Shu Himo was seated on the bed, his chin resting on his hand. Although his expression was serious, the continuous waving of his tail couldn't hide his excitement toward the situation he was in.
“How can I escape from here safely?” He muttered in the midst of his thoughts.
“Knowing my strength could prove useful… Status!”
He believed that knowing his own strength could give him an edge against the kidnappers. He wasn't just curious to see his status, not at all.
§-----------------------------------------------§
[Shu Himo, 10 Years old]
[Hp: 100%] [Mp: 45]
§-------§
[Strength: 0.15][Endurance: 0.08]
[Agility: 0.38] [Dexterity: 3.2]
[Intelligence: 4.5] [Perception: 8.9]
[Realm: Mortal] [Stage: None][Foundation%: 0%]
[1 point of intelligence equal to 10 mana points.]
[The maximum stats points at this realm is 10]
[The average person's stats points(In the area close to the User) at this realm is 1]
§-------§
[Khenqi Quality: N/A][Khenqi Amount: 0.0]
[???: Chaos][??? Grade: Locked]
[???: None]
[Skills: [Intimidation lv_1].]
[State: Even weaker than a random turtle.]
§-----------------------------------------------§
“A turtle… really?” Shu Himo was speechless. ”But well, I am indeed weak.”
He was then about to ask about the 'unknown' words—
[Anything named as “???” requires BS points to unlock. Otherwise, it will be normally unlocked by itself once the User uses such element for the first time.]
—When the system explained it as if reading through his mind.
Discarding the idea of wasting BS points for something he would eventually learn anyway, Shu Himo started asking important questions. “System, how are the cultivation levels and techniques divided? You can at least tell me that, right?”
[The quality of cultivation techniques is divided into Scrap, Human, Earth, Sky, Legendary, and then further divided into 3 sub-qualities as Low-grade, Mid-grade, and High-grade.]
[The cultivation realms are: Mortal, Body Strengthening, Dantian Core Formation, Nascent Soul, Longevity. Every realm possesses numerous sub-realms.]
[To get information about higher realms and higher cultivation technique's qualities is required to reach the Nascent Soul realm and complete a Special Quest.]
[The Body Strengthening realm is divided into 5 phases: Muscles Strengthening phase, Bones Strengthening phase, Blood Strengthening phase, Meridians Strengthening phase, and Acupoints Opening phase.]
“I see… To make an example, which grade is the cultivation technique I learned from my family?”
[The cultivation technique imparted by the Shu family is of Low-Earth quality. In the current location it is considered a high-level technique. It’s not a surprise that someone would risk their life to get their hands on it.]
As if a light bulb lit up in his head, Shu Himo snapped his fingers. “Is it possible to buy cultivation techniques from the shop? Especially legendary grade ones?” He awaited the system’s reply in excitement; what kind of system didn’t even possess such a basilar cheat?
[Opening the shop…]
[Welcome to the shop. Searching for Legendary cultivation techniques…]
[Legendary Moon-breaking cultivation technique. Cost: 6.000.000 BS points.]
[Legendary Sunflower’s calling cultivation technique. Cost: 4.000.000 BS points.]
[Legendary Death Swordhearth cultivation technique. Cost: 8.000.000 BS points.]
[Legen... BS points.]
Shu Himo’s waving tail froze. Sapped by the revelation, he replied weakly, “A discount…?”
[The User could buy a fragmented part of the cultivation technique. The cost is lower, but it will be limited to a certain realm. It will be possible to buy the successive fragment afterward. However, the total cost will be higher than the normal price.]
This was a scam. Shu Himo was certain. But that didn’t mean he would give up! “System! Which cultivation technique do you believe is more fit in the long run?” Hoping to not get cheated, Shu Himo decided to trust the System for once.
[Advised cultivation technique: Legendary Myriad of Ways cultivation technique. One of the few cultivation techniques which will permit a future upgrade from Legendary quality to higher. As the name suggests, this cultivation technique is different from the others: it is possible to take any path with it.]
[It also increases the effectiveness of the use of any weapon, so the User can have fun playing around a bit.]
Shu Himo gritted his teeth. It wasn’t because of the last phrase, but because he knew that such a technique may have an astronomical price. A moment later, he forced himself to let out a sound. “Price?”
[Opening the Shop...]
