Knowledge Is Power
2059 Words
Maybe death would have been a better option than this. I didn't have to do anything, but just wait and see if I really would die. After all it would make things a lot easier for me, but not just me, but also for the people who sent me here. I refuse to believe or see such massive screw ups as gods, besides I was a Christian and we believed in only one God, though at this point he was obviously absent, or maybe he just didn't care about me out of the millions of people he watches over everyday.
I felt hurt and scared, but I did not want to die. Not when I have no idea what lies ahead for me. Growing up I had come from a home that believed in life after death, and most especially in the punishments that come after, if you've not lived a good life. If gods are real, then it stands to prove that hell is also real, and I'm not really in the mood for eternal torment. So the best and only option left was to complete this mission that I have been given.
I had no idea how to raise my so called skills to the highest level, but since this so called system has been responding to my thoughts, maybe all I needed to do was tell it what I wanted. So it would be best if I raised the night vision skill to level 10,since that's what was required.
{Night Vision has leveled up to 10}
{Night Vision has evolved to Enhanced Vision}
{You have received 20 skill points for evolving a skill for the first time, and the stat energy has been generated, you also received +1 to all stats.}
{Mission accomplished} {Rewards: + 1 to all stats and +5 skill points.}
[Leon An Khel: Age 20]
[Bloodline: Ancient Human]
[Cultivation level: 0: Mortal]
[Strength: 5/ Speed: 4/ Body 5/ Energy: 3]
Talents: > >
Skills: > > >
Stat points:10 | Skill Points:37
After the slew of rewards I felt stronger, healthier and a bit faster too. Though I still looked emancipated and skinny. However I could also see a lot clearer now, in fact I would say the darkness did not bother me anymore. My vision could see things in a dull grey manner, and the entirety of the storage room was open to me.
It was a little big, about ten meters long and ten meters wide. It had shelves with actual food on it, though most of them were just the raw ingredients they were still fresh. I was still feeling a little woozy from my wanton chugging of God knows many years old alcohol, but I was still able to find my way around.
I didn't recognize most of the fruits and vegetables in front of me, except for a carrot, but even then said carrot was actually purple and had tiny hair like roots growing from it's side. Then I had this weird thought come over me and then spoke out loud.
"Appraise."
{East Sunrise carrots: mortal rank food ingredient}
{Edible raw and good for cooked meals. Also have trace amounts of qi, this batch of carrots are almost evolved into spirit plants.}
{Appraisal +1)
So that's how it works. That's nice, at the very least it means I won't be so confused about everything I see that looks strange to me. I didn't even wait to find out more information, as I just threw the carrots into my mouth and began chewing with a frenzy. I was so hungry, so damn hungry that I couldn't even think straight the moment food was placed in front of me. I moved through a long row of shelves that contained anything like food or plants, appraising and shoving anything edible into my mouth. The banner that I had used to cover and protect myself was soiled at this point, but I didn't care. Eventually the food shelves came to an end, and a shelves for clothes came into view.
{Appraisal is now level 2}
I kept on appraising before I came across a symbol on the ground, and the information it gave, made me slow down.
{Low Level 1st grade Lighting Array: cost 1 point of energy to activate.}
I bent down to touch the symbol, when all of a sudden there was blinding flash of light, and my eyes burned. It took me a moment to readjust my sight to brightly lit storage room, but now I could see properly. This place was like a bunker, it was stocked to the brim with all the necessities a person might need to survive, for a very long time. And based on the amount of food and clothes, I would say that even though small, this place was meant for at least half a dozen to a dozen people.
{Mission: Study the basics of soul beast cultivation} {Rewards: +1 to all stats}
{Time: 10 days 4 hours 30 minutes and 5 seconds} {Penalty: Death}
The penalty was always death. It seems whoever was giving me all these missions, was eager for me to die. I had a feeling that my being here complicates a lot of things, and someone or some people are getting punished for it, and the only way to fix this huge cluster f**k, is to kill me. But I'll be damned if I give them what they want.
It took me another fifteen minutes to completely canvass the storage room in it's entirety. By the time I was done, I was so tired I could hardly stand. My body was still incredibly weak, and even with the increase in strength, speed and resilience, I was still very much quite weak. But at the very least I knew how this storage room was set up. There were five areas, one had food and anything of the like, another had clothes and armors, while they didn't look medieval or anything, they sort of had a futuristic yet ancient vibe to it. Another part had an actual living area with beds a kitchen and even a bathroom. It made me realized that the storage room was a whole lot more bigger than I thought it was.
