A week quickly passed by.

I already unlocked all my genes and reached the first stage of cultivation; cultivating the Muscles. On my third day of cultivation, I unlocked all my genes and officially stepped on the cultivation path. I felt all shackles on my body gone and was filled with an omnipotent feeling before quickly vanishing. My body felt many times lighter. The circulation speed of the whirlpool of Essence in my dantian increased several folds. I now have better control over the Essence, and can store much more of it in my body. I was also immunized from ordinary sickness.

This was the ideal human body—according to the practitioners in the cultivation world.

After I unlocked all the genes, I immediately started cultivating my muscles. Cultivating my muscles doesn’t mean I need to lift barbells or do push-ups. It’s not the external training ordinary humans do but an internal one—for the whole body. The process of which I cultivate the muscle is simple. I just need to gather Essences around the surroundings, circulate them in my dantian and let them flow through my body—this time, focusing on tempering the muscle tendons and ligaments.

Repeating this process will yield the cultivator a stronger, more flexible and more durable muscle tendons and ligaments. Although this stage will strengthen the muscles, it won’t necessarily make you more macho. It will only enhance the already existing muscles, so your body shape will still remain even after fully cultivating it. I am already near the peak of this stage, by this time.

On the fourth day onwards, I started going out of the house whenever I lock myself inside my room. I went out using the windows. The first thing I did after getting out was to procure money, of course. I emptied out my silver stocks and sold gold next, which earned me a quite lot of fortune these past few days. I visited so often that the manager and I even became trade partners, offering me a higher price, which is always welcome.

Then, I found an abandoned building without any residential houses around. I started training the techniques in the Ancient manual and other combat techniques. The Ancient manual is written in a dialect from the cultivation world, so I have no problem letting the girls see it. Although I already understood the basics, it wouldn’t hurt to read the manual while resting in the house. One time the girls saw it, but I dismissed it as nothing but scribbles of some language. They took it as such and never inquired any further.

I trained from early morning into late afternoon every day. And before I go home, I always drop by the supermarket to resupply our refrigerator, which is also a kind of training for the movement technique. I also bought some clothes for Rogue one time during my shopping.

By this time, I already reached the first stage of my two main techniques from the ancient manual; One-step stage, and Discerning the Body stage. I admit that I wouldn’t be able to reach the first stage of the movement and body technique if Rogue’s presence isn’t here. I trained the movement technique and other combat techniques during the day and the breathing and body technique during the night.

About the breathing technique, although I made a huge leap these past few days, I still estimated that I am still a week away from reaching the surface of Becoming One with the Flow stage.

Right now, I am sitting cross-legged in the abandoned building. My eyes are closed and my breathing turned rhythmic. I am not cultivating; I am trying to feel the Essence around me.

I have already started cultivating the 3 main techniques on the Ancient manual, giving me the flexibility I need in the upcoming battles. I have also started doing combat techniques. Cultivating the muscles has also earned me quite a defense. What I lack now, I think, is something that I will need if I ever clash with these mutants. I am trying to convert the Essence into elements more efficiently to the point that I can use it in battles.

I opened my eyes and stood up. Slowly breathing out the air in my lungs, I raised one of my palms and gathered the Essence in the surroundings. It was quicker compared to before, all thanks to the fully unlock genes in my body.

I gathered it towards me—more specifically, my palms—and it slowly took form. White phosphorous lights are gathering in my palm, and if you look closely, you can see that it sometimes flicker and show different colors. This phenomenon might be similar to how the white light spreads apart into the visible spectrum when it meets a prism. Strangely enough, the Essence’s white light consists of 8 colors, signifying the 8 elements. Fire (red), Water (blue), Earth (yellow), Wind (green), Lightning (indigo), Space (violet), Light (white), Dark (black).

What I needed to do was to find the red specks and disperse all other colors in it. I converted the Essence into the most basic form of the fire element, a fireball. Quietly burning in my palm is a fireball with a diameter of a head. The fire doesn’t burn my skin; it only produces a warm heat that travels through my palm.

