Chapter 5: The Grind

Over the following months, Tracy and Brandon train daily. Three days a week in how to manipulate mana and use it to cast spells, and learning new spells. Both of them become proficient with Brandon’s original three spells and add a set of spells that will imbue their weapons with various elemental boosts for a period that is dependent on the amount of mana they use when they cast it. They also learn spells for concealment and camouflage, creating food and water, and even elemental armor that can either increase their AC or cause damage to anything that hits them by reflecting a percentage of the damage as the element used.

While they have a long way to go, they are learning fast, and their understanding grows by leaps and bounds. What takes others months to comprehend only takes days or weeks for these two. In Magi Noragami’s mind, they are absolutely Tāotiān (monstrous), and she is continually baffled and amazed by the way they soak up everything she teaches them. They are patient, methodic, careful, and diligent in learning everything. Once they grasp the concept, they run with it and go from barely understanding to seemingly becoming experts in a period of time that is shocking. She wonders what other spells they have discovered on their own. At their current rate, she will have to acknowledge them as Journeymen within a year’s time. They are firmly on the path of the Dao of Mana Manipulation. This is beyond Spell-craft. It is the path to understanding how to shape the world through the manipulation of mana. Spell-craft alone is very simple by comparison. Skills, spells, and cultivation techniques are taught and learned, but most never venture into understanding the secrets behind the spells and their creation. This is where Tracy and Brandon differ from the vast majority. They seem to have an intuitive grasp of the Dao.

The days they are not training under Noragami’s watchful eyes, they spend no less than six hours a day training at the Dojo. Their progress in martial arts is no less amazing than their advancements in spell-work. By the end of the first month, they are proficient in all the basic requirements for beginning students. By the end of the second month, they pass the advancement test to the next level without flaw. Two months later, they prove that they understand the beginnings of the Dao of Master Wong’s style of combat arts. From this point forward, their understanding increases at startling rates. As it is with Magi Noragami, he views them as Tāotiān and will not be surprised if their understanding of the Dao they are currently following outshines all his other students before the end of a year is up. It is another instance where they seem to grasp a more profound understanding than the majority ever does. They have become adept at imbuing their strikes and blocks with Qi giving them more power in both offensive and defensive uses.

Every evening after they finish studying at Noragami’s place or the Dojo, they go to their spot in the crater-like nest they enjoy visiting so much. They have actually started calling it their nest because it is such an inviting, warm, and sheltered place where they aren’t bothered.

Using the spells they have learned, and creating new ones (at least to them) out of ideas and intent, the two of them have created a tub large enough to comfortably seat both of them within it at the same time. It is not a permanent structure, but one that forms on command with the application of mana and intent. In a chamber far below the surface, they have fused rock into a non-porous containment vessel in which they store thousands of liters of the HCSE (highly condensed spirit essence). If Magi Noragami knew of this, she would have a better understanding of how they are advancing so fast, but not a full comprehension of it.

Each afternoon, at the nest, they spend two hours in this tub soaking in the HCSE. As it does not evaporate, and the spells they have in place ensure that it all remains in the tub, they are able to roughly estimate that it will take three years of these two-hour soaks to break through to the next stage in Qi cultivation. This is not something they are worried about. It’s a place where they are comfortable, and it has become familiar to them. Even if they travel afar, in the future, they know they will return to this nest, this home.

Though thoughts of their home on Earth never entirely go away, they find their focus to be on the here and now. Crying over spilled milk doesn’t make things better. Becoming powerful in this world is a requirement. The justice they are used to is not to be found in Heaven’s Reach. Instead, might makes right, no matter the right or wrong of an action.

Every few months, they fill some vials with HCSE and sell it to pay for their monthly bills. Soon, they will need some extra gold to pay for the materials required for the first stage of body cultivation. This cost for the first stage is a staggering 100 gold. This is not a problem for them to come up with, but it is for many.

At the end of the third month, from the week they arrived in Riverside Outpost, Brandon and Tracy will be moving into Magi Noragami’s home, where they are provided with a cottage that they mostly use to sleep. The Magi has done this to protect them and to keep an eye on them. Maybe she can learn something from them. It also allows them to ask her questions at nearly any time of the day. Their inquiries are always well thought out and sometimes surprise her.

The compound has four cottages (each is a single room with one or two beds and desks), the main house, which is two stories tall (Magi Noragami’s living quarters is within it), a communal bathhouse, and more. The practice pavilion, which is covered in protective formations and spells (to prevent injuries from errant spells or blowback), is an imposing structure that takes up a significant portion of the compound. There is room enough within it for all five of her students to work on their spell-work without interfering with one another. The upper story of the Main house is off-limits to her students (unless they are invited up), and the ground floor is where her parlor, training hall, and kitchen are. All meals are eaten in the Main house.

