7 Finally, I'm a Cultivator!
When Lin got a leap of one stage on his cultivation, Feng got ten percent on it. Since he is on the lower stage than Lin, he actually got twenty percent of progress towards the first step!
This is to say that if Lin got to the third stage, Feng would get forty percent of progress. In other words, only if Lin gets to the fourth stage would Feng become a cultivator.
Sixty percent plus eighty percent should've been equated to one hundred and forty but no. As soon as Feng steps onto the first stage, he would need twice the amount of progress now. So the excess forty percent turns into twenty percent and so on.
In much more simple terms, the fourth stage for Lin is the first stage for Feng, the fifth stage for Lin is the second stage for Feng, and so on... finally, if Lin stepped onto the Spirit Condensation Realm, Feng would step on the Sixth Stage of Body Refinement Realm.
Of course, this is considering that Feng's contracted cultivator at that time is Lin. If there are nine more people like Lin, then Feng can do nothing and still keep up with them. However, considering that Feng only had one slot for the contracted cultivators which Lin filled, he shouldn't expect something else in the near future.
But that is not to say that this slot will not increase. Feng only unlocked the earliest stage of the manual. There are a lot more to come.
As Feng cracks the manual, Rumia gets a share of it too. She too began to understand how to use the manual... a little. If compared to Feng, she got an inch while he got a mile.
Anyway, there are thirteen days left. Lin came back home, bringing the news to his mother and father. Although he and his mother's relationship with his father is sour, the father still jumped in joy!
The news spread and different reactions sprouted. There were some shock, some admiration, some envy, and some disappointment to either themselves or to their children.
Either way, the whole Gentle Breeze Valley congratulated Lin. It is just the second stage so why are they congratulating him?
Feng's father is only at the third stage and Boqin is already in his thirties! His mother, Fei is on the second stage since she doesn't cultivate that much. Meanwhile, Lin is just ten!
At this rate, he may reach the Spirit Condensation Realm before twenty. The strongest among the elders at the valley was the village chief at the Second Stage of Spirit Condensation Realm and this dude is at the end of his life!
In other words, Lin is a rising meteor for the valley. His father couldn't help but jump in happiness. For the next Trial and Observation where various envoys from the Hawk Might City will come, he was determined that this time, his son will have to accept their offer.
Even if he still does not want to, the envoys will certainly force him due to his talent. Before, they didn't force Lin because it was just formalities. Lin's cultivation speed is below average for the envoys even though he was the fastest in the village. But once they learn that Lin is actually talented, they will definitely take him whatever his answer is.
At that time, Feng had the resolve to take himself with Lin!
Thus, for the next several days, Lin completed missions after missions. Feng got grave sore muscles after the day of the first mission. However, Lin still continued for Feng's sake. Also, he was the one benefitting most out of it, how could he stop?
Run a hundred kilometers, carry a boulder, swim at the lake until he finds a waterfall, and many more missions that deal physically.
This wasn't surprising at all. At Body Refinement Realm is, obviously, about refining the physical body.
The missions and rewards are straightforward. AS for the rewards, as Lin got stronger, it would get smaller.
Running a hundred kilometers is much easier now since he's at the second stage so the mission only gave him half a step onto the third stage.
At the end of the first week, Lin got his seventh mission, bringing him to the Fourth Stage of Body Refinement and Feng to become a cultivator!
The seventh mission was to climb ten mountains straight. This seemed impossible for a ten-year-old boy but for Lin, who was at the third stage, it was difficult but not impossible!
Meanwhile, Feng started on the tenth mountain. The gap between him and Lin was too great for him to keep up. However, he wasn't depressed about it, instead, he was motivated. After all, Lin is a friend and his contracted cultivator!
The sun was setting and when Feng was almost at the peak of the mountain, he saw Lin was already at the foot of it.
"Feng!" Lin who was trembling and exhausted shouted with an invigorated expression.
"Lin, let's race!" Feng shamelessly shouted which made Rumia's eyes roll.
"Okay!" Lin laughed and immediately climbed. Due to his experience of climbing nine mountains, he now knew where to grab, where to step onto, and a more efficient way of climbing.
