Chapter 1: A Martial World?

Ezekiel felt the sun warm his skin and the cold ground beneath his back. The dual sensation is odd, but not an entirely new experience for him neither. Things were rough for him initially after his parents' passing. It wasn't the first time he had found himself sleeping outdoors. Once, he tried staying at a home of a relative but was locked out to punish him for being 10 minutes late. His uncle, through marriage, made his life a living hell. All because he had to work late and rung the bell at 9:10 AM. According to that bastard, he is an irresponsible child that needed punishment. He was just angry he couldn't get his greedy little hands on Ezekiel's parents' life insurance and the money that was gained after the sale of his former home and most of their belongings. That was when he was forced to leave and then finally found some respite at a friend's home; where he stayed ever since.

Ezekiel opened his eyes, greeting the sun but at the same time, explored his abdomen to make sure it was all just some fucked up dream. The pain felt so real, echoes of it had seared itself into his memories. It was real enough for him to be unsure if that actually happened or not. It is of course ridiculous. The idea of a black pearl able to move on its own and lock his body in place is one of the most idiotic dreams he has ever had. When he touched and felt around the area where the black object entered his body, all he could feel is smooth unblemished skin and sparse hair decorating the region. It was an odd dream though. He doesn't know why he would dream of an oriental box and a black pearl. Maybe the stress of living in that hellhole was getting to him.

Sitting up, Ezekiel froze in horror. Before him, there was a large walled city perhaps only less than a kilometer away. The tall, solid walls were made more imposing by the tall twin towers that stretched up to over 100 meters in height. The tower had enough room to fit a small company of soldiers and from here, he is fairly sure, that humanoid beings walked on those sturdy stones. The gate itself is massive, more than 30 meters tall and 20 meters wide. And it isn't a wonder why the gates are so large, giant monsters like a deep red blood-colored bull walked through that entrance. As if the color and size were not bad enough, the beast snorted out jets of flames with every exhale of its breath. That beast, large enough to perhaps match his former garage, was pulling along a massive carriage in its wake.

The whole scene had an oriental feel, the roofing itself is like a picture taken from old ancient Chinese palaces. From what he can fairly guess, one building looms tall amongst the rest of the tall structures, and that is a pagoda. It must even be larger than the towers by an estimate of 30 to 40 meters. It awed him, pass the feelings of terror and fear, he could appreciate such exquisite design if he were not about to freak out. Looking around, the civilization appeared ancient in comparison to the one he had known on Earth. Yet, they were able to build these structures before the advent of the industrial revolution. Maybe those monsters that they subdued had a hand in building such things. Which further confused him. How in the world did iron age humanoid beings capture these monsters and forced them to work for them. The whole scene is an impossibility and maybe he had gone mad and now had just realized it. Afterall, he also did imagine a black pearl that could move on its own. would another delusion be so terrible.

Ezekiel can only sit here, still dumbfounded by this sight. Blinking his eyes a couple of tiems, the scene before him did not disappear but is stubbornly staying around to torture his sanity. From his position, he can see a procession of people marching into the mega city, a long line that seems to go on endlessly. There is no chaos, the people marched on like soldier ants in an orderly fashion. Men on horses ride around the perimeter, spears held high into the air, their focus not straying to far from the people. dead bodies hung from the walls and swung lifelessly like a pinata, except the only things that comes from these bodies are blood and viscera. In the back of his mind, the part that is still dimly working in spite of his fear, knew that this is a warning to those that don't follow the laws of this land or perhaps, the enemies of whoever the owner is, whether newly installed or managed to hold onto their power.

It took several minutes before the fear resided enough for Ezekiel to get to his feet. The whole situation still had him on edge, and he wouldn't be surprised that even a strong gust of wind would send him acting to fight or flee. This is simply something he can't wrap his mind around no matter how hard he tried. He had read stories and web novels about people being transported, summoned, reincarnated, and transmigrated to new worlds. Most protagonist take their new situation like a fish to a river. However, experiencing this for himself only had him on the edge of cracking, his sanity threatening to fracture into a million pieces, never able to be fully restored ever again.

