“It’s more than that. The qi you condensed from the island is part of you. If you gained enough qi from it, the island will recognize you as part of it. From there, you can slowly become it’s master. By the way, what are you doing?”

“I am trying to create a new set of moves by combining my cultivation techniques with my normal fighting style. How long would your method take? How long do I have to cultivate before the island consider me part of it?”

“Years, but there are ways to shorten that time frame.”

“How?” Victor asked as he charged at the tree again.

“Increase the qi of the island.” Reunion said. “You don’t have to do anything great. Just maintain the island, and make sure it is not destroyed. Don’t pollute it, don’t do things to hurt it like mining or logging, and introduced new life to it. Anything that increase the qi of the island would do. Peach blossoms are especially popular.”

“Peach what?”

“Peach blossoms,” the system repeated. “It is a flower that’s high in qi. Peach Blossom Islands are highly prized in several cultivation worlds.”

“That’s it? All I have to do is to introduce this flower to the island and I’m good?”

“Hardly. That’s just the start. You still need to cultivate to a higher level. Your level is just too low to be an island master.”

“So, I guess I have to buy a bunch of peach blossom flowers when I return to Velocity City.”

“Seeds,” Reunion corrected. “You need to buy the seeds and plant it. And it doesn’t have to be peach blossom, any flower or plants high in qi would do.”

“Oh? What other kind of flowers should I look out for?”

“For a comprehensive list, I recommend “Cultivation Flowers, Herbs and Plants”. It is available at my cultivation shop for the low price of three hundred points.”

“Peach blossom it is then.”

Victor had no interest in the system’s sales pitch when he only had twenty points left. As the system grumbled, Victor threw a left hook at the tree before going into a Flurry of Punches. The experimental combination didn’t work as there was a slight delay to bring his left hand back into defensive position. In the two fights he had since coming out of prison, Victor noticed a problem.

He was rusty. Twenty years in prison had rusted his skills, and age had done the rest. Cultivation helped him win the fights, but against tougher opponents, the problem will be tougher to overcome. He needs to get in fighting shape and get his body used to using the cultivation techniques. Fights are messy, you usually don’t have time to think, and an opening could last a second. Miss it and the chance to win the fight is gone. Ideally, Victor wanted to find a way to incorporate his cultivation techniques into his moves and combined them into a new fighting style. It was easier said than done.

“Make no difference to me.” Reunion said. “Do you want to go to the last location? I think you will like it.”

Victor nodded and the system told him to go to the north of the island. As Victor hadn’t went into his cooldown, he decided to jog. Victor found that the northern part of the island was hilly. There were several small hills and Reunion guided him to a small cave at the side of one of them. The cave was the entrance of a dark tunnel, but Victor had no materials to make a torch. Reunion told him not to worry and to go in. Victor did as he was instructed and within ten meters, he realized why.

Victor felt a breeze from deep within the tunnel as qi flowed out. Floating lights, several meters apart, appeared in the tunnel. After the bridge and the meadow, Victor was no longer surprised by this. He noticed that the lights had a ghostly feel to them. He frowned. Victor had seen ghosts before, and he wasn’t a fan. He walked further into the tunnel.

The tunnel led Victor to a twisting stairwell that went down to an extremely wide room. The center was dominated by a big platform and several stone columns surrounded it. Each column was about three meters high and had a blue flame on it. The flames illuminated the room.

Tables lined the left wall, and to the right were several man-sized dummies. Victor took a closer look at the dummies and noticed that they were made from different materials. Wood, stone, and even metal. Victor had an inkling of what this room was.

“Reunion, is this a training room?”

“A training hall. The training dummies you are so interested in are called training golems. They are automatous with a set of moves already inscribed on them. Cultivators in the Nine Lands used them to train their students. As you are only in the Foundation Stage, you can used them to further your training.”

“The homestead, the meadow, and now this training hall. I thought you said this island was deserted?”

“It has been over four hundred years since someone step foot on this island. I think that counts as deserted, don’t you?”

“Someone made all these. What if the guy’s descendent or family come looking for the island?”

“Then the family will need to find a way to trace the island to this dimension, and to this planet. How likely is that?”

“Unlikely, but considering you could teleport the whole island here, it’s hardly impossible!”

“Anyone ever told you that you worry too much?” The system complained. “Look, do you want me to take back the island? I can do that, you know.”

Victor kept silent as he realized he may have pushed the system too far. He shook his head and looked at the underground training hall. It was great. In fact, the whole island was great. Victor never had an island of his own before, and he had to acknowledge that Reunion was right. Why should he be worried about the owners of the island? He was a villain. He had stolen before, and this island was the biggest score he ever had. He was becoming a worrywart.

“Sorry, Reunion. You are right. This is a great island. Thank you.”

“You are admitting that you are wrong? Will wonders never ceased?”

“I am man enough to admit when I am wrong. Now if you will excuse me, I have some training to do.”