*Knock*
*knock*
A tavern maiden had been sent up to Ben a half hour after settling into his room to deliver his meal. He had her set the tray down on the small table along the wall and gave her a couple of silver coins for a tip. He was unsure if tips were even a thing in this world and if a silver coin might be too much for one if so, but it was his first day here and he wanted to live it up and leave a good impression.
When he had finished eating his meal Ben took the tray downstairs with the now empty plate and silverware. It was a pleasant surprise that the food although foreign to him was to his taste. The vegetables were strange looking and the slice of meat was from some type of animal or creature he had never heard of and the drink was some type of fruit beverage.
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Even though it was unnecessary to bring his tray down he wanted to visit the inn tavern so he brought it downstairs with him.
Ben ordered a couple different alcoholic beverages to try out while he sat alone among the crowd of people who had stopped by to drink and socialize at the end of the day.
Nursing his drinks so as not to get drunk he strained to listen in on the different conversations going on around him while appearing to be lost in thought. It was one thing to ask people for information, but you would usually receive a guarded response from someone who didn't know you.
Ben knew once people were with friends and had a few drinks that's when the juicy information and rumors would come out.
From what he could make out this world was far from a peaceful one. There were vast stretches of wilderness that held bandits and aggressive profound beasts. People who traveled the roads could even find themselves being ambushed by bandits only a few miles out of town.
Merchants who traveled between kingdoms and towns would have to hire guards to defend against having their goods robbed or worse being robbed and killed.
The kingdom's guards were able to keep the cities and towns safe from most crime but once you stepped past the city walls it was another world out where the strong stepped on the weak. If you could not protect your life and your property you just might lose them both.
Ben began to think about how lucky he was to have been fairly close to the capital. He would need to keep his eyes open when out on the road so as not to get ambushed by bandits or torn apart by a profound beast. These roaming bandit groups would rob and kill you without a second thought. It was just a job to them a way to get what they wanted by any means necessary.
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After listening in to different conversations and straining to hear all the details for over an hour he soon earned himself a new skill.
[Notice] [You have learned a new skill! Enhanced Hearing Skill Level 1.]
Once he developed this skill Ben found he could tune out certain conversations and even listen in on people talking across the room like they were at the table next to him. After trying to use it to hear outside of the room or more than twenty feet away he found it was like an invisible wall he could not hear past.
'This must be due to this skill only being level one? If I were to level it up then I might extend the skill's range.' Ben thought as he experimented with the limits of his new skill.
Just like the system had informed him he soon learned through the inn patron's conversations there were a few cultivators and magicians in this world and compared to the average person they were powerful.
Even if they were powerful compared to an average man they did not seem to measure up to the cultivators and mages portrayed in the light novels he had read. From what Ben had heard from the surrounding gossip of their feats these cultivators around the city would be comparable to the outer sect disciples who were still in early foundation stages of cultivation in his light novels. The common people thought the cultivators and magi of the area were all impressive, but from what Ben was used to reading from his stories they all seemed to be lacking.
These described magi were not that impressive from the description of the spells they used and the damage they dealt. If a solo mage had to go out and try to hunt down a strong profound beast of this world most of them would not have the firepower to survive the encounter.
As he listened in on these conversations around him he had the system mark every location on his map the people around him talked about. He heard of areas which had strong beasts, bandit camp locations, rumored supernatural areas, and places where people would not go for superstitious reasons.
Ben being from a modern society was not a believer of these ghosts supposedly roaming the lands and even the system confirmed his suspicions that this world did not have ghosts. He knew that people of ancient society would often blame strange occurrences on the supernatural in which they could not explain.
A strange howling wind through a canyon, a fog bank rolling in on a bright sunny day, a strange light that appeared to move through the wilderness, any of these strange events could trigger thoughts of ghosts from people who did not know any better.
One of the areas that people would avoid happened to be a vast forest that covered a large area of the central part of this continent. This forest covered hundreds of miles and was known to be a place that people would enter but never return from.
