Chapter 6

I underestimated Refined Ki. It was supremely easy to cut out massive slabs of rock to use in my new home. After that I just had to arrange them all. In an hour I had my house framework completely built. Originally I was going to use cement to connect the slabs, but unfortunately I have no idea how to make cement. My rough attempt with stones and water failed miserably. So instead I just cut out hinges and held it together with the power of shapes! Yeah, I'm a terrible architect I know. At least I got some pillars for the roof. Wait a moment… I just thought of something.

"System, do you know how to make cement?"

[Yes.]

I'm an idiot. I have something similar to the internet beside me and I'm barely freaking using it. Hah… I hate looking at this destruction. "Hey System? How do you undo the damage?"

[First we will convert the Ki's intent into Growth and Repair; this will jumpstart the recovery of this mountain. By converting the Ki into a puddle technique, the spread will cover a greater area and start repairing the damage caused from the Cursed Constitution Awakening Punishment.]

"Cursed Constitution? What is that?"

[Cursed Constitutions allow for fast growth of cultivation, however it severely impacts the cognitive abilities of its host, severely one of the three, Empathy, Intelligence, or Wisdom. This is why most with Cursed Constitutions typically end up as murderous sociopaths.]

"So it's possible the only reason she just… left? Is it because of this?"

[No, she's just from a low level cultivation sect in this world. From what was found out with my scanning capabilities it is a normal occurrence on outer islands like this one. They do not know of the greater cultivation world and how different things are. Things like righteousness and code of honor are not widespread here. Originally she was going to kill you when she left, even though she changed her mind.]

If I was a anime character a bead of sweat might fall off my eyebrow. I was talking to her like a normal person and treating her like a gentleman, I didn't even have any improper thoughts since the first day! What the hell is wrong with her?! This will need to be rectified, when I get strong enough I'll have to imprint the idea of not being an ass to these cultivation sects to this island. Wait a moment. "Island? You mean this isn't the mainland?"

[No this is one of several islands. It's quite large in size, but it's nowhere near the size of one of the continents.]

"Hey system. How am I able to manipulate Ki so easily? It used to be difficult."

[Ki Circulation. As you are constantly circulating Ki through your body as you do tasks you have subconsciously gotten extremely good at Ki Control.]

"Like this?" I began to circulate the ki in my body from my dantian, constantly saturating my body.

[New IDLE Skill Unlocked, Ki Circulation LV 1, 1% Understanding Rate.]

My eyebrows twitched. "How come I'm only just getting this?!"

[You've only consciously circulated Ki to small parts of your body, never your entire body till just now. That triggered the conditions for this skill.]

"Please… tell me honestly, how many skills have I missed the chance to earn so far?"

[361 skills thus far.]

That is crushing. Like hell. Maybe I shouldn't have asked. "Am I stupid system?"

[Not really, just extremely lazy.]

Huh, I thought I got less lazy than when I started. I mean I was prepared to just up and die when I first arrived. I mean I was a fat guy in a forest without anything to rely on but a system that gave a tiny amount of Ki daily if I wasn't actively working on it. I definitely didn't want to work on it back then either. That reminds me. "You showed me that the Ki Accumulators require actual construction, how does actively pressing the accumulation button give me ki?"

[Unknown, the Dimensional Sovereign broke several laws of the Dao to make the Tapping part of the system; it makes no logical sense at all. The only reason that the IDLE System is a Silver System is due to this.]

"Wait, does that mean the ranks of systems aren't dependent on their ability, but dependent on how much they just don't make sense?"

[Correct.]

"That explains a surprising amount of novels from my world." Alright, stop getting side tracked Mountain, "System, what do I need to do to get the next skill?"

[Which skill?]

"What about a movement skill?"

[Checking Database. Several were found, filtering to level, filtering energy, filtering difficulty. Skills found. Isolating ones best suited for current host. Displaying.]

[Deliberate Movement Skill: All your movements are deliberate, have ultimate control over yourself. Skill Requirements: Cancel your movement 100 times consciously in a row.]

[Instantaneous Movement Skill: Accelerate to impressive speeds in an instant. Skill Requirements: Just keep trying to move as fast as you can from a standing position, keep doing this till you meet the unlock requirements.]

[Subtle Manipulation Movement Skill: Navigate different terrains with ease. Skill Requirements: Move over fifty different types of difficult terrain successfully.]

"System are you writing the requirements?"

[Correct, I'm translating the requirements in a way you will understand. There are more subtle requirements that you should meet by following the listed instructions. This is what most systems below Gold Tier do.]

"So I need to Cancel my movements intentionally. That doesn't sound too hard."

—Five Hours Later.

"I was fucking wrong."

It is surprisingly difficult to consciously stop yourself 100 times in a row. Meaning you can't let your subconscious do it or the count restarts. I mean, I started by just trying to lift my arm and stopping myself midway, but around thirty times I got bored and did it subconsciously, and restarted the count. So I tried again by doing pushups, turns out that doesn't count because the movement is still completed, so it doesn't actually count as stopped. I mean, I'm starting to see the benefits of the skill if I can get a hold of it. It would be like playing a fighting game against someone that constantly moves just outside of your range, even when you bait them they will suddenly stop or backup before they are in range of your attacks before taking advantage of that single moment you let down your guard and absolutely destroying you. So these skills are a bit more difficult than I thought, I might need to switch over. For now, let's keep trying. Although, I do feel like I got side tracked from finishing up my house.