The fear gripped him, held him in its paralyzing sway and rooted him into place. He cannot move and even if he could, he is not sure he can force himself toward that place that has monsters walking around like it is something common. Aliens, it must be aliens. He pinched himself and the sharp pain shot up his arm and his brain reprimanded him for being such an idiot. Well, he had to agree with his brain this time, that fucking hurt as he had used more force than he realized.

"Quit being such a bitch!" A voice calls out inside of his head.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck! Am I going mad? Oh shit, I can hear another voice inside of my head!" Ezekiel said in a panic. He searched, trying to see if he can find that voice. Too many odd things happening, his world is tipped over and he does not know how to deal with it.

"Dumbass, I am not a fricking part of your imagination. I am the black pearl that you saw but in reality, I am a primordial symbiote created at the early parts of creation. I am a primordial symbiote! Now, you should worship and praise me. You know, to thank me for pulling you out of that pathetic world, lets go to a brothel! Find us a female with some large breast and a nice juicy ass!" The voice spoke excitedly inside of his head.

"Oh my god! My inner self is a shitty person. Am I really that high on myself. I didn't even know I was into large breast. Fuck, I am really losing it." Ezekiel said to himself. "Damn, I am even talking to myself out loud! I never did that before in the past."

"Listen here you fucking idiot! I sent you to this universe. I needed a host to even access my own powers and ran across a snot-nosed idiot like you. Besides, don't you find it interesting that you are speaking in a different language?" The voice paused and then continued. "Dumbass."

Ezekiel paused at that. He spoke some words and now finally had realized he is actually speaking a different language. Something akin to Chinese or something oriental in nature. He could still speak English, and his mind is able to switch between the two like he had been speaking either one for his entire life. "The fuck?"

"Ah, so eloquently put there. Ever since I bonded with you. All your knowledge became mine and vice versa. Except, your tiny little mind cannot fully comprehend the enormity of the vast information that I possess. Why, if you were to access it, your head would explode and take out that city nearby."

"W-wait, what?!"

"Ah, scared you didn't I. I have been around this universe for more than a trillion years. Something happened to me and I was sent to your shitty universe where the heavenly essence was nearly nonexistent. I was trapped on your world for more than 300 billion years. I was stuck in that cave for so long."

"Okay, if you are the one that sent me here, you can take me back right away!" Demanded Ezekiel.

"Hold your fucking horses. How about we find ourselves a brothel before we talk about sending you back. I used a lot of energy that I had to store for billions of years before I could return to my own universe."

"I am not going to head there! There are fucking monsters walking around!" Ezekiel shouted a bit angrily.

"Those minor little things? Don't be such a pussy, they are only low second tier beasts, nothing to worry about. Well, I have nothing to worry about but you would be easily killed as you are right now." The primordial symbiote said, his own tone nonchalant.

"Wait! Are you telling me those people are humans! I mean, they look like it from here. Well, at least humanoid in shape."

"Of course they are human. What else would they be. I swear, I just had to happen to end up with a dumbass for a host." Complained the primordial symbiote. "The Heavens are unjust!"

"Fuck off. I didn't ask you to possess me! Now, return me back to Earth this instant!" Ezekiel shouted. The fucking prick kept insulting him and his fear over the so-called primordial symbiote fell to the wayside. His own defiant natural self came to the forefront. He would be damned if he let someone, alone an entity that cannot function without another, push him around.

"Hate to break it to you dumbass. But, I used up my vast amount of powers just to send us here in the first place. And after that, I used what little spiritual energy I still possessed to peek beneath the robes of all the females in the city. So, you're stuck here for the time being. No use in complaining now. Besides, you should thank me. That planet of your's is trash and the people living on it are worse. They cannot even cultivate! Honestly, what kind of backwards nonsense is that. Your people and you are the weakest humans I had the unfortunate bad luck of ever meeting. Just breathing in the same air, I thought I was being infected with your weakness." The primordial symbiote complained.

"What?! You fucking prick! You used me as a host so you could return didn't you!" An enraged Ezekiel shouted.

