Chapter III

Alex was currently smiling as he viewed the level up notification. 'I gained one intelligence again when it leveled up...Hmm, when it levels, so far it seems like the required experience increases by five each time...Hmm, open status window.'

*Ting*

Name: Alexander HartlowAge: 12Level: 0XP: 0/100Health: 10/10Qi: 0/10Energy: 81/110Satiety: 78/100Titles:

NoneStats:

Distributable Points: 0Constitution: 1Intelligence: 4Vitality: 1Wisdom: 4Stamina: 2Endurance: 1Strength: 5Charisma: 2Agility: 1Dexterity: 1Luck: 50???????????????????????????Attack: 1Defense: 0Element Resistance: NoneAdditional Information:Race: HumanGender: MaleElement Affinity: All ElementsAlignment: NeutralAllegiance: Undeclared

Looking at his status, he frowned. 'Crap, so Identify uses Qi. I used it five times...so it should cost two Qi for each use...Alright, at least now I know...But just how do I regain my Qi?...Maybe I should find a cultivator and ask them?...I have ten more energy now than I did before! So for each point of stamina I gain, it increased my energy by ten? Awesome!...Well for now I'll go back into the shop and see if dad needs any help.' Dismissing the various windows, he made sure all of his clothes were on before heading back into the shop's main room.

Walking over to the counter his father was standing behind, Alex asked, “Hey dad. You need any help?” Kaesan eyed his son before saying, “No, It's fine. I already said you can have the rest of the day off. After all you have a date later.” He winked as he mentioned the latter part. “Geeze dad. It's not a date!” Chuckling, Kaesan replied, “Right, right. Whatever you say son.” Reaching into his pocket he pulled out three silver coins and handed them to Alex. “Son. Why don't you go buy that girl a flower or something for when you see her later. She'll probably like that.” Alex's cheeks were turning slightly red as he looked away and said, “A-alright...thanks dad.” he took the silver and walked out of the shop.

** ** ** **

The town of Solaris where Alex and his family live is located within the Kingdom of Wrurin. This kingdom is one of many amongst the nations on the continent of Esari. All of the countries on the continent of Esari use a common currency system. This being copper, silver and gold coins. 100 copper coins equal 1 silver coin, 100 silver coins equal 1 gold coin. There are a few more things that are part of the currency system. However, those are things that commoners don't have the chance to use, only the rich and powerful do.

A farmer's family may be able to earn one or two gold coins in an entire year's amount of work. A Physician on the other hand could possibly make around ten gold in an entire year's amount of work. Where as an Alchemist could easily make tens, hundreds, thousands or hundreds of thousands of gold, depending on their level of skill. Although the disparity in income was huge, for a farmer with a family of three to four, one or two gold coins was more than enough to live on for a year. It would cost about five copper per person to eat each day. Now this would allow for a rather meek and modest lifestyle, with a tiny bit of extra spending money, but nothing extravagant.

Alex's family was rather well off. Thanks to his father's profession as a physician, their family made more than enough money to survive. They weren't rich but they weren't exactly poor either. There were plenty of people who were richer and more powerful than them. But what they had was more than enough to grant their son the life they wished for him to have. Not having to worry about when his next meal was, keeping him clothed and always having a roof over his head.

One of the reasons that Alex's family is well off, is due to two facts; that his father is a physician and his mother is a cultivator. Although she is only a low-rank one, she is able to hold her own against some of the low-ranked profound beasts and monsters that roam in the forest that is located to the south of the city. Thus, she is able to search for specific medicinal herbs that only grow in the forest and bring them back for Kaesan to refine into medicines or just sell as they are. With this combination, they have done fine for themselves.

** ** ** **

Alex had left his family's shop and was currently wandering in the town's market. There were many more people out and about on the streets due to the tournament that will be taking place in a city over. As such, he was also seeing a lot of cultivators walking about and checking out some merchant stall's wares. Alex walked over to where there seemed to be a hubbub of activity. 'Huh, wonder what the commotion is about.' As he arrived, he snaked his way through the crowd and reached the front. What he saw was two groups of people cursing and yelling at each other as a crowd surrounded them watching.

