Manager Ma's gifts

As soon as the dawn arrived, Li Yu opened his eyes and let out a yawn. Studying the cultivation technique was very boring for him, who was new to the cultivation world. If those mortals who wanted to be cultivators knew that Li Yu complained about cultivation being boring, who knew what they would do? Would they cry for heavens being unfair, or would they attempt to murder Li Yu?

After few hours of comprehending the technique, Li Yu realized that Lesser Five Elements Circulation Part-I was divided into four stages- Imitation, Creation, Branching and Circulation. These four stages were further divided into low, mid, high and peak sub stages. The higher the stage he would reach, higher the quality and quantity of his spiritual energy would be, and faster his cultivation would rise.

At the Imitation stage, his spiritual energy would be imitating the five elements. He would have to consume resources of five elements to improve in this stage, as pure spiritual energy would only increase the stages of cultivation, and not the stages of cultivation technique. At the Creation stage, his spiritual energy would be able create the five elemental energies from pure spiritual energy of the surroundings, and hence, resources of five elements would no longer be important for increasing the stages of cultivation technique, only pure spiritual energy would suffice. At the Branching stage, his spiritual energy would be divided into five elemental spiritual energies. At the Circulation stage, his five types of spiritual energies would circulate, engendering each other, thus drastically increasing the quality and quantity of his five spiritual energies.

Li Yu now understood that a cultivation technique was not a simple method, but a progressive method. He would have to progress in the cultivation technique as well to improve his cultivation.

Li Yu got up, and looked towards Li Ming. He took Li Ming in his arms and went in the house, laying down Li Ming on the bed that Li Ming used to sleep on when he was at home. He planned to cremate Li Ming that day at dusk. Planning to go to the inn during afternoon, he went to his room, sat on the bed, and started following the methods shown in cultivation technique.

The sun gradually rose higher in the sky as five hours passed by. Li Yu had been sitting for five hours straight, yet he did not feel the strand of spiritual energy entering his acupoints as mentioned in the cultivation technique. The only thing he felt after five hours was the soreness of his butt and numbing of his feet, as his bed was not that comfortable to sit on. Li Yu opened his eyes as he couldn't take it anymore, and went in the chat room to ask for some advice. There were 47 online out of 126 users.

UserM78-' Hello everyone, I have some doubts regarding initial steps of my cultivation. How much time does it take for our acupoints to sense and absorb the first strand of spiritual energy?'

UserF57-' Yo newb! I took about half an hour to sense when I started.'

UserM43-' I took about an hour.'

UserF57-' Heeheehee, I knew I was more talented than you, 43.'

UserM43-' Talent means nothing. Hard work plays an important role as well. With that playful disposition of yours, I bet you would amount to nothing, whereas I will take slow but steady steps to become an invincible expert.'

UserF57-' Oye oye, don't look down on me. I am definitely more hardworking than you.'

UserF24-' You both are always online, how can you say that you are hardworking?'

UserM96-' Okay, stop it! Little boy 78, you won't be able to sense spiritual energy any time soon, as probably you are in the mortal area, where spiritual energies are very low, and hence it will be hard to sense and absorb them. Your only option is to join some cultivation sects, which are mostly located in areas with dense spiritual energies, or use spirit stones instead of surrounding spiritual energies. Oh right, you won't be able to use spirit stones as opening the spatial ring requires one to be at least at 1st stage of Qi Expansion stage. I was lucky to have a sect near my home, so I was able to enter it as an outer disciple and reach the 1st stage after 10 days of cultivation.'

Reading the chats inside his head, Li Yu was a bit depressed at the wasted five hours which resulted in nothing. However, remembering the low grade spirit stones that he exchanged from manager Ma, he became excited and quickly left the chat room after excusing himself from everyone. He searched around for a bit and found the spirit stones.

Taking one in his hands, he again sat down to cultivate. Three hours went by as he finally felt the first strand of spiritual energy enter his body. It quickly drilled from the acupoint of his palm in which he held the spirit stone, and entered his body through the meridians in his arm and into his dantian. Li Yu knew that when many such strands would form a Qi pool, he would enter the Qi Expansion 1st stage. As he would progress in the Qi Expansion realm, the Qi pool will gradually turn into a Qi pond at 4th stage, then Qi lake at 7th stage and finally Qi sea at 10th stage.

Forming one more strand after three more hours of cultivation, he stopped, walked out of his house and left for the inn. Entering the inn, he saw manager Ma sitting behind the counter idly, reading some book which he assumed to be the account book. Manager Ma heard the sound of his footsteps, and looked up to see Li Yu walking up to the counter. Manager Ma said, " Are you sure that you want to go to the Dark Forest?"

"Yes" Li Yu replied firmly.

"OK, so let me lend you some help. I have already sent some men to get some dried up branches of Yellow Leaf trees. You don't have to buy any. First, let's send your brother away nicely." manager Ma said.

"Fine" said Li Yu. He was grateful towards manager Ma, who had always helped him whenever he needed.

Workers of the inn sent by manager Ma returned with loads of branches. Li Yu, manager Ma and the workers carrying the branches set off in the direction of his home.

The workers arranged the branches in an orderly fashion around the house, and then left. Li Yu went in the house to take a last look at his brother, before burning the branches, which set the house on fire, and stood near the house to watch it burn, with manager Ma right behind him.

