In the end, Hector didn’t dive straight into cultivating like he wanted to. He had to join, rather reluctantly, his family as they entertained their guest, Margaret. The old lady, as usual, was a treat to be around and gave them some much-needed normalcy. It had been too tense over the past few days.
A bonus to her visit was that their father didn’t drink. Perhaps he wanted to keep up appearances, or maybe he was worried about being judged too harshly by an elder of the community. It wasn’t clear. But Hector was happy for it either way.
After he’d eaten—grim-grain, as usual. Though Margaret brought some plum flakes—Hector made his way back to his room, telling his family he was heading to cultivate. Mirae informed him she’d be doing the same after she’d finished cleaning up the kitchen. He debated helping her with the cleaning. His sister needed time to cultivate as well. But he thought better of it.
He would strengthen those around him. But he had to help himself before he could help anyone else.
“Alright,” Hector said, dusting off his trousers, as he took a seat on his meditation mat—he’d finally be using it for its intended purpose. “How many days has it been since I’ve actually sat down and cultivated? I don’t know.”
Hector, closing his eyes, calmed his breath as he brought his attention within himself. The blood flowed through his veins, following the gentle beat of his heart. There, between the beats, between the calm, he found what he was looking for. He followed it, losing himself in the rhythm.
Moments later, he blinked and found himself in his soulscape. Water rested at his ankles, and he moved his feet and sighed, sloshing it around. Part of him expected to see the pedestals, with the Talent trees sitting atop them. But no, he wasn’t in the Talent garden space.
“There you are,” he said, smiling as he turned. There, a few paces away from him, floating casually in the air, was a cluster of light. The light was made of at least a hundred mana motes that he’d gathered over the past four years. They jostled as they all moved around each other, vibrating and giving off a subtle light.
That is four years’ worth of work. I don’t know whether to be depressed or somewhat impressed that I’ve kept going for so long.
Hector shook his head and let out a sigh. White strands of hair fell over his eyes, obscuring his vision. He’d have to cut it soon. It was becoming a problem. Taking a breath, he looked off into the void. Would it work? [Awakened Soul], was the sort of Talent he’d been hoping to get. It had to work.
“System!” Hector called into the endless void of his soulscape. “I would like to bind to the [Awakened Soul] Talent.” The water at his feet rippled as the void shook and he glanced to the sky.
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///: “Request has been acknowledged. Your manipulation energy has been consumed. You will be notified when it is next available.”
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The Talent arced through the void, shooting towards him. A line of white light traced behind it like a shooting star. Hector paused. He’d never seen a shooting star back on Earth, nor had he ever seen one over the skies of Middlec. But now he had his own personal show right here in his soulscape. It was kind of amazing.
The Talent levelled out as it descended, soaring towards him. It closed the distance in almost an instant, flashing to a stop before him. He then reached forward, and it moved closer before he cupped his hand around it and brought the Talent into his chest.
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///: “Talent: [Awakened Soul], has been bound.”
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Warm energy spread out from his chest, washing through him. It was as if he’d just gained a part of himself that he never knew existed. His mind went to the system, willing his status screen to open. It would be good to see what had changed, even if it was just one thing.
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///
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Hector Jacaranda
———
Cultivation level: [Gravity Forging - 1]
Spirit Root: Moon
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STATS
├─ Body │ Tier 0 │ Level ( I )
├─ Mind │ Tier 0 │ Level ( - )
└─ Spirit │ Tier 0 │ Level ( - )
Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
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EQUIPMENT
└─ None
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TALENTS
├─ Hearty Body [C] +0 [?○○] (1/3) — Quickening Brace [C] +0 [?○○] (1/3)
├─ Spark Capacitor [C] +0 [?○○] (1/3) — Resonant Shout [C] +0 [?○○] (1/3)
└─ Awakened Soul [C] +0 [?○○] (1/3) — Street Reader [C] +0 [?○○] (1/3)
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TECHNIQUES:
└─ [Orion Fist] (Journeyman: 90%) — [Orion Leaping Strike] (Novice: 20%)
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///
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That’s not too bad if I do say so myself. I’ve come a long way from that simple [Tough Body] Talent. And it hasn’t even been that long.
Hector smiled, letting the warmth flow away as he made his way over to the Lagrange point and sat beneath the cluster of his affinited mana motes. The water rippled as he took a seat and glanced around the void. This was it.
He’d meditated so many times before—at least the Hector he’d been before the transmigration occurred did. But somehow this one was the most nerve-wracking. If this didn’t work, then everything would amount to nothing. Sure he could keep getting Talent after Talent. But how far would that take him? In the end, he’d just die to someone in a higher realm—or of old age, but that was unlikely in the slum.
No. If this didn’t work then, there was nothing he could do about it—not that he knew of, anyway. But still. Hector glanced up, focusing on the void. The chaotic mana motes could come from any direction, but they would always originate from the sky of the void.
