Qi, Chaos, and Cultivation!

Time waits for no man and, even though it felt like yesterday that Qi had been introduced to Earth, a month had already gone by. Inside a big room somewhere in the USA, hundreds upon hundreds rolls of paper were scattered in an orderly manner.

In the midst of that orderly chaos, a young man emerged, his short, curly black hair framing a strong chin. Clad in unassuming and comfortable attire, his weary yet determined gaze fixed upon the sheets of paper cradled in his hands. This was Roy Sloan, scion of a billionaire father and a recognized prodigy in his own right.

Days had slipped away since he envisioned the creation of a groundbreaking global institution alongside his father. Now, owing to that ambitious vision, he found himself immersed in the very task he despised the most: paperwork. The boy wasn't sure if his father did that on purpose, but in any case, it was better that way. Moreover, the fact that the work was related to Cultivation, the thing he loved most, made the activity bearable to some extent.

It wasn't specifically about the cultivation process but rather about the cultivators themselves. In pursuit of his grand plan for a global cultivation organization, James Sloan, his father used his enormous influence and his neverending wealth to amass as much information as possible from individuals who had achieved at least the First Stage of Body Tempering.

As it turned out, several governments scrutinized these individuals more closely, and certain pieces of information proved exceptionally challenging to obtain. Nonetheless, the sheer volume of papers scattered across the room attested to the success of James's influential efforts.

The paper sheets not only contained basic information such as ages, height, strength; but they delved into personal nuances such as food preferences, languages spoken, sexual preferences and hobbies. Roy couldn't fathom how some files were so intricately detailed, but the depth of information proved immensely beneficial.

"Ah, another one in the Second Stage of Body Tempering..." Roy's smile waned slightly as he delved into the specifics. "Eighteen years old, residing in Florida, with blond hair; orphaned, struggling financially, and burdened with a sister battling cancer..."

Recognizing the potential for a devoted ally, Roy meticulously preserved the file in a separate document.

Nevertheless, Roy wasn't the sole individual dedicating time in this project; his father had deployed additional personnel to sift through potential candidates. Contrary to the boy, the operatives were aware only of the collaboration between the three billionaires—Diamond Pharma, Robotics Alliance, and James—and their initiative to hire a group of individuals with any level of Cultivation for an undisclosed global project.

There was another layer underneath this plan, which was being carried out by Roy alone: he was recruiting some secret personnel, people that would be loyal only to his father and him. 

"First Stage of Body Tempering, has killed three guards and escaped prison." Roy ripped the paper in a decisive motion. "Nope, that's a definite 'no'."

Engulfed in a whirlwind of activity, the month whisked by in a blur for Roy. His days were primarily consumed by three things: increasing his own cultivation, an insatiable hunger for knowledge about anything involving cultivation, and supporting his father with the new organization.

His existence had become wholly centered on cultivation, casting aside the long stretches of monotonous boredom he felt before. Roy found himself totally immersed in this new world, tiring his ever racing mind for the first time in his life. Because of that, the young man utilized his nimble intellect and the extensive data amassed by his father to derive several noteworthy conclusions.

Initially, Roy attempted to cultivate the other Cultivation books bought by his father, as well as those available on the internet. Unfortunately, even though there were similarities, it seemed that his body could not follow two types of cultivation manuals at the same time. Be it the Qi or the differences in the pathways that prevented it, he did not know. In any case, he concluded that people could not cultivate more than one manual at a time.

Simultaneously, Roy stumbled upon a recurring statement in every cultivation book—an intriguing mention of a higher realm attainable after the Body Cultivation Stage, known as the "Foundation Establishment Realm." Yet, intriguingly, none of these texts elucidated the pathway to reach it. Piecing together the limited information available, mostly from books and cultivation novels he had immersed himself in, Roy deduced that in this realm, cultivators could manipulate Qi outside their bodies. From that day forward, Roy poured even more energy into his cultivation.

His second theory revolved around the pace of cultivation, on how fast could people cultivate. Considering that the cultivation 'hype' on Earth was booming and an increasing number of individuals were constantly embracing the practice, disparities in breakthroughs soon became apparent. While some individuals progressed effortlessly, some were not even able to cultivate at all!

Merely one month had passed since the cultivation books appeared on Earth, and with many people commencing their cultivation journeys weeks later, Roy found himself grappling with the uncertainty of what dictated the varying speeds of progress. Was it innate traits, the mere type of cultivation manuals, or could the environment itself play a pivotal role? As he navigated through these unanswered questions, Roy reflected on the variables at play. 

Acknowledging that only a handful had achieved the First Stage of Body Tempering, he couldn't help but feel fortunate to have advanced to the Third Stage in such a short span.