"Yeah, your volume is at an 80, you really should take it down to a 20. You don't want anyone here drawn to your presence. Although, you are so weak that they would just ignore you like I should. Honestly, you shouldn't call people names. It hurts you know." The primordial symbiote said sanctimoniously.

Ezekiel wanted to scream but he feared that the primordial symbiote wasn't kidding around. He can only grit his teeth and find some semblance of self-control. He tried hard to muster some and he was unsure of how he even managed. Maybe the threat to his life acted as a deterrent. With clenched teeth, he asked. "So, tell me. How do I get home?"

Well, you can wait for a million years for me to collect enough energy, but you would be dead by then. You can cultivate, help me collect enough energy and find me a host with a large prick, and I will send you home. Right now, until you find a strong enough host, I need to lay low. I have some primordial enemies that may be after me." The primordial symbiote said.

"Wait! I don't understand any of this. How could I grow stronger. What the fuck does cultivating even mean?"

"Earthling." The primordial symbiote sighed. "Looks like I will have to educate you here. A cultivator is someone that uses qi and the heavenly energies to forge their bodies, mind, and souls, for them to use its powers for their own purposes. The dantian, a special organ located between your belly button and your dick, just slightly above your pubic region, is where the energy is stored. The dantian has its own special subpspace to help store all of this energy. Think of it like its own special dimension."

Ezekiel remembered something like this, but it is not his own memory, just a fragment of someone else's. But, that fragment was enough for him to have better understanding. Another piece of information that he managed to parse together is the fact that the dantian has a network of lines that acts like the same way as the human circulatory system. Except, the dantian is the organ responsible for pumping the qi or spiritual energy throughout the body. The system of cultivating is like playing an MMORPG, where your avatar levels up, gain new skills, grows stronger, and in the case of this universe, get promoted every time the cultivator breaks a barrier during their cultivation. Every single realm is divided into ten stages, and each stage grants some additional powers though the powers granted is not as nearly as much as promoting to the next realm.

"Wait a minute, since when did I possess a dantian?" Ezekiel asked the primordial symbiote.

"Technically you don't, but I am your dantian. I am simulating one for you and so with me, you should be able to practice like the humans and other races in this universe. I know, I am so great. It is like I don't even need to try to be this awesome." The primordial symbiote praised itself.

Ezekiel ignored the narcissistic symbiote. Instead, he continued to question the damn thing. He may be young, but he needs more information than this to plan out his next steps. "How long do you think it will take me to have the necessary powers for me to get back? I have some vague memories, but I can only access bits of it currently I guess."

"Lets see. Hmm, judging from your own trash self and my own greatness, it could take 200,000 to 300,000 years. Don't worry, the higher you climb on the ladder of cultivation, the longer you should be able to live. By the time you reach this level, you would be immortal." The primordial symbiote noted.

"That long! Everyone I know would be long dead by then!" Ezekiel shouted in frustration.

"Really, I don't see how that is my problem. They are only trash. If you want to feel better, go buy yourself a pupy or a human." The primordial symbiote dismissed.

Once again, Ezekiel had to ignore the primordial symbiote. In truth, he didn't have much of anyone he would miss. That being said, the few he does care about are more precious to him than power and glory. They were the foundation beneath his feet when his world was torn from him and he was left spinning in the wind, unable to catch a break. But, there they stood, their backs tall and supporting. They helped him find some purchase and he was able to finally regain some equilibrium that he needed so desperately. Now, all that he had cared and relied upon is taken from him. Even if he could make it back to Earth, it would matter little if at all. That even assumed that humanity can survive its own stupidity and self-destructive behavior long enough for him to return to be part of humanity once again. Humans cannot for the majority, make long term decisions that last for decades, much less centuries and millenias. They could pollute the Earth into an unviable wasteland of polluted air and water. Most humans that now live there, are unaware of the water crisis. Humans pollute their precious drinking water that is necessary to support life. While the human population on Earth grows, the supply of fresh water diminishes. Adding in pollutants to the limited available water supply, and the forementioned growing world population, it is easy to conclude that water will be a scarcity someday, if not in the near future. And, all of that is only one problem facing mankind. There is the threat of war, the growing inequality and the advent of AI and robotics eliminating the working class.

