Calm Wanderer
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(AKJ)Chapter 61 - Reaching the Second Level unexpectedly
🕑 Added 2024-04-29 08:45:46 +0000 UTCDamovotsk, Molkovia, Earth.
Demian's P.O.V.
The tranquil scene reminded Demian of some old memories from his past lives. Old days when his Mom, little brother, little sister, and himself went picnicking by the sea, sometimes staying until late evening to admire the night sky and how magnificent the view could be without being distracted by random passersby. As those memories surfaced in his mind, a feeling of melancholy grew along, prompting him to turn his head toward his cousin and ask softly.
“Do you mind if I play something?” When she looked at him in confusion, he pointed toward the guitar lying on the ground. Her eyes lit up with realization before she herself nodded and said. “Sure.” Smiling at her, he then grabbed the instrument from the ground and started tuning it calmly. A few short moments later, it was done and there was no sign of anything breaking, relieving from his concerns.
Of course, that guitar was nothing impressive, and thanks to his new superhuman hearing, he quickly realized why its price was so low. ‘It’ll have to do for now.’ He thought before pondering about what he wanted to play. Recalling those old memories, a song immediately popped into his mind. The only problem was the fact that he never played the guitar in his previous life, or any other for that matter, making it impossible to remember the right chords.
Fortunately, with his incredible memory and superhuman attributes, it only took a few tries for him to match the melody in his memories. Before starting to play, the young man took a deep breath to increase his focus while admiring the scenery. Now ready, he set his fingers on the chords and started moving them gently, creating a melancholic atmosphere. After a few seconds, his magnetic voice started resounding in the air.
♪ Peaceful Haven, South Florida ♪
♪ Not a question, Your warm smile, oh Mama ♪
♪ The sea raging, out there on the shore ♪
♪ A loving family, Why would I want more? ♪
♪ Memories, bring me home ♪
♪ To the place, where I belong ♪
♪ South Florida, My lovely Mama ♪
♪ Bring me home, My memories ♪
...
♪ I’ve got her voice, etched deep in my mind ♪
♪ Recall my family, my siblings I left behind ♪
♪ Follow along, down memory lane ♪
♪ An illusion, one that won’t be again ♪
♪ Memories, bring me home ♪
♪ To the place, where I belong ♪
♪ South Florida, My lovely Mama ♪
♪ Bring me home, My memories ♪
♪ Why don’t you, Sweet reveries ♪
♪ Bring me home, My memories ♪
♪ Listen to my Melodies ♪
♪ And bring me home, My memories ♪
His voice began turning a bit hoarse in the end, as some ‘mist’ appeared in his eyes, blurring his vision and transforming the clear scenery into a dark hazy one. The haze turned the previously clear shapes indistinct until at one point he almost felt like he could see the three people he believed to be lost to him forever. “How are the three of you doing now...?” He mumbled subconsciously as a crushing feeling of loneliness gripped his heart, tormenting both his body and mind.
Fortunately, a relatively small, but persistent light, which appeared recently inside his heart, warmed his entire being, dissipating the potent cold previously freezing his entire being. That warmth, full of love and care, brought the image of a petite redhead to his mind. Touching the spot where his heart was located with his right hand, a small grin surfaced on his face. ‘I’ll be with you forever and ever, Babe.’ Despite knowing it was an illusion, he could almost hear her voice speaking to him with her cheeky smile on her charming face.
A slightly tired but joyful smile appeared on his face at the thought, prompting him to realize. ‘I’m not alone anymore and I’ll never be again.’ Despite some lingering sadness, a colossal weight, one he did not even know he still carried, vanished along with the illusory image of his mother, brother, and sister that his mind projected on those blurry shapes in the night sea.
Directing his gaze toward the starlit sky, he inwardly declared. ‘Wherever you are, I want you guys to know that I’m not alone. I have people that I care about and who care about me, here. So, you don’t have to worry about me. I hope you‘re all well...’. As soon as he said goodbye to those memories, something seemed to trigger inside him. An almost overpowering serene feeling washed over him, not only having a positive effect on his state of mind but also improving his cultivation base.
Indeed, Spiritual Energy suddenly appeared from nowhere all around him and started to naturally rush inside his body at a speed that would normally be impossible for him to bear, or even control. Flowing through his three unlocked Spiritual Channels, it then gathered in his Dantian, before integrating with his inner energy and going on to flood his entire body.
