Ch. 4 - The Demon Cultivates In The Real World!

Fang Yuan's vision blurred after logging off, and soon his sight returned to darkness. He tried to move his body to assess its condition but couldn't move anything.

So it's still at this point?

Fang Yuan couldn't help but mock himself inwardly. He controlled his breathing and listened carefully to see if anyone was nearby.

When he didn't hear anything for a couple of minutes, he began chanting the cultivation method of the Order and Chaos Scripture.

A warm stream of Qi that invigorated his body instantly began flowing rapidly towards him. The Qi around the entire mansion flooded his body and entered it.

Despite this influx, no abnormal phenomena were detected, save for a sudden gust of wind. Mortals on Earth, who hadn't even begun the path of cultivation, would have noticed nothing unusual.

A small trickle of pain shot through Fang Yuan's body, but it only seemed to further accelerate his absorption of Qi. Not more than seven seconds later, a cool and refreshing feeling washed over him.

Despite this, he continued.

First Level Spirit Apprentice. 

Second Level Spirit Apprentice. 

Third Level Spirit Apprentice. 

Fourth Level Spirit Apprentice. 

Fifth Level Spirit Apprentice. 

Sixth Level Spirit Apprentice. 

Seventh Level Spirit Apprentice. 

Eighth Level Spirit Apprentice. 

Ninth Level Spirit Apprentice.

Finally, after a grueling hour and four minutes of nonstop cultivation, he stopped at the peak of the Ninth Level Spirit Apprentice.

And it was just in time for his sister to come back, as he sensed a presence making its way to his room. Upon reaching the Seventh Level, he had gained heightened senses, and at the peak of the Ninth Level, he could send out his Qi in small pulses to confirm his location along with the locations of most other things.

He also felt warm blood circulating through his body again, restoring some of the strength and endurance it was originally supposed to have.

Among other things, he could now see, although his sight was heavily blurred.

He opened his eyes and gazed up at the unfamiliar ceiling as he let out a small yawn. Then, he tried to move his hand to look at it, only for it to twitch and not move even an inch upward.

It's expected this would happen.

He thought inwardly, as he closed his eyes and watched Yu Rou enter the room with his Divine Sense. He planned to reveal that people could cultivate in real life, so she could gain strength and be his bodyguard until he regained full body control.

"Brother, are you awake?" she muttered once she was close enough, poking him on the cheek, not expecting any reaction.

This made Fang Yuan curious about what she would do if he wasn't awake, but he decided not to entertain that thought and simply replied to her question, "Un, I logged off about an hour ago."

Yu Rou jumped back a little, then regained her calm and pouted. "You scared me! I thought you were still playing and was about to call you for dinner."

Fang Yuan chuckled a little upon hearing that and sensing it as well.

"Wait... you logged off an hour ago? Was the game not fun?" she asked, remembering what he said, as she jumped on the bed and sat on it, removing the helmet from him.

"Yes, I was curious about a few things and ended up coming back here..." Fang Yuan didn't continue as he let her take off his helmet.

"A few things?" she asked, looking at his face.

"Yes. I wanted to see if I could cultivate here," he replied, and Yu Rou simply sighed and shook her head.

"There's no way you can cultivate in the real world! Cultivation Online and the real world are different. One is simply a game, while the other... is... reality..." She didn't finish her sentence as she looked at his twitching hand that made an effort to move upwards.

"Heh. I managed to cultivate, though it did take a while to reach the peak of Spirit Apprentice," he said with a goofy grin, opening his eyes and gazing at his sister's blurry face.

Even then, he could still make out the surprised and confused expression on her face, which made the inner spirit of Yu Tian smile a little.

"H-How..?" she managed to mutter after a few seconds of silence. Before she could panic and start celebrating, however, Fang Yuan interrupted her thoughts.

"Don't start celebrating too soon. Also, don't tell anyone about my recovery, especially 'father' and 'mother'. If they hear about this, I'm sure I will..." He didn't finish his sentence, letting the words hang in the air.

Yu Rou was a smart kid, so he knew she would understand the importance of the matter at hand. She nodded, covering her mouth with her hand, relief and happiness slowly building up in her eyes.

She immediately bent down and hugged Fang Yuan, tears of relief streaming down her cheeks at his regained control over his body.

He patted her back gently, continuing, "Also, you should start cultivating as well. I'll find a cultivation technique for you by the time you join Cultivation Online. With my physique from the other world, I can create techniques that are better suited for myself or for others, as long as I have a foundation to work from."