The prospect of perhaps being the only earthling left on Earth is a terrifying one. What would happen to him if he returns to a wasteland? Perhaps, humans can overcome their nature through knowledge and a new age of enlightenment. He wouldn't hold his breath on that happening. Too many ignorant folks and the power hungry politicians, CEOs, religious nutjobs, and the outer fringes of society, would convince and drag the majority down with them. They would rig the rules to benefit themselves. They would throw in false promises of no abortion rights and the ignorant will flock and put them into power. Meanwhile, the same people they place into power, kill more lives than their abortion rights could ever protect. Something like polution alone is a fine example. While they try and kill abortion rights, or promise to, they deregulate environmental protections that can induce miscarriages, birth defects, still births, as well as cause cancer, decrease the life expectency, and still cost the common people heavy medical debts that would send many to be homeless. What then, after they get their abortion rights in their favor? Hate is a distraction given to those people so the powerful can be more privilege. Many people died for 1% of slave owners to have the right to own another. They fought for the right of a wealthy lan owner to own another, to have something to hate and look down upon on For what, so they can be poor and without prospects. Think of all the money they did not have to pay in wages to a force that actually has some rights..

With Earth an unlikely destination for himself, he is really only left with one option. It isn't really what he wants. Small glimpses of beings whose life is nearly limitless, really has no appeal to him. What would he do for even a million years yet alone for billions and trillions. At some point, there would be no point to existing because there would be nothing to do. And, he really misses his friends, especially his best friend and his best friend's cousin. That cousin would come over often on weekends, his best friend and their family are close. He really believed they had something there and they were each other's first kiss. Just last month, they spent a whole day together walking and holding hands. At night, they had a passionate make out session. She was a sweet girl that made his heart flutter. If it weren't for that gentle smile, he believed his world would have been dimmer and he would just have likely ran from home and left where no one would know him. Of course, that is just a fantasy. Being a minor, he really didn't have any real options. Even now, he knows that he would eventually move on but that dream that they would be a lot dimmer. He often dremed about being with her for the rest of their lives, taking care of one another through the good and bad times. She was often bullied along side him but she held her ground. She can be fierce beneath that gentle exterior. Now, this is only a dead dream among a a long list of dead dreams.

Even if Earth is only a long distance goal, it is a goal that would not matter if all those he cared about would be nothing more than dust upon his return. He needs to control his anger because it drains him emotionally and it really takes away his ability to think clearly. Everyone has a breaking point and his anger is partiallly what landed him in this mess. That boy, he could of stopped and walked away but he had to hit him. That was stupid. What did he think is going to happen anyways. Thanks to that one instance of lacking self control, he ran and then came across the primordial symbiote. He never thought that something like that could even ever be an outcome. At worse, the police officers would beat him and he would be in jail and then serve community service because it is going to be his first offense. Damn! He was so stupid but he would never admit that in front of the primordial symbiote. The worse part is, he knows that he will always make plenty of mistakes. It is human nature. Everyone has their own bias, their own misunderstanding. The only perfect being that can even hope to reach near perfection is an omnipotent being and he is far from such a character.

And this leads him to another problem. This world and its people. From fragments of memories, he has a distinct impression that laws are mostly arbitrary and powers determines justice. Here, not only one's powers plays a role, but scheming and intrigue also runs rampant. The strongest doesn't always win and cultivators would plot their clan's enemies downfall like a game, and sometimes plot between their own clan members to leap frog one another in the pecking order. This world is a dangerous world, far more so than the world where he came from. Making a mistake because he cannot let his frail ego get hurt would be stupid when he can strike when he grows stronger or find other methods of winning. These mosnters, in human form, are not some dumb antagonist like so many villains in so many xianxia and wuxia novels that he read on occasions. God, he cannot beleive this actually is even a thing! But, he needs to learn and be far more careful and learn to bide his time. Yet, these memories are old, even he is not fully sure of how credible they are currently. He needs to find out more information about the society and its culture. But first, he is rather curious about the other hosts the primordial symbiote had bonded with. "Primordial Symbiote, did any of your hosts die naturally or met a good end?"

