He had done it. He had taken his first true step onto the path of cultivation.
With a cautious, yet intense curiosity, Sebastian opened his Status and looked at the alerts to see how the [System] would handle his new path, and what it meant for his future.
Incompatible alteration detected
Analyzing
Analysis complete
Adjusting status
Status updated
Cultivation status gained
Cultivation method gained: Earthen Cultivation Art
Title gained: Sole Cultivator
Major cultivation stage increased
Physical cultivation stage increased
Analyzing
Analysis complete
Adjusting calculations
Level adjusted
System status
Name: Sebastian Moore
Level: 6
Cultivation status
Name: Sebastian Moore
Cultivation method
- Earthen Cultivation Art
Cultivation stage
- Spirit Sculpting
- → Minor stage: Low
Physical cultivation stage
- Clay
Titles
- Blessed
- Sole Cultivator
Talent
- Akashic Connection
“FUCK YES!!” he screamed, his voice echoing within the gorge that trapped him.
I guess the [System] isn’t so bad after all! Not only did it adjust to my cultivation, it gave me a new Status windows and moved my Title and Talent. Hopefully this means that I don’t have to worry about inspections. So long as they only show the original Status window, I’m safe.
It seems like the [System] has integrated the entire cultivation method and even added minor stages, how convenient.
Not just that, but it takes my cultivation and translates it into an equivalent level to display as my System Status. Seeing that level 6 certainly feels pretty good. And a nice new Title on top of that, hell yeah!
Sebastian took a closer look at his new Title.
Title: Sole Cultivator
A unique title bestowed upon the only cultivator in this world. Walking along the long forgotten path of cultivation, the sole cultivator has truly unlimited potential and has earned the recognition of the System.
Unlimited potential, I like the sound of that! I remember Lyra saying that the Title of Blessed meant that you get more experience per kill, suggesting that Titles basically grant buffs. Hopefully this means that this new Title which “earned the recognition of the System” gives me some sort of buff for cultivating.
Curious to see if there was any change to his old Title now that he didn’t actually gain experience, Sebastian also took a look at Blessed.
Title: Blessed
A title bestowed upon those who have crossed the void between worlds, those untouched by the System. As their spirits are fully matured upon their first contact with the System, the connection is far stronger than that of the natives of this world. This strong connection facilitates a greater capacity for essence and a natural affinity for wielding essence.
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Hells yes! It adjusted the old Title as well to give a buff to my cultivation rather than just hunting.
I’ve been up for way too long already but I can’t wait, I need to try this out.
Desperately wanting to feel the effects of his new Title and his newly adjusted original Title, Sebastian went right back to cultivating.
This time, he felt as though entering a state of cultivation was easier than ever, it didn’t take very long at all before he was back in the Spirit Realm. He first checked his spirit body to see if there was any difference now that he was in the second stage, but there wasn’t anything in particular, except that his spirit body was firmer than before which he hoped wouldn’t be an issue once he began sculpting.
Before he could do that though, he had to replenish his internal essence. Ascending to the next stage meant using a great deal of his supply of essence and while it would recover up to his new level over time naturally, cultivating would make him recover much faster.
Same as before, Sebastian conjured the image of a black hole and used his intent to attract the natural essence of the world around him. Immediately, he could feel the changes. It was as if he suddenly spoke the same language as the world itself, his intent had previously drawn in essence quickly but this time, he was like an actual black hole.
Essence was sucked toward him faster than the world could actually replenish the natural essence he absorbed, he found himself having to settle for about half of what he actually could have absorbed. His spirit body recovered quickly and was once more saturated with essence. Interestingly, his internal essence was now a shade darker than before.
Sebastian continued his cultivation for several hours, until he felt a disturbance in the physical world—which was something he didn’t know he could do—and chose to stop. When his consciousness returned to the physical realm, he was welcomed by the familiar sounds of goblins shouting.
Kek!
Skree!
It wasn’t just one either, a whole group of goblins screamed and shouted as they made their way toward him.
Damn, that must be the raiding party, or at least a part of it. They must have found my handiwork and come looking for revenge. I haven’t explored much in the other direction, and I can’t run away while carrying everything. The manual might be damaged, or worse, if something goes wrong.
Goblins have been easier and easier prey lately and now I’m not only stronger than ever, I’m properly equipped with a decent sword. He looked over at the sword propped up against the alcove wall. I might be able to take them. Then again, the goblins in the raiding party certainly looked to be a cut above the scouts I’ve dealt with so far, and I have no idea how many there are.
If I get surrounded by all 25 then I’m done for. I could stay here and hide in my shelter, I did put a lot of work into hiding it after all, but if they find me then I’ll be caught in a real bad situation.
He took a deep breath to clear his mind.
No, I need to kill them!
Once the decision was made, Sebastian jumped into action. He grabbed his sword, exited his shelter, and carefully made his way toward the group of goblins. Hiding behind a bush, he tried to determine their numbers before deciding on the best plan of attack.
As the goblins came into view, Sebastian let out a relieved breath. The group was smaller than he feared. There were about 10 of them, each carrying a weapon, however. Some had simple knives while others had short spears.
Sebastian found himself lost in analysis paralysis, thinking about how to best handle an attack against 10 or so armed goblins. He had always been good in a crisis, but he was no combat strategist. All he knew was his basic instinct screaming at him not to get surrounded, but he had no idea how to actually avoid that as he fought them.
As his mind raced, the group came closer and closer.
No action is worse than any action, regardless of whether or not that action is actually any good. I need to do something, and fast.