[Welcome to the Shop. Searching for Fragmented Legendary Myriad of Ways cultivation technique...]
[Fragmented Legendary Myriad of Ways(Muscles Strengthening phase) Body Strengthening realm cultivation technique. Cost: 1 BS point.]
[Fragmented Legendary Myriad of Ways(Bones Strengthening phase) Body Strengthening realm cultivation technique. Cost: 5 BS points.]
[Fragmented Legendary Myriad of Ways(Blood Strengthening phase) Body Strengthening realm cultivation technique. Cost: 15 BS points.]
[Frag... BS points.]
He was speechless for a moment, unsure if it was because the price was lower or higher than expected. However, he still bought the cultivation method for the Muscle Strengthening phase, all the while cursing at how stingy the System was.
[Dectracting 1 BS point...]
[You now have 0 BS points.]
[Proceeding the integration of "Fragmented Legendary Myriad of Ways(Muscles Strengthening phase) Body Strengthening realm cultivation technique" into the User's memory.]
Feeling the string of information slowly entering his memories, Shu Himo crossed his legs and closed his eyes.
He tried to perceive the essence around himself, the energy present in the world called Qi.
What he felt was a calm current moving in the room. Its proprieties resembled that of floating water, freely wandering around as it wished.
Without wasting a single moment, he started to absorb the Qi from his pores. The once before calm current quickly turned into a vortex. As soon as the Qi entered his body Shu Himo quickly refined it, turning it into Khenqi.
The Khenqi felt no different from a part of his body, energy he could command at will. It circulated repeatedly inside his body, flowing through his meridians. With each cycle, he felt his body undergo an evolution.
His muscles developed, acquiring greater strength yet staying compact. His brain's thought speed accelerated lightly. His joints became more flexible. Breaking through the shackles labeled as being a common mortal, he took his first real step as a cultivator.
He continued to cultivate for roughly thirty minutes, when the barrier which separated him from the Muscles Strengthening phase shattered.
A faint smile formed on his face as he maintained his posture.
After but a second, he opened his eyes.
I broke through!
“Normally, to cultivate to this point it may be needed even a month, but for it to be this fast... “ Shu Himo muttered in amazement. “Let’s see if there is any improvement! Status!”
§-----------------------------------------------§
[Shu Himo, 10 Years old]
[Hp: 100%] [Mp: 133]
§-------§
[Strength: 3.7][Endurance: 1.2]
[Agility: 4.5] [Dexterity: 4.9]
[Intelligence: 13.3] [Perception: 14]
[Realm: Body Strengthening] [Stage: Muscles Strengthening][Foundation%: 100%]
[The maximum stats points at this realm is 20]
[The average cultivator’s stats points(In the area close to the User) at this realm is 3]
§-------§
[Khenqi Quality: Low][Khenqi Amount: 0.02]
[???: Chaos][??? Grade: Locked]
[???: None]
[Skills: [Intimidation lv_1].]
[State: Still weaker than a random turtle.]
§-----------------------------------------------§
“System… what kind of joke is this? A Legendary cultivation technique that gives a low Khenqi quality? To not even talk about those stats, they aren’t even a fourth of the max value…” Although he felt his body overflow with energy, he felt cheated after seeing the status.
[Considering the situation, having low-quality Khenqi is good enough. Had the User used a weaker cultivation technique, the quality would be either “waste” or “useless”.]
[If the User were to pay attention, it would be easy to notice how effective the technique is. Even ignoring the short time the User has spent to breakthrough, such a perfect foundation would be something sought after by anyone.]
[About the stats, that’s not something that can be maxed with just a cultivation technique. Practical training is necessary for that.]
“Oh, whatever then.” Hearing the System’s explanation, Shu Himo felt that it made sense. He could not help being slightly disappointed, but it wasn’t the moment to worry about it.
“How can I escape from this situation...” He fell in thought.
He knew that two of them were at the Bones Strengthening phase, while the wolf-man was at the Blood Strengthening phase. If he were to fight them head-on, death would be the only outcome.
He looked around the room to see if there was an object he could use. The room had a bed in the middle, an iron door on a corner, and a wardrobe on the left side.
He stood up and walked up to the wardrobe. Opening it, he found— nothing. It was empty.
He fell in thought for a moment, when his eyes lit up. "I got it!"
He ran toward the door and, clenching his fist, punched it with his full strength.
Boom!
