Chapter 1: Forgotten Child
I sat on the barrier smoking a cigarette. I stopped halfway, after taking some deep long puffs. Pressing its red glowing end on the barrier, I snuffed out the light and threw it down the mountain.
I got up.
It was inside a park which is situated in a small plateau in the north-eastern edge of Ameiti City. The sprawling city lay below me, at the foot of the plateau and a towering mountain on my other side.
The lights from the cars and buildings seems like innumerable fireflies in the dark background.It was already close to 8 o'clock in the evening. I should go back and study for my math test tomorrow.
I have completed my daily workout session. 500 push-ups, 500 squats, 500 sit-ups and 300 pull-ups, coupled with 30km running. A frugal plan, if you ask me. Sometimes I go to the Gym, mostly 4 times a week. I pick up a couple of weights, nothing more. This has been my plan for last month. Before that … I never recall exercising.
I came back to my apartment, running those remaining 15km to fulfill my quota. I lived on the first floor of the two storied house. There are three other apartments. I have two rooms for myself along with an attached kitchen and a toilet. One of the rooms is my bedroom and study, the other is the living room. The living room connects the kitchen, washroom, the front door and my bedroom.
After having a dinner consisting of cold soup and rice along with some packaged milk, I went to prepare for my test. Studies is damn easy for me. In fact, too easy. More than enough to qualify the SAT. Nevertheless, I leave half of the questions blank, I never feel like wasting first year of my high school being called a genius. A nameless kid in the corner, such bliss!
I browsed through the whole book once. Easy. I have never really studied science or maths subjects. For commerce, geography and history, attending the class in enough. I sometimes used to study the languages, finglish and hojanese, before in the home. I have studied a little to much, after going through the book for a couple of times, it seemed useless.
Packing the bags for tomorrow's class, I sat on the floor to cultivate. I removed the clothes, to increase the flow of energy. Also it is quite hot in May. My body would heat up while cultivating and start fuming, releasing a copious amount of obnoxious smelly brownish sweat. I have no wish to soil my shirt.
I kept the cultivation manual open in front of me and started. The pure energy all around me got sucked within me. I circulated them all around my body and then ejected them out of my body. I still haven't completed the cleaning phase. I am quite busy with sensing, absorption and circulation for the past month.
I looked at the manual once. It said that unless the body is purified and the bone is strengthened, I should not form a soul sea. I tried turning over the pages once, all of them were blank, except for the first three pages. They told about removing the impurities and strengthening the body. Well, whatever.
Today it seemed different somewhat. The impurities have stopped oozing out. Is the cleansing phase completed?
Suddenly I felt an immense power surge. My five senses went haywire. I was left in a sense of euphoria as the energy got sucked in. An immense amount of power started to concentrate near my bones. I could hear faint cracking sounds with extreme amount of pain.
I persevered. Each part of my body seemed to burn. My hair started to grow. A thick tuft of brown wavy hair appeared. Their ends still had the black dye. I dyed my hair black, as far as I remember, as it's natural colour always gathered unnecessary trouble. The muscles quivered and turned numb. The bones seemed to containing a red ant's nest.
I have no idea how long I was in that state. When everything stopped, it was already dawn. My hair has reached my hips and my height seems to have increased by 2 inches making me 5feet 5inches. Everything was very sudden. I washed myself and looked in the mirror.
Before me lay a young boy with a V-triangular face, wide well shaped jaw with slightly thinner cheek bone and temples. Angular and sharp features.My eyes were large and round with grey iris giving off a mesmerising expressive twinkle. A perfect set of well aligned symmetrical teeth can be seen between the thin lips. Old stuff.
My skin tanned overnight skin with a warm golden-brown tint and long chestnut-brown wavy hair on my head. My body has turned to a well-balanced lean muscular build with a natural straight posture. These were some extra changes.
No matter how many times I look at myself, this body never seemed to belong to me. I put on the black contact lens. I chopped off my hair and applied the dye. It turned messy, like it always did. I threw it over my eyes and left the washroom.
I was surprised on looking at the open manual. Five new pages seemed to have unlocked. Formal cultivation has started. These five pages were for five realms, each focusing on one of the five senses. Each five realms came with two methods. After these five realms, there will be the first enlightenment, The Dragon Gate. That will open the path of real cultivator as I will gain my three cores. Long way to go!