Taking inspiration from his only proper experience of situations like this, meaning video games, he picked up a rock and while trying to remain hidden, he threw it into the cliff wall behind the goblins.
Right as most of them—although certainly not all—turned around to inspect the sudden noise, Sebastian rushed forward and launched himself toward the closest goblins. As he approached, one goblin jumped at him as soon as he entered its range. Sebastian was ready for it. He sidestepped before slashing it in half. Two others stabbed at him while he was killing the first one. He tried to dodge but only managed to avoid one of their attacks, the other grazed him on the arm, drawing blood.
Trying his best to keep moving and to maintain his distance, he swung his sword like the amateur he was as he ran along the outside of the group. By this point all of them were not only aware of him but actively trying to kill him.
Sebastian managed to kill a couple of goblins while he desperately kept them at bay and tried not to get surrounded. He continued swinging as he backed up, using his new physical prowess to its fullest. Fortunately, even though these goblins were stronger than the ones he had killed before, they were still just goblins.
They were fairly weak, but most importantly they were kind of stupid. None of them had any unique or special pattern of attack; they either jumped at Sebastian directly or just ran at him swinging and stabbing. At his point, he was very familiar with their jumping and got the timing in pretty well to cut them down as they were in the air.
Eventually, Sebastian managed to cut them all down, not without taking a few hits in the process, though. The goblins had managed to get some swipes and stabs in with their knives and spears which at first worried Sebastian, but he quickly realized that his new stage had also improved his physical body beyond simply improving his strength.
Although the cuts and stabs had drawn blood, none of them were very deep. If he were back home, he definitely would have wanted some stitches, but here he knew that he would heal pretty quick by cultivating. As the last goblin died, the familiar [System] alerts popped up, only Sebastian wasn’t sure what they were going to say seeing as how he no longer used experience.
Level 6 goblin killed x10
Essence absorbed x10
It turned out to be nothing revolutionary. If his speculation was correct, the experience absorbed by killing monsters in the Leveling System, and the generic essence he gained now, was the monster’s internal essence. Taking a moment to inspect the effects, Sebastian noticed that the essence absorbed from the goblins was already working on healing his wounds, although it would still take some time for them to fully heal.
As his cultivation ascended to the second stage, his physical body had done the same. According to the manual, during the first stage of cultivation your body was in the stage called Powder, which basically meant that you had a normal human body. Now, he had reached the second stage, Clay, which meant that his flesh and bones were far stronger and more durable than before.
The essence baptism of the ascension caused your physical body to improve dramatically. Although the levels most people gained cause mini-baptisms, they simply couldn’t compare to the real deal. Using his limited knowledge, Sebastian estimated that his physical body should be similar to a person who was twice his current level. Also, the essence he absorbed from all the goblins was rather plentiful, equivalent to about half an hour worth of cultivating if his senses were correct.
He gave each goblin a once-over. They were unlikely to carry any worthwhile loot but he had played enough games to know to always look.
Nothing much, dang. At least I get a decent knife, that might come in handy. I really need to find my way back to civilization at some point, maybe find someone who can teach me how to properly wield the sword. Now that my Status is—probably—hidden there shouldn’t be much risk of getting discovered unless I run into one of the handful of people who actually know what I look like.
The only issue is that I have no idea how far the nearest town is or what kind of monsters lurk between here and there. Even with my improved physical body, I’m still pretty weak. Although, I suppose a group of goblins survived raiding or hunting out of the gorge, and I just took out a group of them without much issue.
Maybe I’ll be fine, but there’s no harm in making use of this seemingly safe spot to cultivate some more. Especially now that the goblins shouldn’t be much of a threat any more.
Yeah, I’ll stay where I am for now. Once I reach the next stage, [Essence Consolidation], then I’ll leave and take my place in this world.
The sun had just set on another day and Sebastian decided to finally go to sleep. He had barely slept at all for several days, instead using the restorative effect of the energy from cultivating to stay rested.
A good night’s sleep did wonders.
Once he woke up, Sebastian spent the morning reading through the manual to refresh his memory of the second stage as well as gain some further insights, given his new experiences of having ascended once.
Stage 2—[Spirit Sculpting]—consisted of manipulating your internal essence to sculpt the inside of your spirit body, or in other words, carve out paths for your essence to circulate through. To forge a meridian system, a network of pathways throughout your entire spirit body.
It felt strange to grow stronger by removing pieces of his spirit body, but the manual explained that the pieces removed don’t actually disappear, they are absorbed and incorporated into the rest of the spirit body, basically making it slightly denser while providing channels through which you can control greater quantities and quality of essence.
As you sculpt away parts of your spirit body, your internal essence has paths to move through rather than sit stationary in the spirit body, which allows the cultivator to properly wield their essence. A system of pathways where essence can travel through your spirit body and ultimately, be wielded by your physical body.
It was only after their meridian system was completed that manual called someone a true cultivator.
There were four different diagrams to choose from for sculpting your meridian system, ranked from easiest and weakest to hardest and strongest. The ranks had the same names as the minor stages of his cultivation: Low, Mid, High, and Peak.
The Low rank meridian system was a basic system of larger pathways throughout your body while the Peak system was also filled with countless tiny pathways resembling the complete circulatory system. Fortunately, the manual was clear that up until the point where you perform an essence baptism, you can always abort and try again, albeit at the loss of some essence, and of course time.
Sebastian immediately made up his mind without the slightest bit of hesitation.
He would aim for the Peak meridian system.