A Decision, And Time Passed
Tai Bàoli....it was a name that murmured throughout all the mouths of the outer sect disciples for the last 4 months.
4 months ago Tai Bàoli had come in second place in the outer disciple sect tournament and declared the strength of what a "mere" commoner could do. Successfully defeating Seung Duang, and somehow hedging his way into second place in the martial arts tournament.
However..... recently.....Tai Bàoli hadn't been the newsletter of much for the sect, he'd take on easy missions at the end of the month and he'd quietly do his work within the library, but he didn't seem to be getting stronger, and he didn't go to make friends or try and broaden his horizons.
It was weird, at least to most the elders, they thought a youngster should have moved drive. Of course if they knew what Tai Bàoli was really doing, or trying to do they'd probably think otherwise.
What exactly was Tai Bàoli doing? Well....he was waiting.....and now was the perfect time. He'd saved up a decent amount of points and he'd have what he needed ready.
Tai Bàoli sat on his bed and stared happily at his status screen.
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-Unlimited Experience System-
-Host-(Tai Bàoli)
-Cultivation Stage-(Body Refining 5/9, Bone Forging)
-Experience-(150.5)
-Upgrade Cost: 1, amount upgraded per, .1-
-Strength-(5.5)(+4 from Basilisk Hide, +1 from Traceless Spectre Across The Void, +6 from Hammering Ogre Fist, +2 from esoteric phantom strikes, +2 from esoteric phantom body)
-Dexterity-(5)(+6 from Traceless Spectre Across The Void, +2 from esoteric phantom body, +2 from esoteric phantom strikes)
-Comprehension-(9.6)
-Martial Arts-
-Cost to Upgrade: 5 experience per grade, per rank-
-Hammering Ogre Fist: Mastery ~High~
-Esoteric Phantom Body: Mastery ~Mid~
-Esoteric Phantom Strikes: Mastery ~Mid~
-Traceless Spectre Across The Void: Mastery ~High~
-Basilisk Hide: Mastery ~Mid~
-Petrifying Mad Hammer Stance ~High~(Side Effects Detected: When used for more than 1 minute in combat consecutively the user begins petrifying themselves slightly. -1 dexterity for every minute after the user continues using the technique.)
-Martial Arts Eligible for Grade Increase-
-N/A-
-Martial Arts Eligible for Fusion-
-Traceless Spectre Across the Void + Esoteric Phantom Body + Esoteric Phantom Strikes-(Cost 50 experience, Outcome = to a Mid Earth Rank technique)
-Upgrading a stat requires experience, gain experience in a myriad of ways-
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That's right, Tai Bàoli had been saving, saving and testing the limits of his comprehension, with just 10 comprehension he was able to go from mid altering muscle to mid bone forging in just 3 months, this was nearly unheard of.
At least in the rural area where the hidden mountain tiger sect resided.
And in this time he'd found a way to save up 100 more experience points, it left Tai Bàoli elated.
His strength could reach a monstrous 20.5 and his speed a blistering 15, he knew he had to be one of the strongest body refining stage cultivators within the sect. And today with the excess of experience he'd saved up, Tai Bàoli made his decision.
He wanted to do it, he wanted to fuse his techniques. Staring intensely he'd mentally press yes and confirm the fusion. Fusing Traceless Spectre Across the Void + Esoteric Phantom Body + Esoteric Phantom Strikes for a mid Earth rank technique, Tai Bàoli had weighed all the options.
Traceless Spectre Across The Void was a one of the kind technique, imagine what he could do if he got an Earth ranked version of it. He couldn't wait.
However he had to, as before he could even look at his status screen he fell unconscious, the pure information overload to much for him to process while awake, his body undergoing numerous changes adjusting to the strength of the mid Earth rank technique. The technique that would normally take months and years to learn and master being instantly imprinted in his mind and learned to a specific degree.
Tai Bàoli was smart to wait, having gotten his T.S.A.T.V technique to High grade and his Phantom Body and Phantom Strikes to mid allowed the mid Earth rank technique to instantly become mid mastery. An astonishing inner change occuring within Tai Bàoli.
7 Days later....Tai Bàoli had awoken, the sound of Bells ringing in the distance rousing him from an exhausting "sleep".
DONG! DONG!
