As soon as the assassin passed out, Kaan relaxed slightly and asked Mei, "Do you have any cultivation? I don't have any."
Mei couldn't believe what she heard. In this world, even children had some level of cultivation. She looked at Kaan with disbelief. "Yes, I am currently at Level 2 Circulation stage, and that assassin was at Level 3. I could have handled him."
"So there are stages of cultivation, I see," Kaan thought excitedly. Since time was frozen on Earth, he realized he could become a powerful master here before returning. He then noticed the Spatial Ring on the unconscious assassin's finger and took it, but it wouldn't activate. He realized he must need some form of cultivation to activate it.
"Mei," Kaan said, moving toward the town in the south. "In my hometown, we don't have access to cultivation techniques, even the most basic ones. Can you explain the ranks for me?"
Mei became baffled as soon as Kaan said this, but she quickly explained. "Of course, I can. There are three levels in each main stage of cultivation. The Circulation Stage is the first. In this stage, you learn how to circulate Qi in your body, accumulate it from the environment, and open your meridians. After that is the Foundation Stage. Here, you harden your body, infuse it with Qi, and expand your Dantian (your vessel for Qi). And after the Foundation stage, you have the Mind Stage. In this stage, you harden your mental power, fueled by Qi, and expand your mind's capabilities to control your Qi and mental power."
Kaan was amazed by the systematic nature of these ranks and felt intensely excited to learn the stages, especially the Mind Stage, which sounded like a natural extension of his own mental calculation abilities. But his excitement was short-lived as his experience with Murim novels reminded him these stages took years, often decades, to reach.
After a while of traveling, they decided to stop for a moment.
"I need to go take a leak," Kaan said, grabbing his backpack and leaving Mei briefly. He had wanted to use the Universal Material Analyzer (UMA) on the assassin, but he could'n't because of Mei. He quickly rushed behind a cluster of large rocks and pulled out the fully charged UMA.
He aimed the UMA at the Spatial Ring.
Would you like to analyze this item?
YesNo
Kaan pressed 'Yes' without a moment's doubt.
Analyzing...
Item: Spatial Ring
Ingredients: Jade Stone 95%, Qi 5%
Status: New
Description: A ring that utilizes a 30 m³ subspace to store the owner's belongings. It uses a trashy security protocol.
"A trashy security protocol?" Kaan thought, a predatory smile stretching his face. "It means I can overwrite the signature once I gain some Qi. Nice! I will have spatial storage."
With this knowledge, Kaan set out his new priorities immediately:
"I have to learn how to cultivate Qi. That's the easiest path, since I saved Mei and her father is an influential figure in the Obsidian blabla. Secondly, i need to learn how to accumulate Qi via formations, which is the key to my mission.Most importantly, I have to become stronger, because this is a dangerous dimension. My Murim reading experience tells me one could get killed by a simple envy."
After sorting out his priorities, Kaan returned and they continued their journey.
"So, where are you from, Kaan? Do you have any parents?" Mei asked, trying to fill the silence.
"No, I don't. They both died in an accident while I was a baby," Kaan replied.
"Oh, sorry. I shouldn't have asked," Mei said with a hint of regret.
"It's okay," said Kaan. "I got used to it. In one way, I don't have anyone to worry about. When you put it that way, it becomes softer." He smiled bitterly. My parents didn't die in an accident, he thought. I had to lie. They left me in front of an orphanage.
Mei regretted asking the question and couldn't say anything more. "Again, sorry for asking. When we enter the settlement, I will take you to my Sect's branch. You will be treated well. After I tell my father the story, you might even get a reward."
"All right, thanks for having me, I guess," Kaan said awkwardly, and they continued their trip.
As they got closer to the settlement, they could hear the everyday sounds of the citizens: daily tasks, children playing.
"Stop! Show us identification, please," a guard commanded.
Mei stepped up and presented a wooden plaque with a cauldron emblem embedded onto it. The guard took the plaque, looked at it, and infused it with Qi to confirm its originality. As soon as he infused the plaque, a vibrant gold color appeared on its surface.
"We greet the Great Elder Chu's daughter, Mei!" the guards said in unison.
"Wow. Mei's father must be a real upper-class figure in this world," Kaan thought.
They passed through the gates and were immediately greeted by a grand boulevard that stretched nearly ten kilometers across the city. "Come on, Kaan," Mei said, pulling him forward. "This is the city of Shu. Our branch is right down the boulevard."
They walked approximately 1.5 km and arrived at a giant door inscribed with elegant calligraphy:
Obsidian Cauldron Pavilion
Number 1 Alchemy and Pharmaceutical Sect in the Central Plains.
Shu Branch.
"Wow, they sure are hefty rich!" Kaan thought.
"We greet the Great Elder Chu's daughter, Mei," the guards in front of the branch building said and opened the door.
As soon as the door opened, a sly-looking old man, despite his age, came running over. "Ah, what a pleasure! I didn't expect to see you here, Miss Mei!" said the old man. "I am Zhuo, the President of this branch."
"Thanks, Zhuo," Mei said. "We came here with my friend for a visit and were looking for a place to stay."
As soon as she said "friend," Zhuo turned his head and looked at Kaan. At that moment, Kaan felt a deep chill, feeling as if the man was looking right into his soul, assessing him.
"Hey, don't you dare assess my friend," Mei snapped, sensing the slight energy pressure. "He is a valuable friend to me."
"Sorry, Miss Mei. I did it unconsciously," the sly old man replied. "Why don't you wait in my office while I prepare your rooms?"
"All right," said Mei. "But can you send me a quill, an ink, and paper? I want to write a letter to my father right away so he doesn't worry."
"Of course, m'lady. I will send it to you right away," Zhuo said, thinking, Let's see who that rascal is really. Either he is too low level to assess, or too high level to bother.