Ever since Brandon and Tracy realized someone was watching, they began to put on a show when they made love or simply fucked. It turns out that they enjoy being watched. It doesn’t hurt that the one watching is Serina. They know they are making her crazy and enjoy every moment of it.

Before they move out of Songbird Inn, they begin to invite the eager and willing Serina into their room every few nights, where they both strip her and ravage her until she is screaming and eventually passes out. This goes on for three weeks. Now, if it weren’t for a spell they had developed and perfected, those screams might have caused someone to come tearing down the door to find out who was being murdered. However, the spell creates an invisible shell inside the room that prevents sound from escaping. Sounds from outside can come in, but it cannot leave. The spell is based on the same idea behind noise-canceling systems back on Earth.

The drawback of the spell is that it takes all the caster’s mana to make it big enough and to last long enough for their needs. The shape is something like a squashed sphere that nearly fills the room. If they could figure out how to make it flatten out against the walls, floors, and ceilings, they would. For now, this shape works.

As a parting present on the last night of their stay at the Songbird Inn (while Serina lays unconscious following their night of debauchery), Brandon carefully pours a vial of HCSE into her with Tracy’s assistance. They didn’t want to give it to her in a way that she would possibly cause them problems. This way, she will not know exactly how she ended up filled with so much Spirit Essense, if she cultivates it, it could push her into the next stage and open up new possibilities for her.

When Serina recovers, she instantly realizes that she needs to go cultivate it. Everyone knows about cultivating. It’s just that not everyone has the ability to get very far with it. Suddenly, she’s full of energy, and failing to make use of it would be criminal. With a kiss for Tracy and Brandon, she is out the door in a hurry, after getting dressed, that is. As she leaves, Tracy drops the shell. While she does that, Brandon cleans the bed up with another spell he has created. It dries up the fluids making it possible to sleep in the bed, though it doesn’t actually clean it. That will change when they move into the cottage, as they will be responsible for keeping it clean.

Tracy and Brandon know that their gift to Serina will have a positive effect on the lusty young woman. How big of an impact they have yet to learn.

Not long after they move into the Noragami compound, they are ready and scheduled for their first body cultivation breakthrough. They have been diligently cultivating their bodies according to Master Wong’s teachings using the technique called the “Black-water Foundation (黑水粉底)” technique of body cultivation. The name encompasses the meanings from Chinese culture. Namely, that it represents immortality, knowledge, stability, and power and is neutral being neither good nor bad.

As a foundation technique for body cultivators, it is a reasonably strong one. That, combined with the dedication and energy that Brandon and Tracy put into it, nearly ensures that their breakthrough will be both very difficult and profoundly rewarding.

Magi Noragami has been made aware of their pending breakthrough and has given them leave to miss classes for the week. They are so far ahead of where they should be that this gives her some much desired time to make a quick trip to Kwang Chu city where she can obtain books and materials she has been meaning to purchase. Now she has the time and funds (in the form of 500ml of HCSE). Even though Magi Noragami considers their tuition to be paid for ten years, Tracy and Brandon insisted on giving her that 500ml or HCSE to purchase all the materials she might need. This is not just for their own use. Besides, to them, it is nothing since they can produce many hundreds of liters of it at a time.

The Dojo is being run by Master Jin while Master Wong watches over his two most amazing students. It isn’t just that they are so gifted when it comes to learning his style of martial arts, but also how they have found the path to the Dao with the least bit of guidance. It doesn’t hurt that they decided to pay him in the form of 500ml of HCSE, too. But, in the end, that isn’t a real consideration. They are amazing students of his. He would be willing to train them, at this point, without payment. Undoubtedly, their names will bring much fame to his Dojo in the future, which will bring plenty of funds in. The funds he can gain from selling the HCSE will cover nearly any manuscripts they require over the next few years, and the materials to break into the Mortal Realm’s Golden Vestibule when they are ready.

The day they are to begin the process of breaking through the barrier that is holding them back from achieving the White Purity of Merit (白色优点) stage of body cultivation, they present themselves to Master Wong at his personal home early in the morning. They have been fasting for the last twenty-four hours and have cleansed their bodies in preparation according to his instructions using the medications he provided. It was not a pleasant process, but it is a necessary one.

Though they have not had anything to eat for a full day, they are full of energy thanks to the depth of their Soul-wells. Though they are using the energy from their Soul-wells, the amount their bodies are using, compared to its recovery rate, they are only going down by 1% per three hours. That being the case, they have only dropped a little more than eight percent of their Soul-well’s full capacity since they started fasting.

Master Wong greets them at his door. When he opens it, they salute him as is appropriate before entering. Inside, they put their footwear away and follow him through his home and into the courtyard that is no less grand than Magi Noragami’s. Inside the courtyard is a Pergola made of rare and valuable spirit woods. There are profound formations inscribed all over it that help focus Spirit Essence within its boundaries.

