Blossoming Path

I returned to Elder Ming in the afternoon, shortly after completing all my daily tasks. Watering my garden and paying special attention to the lily I brought back home took precedence over all! I brought Tianyi with me to training as well. The Village Head seemed interested in my new companion, and she greeted him by fluttering around his face. I could see she liked Elder Ming.

The first thing I told him, after giving him some tea leaves, was about the new skill I learnt; Qi Manipulation. He almost dropped the tea cup in his hands.

"You unlocked your qi reserves?!" Elder Ming said, his eyes rising in astonishment. "Show me. I don't believe you."

I sat down and cycled my qi throughout my body. I had no hesitation as I did it, knowing he and Tianyi would be able to help me if I were to undergo Qi Deviation. He watched in amazement, and he slapped me across the head once again.

"Ow! What's that for?!"

"Foolish boy! You could've sent yourself into Qi Deviation! This is dangerous without my super-"

"I did, actually." He gaped in horror upon hearing that. "But Tianyi helped me. She stabilized my condition before it got too serious. See? I'm fine! I'm a genius, right Elder Ming?"

Elder Ming was far from amused. He began lecturing me about the importance of cultivating qi under proper supervision, including several painful taps to the head with a cane. Funny. I had never seen him use it to help walk, only to hit me and other children when we were being unruly. His lips were set in a firm line as he spoke in a low voice.

"Kai, I must warn you. Your body is not suited to being a cultivator. Barely qualified to be a martial artist." He shook his head and closed his eyes. "Your qi circulatory system is thinner than the average person. Do you know what this means?"

"Uh, I'll have to work much harder to become a cultivator?"

"Well, yes, but it also means your qi won't flow as efficiently in your body. Every time you cultivate, you have a much higher chance of suffering from Qi Deviation. Far more than the average person would. You journey will put you at great peril for even the simplest of moves like circulating your qi."

What the hell?! My talent was third-rate? I was likely to die from meditating? No way! But I saw the look in Elder Ming's eyes. He was completely serious, and I had seen that effects for it myself.

"B-but there's ways to go about it, yes? I can still become a cultivator?"

Elder Ming's eyes sharpened. "You can, but it won't be easy. I will teach you the basics, but I can tell you right now that anything more advanced won't work for you the same it worked for me."

"I won't back down, Elder Ming. You already know I'm willing to do whatever it takes."

"Then let's get to it! The first step to making you fit to be a cultivator is refining your body! Grab those rocks! We're going back to the hills!"

"Yes, master!"

And so, my training continued.

We finished much quicker this time, although it took well into the evening to complete my training. My body and mind were stretched to their limits, but I was happy. Elder Ming had told me of my constraints, but wasn't the point of cultivation overcoming one's limitations?

He shooed me away, deep in thought. It seemed as though he was slightly distracted during our training session. I had much to think about as well.

Quest: Body Refinement

- Run the perimeter of Gentle Wind Village without stopping to rest. (2/5)

- Commit to the horse stance for ten minutes without stopping to rest. (1/5)

- Squat 250 times without stopping to rest. (2/5)

Quest: Mind Refinement

- Perform Visualization Training for one hour. (3/5)

- Meditate for one hour without losing focus. (4/5)

- Solve a mathematical equation without any external aid. (5/5)

Quest: Cultivation Technique (Wood)

- Find five different areas that have sufficient wood qi in the surroundings, and meditate in them for one hour. (2/5)

- Areas with sufficient wood qi will be marked with a glowing, yellow orb only visible to you.

I was almost done these quests. I wanted to see what I'd get for their completion. I was excited, but I knew the rest of my evening should be devoted to expanding upon my other skills; Gardening, Herbalism, and the new Qi Manipulation.

I know, Elder Ming warned me away from doing anything too foolhardy, but there were other ways to manipulate my qi aside from circulation. Like qi infusion! I noticed just how easy it was for me to do in comparison. Maybe I had a knack for that sort of thing?

My thoughts were interrupted by the heat of the forge. It seemed Master Qiang and Wang Jun were hard at work.

