Body Cultivation Hurts - Chapter 10

About halfway up one steep, grassy mountain side, he found the cavern he’d been looking for. There was no easy way to see it from the ground with a competing mountain face just across from it, but once you found the path it was clear enough.

Before he reached the entrance, he heard voices. He’d expected he’d have to face a stronger beast than normal, or some pack, but people had actually made it here before him. He regretted going to the valley first.

He walked slowly as he entered the cavern which was only twelve feet high. He followed the tunnel and his eyes adjusted. He already saw the pillars of light shining down on the pool of water inside, as well as the waterfall that poured in from an opening above.

The tunnel opened into a wide room that spread into a stony canopy. The pool only took up one side of the cavern. He already felt the chilly temperature from the rich ice and water qi. It was better than he remembered from his first life.

He soon realized he’d been wrong. It wasn’t just one person or group that had found the cavern. There was already a small crowd.

To his left, he found a group of four men sitting against the wall, cultivating. They were Eastern Asian, which wasn’t surprising since their main entry point was by the northern gate and this was their closest hunting grounds, but he then recognized one of the men amongst them. He had a flat chin and a recognizable squint. His name was Sun Su-Wei.

Nathan sorted through his memories. The man had been a professional cycler from Taiwan and practiced Taekwondo in his youth. After entering the tower, he’d become an energy cultivator and had become a notable high ranker.

Seeing the man glancing in his direction, Nathan bowed his head. The man bowed in return from where he sat, giving no indication he wasn’t welcome.

He headed forward and found another east Asian party cultivating. They had twice the number as the last group. He recognized more than one of the men and women. It was a group from South Korea. At the lead was a man that had been a pro fighter before initiation. Man-Young Jeong. Not only did he remember the man from the tower, but he remembered watching his fights before the initiation had even begun. He was one of those rare featherweights that had enough power to knock out just about anyone. It was argued online that he should’ve gotten into boxing to make more money than MMA. As for in the tower, he was a fellow body cultivator. And not just any ranker, a high ranker who’d made it into the top thousand on the Combat Ranking and was a top five hundred cultivator.

As a few from Man-Young’s party looked his way, he bowed again. They were polite and didn’t stop him as he headed deeper into the room.

He wasn’t one to get nervous around famous people, but soon he realized how solemn a moment this really was. Seeing the remaining three parties cultivating deeper in the room, he felt a sudden pressure weigh down on him. It grew with every step. It wasn’t just Eastern Asia that was represented, but so was Scandinavia. This group from Norway was certainly one he’d seen before. Modern Vikings made mean cultivators.

Of course, cultivation had been sold to them through the system differently. He looked for the man he knew would become their leader, then saw, not one, but three individuals sitting beneath the waterfall. Einar Kron the Norwegian sat amongst them and was easily the largest man between them. His shirt was off, and his chest and shoulders bulged, but not excessively so. He would’ve bet almost anything that the man had been built in a similar manner before the initiation. What had changed was his stature. He remembered the man was seven and a half feet tall.

Nathan hadn’t seen Einar Kron in his early years in the tower. He was relatively unknown before it, but he certainly looked the part. His hair was shoulder length, and his well-groomed beard was as blond as his hair.

Everyone else was still dressed, but in the failing light of the cavern, it simply didn’t matter. Next to Einar was someone just as recognizable. Jun Takao was small in stature in comparison but would become a top ten ranker with his sword. He was also the head of what would become one of the most powerful kendo clans in the world. The most incredible part was that his family didn’t just produce swordsmen, but he was actually a full contact karate practitioner before initiation. They’d end up having high rankers in both proficiencies which was unheard of.

Nathan scanned the room and found eleven members from the man’s family. He almost stumbled. Four future high rankers were sitting amongst them, not including their family head under the falls. Altogether, there were three swordsman and two bare fist cultivators that would reach a higher rank than Nathan had.

One person in particular caught his eye. Yuma Takao was one of the last people he’d seen before his death. The youngest daughter of the Takao clan and unmarried. Jun Takao’s granddaughter. Her father, which would also because a high ranker, would join them with his wife and youngest son and daughter in a few years. Yuma had turned eighteen just before initiation. She would become a high-ranker swordsman and had been one of the most powerful Soul Cultivators humanity had.