As he observed the quarrel, he inspected both sides. One side was a group of five boys that looked awfully familiar to him. While the other were three boys and one girl. All of them looked to be around thirteen to fourteen years old. He grimaced when he saw just who the five boys were. 'Ugh, it's them. They're the ones that almost killed me.' As he thought this, he moved back behind a couple of people to hide himself. He didn't want them to notice him, as that would probably cause some kind of disturbance.

Positioned behind a couple of men that were in the crowd, Alex looked to his left at middle-aged man who appeared kind. “Excuse me sir.” The kind-looking man glanced at Alex and said in a amiable tone, “Yes? Do you need something?” Alex smiled as he inquisitively asked, “Sir, do you know what's going on over there?” The man gave a wry smile as he answered, “That group of five provoked that group of four over some trinket. Apparently both groups are from different sects and now they're close to fighting it out.”

Alex's eyebrows were raised as he asked, “Sir, by chance do you know just what sects they're from?” The man brought his hand to his chin as he thought for a moment. As if he had just remembered something he said, “I believe that the group of four is from the Gallant Eagle Sect, while that group of five is from the Argent Viper Sect.” Alex smiled as he replied, “Thank you sir. Sorry to bother you.” The man nodded as he replied, “It's alright. Glad I could help.” The man then turned his attention back to the squabble.

Alex stared at the five boys from the Argent Viper Sect making sure their images were thoroughly ingrained into his memory. As he did so, his face unconsciously scrunched up into a frightening appearance while he thought menacingly to himself, 'When I have the strength I'll be sure to return what you all did to me ten fold...No, a hundred fold!'

Almost as if one of the boys sensed Alex's glare and killing intent, he looked over in Alex's direction. Startled, Alex quickly hid out of sight behind a large man. After waiting a moment, he peaked his head out. Luckily the boy had already changed his attention back to the group of four from the Gallant Eagle Sect. Sighing in relief, Alex thought, 'Holy crap! That was close. I wonder what-' Cutting his thoughts off was the sound of multiple chimes as a few status windows appeared.

*Ting*

Congratulations! You have learned the skill [Emit Killing Intent – Beginner]

*Ting*

Congratulations! You have unlocked a new stat [Bloodlust]

*Ting*

You have gained 2 Bloodlust (+2 BLDLST)

Staring at the status windows that appeared, Alex was dumbfounded. 'I-I...How? I only thought of how much I plan on paying back those guys for what they did to me...That somehow earned me a new skill? Huh...' As he sort of watched the two groups of sect members quarreling, he was also examining his new skill and stat. 'Help Bloodlust. Open Skill Window.'

*Ting*

Bloodlust (BLDLST) – the desire to kill or maim others. This stat will affect certain skills. (One of which being - Emit Killing Intent. Bloodlust will make your killing intent stronger.)

Skills:

Deception Level 1 [5/10xp] Beginner (Passive) – the skill of deceiving others. Allows the user to be more successful in the art of misleading and lying to others.

Identify Level 3 [0/20xp] Beginner – allows you to attempt to identify any item. Successful attempts will allow you to see various detailed information about the item.

Emit Killing Intent Level 1 [0/10xp] Beginner – allows you to give off or transmit killing intent. Capable of frightening others. May affect their mental state, impacting their combat performance.

After he read the effects of his skill and new stat, he looked around at the surrounding people. Smiling to himself, he thought, 'Hmm, well I guess that settles it. All these people here and no one saw my status windows. So I'm assuming I'm the only one that can see them...This is very handy.' Dismissing the status windows, he turned his attention back to the two groups of cultivators. 'Oh, it seems like things are escalating.'