Within the open-air structure are a set of tatami mats for the couple to lay on during this process. This is as much comfort as they will have. The mats are there to prevent them from hurting themselves on the hard ground.

Following Master Wong’s instructions, they strip down to their bare skin and sit upon the mats in Lotus facing one another, but not touching. It is important that they stay physically separated during this tribulation.

Once they are in position, he provides each of them with a pill and a special tea that he instructs them to consume with haste. The tablet gives Brandon cause to pause for a moment before he swallows it. For the first time, in as long as he can remember, he doesn’t experience any pain or backlash from swallowing a large pill. He doesn’t hesitate to drink the tea. Tracy, having never experienced Brandon’s troubles with swallowing, takes the pill and drinks the tea without a second thought.

Clearing their minds, they begin circulating their Qi while engaging the Black Water Foundation technique. They have been instructed to ignore the pain and focus entirely on sustaining the technique without fail until the tribulation is over. This will take all their will, heart, and perseverance.

Once they have consumed the medicinal concoctions and tea, Master Wong activates the formations of the Pergola. From this point on, everything is in their hands. All he can do is observe and wait.

Minutes turn to hours, and he can plainly see when the test of their dedication and spirit begins. It starts with little twitches around the lips and eyes. Then it spreads to their fingers and toes. The spasms become ticks that move the head, hands, and feet. In time their bodies appear to be suffering seizures. This is just the beginning. It will only get worse.

During this period, Brandon and Tracy are physically separated but remain mentally connected. They couldn’t break the connection if they tried, though they are not aware of this fact. They can feel the way their bodies are responding, but it is a far off awareness. They are two spirits residing outside their physical bodies at this time, connected by a thin strand of essence to their bodies. While it is possible to sever the connection, the probability of such is so minor as to be near to impossible in this place.

Master Wong finds it curious how their breathing is so perfectly in synchronization. If he could monitor their heartbeats, he would find them to be synchronized as well. Ignoring this, as it cannot possibly affect their cultivation, he continues to observe. When they pass the eight-hour mark, he begins to have a thread of worry. Most are finished by this point, but they don’t seem to be anywhere near completing their breakthroughs. Their bodies are covered in stinky and unsightly crud that has come out of their pores and orifices. This is typical, but not to the extent he is witnessing here. This is on top of the cracking sounds coming from their bones, ligaments, and joints, which are accompanied by the ripping of muscles and tendons. In the last eight hours, this has repeated four times. Each time, their bodies appear to be harder and more compact than previously.

As all this is going on, Tracy and Brandon are entirely focused on circulating their Qi and their techniques. They feel the pain of their bodies, and it is excruciating, but it is a far off thing that seems disconnected from them. They remain in this state of existence until their Soul-wells are down to twenty percent of their total. This doesn’t take as long as one might think based on the one percent per three hours when they arrived. From the moment they began circulating their Qi and the Black Water Foundation Technique, the drain on their Soul-wells has been five percent an hour.

With sweat pouring down his own face and body, Master Wong is filled with joy when they open their eyes and stretch their bodies at the eighteen-hour mark.

Canceling the formations, he quickly brings them each a pill and a different kind of tea to help them recover more rapidly. At the same time, two assistants come over with large basins, luffas, towels, and robes. In moments they are busy scrubbing the foulness that covers Tracy and Brandon away.

Soon, they are clean from head to toe and are being led/carried to a tub of hot medicinal water where they will soak as they recover. Food and beverages that further assist in their recovery are brought to them. And, while no one says anything about it, they can tell that all the attendants are in awe of them. Why this is so, they have no idea. Master Wong didn’t tell them how long it would take, and it didn’t seem nearly as much trouble as they were expecting. An added benefit is that their telepathic connection has grown to where they can now have actual conversations through it.

When they completed their body cultivation breakthroughs, the usual notifications appeared without blocking their fields of vision.

Congratulations Cultivator Tracy Forrester

You have achieved the first stage in Body Cultivation. Achievement: White Purity of Merit – Technique: Black Water Foundation.

Your Physical Recovery Rate (PPR) has increased as follows: 20 percent per hour for minor wounds, 20% per day for serious wounds, and 11% per week for critical injuries. This does not take into account healing concoctions or medical treatments, which add additional benefits.

You have gained additional resistances against detrimental spells, debuffs, poisons, and diseases. Your new total resistance modifier is 23% between Body Cultivation and Imperial Core Cultivation.

Your Str|Agi|Con have increased by 2 points each.

Your next stage will be the Flourishing Red Vitality stage. Cultivate diligently to become stronger and better able to overcome all obstacles in your path!

Brandon’s notice is only slightly different due to the variations in their attribute points, but overall, they are still close.