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Author's Note:
Yes. Sorry. This chap has info dump, a lot...
But it's necessary for future relevance. You can mark somewhere that in chapter 6 is where grades are mentioned, to not get confused.
Thanks for reading until this chapter.
Enjoy reading.
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"Anyway, since you're new here, I'll teach you about the grades of pills, treasures, and clan ranks.
Clans are divided into four categories: small class clans, medium class clans, top class clans, and supreme grade clans.
Pills are rated from one to four stars:
1 star pills are fairly common among small-class clans, 2 star pills are fairly common among middle-class clans, 3 star pills are uncommon even among top-class clans and supreme clans, and 4 star pills are extremely rare as one can nurture their soul enough to be half-step of the Fourth Step, resulting in large-scale wars for a single 4th-grade pill of E rank.
The rankings are classified from E (crude-tier) to S (supreme-tier).
In terms of categorisation, treasures are comparable to pills. (1 star treasures to 4 star treasures, and their use is the same.)
Finally, the clans are separated into four groups, as previously stated:
- In any cultivation system, small class clans have someone at the First Step.
-In any cultivation system, middle-class clans have someone at the Second Step.
-Someone in the early stages of the Third Step can be found in top clans.
Finally, Supreme class clans have someone who can battle a half-step Fourth Step cultivator in any cultivation system, or a full Fourth Step cultivator if they have a 4-star treasure." Katrina said as she took a deep breath to allow Adel to process the information.
'So the Earth's system is here as well... Except for clans, which are limited in number.
Back there, well, aside from the dimensions that do not favor modern society...
And it seems that the other higher class treasures and pills may be upgraded to 4 stars, at which point they vary by anything new? When I get to the Sixth Step, I guess I'll have to sharpen up on my alchemical knowledge...
Also, it seems that there are beasts here as well, so I may as well ask her their cultivation names to see whether they're different or not...' Adel mused inwardly...
Adel then chose to ask his query concerning beasts a few minutes later:
"Hey, Katrina, how do you classify beasts ? Do they cultivate in the same way that we do, or do they have a different system?"
When Katrina heard his inquiry, she was taken aback, as she immediately indicated for him to cover his lips and murmured, worriedly:
"Don't ever talk like way about beasts since it's frowned upon on this entire continent.
What you don't know is that outside of this continent, where many kingdoms have the same strength as our kingdom's; every time we walk more than 5,000 kilometers, we find monsters that are at the peak of the Fourth Step or even higher by the energy fluctuations they were releasing; this made us know that they had the same cultivation system, and also admit the fact that we could step into a higher step.
The difficulty is that getting to the Fourth Step is far more difficult than getting to the other steps.
It is supposed to be a threshold for others to grasp.
Martial artists, for example, are split into numerous ranks, such as Apprentice, Master, and Grandmaster.
The difference between Apprentice and Master level is like night and day, due to their ability to feel inner energy to enhance their bodies and have a longer lifespan and stronger bodies.
That is, of course, for mortals. The same might be stated about Grandmaster rank since they could project their inner force into the outside world by some technique in their martial arts.
This is just one example; after all, martial arts are just for mortals." Katrina finished as she waited for Adel to process the information...
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'Martial arts are mostly for mortals... ? That's true since they're the ones who created them, yet they're vastly underestimated...' Adel reflected on a long-ago memory from his time on Earth...
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On Amberhill, a city developed amidst the icy regions that had a wonderfully architectural sight.
A young man in his twenties could be noticed wearing a ragged mix of dowdy bits of fabric with dust and debris on top of them.
A significant section had been taken from the right side, and there were holes all over it, exposing a huge proportion of it.
He was dressed in a ripped jacket over a t-shirt. It was overly big, dusty, and ripped, yet it kept him mostly dry, if only for a little while.
His clothes were also a mess. There were holes all across the right side, and what was left was stained.
He did, however, have shoes to protect his feet. Despite them lacking laces, They were are a size too large, and the left shoe's heel was significantly more battered than the right.
He wore a huge scarf over his neck, wrapping it around his face to just below the nose. It was worn and tattered, but it's still quite clean.
His head was covered by a beanie that was riddled with holes or stains.
In front of this young man with a complex expression on his face stood a middle-aged man who wore the polar opposite of what he was wearing...
His velvet jacket, which had very long sleeves and wrapped him far below his waist, was almost totally buttoned to the left side.
His jacket's sleeves were a tad loose, reaching his wrists.
He was dressed in a jacket with a rectangular cleavage that revealed a portion of the gorgeous shirt worn below, as well as a thick band of cloth kept together by an intricate pin.
He wore plain, wide-leg pants all the way down to his shoes.
"Ugh... Teacher... Is the training still going on...?" The young guy remarked in a low voice, his face filled with agony, but he didn't seem to give up...
"What do you mean it's finished? You've only had a few hours of training and you're already exhausted? Get to your feet!" He was persuaded to rise by his teacher.
As he stood up, the student groaned miserably, shook his head, and then replied to his teacher, "I don't care how much pain I have to endure as long as it gives me strength! After all, there's a saying that goes [Without Pain, There's No Gain.].
Despite him saying hat, he winced inwardly as he felt the agony, thinking to himself, 'What a masochistic method of training! Why on earth would I have to go through all of this?!'
But he didn't dare to say anything. His teacher would more than triple, if not quadruple, what he was accomplishing right now.
As for what he was doing now, he was continually getting beaten-... *cough* *cough*- battling his trainer in hands-on combat.
It was a defensive martial art called Cankili.
The major focus of this martial art is on both sidesteps and foot sweeps, and it frequently relies on your opponent's quickness and reflexes, or lack thereof.
Cankili's strongest point is its adaptability, which allows you to shift at a moment's notice.
