Awakened Battle Sense
The night after Su Liana's visit stretched long. Karma lay on his bed, staring at the jade-lined ceiling of his guest palace, her words echoing in his mind. Techniques have patterns, but you don't need to follow them blindly. Shape them to yourself.
He turned the thought again and again. On Earth, he had read martial philosophy in novels, boxed in dusty gyms, even dabbled in kendo during weekends. All of it taught him one truth: every body was different. Now, in this world of runes and qi, that truth carried even greater weight.
Rolling to his side, his thoughts wandered further. He connected the myths he knew—gods, demons, creatures from legend—with what Su Liana had mentioned regarding the hidden hands manipulating the mortal world, cycles of destruction and rebirth, and realms beyond sight. What if all those stories were echoes of hidden realms bleeding into mortal history? And if the cycles were true, the end of Earth would come eventually. Maybe centuries away, maybe sooner. Could his knowledge of those stories convince the Su Clan or the Azure Edge Pavilion to act?
But another voice whispered in his head: What leverage do I have?
Would Su Liana listen? Her father? The Pavilion elders? Maybe if he proved Earth held potential talents… but bringing them here, nurturing them—was that even possible? His head throbbed with the weight of the questions. With too many questions but no answers, he called out to Mira to know if she could help.
"Mira," he murmured into the dark, "how much do you know about Earth?"
Her childish voice answered, calm but distant. "Not much, Master. But if you ever return, I can scan it. I use your body as a host to connect with worlds. On Earth, I was muted by lack of energy. Here, I am alive."
Karma's lips curved faintly. "That's… actually fantastic. We'll figure it out. Somehow." With scattered plans still buzzing in his head, sleep finally claimed him.
The Next Morning
Sunlight spilled over jade floors when he awoke. Stretching, he called, "Mira, any changes in me?"
"Yes," she said primly. "Very small improvements to your physique. But Master, you're still a mortal without treasures or cultivation techniques. I'm refining your body constantly, but without resources, progress will crawl. You need a real cultivation method. Soon."
"I'll find one," he muttered, a new sense of desperate urgency in his voice. He grabbed his wooden sword and headed into the courtyard.
The scrolls lay open on the stone table: Silent Flowing Steps. Iron Serpent Fists. Azure Moon Cleave. He breathed deeply and began again. At first, he followed the forms exactly as written—each stance rigid, each swing mechanical. But Su Liana's words pressed at him. Don't follow blindly. Make them yours. So he loosened his grip. Shifted his weight. Let his hips drive the sword, not his shoulders. Let his fists coil like the boxing strikes he once knew. Hours slipped by. Sweat stung his eyes. His muscles burned. But then—something clicked.
The world blurred. His mind stilled. His body moved without hesitation, each stance adjusting mid-motion, each strike flowing naturally. He entered the zone.
Back on Earth, athletes called it the zone—a state where time slowed and the body acted on instinct. Karma had felt it before, in games, in close brushes with accidents. But here, with spiritual energy coursing faintly through him, the zone became something more. He lost track of himself. His body moved without hesitation, each stance adapting, each swing adjusting mid-flow. The techniques weren't just drills anymore—they were alive.
When he finally stopped, chest heaving, hours had passed. He glanced at the scrolls, then at his hands. His cuts were steadier, his footwork lighter, and his fists sharper. He asked Mira to show his status.
In his mind, a glowing screen, like an ethereal projection, shimmered into existence. It didn't just appear; it coalesced from a tingling warmth in his mind, the characters of the Astral Vein World forming as if written in starlight. His breath hitched as he took in the changes. The lines describing his skills were no longer marked "Initial" or "Nascent," but something else entirely.
StatusScreen
Name: Karma Hi
Realm: Body Tempering – Early Stage (Concealed)
Talent: Average (Upgradeable)
Comprehension:Budding (Enlightenment: Devour – Minor Attainment)
Battle Sense: Natural (Awakened)
Techniques:
Silent Flowing Steps – Intermediate
Iron Serpent Fists – Novice
Azure Moon Cleave – Novice
Karma stared in disbelief. "Wow… I improved this much in less than a day?"
"Unbelievable…" Mira's voice, a surprised hum in his mind, pulled him from his daze. "Master, you have a natural battle sense. Most cultivators spend decades repeating forms until their bodies understand, but you… you adapted instantly. That's a cheat."
Karma's lips twitched. "Invincible, huh?"
