Chapter 1

As they exit Riverside Outpost for one last time ( at least for the foreseeable future), Brandon and Tracy head to their nest, where they cultivate, non-stop, for nine days and nights while immersed in their tub of HCSE. This is made possible by having reached the Yellow Earthen Temple stage of cultivation, which allows them to cultivate/meditate for three days, without the need for food, water, or rest, per stage obtained.

At the end of the nine days of cultivation, the amount of Běnzhí they still need to absorb and circulate in order to advance to the Golden Vestibule stage of Qi cultivation is 20,578 units for Tracy, and 19,120 units for Brandon.

HCSE is considered to be of the “Divine” level of Běnzhí (or Spiritual Essence), which is nine times as dense as the same volume of Rich Běnzhí. Rich Běnzhí being the basis of measure used to determine how much Běnzhí one needs to cultivate to advance. The tub, when filled, holds about 719 liters. If the two of them did nothing but sit in that tub for twenty-four hours a day and meditate, it would take them close to sixty days to break through to the next level.

While they are cultivating, their connection allows them to partition off a portion of their combined mental capacity, which they can then use to better understand the workings of Radiant Green Lotus of Healing, Mana-bolt, and Mana-explosion. When they complete their nine days of cultivation, they have dismantled all three spells and studied them to the extent that they can use each one without relying on the original spells. Instead, they can manipulate mana to achieve even better results. As an example, they can heal anything from a small cut to a severed limb using a minimal amount of mana based on the severity of the injury. This is possible because they can focus on the specific injury rather than the whole body, which is what the spell does. Brandon and Tracy have similar results with the Mana-bolt and Mana-explosion spells. They are no longer confined to a single shot. Instead, they can cast multiple bolts in a row, so long as they have the mana to do so. The bolts are not limited to mana. Instead, each bolt can be formed of any element they have learned to use. Thus far, they can cast mana, fire, water, metal, and air element bolts. The same is true with Mana-explosion, in that they can control the element of the blast.

Before leaving, they eat some berries and nuts that they have in abundance for the trip. There is no need to drain the tub as all the HCSE within it has been entirely absorbed by them.

Their final action is to make sure that they leave no trace behind. Once that is done, they situate their maps within their awareness, but not within their field of vision. This allows them to keep track of their progress, update the maps as they go, and to stay on course. Looking to the horizon, Brandon and Tracy their trek in the direction of the rising sun.

Their destination is a city that is about a month’s distance at a casual walk. Based on the information that they have compiled, the area surrounding it should be an excellent place to test their skills and act as a whetstone to the dull-edged blades that they are. The cross country trek will begin the process of turning them into skilled and accomplished adventurers, as their path will surely be filled with many dangers to be overcome.

The trip takes closer to sixty than to thirty days, when all is said and done. This is due to the many encounters along the way, and taking time to recover and recuperate after some very fierce battles.

Early on during their trip, they encounter a Golden Mountain Bear, which is at the Golden Vestibule level of body cultivation near a cave one day. They defeated the bear in this life and death battle, though barely.

Battle over, Tracy places the bear carcass in one of the extra rings they purchased through Magi Noragami during one of her trips to Kuang Chu city. Each of the rings cost a vial of HCSE. While the price is high, each ring has a volume of twenty-five cubic meters. In all, they acquired four such rings. They also obtained a Mortal Jade Pendant of Wealth (MJPW), each. Every MJPW can track a balance of up to 5000 platinum and can be used in trade anywhere in Heaven’s Reach, much like debit cards back on Earth. At the moment, they have less than 500 gold between them.

The victory over the Golden Mountain Bear was possible thanks to the help of Tracer and Bounder, in the end. The two of them helped draw the bear’s attention away at a critical moment, and though it had strong defenses against physical damage, it lacked a good defense against strong magic such as used by Brandon.

From the outset, Tracy moved in ferociously with her Jian and fought in close quarters, while embuing each blow with Qi. At the same time, the hounds worried at the beast’s legs as they attempted to hamstring it. Brandon stood back, pulled out his bow, and manifested arrows of mana that exploded as if they were miniature shaped charges, which were quite effective, but not enough to bring the monster down.

The effect of his mana arrows was enough to pull the bear’s attention to Brandon. And, when that happened, the bear rushed at him with a roar, and the killing intent that erupted from the beast stunned Brandon for a moment. That was enough time for the bear to reach him and nearly take Brandon’s head off. Seeing this, Tracy immediately began healing him, which took her out of the fight in order to keep him alive.

It was at this point that the dogs, as they liked to refer to their canine friends, managed to get in some vicious attacks that proved to be instrumental in ending the fight. Tracer attacked the bear’s testicles, biting and shaking its head wildly. Apparently, the bear’s genitals are well protected, and this assault on its family jewels caused the bear to roar in pain and thrash about in an attempt to remove the offending hound. This gave Bounder the opening to leap up and tear open the bear’s throat. Normally, this would not have been possible due to the differences that existed between the dog and the bear. However, one of Brandon’s arrows had done enough damage to the neck to cause Bounder’s attack to be successful.

