
"For some time now," I replied while putting the jealousy of Yu Song being the first user at the back of my mind. Feeling sad about it doesn't matter now, I have the System now and that's the only thing that matters.
"How are you?" I asked, "What stage are you on right now?"
Xie Wen gave me a genuinely happy smile, "I have reached the 8th Stage of Qi Gathering." she replied happily. Xie Wen bowed, "thank you for this,"
"That's a whole 4 stages." I said aloud, "What grade was the Spirit Stone before we depleted it?"
"I think... somewhere in the middle," she replied and my eyes went wide. That reaction only made her giggle, "High Grade Spirit Stones would've put us halfway through immortality I think?" she said in amusement.
I frowned, "no way right?" I asked and she only smiled, "what Realm do you think we would've been in if we had a High Grade Spirit Stone?"
"I think," Xie Wen closed her eyes and proceeded to think while I mentally noted the girl is smart enough to do this, "We can reach the Soul Formation Stage if we both have one High Grade Spirit Stone."
I nodded, "Okay, then what about if it's split between us?" I asked the original question again.
"Core Formation Stage." Xie Wen answered simply and it was then that the second toll of the morning echoed out.
DING!
"We should prepare for the rest of the day," Xie Wen stood up, "do you want to use the bathroom first?" she asked and I shook my head, "very well then, see you later Yu Song."
I smiled because got infected by Xie Wen's own smile, "you look pretty happy," I called out. I leaned back into my bed, "you sure you aren't just using me?"
"I am, that's my answer for those two questions." she turned back and lolled out her tongue, "I'm gonna keep using you, Bleh."
I chuckled, "Then I have no choice but to abandon you." I said jokingly but frowned when my words made her smile falter.
"Will you?" she asked.
I looked to the side, "I don't think so," I replied.
Xie Wen nodded and left for the bathroom after that and I was left alone in the awkward atmosphere. I stared at the bathroom walls, wondering what happened to Xie Wen as well as how is she gonna take a shower when the water is basically used up.
I realized that my worries about the water running dry had been useless because the bucket in the bathroom automatically fills up over time. Huh, I wonder how that works?