Every part of him felt like it was being strengthened at high speed, the clearest being his cultivation base. Peak Low First Level, Peak Mid First Level. ‘It’s not stopping, is it?’ He thought, confused but also happy from the unexpected windfall that came from working on his trauma. Peak High First Level, Peak First Level. ‘I can feel it.’ He exclaimed inwardly as its energy finally stopped accumulating and began the process of compression.
The latter had to be done in one go, and, if it ended in failure, not only was it back to square one, but injuries were inevitable, increasing the difficulty of any following attempt. That was unless some particular medicines were used. The details about them were vague in the basic technique book, so he would have to wait until he met Sergei again to ask for more information. Nonetheless, from the novels he read in the past, he did have a few guesses about what they were.
Shoving that thought aside, he suddenly felt thankful. The reason being that the ‘dangerous’ bottleneck only ‘stopped’ him for a brief moment before disintegrating right after under the onslaught of the pure energy being used against it without him being injured in any way. The invisible shackle having been torn down, a transformation started occurring with his inner energy being compressed to a point that it had a perceivable increase in quality, which was the hallmark of the Second Level Chi Gathering Rank.
The ‘new’ energy started refining and strengthening his channels, Dantian, etc. Every part of his being was flooded with it, plunging his mind into a euphoric feeling, far from the ordeal he went through when he transitioned to the Chi Gathering Rank. Whether it was because the body changes were massive, or because it was a major Rank breakthrough, he did not know. Only when he broke through the Foundation Building would he be able to find the answer to that particular question.
In any case, his mind was too busy to waste time on something he had no way to find an answer to. Instead, he focused his attention, or as much of it as he was able to, on following the alterations being made everywhere, as they were not something he was in charge of, but rather, they seemed to obey some kind of rule, law, or whatever universal programming was governing the cultivation system he recently started to follow.
Seeing its work gave the young man some inspiration, especially about his own cultivation technique, as creating the latter was a complex and dangerous process. An unknown time later, the changes stopped along with the increase in his cultivation base, leaving him at the Low Second Level. A tiny pang of disappointment surfaced in his heart before disappearing swiftly with a brief thought he had. ‘I can’t be too greedy. I’ve already saved days or even weeks of normal cultivation. And that’s with both of my Perks helping me. Gotta be grateful...’
His pondering was quickly disturbed by a female voice coming from beside him. “You broke your guitar and damaged your chair.” “Uh?” He replied, feeling confused for a brief moment before he noticed the current state of the instrument in his hand. From a quick scan of his own memories, he recalled the uncontrollable energy wave expelled from him after his breakthrough was successful, followed by the unconscious tightening of his fists, which clearly finished the job, or in this case the instrument. As for the chair under him, it was made from high-quality wood, so it was not completely trashed, but cracks were still visible all over the item.
Shaking his head, he thought wryly. ‘Next time, I’ll break through somewhere with no fragile objects.’ His mind which was previously preoccupied with cultivation topics, was suddenly brought back by her. “You miss them?” With a slight feeling of confusion, he subconsciously replied. “Uh?” Noticing his confusion, she specified. “Your previous life’s family, I mean. Do you miss them?” Her words brought back memories of the previous events, making him thoughtful.
A brief moment later, he answered. “I do. Very much. But I feel strangely better.” Cocking her eyebrow, she asked curiously. “Does that have anything to do with your breakthrough?” Her question startled him for a brief moment because of how acute her perception was. With a tranquil smile on his face, he nodded before explaining further.
“The song reminded me of those three adorable weirdos.” An amused smile appeared on his face as he recalled some of his old memories. “I got a bit emotional for a moment.” Turning his head in her direction, he asked. “Did you like the song?” Nodding, she replied. “I did. Although your voice may have something to do with it. Is it a song from your previous life?”
Feeling secretly pleased at the compliment, he scratched his chin in thought while responding. “Sort of. It’s one I liked a lot in my past life. I did change the lyrics, though.” Shaking his head, he exclaimed. “Back to your question. I just felt a bit lonely for a...” The disbelieving look she sported made him swallow his next words, prompting him to correct himself while wearing a wry smile.
“Fine. It wasn’t just a bit. I felt like I was suffocating and like my body was turning into ice. It... It sounds strange, I know. I’m a bit of a weirdo myself.” Shaking her head slightly, the giant redhead replied gently. “If you’re a weirdo, then what am I?” She gestured to her own body before adding. “I’m a woman but I’m taller and more muscular than most men. Isn’t that weird?”
His gaze examined her body briefly before he remarked. “I think you look beautiful. Sure, most men may feel inferior when looking at you, but that makes it their problem, not yours.” A light red hue crept up on her cheeks from his earnest words before she facepalmed and exclaimed, embarrassed. “Dem. Please don’t say things like that.” Tilting his head in confusion, the young man asked. “Why? It’s the truth.”
The innocent look on his face turned the previously light red painting her cheeks to a deeper shade, making her mumble subconsciously. “Goddamnit! That’s cheating...” The previously ‘innocent’ smile turned crafty after her adorable display revealing his true thoughts to the bashful woman. Seeing the irritation on her face as she realized he was teasing her, he burst into laughter, prompting her to exclaim in an accusatory tone. “You were doing it on purpose!” After reining in his hilarity, he replied. “I was. You should have seen how cute you looked!” Tightening her fist, he could see the corner of her lips twitching upward, despite her clear effort to stop it from happening. “Can you stop?! You’re annoying!” She half-ordered, half-pleaded, reinforcing the idea in his mind that his hulking cousin was super thin-skinned.
Smiling warmly at the redhead, he stated. “Alright, I’ll stop. It’s just some small payback for earlier, you know.” Chuckling slightly, he added while staring into her eyes. “I may have pushed it a bit, but what I told you earlier is true. I do find you beautiful with your height and muscles. They’re unique but I don’t find them weird. I think we’re both uniquely strange. What do you think?” The slight tension in her body left at his question, the embarrassment on her face turning to amusement. “I guess it’s an accurate way to put it.”
Scratching his chin in thought, his gaze moved away from her face to the dark waters in the distance. “Anyway, we’ve been a bit side-tracked, haven’t we?” He noticed her cocking her brow from the corner of his eyes before she claimed. “And whose fault is that?” Snickering at her playful remark, he replied. “Fine, I’ll take responsibility for that one. But anyway, let’s get back on topic.”
Nodding her head, the redhead did not say another word. Pondering for a bit, the blue-eyed young man then started. “To make it simple, I had that feeling I talked to you about earlier, then I sensed the Bond I share with Sera. That woke me up and made me remember that I have the three of you here. So, even if I lost my previous family, I should move on and make the best of my current life with you girls.”
Moving his gaze in her direction with a big grin on his face, he noticed the brief daze she fell into at his words. Not commenting on her reaction, he continued. “When I accepted my current life wholeheartedly, I fell into a state similar to the one with Sera a while ago and my cultivation base started increasing at lightning speed. Voila!”
The abrupt stop startled the redhead who then remarked. “That was very... Concise.” Snickering at her words, he replied. “I said I’d sum it up earlier, didn’t I?” Nodding her head, she said, amused. “Fair enough. I’ve got another question, though.” “Shoot.” With a confused expression on her face, she questioned. “Is that something normal? I mean, you’ve fallen into that state, enlightenment I believe you said, twice in a relatively short period. If you keep doing that, wouldn’t you reach the Tribulation Transcending Rank in a few months?” That last question was asked in a half-playful, half-expectant tone.
Wearing a wry smile, he responded while shaking his head. “And how the hell would I know, Big Sis? The only knowledge I’ve got about cultivation either comes from the brown book or random novels I’ve read in the past.” Pausing his words to ponder for a few moments, he then added. “It shouldn’t be common, though. At least, I don’t think so. It may be because of my Perks that I ‘easily’ fall into that state.”
His words made the woman think for a brief moment before commenting with a delighted smile. “Whatever the reason, it’s a good thing for the four of us. After all, the stronger you are, the safer we’ll all be.” “The stronger WE are, Sis.” He corrected, grinning playfully. “Right. The stronger we are.” She replied with a smile mirroring his.
The rest of the night then went by quickly as the two alternated between chatting and admiring the relaxing scenery in front of them.
