Chapter 6: Quests
Several days had gone by since the Day of Awakening, the term coined by people around the world for the extraordinary event.
Since then, I've made some progress in my skills and noted some startling differences in my interface compared to other people's.
I talked with the other villagers, and none of them had a clue on how to further progress their skills to the next stage. They didn't even know what the next stage of their skills would be called! It seemed mine was more helpful than I initially thought it was. But that was just the beginning.
Wondering what other things I could do with my heavenly interface, I asked it many questions. And in turn, I was greeted with more boxes of information.
Quest: Body Refinement
- Run the perimeter of Gentle Wind Village without stopping to rest. (1/5)
- Commit to the horse stance for ten minutes without stopping to rest. (0/5)
- Squat 250 times without stopping to rest. (1/5)
Quest: Mind Refinement
- Perform Visualization Training for one hour. (2/5)
- Meditate for one hour without losing focus. (2/5)
- Solve a mathematical equation without any external aid. (5/5)
To my delight, I received quests after inquiring about ways to enhance my mind and body, which were still at the mortal realm. The interface provided me with various tasks and challenges, pushing me to strengthen my mental and physical fortitude.
I had begun almost immediately. I almost blacked out attempting to run the entirety of the village's perimeter, but I had done the challenge. But it humbled me to know that such a simple task left me in such a dire state. I was a physically active, able-bodied young man! To think Kai Liu would be felled by mere running. The interface showed me just how much it would truly take to become a cultivator. I had been shallow and neglected to understand the actual work it took to get there.
After squatting for hundreds of times, I didn't even have the capacity to do the second task. My legs shook madly, and I was forced to give up and try again the next day. But even now, I could hardly hold that stance! I'd have to work towards it and complete the other two in the meantime.
Over the past few days, I'd been trying to do the horse stance for ten minutes, but even with all my strength I couldn't make it. My legs were so unaccustomed to intense stimuli. This was something that would require constant effort.
Same for the Mind Refinement Quest! They were odd, telling me to do a thing called Visualization Training. It had given me a short prompt, explaining that it was a matter of imagining objects, scenes, and scenarios in vivid detail. Not a challenge for the Dreaming Gardener! That was my specialty, and I could even do it while I was running the shop. Mathematical equations were easy for a genius like me, I did them on a daily basis for the shop's finances!
So with these quests, I continued my daily life. The shop never had many customers, but my garden always needed maintenance!
The villagers noticed me running around, but they knew that something as magnificent as the Heavenly Interface would probably inspire me. They just chalked it up to 'Kai being Kai'.
Some of the younger children followed along, trying to see what else the Heavenly Interface had to offer. But most of the villagers had gone back to their usual lives. The Heavenly Interface didn't play much of a part in their day-to-day, and unlike mine, the interface only showed and tracked their progress.
However, a handful of people, driven by ambition and determination, were emboldened by the Heavenly Interface's presencepeople like me.
"Kai! Sorry to interrupt your meditatin', but here's the staff you ordered."
I opened my eyes. It was Wang Jun. His smile was wide and boisterous. He wore a white bandana, covered in soot and dirt from toiling away in the forges with Master Qiang. Wang Jun was always a boisterous man with an upbeat personality.
After several more minutes of swinging the staff around clumsily, I sighed and put it down. My body was covered in sweat. My progress was lacking, and I had far more questions than answers.
I needed to find a way to unlock my Qi reserves! I hadn't been able to since Tianyi gave me some, and she hadn't repeated it since. It would be the key to getting on track with all the other quests I had, especially my Gardening skill. There were so many things I needed to learn, and even the Heavenly Interface wouldn't be able to give me all the answers.
I tidied myself, rinsing my body with water before embarking on a journey to the village square. I would need to consult the Village Head.
"Village Head! I require your expertise!"
I waited patiently at his door until it slid open to reveal a tall, slim man with a stooped posture. His silvery hair was tied in a neat bun, and his beard was well-groomed. The Village Head seemed curious at my entrance.
"If it isn't little Kai. What can I do for you today?"
"I would like your help in regards to my quest to being a cultivator!"
He whacked me on the head lightly, and I cursed. His face was impassive as usual. Village Head had barely aged since I was a young child.
"Still on about that, aren't you?" He sighed, retracting his hand and allowing me in.
"The Heavenly Interface was a sign from above, Village Head! I've been training properly now under its guidance!"
"Hard-headed brat!" He ruffled my hair, leaving it an undignified mess. "And don't call me that!"
Village Head, or rather, Elder Ming, was always against my dream of being a cultivator. He was once part of a sect, although he never mentioned which it was, before leaving the path of cultivation and settling down here in the Gentle Wind Village. He had been here for decades, so he couldn't have been too far into his journey before he stopped.
He always told me, even from a young age, that it wasn't a path one should seek so easily. Elder Ming warned me of the danger, the rigors of training, and the pressure set upon you by being a disciple. He even warned me about the way those of lower status were treated within sects; it was one of the major reasons why I didn't run to one and beg to be let into the Whispering Winds Sect or the Silent Moon Sect. When I begged him to train me in the ways of cultivation, he flat-out refused, saying he couldn't give a child something so dangerous, citing a problem called QI Deviation as being too risky.
I know his resistance came from a place of concern, but I knew what I wanted. Being a gardener was okay, but I wanted to live a life of freedom and travel. Being a cultivator would grant me that luxury, and I was more than determined to get it. He probably thought I wasn't taking it seriously or didn't understand the consequences, but I did! I acted as an overconfident fool at times, but I knew where I stood and just how much work it'd take to get to where I wanted to be.
"Please, Elder Ming." I bowed my head. "I wish to learn. I want to understand just what it takes to be a cultivator."
"Raise your head, Kai."
I complied, and he hit me with another chop to the head. I could tell he was a retired cultivator, those strikes packed a serious punch despite his frame!
"Don't think that being a cultivator is so easy! You don't get that way overnight, even with that Interface's help. You need consistency and practice, built upon years and years, along with the right guidance!"
"That's why I'm here, Elder Ming! Come on, you've refused to teach me since I was a kid! What do I have to do to prove to you that I'm serious about this?"
He scratched his chin, looking at me with an appraising eye. I stood there with a determined expression on my face. Elder Ming closed his eyes and sighed, seemingly giving up on trying to convince me. It wasn't the first time I tried to convince him to teach me or give me guidance, but I suppose this was the only time where I bothered him so much about it.
"Well, I know I can't stop you. If anything, you'd get yourself killed doing something reckless, so I'll give you a test."
The old man who spent his life walking around the village had a certain pressure around him that made me nervous, but I smiled in the face of it all.
I looked at him with a determined expression on my face. Whatever challenge he gave, I, Kai Liu, would be up for the task! Whatever it may be!