He diverted his gaze, and slightly bowed in the family’s direction. There was no time for pretty faces. He’d tried out love in his last life and it hadn’t gone well. Nothing dramatic had really happened. She’d gotten bored, cheated, then moved on before cheating on the next guy. He could’ve chosen better and tried again, but by then, the tower had grown dangerous, and it just hadn’t seemed to matter.

Yuma Takao’s looks weren’t what caught his eyes. Not entirely, at least. In the last battle before his rebirth, he’d seen her die. Her soul attacks had been one of the few weapons that seemed to work well against the demons. She’d killed many. But once they’d gathered to take care of her, they’d tore her apart. Arms. Legs. Head. And yet here she was. Just a girl who had yet to face the danger of life and death.

The final man sitting beneath the falls was the one person he would’ve guessed would find the cavern first. Ma Mencius. From what Nathan could tell, the man was here alone. He was one of the few well-known Kung Fu masters who supported, and even encouraged, MMA to grow in China. His reason was simple. He loved to fight.

Nathan only then realized that he’d stopped moving and had yet to reach the edge of the icy pool. Before him sat three of the ten strongest rankers Earth would ever produce. No wonder they’d grown so quickly. He already knew that this place was here, and they’d beat him to it regardless. He felt a sudden sense of deep thankfulness for being able to be there and witness the beginning of their journey. Each of them had been more powerful than he was before his death, with few exceptions.

It wouldn’t be that way this time. It couldn’t. If things didn’t change… in ten years, they were all dead.

He remained respectful but wasn’t shy. Making it to the edge of the pool, he once again regretted not coming sooner. He would’ve had to forget handling the thugs if he was to make it in time. That was not something he could let go. If he were alone, he’d strip and jump into the pool. He knew there were no monsters below, but the others didn’t.

If that wasn’t possible, then he needed the next best thing. He once again looked at the three men cultivating under the freezing waterfall. He began to unstrap his pack, then to remove his shirt. The cavern was unnaturally cold. If he got wet, the airflow and ice qi in the air would threaten to drop his temperature below freezing. The pool, however, was filled with not just ice, but water qi. It was fed from an underwater stream. This mixture of the two qis allowed the pool to remain liquid while dropping below the normal freeing point. Immersion was the best way to temper the body. He was pretty sure he could handle it. His breathing technique was his key to staying alive.

Instead of jumping in, he considered an alternative. He bent over the edge, laying his shirt out beside him with his bag opposite it and out of the way. With a water bottle in hand, he poured it over his shirt, soaking it.

Once the bottle was empty, he bowed respectfully toward the pool—not sure if it was the respectful thing to do—and slowly lowered it into the frigid water. Holding it sideways to make as little noise as possible, he filled it to the brim. It felt more like ice than water, but its fluidity was undeniable. He was then careful to pour it out on his shirt, drenching it evenly.

With that done, he filled the bottle once again. Then he put the cap on it and picked up the shirt. With a deep breath, he pulled the freezing shirt on and only stood after it was in place. Picking up his stuff, he walked over to the side of the room, but stayed closer to the pool than the wall. He was closest to the Takao Clan. Respectfully so.

After sitting down, he flexed his chilled torso to get in a comfortable position before sitting his bag to the side. He then opened his bottle and poured just enough over his head to wet his hair then stoppered it again. With his eyes lazily open, he stared forward and began practicing his breathing technique.

Despite how it might look, there was nothing lazy about what he was feeling. He was being assaulted by below freezing temperatures. If he slowed his breathing for just a few seconds, he’d undoubtedly start shivering. It was a good start.

He kept his eyes open during his cultivation with so many people around. It was a habit—not necessarily because he believed he would be attacked. It wouldn’t hinder his cultivation either way.

After about fifteen minutes, the chill he felt from his wetted hair was losing its edge. He added some more from the bottle.

He continued like that for an hour, adding water to his head and shirt when the temperature wasn’t enough. Each breath filled his lungs with water and ice qi. It chilled him from the inside, but also invigorated him.

When he’d run out of water, he moved to get up, when he heard a soft scurry of feet. Looking in the Takao party’s direction, he found a short Japanese woman bowing as she reached him. She straightened, and the beautiful face he’d had the pleasure of admiring periodically in his first life was looking back at him. Correction. She wasn’t short. He’d grown, and he assumed that so had she. He guessed she was about six feet tall from his six and a half feet perspective. She wore a classic kendo uniform. He couldn’t help but notice her cross trainers, however.