"Fuck no! All those pieces of trashes died horribly. You are my 999th host. None of them had ever reached the higher bounds of godhood, but I am fairly confident you stand a chance with my help. If not, I am fairly confident in the 1,000th host. I know I will find the correct one someday that will help carry me to the top once again!" The primordial symbiote declared with an iron resolve but, the creature lacks any self-awareness. It had been alive for so long, he doesn't even bother trying to change the damn thing's mind. He wonders if this creature is the one responsible for leading its host to their deaths. It would seem so and he better be cautious about any advice coming from an idiot that lacks any common sense.

"So, is there any help you can offer me on the path of cultivation? You know, help me make it easier to figure things out. I don't know, something like a spread sheet of what I need to do, what sort of exercises and cultivation techniques I should be using." Ezekiel asked. He has to play nice for now but he will never forget the one that is responsible for his predicament. He needs this thing's help too much to help him gain strength. His own survival hinges on this creature's cooperation. Judging from how he felt about his previous host, he can sense the disdain in the primordial symbiote's tone. From what little he had read about narcissistic personality disorder, he can only work with the creature as long as he can manipulate it.

"Having gained the memories of your pathetic mind, I could help set up a character sheet so you have an idea of your own personal growth and limit. Hmm, not such a bad idea. I can't believe on how great I am to think of this method. It should be useful for the next host." The primordial symbiote said and almost muttered that last sentence to itself. Ezekiel bets it doesn't even care that he heard that last part. He doesn't even understand the creature's twisted logic. The primordial symbiote has confidence in itself to succeed with Ezekiel but talked as if the next host will be better off and made it sound like Ezekiel is already a dead man.

"So, it would be like an RPG system?" How do I gain experience?" Ezekiel asked.

"Growing stronger requires energy. If you were working out, you need the necessary nutrients. The better the diet is, the faster your training would bear fruit. There are pills, exercises, practices, cultivation techniques, and other ways of gaining the energy to push the limits of the cultivator's body and spirit." The primoorial symbiote explained, some annoyance in his voice. "Well, here is the character sheet. Just think, 'My master, the primordial symbiote is great! By the way, you actually need to think with that inflection."

Ezekiel rolled his eyes. Thought those words and nothing happened. Knowing that the primordial symbiote would actually make those stipulations for him to conjure his sheet, he finally added all the enthusiasm he could muster before a transparent parchment unrolled itself in front of him.

"It took your bitch ass long enough. I must say though, your world is rather creative in coming up with insults. I especially love yo momma jokes." The primordial symbiote said. "And next time, show some more reverence and joy when you summon your character sheet. It actually works faster the more you can put some real feelings into it."

Ezekiel peered at the sheet, ignoring the primordial symbiote that doesn't have an off or a mute button. He now believes that if he can survive the primordial symbiote without blowing out his brains, it would be a great exercise in tempering his self-control and his ability to ignore all the noise that surrounds him. Looking at the sheet, the numbers that show up seem kind of low and it is something he will need to ask the primordial symbiote, though he would rather never hear from it.

Cultivator: Ezekiel Edgewood.

Level: Body Tempering 1.

Element: Nonelemental 6.

Profession: None.

Qi: 8/8.

Spirit: 8/8.

Physique: 4.

Constitution: 4.

Comprehension: 4.

Spirit: 4.

Physique: Primordial Symbiote.

Bloodline: None.

Skills: None.

Armor: 2.

Fist: 1.

Leg: 1.

"Doesn't the numbers seem kind of low." Ezekiel noted.

"Low? Listen here dumbass, most people start off with 1 in most of these stats. Talents may have 2 and geniuses can start off with a 3. Most monsters, they can only start off with 4 in one and maybe two stats. You however, start off with 4 in all of your stats! I swear, if I had hands, I would bitch slap you across the face." Growled the Primordial symbiote. There is actually some annoyance in its voice.

