Mountain top lilly

Li Xian looked at the Orion martial arts book, expecting it to be old and hard to understand. But surprise! It was written in Mandarin, which made him wonder how they managed to put a modern language in such an old-looking book.

He scratched his head, curious about this mix of old and new.

"How did they do this?" he thought, wondering about the secrets hidden in the book's pages.

Li Xian starts going through the book, reading about what the Orion Empire calls 'body refining martial cultivation.'

The whole thing is split into five levels: Initiate, Warrior, Master, Warlord, and Grand Master. Each of these levels is broken down even more into three stages: Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced.

So, it's like a ladder of levels and steps, guiding him through the process of getting better at this martial cultivation stuff.

At the Initiate level, cultivators focus on refining different parts of their body. It starts with muscles at the Beginner Initiate stage, then moves to bones at the Intermediate Initiate stage, and finally, skin at the Advanced Initiate stage.

They use something called origin energy for all of this. If you're a Beginner Initiate, you get the strength to lift a ton. For Intermediate Initiates, it's 3 tons, and if you make it to Advanced Initiate, you can handle a whopping 7 tons.

Plus, your skin becomes super tough, like it can resist normal swords or any other weapons. That's some serious upgrade!

What really surprises Li Xian is that reaching the Advanced level as an Initiate not only makes him strong but also practically immune to most illnesses, even serious ones like cancer. This adds a whole new level of amazement to his journey. 

Excited to learn more, Li Xian then tries to read about the 'Master' level of cultivation. However, to his frustration, all he sees is blurry information.

It's like trying to read something through foggy glasses. This leaves him wondering why this part is unclear, and he quickly flips through the pages, only to find the same blurriness for the next three pages.

Perplexed, he decides to tackle this mystery later and focuses on the parts of the book he can understand for now.

"I will ask the so called 'squad leader' later."

Deciding to leave the blurry Master level for later, Li Xian focuses on the next pages he can understand. This time, he finds a bit about potions and weapons. The book mentions nine levels for both, saying the higher the level, the better.

"Why is there no other information about them, like what is an initiate potion and how will it help me?"

However, it lacks specifics, leaving Li Xian curious, especially about something called an 'initiate potion' and how it could enhance his abilities. He plans to inquire about this from the so-called squad leader later.

With lingering questions, Li Xian flips through more pages, seeking further insights. In the last few pages, he discovers sets of awkward poses. These poses, as peculiar as they seem, demand repetition and utilise origin energy to refine his body. 

As Li Xian considers wrapping up his reading and checking in on the group, he spots an unusual page, different from the others.

Curiosity piqued, he takes a look. The first point catches his eye, cautioning cultivators not to push themselves to the point of passing out, a warning that going too far could lead to serious consequences, even death.

The second point is a bit surprising—it mentions that as practitioners get stronger, they might feel hungrier. The advice is clear: they must satisfy this increased hunger to keep their powerful bodies fuelled and prevent potential harm due to low energy.

The third point stresses the importance of learning martial arts alongside body refining cultivation.

It's a reminder that strength alone isn't enough; mastering techniques is equally crucial. Li Xian absorbs these practical tips, closes the book, and heads back to the group.

As he started eating his food, Li Xian framed his sentences as politely as possible, not wanting to get muted again by this eccentric squad leader.

Li Xian: ['Squad Leader? Why am I unable to check the information regarding other levels?']

Petra: [+1... same question here]

Alex: [... +1]

Gromm: [... +1]

Luminara: [... +1]

Looking at the other four messages that popped right after his, annoyance twitched on his face. How cunning and patiently they were, waiting for him to take the bait.

In a quiet spot on Orion planet, Travis Head finally smiled as he read the messages. He saw that everyone had accepted the situation, and he was happy about it. Even with Li Xian causing a bit of trouble, Travis noticed he took the lead better than others.

Travis grabbed his device and sent a message.

Travis Head: [Looks like you all get it now. That's good. We can work together on missions. About your question, your mental energy is too weak for the other info now. Just remember, even if we focus on our bodies, our minds matter too. Orion martial techniques help mental growth. Once you reach advanced level initiate, you can read info about the master level.]

