Howler

Ether, Magic Crystals, Beast Cores, Dantian… Depending on the origin of civilization or the nature of being, this same substance goes by many different names.

But names alone aren't as important as what it does. And what it does, is remarkable! It is the only known substance in the world that can contain and store Qi, unlike everything else that simply lets it pass through.

And this Ether, this life originator, is what a living Soul gets anchored to. Every body, every living being, no matter how tiny, how insignificant, has this substance in them. Some have little, some have a lot. Some have it spread equally throughout their bodies, and some concentrate it into the form of a crystal in one place, at least in the beginning. But later, as the concentration increases, Ether forms a perfect sphere to house the Soul.

In human terms, that is in the Golden Core Realm, or said another way, when a Dantian is finally formed…

- Introduction chapter on Study of Beast Cores, by Grand Elder Li Roy

***

It had been confirmed! Gerald had reached the Realm of Spirit Accumulation VIII.

Crazy how the Sect's Martial Arts manuals were a complete jumbled mess, while the records and scientific discoveries were perfectly documented and organized.

He found out a few weeks ago that there were, in fact, two separate libraries, one for Martial Arts, and one for the other, more common stuff.

Written records, legends, stories, poems, songs… Quite a bit of material was gathered over the long centuries of the Myriad Beast Sect's existence. Hell, he even found some spreadsheets for the lifespan of a Cultivator according to each talent grade and Realm.

Better yet, among the mountains of paper scrolls and bound leather books, he discovered a guide for Cultivation for the first three Realms. And with it, a timetable of optimal Cultivation progress. The first refinement of a Soul was supposed to take nearly six months! And that was if the Cultivator was working optimally! What the hell!

And to think that was just for the Mortal talent… The Earth one required… ten months or so.

Let's not even talk about Spirit Accumulation Realm. Each step there took nearly a year… And Gerald basically skipped the first decade of Cultivation… somehow.

He guessed that it was because his Soul was so massive, he could condense it to the Spirit Accumulation VIII all at once. Most likely because he had absorbed so many spirits of the dead, before eventually dying myself. And then the Phoenix resurrection somehow purged his Soul of any remaining filth so he just glided over the first basic steps.

It sounded plausible, but all these things felt so… freaky. Stuff like this wasn't supposed to happen!

According to every document he had read on the topic, and every Elder he queried, all came to the same conclusion.

Absorb one Soul and you would partially cripple your Cultivation. Absorb two and you would most likely go mad. Absorb three, and you would die from the clash of multiple foreign Souls in one body.

Why the heck could he seemingly devour them without a problem then? And he couldn't even stop the absorption either, so it's not like he had a choice.

This stuff was bothering him so much. Gerald didn't like it when he wasn't in control. Well, that went for pretty much everybody, right?

But now that he had exhausted his reserves, his Cultivation slowed down to a crawl. Even if he gather all his Qi and compressed it into Soul Essence to feed his Soul, it was like a drop in the bucket. There was barely any change, and if he relied on what the old graphs and spreadsheets taught him, it was going to take over a year for him to reach Spirit Accumulation IX.

It was so damn slow! Even though he knew that those with higher talents required much more Qi to achieve optimal growth, this is ridiculous!

He had more than 100X Qi than the rest of the youngsters and so basically his Cultivation was on steroids compared to them, and yet… In the last month, he grew so little it was driving him crazy! And he couldn't even tell those things to anyone. He had nobody he could trust, not yet at least.

The Elder scribe that was tasked with keeping the library nice and organized, Gerald suspected the man began avoiding him recently. And he had no idea why. He simply asked him one or two... thousand questions, nothing much. He learned as much as he could from him, and now he even knew what an Ebra was.

It was some kind of a flying snake, and Apil, the other mystery in the Living Fortress manual, was some sort of a big monkey… or ape. Even the Elder didn't know exactly.

