Chapter 45 – The First Node
Jack sat under a tree next to Sylvian and Rayne. Each were focused on their own meditation skill, trying to reach the next level of Cultivation. Sylvian and Jack were both working on their Mana cultivation, but Rayne was working on her Spirit Cultivation. That was something Jack hadn’t improved at all. Spirit Cultivation helped with masking or amplifying a person’s presence, or aura. Jack was looking forward to learning more about how that would work, but he already made headway on his Mana cultivation and wanted to keep that momentum going.
He decided that he would pursue all three cultivation paths. Most only focused on one cultivation, but not everyone planned to ascend to the next realm. It wouldn’t be needed to return to Earth, but if Jack wanted to move up to the next realm, he would have to improve all three.
He still wanted to return to Earth, but now it was more about making sure his family was okay. He couldn’t imagine going back to his old life anymore. Instead, he would like to bring his family here, provided they were ever able to create a safe place for them to live. But even if they did join him here, Jack knew he wouldn’t stay in this realm forever.
Victor had explained to him that before breaking the Mortal limit, a person’s life span can be determined by their Constitution. The more Constitution they have, the longer they lived. They believe it to be close to ten years per point, but that was a guesstimate based on the experiences of other races. If it was even close to that then Jack was already looking at over three hundred years before he needed to worry about old age.
Once you break through the Mortal limit in all basic stats, which was reaching fifty points, that value would increase. But hitting the Mortal limit didn’t mean that Jack would suddenly be able to ascend. It was more of a guideline of a power increase. In fact, Jack had recently reached the Mortal limit with one of his stats.
Name: Jack Masters Level: 9 Experience: 87%
Class: Akashic Champion (Level 9)/Akashic Craftsman – 12 (level 1)/Seeker (level 2/20) Path:
Health: 3430 Stamina: 5158 Mana: 5833
Strength(Str): 37
Dexterity(Dex): 54
Constitution(Con): 32
Intelligence(Int): 49
Wisdom(Wis): 42
Charisma(Char): 28
Perception(Perc): 47
Luck: 9
Unallocated points: 2
Jack’s Dexterity had broken through that limit and at the time, he didn’t notice much of a change. After experimenting a little while they sparred, the difference in his control and speed became clear. His movements had reached a level that was difficult for Sylvian and Rayne to keep up with. He had even compared it by making a new bow and was able to complete it and the enchantment in a quarter of the time.
It was only one stat right now. As the rest of his stats continued to reach fifty points, the gap in strength would only increase, until the others were able to reach that limit as well. But before he could look into that more, he needed to finally break through this Node.
He’d been at the edge of breaking it open for weeks, but there was just one last wall holding it closed. He’d been trying to chip away at it for a while now, and by chip away he meant using the cultivation technique he had gained to slowly drill the Node open.
He could feel it about to burst, but he wasn’t able to channel enough Mana from the environment into his Node to get it to open. He had gotten this far by random items and through sudden influxes of Mana, but now he had to take the last step to break through and Jack was starting to realize that his cultivation technique may not be strong enough to do the task right now.
That didn’t stop Jack from trying. Instead, it made him work harder at increasing the strength of his technique. Every Node would be more difficult to open than the one before and he would need to improve his cultivation if he was going to go down this path.
To compensate for the lack of power, Jack was slowly adding more of his own Mana into the technique, supplementing the lack of Mana he could draw from the environment with his own. He had to go slow with this, as he wasn’t sure what channeling all his Mana at once might do. The process resulted in two side effects.
The first being that Jack was starting to feel a shift in his Node, but the second was confusing Jack. It felt like his Mana was starting to feel cleaner? Purer? He wasn’t sure if those were the right words, but that is what it felt like to him. It reminded him a little of how he felt after reaching Open Pathways. He hadn’t noticed any change since, but now that he was doing this, it was like he was slowly filtering his Mana stream.
He continued to work at this for hours. He could feel the Node beginning to open now and he pushed harder, trying to break through the last wall holding him back. He felt it start to crack and then crumble apart as Mana began to flood into him.
*You have successfully increased your Mana Cultivation*
Opened Nodes:1 of 12
Increase Mana Regeneration and increase Race improvement
+500 Mana
+5 Wis.
*Quest Complete: Mana Adept*
-Open your first Mana Node
Rewards: Meditation improvement
The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.
*Skill Upgrade: Meditate (Beginner) has changed to Serene Meditation (Beginner)*
Meditation can be used to help in many ways. Your use of this skill as a pure cultivation tool has allowed the skill to improve to better assist in improving Body, Spirit, and Mana cultivation.
-Increase strength and volume of the ambient Mana you are able to cultivate while using a cultivation technique.
*Quest gained: Mana Adept 2*
-Open your Second Node
Rewards: Improved Mana Cultivation technique
*Level Up! Human (Level 11-pending)*
+5 unallocated points (pending)
Further race levels cannot be obtained until you upgrade in rank. Experience will be lost within twenty-four hours.
Begin Race grade improvement?
“Finally,” Jack exclaimed, disrupting Rayne and Sylvian from their own meditation. “I just broke through my first Node!”
“Congrats,” Rayne said. “You should probably go over to the river quickly.”
“What why?” Jack asked but just as he was asking, a sudden rush of nausea came upon him. He started running towards the river but only made it halfway before a large amount of grey and black gunk started expelling out of him. It lasted for several minutes while Jack gripped the rocky ground, trying to endure the experience.
Sylvian came over after he had finally stopped. She used some water to help clean up the mess as Jack pulled himself from the floor.
“I take it no one warned you that would happen?” Sylvian asked.
“I think I remember Daniel mention it, but I forgot about it with everything that’s been happening. Not a fan of that part, but at least I didn’t end up unconscious this time. Does it happen every time?”
