Climbing the Ranks - Chapter 12 preview (Patreon)

The hollow in the slope of the hill, one created by a half-fallen tree was just about large enough for Arthur to push his body under without any additional manipulation. The addition of the tarp, a few sticks and layering of fallen brush and leaves and the entire place was actually rather comfortable. He needed to add more foliage and debris to the ground if he intended to lie on it for any length of time, what with the way the earth sucked away heat, but for now; this would do.

The new cultivator sat, finishing the char siew pao he had brought with him. Funny, how even though he did not need to eat, the very act of it was calming. Even if, in this case, the pao was just a little stale. Thankfully, the rumors were true and the effect of the tower extended to increasing the longevitiy not just of individuals but even foodstuff brought in.

Swallowing one last time, the taste of the white flour bread covering and the inner sweet pork filling lingering in his mouth, Arthur took a swig of water before putting it all aside. His momentary break was for another reason, one he was rather in a hurry to review.

Fishing out the pouch he had dropped the three cores within, he pulled one out, raising the shard of crystalised, refined energy to his eyes. He stared at the orange-yellow colour of the material, and then turned it over and over in his hands, dark brown eyes piercing the center.

Inside, the core flickered, ghostly images of the monkey it had drawn from appearing and disappearing, like the wayang kulit figurines he had seen in school. Shadows cast from an internal light, fading away soon after sketching their minor plays.

“Now, if I remember, these had a bounty on them…” Arthur muttered to himself, calling forth the quest marker. It didn’t take him long to find it and the trade-in value. “Ugh. 1 credit only? Smallest amount…”

He sighed, leaning against the firm earth wall, feeling a little of his heat leach away. He did so carefully though, since his ribs were still aching. Damn injuries…

“Better to try cultivating it. I’ve got three and it’s not as though I need them…” Arthur muttered to himself once more, then eyed the opening in front of him. He quickly moved a few branches and his staff, creating a tiny spiked opening. It wouldn’t actually stop anything that was trying; but it would give him some warning.

Good enough or the middle of nowhere.

Crossing his legs and putting himself in lotus position, Arthur placed the gem in-between his legs. He closed his eyes and breathed, calming himself first. Then, feeling the warmth pulsing through the monster core in his hand, he began to gently pull upon the energy within.

It came in fits and starts at first, the lancing pain of refined energy hitting his own nerves like a sharp jab. He fumbled the energy grab the first, second and third time; unable to keep pulling. Eventually though, he got the hang of it – drawing just enough that he could handle the additional pain, slowly increasing it till the draw was steady.

Pulling the energy through his body into his dantian.

A long hour or so passed before Arthur felt when the core shattered, breaking up into motes of energy. Nothing left to draw upon, its exterior casing gone. Opening his eyes, he pulled up his own status sheet again, curious to see what it had to say.

Cultivation Speed: 1

Energy Pool: 5/12

Refinement Speed: 0.01

Refined Energy: 0.01 (0)

Attributes and Traits

Mind:  3

Body: 3

Spirit: 3

Techniques

Focused Strike

Each basic core was worth a fraction of the refined energy then. At that rate, he would need a full hundred such cores – assuming he did not lose any to fracturing – to get a full point of refined energy. Which then could be directed to increase any of his own attributes.

Still significantly faster than trying to refine matters himself. With his own basic refinement and cultivation speed, it would take…

“Umm… ten hours for six points of energy, an hour to refine ten points, multiply by two…” Arthur flicked his fingers, working it backwards and sighed. “Two hundred and fifty hours or so doing it the hard way. Or just a hundred the other way.”

They always did say that cultivation was a slow process. Especially without proper cultivation techniques and help. Even a couple of more powerful cores would speed up this entire process. No wonder it was so important for the newcomers to get in good with established groups.

“Well, I ducked that shit up, didn’t I?” Arthur muttered.

Another shake of his head, as he discarded the thought. Not much he could do about that, not at all. Instead, the more immediate question was what to do about the other two cores. The first was for him to establish a baseline. The other two were money or…

“Who am I kidding?” Arthur pulled out the second core. He was not going back to civilisation anytime soon. Not with so many people looking for him.

Right now, he needed all the strength he could get. And if that strength was slow in coming, that was just the way it had to be. He had a relatively quiet and safe location, he had a couple of cores and an injured body.

The best choice right now was to stop trying to find problems, cultivate and heal. Once his ribs no longer ached, then he would get to hunting once more.

Firming his mind, Arthur cast around the small glimpse outside, ensured there was nothing coming and then closed his eyes, falling into cultivation once more.

Time to work.