“Dear sir,” she addressed him in perfect English. He was very familiar with the distinction between the system’s interpretation implants and a person’s real voice. Hers was real. She gave him a charming smile. “My Takao family would like to invite you to use the waterfall, if you so desire. We have no intention of blocking you.”

“I don’t want to be rude,” he said, trying to return her bow naturally, but he had never felt comfortable doing it.

“We are grateful, but as you will. There is plenty of room.”

“There’s no line?”

She shook her head. “No sir.”

“Nathan Kane.” He held his hand to his chest. “Are you Yuma Takao?”

He startled her.

“I watched your final match of a regional kendo tournament.”

Her hand automatically went to the hilt of her katana. It wasn’t a hostile gesture, but a habit that seemed to comfort her. “You watch kendo in Japan?”

“No,” he grinned. “I’m from America but watch online.”

“I see…”

“I’ve seen your grandfather fight as well,” he nodded toward the man at the center of the waterfall. “I have a lot of respect for full contact karate.” It was one of the few traditional martial arts where they practiced sparing enough for it to remain practical.

Her face lit up and she looked like she was going to ask him something when she thought better of it. “It is nice to meet you, Nathan Kane. I must return to my cultivation.”

“Thank you, Yuma Takao,” he replied, bowing his head.

She bowed a final time, then hurried off.

He was stunned to see how polite the Takao Clan was being to a stranger but remembered that they’d always been well mannered. At the moment, few people knew them. This was before every ranker hopeful was soliciting them for training at every waking hour. In his first life, the bow had kind of unnerved him, but he was used to it enough by now. Since he was being invited, there was no way he would say no.

Without sitting down, he pulled off his shirt and laid it out on a small boulder. He placed his bag near it, then began to remove his shoes. With all of his gear in a neat pile, he headed toward the waterfall. He would pass in front of the Takao family, so he stopped before passing and gave them a shallow bow as a thank you.

Many of them returned from where they sat, and then he moved on. Only Einar Kron wore as little as he did. He climbed up to the stone shelf the men were sitting on. Ma Mencius, the Chinaman, glanced his way and gave him a cordial nod.

Jun Takao noticed the movement, then began to shift over. Master Ma followed, giving Nathan a spot next to him.

He gave them another polite bow, then stepped out. The last thing he wanted to do was slip and fall on his butt in front of everyone, so he slid his foot forward onto the wet stone as much as stepping onto it. His toes went numb almost immediately. Only at the peak of his breathing did it seem to thaw for a moment under the freezing water.

The falling water wasn’t much more violent than a hard shower. Much of the stinging was numbed by the cold.

Once he was thoroughly under the falls, he tilted his head just enough to allow him to breathe, then slowly sat down. The running water was at a whole new level of cold. He could almost feel the icy qi jabbing at his skin, trying to get in. The real tempering had finally begun.

If he wasn’t careful, this level of cold could sneak up on him. If he allowed his breathing to slow, he could eventually succumb—death was possible.

That was his trial. Not just remember to breathe, but to take strong, full-lunged breaths, and let them out quickly before doing it again. Simple, but necessary. If he could do that, it should be enough.

His focus didn’t end there. Three of the world’s greatest warriors were undergoing the same trial just meters away. Even if he was in danger, how could he stop?

Jun Takao let out a controlled grunt.

Nathan saw the man out of the corner of his eye. He also wore a traditional kendo uniform like his granddaughter but was barefooted. His fingers were laced together over his abdomen with his thumbs creating a circle. It was impossible for the man to know much about the real nature of qi so early after initiation, but with his traditions mixed with the cultivation technique he’d purchased, the man was making good use of it.

He wasn’t alone. As if taking it as a challenge, Ma Mencius let out an even longer grunt. His hands were clamped together in a powerful grip. He wore traditional pants, but a tight sleeveless shirt. As far as Nathan had learned in his first life, the Kung Fu Master had always been considered unrefined by his own people. He’d lived during a time when the traditional martial arts were honored through literature, movies, and the media, while his fellow masters were more concerned with keeping their mystique than standing up to practical use. It was why there was a wave of masters accepting fights with MMA fighters and getting destroyed. When what they really needed to do was study the new wave of martial arts and perfect their styles, not just through skill, but constant sparing. Many supposed masters hadn’t gotten into a real fight in their life. Ma Mencius was the opposite. Even in his fifties, he lived for it.

What happened next would’ve left Nathan cackling and holding his side in laughter if he wasn’t having to focus so intently.

