Chapter 6: Life 10, Age 16, Martial Disciple 4

The following two weeks were tough but rewarding. From an outside view, it may have looked like I was just quietly sitting alone in my house, but that was far from the truth. I was constantly cycling my cultivation technique, using it to pull in vast amounts of qi. Though my physical exertions were limited, mentally it was difficult. Even after disregarding the qi filter, it was difficult to do everything properly. First, I had to cycle my qi around my body in a complex pattern. The qi did not want to move. It felt like it was completely trapped in my muscles. However, the cultivation technique stressed the importance of creating a slow, steady qi flow throughout the body. The further I advanced, the more this flow stabilized, though, so this began to require less work to maintain. The second task I had to accomplish, simultaneously, was to create a qi whirlpool in the area I was focused on cultivating. This whirlpool should be constant and steady. Any fluctuations in the qi of the whirlpool not only caused the qi absorption to slow down, but they also made the qi that did enter much harder to control and focus into my muscles. Finally, after a muscle group was fully saturated with qi, I had to break through. This involved finding my acupoints and piercing them with qi. When finding those points, I felt like I was feeling around in the dark with nothing to grab hold of. I was essentially waving qi around my muscles until I found an area where there was a slight bit more resistance. Then, I pierced that area as accurately as I could, though I knew it couldn’t have been completely correct. Still, after all my efforts, I was able to break through the acupoints in both my upper left arm and chest. I had reached Martial Disciple 4. As my cultivation grew, I began to feel a strange sense of confidence. It felt like I could push down anyone who stood in my way, and I wanted to. I knew, deep in my heart, that there was no obstacle I couldn’t overcome. Fighting the children in the practice yard posed no challenge at all anymore. I was already more skilled than them, having a better grasp of basic martial combat. Now, I was also significantly more physically powerful than them. Though I didn’t know exactly how strong the elite disciples we were going to face might be, I was filled with inexplicable confidence I could face whatever they could throw at me. I knew I was unstoppable. As a group, we were all led out of our courtyard. We were guided down several roads, but there wasn’t much to see. High walls encased both sides of the road. Large double-doored gateways could occasionally be seen in the walls, but we were always led past them. Eventually, we were led out into what was basically a small stadium. On one side, several older men sat on a balcony, overseeing everything. Opposite them, at ground level, were ten young men sitting on expensive-looking carved chairs of a dark wood, though thrones might be a more apt description. Our martial instructor, who had been guiding us to this point, stepped to the side to allow a new man to take center stage. “Welcome everyone. I am Su HuaTian, eighth elder of the Su clan. Today you are here to bear witness to the ten elite chosen for this year. They are the best of you and will be the proud representatives of the clan in the future. Bow and pay your respects.” I followed along with everyone else and bowed to the ten elites. “Of course, the Su Clan accepts only the best of the best as its elite. These ten have been chosen based on the combined knowledge and experience of the elders. However, we believe that everyone should have an opportunity to prove themselves worthy of such a position. Therefore, this is your first opportunity to challenge for your own position as one of our elites. Understand that after today you will only have two more chances. After that, you will never again have such an opportunity. I encourage all of you to grasp it!” I looked at the ten children on their thrones. Could I take them? Yes. I was a Martial Disciple 4! It would be a simple thing. I looked at our instructor. He gave me a surreptitious nod. He wanted me to do this. He believed in me too. I looked back at the fools sitting on their monuments to false superiority. I couldn’t challenge the weakest. I needed to prove myself. I didn’t know how strong the strongest would be, I could take him easily, of course, but I didn’t want to appear too arrogant. Looking over the ‘elites’, I suddenly recognized the red-robed youth who had killed me in the past. I wanted payback, but the time wasn’t ripe. I wanted him to see my might first. The man on the stage was the eighth elder, right? That sounded good. I would challenge the eighth elite. I stepped forward. “I challenge him!” I announced, pointing at my prey. My fellow disciples inhaled in surprise. Our instructor smiled contentedly. The idiot I challenged didn’t react at all. He was frozen in shock. “Step onto the stage,” the elder announced. I and the incompetent elite walked onto the stage and stood opposite each other. “This will be a fight to submission. Your goal is