The two groups were preparing to attack each other when an elderly man dressed in a green robe came forth from the crowd. He stopped in between the two groups and harshly scolded them, “What are you all doing!? Cut it out! Not in the middle of the town!” The group of four from the Gallant Eagle Sect immediately calmed down and respectfully responded, “Yes Elder.” However, the group of boys from the Argent Viper Sect attempted to provoke the elder. “Oh if it isn't one of their trashy elders. Hmph! You think you can hide behind one of your sect's crap elders. This old dotard is only at the mid-stage advanced rank. For an elder, that's pathetic!”

As the group from the Gallant Eagle Sect heard this, they became enraged. “Don't you dare insult our elders!” They once more prepared to fight. Abruptly, without warning, the elder in the green robe dashed forth and struck the boy who had insulted him directly in the chest with a palm strike. The boy spurted blood from his mouth as he was knocked backwards through the air.

After he landed a couple of meters away, his companions were pale-faced. Stuttering, they said, “You dare to lay your hands on one of our sect's members! You'll pay for this!” The green robed elder scoffed, “Hmph! You fools are only at the late-stage intermediate rank and you dare to provoke me!? The nerve! I should end you all right here!”

All of the boys began to tremble when they heard the threat. Stammering, one of them retorted, “You wouldn't dare!” The Gallant Eagle Sect Elder stepped forward and snorted as he said, “I wouldn't dare!? Try me.” After hearing this, the boys picked up their fallen friend and supported him as they began to leave. “We'll remember this!” One of the boys shouted out as they left. “Hmph! Those spineless cowards.” The elder muttered while turning to face the group of four. “Are you all okay?” In response to his question the group of four hurriedly answered, “Yes Elder! Thank you!” The elder chuckled in response and escorted them away from the area.

Alex watched all of this happen and as he did so, he couldn't help but utter, “Amazing!” Excitedly grinning, he thought to himself, 'I wonder if I'll ever be able to move like that elder and be so strong. That was so cool!' He looked around and noticed the crowd was starting to disperse. 'Well, I guess I better get going too.' As he was about to leave, he noticed something on the ground near where the conflict occurred.

“What's that?” He muttered, as he walked over towards it. Looking down in the dirt, there was a small trinket. Picking it up and looking closely he noticed it was a brooch. 'This must have belonged to someone from the Gallant Eagle Sect.' Rotating his head towards the direction he had seen the elder lead them in, he thought, 'I should be able to catch up to them if I hurry.' After hesitating for a moment, Alex started to jog in the direction they had headed in.

After a light run for a almost a minute, he had caught up to the backs of the group. He called out, “Hey! Gallant Eagle Sect members, please wait!” Upon hearing a youth's voice, the group paused and started to turn around. The elder immediately moved to stand between the group and the voice's owner. As he saw a boy with raven-black shoulder-length hair running towards them, he was slightly confused. Furrowing his brow he thought to himself, 'This boy isn't one of those Argent Viper Sect members, is he?' As Alex was drawing nearer, the elder shouted out, “Halt! Come no further!”

Alex slid to a stop. As he did so, he respectfully said, “Elder of the Gallant Eagle Sect, forgive me if I've startled you. It was not my intention to do so.” The elder still had his guard up as he raised an eyebrow. “What do you want boy? If you're here for trouble...” Alex quickly waved his hands in front of him, hurriedly saying, “No no no. You've got it wrong honorable elder...I watched the conflict that your Gallant Eagle Sect members had with those boys from the Argent Viper Sect. The way you sent that boy flying with one attack was amazing!” The elder chuckled and smiled as he said, “Haha, you flatter me boy.” His tone became a little softer as he asked, “What is it? Why have you sought us out?” Alex smiled as he calmly stated, “After you and your members had left the scene of the conflict, I noticed something on the ground that I believe one of you had dropped unintentionally.”