"Wang Jun! Master Qiang! How goes it?" I asked, letting my presence be known. It had been some time since I last saw either of them.

Wang Jun looked tired, but he bore a hearty smile. Master Qiang, on the other hand, had his usual stern expression, although he seemed to be in a good mood as he supervised his apprentice at work.

"Kai, it's been a while! We're just finishing up some orders from the nearby city," Wang Jun replied, wiping the sweat off his brow.

"I see you've made some progress with your training," Master Qiang observed, his eyes briefly flicking over my body. Was it that visible? I flexed my biceps, they were more defined than before, but it was hard to tell for me.

"Yeah, I've been learning a lot from Elder Ming. But how about you, Wang Jun? How's that quest of yours?" I asked, genuinely curious about his achievement.

Wang Jun's face lit up, and he nodded enthusiastically. "I finished it! It was a difficult challenge, but the results were well worth it. Let me tell you..."

He spoke to me about the tribulations he faced. Making twenty different kinds of weapons and armor truly challenged Wang Jun. But upon completion, he received a free level to his Blacksmithing skill! He showed off his weapons and compared the difference to the ones he made when he first began the quest, and although it was minor, I could see they were of greater quality.

I supposed that was how my quests would go. It made me more motivated to complete them. In fact, I could complete the Mind Refinement task as soon as I got home! If it were to grant me a reward like that, I suppose it would make me smarter and perhaps even help with my other quests!

"Haha! Wang Jun, I applaud your effort. You are a fine blacksmith. I will come by to have my tools maintained by you in the future."

He grinned sheepishly and seemed caught off-guard by my compliment. Ah, I could never bring myself to dislike Wang Jun. He was as kind as he was big.

"Of course, but it may take some time. Those orders from Crescent Bay City keep coming. We've got a back order of close to fifty weapons due by the week's end!"

I raised my brow. It seemed as though the cities were gearing up for war. "Is there something going on?"

Master Qiang butted in, holding one of the swords he forged. The tall man held it up to the light with a critiquing eye. "There's been a rise of Spirit Beasts, bandit sightings, and just about every sort of trouble you could think of. I didn't think such a thing would be a problem 'round here. Nobody bothered to when we had nothing to offer. But now, with the Heavenly Interface?"

The question went unanswered, as he swung the blade with practiced ease. I flinched backward fearing that the blade would cut me. Master Qiang had a profound understanding of the weapons he created, and I didn't need to know how high his Blacksmithing skill was to see that. He had been the village blacksmith longer than I'd been alive. He mumbled something about it being off-balance before focusing his attention back on me.

"I guess you were right about being a cultivator, Kai." Master Qiang mumbled. "The world's getting a little more dangerous. We should be gearing up as well. This place won't be as quiet as it used to be, if my hunch is right."

I heard about life in other provinces. Power and conflict went hand in hand. Spirit Beast attacks, wayward bandits, and even whispers of demonic cultivators were common. But they were mitigated by the presence of so many powerful sects and cultivators that people of other provinces still managed to live a somewhat peaceful life. But we had nothing close to that. Our village was out of the way, with minimal defenses and no ties to any of the major or minor sects in the Tranquil Breeze Coast. If the Gentle Wind Village didn't prepare accordingly...

I swallowed nervously. Even Wang Jun seemed unnerved by what his master was implying.

"But! That's all an old man's worries!" His serious expression morphed into a stupid grin, and Master Qiang slapped me on the shoulder. "Come see me next time for your tools. It's been a couple of years since you got them fixed up, right, Kowtow Kai?"

I left them with a smile and wave. But my thoughts were filled with other worries. Although the Day of Awakening was considered a blessing for all, maybe I shouldn't be so lax in regard to my cultivation. That had been a trigger, not just for me, but for many throughout the world. People would move, and my cozy little life here in the village would be affected.

What if a Spirit Beast were to attack my village? Not just an intelligent crow? Or a group of bandits empowered by the Heavenly Interface? I looked to Tianyi. The memory of nearly losing her to that damned bird came to the forefront of my mind.