"At the same level, your fighting power is always above your peers," she explained, a note of pride in her tone. "With me nurturing your body and enhancing comprehension, you'll rise even faster. So stop being so slow, Master, and get a good cultivation manual to absorb spiritual energy faster."
He chuckled. "You have a point, Mira. First, I need to learn about this world. Second, I need a cultivation technique."
His thoughts were interrupted by a knock. A guard bowed at the door. "Karma Hi. By order of Patriarch Su, all nurtured disciples will join a monster subjugation in the Greenfang Forest. Contribution points must be earned for the resources you consume. Prepare yourself."
The guard left without further explanation. Karma blinked, then grinned. "What luck. This is my chance to see the outside."
Mira's voice purred in his mind. "And maybe… to test that shiny battle sense of yours."
The next morning, Karma joined a group of Su disciples at the estate gates. There, waiting, was a beast-drawn carriage unlike anything he had imagined. The "horses" were no horses at all. Massive, four-legged creatures stood harnessed, their scales glinting like polished bronze. Their eyes glowed faintly, and when they exhaled, wisps of steam curled into the air. A low, rhythmic growl rumbled deep in their chests with each step, a sound that vibrated through the carriage floor. Their clawed feet pressed deep into the stone, leaving shallow craters in their wake. The air, thick with the scent of damp earth and distant, strange blossoms, rushed past him, a taste of a world he was only just beginning to understand.
The carriage itself gleamed with inlaid jade, its wheels inscribed with runes that softened every jolt, silencing the rumble of the beasts. When they pulled, the entire vehicle glided as if floating, the wind a gentle whisper against the window. From the window, Karma drank in the scenery. Rolling hills drenched in mist stretched endlessly. Forests of colossal trees loomed, their branches hung with glowing fruits. Far in the distance, jagged mountains tore the sky, their peaks capped with crystalline snow. His chest tightened with awe. Earth felt small compared to this.
Greenfang City
Hours later, the carriage rolled through the gates of Greenfang City, a bustling settlement perched at the forest's edge. Merchants shouted from stalls, selling fruits that sparkled faintly with qi. Forgers hammered glowing ingots into weapons. Armored guards patrolled streets lined with defensive arrays. Above it all, rising like a black spear, stood a stone building marked with a golden sigil: The Information Guild.
The disciples lodged in a modest inn to rest before the hunt. But curiosity gnawed at Karma. Slipping away, he entered the Guild.
The air smelled of ink and iron. Shelves groaned under scrolls, tablets, and crystals. Clerks in plain robes staffed counters, their gazes sharp and businesslike. He walked to a clerk, a man whose posture radiated a quiet arrogance. "Could I get some information on the Eastern Continent?" he asked, trying to sound as nonchalant as possible.
The clerk didn't even look up. "Two hundred spirit stones."
Karma's heart sank. He had nothing. Not even one. He wasn't just broke; he was functionally illiterate in this world's economy. The realization hit him with the force of a physical blow: Knowledge here is not a right; it's currency. And I am utterly bankrupt.
Swallowing his pride, he tried again. "Could I pay… differently?"
The clerk finally looked up, a flicker of cold amusement in his eyes. "Ten Qi Condensation demon beast cores." Karma's mind reeled. The phrase meant nothing to him, but the clerk's tone—and the casual way he demanded something clearly so valuable—made his heart lurch. "Qi Condensation? Is it a beast realm?" he muttered, more to himself than to the clerk. A soft, triumphant giggle echoed in his mind. "Well, Master… it seems you'll be hunting."
His gaze turned toward the forest beyond the city walls. Demon beasts roared faintly in the distance, their cries promising both danger and opportunity. He clenched his fists. Fine. I'll earn them myself. I'll get stronger, and I'll find a way to pay. But first, I need the basics. What is this Qi Condensation? What are these realms?
He asked the clerk if there was anything he could purchase with Astral coins, and the clerk pointed him to a nearby counter. There, among dusty, old scrolls, Karma exchanged the last of his allowance for a slim, unassuming scroll with a bizarre title: How Not to DIE in the Astral Vein World by Fatty. The name was strange, but a name meant nothing to a man who needed knowledge. He didn't care. It was a start. He rolled it up, its flimsy paper feeling like a lifeline.
As he left the Guild, the weight of the sword Su Liana had given him felt less like a burden and more like a promise. He glanced toward the shadowed expanse of the Greenfang Forest, its distant roars now a call to adventure rather than a threat. His first true test awaited in those woods, and now he had a plan, a goal, and the barest flicker of knowledge to guide him.