Body and Qi Culivation
Tie Ta zipped through the air like a heat-seeking missile. Team North America definitely felt it as Tie Ta sensed an explosion of energy from their direction.
Landing with great impact, Tie Ta created a small creator around him. When the dust settled, he appeared with a large smile while patting his pants off.
"Yo! I'm Tie Ta, like the War God..." he said.
Team North American didn't really know how to reply. They sort of stood in the middle of the desert awkwardly in fighting stances. Tie Ta had the time to look at each of the 16 players and five obvious newbies.
Tie Ta gauged Team North America's power level. He figured it would be a bloody battle, but he believed that his team still had them beat. However, there was a black couple that stood in the rear of the group. Silently watching and unbothered by Tie Ta's arrival.
Tie Ta extended his hand and pointed at the couple, "You two must be in charge." he said, "I always wondered how people in cultivation novels just knew other peoples cultivation level. Like there were actual techniques to conceal one's cultivation level. But now that I'm a cultivator myself I understand. Xiantian realm, right? I see it because I'm so close to the same realm."
"Right." the woman replied, "And you just broke through the Houtian realm. You aren't our match. But I do have a question for you. How long have you been a Player? Because we've never seen you."
Tie Ta thought the question was odd, initially, and then he remembered the cost of a cultivation manual is 70,000 points and an S-rank reward. So, either Team North America was crazy lucky, or they were hotshot veterans.
'Multiple Teams. One world' Tie Ta thought. 'It wouldn't be absurd to think that many of them knew each other."
"I've been around. Resident Evil, Sinister, here and there." Tie Ta spoke nonchalantly.
The expressions of Team North America changed."Bullshit," said the male co-leader, "Those are team wiping worlds. Team Celestial and Team Australia did a team battle in Sinister 2 a year back. They Both started with 23 players, and only 2 from Team Australia survived. Bughuul had a real hard-on for players. He invited a friend."
Now it was Tie Ta's turned to have a look of disbelief. He had just been through Sinister two missions ago. Tie Ta didn't know that GOD put Dark Universe on a one to one time ratio with GOD Dimension. So, in reality, three years had actually passed.
Tie Ta suddenly thought about Clark Winston. He had mentioned that Tie Ta disappeared three years ago. But it had completely gone over Tie Ta's head, for he had actually been in the Dark Universe for three years.
"What year is it in the real world?" asked Tie Ta.
The woman leader raised an eyebrow. "2023," she replied.
'I need to kill them.' Tie Ta thought drastically.
It had dawned on him that the other teams had three years of experience and enhancements on his team. That meant every team was a threat that couldn't be underestimated.
"Anyway, if you're new. You should learn the rules." said the woman, "Democracy first, Violence last. So how about we make a deal so that neither of us loses players."
Tie Ta smirked, "Sure. What do you have in mind?" he asked.
If Reika were present, she would have noticed the tyrannical glimmer in Tie Ta's eyes. And then she would sit back and watch the hunt.
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-Paradise Falls Diner-
Parts of the main cast had just left the dinner to get Howard to a hospital. They had managed to stop the bleeding, though Team China wasn't worried as they planned to heal the man as soon as he returned.
In the movie plot, the ominous clouds of locusts that filled the sky from the east would keep the cast from making it too far, forcing them to return to the diner. Meanwhile, Team China quietly spoke amongst themselves as Bob and Jeep cleaned up the blood and carried away the old lady's body.
"Okay, you have to help us out here. We get that the first realm of cultivation is refining the body. The second realm for internal cultivators is Houtian, followed by Xiantian. For external cultivators, it's the Eight Inner Gates." Said Ouyang Di.
"But what does it all mean?" asked Yinkong, "Is the Captian becoming a God?"
Team China looked at Lingyue with eyes full of expectations. Lingyue sighed.
"Alright. Listen well because I'm only explaining it once...
As you all know, The Body Training Stage was the first realm for those who pursued the road of Qi and Body cultivation. It involved the tempering of their bodies and was separated into six smaller stages. The first stage was Strength Training, the second was Flesh Training, the third was Viscera Training, the fourth was Altering Muscle, the fifth was Bone Forging, and the sixth was Pulse Condensing. For body cultivators, like the Captian, they will have a seventh stage -Tempering Marrow.
To undergo body transformation is to refine the body through Qi, meaning that one has to endure the screeching pain of refining one's organs and bones to the point that it becomes tough and thoroughly hammered of impurities. Laying the foundation for one's body to become a weapon...
Every realm of the Qi gathering system is divided into four smaller boundaries: early, middle, late, and peak. It focuses on cultivating the Qi in the dantain. During the Pulse Condensation Stage, the Qi is concentrated in the meridians. In the extreme levels of this system, one's energy accumulation would be equal to the amount of energy a universe has...
The sign of the Houtian realm is Qi accumulating and transforming in the dantian. Qi also starts condensing in the Dantian. Their Qi quality achieves a qualitative change, giving the cultivator an added lifespan of about 200 - 250 years...
The sign for the Xiantian realm was Qi forming an organized system within the dantian. Qi starts to revolve inside the Dantian. Making the dantian more organized and efficient. This is when a cultivator gets the ability to fly. However, the captain can use his spiritual power to do that. The Xiantian realm is also divided into four stages: Early, Middle, Late, and Peak. People in this realm get an additional 300 - 400 years.
When Body Training Stage surpasses Tempering Marrow and reaches the realm of the Eight Inner Gates, it uses Qi to temper the human body. Qi directly enters the body through these eight gates. Using the Eight Trigrams to correspond with the movement of the Nine Celestial Bodies, one could open up eight gates within their bodies...
The Eight Inner Gates consists of the Gate of Healing, which Increases a martial artist's endurance and recovery ability. Increasing one's strength several hundred thousand jin. It's located between the collarbones. It's equivalent to the Houtian realm.
The Gate of Limit increases one's strength and explosive force. Able to increase warrior's spine durability, which handles balance, coordinated strength, and explosive force in battle, and amplifies strength. Increasing one's strength, 1 million jin. Located at the spine. Xiantian equivalent."
Lingyue suddenly stopped speaking, and Team China looked towards the window to see Legion's main Characters returning in a panic as the cloud-like swarm of locusts drew ever so closer.
"Well, it looks like break time is over. How about another time," said Lingyue, rising from her seat.
"Di, heal the man's neck. Tengyi, start telling the cast what the old bitch was. Everyone else, bring the weapons in." Zhuiyu spoke, and the team was put in motion. Zhuiyu then stood up and walked out of the diner.
"Ladies..." she said, "Can I bother you for a moment?"
Ahmanet ignored the girl, and Reika replied, "What do you need?"
"I need the place closed off. So a big sinkhole on the road going east. And we can really use a sandstorm barrier around the diner once everything starts." Zuiyu explained.
"Leave it to us," Ahmanet finally spoke, though she still stared off into the distance. Not out of disrespect but from yearning. Something was tugging on her soul. It was very familiar, yet she couldn't quite recognize it.
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-Team North America-
"Okay, we team up. Protect the pregnant lady. Fight the angels. In the end, you take the Apocrypha." Tie Ta spoke to the leaders now known as Kelly and Malcolm.
"Yes," said Kelly.
Tie Ta easily agreed. He actually had no idea how to get the Apocrypha, so there was no use in fighting for it.
Tie Ta stepped forward and shook both Kelly's and Malcolm's hands. "It seems we're an alliance now. How about I take you all to meet the mission leader."
Kelly and Malcolm were slightly confused. But they saved their questions as Tie Ta took to the air and flew away.
"He shouldn't be able to fly until the Xiantian realm," said Malcolm.
"Couldn't you two sense it?" asked the team's Psyche force user, Lillian. "He has two other powers within him. Why he started cultivating, I don't know. But I know he's powerful without it."
"Everyone tread carefully. Let's go meet our new friends," said Kelly.
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Back at the Diner. The Archangel Michael had finally arrived in a stolen police car. When he stepped out of the car dressed in a calf-length grey trench coat, Bob loads his shotgun.
"Take one more step, and I'll drop you right there," Bob warned him.
"Is that how you greet all your customers?" Michael asked nonchalantly.
"Mister, after what we've been through, you're lucky we don't shoot you first and greet you later," said Bob, his shotgun ever pointed at Michael's head.
"Let me see your teeth." Bob ordered, Michael remainder unmoving, " Teeth, god damn it! Let me see them!"
Michael flashed his teeth. Two rows, straight and true.
"No shark teeth, Pop." said Jeep
"Okay then. How about you tell us your name?" Bob asked
"Michael."
Bob straightened up and inched closer to Michael. The shotgun was lowered from shoulder height to the level of Bob's hips.
"Sorry about that, Michael." Bob stopped walking, and the shotgun was then put on his side, " We had this old lady here, went crazy in my place. She had these teeth. Never seen anything like it. She practically bit a man in half. What are you doing here anyway?"
"He's here for the same reason we are," said Tengyi, "The apocalypse."
Bob, Charlie, and Jeep looked at Michael. The presence of Tengyi confounded Michael. He tried to recall Tengyi's name but his mind only went blank. It was the first time in eons that Michael saw a person and could bring their name and life to mind.
"You're here for my baby?" Charlie asked
Michael almost went mind zero at this point.
"Tengyi explained what's going on. The apocalypse, angel possession, my baby is the next Jesus. We don't really believe him unless you have the same story he does." said Charlie.
Michael heard Charlie, but his mind was still on Tengyi and the group of people who stood closest to the diner.
"Who are you?" Michael asked Tengyi.
"Qi Tengyi. Appraiser of antiquities and occasional real estate."
"What are you?" Michael asked.
"How about you guess, Archangel."
"You are a monster. From which pantheon, I do not know. But you do not belong here. " Michael explained.
Tengyi was interested in why Michael called him a monster. As he thought, monsters didn't exist in the world of Legion. Though, for now, Tengyi put the thoughts aside.
"But I am, we are. And we will not allow your father to exterminate the human populace. So you can join us or leave."
Michael looked at Charlie and then at the swarm of Locusts. Michael sighed. "Fine," he said.
Michael moved to his car, opened the trunk, then pulled out a bag of weapons. He then put a submachine gun in Jeep's arms but stopped when he felt the arrival of Team North America and Tie Ta.
"There are more?" Michael asked Tengyi.
"As I said, we won't allow your father to exterminate the human populace," said Tengyi.
Michael knew that fraternizing with the monsters was forbidden. But since he was already rebelling, he figured that he might as well go the extra mile.