Cultivation Secrets

Teeth, claws, eyes, and hate surrounded me on all sides. Insectoid creatures with tufts of hair between their segmented exoskeletons and human faces stretching from their abdomens charged in a swarm. Most looked like apes with the mange. They spiraled around me like a swarm of bees. Some opened segmented jaws and sprayed jets of silk, other acid, and a few liquids that I suspected were.

One moment the temperature in the room was falling and then the liquids ignited. Explosive forces crashed into my barrier cracking it in places. Silk continued to fall from the more powerful spiderwomen above.

Some of the creatures used liquid gas. Two different type mixed and oxygenated. None of the creatures seemed bothered by the explosion.

I heard a chittering sound as multiple segmented creatures crawled over my barrier. The creatures that originally fired the liquid gases prepared to fire another volley. Javelins lay beside them from my automatic fire. Their exoskeletons were sturdy enough to withstand my javelins.

Speed was their weakness. Two fireballs formed in my palm before shrinking to the size of golf balls. Aura Rush heightened my reflexes just enough. I released my fireballs just as the liquid left the creature's mandibles. As the liquid left the creature's maws stray drops of liquid gas had already heated into vapor.

The room lit up exposing me to the ugly mishappen creatures around the room. Each was a mix of insect, humans, mammals, reptiles, and fish. I leapt in the air and flew after the silk spinning spiderwomen on the sealing.

On the ceiling they must have thought themselves relatively safe. My blade sliced through the nearest one under the chitin where the joints met. The spiderwoman screeched before tumbling into the mass of scrambling monsters below.

A javelin appeared in my hand crackling with shock damage and burning with charged stacked creeping flame. I threw the implement at one of the dryders.

It pierced through her abdomen and out her spine. She shrieked and slumped over while eyes on her waist blinked before two legs rose up and pulled the human half down. The large spider began its retreat while feeding off its human half.

The saw of Armageddon began to rev up it was time to truly go on the offensive while they were on the back foot. I spotted a monstrosity that was a mix of beetle and crocodile. That was their biggest tank. After I killed it, they'd rout for sure.

I dropped down and drove Diabla through it. The armored chitin and scales struggled for a moment before splitting open. Guts flew up as the teeth of my chainsaw yanked them out. The body of the creature seemed to make room for Diabla. More blood, guts, and bone flew out of the creature as pink paste while I lifted Diabla cutting through the beast.

With a pop my sword was free, and the beast lay split open with most of its innards sprayed upon the monsters around me. I turned my blade and slashed horizontally. The creatures that hid behind the beetle crocodile beast were much softer. None stopped my blade from working its way through them.

I felt it when the monsters' will to fight broke. They charged for the door and scraped against it. I heard a giggling like bells as I approached the monsters. My blade flashed and came down repeatedly. It felt no different than chopping wood. Most were too panicked to fight and some had started fighting each other for the back. Many had trampled others to get away.

Once that last enemy fell the door opened.

Ping!

Level Up

Level Up

Level Up

Level Up

Level Up

Level Up

Level Up

Level Up

HP and AP restored

+640 to HP and AP

+64 to all stats

Jacob lvl20 Black Galaxy Noah

HP: 71.440

AP: 141,760

Cultivation

Refinery: Stage 5

Attributes

Constitution 291

Endurance, 332

Strength 251

Dexterity 241

Agility 282

Intelligence 584

Perception 448

Luck 193

I groaned as my bones cracked and my muscles spasmed. This was the first time I'd felt any backlash from leveling up. My mind burned and my senses intensified. It felt like my whole body was heating up. Small pours opened all around my body and steam blasted out of me. My aura intensified becoming twice as heavy. There was a weight to it that was unmistakable.

A frigid hand gripped my arm. "I suggest you get out of the open." Meng Fang said.

We crossed most of the hallway and found and empty room. Most of the creatures cowered and scuttled away at my approach. In an empty room I sat on an old bed and leaned Diabla against a wall.

"To have your level of power with such a low cultivation is embarrassing. You throw aura around like a child. Anyone experienced would have thrown sealing talismans on you until you couldn't fight any longer." The Pill Master said.

Was that the meta of cultivators? Did they throw talismans and cancel out their opponents? That seemed boring. Was there a way to disable talismans?

"Most of what I know about cultivation is self-taught." I said.

Meng Fang snorted. "Clearly, you won't beat this nightmare game unless you have at least foundry stage 10 cultivation. That's the only way to put you on par with Deux Ex." Meng Fang said.

Cracking sounds filled the air while I rotated my shoulders. My whole body had locked up after leveling. I felt stiff. All over my body my muscles burned but I felt stronger. I've never felt a backlash from leveling before. Was I reaching some soft cap?

"Unless you have some secret cultivation technique to help me along the way there's no point in talking about it. I'll either win or lose." I said.

"The secret of cultivation is pills. The cultivation of the body must reach a certain point before the soul can cultivate. You swiped plenty of bone hardening and blood replenishing pills. Take them and strengthen your body.

I took the pill bottles out of my storage ring.

Bone Hardening Pill – Hardens bone to resist qi friction.

Blood Replenishing Pill – Regenerates blood during cultivation.