Perhaps he was not only a genius when it came down to IQ.

Moreover, the data at his disposal estimated that a mere 1% of cultivators globally attained a level equivalent to his own, and no one stronger had been identified! It became clear for him that some people realized that the Earth would soon face an enormous change. Indeed, should this widening disparity in strength persist, the delicate power balance maintained over the century would undergo a profound and far-reaching shift.

"Yet another one..." the young boy murmured, safeguarding this potential loyal ally as he surveyed the vast pile of paper to his right. "Damn, there are still so many!"

Last but certainly not least, Roy mulled over how to harness the Qi stored in his dantian. If the Earth was indeed mirroring the light novels he loved, it implied that Qi could be wielded in myriad ways. Unfortunately, the enigmatic cultivation books in his possession said nothing about this aspect; they solely focused on enhancing one's body and mastering the proper cultivation techniques. For some reason that felt amiss, if the Qi was so powerful, there should be many more ways to use it, right? 

Motivated by this realization, the boy exerted great effort to control the minute amount of Qi within his dantian, attempting to shape it with his mind. Fortunately, after numerous unsuccessful attempts, drawing inspiration from novels, Roy improvised and achieved success in enveloping his fists with Qi.

The minuscule layer of Qi was nearly imperceptible to the eyes, and the effort to maintain it was overwhelmingly demanding. Nevertheless, the results surpassed expectations: the boy could now shatter concrete walls with his punches, albeit feeling quite fatigued after a few attempts.

Roy soon found himself immersed in his own thoughts, envisioning the possibilities of an extraordinary life and thrilling adventures—much like the novels he cherished—wondering what mysteries held the realm above the Body Tempering.

*Ding*

His contemplation was abruptly halted by a message from his father.

[Check this video!!] Only a few words accompanied a video link.

Roy's curiosity got the better of him, and he opened it.

Initially, an endless desert unfolded on the screen. The sand gleamed brightly under the blue, clean sky dancing between the neverending dunes as the wind blew. Unfortunately its beauty was not entirely shown because the video appeared to be made with a cheap camera by an amateur.

Frowning, Roy pondered, "Is this some kind of announcement? Perhaps a new camera?"

Why would his father send him something like that? Did he send it by mistake? Curiosity overtook him and so he watched.

The video seemed to traverse the dunes and then zoomed in on a small scorpion.

"Oh, it's probably a new perfume!" Roy chuckled, recognizing the signs of yet another absurd perfume advertisement. His father had a habit of sending him such amusing clips, and they had often shared a laugh over these nonsensical ads.

Unexpectedly, the camera pulled back, revealing a city in the distance. The scorpion was making its way toward it.

"Wait! T-that's a real scorpion!" It was only at this moment that Roy grasped the true scale of the creature, realizing it was anything but small.

This was no perfume advertisement.

The scorpion, in all its menace, bore a deep, glossy black hue. Its black exoskeleton stood out amid the yellow sands and the blue sky, adding yet an ominous feeling to its already formidable appearance. The darkness of its color intensified the creature's dangerous presence as it traversed the terrain effortlessly.

The creature, akin to a small house in size, traversed the dunes with remarkable ease, seemingly unaffected by its substantial dimensions. Swiftly, it approached the city, and that's when the worst occurred.

Unfortunately or not for Roy, the amateur video shook and the image blurred as the scorpion obliterated everything in its path. Numerous houses were reduced to rubble, cars were crushed and people were killed with each strike of its pincers. 

Gunshots echoed as attempts were made to resist, yet nothing managed to penetrate the creature's dark carapace. The scorpion resembled nothing less than a colossal, mobile tank, impervious to the feeble efforts of those who dared to oppose it.

Moments later, Roy watched in astonishment as two jets soared over the city, causing the video to tremble.

The huge scorpion turned around, attracted by the newest addition. The jets looped back, preparing for another pass over the city.

Without taking a breath, Roy observed intently. He was aware that the fighter jets would unleash a barrage upon the beast. Deep down, a part of him was silently cheering for the creature, eager to witness the extent of cultivation's power.

A second later, as the jets drew closer, the scorpion shot its pincers upwards. While the height wasn't enough to reach the flying planes, it became apparent that catching them wasn't its intention. Suddenly, an immense volume of sand swirled around the creature. A sandstorm was imminent!

"T-that's Qi!" Roy couldn't help but to exclaim inside his room, nearly falling off his chair.

*BOOM!*

The volume of sand was so immense that it enveloped the creature just seconds before the missiles were launched. The impact resulted in a colossal explosion, obscuring the view in the amateur video.