Well, putting it in that case, those stats are more incredible than he would imagine. Then again, this mysterious entity that is stuck within him is something that nearly dates back to the beginning of creation. He guessed that the primordial symbiote physique had something to do with his permanent buff. And now, that he is thinking about it, he did feell stronger, though he kind of brushed it away at the time. Too much had overhwelmed him and he still is overwhelmed by the entire predicament he now finds himself in. He may be calm now, but he fears he will crack like an egg as more and more weight is added. He was just worried about town bullies and police officers. Now, he has to worry about monsters and powerful men and women that can crush mountains. The scales of his problems just magnified itself exponentially. Those fragments of memories warn him that this world is not safe, far from it. And, to think, he thought his own world still had problems with vilence.

Ezekiel needs to lay low, build up his powers. He had already given up on returning to Earth. He is now stuck here and he needs to adapt fast before the people crush him beneath their feet. In a way, he has to treat this like a video game, except, there is no save points, no respawning. Taking on something so powerful for his current level will cost him everything. But first, he must figure out on how to cultivate and what does all the stats mean. He has some basic ideas but he would rather ask the prick, even if he never wanted to ever hear its voice again. He hates it, needing to rely on the entity that placed him in this position in the first place.

Biting down on his anger, he asked the primordial symbiote. "What does the stats do and what does that number next to nonelemental mean?"

The primordial symbiote sighed in his head. "Ah, I forgot on what a dumbass you can be. Have you ever tried the help section. Just concentrate on the question marks next to each item you want to have an idea of. Looks like I will have to operate and make plans like you are an idiot."

Ezekiel held back on lashing out. He breathes, this exercise is now important for him to retain his sanity. Maybe, all of those former host either went insane, picked up the arrogant behavior of this thing, or perhaps both. It would explain why his host seem to die often enough he guessed. There are memories of one host taking on a clan by himself but was surrounded and killed. He thought he was invincible, able to beat tens of thousands of cultivators. Even if they had less strength and spiritual energy, they sure made it up by working as a collective. It is not some anime trope like a pilot in a superior suit gunning down hundreds of other pilots. If he had to compare it, those host were like battleships. They can perhaps down another battleship because their shields and weapons are a generation or two more advance. Now, if the battleship had a squadron of destroyers, it may help in evening out the playing field, but having another crappy battleship, things may get dicey. Throw in a few heavy cruisers, and the better battleship is simply over=powered. Not only does it still have to expend the necessary energy to fight another battleship, but its entire energy output and batteries does not even come close to matching the entire small fleet arrayed against it. It is far from the portrayal of xianxia heroes taking down millions on his own and coming away fairly intact when his realm is on par with the clan ancestor.

Looking over the primary stats first, he sees a brief description starting with physique. That stat is a mix between strength, durability, speed, and plays a partial role in regeneration. Constitution affects total amount of qi, healing factor, qi regeneration, and plays a role in poison resistance. Physique also plays a role, though constitution is the primary stat for recovery from poisons and diseases. Comprehension is the ability to learn, process information, and helps in controlling qi. It also helps with mental attacks and mental defense. Lastly, there is spirit. That stat is responsible for total spirit energy storage, regeneration, and spiritual energy control. Both comprehension and spirit needs to work together to will the energy to perform certain functions. There is more, but those are pretty much the basics.

