Chapter 13 - Strengthening the Body

“Mark, Daniel! Move your Martial Spirits to take in a strand of Qi!”

Daniel sat down panting as he nudged his Martial Spirits. His body suddenly vibrated and prickling numbness assaulted his limbs. An incorporeal sapling appeared over his head, simultaneously creating a small swirl. The surrounding golden Qi condensed into a wisp, the hue disappearing as it entered within his flesh and blood, all too easily. [Author: If anyone knows Japanese, I meant あっけなく "akkenaku". But I couldn’t find the right word, so if anyone has a better suggestion, please comment…]

The boy felt a strand of spiritual energy appear inside him. He beamed with excitement, his eyes still closed. Pulling the strand across his body, a soothing and invigorating feeling spread across his body. Wrapped in warm light, he and a certain red-haired boy, who had yet to lose all his baby fat, were tasting the sweetness of cultivation.

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Daniel, Mark, and Dellons stood outside the gates of the town, an early morning breeze hitting them, sending shivers down their spine. Stretching his already tired muscles, Dellons looked at Mount Dilla, standing steadily in the early light.

Mount Dilla was a snow-capped mountain, two hills away from the town. Ván was located in a relatively flat area in the Ancient Mountains, breaking the continuous surrounding mountain chain. This topographic advantage, coupled with its proximity to both a spring and a river, was the reason Evan chose to settle at this site. However, one should not be fooled by this description into thinking the place was a plain, as the terrain was still considered hilly by any reasonable definition.

Grrrr.

The freshness of the morning, accompanied with their stomachs’ unsubtle demand for a breakfast, motivated the three children to start running. Seeing them starting off at a rapid pace, Evan shook his head, while smiling faintly to himself. The children would have to learn pace management the hard way, he mused.

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Dellons considered himself a good runner. He had never lost in a foot race against anyone of his age. Except for Mark, but Mark didn’t count, he convinced himself. And yet, he was having difficulty keeping up with the two of them. Yes, he did work his body out with his master while the other two were cultivating, but his pride did not allow him to fall behind.

Several times a year, Grandpa Pete took the orphans on an excursion to Mount Dilla, so the children were used to the road. And yet, the road to the peak seemed to lengthen manyfold as they ran.

Dellons wheezed as his burning lungs gasped for air. His legs felt numb and unsteady, painfully sore; the lactic acid left in the wake of the squats and lunges was whispering to Dellons that he should stop his effort. His throat felt dry and the cool morning air hurt his lungs. His clothes gradually clung to his body; his neck, forehead, and spine were accumulating sweat, while his stomach cooled down. Part of him wanted to stop running and gasp for air. But Dellons could hear his friends’ shoes hitting the ground beside and in front of him. His steps synchronized with the other two’s unknowingly.

Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap.

As he turned around at Mount Dilla, Dellons felt himself approaching his limits … and breathing became increasingly arduous. Having spit out mucus, he couldn’t be bothered to breath through his diaphragm anymore: his whole chest was taking in fresh air like a pair of over-solicited bellows. Going up the hill, the pain became greater and greater. Daniel also seemed to be struggling, and Mark was starting to breath faster.

Suddenly, something seemed to click together, and Dellons entered a state of nothingness. In this condition close to his limit, his mind completely blank, energy seeping into his suffering legs, Dellons found the surroundings blur past him. He found himself plopping down on the grass in front of the Town Hall.

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Sensing the arrival of the children, Evan came out of the house with three cups of water positioned on a wooden board. Looking at Dellons who had completely lost strength in his lower body, Evan knew that his goal was accomplished. In this world, as people persevered on after reaching their limits, the world would extend a momentary aid to the individual, pumping some Qi into the overworked place. Most of it would be expended in the effort, but a fraction of the Qi would stay and get assimilated. He was banking on using this natural phenomenon to acclimate Dellons’ body to Qi. That was the only way he would not implode, be crippled, or lose sovereignty over his own body upon transplanting the Qi Heart. And, he gets to create a good foundation at the same time, Evan thought. There were only merits to this action, except for the immediate suffering.

The children quenched their thirst with the cup of water and Evan lifted Dellons up and dumped him in a filled bath, where Mark and Daniel joined him without much delay. Shortly afterwards, a clean and energetic Mark could be seen dragging his tired friend to the dining table, where a hot meal was waiting for them. This sight reinvigorated the two other children, who could not stop the forks and spoons from scooping the breakfast.