Backward World II

Gar-Wahgar Calendar 31624-09-27

Within a spacious hall near a lord's mansion are kids between the ages of five to ten properly lined waiting to take their turns. This is a common occurrence when Sects or Major Families would recruit talents among the crowd. All they need to do is touch a white translucent crystal ball and climb a three-step Formation Platform and the test administrators will decide the candidate's qualification.

In this world, there is a mysterious energy called Spiritual Qi and people who can absorb this energy are called cultivators. The more these cultivators can absorb, the stronger they can manifest their powers and the primary factor that determines one’s ability to absorb Spiritual Qi is called Elemental Affinity, an innate factor and determined only when one is born.

Even after thousands of years, it is still unclear how one can acquire Elemental Affinity and while it may be a question that can never be answered, cultivators had figured a few governing principles surrounding its mystery. Through trial and error, they found out that every cultivator is different in term of cultivating their powers as some can be very good at Fire Techniques, some excellent in Water Techniques, others in Lightning, Metal , Earth, Space, Wind and the rarest which is not really an element they call Soul or Spiritual Mental Strength.

It is because of these natural elemental manifestations that majority of cultivators today call this innate talent Elemental Affinity and this is what these kids are currently lined up for. Everyone is trying to try their luck to have their affinities check if passable to become cultivators.

Today is a recruitment being conducted by a branch side of a Major Family called Lanas, a bloodline of whose Elemental Affinity is mostly Water Type.

"Next", shouted a young handsome man with blue eyes. There is disappointment within his tone for he knew that they will probably leave empty handed again today. He was advised that the children who attended today are mostly from orphanages trying their luck.

A thin boy with ragged clothes walked towards the translucent crystal ball and placed his hand on it. Seeing that there was no reaction, the boy did not wait to be instructed to climb the three-step Formation Platform.

When the boy took the first step, he felt an indescribable surreal wave that passed through his entire body. Nevertheless, it did not stop him to take the second and third step. Upon reaching the top, he did not know what to do next, so walked down the stairs to join his fellow orphans.

"Wait!"

The young man from Lanas Family almost jumped in bliss after seeing the boy reached the top of the platform like it was nothing. Their mission today is to screen the crowds for any potential soldiers and if they are lucky, an Alchemy or Formation Apprentices regardless of their Elemental Affinity.

Most people do not know it but the Spiritual Formation Step the boy just climbed is an ordinary low-level magic tool to determine and assess one's Spiritual Mental or Soul Strength.

"Climb that stairs again."

After being instructed, the thin boy obediently stepped on the platform again and stood on the third step. The boy knew that if he caused trouble, he'll be whipped and starved for a night.

The young man from Lanas Family composed himself and smiled as he approached and warmly patted the boy’s hair. He said, "From now on, you will be part of our family and live a good life".

“Wow!”

“Wah! He’s so lucky!”

“I hope they pick me as well!”

All the other kids looked at him with envy.

Meanwhile, while everyone’ attention is on the kid, one of the orphanage caretakers absconded outside the building after seeing the result. He looked around and after confirming that he was alone, he released a messenger pigeon. The content of the letter the pigeon is carrying simply says “Formation Apprentice” and the destination is nearby gang of bandits.

Seeing the pigeon disappeared, the orphanage caretaker walked back towards the hall and with a guilty conscience, he can barely look at the young cultivators from Lanas Family. Often times, their orphanage would receive huge support from them but little did they actually care. Having lived in poverty, he wished to experience a life of luxury at least once before he dies.

He closed his eyes as he already predicted the worst.

The recruitment continued and ended in the afternoon however evening on that same day, the carriages of the Lanas Family heading to their next destination was ambushed and the only child it was carrying disappeared.

Then three hours after the ambush, a suspicious masked man was unconscionably looting the spatial rings of the dead Lanases. It was none other than the orphanage caretaker.

He already received a huge remuneration from the bandits yet his greed did not stop. Since he decided to be an accomplice of a crime, he may as well be a criminal all throughout.