I turned to look at the realms:
'Realm of Savour
Strengthens the sense of taste.
Methods-
Food atomization: User will be able to gain knowledge on the components of the food he has tasted. This information is based on relative sense of taste and can only be used if the user is exposed to the ingredients beforehand.
Taste of corruption: User will be able to identify poisons and corrupted herbs by touching them with the tip of his tongue. User should take caution that this method does not provide resistance to any poison whatsoever.'
'Realm of smell
Strengthen the sense of smell.
Methods-
Essence of identity: User will be able to remember the body smell of any person they have encountered. This sense may turn ineffective if user tag too many individuals.
Mucous of protection: User can create a thick slimy lining to prevent entry of suspended particles in the nose. The time of mucous secretion will be limited and the mucous will have a fixed adsorption value for diffused chemicals.'
'Realm of touch
Strengthens the sense of touch.
Methods-
Touch of death (analysis manual): A theoretical course to make the User aware of 108 vital points of a human body and detailed explanation of their working. This manual can be used only when coupled with some martial art technique.
Touch of thief (analysis manual): Basic thieves skills specially prepared by Rathir, first immortal master of the 'Hands of Darkness' from the 996th celestial era.'
'Realm of sound:
Strengthens the sense of hearing.
Art of harmony (analysis manual): A current manual for beginners to raise the User's love for music, created by 'The House of Celestial Bards'. Good for measurement of steps in combat and harmonizing the cultivation.
Cry of the hunter: Echolocation skill to detect the location of the enemies, better for use in open grounds. Also used for detecting barriers, though it is probable that enemy may take advantage of the user with this skill.'
'Realm of sight
Strengthens the sense of vision.
Eyes of snake: can be used to detect infrared waves. Works better at night.
Mimic of the day: helps the user to record the technique of the enemy, in a well illuminated place. The information may be used to mimic the skill, create a counter or anatomize it to components and make a new technique. This skill solely depends on users aptitude. Heavy use may induce blindness, should only be used in extreme cases.'
…
The techniques seemed like some real deal. Still I didn't feel anything, as if I have seen something more intriguing beforehand. Maybe nothing has been more surprising in my life than the appearance of this book.
I came across this book last month, when I came to the city from my village. It laid on the table along with a large mysterious safe by the wall. I was horrified to see it until I came across a short letter:
"The game has started. Your questions will only be answered when you reach your first gate of enlightenment, The Dragon Gate. Do not tell anyone about this. The warning for you own good.
We aren't mean people, we have given you the book of Celestial Cultivation. If you know how to harness it, you will probably be able to get back what you deserve. The time is short, so don't disappoint us. Failure leads to death and chaos.
Curiosity killed the cat, as the saying goes. Don't try to find us, we aren't somebody you can perceive. No one around you knows about us. We reveal ourselves at the right time to right people."
The letter seemed odd. What was meant by 'get back what you deserve'? What have I lost?
As far as I can remember I have always been quiet and silent. All I did was eat, sleep and study in a quiet rundown house in my village. Isn't my memory too much redundant? It seemed like a loop. It almost seems that I am living in a realistic game.
Nevertheless I have started started to cultivate. It seemed the most obvious thing to do after all. I have nobody. My parents died when I was young. I was left with a house and an old maid. The maid died few years back and I became all alone. I sold the house and the valuables and came to Ameiti City. I joined Ameiti High a month back as a first year high schooler. Generic.
Cultivate. I have never seen or heard anybody cultivate, still I know about it. Isn't it odd? I am so very strong and intelligent than everybody I have seen. Doesn't that make me a monster? Probably. I don't know anymore.
The letter gave me one specific order - cultivate secretly and become invincible. Well, that's what I have been doing since the last month. Maybe I will find my answers after crossing the so called Dragon Gate after rising through the five realms.
I tried to rake my memory once more. I could remember the events which happened since the last month - joining the gym, attending classes, drawing the backgrounds for the manga club, having lunch with Mitsuru, extorting money from the school bully while wearing a cap to hide my face. Yes! Pretty eventful.
I tried to dig in deeper. My mind got thrown in a loop when I tried to recall about my life before that. Eat - sleep - study. Seemed like some fake memories were deliberately planted on me while locking my real memories.
Well, I would definitely find the truth.
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