The bright rays of the sun should have brought some warmth and comfort, but for Joon-woo, they only served him as a reminder that he got to see the morning. The encounter from the previous night was playing over and over in his mind, his heart was gripped by the fear that he felt in that moment.
That man… the way his Qi filled the air, his oppressive aura that bent Joon-woo's will to him. That man didn’t even need to attack, his sheer presence was enough to send waves of dread through Joon-woo’s body.
Not to mention, the last words that man spoke…
“The shadows are watching… they will move soon”, they pierced his consciousness like a dagger.
Joon-woo began to shiver as the clear memory of it sent a fresh spike of fear through him. He tried to sleep after the encounter, but he couldn’t rest, he refused to rest. He could only imagine the possible outcomes. What if that man decided to kill him? What if he was no match for what will come in the future? His shivering got worse, he just got the System, and walked to a path to change his whole life, yet, it seemed like it was just a short lived dream. Doubt about his new strength already began to spread through his whole body.
He went outside the cottage. The air was crisp and cold, but it did little to wake him up from that state of mind. The peaceful scenery around him, usually what he considered serene, now felt like a cage. He just felt like a little mouse, with cats and dogs he could neither anticipate nor fight.
Joon-woo clenched his fists, feeling his own shivering. The fear from last night still hasn’t gone away. It rooted too deep within him, and now it was consuming him whole. But even so, he knew one thing for certain, he didn’t like this feeling, he already lived a life full of fear and cowardice. He hated this feeling. He couldn’t allow himself to be weak, he refused. Now, not after the last events that happened in his life. He needed to know how strong he is actually now. He needed to see if the breakthrough to Qi Gathering actually helped him at all. He wanted to be sure that his stats weren’t just for decoration. He needed to know his actual limits, so he would have better chances at surviving whatever was coming his way.
“Let’s see what I can actually do…” he muttered in a voice that lacked confidence
He quickly looked at his status screen
Status Screen
Name
Kang Joon-woo Title Riverside Cultivator Age 16 Level 2 [ 10/200 EXP ] Cultivation Level Qi Gathering Stage ( Initial ) Qi 60 Units Strength 4 Agility 6 Stamina 5
Skills Iron Fist ( Basic ): A refined martial technique that enhances the strength and impact of physical strikes done with the
After looking at his status screen, the first thing he planned to measure was his physical strength. He needed to make sure if the changes he felt within his body were real or just a fragment of his desperate imagination. His eyes fell on a boulder that sat near the edge of the river. It was a rather big boulder, not large, but not small either. He couldn’t imagine he would be able to move it with his previous body.
But now, after raising his strength a little, and advancing to Qi Gathering, things were supposed to be different. He approached the boulder with determination, his heart pounding. What if nothing had changed? Sure, the encounter with the Madrads still showed him he can hold his own, but in the end, that wasn’t his own victory. Se-ri was there, and if she wouldn’t have been present, he would have been dead ten times over.
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He placed his hands against the rough and cold surface of the boulder, and started pushing.
At first, he only tried using his physical strength, but it wouldn’t budge. He was feeling dejected. I guess his normal strength wasn’t that different from before… but as he was pushing, suddenly, a voice echoed in his mind, calm and instructive. The voice was similar to the one that kept pushing him to try harder, the one that guided him before.
Focus, Joon-woo. Channel the Qi into your muscles
Right, he could now use the Qi within his body. Joon-woo drew the Qi from his dantian, the energy that was now clearly present in all of his body. He directed the Qi into his arms and legs, feeling his muscles tense with the sudden amplification of strength.
Taking a deep breath, Joon-woo braced himself and pushed harder. For a moment, nothing happened, fear and panic flared in his chest. But then, as he kept pushing even harder, with a small rumble, the boulder shifted. It was only a small movement, a few centimeters at most, but it was enough to send a jolt of relief through him. Joon-woo planted his feet firmly into the ground and began pushing even harder, channeling even more Qi into his muscles.
The boulder again moved, revealing a part of the dried grass and earth that was under the boulder. Joon-woo stopped, his breath coming in ragged gasps. He looked down at his hand, trembling slightly, only this time, it wasn’t from fear
“I-I did it,” he whispered in disbelief. The realization slowly sank in, he actually managed to do it. The power he felt was real, it gave him the strength to do something he once thought impossible.
He shook his head. This isn't the time to dwell on little achievements. He needed to continue his “test”.
Running was never Joon-woo’s strength. Back in the slum, he was always weak and sickly. Every time he overexerted himself, his chest would begin to hurt, and he would barely be able to breath afterwards. His frail body would tire quickly. But now, things had to be different. He decided to test his stamina by running along the riverbank. The terrain was uneven, it was filled with rocks and different plants that jutted out of the ground.
He started with a steady pace, his feet moving quickly over the ground. The cold breeze pushed against his skin, as he was focusing on his breathing, trying to maintain a constant rhythm. As he ran, Joon-woo looked at the flow of the river, and as he visualized, he quickly tried to channel his Qi, mimicking it.The run was effortless, besides the weight of his legs, his lungs weren’t burning, Seconds turned into minutes, and the minutes turned into an hour. Joon-woo was still running, his breath was steady. His legs now began to weigh a lot more than in the beginning, but they still moved with fluidity.
Finally, Joon-woo skidded to a halt. He was a little tired, but he could still run for another hour at the same pace at least, his body was still buzzing with energy. But he needed to move into his next “test”.
His reflexes and agility was always Joon-woo’s saving grace in the slums. Even though he had no strength or stamina, his speed and quick reflexes were the only things that kept him alive. But, still, his movements were always clumsy, born out of desperation rather than skill. Rather than a gracious cat, he would be compared to a mouse.
Now, with his stats increased, and with the ability to wield Qi, he needed to see if he could now move with a similar fluidity Se-ri showed.
He scanned at some trees ahead, their branches forming a natural obstacle course. His heart began posing as he approached them. Joon-woo sprinted towards the first tree, moving with a speed that surprised even him. As he was almost near the trunk, he leaped into the air, with his hands reaching for a branch. His body moved on instinct, as he swung up onto the branch. He jumped into the next branch, his body twisting and turning with a grace that didn’t feel like his. Each jump, each swing, was already calculated and was made with precise movement. Channeling his Qi into his mind and body, it allowed him to navigate the trees with ease.
Joon-woo flipped off a branch, landing softly on the ground. His heart was pounding deep in his chest. He was not a mouse anymore, he was a cat now. But even so… his mind was once again thinking of that man…
'If it came down to it, would I have been able to escape?'
Joon-woo pushed the thoughts in the back of his mind and proceeded with his next made up and final “test”. After the breakthrough into Qi Gathering, the Qi surged through him like a torrent of energy, he knew his Qi reserves expanded. He needed to know if it affected his skills as well. The memory of his confrontation with the Alpha Redmad flashed into his mind… that moment, when he channeled his Qi into his fist, and unleashed the [Iron Fist]. That was a powerful skill. He needed to know if it would be stronger if his cultivation level also rose.
Joon-woo close his eyes, taking a deep breath. He focused on a single point in his palm, drawing the Qi from his dantian. The energy swirled within him, a powerful force that almost overwhelmed him. But, he quickly fought against it and controlled it, directing it towards his right hand. The sensation was intense, a warm and tingly energy that grew stronger each passing second.
“Use [ Iron Fist ]” Joon-woo whispered softly, his voice trembling slightly as the energy solidified around his fist, glowing faintly with a blue hue.
He turned towards the tree and with a shout, he struck out, his fist connecting with the trunk of the tree. There was a loud crack as the wood splintered in different directions as the tree shook violently, with bundles of leaves raining down from above. Joon-woo stepped back in surprise, as he saw the deep indentation his fist left in the trunk.
The power he just unleashed was incredible, much stronger than the time he used it against the Alpha Madrad. This was something that made him happy. It’s clear now, as he grew in cultivation, his abilities would increase as welll. As he was smiling, he couldn’t help but have a specific thought
‘What level of cultivation do I need to fight that man?”
Would his current [ Iron Fist ] make a dent on him? Joon-woo doubted it, but at least he was reassured he can improve his skills as well.
System Notification
Congratulations! Impressed by your resolve and use of Qi, you have been rewarded the:
[ River Flow Technique ]