Oh! And one more thing he realized recently! While training in his Turtle Breathing Technique, he realized that his Aura could be completely contained in his body. So, as long as he kept circulating his Qi according to that technique, his Aura would be that of a useless Mortal.

He tested it while chatting with his three close friends for starters. It was quite difficult at first, but he persevered. It required multitasking, and he wasn't even that good at it. A few times his Qi slipped out of the containment and flared up dangerously as if he was preparing to attack. Luckily it didn't seem like they noticed.

Also, he was slowly getting better at it and could almost keep it going without thinking. Almost.

Another thing he had been doing was building a wall around his house. He decided on making a villa, Roman/Greek style. He still had to carve out some pillars to hold up a bigger roof and make stone slabs to pave the ground. He figured it would take him at least a few months, but he could do it while training so the time would be used more efficiently.

And speaking of efficiency, he bought a lump of quality steel that he then reformed into a disk and quenched the edges to make them hard. It wasn't ideal, but it was better than having a stone disk that would shatter at even the slightest wobble.

His Telekinetic control, while good in comparison to his peers, was nowhere near perfect. He shattered so many disks every day and then had to remake them that it was not worth the time lost. Metal could at least be reshaped if it was damaged.

But, of course, reality didn't care for his wishes, and the new blade didn't cut nearly as well. The stone was the one that ground his disks down instead as it was still harder than hardened steel.

***

[Okay, I give up! You win this round, nature, you win!]

This stone was just too hard and I didn't have the money to buy the proper tools. I needed diamond blades to cut through this stuff, or some high-power explosives to crack it at least. But I didn't have either, so I guess my villa would have to wait. And besides, I had something more important to do, something I have been putting off for a month now.

I have been spending my time mostly just learning and hunting, and I got to say, my skin bag was starting to fill out nicely.

More than two months have gone by and I was finally not just skin and bones anymore. I believe I have gained a centimeter or two in height as well, but I was still small.

Well… Slowly but surely I would get back to my full size, I just had to wait.

I took Toothpick with me as I left the house. It was the name I gave to my weapon, in case anyone got confused. It was a great tool for traversing the forest as well as battling beasts. Though most wild animals I have met decided to flee at the first sign of aggression and I had to spend quite the effort to chase them down.

Totally worth it though! The meat by itself already tasted delicious, let alone roasted with spices and salt.

I jogged along the forest path as I have done dozens of times prior. I came to my stone quarry and then continued westward, with not a drop of Qi to enhance my endurance or speed. The only thing I was doing with it, was taking it in through the mouth with each breath, holding it in my chest, swirling it around, and then pushing it out through my skin, washing my cells with it over and over and over…

It hasn't been long and already the effects were showing themselves. My skin was still as soft as it has always been, it also kept the same pale coloration as I haven't gone out in the sun much, but the toughness of it increased substantially.

Usually, my legs would get scratched by the bushes and thorns low on the ground unless I had my skin reinforced actively, but now the passive resistance was already enough to do the same.

Of course, I wasn't expecting it to have the same effect as the active defense, but every bit counted. I still had ample time to improve. Perhaps I should- Dodge!

HOWL!

Huff! [Son of a bitch!] Really? It was that dumbass dog again! Or should I call it a Wind Tiger? It barely missed me with its magic. We were not in the Sect so my Magic Eyes were constantly active. Inside 100 meters I could not be ambushed! I hoped.

Well, he sneaked closer than that, but as soon as he started gathering Qi, I detected it. But one thing was certain, the damn beast was improving. It was casting its spells much faster than last time.

HOWL!

Again?!

I rolled away from danger in time, but I didn't receive the invulnerability frame! It must be a glitch. Wait, no, this was real life! I'm bleeding! It hurts! I'm dying!

[...]

Err, am I? … I checked my body. It was not that bad, actually. My legs got lacerated as I got hit, but the wounds weren't that deep. I believe I activated Elemental Avatar in time, so why…

I looked at the Howler preparing for another rapid strike. Oh, I get it now. He sacrificed power for speed! Haha! That's not going to work, buddy!

