32. Rank 2

I got a job, so undate will be inconsistance or non at all. I hope I will be able to figure a schedual for writing. I hope you under stand.

*****

But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

(Mathew 6: 6)

*****

I got up and chose violence!~

Springing to my feet, I was ready to do some destruction and deforest the forest and cause environmental damage. I am going to be the biggest menace for the day. I will make this forest fear Lijen, the Dragon.

The mighty One.

I closed my paws, causing a pop. I could feel the strength, Qi flowing like river in my veins It was far beyond what I was capable before. This felt freeing like never before. My whole body had grown, stronger and sturdier, well except for my wings. It haven't been fixed.

Huuuu,

I am fine, I just need to wait until rank 4. But now that I have the strength, I want to let loss. I want to break something with my bear hands. I want to see something crumble under my might,

I want destruction, beautiful destruction.

While I am at it, I should also check if I could deliver a megaton Nuke. With the amount of Qi I have, I should be able to. I think. I mean, my atomic breath was op when I was Rank 1, and my core is ten times the capacity now.

I should check that, I definitely should.

But since my affinity is Cosmos,

[ Quantum Cosmos ]

IS Cosmos, I should try and see what else I can do with it. Maybe I could summon a meteor strike. That would be just epic.

But Let me go out to check my arsenal,

I shook my body of dust and walked out the tunnel. Fluffy was not here, so she should be out. I navigated through the tunnels, finding my way back to the open are where the snake was taking his usual nap.

I slowly walked to the front of him, my eyes sharp. I stood still, waiting for the snake to get up and say something. I mean, he always had something when I leave the tunnels. And every single time, he tried to spook me. I am done with that. I am not going to be caught off guard again.

I waited for him to get up, My eyes sharp with anticipation.

I waited a few more. I am not going to fall for that.

I waited a few more. Maybe he is really asleep.

I waited a few more. Okay, he is asleep.

I turned to leave, my eye still focused on him.

I walked to the edge of the tunnel, I turned my eyes away. He was sleeping, and I need to nuke some.

'Congratulation,' A hissing voice boomed into my head.

I jumped, scared, my scaled tightened and my body froze. Shit! He got me again. I turned my head to back, meeting the now open eyes of the serpent.

'Thank you, Elder snake.'

The snake wiped his tongue out for a moment before he closed his eyes and went back to sleep. I looked at the sleeping snake in bafflement. I mean, C'mon dude! You really got a bad sense of humor. Really, one day I am going to die of heart attack.

Or one day I am going to send an atomic breath at you when you scare me like that.

Huff, huff,

I huffed in annoyance before I turned and marched out. I am not going to stay and play his games. I came out the damp cave and into the refreshing sunlight. The cool breeze blew across my scales. My mood lifting with it.

Wind,

I called to the wind, immediately feeling it wrap around my scales. I haven't felt her presence since my wing. Huuuu... It was like she was always near yet never approching. I feel the wind embrace me and caress my head. It was soft and kind, comfortable.

Where were you?

I asked, but the wind answered not. It just stayed. Well, she doesn't want to answer. I won't ask then. I will just continue my stroll. I walked around the mountain, looking at the chickens spread around. They were pecking around, looking for food I presume.

I didn't care and walked toward the forest.

Before I froze,

Something was amiss. There were trees here on the ground, some charred black, all covered by some veins growing all over it. There were also deep crevasses filled with water. Some boulders that were rolled over.

I, for one, remember that these were not there. Did I sleep too long after my ranking up? How much time passed? These were not like that when I came out last time.

And what happened? It seems like a storm came through.

[ You know it ]

Really, a storm?

Man, I did sleep through a storm. Good to know that I haven't lost that skill.

~Caw~

I turned to the cry and saw fluffy who ran to me and jumped onto my back. I turned my head to see Fluffy settling on my back comfortably.. She was smaller, or I have grown again.

~Caw~

Yeah, I am awake.

~Caw ca~

Yes, I am going to hunt.

~CawkCaw~

No, I am not going on an adventure. I am just going to hunt some food.

~Caw~

No, you are not coming with me

~caw caw caw~

No, you are not coming.

I shook my body and jumped around. I smashed a few trees before I removed Fluffy from my back. She was really clingy. I kept my paw on her head to control her.

You are not coming with me!

I spoke in a serious tone. I don't want her to be a _____. I already lost my wings.

~caw~

Fluffy let out a sad cry, her eyes shaking. I closed my heart to her pitiful expression. I patter her and turned. I then rushed into the forest, leaving her behind. I don't want to endanger her, I will just bring her food.

I rushed into the forest until I no longer felt Fluffy's presence.

I walked further in before I stopped to check my new abilities. I wouldn't have the time to check them if I were to end up in a death match. I also need to find food, I am very bored of eating bunnies.

First, let's see my power coating.