As he spoke to there, Alex reached into his pocket and pulled out a green brooch that was adorned with an eagle engraving. Upon seeing this brooch, the girl from the group, stepped forward and shockingly exclaimed, “T-that's my hairpin! By the gods! It must have fallen off in the scuffle before you arrived, elder.” The elder slightly turned his head towards the girl and nodded. He then stepped forward towards Alex and amiably said, “Thank you young man. Most people would have simply run off with it instead of returning it.” Alex chuckled as he responded, “Haha, Indeed...Although I can't say my intentions were completely selfless.”

As the elder heard what Alex said, he raised his eyebrow and questioned, “Hmm? What do you mean?” Alex gave a wry smile as he replied, “Distinguished Elder, I only humbly wish to ask a single question in return for this hairpin.” The elder burst out into laughter as he heard Alex's request. “Hahaha, a single question? Of course, ask away my boy.” Alex grinned as he inquired, “Elder, I have long wished to be able to become a cultivator. However, there was always something I was curious about. That is, just how does one cultivate with Qi?”

The elder had a splendid smile on his face as he moved closer to Alex and answered his question. “In order for an individual to cultivate Qi, they must first learn a cultivation technique. There are many different cultivation techniques, each of which contain different methods to cultivate Qi. The most widespread and easiest one, is to simply absorb the Qi from the environment and make it your own through meditation.”

Alex had an excited look on his face as he was listening attentively. The elder upon seeing the look he had, started to have some pride seep into his voice. “There are many different ranks of cultivation techniques. Each technique opens a certain number of Qi Vein Entrances. The higher the rank of the technique is, then the more entrances it opens up. Thus, having a higher rank technique is better since it will allow you to cultivate more Qi and do it faster than lower ranked ones...I can proudly say that our Gallant Eagle Sect has a considerably good technique, hehehe.” As Alex listened to the elder speak, he began to have a blank look on his face. Noticing this, the elder wryly smiled as he asked, “What's the matter boy?” Timidly, Alex responded, “Umm, how do you meditate? And just what are these Qi Vein Entrances you're talking about?”

As if the elder had just realized something, he covered his face with his palm. In a tired voice he said, “Ahh, I completely forgot. You're a commoner. You probably don't even know of anything that I just spoke about...” He sighed and shook his head. He slightly smiled as he said, “Meditation is the process of clearing and relaxing your mind while focusing on your inner-self. In this way you can absorb the Qi of the world and slowly make it your own by guiding it through the system of your Qi Veins...As to what Qi Vein Entrances are...The Qi Veins in your body have a total of 64 entrances all located in different areas throughout your body. Most of which are usually closed, with only a few of them being open when you are born. With a cultivation technique, you can forcefully open some of the closed entrances. These entrances are what allow you to take in Qi from the world.”

The elder took a breath and then continued on, “The more that are open, then the more Qi that you can take in. This would also mean that you could refine the Qi into your own at a faster pace. Since you would be able to take more in and refine it all at once, compared to taking in smaller amounts...Do you understand?” Alex jubilantly smiled as he nodded and said, “Yes venerable elder, I understand. Thank you very much for answering my question.” Once he finished speaking, he handed the brooch over to the elder. Receiving it, the elder smiled and questioned, “Boy, what's your name?” Raising an eyebrow, Alex answered, “Alexander. Why does elder ask?”

The elder chuckled when he heard Alex's inquiry. “Haha, I was just curious is all. It's not often I encounter such a well-mannered and polite youth. If you ever wish to take the first steps on the road of cultivation, come on by our Gallant Eagle Sect...If you use my name, Elder Harvey Cote, I'm sure you won't meet with much trouble. Our sect is located outside of the town of Brightwatch.”

Alex grinned as he replied, “Thank you very much Elder Harvey. I will remember your good will.” Elder Harvey turned around and motioned for the girl to come forward. As she did so, she smiled towards Alex and introduced herself, “Hello. My name is Miah, thank you so much for returning my brooch.” Alex nodded, “Don't mention it. I just did what I thought was right.”

