Even though Kyle could cultivate now, he was only at the early stage of the Qi Condensation stage.
A stage meant for children who were just starting on their journey as cultivators. And one did not need to be a genius to figure out that Kyle was behind; he was entering the chessboard later than everyone else.
In short, he was very weak.
But he didn't need to be strong to be noticed by the sect. Knowledge was strength. So was influence. So were secrets, and having read Twilight Ascension, he knew all of that, and more.
The only thing he needed to do was use that to his advantage to leverage his position.
He needed to prepare, to build connections, to make himself matter in a world where power was king.
'I'll force their hand if I have to, ' he thought to himself, slipping into the manor with shadows stretching across the floor.
'First things first, I need resources, which means it's time to ask Father for help. And it is about time I told Nuna I can cultivate now.'
Kyle Ravenshade might have been mocked for being weak.
But the current Kyle, the man inside, was far from weak. And with the weapons in his arsenal, he was a force to be reckoned with.
This world just didn't know it yet.
'But damn, her father is an opportunistic bastard.'
The thought only flashed by, 'Jumping ships as soon as the opportunity presents itself. But maybe, most people in his situation would do the same.'
He lamented how rotten the world could be. A dog-eat-dog world. That's what it was.
...
Nuna slipped into Kyle's room under the hush of midnight. Kyle was waiting inside, dressed in black nightwear. He'd barely closed the door before he blurted out:
"Nuna, I can cultivate now." She was smiling at him, but the surprise he expected to see was not there.
Her calm smile surprised him, and he frowned in genuine confusion. "You already noticed?" he asked quietly.
"Yes," she said, stepping closer, her eyes bright. "I could sense how the Qi avoided your body before, but now…" She paused, searching his gaze. "…it's different. I'm sensitive to Qi, Kyle. Before, the energy around you seemed dormant. Now I see it streaming into you, even while you're not meditating. It's like you're cultivating all the time. I have never seen anything like it."
"Huh, but why is my cultivation speed so slow then, my base has barely moved an inch?"
Nuna just chuckled dryly, "Standards high much? Your speed is unmatched Kyle. Every time you breathe, you are taking in a whole whiff of Qi with it."
Kyle felt his pulse quicken. "Every time I breathe?" he whispered.
Nuna nodded. "It's constant. Like a river flowing in. I can feel it." Relief and joy lit her face. "I'm so happy, Kyle. You've taken your first step towards becoming stronger, you've grown."
He exhaled, processing her words. So this wasn't just a phase: the Qi was naturally drawn to him, filling him unbidden. She saw it. More importantly, she believed in him; that was enough.
Nuna placed her palm lightly on Kyle's chest, a thread of Qi passed from her to him, her sensitivity to Qi tingling with every heartbeat.
Moments later, she pulled back, her expression shifting from curiosity to amazement.
"Kyle…" she whispered, voice trembling. "You're already on the precipice of breaking into Middle Qi Condensation. This isn't early-stage anymore; you are on the cusp of a breakthrough few reach. What takes other people a year or more to achieve, you have done in weeks. Not just that..."
She paused, eyes alight with awe and admiration. "Your Qi is dense, stable…thicker. The flow is practically viscous, like honey moving through you. You're not just absorbing Qi, no, you're refining it."
"It took me eight months to go from the early stage to the middle stage of the Qi condensation stage after I began cultivating. You are literally speedrunning the whole process."
This wasn't hyperbole. In typical systems of Qi Condensation, the realm is subdivided into early, middle, late, and a 'peak' level before breaking through to Foundation Establishment.
To understand how big a feat this was, you needed to understand the distribution of cultivators in the world.
Almost one hundred percent of people can reach the early Qi condensation stage, save for some...special cases.
The majority of these find themselves stuck in this realm, and without the use of treasures, they lose all hope of ever going higher up in the realm.
Only one percent of people in the Qi condensation realm get to make it to the foundation establishment realm.
The same rules of advancement apply to this realm. Except, the restrictions to advance to the next realm after that only become more absurd.
Only 0.001% of Foundation establishment experts ever get to see the core formation realm. And it only becomes more difficult the higher up you go.
For the general populace, those who get to reach the foundation establishment realm, it takes at least fifty years to do so.
And geniuses, mostly from noble families, it takes half that to make the jump. And even less for geniuses among geniuses.
Like Nuna here, an early foundation establishment cultivator at the age of eighteen. For Kyle, to make it into the middle stage of the Qi condensation realm in weeks was unheard of.
Nuna continued, her tone blended relief and pride. "You've accelerated through the early stage remarkable speed, Kyle. Most would still be trapped in stabilising their unstable Qi flow, yours is solidifying. With just a bit more accumulation, you'll be in the Middle stage, fully."
Kyle's breath hitched. He realized the passive absorption she'd described, the Qi constantly streaming into him, was already paying off. He wasn't just drawing energy; he was refining it.
"I understand, I guess I'm just impatient, I'm not doing too badly after all." He smiled, 'But it's not enough, I still need to be faster.'
"Now that that's out of the way..."
Kyle's hand slid behind her, his eyes searching hers. Then, gently, their lips smacked together...
"Mmmm...."
He felt it instantly, the soft warmth of her mouth, the tremor in her breath.
Nuna's fingers threaded through his hair, pulling him closer; his hands trailed down her back, feeling the tension in her muscles release against him.
She practically melted in his arms, moaning loudly as the sounds of their kissing filled the room.
Their hearts pounded in unison, with the moment stretching between them.