Slow and sometimes one at a time. Easily counted. Easily lamented. It was never enough to get him to where he should be—more importantly, where he deserved to be. But most of all, the amount would never be enough to keep up with his friends. Would this supposed increase keep him in line with them?
Hector’s gut knotted as he rested his hands on his knee, one finger tapping continuously. Right now, nothing had happened yet. He didn’t know if it would be a significant change or a small one. There was an odd comfort in that. But what did he really have to worry about?
From when he’d taken his lumps as a child, to the first time he used [Quickening Brace] on that street thug. All the way to when he’d put two guards on the ground, with abilities he’d never dreamed of before. In all these times, the system had never failed him.
Sure, the skill could go on to cooldown, but it was predictable. Hector placed his hand to the side and ran it through the waters of the soulscape. The liquid passed through his fingers in a gentle stream. Calm. Smooth. The system, in a way, had his back—even if it would change his emotions so he could use it. He let out a breath.
One, two, three, four, five, six…
As he counted higher and higher, his heartbeat slowed. He breathed to the rhythm, letting his breath fall on every second number. But he paused as the system screen popped up before him.
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///: “Host, a primary analysis of your soulscape has returned several anomalous results. Having conducted a deeper scan of your soulscape and thus your spirit root, it has been concluded that there appears to be an artificial restriction put in place.”
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Hector frowned as he read the message and read it again. He didn’t understand what the system meant by an artificial restriction. Was that normal? If not, how had it gotten there? He wet his lips, his gaze becoming unfocused as he processed the information—at least tried to. Was this the reason his cultivation was so slow? This restriction.
“Why didn’t you tell me this before?” Hector asked. If he had known before, perhaps he could have done something—though what exactly wasn’t clear. Perhaps Kamble knew something. He lowered his eyes. The calm waters were a stark contrast to the mess of his mind.
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///: “A full scan of your soulscape could not be conducted from outside its boundaries.”
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“I see.” Hector combed his fingers through his hair. On one hand, this confirmed that the system wasn’t as pervasive as he’d thought. From the sounds of it, the system didn’t have full access to every part of him. That could be a good thing—maybe. But it meant it was limited. Which presented a problem.
“System,” Hector said, voice tight. This could be a breakthrough, point. If there was a restriction, there had to be a way to lift it, and that would mean he wasn’t destined to be terrible at cultivation after all. “Can you lift this restriction?”
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///: “Unfortunately, the restriction can not be lifted.”
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The words hit him like a brick, sending shock waves through his body as his breath caught in his chest. Would this mean the Talent would be useless? Would this mean his cultivation speed would be unaffected? Hector pinched the bridge of his nose and let out a breath. There was a restriction on his spirit root and the system couldn’t lift it. What now?
Perhaps this was why he was feeling so tense. Perhaps this was why, for once, he doubted the system. He didn’t know how this restriction got there and who or what had placed it on him.
“System, will this restriction limit the Talent in any way? Also, do you know how this restriction even got there?”
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///: “There is no indication of how the restriction was placed on the host’s spirit root. As for how the Talent will be affected, that is not clear.”
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Hector’s heart dropped, and he frowned. The water rippled at his thigh as he shifted his weight. This was all a mess. He now had another problem on his growing list, and this new one couldn’t be solved—at least from the sounds of it—by getting another Talent. Who knew in what other way having his spirit root restricted affected him?
Could he even advance to the Core Formation realm—if he made it that far? He didn’t know how it worked—it’s not like he had a friend or a member of his family in the Core Formation—but having your spirit root restricted would most likely affect that, right?
Raising a hand and placing it on his chest, Hector took several deep breaths. The air filled his lungs as his hectic thoughts calmed. He glanced down, reaching for the purple tooth necklace that rested against his chest. A wave of calm washed over him, as he gripped the necklace tight, knuckles whitening. What was done was done.
He glanced up to the Lagrange point and the affinited mana motes that jostled around each other. The whole thing was a dense cluster of energy that he’d built up over the years, and he hadn’t got this far by overthinking things. He let out a breath.
Right now, all he could do was cultivate. If the Talent worked, he’d have his answer. If it didn’t, nothing changed. But at least now he knew why—and with some luck, he could do something about it.
Calming his mind, Hector took another deep breath. He closed his eyes and then slowly released his breath, pulling on the void as he did.
It responded.
The ground shook, shaking the water, sending small waves splashing onto Hector’s chest. What was happening?
He pushed on—stopping now could harm his cultivation. Whatever was happening was not normal.
Something was wrong.
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P.S I am currently looking into ways of increasing the pace of the story, as I know some people are finding it a bit slow. I do like to get into the moments a lot. I've always hated how a lot of cultivation stories skip over that, but perhaps I've gone a little too far. Ah well. Anyway, I will continue to find a way to improve, and hopefully you guys will see better pace moving forward with little sacrifice in other areas.