I lifted my hand and willed the Qi to condense around my skin. The Qi in my veins and on the air gathered around my skin, forming a golden glow on my hand. The Qi was pure and unaltered. It was like a layer of water around my skin, flowing with ease.

*Bam*

I then lifted my claw and stuck the tree next to me. The tree shook as a chunk of its trunk blistered. The Qi did nothing to increase my attack strength. It did nothing to increase my defense either. It was just like a cloth around my skin.

Hmm... Maybe I should try with affinity? That should be good.

I then focused on the Qi coating my hand and thought about which affinity to choose. Hmm, what to choose...Fire, water, air, earth. Basic of the elements.

Let's go with fire.

I thought about how fire looks and feel like. The hot combustion of Oxygen and hydrogen. The fusion of two different atoms in an endothermic reaction, releasing light in the process. Fire the bridge between stated of elements. The driving force of life, the fire of life.

I opened my eyes, solidifying the hottest flames.

My hands were lit on fire and I am slightly panicked. I could feel the heat from the flames, but my claws were unaffected. There was a layer of pure Qi separating the Flames from my hand. only the ones above were turning to flames.

I lifted my hand and stuck the tree. The flames burst and charred the trunk the minute they touched. My hand tore another chunk out of the thick trunk. The flames added a bit of Burn Damage to my attack.

Good, lets check water.

I closed my hand, extinguishing the blue flames. It then willed the Qi to fill the burned and imagined air. Wind. Displacement of molecule from high to low. Moment. Force. Condensed. The wind I need should be small while having the power of a tornado. A grinder of wind blades.

Qi obeyed my will and shifted to fit my vision.

The color faded as a invisible gusts of wind gathered around my claw, increasing in as they twisted around my hand. The winds became visible, light green blades twisting and turning. They were moving at such high speed that they became visible enough to see.

I lifted my hand and smashed at the tree again.

Again, my hand tore through the truck with ease, but this time the damage was more. The wind sliced the trunk through, leaving my cut marks on the trunk. The aggressive wind increased my damage added with bleed.

Nice.

Okay, that's two out of the four. But what to do with water. I don't thing it will do good as a defense unless I use ice. Nor will it make for an attack, as it wouldn't do any damage unless I turn it to a drill. Hmm, what can water do? Maybe make the attack slide off my scales giving me an edge in close combat.

Or I could see if it could heal but I don't want to hurt myself to do that.

Well, I will try earth then.

But again, what earth? Just some dirt or freaking diamond.

Well, lets go with the diamond. I wonder what will happen with that. I thought back to the atomic structure of Carbon and then to the arrangement of its lattice. The strong bonds that formed from each atom bonding with four others.

The metallic bonds extending across the whole structure creating a strong structure with no gap to break.

The Qi obeyed my vision as they turned solid and hardened around my hand. The white crystalline structure full surrounded my whole hand, encasing it in diamond. I lifted my hand to the sky and admired the shiny rock.

I then smashed it at the tree, this time tearing off the last bit that was holding the trunk together. The trunk creaked and cracked before the whole thing toppled to the side. The should of tree falling reverberated through the whole forest.

I lifted my hand to check for any damage and there was non.

Neat,

The diamond structure held tight and didn't break. This is good, I am able to form diamond across my body to create another layer of protection.

But now, the million dollar question. How?

How was Qi able to turn into all these elements? I always brushed off the Qi doing bullshit in novels because they were fantasy. However, now it was real. There should be a theory on why Qi is able to turned into other matter and do is bullshittery.

[ String theory ]

You got to be kidding me,

You are telling me that Qi is the energy that vibrates to create matter? That would mean this whole world is created by Qi. That would mean... Shit, it explains how cultivators are able to do the impossible.

They are manipulating the very fabric of reality, even at the lowest level. Starting with energy enhancement to energy manipulation.

But how can they even interact? Isn't human body made up of particle too.

[ Consciousness ]

[ Schrodinger's cat ]

Intervention of Consciousness on the outcome of the experiment?

If consciousness interact with Qi, the string energy, then what is consciousness, the soul, made up of. Soul is real since I transmigrated. Soul, body and energy. The trinity of cultivation. Cultivators use their soul to interact with Qi to strengthened their body.

They are just rewriting reality at fundamental level.

Then what is Dao? Then what is Heaven? Is heaven the GOD? If heaven the God and Qi is its will, are we all just dancing in its palm? Is there no free will? Is everything just an illusion? Are we all just puppets? Ahhh, I am getting more confused.

Where do I fit in all this?

[ Calm down ]

Hu..hu...hu...hu..

[ Just do what you always do ]

Okay, okay, I will just push it to the back of my head. fu..fu.fu, I don't remember. I forgor. Let just forget it. I am going to forget it. I am forgetting it and I forgot.

Yes, I am just not going to think about it. I am me and my decisions are mine. I will just push this realization to the side until it comes back to bite me.

Okay, where was I?