CULTivation

“Hooooooooo” A strong exhale left Jack’s mouth as he nervously bounced in place. Glancing around he could see that people were beginning to show up on the outskirts of the clearing. The Night Meeting started in ten minutes and he caught a lead from a friend someone had a ghost refining technique and had been trying to sell it.

The cultivation technique that Jack practices is incomplete and needs an auxiliary technique to subdue and refine ghosts. For the past two years, he has been looking for a suitable technique. He can then use his technique to turn the refined ghosts into magical treasures. In order to break through to Foundation Establishment with his Essence Art, he needs to create a magical treasure and refine it into his soul while breaking through.

It adds a layer of risk, but if he succeeds the payoff is massively worth it as he can use the treasure to augment his attacks and temporarily increase his energy. Noticing that the meeting was about to start, Jack walked forwards and adjusted the blank white mask on his face. “Hello friends,” he said cheerfully as he approached.

One of the cultivators standing in the clearing’s center looked up, and with his arms outstretched, said “Token please” and extended a hand out. Jack pulled a small silver crescent moon shaped token and tossed it at the cultivator.

Catching the token, the cultivator ran essence through it and the token pulsed with a blue light. Tossing it back, the small group stepped aside except for one cultivator, who stepped forward and used a technique to pull the ground apart to show a cave entrance faintly lit with red light. “Please walk down the tunnel.” The cultivator said with a gruff voice as he stepped back.

“Thank you kind friends,” Jack exclaimed as he quickly walked down, sinking further and further until the ground started shifting above him and the hole started closing. Making his way down the dim cave, he soon approached an open doorway with a bright white light emanating out of, which he made his way through. Once in the room, he looked around, noticing 20-30 other cultivators all sitting at a round table.

Circulating essence through his eyes, he noticed many were low or mid essence establishment with six late stage cultivators, and three peak essence assimilation cultivators like him. As Jack was running his eyes over the others, he noticed with wide eyes, a single foundation establishment expert there. Making his way towards the table, Jack calmly greeted the group, “Hello friends.”

A large burly man snorted and replied, “Hi friend,” in a mocking tone.

Sitting near him a plump cultivator warmly responded back, “ignore my friend here, he’s just surly. It's always good to meet a new friend.” Laughing, Jack replied, “No problem friend, let's let any misgivings go and get along.”

Interrupting their chatting, a feminine figure stood up and said, “The Meeting is about to begin, is everyone ready?” After all the cultivators gave their assent, the figure clapped her hands and exclaimed, “Wonderful, then I will start by explaining the rules for any newcomers to this secret market. This is a yearly event where we host various wandering cultivators such as your esteemed selves, for a meeting where one can trade any treasures for any items they might desire. We will start with around the table and let people talk about anything they are looking for, or anything they have to offer. Then we will split up and let people make private transactions. Please know, there is no fighting as we have several Foundation Establishment experts ready to step in at any moment.”

Stepping back, the woman sat back down and indicated towards the cultivators sitting at her left to start. Listening intently, Jack sat there, perking up anytime someone mentioned they had a technique to trade, hoping to hear someone say they had what he was looking for.

As more and more cultivators had gone, A thin man stood up, and said with a refined voice, “This one has a Ghost Refining Technique he wishes to trade to anyone, either for Spirit stones or Natural Treasure.” and then bowed and sat back down. Smiling Jack ignored the rest of cultivators as his eyes locked onto the thin man.

Sitting for what seemed like an eternity, he waited as the last cultivator finished and the woman stood up and announced the next portion of the event. “Please feel free to go meet with anyone who caught your eye. You have two hours until the end of this event to trade.”

As cultivators started mingling, Jack hurriedly made his way to the thin man, hoping no one else was eyeing the technique. As he made his way forward, Jack couldn't help but sigh in relief as he noticed no one by the man he was looking for.

Walking up to the cultivator Jack said, “Hello friend, I would like to buy your Ghost Refining Technique. What are you looking for?” The thin man looked at him and said, “I am looking for any metal aspect natural treasures or you can pay in spirit stones.”

Smiling inwardly, Jack didn’t try to haggle as he slapped his waist and a small silver flower appeared in his hand. “This is a 100 year silver rose I found while traveling, Would this do?” The cultivator looked at the flower and said, “Not bad, this should be enough for what I need.” Pulling out a small slip, he handed Jack the small black tablet.