[Also! I know there isn't much info about potions and weapons, but this is a basic book focusing on Orion martial techniques in chapter 1. The techniques here get you up to master level.]

[Once you hit master level, this book won't help anymore. You'll need chapter 2 and beyond. We can talk more about it later; reaching master level is the priority—it's a tough journey.]

Travis head continued clearing Li Xian doubts instantly. Just as he decided to check stats page. He saw a message from Petra, picking his interest too.

Petra: [Oh, Squad leader! I was checking the sell section, and it says we need to add 5 types of items to redeem points. In my home planet, Terravale, we have Star dust lotus and ember dust. But honestly, I've never laid eyes on the other three items in my entire life.]

Gromm: [I'm up north in Terravale, and while Stardust Lotus is pretty rare, I can manage to get my hands on some if I put in the effort. Petra, where are you from? I mean, which side of the planet are you on.]

Petra: [I'm in the east stone city, at the eastern edges. I'll do my best to gather some ember dust, but you know, it's tough to get since it's usually around active volcanoes... But don't worry, I'll manage to get some.]

Luminara: [That settles two items, and I know just where to find Lunar Luminara, a.k.a Lunar flower. It's an incredibly rare native plant on my home planet, Luminous, which only blooms about once in ten years. If I put in my best effort, I'm confident I can get some too.]

Alex: [Sure, I can fetch the Nebula orchid, even though it's not the elusive treasure you all make it sound. Dealing with the federation's strict rules on plucking them might be a headache, but hey, for the sake of points... Cough, I mean, for everyone, I'll do it. Ready to face the drama, even if it's my final act.]

Luminara: [Sure thing. Nebula orchid doesn't sound too challenging. We can handle the federation drama. 😒]

Gromm: [Got it. Thumbs up for Nebula orchid mission.👍]

Petra: [Ugh, dealing with ember dust near volcanoes? Not my favourite too. 😖]

The entire chat fell silent after these messages, as if everyone was waiting for someone's reply. Meanwhile, Li Xian looked at the flood of messages a bit awkwardly. He wanted to join in but, checking the items in the sell section, felt a bit lost.

Among them, the first item, Aurora Petal Sunshine, caught his eye. It looked like a flower he might have seen somewhere, but he wasn't sure if it had the same name on Earth. A quick search on Baidu while others messaged revealed nothing. Feeling a bit desperate, he downloaded the image from the sell section and used AI Lens.

To his astonishment, he found it. The flower was called Ranunculus Liyali, also known as Mountain Top Lily, and it was an endemic flower to New Zealand.

"Dayum! Now I have to travel to New Zealand? My little savings are about to finish...."

Li Xian muttered, his tone tinged with self-doubt and a touch of depression as the realisation of the unexpected expense sank in.

Even though he felt a bit of pain, Li Xian knew this would be a small hurdle in the grand scheme of things. He hurriedly opened the chat again and messaged.

Li Xian: [Why do I feel like you guys are doubting my ability? Hm, even though Aurora Petal Sunshine is extremely rare, it's a piece of cake for me. So, you guys can count on me for it.]

Li Xian lied about it's rareness. Even though this flower is rare and is endemic to certain part of world, it's not that rare and doesn't have much difficulty getting it.

Everyone wanted to roll their eyes at Li Xian, sensing a hint of deception in his confident proclamation. However, before they could react, Travis Head's message appeared, shifting their attention.

Travis Head: [Good! I'm glad that you all started learning cooperation as I intended. From now on, start practicing the technique. I may not be as active, busy with mission arrangements. Tag me, and I'll respond when I can.]

Travis Head: [Once again, put utmost effort into your practice. Make entering beginner initiate a priority. If possible, aim for intermediate, though it will be challenging. Alright, see you all later.]

Travis Head's message redirected the focus to the upcoming tasks and training, overshadowing any skepticism about Li Xian's claims.

Li Xian: [Alright, folks! I've got other matters to attend to. We'll catch up later. Put your utmost efforts into practicing, alright?]

Li Xian also messaged, as he decided to check stats page first and then start his practicing for the day, not wanting to waste any more time. But everyone felt a bit tired with his antics and ignored him, as they also have similar plans.