24 days left

David spent the following days improving his art as well as exploring its capabilities and limitations. It ends up that places rich with wind, such as the mountain peak strengthened the Arts effectiveness while places with less wind had a weaker effect and would require David to exert himself more to use them effectively. David also discovered that when using the ability, his stamina would barely drain, as if he was barely exerting his muscles, however, the usable Qi in his body would rapidly deplete. He could recharge his QI by absorbing the Qi in the air around him or by converting the other types of Qi in his body into that of the air element. David enhanced his art so that the waste remaining from the act of elemental conversion would be recycled and refined into his body, nourishing his muscles, skin, and bones, thus advancing his cultivation too (by a small margin). If David did not convert other elements, he could maintain his art for about three and a half minutes, but if he converted other elements, he could last up to around five minutes, as the conversion rate was horrible, which would have been really bad if David didn't turn the waste into part of his own strength. 

"I guess I can reluctantly categorize your art as a cultivation method." "Whats that?" "A cultivation method is any art that can strengthen its user. There are many cultivation methods that don't give the user any advantages other than getting stronger." "So those sorts of cultivation methods are essentially the reverse of arts that don't let you get stronger but let you do all kinds of things, like run faster." "Yes, many cultivators know both cultivation methods and practical arts, but many also just learn arts that let them cultivate too." "So my art is one of those." "Yes, the tome didn't contain any cultivation methods that weren't arts, so it makes sense that, as your only reference, you wouldn't know about those sorts of arts."

"David, did you decided to name your art yet?" "Yes, I call it Annoying wind." "What an original name." "That's its name, and so it shall be!" "It's a stupid name." "So be it." "Well, I hope this stupid wind art was worth it, as you only have 24 days left until this times curse kills you." "Ah yes, I forgot about it completely. You said reach the 5th something, right?" "Only a few days have passed, and you already forgot?" David just shrugged in reply. "Douch, I told you: reach the 5th stage of the Qi Refining Realm." "Ok, but what is that, and how do I get there?" The system was one more astounded by David's lack of knowledge of even the basics of cultivation that she had always taken for granted. "Each cultivation realm is separated into 10 stages, which are sometimes referred to as steps, yet are both the same thing and can be used interchangeably." "So there's more than one realm, what comes after Qi Refining then?" David could swear he heard the system bash her head against something before replying to David. "Did you ever even try to listen to me!" "sometimes." "WELL THATS CLEARLY NOT ENOUGH!" "well sorry." The system let out an extremely loud sigh that was loud enough to even scare a lion if it were to hear it. "After QI Refining the next realm is Foundation building, and before you ask, there is a realm after that, which is called the Golden core realm, and there are many, many more realms after that." "And each of these realms is separated into 10 stages?" "YES!" "So what realm was Original Turtle?" "At last, a proper question. She was at the second stage of the Qi Refining realm when you fought her." "So she was a weak cultivator?" "Very weak." "which is why I managed to get away safely." "definitely since your foolhardy plan would have failed at the first step if she had been more powerful." "What stage am I?" "You're on the first stage." "Why?" "BECAUSE YOUR SUPOSED TO LEVEL UP STAGE BY STAGE YOU DONT JUST START ON THE TENTH STAGE BECAUSE YOU WANT TO!!!!" "Ok, ok I get it I get it. I get it. No need to shout. So I level up by using my cultivation technique, which is also an art?" "Correct, although somehow you managed to screw it up a little." "How so?" "With most arts that are also cultivation methods, you can meditate or strengthen them without you yourself having to do anything too active, and when the time comes to use them in a practical manner, you just do, meanwhile, you have to use your method in a practical manner to have enough free space to start the process. So basically, I have to constantly run while using annoying wind in order to cultivate." "Yes, and your cultivation speed will already be abysmal due to how shitty your method is." "It's a work in progress!" "More like a slow and painful shit in progress. That's what it is! A PIECE OF SHIT" "Well, if I need to get to the 5th step in 24 days, I've gotta run a ton." "I don't think it will be enough." "Well, I've gotta try." "Whatever you do, you." "I even know where I'll be running!" "You have a plan?" "Yes, I'll run all the way up to the north; I haven't seen my family in a while."