At this, Yu Rou couldn't contain her happiness, staring up at Fang Yuan's face, her tears staining the blue shirt he wore.

"Wait, what do you mean by 'other world'?" she asked curiously.

"Exactly that, another world. I don't believe Cultivation Online is just a game. It has to be another world. I mean, how else can the 'game' be so immersive? How else did technology not meant to emerge until hundreds of years into the future suddenly appear?" he replied, pushing himself to sit up and leaning against the back of his bed.

"Yu Rou, you shouldn't tell anyone about the news of being able to cultivate on Earth. It could bring unnecessary trouble if bad guys get their hands on such information," Fang Yuan said with a slight smile.

Truth be told, he knew she wouldn't reveal such information, especially knowing the potential dangers it could bring upon her and her brother.

"Un. But if Cultivation Online is really another world... then how did you go over there and come back?" She asked the question that was bothering her. Fang Yuan merely responded with a shrug of his shoulders, "Who knows, maybe it brings our consciousness over there. Or perhaps a small fragment of our soul gets sent there and is given a physical body resembling the one here."

"Though I'm leaning more towards the second option. I feel that my physique is still in this world, especially after becoming a cultivator," he finished, raising his hand, this time without shaking, and patting her head.

"Anyways, you shouldn't worry about those things for now. Focus on finishing school and join the game as soon as possible. That way, you can grow fast and won't be left behind in the dust by your brother," he added jokingly, grinning at her. Hearing his words, she nodded with a bright smile.

"Ah, I forgot! I need to make your food. You must be hungry," she suddenly jumped up, remembering she was going to make him chicken soup, only to stop at his words.

"No need. My body as a cultivator is much stronger than that of a mortal. My lifespan has increased. My senses as well. I can make do with Spirit Qi, as I can consume it and use it to nourish my body, which is more effective than mortal food."

Fang Yuan waved his hand before continuing, "Anyways, I plan to cultivate a bit more tonight, so you should go to sleep early."

"Un. Make sure not to overdo it!" she warned slightly before heading out of the room with a skip in her step, a happy expression on her face.

She had much to think about and investigate once she reached her room.

Meanwhile, Fang Yuan sat in a lotus position and closed his eyes, focusing inward. He knew that to advance from Spirit Apprentice to Spirit Warrior, one needed enlightenment.

However, for someone who possessed the Order and Chaos Scripture, such a thing wasn't necessary. The Order and Chaos Scripture was tailored to benefit him in this world, and although he hadn't specified certain aspects of it, the 'being' that had sent him here had filled in the gaps.

He had merely laid the foundation for the 'being' to branch out into numerous other paths, which was why it had reached Primordial-rank despite not being as versatile as other cultivation techniques if it had followed his wishes. Thus, two paths were created:

[Order], which allowed one to bring peace and calmness to those under him, enabling them to rise a minor realm if stronger than him, or a full realm if they were weaker. This path also allowed cultivation of the Dao of Life and, later on, other Daos, enabling him to imbue Qi with life at later stages.

[Chaos], which allowed one to bring destruction and disruption to everyone around, including comrades. It induced insanity in those within a certain range (expandable by growing stronger), even causing those a whole realm weaker than the user to lose their lives due to madness. This path was the antithesis of [Order], allowing cultivation of the Dao of Death, enabling the user to damage or destroy another person's soul.

Each of the two paths had its own unique abilities and characteristics, but these were the main ones. However, this didn't mean he could choose both paths simultaneously.

He first needed to master one path before cultivating the other. Fortunately, he also had another body in Lower Heaven.

That body will cultivate the [Chaos] path, while I focus on cultivating the [Order] path, which will be more useful in this world where my body is weakened

With that thought, he immediately began to meditate. A pure and warm energy emanated from his body, flowing outward before stopping three inches away. The energy condensed, outlining his body and giving him a holy and calm aura that could put anyone at ease.

Instantly, the Qi in the area surrounding the Yu household thickened due to the effects of [Order]. It rushed toward Fang Yuan, accelerating his cultivation significantly.

1st Level Spirit Warrior.

2nd Level Spirit Warrior.

3rd Level Spirit Warrior.

...

Finally, after eight hours and thirty-one minutes, he reached the 5th Level Spirit Warrior, benefiting from a tenfold increase in Qi absorption due to the [Order] path.