After Miah received her brooch, Elder Harvey patted Alex on his shoulder and bid farewell. Alex stood there in the street for a moment as he watched Elder Harvey and the group's fading backs. 'According to the Empyreal Body that's listed in the abilities window, all of my Qi Vein Entrances are open...So now all I need to do is learn how to meditate and I could start cultivating Qi!! Haha, yes! Thank you Elder Harvey! If it wasn't for you, I would've taken who knows how long trying to figure that out.' Grinning from ear to ear, Alex was about to turn around and head back towards the market. But before he could do so, a chime rang out as a status window appeared.

*Ting*

You have gained 1 Charisma (+1 CHA)

As he viewed the status screen a smile crept onto his face. 'Awesome, I gained charisma from talking to them? Definitely worthwhile.' He then proceeded to head towards the market. Walking past some stalls, he thought to himself, 'Right now it's 1:58 pm. This clock thing is so amazing...Hmm, I should probably hurry up, I don't want to be late.' He continued to browse some of the stalls until he found someone selling flowers.

Walking up to the stall, he called out, “Hey, miss. How much for some of those green flowers?” The middle-aged woman looked towards Alex and showed a gentle smile. “Hmm, these here are Green Carnations...One silver for a bouquet...” Alex frowned a little as he asked, “Umm, can I just buy one flower?” The woman raised an eyebrow as she said, “Just one flower? Kid, I don't sell them individually. These bouquets were all arranged painstakingly by me. Do you know how much effort it takes to make sure all the colors go well together and appear pleasing to the eye?” Alex retorted, “Miss, isn't it possible to just sell me one flower?” The lady shook her head as she answered, “Nope. If you want a flower, then buy a bouquet.”

Alex frowned as he replied, “Miss, aren't you driving away business by only selling bouquets? If you were to sell them individually as well, you would be able to increase the money you make.” The woman seemed to be thinking as Alex continued, “Miss, I can't afford a bouquet, but I would really like to purchase just a single one of those Green Carnations. Please. It's for a very close friend of mine.” The woman sighed as she eyed Alex. “Fine kid...If it'll get you out of my hair, you can buy just one flower.”

Alex rejoiced mentally as he inquired, “So how much for one of them?” The woman looked at the flower he wanted to purchase. Chuckling, she said, “Hmm, ummm I'm not too sure.” Alex smiled at the woman and asked, “How about five copper?” The woman scrunched up her face when she heard the amount. “Five copper...Kid, are you pulling my leg?” Alex gave a wry smile as he responded, “Okay then miss. How about ten copper? That's a fair price right?” The woman raised an eyebrow as she seemed to be thinking. She took some time to respond. “Alright kid. That sounds fine.”

Alex grinned as he said, “Thanks miss! My friend will really like this.” After making his purchase, he turned around and began to walk away. As his back was to the flower lady, he stored the flower in his inventory without anyone noticing. Afterwards, he was preparing to leave when multiple chimes sounded out along with the appearance of two status windows.

*Ting*

You have gained 1 Charisma (+1 CHA)

*Ting*

Congratulations! You have learned the skill [Negotiation – Beginner]

Alex was astonished as he read the contents of the windows. 'I just got more charisma and unlocked “Negotiation”? Holy crap. That's pretty awesome...That was definitely from dealing with that flower lady...Was it from reaching a price? Well, whatever. Thanks for the skill and charisma, haha.' Dismissing the windows, he headed back towards his family's shop. As he was doing so he opened up his skill window to view the new skill he had learned.

Negotiation Level 1 [0/10xp] Beginner – your ability to achieve better terms, rewards, results, etc, for yourself when attempting to reach an agreement with another individual or group. At higher levels, your attempts will succeed more often.

'Well that's awesome. But how will it being a higher level impact other people?...I don't get it...Eh, whatever. ' He thought after he read through the skill. He dismissed the window and continued on his way.

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