Seeing Lin's quick chase, Feng resumed his climbing. He was quivering in both cold and fatigue but just like Lin, he wore a large smile.
The two raced against each other, and towards the peak of the mountain, two hands grabbed onto it.
Feng and Lin looked at each other, unable to determine the winner. However, they didn't think about it. They knew that both of them won and thus, a craze of laughter resounded on that mountain.
At that moment, the seventh mission was completed.
"Lin!" Feng shouted.
"Yes, Feng!?" Lin replied with a loud voice.
"Congratulations, you have finished the seventh mission. Do you want to accept the reward!?"
Hearing Feng mimick a robotic voice, Lin laughed once again and replied, "Yes!"
The manual appeared again to envelop Lin's body with light. As he steps into the fourth stage, Feng felt a gush of energy from his center dantian throughout his whole body.
First Stage of Body Refinement!
"I'm finally a cultivator!" Feng roared in excitement which made Lin ecstatic and followed his shout.
Meanwhile, Rumia felt a wave of excitement but restrained it in a bashful manner.
After shouting in unison, Lin then asked.
"So you want me to carry you down? I feel much stronger now!"
"Heh, no need. I can slide down." as Feng said those words, he released his grip onto the peak of the mountain and dropped off to slide and run down, shocking Lin. Lin, of course, didn't hesitate further to slide and run down too!
Night came and for the first time, Feng could finally take in the natural qi around him. This is because once a person becomes a cultivator of the Body Refinement, the qi from their dantian will explode and spread out the body to create juvenile meridians.
In the Body Refinement Realm, not only does the cultivator refine the body but also the meridians. Once they've stepped onto the Spirit Condensation Realm, it means that their meridians have fully matured.
Now, since Feng's meridians are finally open all over his body, he now has the ability to take natural qi. The feeling was refreshing and thrilling!
Of course, Feng still needs sleep. He didn't tell his parents about his cultivation yet. He wanted to surprise them next week at the Trial and Observation.
The same happened to Lin too. Since the whole valley was shaken by his cultivation speed, Feng told him to hide it for now or else the speed would be too unbelievable.
The village only knew that Lin is at the second stage. Only the village chief who was at the Spirit Condensation Realm has Spiritual Sense to see Lin's cultivation.
Thanks to Rumia's warning, Lin avoided the village chief for the time being. Furthermore, the village chief wouldn't use his Spiritual Sense 24/7, he was only at the Second Stage of Spirit Condensation.
After that day, Lin continued the missions with Feng but this time, the reward is not a leap in cultivation but rather, a Cultivation Skillbook!
[Mission: Learn how to wield a weapon of your own choice.
Progress: 0%
Time till Expiration: None
Reward: Cultivation Skillbook of your choice]
It was the only mission and Feng knew that it was bad news. At the Cultivator's Trial and Observation, skills were not going to be tested, only their talent and potential.
Why would they look into the skills of pre-puberty children?
Rumia then explained that each realm was split into three phases. The first stage to the third stage of Body Refinement Realm, for example, is the first phase in which the cultivators train their body's strength, agility, and stamina. The second phase, which is from the fourth stage to the sixth stage, trains the cultivator's coordination, reaction speed, balance, flexibility, and reflexes which are great for fighting. The last phase deals with defense, tenacity, vitality, and recovery.
"So this Cultivation Skillbook will be the foundation for the second phase?"
[That's right.]
Feng then looked at the enthused Lin.
"Do you have any weapon in mind?"
"Not really... but anything is fine."
"So the problem is getting a weapon first before you can wield it..." Feng's eyes wandered as he contemplated and that was when Rumia butted in.
[Why not fists or legs? Those are considered as weapons for use so maybe the manual will accept it. Furthermore, you still have a long road ahead of you, if you suddenly found an affinity in a weapon, you can easily change from using fists or legs and it will be your foundation.]
Rumia showed her wisdom as a Solar Spirit Cultivator but Lin didn't react as if he didn't hear Rumia.
"Why not choose between your fists or legs as a weapon?" Feng asked.
[You just repeated my ques-]
"Okay! I will choose fists!" Lin answered.