Sylvian nodded. “First time is the worst, usually. But it will happen at every cultivation stage. You are clearing out the buildup of Corruption in your system. All living creatures are filled with corruption to some extent and every cultivation stage will bring us closer to our pure form. If you are active in clearing it out regularly then the experience will not be as bad when you reach the next stage.”
“I’ll remember that for next time,” Jack said. “I do have one question though. Why did my race level increase from opening my Node?”
“It is how Race improves,” Sylvian said. “Naturally without the System involvement that is.”
“What do you mean?”
“You know how combat classes and profession classes always tell you how they best level up, usually by doing things that that class is involved in,” Sylvian said. “Like Leatherworking only levels from creating items with leather, and warrior classes level from fighting?”
“Sure,” Jack replied. “My combat class also levels from learning new combat skills as well.”
Sylvian nodded. “Rarer classes can often have things like that. But your races level through a combination of cultivation and the path you choose.”
“Only through those two?” Jack asked. “I don’t remember leveling my race through anything but fighting,”
“It is supposed to be only through those two aspects,” Sylvian said. “But the process can be slow. Especially when you are just starting, so the System helps in the beginning. The first few levels, and it slowly stops assisting as you progress through the Mortal limits. By the time you are level fifty, the only way to increase your Race level will be through following your path and cultivating. It is another reason people sometimes pursue higher realms. The opportunities and ambient Mana that can be found there is greater, and it is easier to continue progressing.”
“Why did nothing happen when I opened my pathways?” Jack asked.
“You were only opening your pathways,” Sylvian explained. “Essentially preparing yourself to take in more mana. The amount you can cultivate before that would have been a tiny amount, and most of the cultivation would have gone into reaching the first stage. Just as I am sure most of your cultivation so far has gone into opening your Node.”
“So, it’s possible to sit around and gain levels?” Jack asked.
“It is, but it is very slow on this realm unless you can find a place with heighten ambient Mana to cultivate in,” Sylvian explained. “That is another benefit of Foundation Crystals. They will help to cleanse and increase the ambient Mana of the area, allowing everyone to benefit from it. But even with that, it would still be slow if all you did was cultivate. Ultimately following your path will allow you to grow at a much faster rate than cultivating alone. You should rest for now. There is still plenty of day, but breaking through a cultivation stage is physically taxing.”
“I will soon,” Jack assured her. “I still have one more thing to do. Need to upgrade my race now. I forgot to do it before, and if I don’t do it now, I’ll lose the experience I just got.”
“How do you forget to upgrade your race?” Rayne asked.
“I was told to wait as we were in the jungle at the time and I guess I just forgot about it,” Jack shrugged. “We had other concerns.”
“You can do both then,” Rayne said. “You will go unconscious for the change. We can watch over your body while you do.”
“Thanks,” Jack said.
“But first,” Rayne said wrinkling her nose. “Please take a swim in the river.”
“The purged corruption does leave a lasting smell,” Sylvian admitted.
*~*
Jack was lying on the stone floor asleep in front of Sylvian and Rayne after he had cleaned the rest of the gunk in the river. Now he was breathing deeply as he underwent his grade upgrade.
“What do you make of them?” Rayne asked, watching Jack. “The humans? The ones we met at least. They all seem so strange.”
“Newly integrated species always do,” Sylvian said. “Humans do appear to have more individual personality to them though.”
“Perhaps,” Rayne muttered.
“I wonder what path he will choose,” Sylvian said. “Do you have any thoughts?”
“Path of the hunter would fit him,” Rayne suggested. “He already has the profession and has taken down an Apex.”
“I’m not sure that he will be offered that,” Sylvian said. “I am worried he is too connected to the ancient order and will be force to choose a path aligned with them.”
“Speaking of,” Rayne said. “What are we supposed to do?”
“What we were already planning on doing,” Sylvian said. “The lost child only gives us more reason to pursue this path. I am certain Alzona would agree.”
“I mean about Savgar and the dwarves,” Rayne said.
“I have spoken to him,” Sylvian said. “Something happened in the Trial he will not speak on other than to say that no harm was done to the child and an agreement was made.”
Rayne sighed. “Even if he stands downs and can convince the other dwarves to as well. There will still be others. The dwarves may have been involved in the harvesting, but they weren’t alone.”
“Things will be different this time,” Sylvian whispered. “We are not alone this time.”
“You think the humans will help?”
“I don’t know,” Sylvian admitted. “But either way the motion has been started. You agreed to the same contract I did and so did everyone else who went through that Trial. Arbour will be brought to the surface eventually and once it is, even the Jungle of the Four Lords won’t be able to keep it secret for long. Savgar may have done us a favor in that.”
“What did he do?” Rayne asked.
“He made the child promise to restrict its growth to this jungle and no further,” Sylvian said. “It won’t expand past that limit or into any of the established neighboring kingdoms.”
“Are you okay with that?” Rayne asked. “It goes against your path to restrict growth.”
“It is only until Arbour is able to ascend,” Sylvian said. “Once Arbour is in the next realm, its growth will be unrestricted once again. And bringing Arbour out to the open world will only allow the child to ascend quicker.”
“We don’t know what ascension will look like for a being like the child,” Rayne said. “The stories don’t all agree with what happens when they do.”
“I don’t,” Sylvian said, “but whatever happens. I intend to ascend with it if I can. Even if I have to do it alone.”
“You won’t be alone,” Rayne assured her. “But do we even have a way to do what we were asked?”
“Arbour may have given us a way,” Sylvian said. “I spoke with it at lengths, and it came up with an idea that should work. I haven’t had the chance to tell the others yet. We will need to do that when they make it up here.”
