Lone Cultivator In Another World

"In other news, the 'Blue Sun' has disappeared today from the week-long jewelry exposition in Dublin. The large sapphire is estimated to cost well over five million dollars. An investigation into the gemstone's disappearance is already underway.

On the other side of the world, a famous idol Liu Bin has also mysteriously vanished today. He was last seen giving out autographs to a few female fans near his changing rooms backstage. The witnesses say, one of the girls touched Liu Bin's shoulder, shouted something and the next moment they were nowhere to be found."

…

With Control over Emotions' effect, Michael turned into a machine. He trained with more efficiency than ever, now that small thoughts on the edges of his mind didn't distract him.

He deduced it was a natural reaction for his body and mind to blend together to a similar age. However, the body took priority with its hormones and chemicals influencing his reasoning. The process was likely irreversible. Michael's best chance was to spam Control over Emotions, keep a cool head and think everything through.

Four hours later, Michael was still fighting, without giving in to exhaustion. He was facing three opponents now, with his hands tied behind his back to train kicks.

He moved like a wildcat, stepping on one's foot and jumping away towards another. Two steps back to avoid a series of punches, then striking at the inner t.h.i.g.hs of both legs almost in an instant. Get closer, shoulder shove, headbutt. One out.

Michael's opponents had similar skills to his, but they lacked in raw power. With Life Force of 50, they were physically inferior to the cultivator with a full hundred. Michael trained to make full use of that advantage.

Life Force was a strange indicator. It corresponded with an overall level of health and fitness. A powerful but slow warrior could have the same Life Force value as a small and nimble spy. In Michael's case, he relied more on reflexes and speed than on strength. As the saying goes, in martial arts, only speed is unbreakable.

The most athletic humans probably couldn't exceed the limit of a hundred points. At this time, Michael was like a cobra, attacking and retreating, painting the grassy field with his footsteps. Swift like a falcon, elusive like a fly, even without his hands he battled two ninjas on equal grounds.

Mistake! One of his opponents stumbled on a hole Michael had dug with his feet. The cultivator tripped him with an undercut and delivered three kicks, targeting the face, the stomach and the groin. With only one ninja left, the fight was soon over.

The ropes that held his hands together fell on the ground with a single thought. In this dreamscape, Michael was God. If he wanted to restrict himself, he could, but no one else could do it to him.

His forehead was dry, his hair in pristine condition. He smelled a bit like grated carrots and raisins, a sweet and fresh fragrance. Cultivators sure had it well!

"I have implemented about half of those kicking techniques into my moves repertoire. I could continue, but there's much to do. The four hours are about to end." Mind Alarm Clock buzzed the next moment, and Michael left the dreamscape. He opened his eyes and got up from the bed. The room was pitch black, but his Enhanced Eyesight kicked in, making it easier to move in the dark room.

"Let's begin with Customization," the menu appeared before him. It offered changing the way the abilities and techniques were presented.

Michael took a minute to study the options and smiled, "Good. We'll begin with the shop." When the familiar window came before his eyes, he changed its color to black with a white font and transformed it into a tree-like diagram. Before, the abilities that had evolved into something, were replaced, but now they were all on display.

"Glory, add the price tags, please." The prices in glory points appeared next to the abilities. "Finally, I won't have to ask you every time. It was tiring."

Michael chose Control over Emotions and scrolled through the newly available options – turning it on and off, keeping it on at all times or using it at time intervals.

"OK. Mindfulness, Awareness, Danger Sense, Intuition, Mind Acceleration, Pain Tolerance, Mental Freshness – turn on permanently. I want to forget I have them, so that they become second nature. Control over Emotions – use once an hour."

Most of Michael's abilities changed his body. Coordination, the four senses, memory and thinking – they were all a part of him. However, those he named were mind-based, and it was a tricky thing. They were supposed to be working all the time too, but he still turned them on just to be sure.

Only three abilities remained that required activation – Mind Alarm Clock, Mind Lullaby and Lucid Dreaming. He would use them every day or most days to enter the dreamscape to train.

This way, Michael ensured that all his abilities would be put to use.

Then, he customized the library the same way he did the shop and tuned down the Notifications. He rarely got new messages these days, not impacting his friends' life in a profound way, but reading, "Ding! 10 glory points earned for giving Dimitri meaningful work," was irritating. Just how much did that guy improve every day if Glory rewarded Michael for this at least five times a week?

With customization out of the way, it was time to cultivate.

Michael sat in the center of the room and steadied his breathing. The milky-white substance that flowed through his veins like a thick foggy smoke, obeyed his call. It gathered near his heart and traveled the organs and limbs in a specific order. Lungs, right armpit, shoulder, neck and down the spine. Wherever it passed, the internal energy shared its wonderful properties with Michael's flesh, making it stronger, sturdier, more durable.

Several hours went by. The first rays of sunshine illuminated Michael's face that turned pale with concentration. The longer it went on, the harder it was to maintain control over the foggy substance. Despite his perk Cultivator Body, he felt the heat coming off it.

"Haaaah!" he exhaled, letting go of the smoke. He expelled it through the palms facing outwards, and a puff of steam clouded the room.

"Glory, I get it. This milky smoke is exactly what my world's people call 'internal energy.' They think it flows through every living being and concentrates in the dantian. How laughable! None of Earth's humans have dantians, and this smoke isn't internal energy at all! It's the manifestation of Life Force!"

"Host is correct," Glory approved of its host's ideas.

"That means I can see Life Force with my eyes. I wonder if other people can, or this is something only cultivators can do. The colorful threads in Anna's and Marie's bodies were… whatever energy fields emit. As for my Mental Power…" he quieted down. "Of course! I use it to click on your buttons and see other types of energy, but Mental Power itself is likely invisible. It's like trying to see your own eyes without a mirror!"

"Ding! Quest issued. Reward: 6,000 glory points. Objective: host has made important discoveries about World Tree cultivation. However, 1-stage was merely preparation, and only 2-stage is true beginning of cultivation. To prove dedication, please advance by one star."

"Your speech changes so much when you issue quests," laughed Michael. "And I have no need for your lousy points, I make more in a day! Still, free stuff is appetizing, ha-ha!"

He stood up, washed his face and brushed his teeth. The stingy Glory would probably reward him with a "clean teeth" ability next. Not that he minded anymore. With thousands of techniques up for grabs in the library, the basic abilities seemed less important.

Michael accessed the Internet and checked the news. He frowned at the sapphire's and the idol Liu Bin's disappearances. Both those accidents were likely not accidents at all. Invisibility, teleportation? Either supernatural power could be used in both cases. Michael had some knowledge about cultivation, but energy fields were a mystery.

Tai Chi level 5 cost 56,000 points. Clearly, the few years Michael had trained in the martial art didn't take him far, if level 5 out of 12 was already beyond his competence.

He changed clothes and collected his textbooks. There was still time to visit Anna in the infirmary.

.