Cave!

Drog and Lucia together walked around the entire outer disciple peak and found several unoccupied caves, but they were all quite some distance from one another.

"Which one do you want, Lucia?" Drog said.

"You choose first, big brother Drog. I will take one of those that are left," Lucia said.

"Alright. I will take the third one."

"Then, I will take the second one."

"Alright. Let's separate here, Lucia. Let's meet by the bridge tomorrow morning."

"Okay, big brother Drog." Lucia smiled. She walked to the second unoccupied cave that she and Drog found, and he walked towards the third unoccupied cave that they found.

Drog arrived at the cave, but he saw someone trying to enter it. "Hey," he shouted out.

The person turned around. It was a youth of around sixteen-years-old. He had short brown hair, blue eyes and an average face. He was thin and wore a white robe. "Who are you and what do you want?" he said.

"My name is Drog and that cave you were trying to enter is mine," Drog said as he walked up to the brown-haired youth.

The brown-haired youth frowned. "This cave is clearly unoccupied." He narrowed his eyes. "Why are you not wearing your robe? Are you not a disciple of the sword sect? But how are you even here then? A new disciple? Very well. I will give you this cave. To claim this cave, all you have to do is – take the jade which you will find inside by the entrance and drip some of your blood onto it. You will then inject your Qi into it whenever you want to open or close the cave. Farewell." He walked away.

"You made the right choice… I already know that all items must be claimed by dropping some blood onto them," Drog thought. He entered the cave and as the brown-haired youth said, he found a green jade inserted into the wall. Apart from the jade, there was nothing else in the cave. He pulled it out from the wall and dripped some of his blood onto it. The jade suddenly lit up, but then almost immediately dimmed down. He injected Qi into the jade and the cave closed. He stored the jade into the pendant hanging on his neck.

Drog sat down in the middle of the cave cross-legged and closed his eyes. He felt the Qi in the walls, the air and the ground. There was much more of it and it was much denser than the Qi he felt sitting on that cliff above that village.

"You are free to devour the Qi from the walls and the air, Drog," Liu Ri said. "No one will notice it disappear. Not the other disciples, not the elders and not the sect master. That is unless they enter the cave. But under no circumstances are you to devour the Qi from the ground, as the ground is connected with a Qi crystal. If you devour all the Qi from the Qi crystal, it will attempt to recharge by taking Qi from the other Qi crystals that it is connected with. If that happens, the higher-ups of the sect are sure to investigate."

"I see," Drog said. He, in just a moment devoured all the Qi from the air and the walls of the cave. He activated his cultivation technique – Pentagon Qi refinement and started refining all the Qi that he had devoured.

Hours passed, the night was the first one to come, but it didn't stay for too long as the morning soon followed. Drog opened his eyes, but not because he had refined all the Qi that he had devoured. But because he entered martial mortal realm and became a rank 1 martial mortal. He got a feeling that told him that he became stronger.

"Congratulations, Drog." Liu Ri said. "You have finally reached the first rank of the martial mortal realm. Let's hope it won't take you that long to reach the second rank of the martial mortal realm." Liu Ri laughed as she finished her words.

"Of course it won't," Drog said. "It took me ten years because I couldn't cultivate as my meridians were too thin and weak."

"I don't really care how long it takes you, Drog. The only thing I care about is that you succeed."

"I care, master. I have to be at the top where I rightfully belong and not in the bottom or in the middle."

"Then don't waste any time and refine the Qi that you have devoured."

"I will do just that." Drog closed his eyes and continued refining the Qi.

A few hours passed and Drog opened his eyes. He didn't open them because he refined all the Qi that he devoured or because he reached the rank 2 martial mortal. He opened them because he had to meet Yu Bo and Lucia.

Drog stood up and left the cave. He made his way to the bridge. He saw Lucia and Yu Bo talking to each other. He approached them. They turned towards him.

"Good morning, big brother Drog," Lucia said with a smile on her face.

"Good morning, Drog," Yu Bo said but then his eyes widened. "Wait, you too?"

"Me too what?" Drog said as he tilted his head to the right in confusion.

"The martial talent testing stone must have really malfunctioned all those years ago." Yu Bo shook his head. "Both you and Lucia have reached rank 1 martial mortal."

"How was it, Lucia?" Drog said.

"It felt really nice, big brother Drog," Lucia said as her eyes brightly shone.

Yu Bo nodded his head. "It's good that you enjoy cultivating, Lucia. How about you, Drog?"

"I liked that feeling when I broke through and became rank 1 martial mortal," Drog said.

"That's good to hear," Yu Bo said. He pulled two insignias with green jades embedded into them. "Your identification insignias. Bind them with your blood."

Drog and Lucia took the insignias and did just that.

"Good," Yu Bo said. He pulled out two robes. "Your new clothes."

Drog and Lucia both took the robes.

"Thank you," Drog said and Lucia repeated Drog's words immediately after.

"Welcome to the sword sect, Drog, Lucia. I will see you both later," Yu Bo said and walked away.

"Lucia, let's go change and meet here afterwards," Drog said.

"Okay, big brother Drog," Lucia said. She and Drog made their way to their caves.