As for the 6 next to the nonelemental tag, the number represents the percentage increase in total damage output modifier, duration of certain skills, and area-of-effect. 6 may not be a lot right now, but it is something he can work on with better comprehension and bloodlines. It would naturally go up as he grows stronger, but, certain memories tell him that he can artificially boost that stat via certain inscription scrolls or alchemy pills. Things like fist and leg stats, that shows his level of comprehension into how best to use and the nature of the skills. There are tiers when it comes to mastery and each tier of mastery grants some additional bonuses. For example, mastering the fist to fist intent grants some additional damage modifier, though it is not on the scale of alot of Chinese web novels he had read about. The five tiers of skills are as follow: Intent, resonance, truth, soul, and dao. Intent is just a straight up damage modifier. Resonance creates a shell around the weapon mastery, able to help deflect some energy while increasing the damage modifier. Truth creates a phantom after-image that can also damage an opponent. Soul can control the qi, and launch the energy as a simple attack. Finally, there is dao. With dao, the cultivator can alter and shape the qi though it can never be as strong as a martial skill. But, it can improve the control and modify the skill to a certain extent. So, if he had the skill thorn walls that throws up a deadly qi wall with spikes, the dao will allow him to perhaps shoot out the thorns from the wall, or turn those thorns into a spiral shape for more devastation upon entering the flesh.

Right now, he lacks a practice to raise his level and he lacks any sort of skills to help him in battles. Unable to find any fragments of memories he can use to find a skill, his only option is a terrible one, he must ask the primordial symbiote for help. But, before he does, he needs to figure out what sort of skill should he seek. At this early stage, he cannot do anything earthshaking as punching out fiery fist of energy. He needs to plan out his build like he would with a game. He only has enough time and energy to master a certain amount of skills but the question is, which skills should he seek. What sort of fighter should he become. With his current stats not excelling in any sort of field, perhaps he should be a jack-of-all-trades. Maybe not. He believe he should excel at a certain aspect but not to the extent of being a savant. In terms, a mage can blow shit up, causing massive destruction but is easily killed in most games. Nor, does he want to be a pure fighter. In some games, he threw up barricades and such, while playing as a ranger and whittling down a hapless knight. Something like a paladin, good enough to fight but can heal and has some long range spells of use or a monk, not the best tank or damage dealer, but can heal itself, is mobile, and has many other functions.

"Is there any sort of martial arts you can teach me? I can't recall any and if I do, it is all vague?" Ezekiel asked the primordial symbiote.

"Sure, just as long as you promise me that we will visit a brothel. Anything you feel, I feel so don't get into a fight with someone superior. Deal?" The primordial symbiote said.

Ezekiel hesitated. The only naked people he had ever seen was on the internet. He had read stories about those things. In truth, he is afraid of screwing up his first time or worse, getting laughed at if there is a quick trigger. But, in order to survive and thrive, he would have to face humiliation. Hell, he had been facing sneers and jeers from the townsfolk for about a year now. Yet, he is somehow more fearful about this subject in particular. Maybe, if he suffers for his performance as a man, he is not sure how he will get over it psychologically. A male ego is frail, especially when he places his worth equating maleness with his dick. And the worse part is, this thing will experience all the sensation he experiences. There is something wrong with that and perhaps, for the rest of his life, he will have a third wheel. God, he prays to any sort of deity that he does not have performance anxiety.

With no real options, Ezekiel can only agree.

"Great!" The primordial symbiote exclaims. It then went on to continue. "Lets see, I have tens of thousands of body refining martial arts. What would suit you best? Hmm, judging from your memories, lets give you the white tiger style. It does not provide the most power, but it is exceptional for long fights and the technique was used by a powerful god as a foundation."

It wasn't a surprise that the primordial symbiote can pick something that suits him. Ezekiel knows this thing possessed all of his memory prior to their bonding. Now though, it seems that each doesn't share a memory any longer. Unlike himself, the primordial symbiote can stuff more information in its mind than he probably ever could. Ezekiel asked. "Can you tell me what this style will do for me?"

"Well, by the time you get to the 10th level, it will grant an additional +13 to physique, +15 to constitution, +13 to comprehension, and+13 to spirit. In addition, there is the White Tiger Steps, White Tiger Fist, and Roar of the White Tiger. You could also learn some supplemental techniques but you will never likely master all three of these skills. Not that it matters much. The odds of you using these skills in the future is slim. But for now, this martial arts would be worth an entire city if not more. Mortals on the lowest planes could only dream of owning such a martial arts." /And here, the primordial symbiote paused for a bit and then continued. "It appears since my departure, the martial arts had really declined drastically if my divine sense is correct. Back in the days, a city this small would at least have more spiritual formation masters than this pitiful of a showing."

