"Indeed, he has cultivated internal energy, but he's merely scratched the surface," Oliver explained, picking up a nearby twig. With a gentle press of his finger, he left a faint impression in the wood.
"Incredible!" his father, James, exclaimed, his eyes alight with excitement. "Just three months, and you've done it! Keep this up, and you might awaken your spirit roots. You could become someone of real importance in Willowbrook!"
James could scarcely contain his joy. This display of strength was leagues beyond anything Oliver had been capable of before. It had to be the fruit of his energy cultivation. To achieve this in just three months, especially given their modest circumstances, spoke volumes about Oliver's potential.
"My boy," James continued, his voice brimming with pride, "you focus solely on your training next year. Your brother Ethan and I will handle the chores. Give it another year to bolster your internal energy, and I'll speak to the village chief about getting you on the hunting team!"
He clasped Oliver's shoulder, his expression growing serious. "The hunting life is perilous, but it puts meat on the table. And if you want to advance your cultivation, you can't do without proper nutrition. Who knows? With enough effort, you might even awaken your spirit roots!"
James's eyes gleamed as he added, "In all of Willowbrook, only a handful of practitioners like the village chief and Master Hunter William have awakened their spirit roots. If you manage it... well, that's a leap straight to the heavens!"
The entire family buzzed with anticipation. James even began using Oliver's full name, a sign of the gravity he placed on this development.
Awakening one's spirit roots was irrefutable proof of one's power. It brought numerous benefits, requiring no external validation. If Oliver succeeded, it would elevate their entire family's status. Why worry about providing for them now, when such a future beckoned?
Yet while his family dreamed of glory, Oliver found himself wrestling with doubt.
He had trained relentlessly these past months, never missing a day. He'd had the benefit of Master Hunter William's energy infusions to aid his practice. Even his mysterious Rebirth Codex had boosted his cultivation speed by 20%.
Despite all these advantages, it had taken him three months to grasp the basics of energy cultivation. His talent, it seemed, was far less impressive than he'd hoped.
How many years would it take to truly awaken his spirit roots?
Lost in thought, Oliver summoned his Rebirth Codex:
◇
Mortal Skills:
Farming (Level 3: 86/300, 30% yield increase)
Energy Cultivation (Level 1: 95/100, 20% increased cultivation speed)
◇
"At least I'm close to leveling up," Oliver mused, finding a glimmer of hope in his impending skill increase.
These past three months had seen steady, if slow, progress in his energy cultivation – far outpacing his farming skill. While farming was seasonal, Oliver practiced his energy cultivation daily, even managing an hour of quiet meditation after exhausting days in the fields.
His deeper understanding of energy cultivation had improved his proficiency. Where a novice might progress at a rate of 10, and an adept at 15, Oliver now cultivated at a pace closer to 20.
The Codex's 20% skill bonus amplified his base progress. The more proficient he became, the faster he advanced.
Thanks to his growing mastery, Oliver had finally reached a milestone in his training.
"The first level of energy cultivation produces qi as fine as silk," he recalled from his studies. "It's fleeting, requiring daily cultivation to prevent dissipation."
"When this silken qi reaches a measure of one hundred, you achieve the second level of energy cultivation."
"Time to get back to work," Oliver muttered, throwing himself once more into his practice.
Now that he could sense his internal energy, Oliver had direct feedback on his cultivation efforts. He felt energy surging through his body, gathering in his core. The whisper-thin strand of qi grew incrementally stronger, but the progress was agonizingly slow. After a full day of intense focus, Oliver estimated he had cultivated only a third of the required 'silken qi.'
"At this rate," he realized with a start, "it'll take nearly ten months to reach the second level!"
The magnitude of the challenge before him suddenly became clear. No wonder so few managed to cultivate energy successfully. Even with his skill surpassing mere proficiency – perhaps approaching mastery – and the Codex's 20% speed boost, it would still take the better part of a year to advance.
Energy cultivation had six distinct levels, and it was said that one needed to reach at least the fourth to have any hope of awakening their spirit roots. The fifth level represented the pinnacle of the art, allowing for full activation of one's spiritual potential.
And cultivation only grew more difficult with each step. If the second level took ten months, how long would the third and fourth demand?
Oliver's thoughts turned to Henry, the round-faced boy from his lessons. Henry's father had mastered energy cultivation and joined the hunting team years ago, yet in over a decade, he had failed to awaken his spirit roots.
"The challenges of energy cultivation far exceed my initial expectations," Oliver realized. "Without continuous progress, regression becomes a very real threat."
He had felt the potency of Master William's training formula waning over the past months. Soon, it might lose its effectiveness entirely.
This posed a critical problem. The formula accounted for at least half of his current cultivation speed. Once it became ineffective, his progress would slow to a crawl.
Yet asking Master William for an updated formula was out of the question. His family simply couldn't afford the extra food required as payment.
"I'll have to rely on my own understanding," Oliver decided. "There must be underlying principles to these formulas. I'll uncover them myself."
In the days that followed, Oliver devoted himself to studying the theoretical foundations of energy cultivation, searching for ways to improve his technique independently.
A week later, his perseverance paid off as his energy cultivation skill finally reached the next level. Oliver eagerly summoned his Rebirth Codex:
◇
Mortal Skills:
Farming (Level 3: 86/300, 30% yield increase)
Energy Cultivation (Level 2: 0/250, 40% increased cultivation speed)
◇
"The experience needed to level up energy cultivation is fifty points higher than farming," Oliver noted, his expression grim.
Fifty points translated to fifty full days of dedicated practice. Even with his family's full support, realistically, Oliver could only devote two or three months a year to uninterrupted cultivation. The rest of his time would be consumed by the never-ending struggle to increase crop yields.
Worse still, Oliver had made a disturbing discovery in recent days. Since beginning his energy cultivation in earnest, his appetite had tripled. He now consumed three times the rations he once had.
Cultivation demanded nutrients. Attempting to practice without proper sustenance was a death sentence – he'd waste away within a month.
Their modest plot of land simply couldn't support such voracious consumption.
Oliver wracked his brain, trying to recall any useful modern agricultural techniques from his past life. But what could a factory worker, who had spent his days mindlessly assembling electronics, truly contribute? He dared not experiment recklessly with their primary food source – one misstep could spell disaster for the entire family.
Instead, he set aside a small area for controlled trials. If any of his ideas bore fruit, he could gradually implement them on a larger scale.
But farming was not a quick fix. It offered no immediate solution to his current predicament.
To avoid depleting the family's food stores, Oliver scaled back his intensive training, maintaining only the bare minimum of practice.
When his family learned of this setback, they sighed in resignation. The harsh realities of their world had tempered their earlier enthusiasm.
And so, life continued.
Six months slipped by in the blink of an eye.
As October arrived, Oliver found himself resting beneath a gnarled oak tree, having just completed the rice harvest. He closed his eyes, reviewing the principles of energy cultivation in his mind.
Unlike the physical demands of active training, this mental review consumed far less energy. It didn't require the massive caloric intake that had proven so problematic.
For most, this method would yield no tangible results. But Oliver had his Rebirth Codex. As long as he engaged in any form of practice, his skill experience would steadily increase. Over the past ten months, he had painstakingly accumulated 300 points of experience.
Oliver opened his eyes and called forth the Codex one more time:
◇
Mortal Skills:
Farming (Level 3: 165/300, 30% yield increase)
Energy Cultivation (Level 3: 50/600, 60% increased cultivation speed)
◇
A small smile played across Oliver's lips. His progress was slow, but undeniable. In this world of limited resources and harsh realities, even the smallest step forward was a victory worth savoring.