By manipulating your opponent's pressure points, you may cause them to overexert themselves, giving you even more power to deal with.
But that was the mortal side of Cankili, the one mortals employ by exerting inner power.
The cultivator's side of this martial arts was particularly unique in that it could be employed by cultivators and was not useless to them.
The side that uses Ki energy, or Chi energy if it were the elementary plane, heals the one that is fighting the mortal side.
But, as the young guy previously stated, it was a masochistic martial art. It needs the practitioner of the martial art to continually battle, or rather get beaten up, in order to activate...
It allowed you to restore stamina indefinitely, which was considered an overpowered approach.
However, there were three drawbacks to this fighting art:
One: It required one to be constantly beaten up someone else who'd learnt these martial arts to the peak. But that didn't matter as one needed to shed a tear to see more clearly...
Two: It had endless stamina, therefore there was a visible mental toll on the user's mind while he was continually utilizing it.
Three: To practice in mortal martial arts, you must be at least a Grandmaster.
The young man and his teacher were well aware of this, but it didn't matter to the young man since he didn't only train in the body cultivation system...
As for how infinite stamina would be granted to the user, it would be through the use of inner force by the one fighting the user, which would primarily be a Grandmaster who can use inner force, as any martial artist below that level would be as weak as an ant to a Grandmaster who can manifest his energy.
The inner energy was the energy produced spontaneously by the surroundings. It was a calm form of energy that mortal martial artists employed. Hence, these martial artists could live a bit longer and protect themselves against beasts who lacked cultivation. But, in the end, they were mortals...
The young guy shook his head before proceeding to be beaten -*cough- to fight his instructor...
—
Adel was, of course, the young man in the memory.
His face had an unconsciously nostalgic expression, recalling his early days as a cultivator...
He shook his head, recalling that martial arts were truly worthless to cultivators, particularly those using the body cultivation system.
Body cultivators' senses improved as they progressed through the steps, hence martial arts that relied on strengthening senses were useless to them.
However, this was not the case with battle stances.
They were extremely valuable to body cultivators, giving them a significant edge over individuals who were either body cultivators of the same level or cultivated in another cultivation system...
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He then motioned for Katrina to continue speaking, which made her smile as she nodded and murmured to Adel in a voice only he could hear. "Also, the actual reason for talking about beasts being prohibited is because when beasts reach a certain stage, they may shift into human form and hear you talking about them, which will enrage them.
As such, there may be one everywhere in this kingdom, which leads to them slaughtering everyone who badmouths beasts.
But they stop there because they never killed more than 500 people in a massacre, which is strange now that I think about it." She then took a brief halt as she realized she was too near to Adel, causing her to blush profusely before shifting her head to the other side...
Adel was actually stunned by the knowledge but shocked by the final piece of it, but his expression stayed intact as he pretended he wasn't paying much attention to her, which he truly did as he was engrossed in his own thoughts...
'There's no way they're aware of the existence of karma, therefore it's their instincts that are warning them of future dangers if they carry on with their massacre...' Adel thought, but then shook his head, because his present questions lacked answers, so he merely pushed them to the back of his mind.
He then looked at Katrina, who was blushing, leaving him speechless, but he seemed not to notice as he placed his hand on her shoulder, causing her to nod towards him as she continued:
"Let's keep moving since we're getting near to our family compound.
Oh, I almost forgot to mention that there seems to be some mysterious master who has taken an interest in a princess of the kingdom.
She accepted her as a disciple, and in exchange she is assisting the kingdom in its authority, as well as destroying any opponents beyond the early stages of the third step, since it is extremely hard for them to beat without utilizing a trump card of theirs...
Because the imperial family has a powerful supporter, they're utilizing her to get as much advantage as possible from pressing the four clans...
Anyway, because you're residing in my family compound, you should cultivate as much as you can, since the more you cultivate, the more resources you'll gain."
Katrina smiled, however she thought of something and then her face looked sad for a second, but her smile immediately returned, and she thought to herself:
'However, if all of the resources are wasted, even with hard effort, you may be ejected from the clan, but that won't happen because I'll leave with you if that happens.'
Adel would be much more speechless if he knew what she was thinking. But he didn't since he wouldn't utilize mind reading arts on the out of nowhere...
'So the figure who sent me here is attempting to persuade me to start working hard, as this soul does not accustom the body to the experience, but the body needs to go through the procedure all over again...
But why is it going to such lengths to assist me? Is it connected to my unidentified roots in my previous body? But that's impossible until he had me look at the book back then, which in turn made me go for what I'm going for, since life doesn't have anything worth it once you've gone through all of its hardships.
But how can the origins of my previous body be greater than God's dimensions?
Unless the soul was forced to get there... But that wouldn't make sense either since I'd be shattered before I ever got here... There's also no chance I'm reborn, because that's impossible to begin with.' Adel shook his head as he was again asked questions for which he had no replies.
But what he didn't know is that the thing that assisted him is intended to assist him throughout his trip in this world, so it would naturally improve the conditions for him to have a solid foundation...
He did, however, make an incorrect guess...
-
A few hours later, Katrina and Adel arrived in front of the clan compound, which seemed to be massive, the size of a Greek temple...
It had a gilded name in the form of the sign "KLEIN," which highlighted the clan's main dwelling.
Large windows were liberally dispersed throughout the walls in regular designs, with asymmetrical crenellations for archers and cannon.
"The four clans are really separated into the main clan, which is this, and then minor clans distributed throughout adjacent kingdoms who are being sheltered by the king, that don't even know about the beasts, which in turn supports their imperial line in the event of geniuses arising...
Also, don't be too formal while meeting my parents because they've known about you since..." Katrina then smiled as she reflected on the past.
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