I pumped all my Qi toward my hands and chest, reinforcing them as much as my body could take, and ran as fast as I could toward the beast.

[Eat my fist!]

HOWL!

We both exchanged our attacks, my punch landing on the monster's snout and cracking a bone, his Wind Blades hitting my chest and ravaging my body. Ow! Damn that hurt! I began bleeding all over… and my clothes were ruined!

[You bastard!] I was furious! I became a completely bloodthirsty maniac! [Do you have any idea how expensive these are?!] I don't have the money to waste on new clothes!

I took Toothpick out of my Space Pouch and swung it in a circle with speed, straight at the stunned beast's cranium!

POW!

Headshot! That ought to have rattled him good! Now, onto my next act!

I began gathering my Qi to the tip of my finger. The Howler, having somehow once again regrown his eyes since the last time we clashed, looked at me with a resentful expression and began preparing his attack as well.

[You couldn't beat me the first, nor the second time.] I grinned and pointed my finger at the beast. [And now you attack for the third time? Did you seriously think I would just bend over and wait for you to kill me?!]

My Qi surged. Hundreds of units, with 10x the efficiency of the Spirit Accumulation Realm.

[SOLAR POINT!]

There was a blinding flash of light as I struggled to keep it all aimed at the beast. I didn't watch for fear of going blind as the tip of my finger evaporated instantly, and the rest of it suddenly cracked and was set on fire. I quickly flicked my hand and put it out as I looked back at my adversary.

The Howler was still and smoldering, black smoke billowing from its forehead, where a new hole the size of my fist pierced its skull. The fatty brain matter melted and was set on fire by the glowing bone embers.

The beast was deader than dead. I could already feel its powerful Soul binding to mine… and getting immediately devoured. I could barely feel its wild emotions as they were broken apart and wiped out.

But I didn't have time to celebrate. My finger, if fucking hurt!

God damn it! That was such an overkill. I used 50% more Qi than the last time to guarantee the kill, but I completely forgot my efficiency with magic increased! I nearly lost my finger for no reason! Ah! It made me so frustrated just thinking about it.

Deep breaths, Gerald, deep breaths…

The pain was already subsiding. A bit of ice to cool my aching flesh and I would be fine. Maybe.

But, I had to say, even though I expected it to hurt, I didn't think it would be so much. I focused the Turtle Breathing Technique on my fingers specifically over the weeks for this reason, but I guess it wasn't enough. Maybe with a few extra months of training, I could blast a Solar Point of this magnitude without hurting myself.

I sure hoped so, because this world was fucking nuts! Like, come on! A wild animal stalking me for more than two months? Just give up already!

I looked at the smoldering corpse.

[Look at you, dead. And for what? Just because I blinded you a little bit? Fucking deal with it, you can even regrow eyes!]

I sighed as I turned the beast over and took out a knife.

[You are too big to even stuff you in my pouch. Talk about a wasted life!]

I began at the legs, cutting the paws off. Then I went over the belly and opened it up, tossing aside the entrails and most of the internal organs. Not eating that shit. Liver and heart I kept though. Those were some good stuff.

I did a few more cuts here and there, before flexing my muscles and peeling the skin off. A nice piece of fur for my efforts. I had to discard the head, unfortunately. It was too far gone.

Cutting away fist-sized chunks of muscle meat, I stored them in my pouch. It was filling up nicely, with enough food to last me more than a month!

As I was finishing carving up the carcass, a green crystal was revealed, embedded in the beast's sternum.

[Well, well, well… That's one nice Wind Crystal!]

I gripped the knife and got to work.

***

I had the bloody Wind Crystal in my hand as I beheld its beauty. The streaks of jade and emerald green shone in the light as rare sunbeams made their way to the forest floor. It was breathtaking. The largest Wind Crystal I ever had, and so full of Qi.

I tugged at the energy inside as I held the crystal in my hands. There was so much, more than even I had, and… and it was different? How odd.