I tried to calm myself down. I was being too pessimistic. We were on the outskirts of the Tranquil Breeze Coast. No bandit or beast would try anything here. It was too far out, and we had nothing to offer in the power struggles between the Silent Moon and the Whispering Wind Sect. But if a third-party ever turned their eyes to my village...

"It's simple, isn't it, Tianyi?" I asked her. "I simply become strong enough to ward off any threat that comes our way."

Our village had no real defense against outside threats. Perhaps the Village Head, who was once a cultivator, could fend off an invasion. But the thought of leaving it all to him felt like ash on my tongue.

Kai, protector of the Gentle Wind Village. That had a nice ring to it as well.

It would be a nice title to begin my journey. A goal to work towards before I explored the rest of the world.

Before this village can fend for itself in this new world, I'll be their shield.

Three hours passed. I devoted my evening to mediation and Visualization Training. I felt more at peace meditating here at home, surrounded by the subtle wood qi provided by Tianyi's Qi Haven skill. I opened my eyes to a message from my interface.

Quest: Mind Refinement has been completed.

Due to your status as Interface Manipulator, your rewards will be adjusted accordingly.

Before I could question what was going on, a gentle warmth spread from the back of my head and eventually encompassed it. As though a veil had been lifted, I felt an immeasurable amount of mental clarity I didn't have before.

Your Mind is growing more powerful.

You now have access to your own Memory Palace.

I instinctively knew what the message entailed, even if I had never seen or heard of a Memory Palace. But it was pretty self-explanatory. I went back into the recesses of my mind, creating an endless expanse that came easily thanks to my Visualization Training.

This was a memory palace. My memory palace. A place where I could recall and access any piece of information I ever learned. I grinned internally; this would be an incredible boon toward progressing my skills!

Alright, let's see here. Let's go over the current potions and elixirs I know how to make. I can start experimenting from there.

My memory palace shaped itself accordingly to my needs, creating a massive pile of books. I frowned. I needed to organize this place into something less mundane. Perhaps a library? No, that wouldn't do. Maybe something in line with who I am. Although I was a scholar, I wasn't particularly fond of rows upon rows of books. Perhaps...

I focused my mental energy on my surroundings, giving birth to a luxurious garden. A massive tree sat in the middle, growing large enough to blanket my entire vision. Branches upon branches sprouted from the trunk, some longer than others.

A tree of knowledge. Specifically, the one containing all my knowledge about herbs and plants. I'd need to make a separate tree for other disciplines, but this was good to start with. I looked over specific branches, instinctually knowing what each one represented. The ones that stemmed from the trunk were the foundation of my knowledge; soil knowledge, plant anatomy, identification, and so much more!

When I visualized it, it was truly awe-inspiring to see how much knowledge I accumulated. I had been around plants all my life, and the build-up of this information was spread over years and years. I wonder what Elder Ming's looked like. Or even Wang Jun! Did his expertise in smithing go as deep as mine did for herbs?

I imagined mine in the future as something akin to the World Tree in size. It would pierce the skies and into the heavens! Once I became a cultivator, all the knowledge I had would be stored here, steadily growing and unfurling its roots.

I finally found the branch I was looking for; the branch on medicinal properties and usage of plants. It spread further than most of the branches, and every single one I touched gave me an inkling of the knowledge behind it. The way my memory palace manifested itself to my desires was both an unconscious and conscious action. This ability was incredibly profound.

Reviewing all my knowledge in regard to herbs took some time, but when I opened my eyes, only half an hour had passed. It felt like I had been there for hours, just going over potential ideas and ruminating about combinations I hadn't thought of.

With my entire store and garden in my grasp, I could experiment how I pleased! Perhaps I'd make a revolutionary elixir with what I had. Then I'd make a fortune off that product. And then I could use it to buy pills and elixirs to get stronger! Ha! If I accumulate more plants, I could probably make those pills and elixirs myself!

It all clicked into place. My plan for defying the heavens has solidified into something of worth! Nothing could stop me!

"Hehehehe....HAHAHAHAH!"

My house was filled with evil cackles as I, Kai Liu, resolved to become the greatest herbalist and cultivator the Gentle Wind Village has ever seen!