Chapter 26: Beginning Adventure

Ki Jung enlists the assistance of Min Joon, Phong Ahn, and Chenming for the purpose of breaching her current bottleneck for body cultivation. This trip will also be about getting them through their first bottlenecks in Body Cultivation. They have all been working on Body Cultivation under her tutelage. They are her top students, and she wants them all to have the best opportunities when she leaves. All three of them have advanced to the Second Kyu in Aikido. She feels they are all nearly ready to test out for First Kyu. The tests for First Kyu will take place soon.

Ki Jung makes the arrangements for her three students to leave the city with her on a month-long journey. This means talking to the parents or guardians of the students and the academy so that everyone knows why they will be gone. Unlike the school system that Ki Jung grew up with Jade Academy doesn’t require one to attend classes consistently. One needs only to pay their dues and study hard. No slacking off is allowed. Any caught not putting in the appropriate effort would be expelled without a second chance.

Ki Jung knows there are cities and outposts in the middle ring and that there are roads that lead to them. Additionally, there are caravans that head out towards them regularly. This might work for others heading out to the middle ring, but traveling with others does not line up with her purposes. Thus, they will be going on foot with only the four of them.

As part of their preparations, each of her students has a spear and sword should there be a need to fight any dangerous creatures. Each of them is a level 1 apprentice with each weapon. Each of them also have storage rings that Ki Jung gifted them for being such outstanding students. Most of her students are at least two ranks behind these three, now. Inside these rings, they carry spare clothes, food, water, and other necessities for the trip.

Everyone is carrying storage packs, again provided by Ki Jung. These are to carry back anything they retrieve while out in the wild. It would be a sign of incompetence if they went out without a means of bringing back resources that may be sold for a good profit.

On the day they leave, it is partly sunny. The clouds make for a beautiful day to start their trek. A cloudless sky would have meant a hot, sweaty, and uncomfortable journey. They head directly away from the city and the majestic mountains. Their goal is the middle ring of the First Realm.

According to the map that Ki Jung purchased, Dong Kyu was close to the halfway point between the mountains and the edge of the inner ring. This meant that they were close to 1400 km from the middle ring’s boundary. Back on Earth, such a journey, on foot, would have been too much. Sure others had done such treks, but it took months and a lot of support. Here, however, they would be running much of the way. At a steady pace that all of them could maintain, the group can easily cover 400 km a day. That’s the same as running 50kmph, or close to 31mph. In truth, they would be running faster, but they would need to take short breaks as they went.