[Cultivation System Unlocked.]
[Welcome to the System’s Multiverse.]
[You have passed your trials and received excellent marks.]
[Additional Rewards Granted.]
[Cultivation Manual: Void-Space Nexus.]
[Skills Gained: Void Step, Spatial Sense.]
Void Step: Step into the void to reappear at another location in the material.
Spatial Sense: Sense the ripples of space in your vicinity.
[Cultivate, Strive and Thrive. Good Luck Ascendant.]
The words appeared in Ethan’s mind, and as he read them, they disappeared, followed by a status screen popping up.
Name:
Ethan Marshall
Race:
Human
Class:
N/A
Level:
1
Stage:
0 - Mortal
Stats
Body:
Strength
1
Agility
1
Vitality
1
Mind:
Intelligence
1
Wisdom
1
Willpower
1
Spirit:
Essence
1
Harmony
1
Attunement
1
Skills
Void Step
Spatial Sense
“Skills and stats, just like an RPG!” Ethan’s eyes widened as he read through the information. His heart rate spiked, and as he blinked, his breathing turned erratic. “Oh shit, this is real, isn’t it? What the fuck just happened?!”
Ethan fell to his knees, hands against the emptiness beneath him. He struggled to catch his breath as his heart drummed in his chest.
“That bitch!” Ethan growled as he gritted his teeth. “She messed with my head. Took me from my planet and tested me. Fucking hell, this is bullshit! Lesson learned, haha; Trust. Fucking. No-one! Question everything.”
Seconds passed as Ethan gritted his teeth and watched his trembling hands.
“Alright, Ethan,” he squeezed his eyes shut. “Breathe, man. Dying from a panic attack won’t do you any good. How long have you wished for something more than the mundane nine-to-five? I wished for magic, power and adventures, and now I have that opportunity, but only if I get a fucking grip!”
He focused on his breathing for a long time before he got it under control. His heart rate followed after.
“Alright, then,” he nodded as he settled back, sitting on the floor that didn’t exist. “I’m alright. I’m good. I’m calm. I fucking nailed those trials, and I’m going to fucking thrive in this new world. That’s what’s going to happen. I’m going to cultivate now and grow strong. Then, when I get back to Earth, I’m going to find my mom and sister, and we’re going kick the living hell out of anyone and anything that threatens us.”
Talking to himself, he finally managed to calm himself down. It took almost half an hour in total, but soon enough, Ethan sat still, in a lotus position, and prepared himself to start cultivating using the Manual he received.
“Nice of the System to download the information directly into my mind. I fucking hope it doesn’t involve more mind control bullshit. Hahhh. Not like I have many other options. I need to get strong and probably fast,” Ethan smirked as he reflected on the method. “Same beginning as I did before. I breathe in, but I must ensure an equal amount of Void and Spatial Qi… Oh! The Cultivation Manual has an answer for that, though it’s a ways off yet. I can learn a skill that should help, although I need a location steeped in Spatial Qi. A decent start, at least. Alright, back on track. Breathe in and cycle the Qi in a specific pattern while guiding it through my body, following specific pathways, through nodes, and into my core to break through to the first stage. Should be easy.”
Ethan took a deep breath and felt a surge of Void and Spatial Qi enter his body. He followed the Manual and began twisting the two types of Qi around each other in a complex pattern while channelling them through the pathways in his body, following a set pattern. At specific locations, he had to form another pattern using both types of Qi. Once he’d formed the pattern, he continued their journey through his body until he funnelled the Qi toward a spot beneath his ribcage.
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“That spot is, supposedly, my core node,” Ethan mused. “I need to build up enough Qi to put some pressure on the area, which should allow me to sense the exact location of the node. I must then use the Qi to break through it, thus opening my core space, which can store attuned Qi. Huh, that implies that any Qi I store in my cells will turn into unattuned Qi, doesn’t it? Or, it will just disperse quickly. Probably both. Anyway, focus now. Build up pressure.”
As Ethan cultivated, his body filled with a strange sensation as some of the Qi inevitably filled his cells. It was hard to explain, as he felt simultaneously numb due to the Void providing no sensation, and cold from the Spatial Qi, but Ethan powered through the sensations, and slowly, but surely, the area around the core node started to build up pressure, until, the moment his body was saturated, a flood of Qi flowed through his channels, into the formation pattern he’d built around the node, and Ethan felt as if he was about to burst from the pressure.
“This is it,” he knew what to expect, so he wasn’t taken by surprise. “Now, I need to shape the Qi within me to start breaking through the node.”
As he focused, the Qi around the node started to spin, and swirl, forming a cyclone with the node at the center. It spun faster and faster, an Ethan began to notice small motes of impurities drift away from the node. He couldn’t spare the attention to expel it, but tried to keep it trapped within the cyclone, as more and more escaped the blockage.
Hours passed as sweat poured down Ethan’s body, until, finally, the node broke open and started to greedily draw Qi.
“Finally!” Ethan cheered as a grin split his face, before he frowned. “Shit! The impurities! Don’t let them enter the core space. Circulate the impure Qi back into my lungs, then expel them.”
Ethan put thoughts into action, and managed to expel most of the impurities, but some had been pulled into the core space.
[Breakthrough! Stage increased to Stage 1 - Spirit Initiation.]
[Ten stat points gained!]
