Chapter 3 (uncovering the undiscovered)

  In the cave Adam ponders on what to do.

  " If there is a point where I have to kill someone it will be troublesome "

  "I have to make sure that I will not be there in that sort of predicament "

  "I will deal with it when the time comes"

  "I have to only temper the muscle and skin to complete full body tempering. "

  And so a week passed Adam has now completed the organ tempering.

  "I'm about 2 times stronger than a peak level human . How much stronger will I be after the first realm"

  "Now to find the materials for skin tempering" To strengthen the skin cultivators use ironhide mycelium found in deep dark humid caves.

  "I will have to try my luck in the cave I'm in right now."

  Adam goes deep into the dark passage. Red did not come with him as the fox will not even move an inch towards the passage so Adam had to go alone. Reaching deeper and deeper the humidity increases.

  "This might be enough for that mycelium to grow. Not all caves that are humid will have this particular mycelium."

  Adam can see clearly even in complete darkness but even then the passage was getting a little darker and darker the deeper he went.

  Eventually he found the mycelium.

  "Damn there is a lot of it"

  So much so that it blocks the passage completely. He picks a lot of them and goes back to the entrance.

  "I am not strong enough to completely venture inside yet"

  While studying the book for the next recipe Adam comes across an interesting piece of information.

  'you might be wondering why can't you just take in the Qi after the body mind attunement. That is not possible because the body naturally expels Qi when you take it in since Qi is a foreign substance not present in your body.

  Body tempering makes your body into a vessel which can contain Qi this is the reason body tempering is a requirement and not an option.'

  "Hmm this means the chance of the opportunity of being a cultivator is low maybe about 1 in 1000. Only the rich and those who fight for the resources have more chances of starting cultivation. I am lucky that this place has abundant resources the Qi is dense and I have no one to fight over it. This place might as well be considered a holy land for cultivation."

  Adam makes the medicinal paste of the mycelium and applies on every nook and cranny of his body.

  The effect of the paste kicks in Adam wriths in pain while grabbing his balls.

  "Applying on my balls was a very bad idea but this shit is necessary."

  This goes on for another week and the skin tempering is completed.

  Adam crouched low, pressing into the damp earth. The boar sniffed the air, its jagged tusks glinting. Did it smell him?

  A step closer. Adam’s breath slowed.

  The beast huffed, ears twitching—then turned, distracted by rustling in the bushes.

  Adam exhaled silently. It worked. He wasn’t just hiding anymore—he was vanishing.

  Adam was getting better at hiding and was now able to hide from the big boar and other beasts even fooling their keen senses.

  "Now for the muscles I need frostsinew elixir found near icy water falls"

  "Guess I have to go to the frozen tundra."

  ……………….………+……………………………+……………………

  GREAT HARMONY SECT- ELDERS HALL

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  The great hall of the grand harmony sect was silent as the air filled with a thick smell of inscent and the weight of authority. At the head of the hall was the sect leader his gaze sharp as he listened to the report before him

  "So grand elder guo you bring word of an undiscovered island."

  A middle aged man with an insignia that identifies him as a core formation realm expert stepped forward and cupped his first in a respectful gesture.

  "Yes sect leader I have obtained this information from a fisherman. While he was trying to find fish further from the coast towards the ocean he claims he spotted an island which does not appear to be on our map. He tried to approach but could not go further after sightings of a sea serpent in the distance. He believes the beast ignored him because of his small boat."

  Murmurings were heard throughout the assembled elders.

  The sect leader remained expressionless.but his fingers lightly tapping on the armrest of his chair

  "A sea serpent..." he mused " if that beast exists at those waters must be at the core formation stage at the least. That means the island must hold something valuable"

  The room feels silent at the implications

  The sect leaders gaze sharpened.

  "We must not let the other sects discover this information. As a core formation stage grand elder you must investigate this island. Take a trusted team with you. But keep this matter quiet. If the resources are worth claiming that must belong to our sect alone."

  Grand elder guo bowed deeply.

  "Understood sect leader. I have already taken measures to ensure secrecy."

  "And what of the fisherman"

  The sect leader asked narrowing his eyes slightly.

  "He was clever"

  Grand elder guo admitted

  "In exchange for his silence he requested that his son and daughter take the yearly aptitude test if they show exceptional talent. Let them be joined to the sect as a core disciple candidate and he also requested to take him as a guide for the expedition to the island."