Channeling some essence into the stone, Three words appeared in Jack's brain, Evil Ghost Refinement, “Nice” he exclaimed as he skimmed through the technique, “this is what I am looking for, would you like to trade?”

Happily, the thin man chuckled and said, “Yes, consider the technique yours for this metal aspected treasure. It was a pleasure doing business.” and then he walked off to the side.

Jack also made his way towards one side of the room, before leaning against a wall and sending his essence back into the stone slip. As the words Evil Ghost Refinement appeared, he intently started reading through the technique.

After taking a few minutes, Jack released a thoughtful frown. In order for the technique to work, He needed to find areas with extreme cold essence, and then use a special talisman to summon the ghost to refine it. The technique has a description of ingredients and the process to make the talisman, but some of the ingredients were rare treasures and would be hard to find.

Happy to have finally found a compatible technique, Jack waited for the end of the meeting as everyone left at the same time as a precaution.

As soon as all of the cultivators made their way up the tunnel into the clearing above, everyone shot off into different directions, using a variety of techniques to escape or hide their presence. Running through the forest, Jack made his way towards the only settlement within 50 miles, Silverclaw City.

As Jack made his way towards the city, his mind started wandering towards the past. After bitterly surviving through countless hardships, it seemed his luck was finally turning around for the better. The sooner he can use these tools to break through to Foundation Establishment, the safer he will be and more opportunities for growth will appear. Jack was excited, excited to maybe start thriving for the first time since he appeared in this world.

He thought back to when he first arrived, how even the smallest threats scared him, he was listless, depressed, scared, wandering through a hostile foreign world. He would gain flashes of knowledge when he slept, from the man he inherited the body from but other than that, he knew nothing.

Surviving due to the travel rations left on his body when he first woke up, Jack was somehow able to make his way to a nearby town and request an inn. He was lucky he knew how to speak and read the common language in his region, as the former owner of his body had known. Over the course of a few months, as he stayed in the town the flashes of memories he would receive at night slowly taught him everything about his body's past.

The previous cultivator, had been a low stage essence assimilation cultivator who had lucked upon a fragmented inheritance while living as a bandit in the forest. It was from a poor Foundation Establishment Cultivator who was going to die and wanted to pass on their inheritance, it contained an essence art called The Infernal Treasure Mantra which could be practiced until Foundation Establishment, a few spirit stones, a low grade flying sword, and a low grade spatial pouch. The pouch also had notes from the cultivator about some rogue cultivator markets and meetups, as well as general information about the cultivation world.

And then, after a full year of on and off cultivation, the bandit had somehow successfully broken into low stage essence assimilation. Not thinking much would happen, he was pleasantly surprised when he got much stronger than he previously was as a mortal. Setting out, he decided to go to a cultivation market listed on the notes from the inheritance, but unluckily, as he was traveling he got bit by a poisonous snake. Thinking that his newfound strength was enough to resist it, he didn’t try to treat the wound arrogantly thinking nothing would happen.

As a result, he died and Jack woke up in his place. The last thing Jack remembered before the incident, was being in a car accident before blacking out and waking up in his new body.

While staying in the town, he slowly started learning about the surrounding land and world. He learned that the Continent he was on was called the Heavenly South Continent, and he was in the territory of the Flowing Wind sect, a mid rank sect that presided over several towns and cities in the area.

Learning these things, He took up odd jobs around the village for food, and stayed there while he cultivated. Two years later, He reached mid essence assimilation and felt confident to step out into the world. He had learned a technique to control the flying sword from his essence art and he had been practicing it while at the village.

Feeling ready to face the world, he had bade goodbye to his friends in the town, and left towards the neighboring city in search of more information about cultivation.

As Jack slowly recalled these past few years of bitterly surviving countless death-filled situations, he had finally reached Silverclaw City. Slowing down, he reached the path leading towards the city gates and started walking. Reaching the gates, he paid the fee of two low grade spirit stones, took an identifying band that showed he was a cultivator, and made his way to an inn.

After booking a few nights, he decided to cultivate for a few days to replenish his essence before starting his search for talisman ingredients. Settling onto the bed in his room, Jack closed his eyes and started cycling essence in complicated patterns throughout his body.

As he sat there, he smiled with anticipation knowing that he was closer to the next step in a long journey, and the future may hold more in store for him than he originally thought he would get to see.