“Phew!” he breathed a sigh of relief as he opened his eyes. “I got most of it, at least. There should be ways to cleanse my body anyway. There’s no way I get all the impurities by breathing, so there’s got to be another way. Alright, then. Next step is to fill the core space. I can then use the stored Qi to fuel skills. Eventually, I need to build pressure with my core to expand it enough so I can break through to the next stage.
Ethan checked his status, opening the screen with a flex of his will. He saw his stage had increased, as mentioned, and knew he could allocate ten points into his stats.
“It’s weird, though,” he mused as he rubbed his chin. He then dragged a hand through his sweat-soaked hair. “I can increase the amount of Qi I can store manually by cultivating, but I should also be able to do that through stat points. This is so weird, and proves the System has a lot of access into my mind, but I know things about the stats and their functions without actually learning them.”
He frowned, before shaking his head and grumbling softly.
“Anyway,” he slapped his cheeks and focused on the stats. “Essence is storage, but also defense against spiritual arts. That’s skills that aren’t physical, I think. Also helps against Qi pressure, whatever that is. It works in tandem with Intelligence and Vitality. Harmony is, apparently, power. Increases the density of my Qi and the impact of my skills. It works in- Synergy! That’s the word! -It synergizes with Willpower and Strength. Attunement is efficiency and synergizes with Wisdom and Agility.”
Ethan closed his eyes as he thought.
“So, what do I want first?” He pondered on his affinities. “I think both Void and Spatial are Qi intensive, so more storage and efficiency would be good. I don’t think I can get much out of practicing in this place, since it’s filled to the brim with both types, so my skills costs here wouldn’t be representative of the real cost. Urgh… Alright, I think I should focus on efficiency and storage. So, two points each into essence and Attunement, with one point into Harmony. Two points into Vitality and Intelligence, each, and one point each to Agility and Wisdom.”
Ethan opened his eyes, allocated his points, and revelled in the rush of strength that filled his body. He felt his core space expand and noticed a slight change to the gateway, or the node, that accessed the space.
“Huh,” he frowned and tilted his head as he tried to sense the difference. “Am I able to make similar changes, and do the same thing as the System? I think that change to the node should be the efficiency or density, or both. That’s interesting, but something for another time. I think I’ll have to see that happen a few more times before I can even attempt it on my own. That’s another good question though: why does the System function in addition the normal cultivation? That implies that the System came after cultivation, works as an aid to increase the potential, or something. Not something I’m likely to get answered anytime soon.”
Ethan sighed as he stood, and stretched his limbs. Sitting down for several hours took its toll.
He brought up his updated status.
Name:
Ethan Marshall
Race:
Human
Class:
N/A
Level:
1
Stage:
1 - Spirit Initiation
Stats
Body:
Strength
1
Agility
2
Vitality
3
Mind:
Intelligence
3
Wisdom
2
Willpower
1
Spirit:
Essence
3
Harmony
2
Attunement
3
Ethan smiled as he took in his improvements.
“It’s not much, yet,” he mused as he did some stretches. “But, it’s a start. Knowing that the System’s functions works on top of my own efforts, I think I should work on my physique a bit. I refuse to rely entirely on the System. I don’t trust it.”
He started performing some basic exercises, and kept that going for around an hour, before he sat back down, once again drenched in sweat.
“Fucking hell!” Ethan panted. “I’m in poor shape. Didn’t know I’d let myself get so bad.”
He shook his head, and after taking a few minutes to settle his pulse and breathing, he started to cultivate.
Far less impurities were expelled compared to before, but since the cultivation chamber contained very pure Qi, that made sense. The previous impurities were likely from before.
Hours passed once more as he cultivated. His core space filled to capacity, and his body followed quickly.
“I was right,” Ethan realised. “The Qi that enters my cells lose their attunement quickly, which means it can’t be used for my skills. I can still use it to empower my body, though. Something to keep in mind.”
Hours turned to days, turned to weeks as Ethan cultivated and trained. As he watched the Qi flow through his body, he felt glimmers of knowledge fill his mind. It was fragmented, and nonsensical at first, but with time, he could start to piece things together, forming a greater whole, and certain facts about his affinities became clearer.
“Space is all around,” Ethan mused and smiled crookedly. “With my Spatial Sense, I can see that. It is interconnected, though, which means I can use it to traverse great distances, although Void can achieve the same thing. Space feels more defensive and supportive than Void. Void is erasure, it is nothingness and emptiness. With Void I can delete mass somehow.”
Thoughts and ideas filled his mind as he cultivated, but eventually, his time in the chamber came to an end.
Abruptly, without warning, the empty void in the chamber disappeared, and Ethan was once again, back in the first room he’d been brought to. This time, there were no woman sitting in the chair, but a single door stood before him.
“So, this is it, then?” Ethan sighed as he stood. He rubbed the soreness from his legs and stretched. “Back to Earth.”
He walked up to the door, but hesitated.
“What has changed?” Ethan frowned with his hand on the door knob. “Will it even be the same planet? Gah, doesn’t matter. I’m going to find my family, and then a place to settle down. Somewhere defensible with access to Spatial Qi, at least. Let’s go!”
He turned the knob, and opened the door before stepping through resolutely.
[Initial Integration Stage Complete!]
[Welcome, to the new Earth!]