  A pause and a low chuckle from the sect leader

  "For a fisherman he certainly aims high." He mused.

  "But being ambitious is not a sin."

  The amusement faded.

  After a pause he made his decision.

  "Very well. Have his children tested during the yearly examination. If their talent is exceptional, they may be considered as core disciple candidates. If they fall short, they may still enter as inner disciples, provided they meet the minimum qualifications. As for the father—allow him to accompany the expedition, but keep him under close watch. If he proves useful, his family may yet gain further favor."

  ………………………………+………………………+……………….....

  Sea lions surrounded Adam, eyeing him curiously—as if he were a tall, pale, disfigured version of themselves.

  Adam decided to follow these sea lions because the material that he needs is found near the banks of frozen lakes and rivers these sea lions seemed to be going towards them. Some of them are blue coloured and have ice like crystal scales which might be from being in a place concentrated in ice element.

  Red keeps his distance from the sea lions. sea lions gave him a curious glance and lost interest and went their way.

  sea lions soon reached below a waterfall and swam in the pool of water. On the banks of the waterfall the frostsinew grows protected by ice elementals which don't seem to attack the sea lions and their keeping a distance from the frostsinew.

  Adam approaches the frostsinew. As soon as he stepped closer. the ice elements sturred and materialised jagged ice spikes and shot him with lethal precision.

  Adam felt a chill down his spine. His Instinct screaming to him of the danger. His body reacted before his mind could process. He twisted his body dodging the ice spikes by a hairs breadth

  "So this is killing intent"

  His heartbeat steady

  "After completing organ tempering I can sense it so much clearer"

  His gaze turned towards the ice elementals. Watching their patterns. They seemed to attack at random intervals. yet with enough predictability to be exploited.

  "Hmm"

  "If they are gonna keep this up I might as well use them for training."

  Adam had a thought of using the memory manipulation on them but he could not touch them as they seemed to radiate an icy aura which seemed enough to freeze his hand solid

  Adam trains dodging the spikes for some time. He then steals the frostsinew and retreats to the cave.

  "Now we need to make it into a soup while slowly simmering it"

  After creating and consuming the elixir Adam's body goes numb with a sudden cold which seems to spread all over his muscles. His skin starts forming flakes of ice. Frostburm seared through his flesh while simultaneously suffering a brain freeze. After what seemed like an hour of suffering the effects subsided.

  "...."

  "I have to go through this again for a week."

  "....."

  "....."

  "I miss my home."

  "Mom and Dad will be worried sick about me."

  Adam starts staring at the ceiling contemplating.

  "If I reached the highest realm, maybe... Just maybe, I can find my way back"

  "...."

  "But by then... they'll already be gone"

  "...."

  "The moment I appeared here my life on earth is.....gone"

  "...."

  "...."

  "I hope... they can move on without me"

  A week goes by

  "I have finally completed muscle tempering. Now I feel 3 times stronger than when I first came here"

  "With this body tempering is completed"

  "Now should I venture deeper inside?"

  "...."

  "No I should be more careful. I will go after breaking through to the next realm"

  After 2 days of rest Adam begins his Qi condensation. Qi condensation has 3 pathways.

  Magic/formation array path-

  Let Qi flow towards the upper dantian. Which corresponds to mind power.

  Healing/Taming path-

  Let Qi flow towards the middle dantian. Which corresponds to the emotions.

  weapon/physical path-

  Let Qi flow towards the lower dantian. Which corresponds to strength.

  "I should complete the upper dantian first. Since what I lack the most is a magical offence'

  Adam starts meditation after 10 minutes or so he stops.

  "Why is the Qi absorption so difficult?"

  "Feels like trying to drink water out of a 70 inch straw"

  He looks into the book where he skimmed through a section.

  'IF you are having a hard time taking in Qi. This either means you have skipped the body-mind attunement realm completely or have an underlying condition.'

  'In the first case, seek the help of an elder or your master to open up the Qi channels. if you don't have anyone to help.....

  starve yourself. Your body will eventually force the channels open."

  "Qi channels close after generations without exposure to a Qi-rich environment."

  'Remark: kids these days, always looking for shortcuts. tsk tsk'

  Adam exhales slowly,closing the book.

  "haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa"