4 Hunting

For the remainder of the day, Frank dedicated himself to rest and acquainting himself with his enhanced rank 2 cultivator's body. Despite the significant advancement, he understood that reaching rank 2 didn't inherently grant him any new magical skills; those would have to be learned separately through diligent practice and study.

Taking the time to explore the subtle nuances of his upgraded capabilities, Frank sought to harness the newfound strength and clarity that accompanied his rank advancement. Through introspection and experimentation, he aimed to uncover the full extent of his potential as a second-level cultivator, laying the groundwork for future growth and mastery.

He knew very little about the outside world, and he decided the next step would be to go on some missions to gain Sect contribution points, he needed contribution points to get rank 2 cultivation techniques or magical skills or martial arts techniques, he couldn't get any improvements in his cultivation with the basic elemental Qi absorption technique,

The next morning he made his way back to the market to pick up a weapon and random items required for today's random crafting recipes, weapons were as common here as eating utensils were back on earth. The mission hall was a place where disciples went to take missions and collect rewards, the most common missions were killing beasts and collecting their materials or collecting herbs for making pills.

Venturing into the outskirts of the sect, Frank found himself amidst a diverse array of biomes, each harboring its own unique ecosystem. Here, scattered throughout the wilderness, lay various hunting grounds teeming with low-rank beasts, ripe for the taking.

Opting for the most elementary missions available, Frank set out towards a specific hunting ground known to harbor the targeted monsters. With determination fueling his every step, he embarked on his quest, ready to test his newfound strength and skills against the challenges of the wilderness. On the way he crafted today's random craft-able items.

[BEANS+HANDCUFFS: CUP OF IMMORTALITY]

[WATCH+QUARTZ CRYSTAL: BUDDIST WAR CULTIVATION TECHNIQUE]

Holding onto the cup of immortality, which looked like a chalice, felt light, and was decorated with golden designs, the Buddhist war cultivating technique looked more like a holy grail than a cultivation technique.

"Inspect," He said looking at the cup of immortality.

[CUP OF IMMORTALITY: Drinking a full cup of liquid Qi from this cup will extend one's lifespan by 10 years, Qi can be collected into the cup by infusing Qi from the user's dantian]

"Holy moly, this thing is extremely OP," he said inspecting the engraving on the cup of immortality. Next, he moved his gaze onto the cultivation book.

[BUDDIST WAR CULTIVATION TECHNIQUE: Rank 4 cultivation of the Buddhist sect. Cannot be practiced by users' current cultivation base]

"Seems like the Buddhist cultivation technique cannot be practiced by someone using Elemental sect disciples who practice the Elemental Qi absorption technique," said Frank contemplating his choices on what to do with the Buddhist war cultivating technique.

Frank pondered his situation as he journeyed towards the hunting grounds. The technique he possessed held immense potential, but its origins were shrouded in secrecy. Becoming an enemy of other sects was not an option, and revealing the source of his newfound technique would only invite suspicion and hostility.

He entered the hunting ground, which was a huge mountainous forest with a spear in hand and a dissection knife at the waist, the spear seemed the safest and easiest weapon to use currently due to his inexperience. The first target of his wrath and requirement of the mission was hunting demonic rats, these rats were about three feet in length and two feet in height.

As Frank surveyed his surroundings, his attention was suddenly seized by the sight of his first adversary: a demonic rat, its ferocity evident in its razor-sharp teeth and claws. With a surge of primal instinct, the rat lunged towards him, its claws poised to strike.

In that moment, all of Frank's self-assurance evaporated, replaced by a stark realization of his own vulnerability. On Earth, he had been nothing more than an ordinary individual, his most strenuous activities confined to breathing. Aced with the imminent threat of the demonic rat, Frank's mind raced as he grappled with the stark contrast between his former life and the perilous reality of the cultivation world.

Thrusting the spear forward with all the sheer mental strength he could muster up in hopes of ending the life of the rat. The spear tip missed the rat but the wooden part barely hit the rat away knocking it unstable. Pulling the spear back out, legs quivering, hands shaking he prepared himself for another strike. Thrusting the spear forward again into the unstable rat which was struggling back onto its feet, impaling it successfully killing it on the spot.

Killing the rat provided him with instant relief, which didn't last very long. Feeling a sharp pain in his leg, he jumped away shaking his legs furiously and abandoning the spear. The rat which was biting onto his leg landed on the ground with a thud, looking back he realized he had been flanked by dozen of rats while he was distracted by the already dead rat.

The rats not in any hurry slowly started circling him, seeing this made Flank's heart drop, realizing if he reached for the spear wouldn't do him any good, taking a deep breath the took the first stance of the 9 continuous fist technique ready to attack the first rat that dared to attack, ascending to the 2nd rank in body cultivation made it easier to complete the first stance.

Knowing the most basic behavior of rats he figured the first rat to attack would be probably from behind, he calmed himself down waiting for the first attack,

A rat attacked from behind as he had assumed, ducking down and twisting at the hip he uppercuts the rat in the underside, the punch didn't do much damage except knock it away from the immediate attack area and stunning it in the process. The rest of the rats attacked like a wave.

As the demonic rat lunged towards him, Frank's senses heightened to a fever pitch. Time seemed to slow as adrenaline surged through his veins, his very blood seeming to boil with intensity. Without hesitation, he unleashed the second stance of the 9 Continuous Fist Technique, delivering a powerful punch directly to the rat's face, crushing its skull and ending the threat.

With a relentless determination, Frank continued through the remaining stances of the technique, dispatching any rats that dared to challenge him. However, he noticed that only attacks aimed at the head or face of the rats were lethal, with those landing elsewhere surviving until the fifth stance. Beyond that point, the strength of his punches increased exponentially, threatening to crush even his own hands.

Upon reaching the ninth stance, although the strength of his attacks ceased to increase, Frank realized that he could seamlessly transition back to the first stance and repeat the technique, with no further enhancement in strength beyond the initial surge. This newfound ability to execute the 9 Continuous Fist Technique from the first stance marked a significant milestone in his combat prowess, offering a formidable arsenal in his journey as a cultivator.

With the last demonic rat defeated, Frank felt the weight of exhaustion bearing down upon him, his body pushed to its limits. Every ounce of his strength had been expended, both his body and elemental Qi drained from the intense battle. The ordeal had taken its toll, nearly extinguishing his motivation to continue cultivating.

Surveying his surroundings, he fervently hoped not to encounter any more live rats lurking in the shadows. Thankfully, the area seemed devoid of further threats. Collapsing to the ground, Frank sought to calm his frayed nerves, seeking solace in the stillness of the aftermath.

As he sat there, the magnitude of the situation washed over him, and he found himself overcome with emotion. Tears streamed down his face, a testament to the harrowing experience he had just endured. In that moment of vulnerability, Frank allowed himself to release the pent-up emotions that had been building within him, finding catharsis in the release of tears

"I don't want to be here any longer, I want to go back," he said moving into the fetal position, after a while of crying he almost felt light-headed and hurting all over his body.

With a sense of calm settling over him, Frank began to practice the basic elemental Qi absorption technique, channeling the ambient energy around him to replenish his depleted dantian. With each breath, he felt the elemental Qi flow into him, gradually restoring his reserves.

Once his dantian was replenished, he seamlessly transitioned into activating the basic elemental body cultivating technique, infusing his body with revitalizing body Qi. As the energy coursed through him, he felt the wounds inflicted by the rat bites and scratches cease their bleeding, a testament to the healing properties of his cultivation.

Feeling a renewed sense of vigor coursing through his veins, Frank took a moment to reflect on the battle he had just endured. Despite the initial fear that had gripped him, he now approached the memory with a calm determination. Contemplating his mistakes and considering ways to improve, he resolved to learn from the experience and emerge stronger for it. The fear that had once threatened to overwhelm him now seemed subdued, replaced by a steadfast resolve to grow and excel in his cultivation journey.

"Status"

[USER: FRANK]

[SPECIES: HUMAN]

[HEALTH: 40/100]

[STAMINA; 851]

[ELEMENTAL Qi: 600/1000]

[BODY QI: 400/1000]

[RANK: 2nd STAGE BODY CULTIVATOR][RANK; 2nd STAGE DANTIAN CULTIVATOR]

[DANTIAN TECHNIQUE: BASIC ELEMENTAL Qi ABSORBTION TECHNIQUE]

[BODY TECHNIQUE: BASIC ELEMENTAL BODY CULTIVATION TECHNIQUE]

[QUEST: NONE]

'Seems like one unit of elemental Qi is equal to one unit of body Qi, and seems like my mastery in 9 continuous fist technique also increased ' he calculated looking at his stats.

Using the dissection knife he cut off the teeth and claws from the rats, these were the only material needed from the demonic rats. Once done he made his way towards the safe zone in the hunting ground with his spear hand.