Giving myself a few minutes to calm down I asked my Bloodborn what he found. In response, he dispersed into red mist reentering my body. Once he settled, I started watching a rapid pyback inside my head.

  After I sent him off, he searched the mountain and some of the others nearby and found nothing. Finding nothing he returned to the crater and started following the roots and vines, now dried after the tree's death. After spending most of the night searching dead ends and cold trails, he realized the connection with my Ki was severed. Having a limited battery he quickly returned finding me in my test predicament. Only after panicking for a while did he figure out he could also enter the screen, changing his body into a rope and tying himself to the nearby furniture he waited for me to react. He was only able to st so long because his form wasn't created solely through Ki. His form was maniputable directly through the blood that constituted it.

  I sat digesting the information, if the tree creature had no trail that left it with fewer options. Either, it had been a normal tree that just so miraculously mutated. Or it crawled out of a dungeon, and proceeded to somehow destroy the entrance? Was it possible to destroy the entrance to a dungeon? The Wolves Den and the Goblin dungeon in my apartment both repced the area behind the door. Did the space colpse if the door was destroyed? What happens if the space colpses?

  What about the tree that spawned in DC? Categorically it seems to be a dungeon but the two are likely very different. (Lesser Dungeons and True Dungeons)?

  With the information delivered, my Bloodborn soon returned to sleep in my dantain. I on the other hand couldn’t sleep after my test near-death experience and it had killed my desire to continue working on the manual. Unwilling to continue the manual, there were other chores I needed to do around here.

  Heading to the bedroom I picked up the Item Bags and started by setting up furniture, adding the nightstand next to the bed along with some shelves to the barren room. Once I had everything set up, I started adding all my clothes to the closet. With all that put away, I got to work, setting up my desktop by the couch in the living room. When it turned on, I took out another ftscreen to pce in the bedroom, which was now set up and connected to several different consoles. After spending the early morning emptying out Item Bags, I spent a good couple of hours pying some games to rex and recover my mental stability.

  .

  .

  .

  *Guuuah*

  Sometime ter, my stomach growled letting me know it was time for breakfast.

  "Now that I think about it why am I still hungry?” I had a Senzu only three days ago, but I ate normally yesterday and was hungry now. Did the nutrients burn off by repairing my body? Or was it Ki-reted?

  Standing up, I heard the call of nature and headed for the bathroom first. When I finished washing my hands, I remembered the experiment I left in the bathtub.

  Picking the photo up from the back I pulled the copper pipe out from the other side. Looking into the pipe I confirmed the developing distinctive blue-green patina meaning salt water had been leaking consistently from the pipe throughout the night. If I figured out how to use this right, I might have a source of infinite water on my hands.

  For breakfast I ate more of the stockpiled food in the fridge, there's still quite a lot left. Afterward, I sat down to think about what I should do with the rest of the day. I didn’t feel like continuing my research right now. Bullying the goblins sounded fun, but it would be a chore to deal with the crazy one (I still need to catch him).

  In the end, I decided to set up a cultivation training room. It's something I've been needing to do for a while now.

  Using a decent-sized room cut from a manhua panel and pcing it into a video editor. The inside was a simple wooden room; space-wise, it might be a little bigger than the main living area of the capsule house. Since the room was square, the space was used more efficiently.

  The only downside to this room was the ck of internet, and I would have to leave if I needed anything.

  Taking a look around on the inside, it smelled a little earthy and I was now animated. Which felt kinda off. It wasn't the weirdness that came with being in Blender, but I could easily tell that something was amiss. I probably would never have noticed if I wasn’t aware of the difference.

  More importantly, I could breathe here, that alone gave me peace of mind right now.

  As for why I needed this pce, it should be better for my Ki training since there was ambient Ki in the air which should allow for an easier time cultivating. As for how I learned how to absorb this ambient Ki, don't know. Maybe it’s because I haven’t unlocked my sixth sense yet, but I can’t tell the difference. There was probably some trick to it that I needed to learn first. It was probably something really simple that I needed to figure out, but it should come naturally as I progressed. If I’m unlucky it might be a technique or something.

  Returning to the Capsule house I need some supplies first. I needed pills, and I should investigate Spirit Stones while I’m at it.

  Spirit Stones are in simple terms, a solidified form of Ki. Commonly in many stories they were like ore and were mined from special mines that contained them. In some others, they could also be taken from the demonic beasts/yaoguai, creatures mutated by Ki that were on their own path of cultivation. They came in a variety of colors (red, blue, green, blue-green, etc), strengths (tier), and shapes. They were commonly traded as currency because they were a stockpile of Ki. Simply put batteries that one could use to recharge your internal storage or to break through and level up. Among many other uses. And I can create an infinite supply.

  As for how one absorbs the Ki contained inside, I’m at a loss. Ki manipution was difficult, it took some time to gather the energy, but I could brute force a strength enhancement in my limbs. Shooting off that little ball the other day was a fluke.

  The only externalization of Ki I have was, red whisps came from my hand responding to my thoughts. I don't know whether to count this because technically this red wispy Ki wasn't directly mine, it was my Bloodborn's...

  "Ok, I guess I do have a form of external Ki manipution." Though everything after having my Bloodborn exit my body was handled by him. I guess this marks my first Ki transformation?

  Blood Ki; does blood count as an element? Or an attribute?

  If I absorbed enough Ki to saturate my blood completely would something happen?

  While I thought about whether blood counted as an element I started collecting the necessary items. "Pills-check, shiny rocks-check," and I also grabbed a big fluffy cushion while I was at it. Don't want to get hemorrhoids sitting on the hardwood floor. "Fluffy ass cushion- check," That should be everything I need for a couple hours.

