Cultivation System Activate!

Kai looked at the big burly man wearing luxurious-looking robes with intricate patterns. The large man pulled out a whip and cracked it on the ground.

Kai was frightened to his feet and was instantly brought back to reality. He somehow had to escape this place before he could even think about cultivation.

Kai looked at the man and quickly recognized him as the Overseer of the farm, Overseer Ming.

Overseer Ming frowned when he saw Kai stand up and whipped him across the chest.

"You dare to stand and look me in the eye?!".

Kai was utterly shocked. He was kicked to the ground before he could even react to the stinging pain and blood across his chest. Kai winced while rolling on the floor with hot blood flowing down his chest.

"Did he just hit me for looking him in the eyes?!...." Kai was furious.

Overseer Ming was merciless and continued to whip Kai while releasing a sadistic laugh, showing that he enjoyed Kai's cries of pain.

"Overseer Ming, stop wasting time with that corpse. We need to hurry if we will make it on time."

The voice came from a young man standing by the door. His clothes looked even more luxurious than those of the Overseer and had an air of superiority about him.

"Of course, Young Master, I was only teaching this filth for a lesson. Let us depart. The Master is waiting."

He hunched his back and repeatedly bowed to the young man.

The Overseer stepped over Kai and walked towards one of the Horse-looking creatures at the back of the stables.

Kai was still on the ground, writhing in pain so severe that he felt he was about to pass out. As he slowly lost consciousness, Kai heard a mysterious sound in his mind.

==[Hidden requirement completed]==

>[Survive multiple serious attacks from a foe much more powerful than yourself]

==[Infinite Manual System has been unlocked]==

Kai woke up again with a headache, but his surroundings were different. He was no longer in the stables but a pit full of decaying beast corpses. His surroundings were now a dense forest filled with thick, colorful trees.

'Did they throw me in here to die?'. Before he could continue thinking, Kai heard a sound in his mind.

==[Manual System update completed]==

[Functions]

>[Status]

>[Create Manual]

Kai was still lying on his back, staring at the diseased corpse of some odd-looking beast, when the glowing words appeared before his eyes.

A mixture of confusion and excitement took over his heart as he read the words repeatedly.

'Bloody hell, is this the legendary system I've read about in novels?. So that message I saw before I passed out was real!'

Kai was excited. If this system was as powerful as the ones in the novels, then he had a chance to become all-powerful. 

'No...I shouldn't get carried away. There is no point in having a system if I get killed or die from some mysterious disease. I need to get someplace safe and lie low for a while'. Kai thought to himself. 

Kai crawled over the bodies of the strange beasts and got to the edge of the pit. He then used the last bit of strength he had and wriggled away. He crawled for a few meters until he found a thicket of bushes. He crept underneath it and found a small space within, enough to cover his entire body.

Kai did not stop there and covered his body in mud to remove his body's scent. He was about twenty meters away from the death pit and figured that the pungent decaying stench would hamper anything that could smell well enough, but he still wanted the added assurance, just in case.

When he felt adequately safe, Kai thought about the notifications and found that the words instantly reappeared in his vision as he did.

==[Manual System]==

[Functions]

>[Status]>

>[Cultivation manual]>

'Status'. When he thought about this, the words expanded and showed details of his status

==[Status]>

[Name]: Kai (No Last name)

[Age]: 14 [Life expectancy = 30 years]

[Internal Cultivation] level: None

[Body Grade]: Mortal Grade 1

[Health]: 3/20

[Qi]: 0/0

[Qi Gather Rate]: 0 Qi/day

[Status]: Weakened/ Malnourished

==[Stats]==

[External Strength]: 1

[External Defense]: 3

[Internal Strength]: 0

[Internal Defense]: 0

==[Equipment]==

Head Piece = None

Necklace = None

Body = Dirty rags (External Defense: 0)

Feet = None

Ring = None

"Well, that's a little overwhelming. So I don't have a cultivation level, and my body level is [Mortal-Grade 1]..." Kai murmured to himself.

'Looking at my current state, I'll assume that these are the worst possible stats. Is it possible to raise it?...' 

Just as Kai was thinking this, a new window popped up next to the words [Body Grade], with additional details.

==[Body Grade]==

[The level at which the body has been tempered.]

[Increase in Body Grade will result in increased External Strength and External Defense]

'The higher it goes, the stronger my attack and defense will be. Easy to understand, but that still doesn't tell me how to increase it...'

'Anyway, I'll figure that out later. Let's see what cultivation is.'

==[Internal Cultivation level]==

[Cultivation of the body's internal Qi using a cultivation manual]

[Increase in internal cultivation will result in increased Qi and Qi Gather rate as well as Internal Strength and Internal Defense]

As if already knowing his intentions, the system had opened new windows with additional information.

==[Qi]==

[The basis and strength of internal cultivation]

[Qi functions as a reservoir of power needed to perform Qi-based attacks and techniques]

[Qi capacity is based on the grade of the cultivation manual as well as the cultivator's level]

[large amounts of Qi reserves can sustain the body and slow aging, which can increase life expectancy]

'Oh good, so there is a solution to that dreadful-looking life expectancy. Looks like I have to prioritize improving my Qi if I want to see beyond 30 in this new life...'

Kai had purposefully ignored the life expectancy when he saw it. Nobody wants to know when they'll die after all, but now that he knew how to increase it, it did not scare him as much.

'Lastly, show me the stats. They don't seem to follow the normal RPG stat tropes.'

==[Stats]==

[External Strength]: Power exerted by physical attacks

[External Defense]: Resilience against physical attacks

[Internal Strength]: Power exerted by Qi-based attacks

[Internal Defense]: Resilience against Qi-based attacks

'Well, that was simple, but what exactly is the difference between Qi-based attacks and Physical attacks?. Is one like a magic enhancement?'

"...."

No new windows popped up from the system. Kai repeatedly tried to think about it, but the system offered no answers to his questions.

'Let me not ask for too much. I'm happy that the system is at least giving me these detailed definitions'.

'As for the [Equipment], this seems pretty straightforward, plus it's a little too pitiful seeing as I'm practically naked, so I'll skip that for now.'

'That seems to be everything on the [Status].' Kai thought about going back to the [Manual System], and the screens instantly faded as the window reappeared.

==[Manual System]==

[Functions]:

=[Status]

=[Cultivation Manual]

Kai selected the [Cultivation Manual] option. He had seen this previously; however, he wanted to take things slow and not get too excitable. Seeing how the system was called the [Manual System], Kai knew that this was probably the most vital part. He doubted that he would get a chance to redo if he messed things up, so he wanted as much information beforehand. 

But now that Kai had a decent understanding of how the system functioned, he felt more confident experimenting with it.