There were some who were brave enough to hunt just inside the perimeter of the forest. These hunters would never have any troubles returning unless they ran into a stray profound beast but those who chose to trek toward the interior of the forest were never seen again.
Even though most of the kingdoms on this continent bordered this forest none of them could yet lay claim over this sprawling woodland wilderness.
A traveling merchant and his drinking companions spoke of how recent and past scouting parties organized by the bordering kingdoms of the forest had been sent out to explore the forest. These parties who were made up of experienced mercenaries were also lost to the forest. Eventually, the forest was deemed to be much too dangerous to inhabit and left as a wild unclaimed frontier.
The surrounding kingdoms could only daydream about all of the undiscovered resources hidden in these woods but if they could not secure the land then it would remain impossible to send people out to even search for resources let alone collect them.
Ben looking at his map had figured the woodlands were so extensive that people more than likely lost their way never to find the way out again. There should also be powerful profound beasts or even bandits that live deep in this forest which would also add to the dangers.
When he looked at the forest on the map Ben had the advantage to see the true lay of the land from aerial images. This huge forest held a secret that no one had mentioned. Just north of the forest was a grassland that stretched out for miles.
The forest bordered the south of this grassland and wrapped up along its east and west borders. The northern border of the grassland was fenced in by jagged mountains that ran along the northern coast of the continent.
Ben knew that the forest would hold dangers but this hidden grassland shouldn't be any different from the one he had woken up in after being teleported to this world.
There was only one problem to reach this grassland one would need to fly over the northern jagged mountains from the ocean or travel through miles of uncharted forests that held unknown dangers.
As Ben studied the map he found a road that went west out of Goldcrest City until it turned south and ran along the border of the dangerous forest. While he followed the road with his eyes Ben discovered there was a small area where the forest wasn't as dense.
Without his map, one would have to be extremely lucky to find this small section. At this spot, Ben would only need to travel just under a mile through the woods to gain access to the sprawling green prairie hidden out of sight.
If you were to enter anywhere further south of this tiny section of the forest you would end up traveling deeper into the forest that went on for hundreds of miles toward the western kingdoms.
Without a map, Ben could see how it was possible that people would never return from this region. It would be as if a state in the U.S. was completely covered in a thick forest and you had to find your way across that forested state without a map and nothing to see around you but trees for hundreds miles in every direction.
For Ben, though it was not a problem he basically had a built-in GPS system with his map and could tell exactly where he was at all times. He looked at this forest as an excellent source of lumber and the northern steep mountains would provide stone and ores. The gigantic fertile grassland would also be ideal for farms and grazing animals.
The more he looked over the area the more he like it. All those pristine lands and untouched resources had been sitting there for centuries. It made him think of what it must have been like for the first explorers who discovered new lands on Earth.
Now, Ben was sure that he had a location to start from, so he went back upstairs to his room to prepare himself before setting out on his journey.
He opened and then closed a notice he had received from earlier while walking upstairs to his room and thinking of how to proceed next.
[Notice] Skill: [Enhanced Hearing has increased. Enhanced Hearing Level 2.]
'I need to prepare myself properly for any dangers I may face on the road.'
He used the system interface to open the store option and began looking through the cultivation techniques.
With so many options available to choose from, Ben wasn't sure what to choose he was concerned about what the system had told him earlier, how some of the good items and buildings were currently locked. Ben began to worry if he bought a garbage early access cultivation technique that he may screw up his chances of ever advancing into the upper stages.
'System, is it possible for you to help me look through these techniques to find a decent one?'
Ben asked the system for help and was expecting it to tell him he was on his own, but it was worth a try at least.
*Ding!* [It is possible to scan the host and provide a list of techniques that will best integrate with the host's genotype. Does the host wish to perform a genetic scan?]
[YES] [NO]
Ben laid down on the bed to prepare and then answered.
"Yes! Perform the scan now."
