Chapter 8: Chapter 8 – Void Absorption Cultivation Manual
Then, there was an even more exciting row beneath.
[Available Prizes - 4]
But Theo stopped himself from being overexcited and chose instead to look at the other lines before delving into anything in detail.
[Shop – Locked]
There was no line offering him to open it, which was quite a shame, but it only meant he didn't need it yet, probably.
[Unopened notifications - 3]
And that's it. 'Let's check the unopened notifications first, perhaps there's important information inside that could give me a direction later,' Theo decided to put aside the prizes for now. It'd be tragic if he claimed the prizes now only to learn there was a better option later.
[Your cultivation talent has been upgraded to Unranked. Congratulations!]
[You may now unlock the system.]
[Check unclaimed prizes for your cultivation manual.]
'Ah, I could just open the unclaimed prizes instead…' Theo lamented at the waste of time. Oh well, he was just lying in bed cuddling Veronica, so it was fine that way too.
Just as he was about to open the prize list, he felt a sly wiggle against his hips, bringing his attention to reality quickly. Surprised, he realized his dick turned soft during the time he didn't pay attention to the woman, and that seemed to dissatisfy her.
"You can have it," Theodor chuckled into her ear, enjoying the slight shiver that ran through her spine from the tease as his member grew and asserted dominance again.
Veronica ceased her wiggling immediately once she achieved her goal, but she remained quiet while her flushed cheeks turned even hotter in embarrassment. The wiggles were an involuntary response to the emptiness in her heart in the absence of her new toy. Just feeling the thick shaft again calmed her.
'What does he mean by having it? That brat is too horny!' Veronica's heart raced as she imagined them changing to all kinds of new positions. The vague phrasing didn't help, it only made her imagination run wilder.
Meanwhile, Theo returned his attention to the system. While the woman he admired was lovely, the system had kept him waiting for 16 years. Some wild action might have convinced him to delay the matter, but since it was just silent cuddling, multitasking was an option.
'Available prizes,' Theo thought, opening the menu.
[Qi Gathering stage cultivation manual – Void Absorption (Supreme Heaven rank)]
[A weapon of the host's choice – Rank corresponding to the host's stage +1]
[Basic Weapon Technique corresponding to the host's choice of weapon]
[System Shard]
Once he finished reading through the four prizes, Theo stopped for a moment to ponder about them. As a man who lived in a cultivation sect since birth, he knew quite a bit about cultivation despite never practicing before.
Cultivation manuals and techniques were divided into four ranks – Basic, Advanced, Earth, and Heaven. Each one was further branched to lower, intermediate, higher, and supreme. In short, the manual he could claim from the system was the best of the best.
'That's amazing!' he inhaled sharply with wide eyes. He was so happy he couldn't hold himself back from pulling Veronica harder into his hug, which made the confused woman leak some nectar again from the proximity. Her breasts swayed on his arm while he kissed her neck a bit more.
'Damn him! He is teasing me! No, no, relax, he can't control his hormones… I must be the adult and ignore his occasional mischief as long as he doesn't get out of line… Yes, ignore…' Veronica clenched her teeth but still couldn't stop a soft sigh from escaping. Then another sigh, and another moan.
She'd have to wash those undergarments herself tomorrow. The disciples must not see their sect leader's underpants smeared with sticky liquid.
'Claim!' Theo remained oblivious to his unintentional actions and tried to claim the treasure. 'Crap, don't claim! Don't claim!' he realized it might manifest as a physical scroll or book in his hand, and that would be difficult to explain to the woman in his arms.
But it was too late for regret, and the system received his order. Luckily, his fear didn't come true.
[Void Absorption Manual obtained, congratulations!]
[Would you like to learn it now?]
[Yes / No]
'Yes!' Theo thought excitedly, ready to learn the secrets of the world. He expected vast knowledge to flow into his brain and be memorized instantly, but life is harsh.
The ethereal window dimmed before glowing again, now showing the contents of the cultivation manual instead of the system panel. It started with a short introduction of the Qi Gathering stage and continued with a detailed explanation of it, including drawings that depicted the Qi circulation needed.
'I guess I can't learn it now,' Theo thought dejectedly. Since the manual needed to be read, there was nothing he could do in the short term. It didn't make him give up, though. The young man was determined to study diligently.
The strongest manual for the Qi Gathering stage in the sect was only an advanced manual of the intermediate quality. Even more shockingly, there was only one of them available, and Theo knew it was meant to be the core manual of the sect, only available to the most talented disciples.
In practice, all disciples were considered core disciples, so they all enjoyed access to it, but that should be only temporary. Theo still doubted its temporariness though, knowing how soft-hearted the sect leader was. Veronica wouldn't be able to say 'no' and give the other disciples worse manuals.
While this attitude was bad for one's survival in the ruthless Living Continent, it was one of the reasons she picked Theo up from the road back then and one of the reasons Theo was smitten by her. Thus, he didn't want this flaw of hers to be corrected by cruelty. On the contrary, his wish was to protect this sweet disposition and allow it to flourish without fear.
'I doubt anyone on this continent has a manual of this rank. Even the biggest sects at the center might not have more than one or two of them!' Theo laughed internally.
With curiosity getting the better of him and having nothing better to do, Theo immersed himself in the text, reading a few sentences from the manual. Before he could go far, another prompt from the system popped up.
[Learn the manual to practice level – 100 years]
[Learn the manual to understanding – 300 years]
[Learn the manual to perfection – 1000 years]
'What the hell?!' Theo screamed in his mind. Those prices were ridiculous! Didn't it mean he was essentially an idiot who needed 100 years to learn one book, and that's only enough to meet the minimal requirement to practice it safely?!
Besides, Theo couldn't imagine doing anything to a lower degree than perfection with a system by his side, which meant he would need to spend 1000 years.
'I can't believe I thought I was rich…' Theo thought dejectedly and looked at his 449 years of accumulation. That amount looked meager and useless now. 'I guess I should embrace my maniac reputation and go slaughter animals…'
But thinking about it a bit more, Theo believed he understood the issue. His talent was only at the unranked realm, the bottom of the barrel when it came to cultivation. It was no wonder learning a complicated technique of the highest rank needed so much time.
'Then, let's improve my talent,' Theo reached the obvious conclusion. The system gave him a tip to initiate an action to activate its functions, and his previous experience with learning the Void Absorption manual could explain how the system worked.
Theo closed his eyes and ignored all the soft, delicious curves of the woman by his side. Then, he forgot all about the silky hair and its gentle fragrance. Slowly, he left behind the scent of her womanhood. Theo noticed it long ago, but he said nothing to avoid embarrassing the shy lady.
'it'd be impossible to truly meditate like that,' Theo mused. Every slight motion or noise from Veronica would disrupt his concentration, and even if she stayed still until the morning light, he couldn't ignore her sexy body for more than a few minutes, and that's only thanks to his experience in meditating, too.
Anyway, Theo never meant to meditate now. Indeed, after a few seconds of clarity, the system quickly offered him to take the short path to immortality.
[Meditation detected. Does the host want to spend cultivation years on meditation?]
[Yes / No]
'Yes!' Theo cheered. The next talent would require 5 years of meditation. Given his previous record, they would be translated into 30 years, rendering the option to improve useless. It was curious to find out whether the system would require 5 or 30 years for his meditation. It'd be worth it regardless, though.
[Spend 5 years on meditation to advance the host's talent to the ninth rank?]
[Yes / No]
'Yes!' Theo cheered once more, feeling like an enlightened man. Boundless happiness overwhelmed him from the thought of advancing so easily.
Theo's eyes closed automatically, and he delved into meditation. He lay on his side there for five years straight without noticing any distractions around him.
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone