Chapter 2: A New World; A New Life

When they regain consciousness, there are a few things of which they are acutely aware. They are entirely reliant upon each other in this world. Alone, they will perish. They are paired to balance their strengths and weaknesses. Finally, that this world is filled with magic and monsters. In many ways, this place can be compared to the lands depicted in their favorite Chinese Wuxia movies.

They are aware of the need to begin cultivating; the sooner, the better. They have choices to make in regards to their cultivation and how it will affect them in the long run. They discuss this for a quarter of an hour before deciding on their path.

It would be easy to take the path with the least amount of work, but it would ultimately leave them weak. The middle path is a lot better, but double the work. The path they choose will take the most work, but will provide them with the best path forward without skimping at any point. This path is not just double of the second path. It typically requires nine times the effort and time to advance.

Their choice is also affected by a final piece of information they were granted by the White Jade item: until sunset of the following day, the protected area they are in will provide them with enough Běnzhí (本质- Essential Energy) to leap from having no cultivation to one of three possibilities. The first one is to cultivate a single Dantian and raise up three levels in the blink of an eye. The second is to cultivate two Dantians and gain two levels in the allotted time frame. The third is to gain a single level of advancement cultivating all three Dantians. This will also affect their Soul-Well to the same degree.

Fast and shallow, for immediate power in the present but at the price of being a paper tiger in the long run. The middle path that can take them a long way, but will eventually limit them, though a few do manage to go further. The long winding path is too much for most people and often leads to Qi deviation in those who are not up to the task they set for themselves.

In the end, there is only one choice for Brandon and Tracy, and that is the most difficult path. They have nothing to lose and everything to gain. Anything, aside from one another, that could be, has been lost. Their lives, friends, families, and expected futures. They have all been stripped from them.

Facing each other, they assume the Lotus position and begin the process of cultivating their Dantians and Soul-Wells according to the techniques they gained through the lessons in the magical Jade treasures. It is difficult at first and they keep having to stop and start again. By the time the sun has risen to its peak, they have become semi-proficient and are slowly filling their Dantians and Soul-Wells as they circulate the Běnzhí through their bodies and meridians. Part of the trouble they experience is smoothly transitioning from cultivating one system and then the other. Every half hour they make the transition. By midnight, they have become proficient enough that they can keep this up for hours without a hitch. When the sun sets the following day, they feel the energy around them drain away.

When they complete the period of cultivation allotted to them by the unknown existence that brought them here, they are surprised by faintly glowing light jade screens that fill their visions.

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Congratulations Cultivator

You have achieved the first step in cultivating your Root, Heart, and Mind Dantians. Achievement: Tri-Core Cultivator Novice – Rank Imperial

You have achieved the first step in cultivating your Soul-Well. Achievement: Soul-Well Cultivator Novice – Rank: Imperial

Due to your diligence and strong cultivation in the first stage you have earned the Imperial Ranking for your cultivation techniques. Deviation from this path will lead to Qi Deviation.

Your next step will be the Apprentice stage. It will take strength, persistence, and time to earn this achievement.

To close this an any other window, think “Close Window.” To close multiple windows think “Close All.” To see your attribute values think “Attribute Screen.” This is a one time message.

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“Did you get a message telling you about achievements,” Tracy asks Brandon.

“Yeah. Sounds pretty cool. I’m going to check my attributes before we do anything else,” he says.

“Alright. I’ll check mine, too.”

When Tracy pulls up her attributes window she sees the following

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Name: Tracy Forrester

Rank: Novice

Race: Terran Human

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~ Strength: (10|15)

~ Agility: (10|15)

~ Constitution: (10|15)

~ Intelligence: (11|15)

~ Wisdom: (12|18)

~ Perception:(8|12)

^ Dexterity: (12|18)

^ Charisma: (8|12)

^ AC: (10)

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In Brandon’s case the attributes are:

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Name: Brandon Taylor

Rank: Novice

Race: Terran Human

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~ Strength: (9|13)

~ Agility: (9|13)

~ Constitution: (10|15)

~ Intelligence: (16|24)

~ Wisdom: (16|24)

~ Perception:(8|12)

^ Dexterity: (12|18)

^ Charisma: (10|15)

^ AC: (10)

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This information is something for them to contemplate. Their studies and the data did not include any modifiers being part of the various choices for cultivation. It seems, however, that they have a significant modifier to their base scores. This is nothing to ignore. It is sure to have a positive impact.

While they can still feel energy around them, it is much less dense, and would take months to gain a portion of what they received in less than two days. The protection of the glade will hold until they leave its perimeter, and they could stay here indefinitely. That is except for the fact that the protection doesn’t prevent predators from discovering them and waiting them out. There’s also the matter of having only five days of food.

“Tracy, I think it would be best if we get moving now. Our food supply is limited and no telling how long before predators show up. We’re safe in here, but we’d have to leave eventually no matter what.”

“Okay,” she is her reply as she takes his hand.

For all the information they received, they were not provided with any maps or clues to help them decide on a direction to take. Banking on a simple truth, Brandon makes the choice to follow the flow of the burbling brook out of the glade. Together, they begin the next step in their journey.

Brandon and Tracy began their existence in Heaven’s Reach in a glade covering an area of about 100 meters within a forest. It is through this forest that they are currently traveling, following the water that originates at the burbling brook in the glade, in hopes of finding an outpost or other settlement.

As they are traveling, the pair are getting used to the weight and feel of the batons they carry. Practicing simple strikes, they keep up a steady pace. While they are lacking in experience in the use of a baton, they have a strong desire to live. Their attempts seem childish and uncoordinated in the beginning, but improve over time. They even attempt to impart Qi into their strikes, but mostly fail. Brandon is also trying to cast a simple spell that he’s calling “Spark”. According to what they learned, spells are made up of Mana, intent and focus (on a target). With this in mind, he is attempting to cast “Spark” on the end of his baton. It is over an hour before he first sees any sign of his spell working. Before this bit of success, every failure feels like a little flash of pain in his mind. Fortunately, it never lasts long.

Being so focused on walking and practicing their recently acquired knowledge, the two of them are oblivious to the fact that they are entering a dangerous situation. This ignorance ends as they hear a scream as an large ape like form comes charging at them.

Tracy reacts on instinct to this aggressive behavior. The years of soccer have given her plenty of strength speed and endurance. Putting her athletic skills into use, she attempts to strike it in the head with the baton. The baton bounces off the beast’s raised forearm. The baton’s rebound nearly smacks her in the face. Her wrist is aching from holding the weapon too tightly.

As she is doing this, Brandon focuses on the beast’s eyes and manages to cast “Spark” in front of them, blinding it for a moment. He follows this up with a Qi reinforced blow to it’s body. The Qi imbued strike works and causes the creature to bellow in pain.

Continuing to attack in an aggressive style, Tracy attempts to focus some of her Qi into the next strike. It is partially successful and brings the beast down to its knees. Not giving it a chance to get up, they begin beating it with a ferociousness they have never felt in the past. Blow after crushing blow rains down on it like the hammers in a mill. The sound of its bones being broken and its body being crushed fills the air until it is dead.