Ben wasn't sure what to expect from the scan maybe his body would begin to glow or he would begin to feel extreme pain. Before he could fully brace himself for these outcomes the system spoke up.
*Ding!* [Scan is complete, now sorting out undesirable techniques and constructing a list of the most optimal choices.]
'Huh? Seriously? What about the glowing and painful probing?' Ben just let out a relieved sigh as a list of techniques appeared on the interface menu before him.
'There are still too many choices to pick from here.' Ben thought as he scrolled through the never-ending list.
After seeing this list of over a hundred choices still available he asked for help again to decide.
'System, What is the best cultivation technique here that I can use until I reach the upper peak stages of cultivation. I want one that will allow me to make quick gains without jeopardizing my future cultivation.'
The interface flashed and left one choice for him to pick from.
'Immortal Strengthening Technique? It sure sounds domineering.'
Then he looked at the cost and almost swallowed his tongue.
"One... One thousand gold coins!" He yelled out accidentally.
While he was in shock over the price a man in the room next to his began to pound on the wall while yelling at Ben.
"Keep it down people are trying to sleep!"
"Yeah, it must be nice to sleep all comfy and stress-free right now. You don't have a greedy female system in your head who is trying to rob you for every cent you have." He grumbled under his breath.
Ben grit his teeth and purchased the [Immortal Strengthening Technique] hoping that he wouldn't regret this choice later.
Another advantage that the system provided when he learned a skill or purchased one the information was somehow downloaded directly into his brain. Right after his purchase everything about how to cultivate this new technique was now a part of him.
Just like how he knew to swing a hammer or use a tape measure all this new information that had just appeared in his mind made him feel as if he had been using this technique all his life.
[Immortal Strengthening Technique]: This technique will continue to multiply the cultivators attribute points as it increases in stages. When the cultivator reaches the upper stages his attributes will have risen high enough to make him almost immortal.
'Now that I have a cultivation technique I want to also pick up a cheap movement technique. I might be able to buy a mount of some type here in the city for a lot less money, but it will take a lot longer to get around. A movement technique will continue to allow me to go faster as it levels up and I can use it to surprise enemies in combat.'
Ben quickly found a cheap one for only one hundred gold coins and purchased it.
[Whirlwind Maneuver]: This technique uses circulating elemental winds to increase the speed of the host in any given direction.
'Next I should purchase a skill to give me some knowledge of sword fighting. If I get into a fight I don't want to try and fight someone who is swinging a weapon around with only my bare hands. It would be different if I was an upper stage cultivator, but right now it wouldn't be a good idea.'
[Notice] [You have learned a new skill! Sword Proficiency Level 1!]
[Sword Proficiency]: The ability to understand and use any and all swords with increasing mastery with every level gained in this skill.
After buying a skill and the two cultivation techniques to get him started, Ben also bought a chain-mail tunic, a basic steel sword, a simple wooden longbow, and a quiver of arrows.
Not wanting to spend too much of his money he decided to only buy basic weapons and armor even though there was equipment in the system store which had extra bonuses like fire damage or increased defense.
Now that Ben had weapons and armor he decided to also buy a small bottle of basic cultivation pills. The pill description only claimed to help increase cultivation gains and they were not that expensive.
As he looked at the pills in the small glass bottle he removed from his inventory he began to wonder if it were possible to make his own pills.
With his money slowly depleting Ben questioned the system about how he could make money and found he could earn money by selling just about anything, he found in the world to the system store. Even the animals and magical beasts could be sold off to the system store or in the towns and cities.
When he found out that he at least had some options to earn money out on his own he began to relax.
Ben laid down on his bed after swallowing a cultivation pill and began to feel a warmth building in his abdomen. He knew from the knowledge of his cultivation technique that this was a concentration of Qi building in his dantian.
He instinctively opened all the pores on his body and began to draw in the surrounding Qi. At first, he felt a small trickle that gradually turned into a rushing stream. The Qi began to flow in a strong torrent like a building river into his dantain.
It wasn't long before his dantain overflowed and rushed out through his meridians to enhance his muscles and strengthen his bones.
A warm intoxicating feeling encompassed his entire being. It was a different experience than what he had read in the novels he enjoyed reading. Often they would write about how the MC would need to use his QI to break through each meridian to improve the Qi circulation and advance his stages.
Ben having had all the knowledge now in his head about cultivating knew that his Qi was circulating smoothly through each of his meridians from the start.
The exhaustion from the long day of activities was washed away as he lost himself in the feeling and continued to cultivate throughout the night.
'This feeling is almost addictive, I feel like I am sitting in a jacuzzi while someone is massaging me all over.'
Falling into a meditative state for a couple of hours he was brought back to himself by a notification.
[Notice] [You have advanced in cultivation! Cultivation Stage One: Level One!]
'Nice, I am now officially a cultivator!'
Not only did his cultivation increase, but all his attributes were also increased by +1 each from his advancement.
Closing out the notices he swallowed another pill and continued to cultivate. When the next notice came it was now light outside and he could hear people and carts out on the street preparing for the morning.
[Notice] [You have advanced in cultivation! Cultivation Stage One: Level Two!]
"System, what is the current time?" He quietly asked as he stood up and equipped the outfit he made yesterday.
*Ding!* [The current time is 7:36 AM.]
'I might as well go downstairs and see if breakfast is being served.'
Ben went downstairs lost in thought as he recalled all the stories he had read about cultivation. One point finally made him wonder if it were true, so he asked the system for verification.
'System, I remember reading that cultivators had to take time to condense their Qi in their foundation establishment before advancing to the next level or their cultivation would be less effective later on.'
*Ding!* [The host does not need to engage in foundation establishment. The system instantly creates a perfectly condensed foundation for the host on each stage and level advancement. This provides the host with the ability to increase in cultivation stages at an accelerated rate compared to a standard cultivator of this world.]
'I guess I had it better than I thought. I was worried about the high prices of everything, but the system is also providing me with huge advantages that a native cultivator could only dream of having.'
After an enjoyable breakfast, Ben decided to pay for a couple more nights in his room. Now that he could cultivate Ben had no reason to rush off into the world, he decided to stay and increase his cultivation.
For the next couple days, almost all Ben's time was devoted to cultivating in his room. He went downstairs to eat when he was hungry and then returned to his room to continue his breakthroughs.
After two days of dedicated cultivation, he opened his notices while it was still early in the morning.
[Notice] [You have advanced in cultivation! Cultivation Stage One: Level Three!]
[Notice] [You have advanced in cultivation! Cultivation Stage One: Level Four!]
[Notice] [You have advanced in cultivation! Cultivation Stage One: Level Five!]
[Notice] [You have advanced in cultivation! Cultivation Stage One: Level Six!]
[Notice] [You have advanced in cultivation! Cultivation Stage One: Level Seven!]
[Notice] [You have advanced in cultivation! Cultivation Stage One: Level eight!]
'A couple more days of cultivation and I should break through to Stage Two.'
"Status!"
______________________________
STATUS
[Host]: Ben King
[System Level]: 1
[Strength]: 22
[Agility]: 13
[Stamina]: 23
[Intelligence]: 14
[Wisdom]: 13
[Perception]: 12
[Vitality]: 17
[Charisma]: 12
______________________________
SKILLS
[Running Level 2]
[Spriniting Level 2]
[Enhanced Hearing Level 2]
[Sword Proficiency Level 1]
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CULTIVATION BASE
[Stage One Level Eight]
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CULTIVATION TECHNIQUES
[Immortal Strengthening Technique: Stage 1: Level 8]
[Whirlwind Maneuver: Level 1]
______________________________
'Not too bad! All my attributes have increased into double digits now!'
After putting his clothes on, Ben left the room and locked the door. He left his key at the receptionist desk and made his way out into the city street. With the help of his map, he planned out his route toward the wilderness frontier and walked out of the city gates to begin his journey westward.