not to kill one another but be warned, fists have no eyes. In challenge fights, maiming and death are possible. Do you both understand?” “Yes, elder,” we both answered simultaneously. “Good, bow to your opponent.” I gave the fool a half-hearted bow. He would know what it meant to be a true elite soon. “Fight!” I rushed forward. I didn’t bother with technique. I would show my skill in martial arts later. First, I needed to make an impact. I needed to show this kid what a Martial Disciple 4 was capable of! I appeared directly in front of him and threw a wild haymaker. He countered with a punch of his own. His punch was a weak thing with barely any force, and he aimed it straight at my oncoming fist. He was about to learn a lesson! Our fists connected. My arm shattered. I didn’t care. I could barely feel it. I was going to take this boy down. I twisted my body and prepared to knock him out with a strong left hook. He was faster. No one made a move. Our instructor looked at me. I gave a slight shake of the head. He squinted his eyes. “Deacon Xu?” the elder asked, looking at our instructor. “Sir, I believe there is one disciple who should be given an opportunity to fight. It would be a good lesson for everyone here.” “Oh? Who is that?” “Su Fang,” he said, pointing at me. “Please come forward and give us all a demonstration.” I smiled. “Very well, Master Xu,” I said bowing. I realized that this might have been the first time I learned the man’s name... “I will challenge him,” I said while pointing to the eighth elite again. I was willing to wait, but they wanted to see what I could do. Fine, I would show them! Yes, the boy’s cultivation was powerful, but he was only a Martial Disciple 2. The only part of his body that had been strengthened would be his right arm. Avoid that, don’t let him hit me with a right hook, and I’m golden. I charged forward, careful to veer towards his left side. Take him by surprise, then take him out before he even has a chance to respond! At this point, I wasn’t too clear exactly what happened. It seemed like I was only within arm’s reach of him for a split second. You have died. Calculating... You died as a Martial Disciple 4. 40 credits awarded. Total Credits: 50 On the walk back to my house, I was angry. I was angry at this sadistic place, but also angry at myself. Yes, my mind was being affected, but I believed I should still have been able to control myself. I did control myself, but the moment that bastard opened his mouth that control completely disappeared. I had a plan. I knew I couldn’t beat that guy. I didn’t even want to beat him. I wanted to learn to cultivate more efficiently, cultivate deeper, and earn some cash along the way. Would I really not be able to control myself? No, that wasn’t right. Last time, I was able to regain my calm. My original thoughts began to resurface. I was fighting against those outside thoughts, and the more practice I got fighting them the more I was able to push it away. This was another form of training. So, what now? If I tried again, would I be able to do better against whatever is controlling me? Would I be able to push it away? More importantly, the practice was effective. I was gaining control of all aspects of cultivation. I could push further with better results. Soon, I would be able to incorporate a filter to increase my strength even more. With the additional mental training I was getting by fighting the cultivation technique, I might even be able to completely resist the urge to fight next time. That would allow me to reap even more rewards. I looked at my credits. Should I buy anything? Excluding the 35 for an affinity, I had 15 spare credits. I could use that for more information, but I was unsure if anything would be immediately helpful. I could use them to improve something about myself, but I wanted to wait. If I had more, I could buy something more powerful. I sighed. One more time, I decided. I would give it one more shot to see if I could push past this situation. One month later, I arrived back at the stadium for our challenges. I was likely the only person in history who had risen from Martial Disciple 1 to 4 three times in such quick succession. This did grant me some unique insights into the process. My qi control had improved by leaps and bounds. I was now able to establish a minimally effective filter while maintaining strict control of my qi flow and whirlpool. I didn’t use the filter much this life. It slowed down my cultivation, and I wanted to see how far I could push without it. When it was time for the challenge, I was a Martial Disciple 5. Martial Disciple 5 allowed me to strengthen both arms, my chest, and my left upper leg. I had not yet had much of a chance to begin working on my right leg, but that was fine. My cultivation base far surpassed the other disciples. Even if they wanted to, they would never be able to compete with a Martial Disciple 5! I looked at the elites. When the instructor asked if anyone would fight, I stepped forward without pause and roared out my challenge. You have died. Calculating... You died as a Martial Disciple 5. 50 credits awarded. Total Credits: 65