Not Exactly a Martial Arts Master Yet

Next day Kailash stood in the small clearing just outside the village, staring at his hands. "Alright," he muttered to himself

"I can do this."

He had already felt a tiny bit of Qi during his first attempt last night.

It wasn't much barely enough to notice but it was real.

Now, he just needed to build on that and make it... more.

The Foundational Qi Absorption Technique he had received from the system was supposed to help him draw Qi from the environment, but honestly, it was like trying to catch air with his bare hands.

Taking a deep breath, Kailash sat down cross-legged and closed his eyes.

He focused on the technique, remembering how it felt the first time the warmth, the tiny flicker of energy inside him.

"It's just Qi," he whispered. "People do this all the time here. Even kids. How hard can it be?"

He inhaled deeply, letting the cool morning air fill his lungs, and focused on pulling the Qi toward him.

He could feel something again, faint but present, brushing against his skin like static.

Slowly, carefully, he tried to draw it into his body.

For a brief moment, there was a spark, a tiny thread of energy settling into his chest, warming him from the inside out.

"Yes! That's it!" he thought, resisting the urge to shout out loud.

He could feel the energy building up, growing bit by bit.

It wasn't much, but it was progress.

And then, all at once, the energy slipped through his grasp.

The warmth vanished, and he was left sitting there, deflated.

"Oh, come on!" Kailash groaned, slapping his forehead. "How am I supposed to become a powerful cultivator if I can't even gather a little Qi?"

Before he could dwell too long on his frustration, he heard someone approaching.

Turning his head, he saw Ajit the local troublemaker, and apparently now, his personal audience watching him from the edge of the clearing.

"What're you doing now?" Ajit asked, his grin wide as ever.

Kailash sighed. "What does it look like? I'm cultivating."

Ajit raised an eyebrow, clearly not convinced. "Cultivating what? A headache?"

"Hilarious." Kailash glared at him, though he couldn't help but crack a smile. "Just trying to get this Qi thing under control, alright? It's... harder than it looks."

Ajit snorted. "Yeah, well, I've never seen someone look so intense sitting on the ground. You're acting like you're about to break through to immortality or something."

Kailash rolled his eyes. "Look, you wouldn't understand. It's not just sitting. I've got this technique, see? And I've actually felt Qi. I just need more practice."

Ajit crossed his arms. "Sure, sure. Just don't explode or something, alright? Last thing we need is bits of you flying all over the village."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence," Kailash muttered, shaking his head.

But there was no denying it, he wasn't making much progress.

It had taken him all morning to gather that tiny flicker of Qi, and even then, it felt like trying to catch water with his hands.

Why does this seem so much easier in Webnovels?

Before he could try again, another voice cut through the quiet.

"Kailash! You're not out here alone again, are you?"

He turned to see Maasa heading toward him, her hands resting on her hips and a look of mild concern on her face.

Maasa was one of the few people in the village who had looked after him since his parents died.

She wasn't exactly his mother, but she sure acted like one most of the time.

"I'm fine, Maasa," Kailash said, trying to sound reassuring. "Just practicing some, uh, cultivation techniques."

Maasa eyed him suspiciously. "Practicing? You barely know how to tie your shoes. What're you going to do with a sword and all that cultivation nonsense?"

Kailash winced. "It's not nonsense. People do this all the time!"

"People who know what they're doing," Maasa countered. "You're just a kid, Kailash. A smart one, sure, but a kid. You think you can just sit out here and absorb all the energy from the air like you're some kind of grand cultivator?"

Kailash groaned, feeling like he was losing ground in this conversation. "I'm learning. And besides, it's not like anyone else here is practicing cultivation."

Maasa huffed. "Because they've got fields to tend and lives to live. Not everyone can go around waving swords in the air like they're in some storybook."

Kailash sighed. "I'm not waving swords." He paused. "Well, I did earlier, but that's not the point."

Maasa shook her head, but there was a small smile tugging at the corner of her mouth. "Just don't hurt yourself, alright? You're one of the only smart ones we've got around here."

"I won't," Kailash promised, though he wasn't entirely convinced of that himself.

Maasa turned to leave, but not before giving Ajit a stern look. "And you don't encourage him. He doesn't need any help getting into trouble."

Ajit held up his hands in mock surrender. "Hey, I'm just here for the show."

Kailash sighed as the two of them wandered off, leaving him alone in the clearing again.

This whole cultivation thing was harder than he thought, and he hadn't exactly expected it to be easy.

But still, there was a tiny part of him that had hoped for some quick results, something to show for his efforts.

He glanced down at the Beginner's Sword lying next to him.

The system had given him tools, sure, but it hadn't given him instant skill.

He was going to have to figure this out the hard way.

And the system wasn't exactly offering much guidance beyond that simple Qi Absorption Technique.

"Alright," he muttered, standing up and dusting off his pants. "Enough sitting around. Time to try again."

He picked up the sword, feeling its weight in his hands.

It still felt awkward, like it didn't quite belong to him.

But he wasn't going to get any better by avoiding it.

He took a deep breath, steadying himself as he tried to mimic the stance he'd seen in Webnovels and fantasy shows.

"Alright. Just... swing it. Don't overthink."

With that, Kailash raised the sword and swung it down in a clean arc.

Or at least, that was the plan.

What actually happened was more of a wobbly, half-hearted swing that nearly knocked him off balance.

He stumbled a bit, catching himself just before he fell face-first into the dirt.

"Well... that could've gone better," he muttered, glancing around to make sure no one had seen that embarrassing display.

He tried again, this time with a little more control.

The sword cut through the air with a soft swish, though it still felt like it was pulling him off-center. "Alright. Baby steps. One thing at a time."

As Kailash continued practicing, the movements became a little smoother.

He still wasn't anywhere near mastering it, but at least he wasn't falling over anymore.

It was progress slow, clumsy progress, but progress nonetheless.

By the time the sun had begun to dip lower in the sky, Kailash was drenched in sweat, his arms aching from the repeated swings.

He dropped the sword with a grunt, collapsing onto the grass and staring up at the sky.

"Who knew being a cultivator was so much work?" he muttered to himself.

Just as he was about to close his eyes and give in to exhaustion, a familiar sound echoed in his mind.

Ding.

Kailash froze, his eyes snapping open.

The system menu appeared before him, the text glowing faintly in the dim light of the evening.

[Congratulations! First Day of Cultivation Complete!]

[1 Qi Point Gathered]

[New Skills Unlocked!]

Kailash sat up, staring at the screen in disbelief.

"Wait. That actually worked?" He grinned, feeling a surge of excitement wash over him. "I did it!"

Sure, it wasn't much just one Qi point but it was proof that he was on the right track.

He wasn't just flailing around for nothing.

He was actually making progress, even if it was slow.