Back to the Grind (1)

Kai was eager to start testing his new internal cultivation manual, but he first had to forget [Dragon Subduing Law] to learn it. This wasn't an easy thing to do as Kai was reluctant to lose the ability to gain Qi by killing beasts.

Kai had memorized the Qi circulation pattern but he still had no idea about how the skill functioned. The system manuals were just too complex for the current Kai to recreate without the system's help, however, Kai had an interesting idea.

"Activate [Sub-Core Manual]" Kai thought as he quickly started to feel the cores of everyone in the house. Ryu, Mina, and Old Lao were all cultivating diligently in their rooms while Qiulong was sleeping in their backyard.

Kai connected to Qiulong then closed his eyes in concentration. After a few minutes, Kai opened his eyes and checked her [Sub-Core] description.

[Grade-2] [Rock Stalker] [Qi 101]

[Sub-Core 3] [Qiulong] [Qi 0/101]

[Manuals]

>[Dragon Subduing Law]

"Looks like it worked!", Kai thought excitedly. He had just transferred the full un-modified [Dragon Subduing Law] over to Qiulong and replaced her modified version.

"I'll be able to use her as storage for manuals I don't want to get rid of," Kai thought as he contemplated the possibilities. The [sub-core] had the same limit as Kai, so currently they could each have one Internal Manual and one Body manual each. As for Martial Arts manuals, Kai hadn't tried sending those yet. He wanted to master his skills or get better ones before transferring them to his followers.

Qiulong would also now have the ability to gain Qi through combat which was beneficial for her since she couldn't cultivate like Kai's students.

Kai didn't waste any more time and learned the new internal manual. He also named it [Tempest Dragon's Law] keeping in line with his naming convention.

"Good!, now let's give this a try," Kai said as he focused on the new method of Qi circulation. Kai was surprised by how much more complex the Qi circulation method was as it needed to do multiple trips past his heart. The more Kai circulated his Qi, the lighter his body felt, to the point where he could barely feel any weight on himself. Kai stood up and noticed that a small hop was all he needed to reach the ceiling.

"Is this the Wind-Qi the skill mentioned?...it is incredible. With this, I'll probably be able to move faster without even trying. If I keep cultivating, will I reach weightlessness and gain the ability to fly?...", Kai was excited about the prospect of being able to fly, but he stopped that train of thought quickly. Only masters at the Core Formation stage could fly using Qi. Kai wouldn't even dare to think about it seeing as he was still only at the 6th Level of Qi Condensation.

Kai got back to experimenting with Wind-Qi as he super-enhanced his right arm. Usually, super enhancements on his body wouldn't show, however this time visible green energy engulfed and circulated his arm. Kai didn't know what to do and quickly dismissed the energy. He felt a destructive power coming from it and didn't want to destroy his house on the day he got it.

"I'm now itching to go out and test try this manual out", Kai thought, as he left the basement and went out back to Qiulong. Kai rode to the Hunter's Association building, then walked in and was surprised to see Lei Hai was still at the receptionist counter.

"Mr. Kai, I'm glad that you are back safely."

Kai waved at her as he walked in. "Lei Hai, you still don't sleep I see. I'm starting to think you might be an automaton...I wonder if they have those here..."

Lei Hai looked at Kai in confusion, but this wasn't the first time he mumbled oddities like that so she was already used to it.

"I would like to register a Hunter team", Kai said confidently.

"Oh, that is fantastic news. Hunter teams are sanctioned by the city and can earn contribution as well as coins for doing tasks..."

Kai listened to Lei Hai's fairly simple introduction. Essentially, all he needed to do was pay some money and then his team would each be registered as bronze rank Hunters. This would replace their entry tokens so there was no longer a need to pay fees daily just to stay in the city, however, they now had a contribution point quota that they needed to meet to keep their current ranks as well as gain higher ranks.

Kai registered his team [Sleeping Serpent] as a bronze rank team then collected four extra maps for each of his companions. Qiulong would also have a map since she was registered as Kai's battle pet, so Kai would also benefit from her kills which would also count toward their overall team contribution points.

"I just need 9800 more points to buy the basics of alchemy...", Kai remembered that [Grade -2] beasts would give him 50 contribution points each. Plus if he also handed in their carcasses, he could get contribution points for those as well. Kai felt confident in reaching that amount within a few days if he fought non-stop.

"For now, I still only have 3 gold to my name, so I'll have to wait until Mei Lee's family auction in a few days to see how much I can make on that Qi-Crystal", Kai mumbled to himself as he waved goodbye to Lei Hai.

He left the building then sent his disciples a message using [Dragon's Whispers].

"Our hunter team has been registered and I'll be heading out into the wilds to find a suitable training spot. Cultivate diligently and use what I taught you to gather Qi. Also, be creative and try to find new ways of gathering Qi. I'll be back in a day or two to check on your progress".

With that, Kai left the city and headed to the Eastern Swaps to visit his old friends, the [Fungus-Apes].