Einar Kron heard the two men, and instead of exhaling a competing grunt, his was an apathetic one. He hadn’t known the modern Viking well by any means, but his reaction matched their mindset perfectly. Even if Einar was struggling, he’d do everything in his power to make it sound like he wasn’t. Nathan didn’t think he was in trouble, but that man’s arms sat on his legs which were in a cross-legged position. Each of his limbs were flexed to the max.

Ma Mencius and Jun Takao didn’t take offense. They seemed to know exactly how they should interpret the man’s response and didn’t let up.

As for Nathan? He didn’t make a sound. It was the respectful thing to do, even if they wouldn’t look down on him so early after initiation. He knew of their coming strength, and sacrifice. He couldn’t knowingly act arrogantly before them.

Their tempering continued. Seconds turned into minutes. Minutes, hours. Nathan had fallen into a rhythm that just allowed him to get by. That didn’t mean he was comfortable. Breath after breath, he went through what were seemingly easy steps, but wasn’t willing to make a single mistake. The longer he stayed under the freezing water, the more dangerous mistakes could be. Qi would energize his body, and even stabilize his temperature, but tempering required him to face injury. If his body wasn’t suffering, it wouldn’t even be considered cultivation.

Then something miraculous happened. Ma Mencius let out a shout and a surge of qi was drawn toward him. He was breaking through to the second small realm. The surge happened because his body all of a sudden started excepting more qi. Even if it mostly just filled his lungs, his muscle, ligament, and bones also interacted with the excess overflow. Qi wasn’t air after all, but energy. Now his body simply obstructed the overflow less than before.

No one else really knew what had just happened. Breakthroughs would soon be common knowledge, but this was only the second day since the initiation started.

“Congratulations on your breakthrough, Senior,” Nathan called out. It wasn’t just for the man’s sake, but to announce it to the entire cavern.

The man sitting little more than a meter away looked astonished at what he was experiencing. It took a few long moments for what Nathan said to register. When he did, he gave a martial salute from where he sat.

Jun Takao was quick to congratulate him as well.

Einar grunted. It lacked the apathy of his first one.

“Thank you, brothers,” Ma Mencius said with lifted voice.

Applause suddenly filled the cavern, though it was much more muted than what would be expected from Nathan’s home country. Even their applause was respectful. It was a simple culturable difference.

Despite his advancement in small realm, Ma Mencius showed no intention of leaving. It only further invigorated the others, and Nathan wasn’t immune to the competitive atmosphere. He’d intended on cultivating here until his first breakthrough, anyway, so how could he possibly miss this.

Some people left the cavern over the next few hours. A few newcomers also arrived. None of them approached the waterfall, however. Everyone from the Takao, and Kron Clans remained where they were seated.

Jun Takao was the next to breakthrough. There was the surge of qi, then they took turns congratulating him.

Not to be outdone, less than half an hour later, Einar followed. The small giant of a man finally let out a loud grunt. It had more baritone than the rest of them had. Slapping his knees, he began to stand. In response to their congratulations, he faced them and gave a deep nod.

In one sense, it was a clash of cultures, but in another, there was nothing but respect for the man.

It wouldn’t be long before Einar and others like him, would be called Vikings as often as they were referred to by their country of origin. It wasn’t a title they shied away from. The beginnings of the man’s clan followed him out.

It was common for cultivation methods to begin the body realm with temperature tempering, but not all were the same. Nathan’s, for instance, required both cold and hot tempering. If a person was an energy cultivator with a focus on the ice element, then they might be able to remain in this cavern until the Blood Realm. It was more likely though that there would be some variance after a person reached small success, or the fourth small realm.

He wasn’t sure how much longer they’d been here than he had, but there was no doubt that they had at least rank A talent to be breaking through as quickly as they did. Nathan had started his first life with rank D, which would’ve likely taken a full day if not more. At higher realms, it could take as much as ten times longer to advance. The body realm was the simplest though and was the least qi dependent.

It was growing dark outside when he was finally nearing his breakthrough. For a time, it seemed pitch black in the cavern, but there was no sound of people moving. It only took their eyes a few seconds to get used to the moonlight that replaced it. After a few minutes, a ghostly white filled the cavern, giving the pool a mystical glow it didn’t have before. If a certain death didn’t loom over them at a near ten-year future, it was the type of experience that would make the complete upheaval of their old world well worth it. If somehow he could turn away their future catastrophe, then it would be worth it.