But then I thought about it… My Qi, and that one freely floating through the air felt slightly different. I haven't noticed it before, but when I felt the outside Qi, the Base Qi, it felt… lesser.

Was this what they meant by a higher grade of Mana back in the Before? Concentrated, purified, and overall better fuel for magic? Huh, that was something to test out. And I knew exactly how.

Essence Extraction!

I looked at the Wind Tiger remains with glee. I haven't used that technique in a while. I wanted to see if I still got it.

I tossed all the remaining bones, flesh, and internal organs on the pile and sat down beside it. I closed my eyes and opened the Magic ones. I needed to focus, bring forth the old memories, and take control.

The beast's flesh was filled with my power, my consciousness stretching like a rubber tentacle, encasing it all. Then it began. Essence Extraction on a molecular level. Microscopic silver particles left the flesh as it dissolved into dust, floating towards me as they combined to form larger and larger spheres.

Minutes later, I had a silver cherry-sized pill-like ball floating above my hand and a pile of ash around me. However, as soon as I released my control, it began turning darker, and darker, and darker.

I held my breath as I watched the power of the beast degrade and dissolve before my very eyes, the potential strength gained from its Essence turning into nothing.

I closed my eyes and just waited, the degradation too painful for me to watch.

Minutes later, after what I figured should be enough for it to stabilize, I looked at it again. My smile turned wide.

[It's gray! It's gray! Wooo-hooo!]

It's gray? So what, big deal.

You don't get it! It never remained gray before! It always turned black in the end! But now… Now it stabilized at gray! That meant I was right! Higher Cultivation Realms mean a higher grade of Qi! That means I can steal gain more power from my defeated foes! This changes everything!

Now, let me explain! Remember how Qi enhances the cells the longer they bathe in it? Well, why waste your time enhancing your own cells when you can just take them from others? Sure, you lose most of them in the process, but it's still way faster than training them manually.

Unfortunately, I only know how to steal gather strength, so I would have to boost my body's durability on my own, but that's an afterthought. If I optimize my training, I would be able to boost my growth by at least 30%! God damn!

Excitement aside, I had to first confirm I was correct. I reinforced my body and dug my fingers into the bark of the tall Ironbark trees and scurried up the side like an oversized squirrel. Then, finding a thick branch high off the forest floor, I sat down and threw the gray Essence Orb into my mouth, and swallowed.

I then immediately closed my eyes and gripped it with my mind, manually dissolving it and forcing it into my bloodstream so the Essence would evenly spread across his body. Piece by piece it shrunk, and an hour later it was completely gone. However, I remained seated and in deep meditation, observing and on guard against any unwanted changes.

Nothing happened. Everything was nominal.

That was a good sign. The Black Essence should completely merge with my body in about a day or two. Though I wasn't completely sure about the Gray Essence.

I jumped off the branch and momentarily utilized Space manipulation to gently kill my momentum before landing.

What was I even doing in the forest again? … Oh, right! I remember now!

Having wasted enough time I began jogging through the thicket, cutting leaves and branches out of my way as I went. I must have been gone for hours already when I finally found what I was looking for. Or, close enough to it.

A stream. I came to it and washed my poor bloody finger in the icy cold water and then cast another round of healing magic on it. I threw away my torn clothes and jumped in, cleaning all the blood off my chest and arms, before I went out to dry and put a fresh pair back on.

Good thing that the Sect gave us two pairs, but that was my last one. I would have to buy another one, what a pain in the ass! Cursed Howler!

Annoying facts aside, I found what I was looking for. Clay. I remembered a stream was a good place to find some, and I was right. There was a whole bunch of it around the running water. I gathered a big ball of it, cleaned it of any stones or debris, and was just about to store it in my pouch when I remembered I couldn't. It was full.

I rolled my eyes and utilized Telekinesis to make it float behind me. And off I went, jogging back home, where I was about to make… a toilet!