As the bear was falling, Tracer dashed in and grabbed Brandon by the arm and pulled him out of the way. This saved him from being crushed under the considerable mass of the beast.

They rested for a day after the battle and then moved on once again. Oh, and they fed the bear’s genitals to the dogs, which they seemed to enjoy with enthusiasm.

It should also be mentioned that over the course of their cross country trek, Tracy and Brandon manage to build a much stronger mental link to the Bounder and Tracer. This proves to be a Gods send as it allows them to better direct them during combat.

The connection proved its worth during an encounter with a pack of Black Baleful Hyenas, which are quite similar to those found in Africa. Thought, they are even more intelligent and stronger by a wide margin. This pack was made up of the Queen bitch, three junior females, and five males of various ages above juvenile.

Brandon and Tracy could have avoided the encounter, but that would be going against their purpose in making this trip. Thus, they set up an ambush with Tracer and Bounder targeting the Queen bitch from the beginning.

From the outset of the fight, the dogs waited in quietly for the right moment to strike, or for an order from Tracy or Brandon. Brandon used his bow to launch mana arrows at the three younger bitches, while Tracy, Jian in hand, rushed in like a whirling devil that slashed and impaled its victims with cruel accuracy.

Within a minute, two of the males were dead, and the remaining three were injured. One was incapacitated and incapable of fighting, and the remaining two were bleeding from multiple wounds. During this same moment, one of the junior bitches was taken out of the battle, but not outright killed, by a well-placed arrow that entered under the jaw and pierced deep into the chest where it grazed the heart. When the Queen heard the bitch cry out in despair, its focus on Brandon was broken for an instant, and that’s then the hounds attacked.

Bounder and Tracer rushed in from each side, one going for her mouth and the other for her neck. The intent was to take her out of the fight right that instant. If it had been just one of the dogs, then this would not have worked as the Queen bitch was much stronger and faster than the two them combined. With them acting as a team, guided by their combined senses and telepathic awareness of what the other was doing, Tracer and Bounder hit her at nearly the same instant. Bounder ran in and rolled over onto his back, arched up, and sank his teeth into her neck. At the same instant, Tracer closed her mouth over the Queen’s muzzle, forcing it closed. Then, as the Queen struggled, Tracer carefully repositioned herself to cover the Queen’s mouth and nose with her own mouth, cutting off her ability to breathe. It was only a matter of time now.

The other two junior bitches had also been struck by mana arrows, but they did not receive mortal wounds right away. With the Queen and one junior bitch out of the way, Brandon swapped his bow for his Jian and strode into the fight like a vengeful god. His targets were the two remaining bitches, who were after the dogs. He did not want the Queen to be freed.

Casting a bolt of ice at one beast, hitting it in the front right shoulder, he thrust his blade at the other bitch, striking it in the eye. Though this was not a fatal wound, it gave him time to strike out at the first bitch and open a terrible gash across its muzzle.

As this was going on, Tracy ended the life of the remaining male hyena. That done, she rushed over to assist Brandon by killing the half-blind bitch as he finished off the other. This left the Queen.

Rather than take the kill from them, Brandon and Tracy sat down and watched as the Queen died from lack of oxygen to its brain. This took a lot longer than either of them expected, but Tracer and Bounder refused to release her until they were sure the bitch was dead.

Tracy was the first to realize why it took so long. When she reached out with a strand of mana to check the Queen’s body for signs of life, Tracy discovered that though she appeared dead, the bitch was actually alive waiting to be released. This was an intelligent beast playing dead and doing it well.

In the end, the fight took eight minutes, that felt like an hour. Quickly storing the carcasses in the rings, they continued on with their journey.

Bears, hyenas, wolves, large cats, snakes, gazelles, water buffalo, wildebeests, and a variety of monster-sized beetles and rodents were among those creatures they happened upon along the way. The worse were the rat-sized fire-ants they encountered while they were too focused on titan sized anteater. Really, they should have known better and been on the lookout.

The fire-ants were like a plague that burst out of the ground when they trampled across one of their tunnels. Perhaps the ants wouldn’t have bothered, but that anteater was up there, too, and they were trying to protect their home. There was no way for them to successfully fight and win against their numbers. Especially when their bites were capable of penetrating their flesh, as Brandon discovered to his dismay.

The four of them managed to escape with some nasty bites and being poisoned. The physical wounds they had no problem with. Brandon and Tracy’s bodies would heal from those in quick order. The poison was another issue. It burned and caused intense pain that made it difficult for either of them to heal the wounds and remove the poisons that the dogs suffered. Fortunately, they had been able to reach a safe plateau some three kilometers from the ant nest.