The moon’s glow carried with it a cool energy. It was a type of qi highly sought after by many cultivators. It was actually a type of fire qi only accessible by the sun’s reflected light. Of course, the sun located within the tower’s first floor was simulated, but it was more than enough for beginner cultivators.

The most interesting aspect to moon qi, was that it didn’t contain heat concepts that direct sunlight did. With the sun’s light no longer reaching the top of the cavern, it cooled further by a few degrees.

Each breath seemed to hold more qi, but Nathan knew that wasn’t the case. The amount was the same, but his body had begun accepting it much easier. Then, as if his cells had held a vote and agreed, qi rushed into his body and he didn’t lose the energized feeling to the same degree even as he exhaled.

“Congratulations, little brother,” Jun Takao rang out.

“Yes, congratulations,” Ma Mencius said.

Despite his stiff limbs, he sucked in a deep breath, and rose to his feet, bowing to them. “Thank you, Seniors. My method requires heat tempering next, so it’s time I moved on. Thank you, for your care.”

They both gave approving grunts.

Stepping out of the water into the cool air, there was both a sense of chill and warmth that overtook him. That air was certainly warmer and didn’t cut as deep, but the breeze was still enough cut deep.

Almost all of his numbness had moved on already. Longer under the cold water would do him little good without excessive amounts of time beneath the falls.

He felt confident enough to hop from bolder to bolder until he landed on the ground floor. He let the water fall off of him for a few moments to lessen the chance of splashing the Takao Clan as he passed be. Before he did, he slightly bowed to them again to show respect.

Reaching his clothes, he heard a familiar scurry of feet.

“Senior Kane,” Yuma Takao said.

He turned and found the young woman with drops of water trickling down the sides of her face. Her hair was wet. It seemed she was using his example to cultivate. “Sister Yuma. Please call me Nathan. I’m only a few years your senior.”

Her expression turned pleasant, and she bowed again. “Older Brother Nathan, then. My Takao family would like to request your contact information. We believe building strong relationships during this time of catastrophe is essential for humanity’s long-term survival. Would you honor us?”

“There’s no need to be so formal. I would be foolish to say no. You have a transmission jade?”

“I do.”

He removed his own, then placed it on top of hers when she held it out. Touching them together, he fed his jade a sliver of qi. “Please check to make sure it worked.”

Her eyes widened, then she did as he asked. “Yes. Might I ask…”

“It’s simple.” He explained a few tricks to make best use of the transmission jades.

“Thank you, older brother.”

“My pleasure. Cultivate well, little sister.” With that he turned to leave.

As he did, he nodded to the same groups he’d noticed when he entered. Only Man-Young Jeong and the party from South Korea had already gone.

Stepping into the night, he glimpsed the full moon. It was identical to Earth’s as far as he could tell, and just as majestic. He breathed in the cool night’s air. His shirt had dried during his hours cultivating, but water still dripped down his legs from his soaked shorts. Nothing a night’s run couldn’t solve.

He wanted to move on right away, or perhaps try out his new strength, but he had some ginseng roots to replant and a few odds and ends to purchase to keep them healthy. Next stop, Googee’s.

As he ran, he grasped ahold of his transmission jade and gave his updated Status a scan.

Status

Name: Nathaniel Kane

Age: 19

Cultivation: Second Stage of the Body Realm (Consolidating)

Focus: Body (Toughness)

Talent: S

Physique: E+

Strength: E+

Agility: E+

Stamina: D

Energy: G

Spirit: G

Besides the obvious, that he’d advanced to the second stage, his Strength and Agility were now E+ instead of just E. It wasn’t a large boost on paper, but his ability to utilize his breathing technique while fighting had nearly doubled. These early stages were the most deceptive spurts of growth. And Nathan knew how to take advantage of each of them.

He finished scanning the list.

Abilities: Competent

Skills:

Grappling – Rank D

Boxing – Rank E+

Muay Thai – Rank D

Judo – Rank D

Wrestling – Rank D

Enhancements:

Organ Bolstering – Rank G

Sinew Reinforcement – Rank G

Nervous System Fortification – Rank G

Blood Essence Enhancement – Rank G

Poison Resistance – Rank E

It seemed the system had updated his skills to reflect the fights he’d been in since the beginning of initiation. Seeing his Boxing was only listed as Rank B+ put a sour taste in his mouth, but he’d soon give it a demonstration to change that.

Patting the natural treasures packed away in his front pack, he hooted then picked up speed.