The primordial symbiote sneered at the end there. For ezekiel, he cared little that the martial arts dropped. Well, he cared enough that this means there is a better chance for him to survive. Luckily enough, he knows all the realms in cultivation, so he doesn't have to ask the primordial symbiote. The less he hears from it, the better. Now, all he needs is some money and a way to make more. For him to grow stronger so his life does not end up with more bullying, the primordial symbiote is bad enough, he will need resources to help him acquire personal power.

When Ezekiel asked the primordial symbiote to show him the White Tiger Martial Arts, the damn thing shoved all the memories and experience directly into his brain. The flood of information had him feeling nauseated and gave him a migraine that sent him to his knees. Pain, his world was condensed only to sensation and his primal instincts. Luckily, that experience only lasted a moment and the symbiote told him that he will need to practice it for himself before he can use it in a real fight. Ezekiel already knows that unlike a game, it is foolish to spam skills and timing is everything. In a real fight on Earth, the uppercut is a deadly enough boxing move. However, it requires timing and the right situation to use such a move that could leave him vulnerable if he misses.

To be honest, in just a short time, he made decent progress. It appears that comprehension and the memories played a large role in helping him become adequate enough with those skills. While practicing, he noticed his experience bar head upwards, and that made him estatic. But, after an hour, the experience declined drastically and he knows he will need to rest to have it moving upwards faster again.

At the end of his training session, his experience bar moved up to 13% and that was without the aid of pills and other external modifiers. The symbiote also lectured him that real fights will be a much better modifier. It can double or even triple the cultivation speed, though admittedly it can also be risky. Being heavily injured can set him back weeks if not a couple of months. That is why pills and other things like healing talismans are so important. It allows the practitioner to increase understanding or help give more of the necessary energy and help the practitioner train a bit longer, optimizing his time and efforts.

He would head out to fight some monsters first if he had the necessary supplies but he feels a tinge of hunger. The Primordial Symbiote told him that his gold watch should be worth something in this world though he doesn't know how much it would fetch for. Oddly enough, the hours and time on this world aligns with his own on Earth, though he does not understand how that can be. For one thing, according to the Primordial Symbiote, this world is 100 times larger than Earth! And, this world is only a small one, something called the lower planes. The only explanation that asshole provided him with is that the heavens operated in mysterious ways. It made him want to punch himself since the Primordial Symbiote would suffer.

For the watch, it is a novelty that doesn't exist because the minds of these people are never cultivated. Too many minds would rather cultivate than invent and there are simply too much killing for the world to progress ever. It is a vicious system that held back the technological advances. Most people tell time by burning incense sticks or candles from the little he could remember. His watch, only needing to be winded once in a while, and the gold that it is made from, would fetch a high price, enough to help them perhaps get enough money to last them a while. The primordial symbiote suggested he set the watch for an auction. It can help them gain the most but he should sell his rings and the laser pointer on his key ring outside of the auction for some quick coins. The auction wouldn't feed them today and they will need food to at least train themselves. He had to agree. All these things were not important to him. The watch was given to him by an uncle he barely met. It was given to him on his 13th birthday and the ring, it was something he found and would have pawned if he needed the cash. It is a diamond ring, though made for a man but he tells people it is fake for his own protection, something he bought because it looked awesome and it did.

So, Ezekiel walked towards the city and waited in line.

(Notes on the White Tiger Style.)

White Tiger Step: A movement technique based on fluidity.

White Tiger Steps: A movement style that relies more on fluid movement and occasional powerful lunges and retreats to help boost attack power or flee.

Speed: 7.

Agility: 7.

Recovery: 9.

Tactics: 8.

White Tiger Fist: A powerful punch that shreds and enemy with vicious qi over a very short distance.

Power: 8.

Speed: 8.

Recovery: 7.

Range: 2.

AOE: 1.

Roar of the White Tiger: A minor AOE attack that deals sonic damage and minor physical one.

Power: 2.

Speed: 9.

Recovery: 5.

Range: 4.

AOE: 7.