If it weren’t for the vials of healing potions they carried, they might have lost both dogs to the ravages of the poison administered with each bite the ants landed. This did have a positive effect. By the time they recovered, Bounder and Tracer had become White Purity of Merit stage body cultivators. This would be a boon in future fights.

When the city of Hu Qing Chen finally appeared on the horizon, the four of them had achieved the rank of Journeyman Adventurers. Brandon and Tracy had also earned the skill of Journeyman Beast Tamers thanks to the connections they shared with Bounder and Tracer.

By the time they entered Hu Qing Chen city, they had nearly filled their storage rings full of a variety of medicinal plants and the carcasses of beasts they had killed along the way.

Their first order of business was to find an inn with baths. After that, they would see about some treats for their animal companions and themselves and then sell-off everything in their storage rings from their trek.

The cost to enter this city is15 silver for each of them. Not just Brandon and Tracy, but their companions, too. They didn’t ask about it, as it was good to not have to wait to get a permit.

As they entered the city, sixty silver lighter, the first thing they did, instead of looking for an inn, was to find a good map of the city and the surrounding area out to 500 kilometers. Vendors were hawking their wares along the road to the gate. Splitting up, T and T went one way, while B and B went the other. Each checked to see what each vendor had in the form of maps. In the end, they settled on a single map for five gold that was barely worth the cost. It did have one redeeming factor, it showed all the inns and merchants within five kilometers of the gate.

Putting off finding an inn, they sought out a cartographer, where they each purchased an interactive map of the city with the ability to scroll in and out, showing specific locations based on search requirements. These maps cost them 200 gold, which brought them down to less than 100 gold. With the contents of their rings, this would not be a problem for very long, fortunately.

Maps in hand, they thanked the cartographer and exited his shop. The city of Hu Qing Chen covers an area of 256 square kilometers, has outer and inner defensive walls, and houses close to two-hundred thousand individuals, the majority of whom live in the space between the inner and outer walls. This is accomplished by building downward as well as upward, as dictated by ancient law. Which, of course, does not apply to those abodes located within the inner wall, where the wealthy and nobility reside.

The streets are crowded with people going hither and yonder as they go about their business. There are street vendors selling everything you might imagine, and possibly some that you cannot. There are food vendors, clothing vendors, and many more who trade in finished goods.

For those who want to deal with large volume purchases or sales, they are best served by going to a merchant with an actual storefront. To be safe, it is always good to verify that such merchants are not fly by night and have a long term presence within the community. This can be determined through the maps they purchased.

With such a mass of humanity, at least they have not seen any non-humans yet, pressing close, Brandon and Tracy attach the leads to the dogs to prevent them from being separated and taken from them. This turns out to be the right decision as someone attempts to grab Tracer and take off with her. The thief doesn’t get far before finding himself on the ground with a blade to his throat.

In less than a minute, two city constables arrive. Seeing the weapon at the man’s throat, they tell Tracy to put it away. Tracy doesn’t argue and sheaths it. They then begin to ask what happened. Of course, there are no witnesses, as the thief is known to them and has a reputation for being vicious.

The constables are well aware of his reputation and are not prone to go against him without sufficient proof. In this case, they have no choice but to arrest him and take him in as it is difficult to claim ownership of an animal that is sitting obediently at the side of the woman holding its leash. Even when she drops it and allows the man to attempt to pick it up, the result goes against the man known as Heavy Handed Huan.

Dropping Tracer’s leash, the dog sits there looking up at her, with its head against her hip. When Huan reaches for the leash to “prove” the dog is his, he nearly loses his hand when she snaps at it while radiating an intent to kill.

The moment he lands on his ass from the aggressive move by Tracer, she is once again calm and pressed against Tracy’s hip. This is pretty damning and causes the constables to bind his arms and legs so that he cannot fight or run. They then lead him away and out of sight. These two are not only familiar with Heavey Handed Huan but know him quite well as they take bribes from him to allow him to operate. This time is no different. They made a show of taking him away, but that’s all it was, a show.

Ten minutes later, the three of them are sitting enjoying a cup of tea like old friends. No report will be filed against Huan. Once they finish their drinks, the constables return to their duties, while Huan calls on some children he pays to do various jobs for him. In this case, he has them put together a team to watch the movements of the two with the dogs. He intends to make them pay for getting in his way.

Within a short period of time, Tracy and Brandon have a tail following them around town. The children are difficult to notice as they are well-practiced in the arts of clandestine operations. In this way, the pair are under constant surveillance at all times, until Huan calls them off.

The children are so good at what they do that some of them directly approach the couple and ask for money or food. This gains them a few coppers, which makes them smile in their hearts. No one child stays within view of the pair for more than five minutes while they move about the city. At one point, they actually ask one of the children who has approached them where a good inn is. The child knows plenty of inns and asks what kind of accommodations they are looking for, and with that information, she grabs onto Tracy’s hand and begins leading them to a place that will allow the hounds, has good food, a bath, and reasonable prices.