DONG!! DONG!!
DONG!!! DONG!!!
It was time for the second annual outer sect disciple tournament, however Tai Bàoli wouldn't need to participate, especially after he looked at his status screen.
-------------------
-Unlimited Experience System-
-Host-(Tai Bàoli)
-Cultivation Stage-(Body Refining 6/9, Pulse Condensation)
-Experience-(100.5)
-Upgrade Cost: 1, amount upgraded per, .1-
-Strength-(7.5)(+4 from Basilisk Hide, +6 from Hammering Ogre Fist, +15 from Light Devouring Phantom Body)
-Dexterity-(7)(+15 from Light Devouring Phantom Body)
-Comprehension-(19.6)
-Martial Arts-
-Cost to Upgrade: 5 experience per grade, per rank-
-Light Devouring Phantom Body ~Mid~
-Hammering Ogre Fist: Mastery ~High~
-Basilisk Hide: Mastery ~Mid~
-Petrifying Mad Hammer Stance ~High~(Side Effects Detected: When used for more than 1 minute in combat consecutively the user begins petrifying themselves slightly. -1 dexterity for every minute after the user continues using the technique.)
-Martial Arts Eligible for Grade Increase-
-N/A-
-Martial Arts Eligible for Fusion-
-N/A
-Upgrading a stat requires experience, gain experience in a myriad of ways-
-------------------
Tai Bàoli couldn't think straight..... He'd miraculously graded up to the pulse condensation stage, and his comprehension had sky rocketed, he attributed this to the new technique he saw on his screen, it most likely minimumally required that he have these changes happen.
And he couldn't stop grinning because of it.....his strength had jumped to an astonishing 32.5, his speed an outstanding 22.....if he met the Ju Yian of prior he was certain he could win. And it wasn't over...he still had 100 experience points left, he could rocket even further beyond if he truly wanted to.....
However he'd sit and breath and think about it momentarily. He wasn't a smart kid per se, but he had a little brains. He knew if he showed the elders to explosive a growth they might assume he had some treasure of some kind or assume he'd fallen to the demonic path and begun utilizing demonic techniques. Especially in the rural area they were in they might not believe he was "Naturally" gifted.
For now it'd probably be best if he showed an elder his strength at the pulse condensation realm and became a Inner disciple. He'd most likely be able to get any elder to process his increase in rank. He should have went and found Great Elder Yi when he became a Bone Forging Stage cultivator but he immediately fused his techniques so he didn't find the time.
Right now would be as good as it gets. Great Elder Yi and Great Elder Fu would probably be quite surprised by his rapid development, after all they only assumed he'd get to Bone Forging within two years. Let alone make a qualitive leap directly to Pulse Condensation, it had to be noted Pulse Condensation had far stronger control of their Qi, even if there physical body was close in strength in speed to a Bone forging disciple their techniques would naturally be outstandingly more effective because of the increased amount of Qi flowing throughout them.
Tai Bàoli couldn't wait, once he'd become a Inner disciple and settled in he'd secretly use all his experience to improve himself even further. The Inner Sect was apparently much more lenient only requiring 1 ranking tournament a year and conicidently it had already been finished last month. Meaning he'd have 11 months before he'd have to actively show his prowess to the sect, by that point he'd be able to go on innumerable missions and find an excuse for his jump in power.
But first he needed to find an elder which happened to be quite easy as dozens of them littered the pathways directing disciples towards their desired tournament grounds.
Eventually Tai Bàoli would find one and explain that he'd like to become an inner disciple and undergo the inner disciple test, which was easy at least in Tai Bàoli's mind. All he had to do was display sufficient enough strength, and have not failed more then 1 mission in the outer sect within the last year, which unsurprising Tai Bàoli successfully did.
The Elder who did the test was named Great Elder Wanzi, and he'd slowly walk Tai Bàoli down a pathway and tell him about the inner sect. It wasnt much different then the outer sect, other then the fact a hidden array covered it. Keeping it out view from prying eyes.
As The Great Elder led Tai Bàoli through the array safely Tai Bàoli would finally get a look at the inner sect. It was almost indescribable what was laid out in front of Tai Bàoli, since he entered he couldn't take the smile off his face.