Watching the fire consume the house slowly, Li Yu had a lost look in his eyes as he looked at it, lost in nostalgia. He remembered his parents, his brother, and everything that had transpired in his life so far.

His father was a strongly built man with a scary looking face but a gentle heart. He fell in love with his mother at first sight, but was too shy to confess. He was a caring husband and a doting father. He had never scolded Li Yu or Li Ming. Li Yu still remembered how, when he was still a child, his father would come home after the day's hunts, and Li Yu would ask him to be a horse. His father would always smile and get down on his knees, acting as a horse for him to ride. He would never say no, no matter how tired he was. During archery practice, he would always console Li Yu when he missed the target, and always cheer when he got arrow right on the target. His father's embrace was like a safe haven to him, where he always felt sheltered. Li Yu had always secretly felt that he had let his father down whenever he used bow and arrows to hunt like he always did.

His mother was slim and beautiful lady, who always had a calm smile on her face. She was a bit more strict than his father, as she was always worried about Li Yu getting hurt when he acted mischievously. She had married his father after getting to know his nature, and felt that he was cute. She was the one who had confessed first. Li Yu liked his mother's cooking very much. She would always make him any dish he wanted. Li Yu still remembered how his mother always sung him lullaby until he slept. They were not rich, hence she would make everyone's clothes herself at home. He still remembered how nice and warm they felt. His mother's embrace was like a paradise on earth for him, where he always felt calm and at peace. He had promised her on her deathbed to always take care of Li Ming. His heart pained as he remembered the broken promise.

Watching as the house burned, he felt as if his heart was turning cold. Slowly closing his eyes, he let the heat from the fire wash over him, as if trying to warm his cool heart, like a drowning person grasping at straws. Every memory he ever had of in the burning house was like a knife piercing through his heart. It felt as if some part of him was burning away from him along with the house.

Manager Ma stood behind Li Yu, watching Li Yu with a complicated gaze. When he saw Li Yu the first time when he had hired him, he felt nothing but contempt and disdain for a cowardly and sneaky hunter like Li Yu. As a mandatory procedure, he had to check the background of his workers, hence he got to know of Li Yu's circumstances. After that, his view of Li Yu started to change, as he saw Li Yu as a youth who would do anything and go to any lengths for his loved ones. Hence, manager Ma started allowing Li Yu to earn more from the inn and eat anything he wanted from the inn.

Manager Ma, who was a crippled cultivator, who had no family, and whose friends had died in an expedition with him being the sole survivor, was a lonely person seeking company in his twilight years. Hence, he befriended a similarly lonely Li Yu, who was shunned by everyone except his little brother. He remembered how he had to act like a drunk once, when he noted that Li Yu was starting to be tempted to try to be an 'Immortal', to try to scare him out of his delusions. He still secretly laughed sometimes as he thought of Li Yu's scared expression.

In fact, if not for knowing Li Yu's love and yearning for his deceased parents, and his nature of bearing everything by himself silently and almost stubbornly, manager Ma would have long ago suggested to adapt both Li Yu and Li Ming, letting them be the manager for the cultivator he worked, and getting retired himself. He could only secretly give them some benefits, not wanting them to be indebted to him.

Watching as the once cowardly and sneaky youth change into a melancholic youth, watching as the youth who was scared of hardships of cultivation world, now determined to enter it, manager Ma couldn't help but let out a sigh.

The house burned till late into the night. After one last look at it, Li Yu returned with manager Ma, who had waited for him till the end, to the inn. At the counter, manager Ma opened the drawer whose only key was in his hands. Taking out a book and five rings from it, he said, " Listen to me very carefully if you don't want to lose your life. I was once a cultivator but got crippled during an expedition with my friends. I was the only one to survive from my group. I kept all the gains from the expedition. As I was crippled, I could not live in the sect that I belonged to anymore. Fortunately, I used to run errands for the sect master's daughter, who helped me build the inn. Her name is Qing Mei, and the inn was named by herself during its opening. Here are the things that I am giving you. This is a cultivation technique and these are low grade Human tier spatial rings..."

Manager Ma continued to speak about whatever uncle 96 had said before. However, manager Ma did not speak about body cultivation and soul cultivation. Nor did he speak about Mortal Body realm and Mortal Soul realm. He also only mentioned the first three grades of artifacts, techniques and spiritual roots and pills. He also did not know about cultivation realms above Golden Core stage. Clearly, the amount of knowledge that he knew was limited as compared to uncle 96.

"Everything that I owned previously is inside this ring. And these four rings are of my friends. There is a token inside my ring which was given by young lady Qing Mei. It will be your proof of being related to me. I am sure she will take you under her wings. Now listen, you are to only enter the Dark Forest if you reach the 1st stage of Qi Expansion realm. Go rest tonight at the inn, tomorrow I will bring you some change of clothes. Don't dress so inappropriately anymore, you are about to become a cultivator" manager Ma had a kind smile on his face as he finished.

Li Yu did not utter a word as he heard everything silently. After manager Ma had spoken, he just got down on his knees and knocked his head thrice in gratitude, trying to restrain himself from the emotions he felt due to being cared for.

Manager Ma quickly held him up, and said "What are you doing? These things are useless to me already. It's better to let you have them then letting them rot with me. Go to sleep now, you have to wake up early tomorrow"

Li Yu nodded his head, and went towards his designated room to rest for the night. After a quick dinner, he cultivated for three hours and absorbed another strand of spiritual energy, before going to sleep.