I snuffed it out eventually and breathed a sigh of relief. It may be slower and weaker compared to the fireballs I made back then, but at the very least, it is better than nothing. I think it might be usable in battle soon enough.

This fireball would’ve made me pant heavily if I tried to conjure it the first time I got here in this world. But, now that I have set up my foundation, I can do it with a lot to spare. So, not wasting any second, I moved into the next element.

Leaving the blue specks of light this time, in my hands appeared a water orb, the same size as the fireball. I threw it towards the wall, creating a small crater as the two collides. I repeated the same with the other elements, conjuring a ball of them with a diameter of the head.

After I successfully conjured the 5 basic elements, what’s left is the 3 special ones: Light, Dark, and Space. I hesitated to try conjuring them at the moment, because even in the previous world, I have difficulties using teleport, heals, and even raising a simple skeleton. I admit that it might be my lack of talent, but I will surely take my time figuring a way out so someday, I can use them however I want.

I postponed the 3 special elements for various reasons besides my lack of talent. Firstly, I don’t really need to master the use of the light element, because I will just teach the girl who already has a talent for it: Eliza. I will nurture her use of light element to the point where even when not touching, she can still heal someone. I thought of training the two girls so that they will survive even without me because I know that I won’t always be by their side if something bad happens.

Secondly, I don’t need to raise skeletons and mummies in this world. I’m not building a massive army to try and conquer the world; that would be troublesome and pointless. Right now, I just want to be away from troubles.

That’s why; I don’t have a need to master these two elements yet. But in the case of the space element, I have a different perspective. In a world where transportation equals money, a skill like teleportation would surely be handy in many cases. But, try as I might, I still have troubles creating even the smallest space crack or even bending the space a bit. Teleporting might still be a long way to go.

After that contemplation was done, I raised up my other hand, palms facing upward. I looked like a waiter holding two bowls if you look at my figure and doesn’t know that I was converting the Essence.

After a few seconds, on my right appeared a fireball, looking much smaller than the previous one. On my left appeared a circular rock, much smaller and unrefined unlike the other one too. I threw them both towards the wall, meeting in mid-air and creating a mini-meteor.

Boom!

The previous dent that the water orb made earlier was completely replaced by a much bigger crater, causing cracks to appear on the wall. I was a little bit satisfied at my attempt to dual-wield an element. I can do it with any permutation that I want with the elements that I can currently convert.

”Pheeew” I breathed out slowly and finished my experimentations for today as I can already see the shadows of the night.

I turned around and left the abandoned building, heading toward the grocery store. I am halfway there when my path was blocked by a large, muscular man. I looked up and saw that he was grinning. Behind him are dozens of people holding metal bats, poles, wrench, and even a knife.

“You messed with the wrong gang, bro.” the muscular man said in a deep tone.

I sighed and clenched my fist that it almost turned pale.

------------------------

“Hey, open up.” I said as I knocked on the door of the apartment that we’re staying in. A few moments later, I heard a series of light footstep coming from inside and the door was opened by a smiling Eliza.

The next instant, however, her smiling face was quickly replaced with a terrified one. The moment she saw my figure covered in scratches and bruises, her mouth dropped and her lips trembled. She wanted to say something as her mouth continued opening up and down but she can’t say a word.

“Let me come in, I want a good bath. You can heal me later”

I entered the apartment and closed the door. I left the standing Eliza as I entered the bathroom and soaked myself in warm water. I felt my fatigue disappear at the same time with the dirt in my body. I took off my mind from anything that I’ve been thinking and just relaxed in the bath.

After having enough relaxation, I went out of the bath and changed to a new set of clothes. Eliza healed me after that while her eyes turned watery. I did not say anything, but she knows that it was because of the gang that I rescued her from. We ate a quiet dinner at that time, as Rogue mysteriously stayed silent.

Thinking of Rogue,...

Rogue completely assimilated with us and joined our circle; she can now speak her thoughts freely in front of us. After she opened up to us, I discovered that she is a talkative person; that’s why I always left her to Eliza, as they both became close friends in no time.

I continued living with the two girls peacefully, not knowing that a storm was about to head our way.