The next place actually had tools like hoes, shovels, mops, brushes and a couple of weird contraptions my appraisal skill was not high leveled enough to give me information about. And finally the fifth place was just an open area, with a giant yin yang symbol drawn on the ground, and equally surrounded by twelve animals and twelve weird looking symbols. It only took me a moment to realize that I was looking at constellations, courtesy of my old teacher. However this open area was not just empty, it had a shelf of books and the likes, and after perusing through it a bit, I found something.
[INTRODUCTION TO CULTIVATION: SOUL BEAST METHOD REVISED AND IMPROVED EDITION]
I was in the middle of nowhere, in a different world, trapped under a temple of some sort, and hiding from monsters. I was a little worried, and even though I was tired, sleep was not forthcoming, not with how tense my body felt at the moment. So I think the best thing to do, would be to just read, to read and understand the true power that runs this world.... Cultivation. Besides doing so should fulfill my mission.
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The book was quite thick and went into extensive details about cultivation, and the different types and methods it embodies. Cultivation was simply what it's name said it was, to cultivate. However this time it's not a planet or a tree, but the human body, it's soul, mind and energy.
Now all these were already within the memories I received, Leon's memories. But reading them from the book was even better. At least this way I can say I experienced it for myself, rather than relying on the knowledge of some random dude who's body I'm possessing.
Cultivation is divided into seven realms until lesser immortality. From there, it would be up to the practitioner to head to a higher realm to advance. The realms in ascension order are the: Body refining realm, Dantian opening realm, essence congealing realm, Nascent soul realm, True Essence Soul realm, True Body King realm, And finally True Soul Essence Emperor realm.
These are all the seven major realms, but the methods to cultivating to said realms are different and unique to each sect, and sometimes individuals. The celestial beast sect were good business oriented people, but they were also know as the jack of all trades. They were powerful, had good alchemists, artificers, formation masters and blacksmiths. And all these was because of their cultivation method; The Celestial Zodiac Theorem.
After a person stops being mortal and gets into the body refining realm, following the Theorem would give said person an ability called star sense. And using that star sense, one would find a star beast that would become the soul beast of that person for the body refining realm. Each star beast could be something as simple as a dog, as majestic as a dragon, or as simple as a spoon or shovel. The choices are as endless as the stars in the sky.
However said practitioner would be unable to choose his star beast for each realm he advances until he gets to the Nascent soul realm. Then he would be able to choose a star beast for that particular realm. Once a star beast has been chosen, the practitioner is allowed three opportunities within the same realm to hunt for the souls of essence beats, qi demons and magical beasts to augment and improve the ability of the star beast, giving it new skills and effects. Apart from it's main skills, each star beast can only have three auxiliary skills, gained from the hunting of other monsters.
Once the star beast has been chosen, the practitioner has to draw it into his body. The first star beast would have it's true form and power tattooed on the body of the cultivator strengthening it. The next would join the Dantian strengthening it too, and for each subsequent realm, the star beast becomes a part of whatever it is you're cultivating.
Once the star beast is a part of you, you can augment it's strength at the third, seventh and tenth level of a realm. There's always a possibility for failure, and that would have dire consequences, so preparations are required and very important. And finally, the Celestial Zodiac Theorem has a sub-cultivation skill or method of its own to go along with the main method. And that was the taming of essence monsters, qi demons and magical creatures.
Not everyone chooses to train in it due to how time consuming and expensive it is. However depending on the beast you chose to train for every rank, there's a martial skill that let's you combine your star beast and monster for a short while to either increase their battle capabilities, or their working efficiency. Either way it was all up to me, and I think I'm going to learn this beast taming.
I have a thing for animals, even though I almost got eaten by some of them. Memories or not, this was all still a little overwhelming for me, but I will try to make the best of what I can. It's not as if I have a choice anyway.
{Mission Accomplished.} {Rewards: +1 to all stats.}
{Celestial Zodiac Theorem cultivation skill has been generated. Sub-skill Beast Taming has been generated.}
{Mission: Break the shackles of your mortal flesh and step upon the path of cultivation.} {Rewards: The Perception stat, +2 to all stats, the talent Beast Empathy} {Time: 1 week 1 day 1 minute 1 second} {Penalty: Permanently Crippled cultivation!}
[Leon An Khel: Age 20]
[Bloodline: Ancient Human]
[Cultivation level: 0: Mortal]
[Cultivation Method: Celestial Zodiac Theorem (uninitiated)
[Strength: 6/ Speed: 5/ Body 6/ Energy: 4]
Talents: > >
Skills: > > > >
Stat points:10 | Skill Points:37
They say knowledge is power. To be honest I don't really feel too powerful at the moment, just scared and tired and frustrated. But also sleepy, and at this point, I think sleep was something I needed. So I guess it was time to sleep.
- Writer