Earlier he followed the carriages of the young Lanases who were destined to die and what he is after are the loots. Most of the time, the group of bandits would kill and steal but there are time when they leave the belongings of their victims sometimes and he was positive they will not loot anything this time and he was right.

He still does not know why the gang would sometimes not pick up the belongings of whom they killed but regardless of their reason, he did not care for all that matters is that he will become rich.

Gar-Wahgar Calendar 31627-09-23

It is a sunny afternoon and a thin kid around five years of age is seated on a small balcony of a two-floor building reading a book. Within his view is a courtyard where children his age are training rigorously. The boy was in deep thought.

He was three years old when some foreign memories started flooding his mind. He was four when he was convinced those memories was his former life. Unfortunately, memories of his past life are fragmented and mostly confusing including his name. Aside from knowledge of mathematics, the only thing vivid is a scene of him watching a sea of apocalyptic zombies.

Having reincarnated within world, the earliest of his memories is in the orphanage. He has no idea who his parents are and still hopes his biological parents are wealthy and will come looking for him later. But that does not compare to his hopes of becoming a cultivator. From time to time, he would hear gossips about cultivators and thought that these are exaggerated stories but of the few orphanage caretakers, he had actually witnessed a few of them displaying their powers.

Someone who came from a world with no mystical powers, he can’t help but be excited and dream about it and luckily enough, he had some qualifications.

Thinking back, he passed some sort of test and he was supposed brought to Lanas Family two months ago but the night they were travelling, they were intercepted by members of Buaki Gang and mercilessly killed his recruiters.

It was his first time witnessing gruesome corpses in this world. He is still wondering why he was not killed that night but instead brought to this unrighteous Buaki Faction living a luxury life.

The book currently in his hand is called Travel Logs of Ancestor Jun. It is his second time thoroughly reading this book. There is a handful of books he could read as part of his mandatory education.

Accordingly, they are situated within Bang'et, the third human territory of the six provinces of Ca'ar Continent. It did not elaborate on other territories but it did say about Elven Race and other species.

It has hundred languages, but the common dialect of Martial Practitioners is Elven which he is still learning. The book also depicts how inferior humans are compared to other species. If not because of human clans having inherited bloodlines, human tribes would still be slaves.

The book further elaborates how the strong are revered in this world. There are 4 levels of cultivation namely Qi-Condensation, Foundation, Core Formation, and Nascent. Each level is divided into 3 categories - early, mid, and late and each again further divided into three levels. As cultivators reach the apex, their lifespan gradually increases.

Everyone can cultivate but the world can only offer limited resources so cultivation has become a privilege to those with higher Spiritual Elemental Affinity.

There are so many aspects of cultivation that are unclear to him especially about humans.

Accordingly, only humans and half-humans have pre-cultivation period called Qi Sensing Phase before they can incorporate Spiritual Qi within their bodies. Children must train their bodies through Martial Arts for a natural Qi-awakening between the ages of 8 to 15 years old otherwise, Qi sensing will naturally manifest during their mid or late twenties, years after the golden period of cultivation.

An exemption is Qi-Sensing Pill, an expensive treasure concocted by Alchemists. It will by-pass pre-cultivation phase. He consumed 4 of these pills when he was first brought to the faction and coupled with other rare resources, he is now an Early-Condensation martial artist.

"Master Kle In, Elder Tao Ad wants to see you." Tao Shi called.

The boy did not deliberately ignore Tao Shi because he wanted to but in this world, he only got a name when he came to the gang and he has yet to get used to it.

Seeing the boy does not intend to be disturbed she added, "Tao Fad is downstairs waiting for you.”

The boy looked around and realizing he is the Kle In being called, he wanted to kneel and apologize to Tao Shi, their dedicated maid.

"Tao Fad is downstairs waiting for you.” Tao Shi repeated.

Knowing the next in line successor of Buaki Gang would not hesitate to put him in a sack and bring him to the elder, he immediately got to his feet.