  Since pills were the only way to restore Ki right now, "I should start with Spirit Stones." I only took a handful since I didn't know if or how this would work. I should be able to, but I needed to figure out how. Holding the bright blue pristine gemstone in my hand. I really didn't know what to do. Trying to use the Ki in my body to grab it I failed. I was unable to externalize my own Ki. As I was about to give up, I felt my Bloodborn stir, appearing before me in its small humanoid form, "You want to try?" I asked before it nodded taking the stone into its body. "Good luck," I said receiving a nod.

  Leaving him to figure it out, I started by taking a different type of Ki replenishing pill the effect was significantly more powerful than what I was used to. And I felt my body bursting as a result. Unable to hold on to so much I ended up letting it disperse to avoid any issues. Even with what I could keep, there was much more than I was used to. And it made me wonder how much the difference was between when I started and now. With this much Ki I was going to finish tempering at least one bone today!

  Over the st month, I had begun temping my bones, I had tried this process almost daily with little success happening once every couple of days so far. I prioritized my focus on the bones in my skull wanting to keep the contents inside and I'm lucky I did. I’m only alive right now thanks to tempering my skull. If not, I would be ying out in the pasture like a cracked egg. If not mummified with all my bodily fluids drained from my shriveled corpse.

  During this time, I had tempered 4 bones in my skull. The back of my skull was complete as was my forehead. Next was the tip of my right index finger where I had started this process. Through trial and error, as I got used to the process, I inadvertently tempered 2 ribs while trying to adjust my control over the altered Ki. It took some time to grow used to the needle-like stabbing sensation that came with the process. And I still didn't want to use it on smaller bones, as the crushing pressure that came with the stabbing made me lose focus.

  Taking one of the Bone-Tempering pills I sat on the cushion and began the process anew. The rge amount I Ki I had obtained from the new pill began reacting with the Bone-Tempering pill in my stomach. Keeping my concentration steady I brought the prickly Ki over to my right humorous. As the Ki met with the bone the stabbing sensation alerted me of the process beginning. Only once that pain subsided coupled with an influx from my Ki would I know that the bone was considered tempered. (The best part is when it doesn't hurt anymore).

  Surprisingly It was a lot faster than normal. Normally I would be sitting here for an hour waiting for peace. But this time the process finished in 20 or 30 minutes (I think? I should add a clock ter.) Usually, it might take an hour or more.

  I think I could expin it as either the environment was better, the transport of Ki using my veins had streamlined the process, and my skill had increased. I didn't just leave the Ki there anymore while I dealt with the pain, I was actively moving it around the desired bone. And using better Ki pills might have allowed for quicker conversion to the prickly energy. It could also be that my many failed attempts had caused many of the bones in my torso to begin the tempering process. I guess there were a few factors at py.

  With one success under my belt, I moved to temper my left humorous. Losing some of the prickly Ki while moving it from one arm to the other. I ended up trying to temper my cvicles with the amount I had left. Once I ran out of Ki I had to stop and take both pills again. I repeated the process another two times and ended up with a few different bones tempered. The process had only taken a few hours, and I had completed another 4 bones. Both of my funny bones', my cvicles, and my sternum had all been tempered.

  Taking a breather, I looked over at my Bloodborn who had been silently watching me. “Did you figure it out?” I asked as he nodded dispersing into mist and reentering me. He showed me how he absorbed the Spirit Stones. Enveloping one inside his body he formed a connection before slowly draining the energy from the stone. “I see, but I don’t think I can do it that way.” I don’t know how to form the connection, I could try but, “You already ate all the spirit stones.” He seemed to get bashful after realizing he had eaten all the Spirit Stones. “It's no big deal,” I told the little spirit before having him rest.

  There was one st thing I wanted to do today; out of the pills I had taken so far there was one type I had yet to try. That was the Body Refinement/Body Tempering pills. I had taken them out quite a while ago but because I was still using the Body-Tempering-Liquid I decided against using them. Restoring my Ki once again, I took one of the tasteless brown pills. As the Ki reacted with it in my stomach I felt a new sensation. The Ki had become hot like fmes and soon began spreading through my body starting from my abdomen. I spent the next two hours trying to keep it contained while I felt like I was on fire throughout the process.

  "Haa Haa" I panted as the effect had finally run out. The pill was a much more intense version of the Body-Tempering-Liquid and comparatively, it had a better effect, though I much prefer the boundless energy rather than feeling my body burn from the inside, it isn't exactly pleasant.

  My skin was covered in sweat and my shirt and pants had been soaked through as was the cushion I was sitting on. And it wasn't just sweat there was also the sticky bck goop, impurities soaked into everything. The shirt was already a lost cause, but the cushion was just sad. Ruined after the first use.

  Returning to the capsule house, I took a shower to get the stink off me. Once I was nice and clean, I stood in front of the bathroom mirror with a towel wrapped around my waist. Over the st month, I have changed a lot because of Ki. My eyesight, hearing, and other senses were enhanced. My skin had gone from pasty white to fair, and my complexion had cleared. Among who knows how many other changes, and with my test foray into cultivation, my muscles had become further defined, I had abs now and, “Did I get bigger again?” Ever since I started messing with Ki I started growing. At first, it wasn’t a noticeable inch. After regurly using the Tempering-Liquid my muscles and bones started to grow, giving me a second growth spurt. I think I’m 5’11 now. And I'll probably get taller before I finish tempering all of my bones, I hadn't even started on my spine yet.

  And now I'm curious, what does a tempered bone look like under an X-ray? I can feel the difference in that they contain some amount of Ki, and they were harder than normal bone, but did they look different under a microscope?

  Since I had the ability, I ended up going through a tedious process of finding a personal X-ray machine online and taking a few pictures. In comparison with normal bone, they were shiny under an X-ray and had a slightly higher density.

  END

  Spoilerkidmonkey94

  [colpse]