Bab 18: Making Progress
Kayden sat on the floor, took a deep breath, and closed his eyes.
He entered the meditation state in a flash and relaxed while perceiving the mana in his surroundings.
Without wasting time, he swiftly attracted the mana, channeling it through all his unlocked nodes. He started observing the blocked nodes, looking for the easiest one to unlock.
After a short time, he decided on one close to his heart. Mentalizing himself, he began to draw in as much mana as possible, feeling his whole body tense from the effort.
A wave of pain rippled through his body, throbbing as if being pressed into an open wound.
Minutes passed, and beads of sweat began to appear on his forehead, but he kept his concentration as he continued to draw mana to the node.
'I can take it without too much trouble, but knowing that this is only the twentieth node, I can get now why Sergeant Lee emphasized that it was practically impossible for most to become a Noble Grade talent.' He thought as he kept attracting mana.
Eventually, he felt that a thin wall began to crack bit by bit, and Kayden drew in the mana with all the momentum he could.
Bang!
As if a dam had finally collapsed, flooding his entire being with an overwhelming amount of mana.
Feeling the improvement of his physical capabilities, Kayden once again marveled at the world of cultivation. It had only been a couple of hours, but he had become considerably stronger than before unlocking the node.
With the experience of unlocking the tenth and twentieth nodes, Kayden could understand why every tenth node was considered a milestone in the Nodes Unlocking stage.
Even though unlocking the twentieth node was undoubtedly harder than the next few, the boost to the physical capacity was massive.
Determined to further improve his cultivation, Kayden's focus returned to his body.
***
Kayden stretched his stiff body as he yawned.
Except for eating something now and then, cultivating was the only thing he had done for the past four days.
He hadn't been to the gym, nor the fight hall, nor had he talked to others.
Taking a deep breath and relaxing Kayden absorbed mana through his thirty-nine nodes.
Yes, he already had thirty-nine nodes unlocked.
Considering that he had spent three days only for cultivation, it might look like he was slow. However, Kayden had realized that, when unlocking a node, the inside of the body, especially the organs, would be strained.
Even though this might not be important when unlocking one or two nodes, the situation was different when unlocking more in a short time.
Kayden had had to take some breaks, or else he might have suffered internal injuries.
In addition to that, the thirtieth node hadn't been easy to unlock.
'Even if someone has cultivated as intensively as I have, considering my speed, I doubt many people have more than twenty nodes unlocked.'
Although Kayden knew that there could be people who cultivated at an even faster rate than he did, he was sure that they were few, and was even more sure that there were none at the base.
There were only two days left before the test, so he was planning to focus on the gym and fight hall for the remaining time.
He was also planning to unlock the fortieth node, which would provide him with a wild improvement before the test.
He hadn't forgotten what Sergeant Lee had said about physical training and its importance, and even though the government didn't know the reason, Kayden gave a lot of weight to the words as they came from Lord Thasal.
Besides that, he also wanted to refine his sword skills since his coordination could have worsened due to the sudden strength increase.
***
Kayden's stomach growled while he stepped into the canteen.
He had eaten nearly nothing for the past twenty-four hours so he felt he was close to starving to death.
'I might die even before the Trial begins,' Kayden thought funny.
He approached the worker in charge of collecting the menus.
The middle-aged woman looked at him with a weary expression before asking in a tired voice, "What menu are you having?"
Kayden thought for a moment before deciding, "I'll take the most expensive one," he said, causing her face to change to one of surprise.
"Okay. I need you to tell me your name so I can charge you."
"Kayden Hale."
She typed in his name and checked the screen, "Let's see… Kayden Hale, fifty points."
After ensuring everything was correct, she looked at him one more time.
"Are you sure you want the most expensive menu? Remember it's twenty points." She reminded him as if she didn't want him to waste the money.
Kayden hesitated momentarily but quickly replied, "Yes, I am."
Although it was indeed expensive even for him, who was the first of his group, he was truly curious about the effects of the menu on his body, especially after remembering the captain saying that it was worth its price.
Points were valuable, sure, but it was mainly because they could help him speed up his cultivation. If he didn't use them, what were they useful for?
"Fine, wait a few minutes while it's prepared."
Kayden nodded and sat in a chair while he waited.
'I hope this will be worth the price and will help me continue improving my cultivation. As soon as I can unlock the fortieth node a bit faster, I'll be satisfied.' Kayden thought.
A while later, the woman called out to him, and Kayden came over to pick up his menu.
After sitting down and placing the tray on the table, he looked closely at the menu.
Like the one he had taken before, it consisted of two dishes and a dessert. However, that was where the similarities ended.
One of the dishes contained what appeared to be red noodles and a vibrant assortment of vegetables Kayden had never seen before.
The noodles glistened in a rich, aromatic sauce, enticing him with their mysterious allure. He couldn't help but wonder about the flavors and textures that awaited him.
As for the second dish, his eyes landed on a large, magnificent steak adorned with tantalizing grill marks, accompanied by what seemed to be potatoes. Although he didn't recognize the ingredients, the combination left him eager to savor it.
Finally, the dessert consisted of a fruit that, like the other dishes, he had never encountered before.
It had an exotic appearance, with orange and reddish tones, creating a stunning visual spectacle. Its skin was textured, adorned with small protrusions that added to its intrigue.
Curiosity piqued, Kayden couldn't help but wonder about the flavors and origins of the unfamiliar dishes before him.
Taking his cutlery, Kayden leaned in to taste the first dish.
Hadiah
-- Hadiah diterima Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone