# Chapter 10: Desperate Cultivation
Ten hours and thirty-seven minutes until evaluation.
Xìng Huáng had transformed their makeshift camp into an impromptu cultivation training ground, using every technique and insight from the Blood Fury Manual to maximize Sarah and Mark's chances of survival. The crystalline formations that had once been part of the mall's architecture now served as meditation focuses, their natural spiritual energy helping to accelerate the learning process.
"Feel the energy in the air," he instructed, demonstrating the basic breathing technique that formed the foundation of Blood Iron Tribe cultivation. "Don't try to force it—guide it. Like water flowing through a channel you've carefully carved."
Sarah sat in lotus position on what had once been a bench outside a coffee shop, her eyes closed in concentration. Sweat beaded on her forehead as she struggled to sense the spiritual energy that saturated the merged reality. Her Normal-level trait, **Strategic Mind**, provided enhanced tactical thinking but offered no direct cultivation benefits.
"I can almost feel it," she whispered. "Like static electricity just before a storm, but... warmer?"
"Exactly," Xìng Huáng confirmed. "Now try to draw that warmth into your body through your breathing. Don't grab at it—invite it."
Mark was having more difficulty. His trait, **Arcane Affinity**, should have provided some advantage in manipulating spiritual energy, but years of gaming habits made him try to force the process like casting a spell rather than nurturing natural flow.
"This is impossible," he muttered, opening his eyes in frustration. "I can sense the energy clearly, but every time I try to absorb it, it just... slides away."
"Because you're treating it like a resource to be consumed instead of a partner to be respected," Xìng Huáng explained. "The Blood Fury Manual emphasizes harmony between cultivator and spiritual energy. You're not taking power—you're joining with it."
The irony wasn't lost on him. Here he was, attempting to teach cultivation techniques he'd only learned hours ago to people whose traits were fundamentally incompatible with rapid advancement. Meanwhile, his own Divine Greed trait made every aspect of the process feel natural and intuitive.
Eight hours and fifteen minutes remaining.
Sarah achieved her first breakthrough just after the halfway point. A visible aura of faint red energy began to circulate around her body, and her interface updated with a cultivation level designation:
SARAH CHEN
Cultivation Level: BLACK IRON - VERY LOW
Trait: STRATEGIC MIND *(Normal)*
Status: Novice Cultivator
"I can feel it!" she gasped, her eyes flying open. "The energy... it's like having a second heartbeat, but in my soul instead of my chest."
Mark watched with growing desperation as Sarah began practicing the basic combat applications of her newly awakened cultivation. Her movements were clumsy and unrefined, but there was genuine spiritual energy enhancing her strikes and defensive positioning.
"Why can't I do that?" he demanded. "My trait should make this easier, not harder!"
Xìng Huáng studied Mark's frustrated attempts, his Gaming Prodigy talent analyzing the problem. "Show me how you used to cast spells in the old game."
Mark's hands moved through familiar gestures, muscle memory guiding him through the somatic components of what had once been a fireball spell. But instead of the controlled, flowing movements that cultivation required, his motions were sharp, commanding, demanding.
"That's the issue," Xìng Huáng realized. "Your trait trained you to dominate magical forces, but cultivation requires cooperation. You're trying to command spiritual energy instead of working with it."
Six hours and forty-two minutes remaining.
The breakthrough came when Xìng Huáng had Mark abandon all his gaming-trained magical habits and start completely fresh. Instead of treating spiritual energy like mana to be spent, he taught him to think of it as a living river that could be channeled but never controlled.
"Don't cast," Xìng Huáng instructed. "Flow. Don't command. Guide. Don't take. Share."
It took Mark three more hours of frustrating practice, but when understanding finally clicked, his progress was dramatic:
MARK RIVERA
Cultivation Level: BLACK IRON - VERY LOW
Trait: ARCANE AFFINITY *(Normal - Adapted)*
Status: Novice Cultivator
Special Note: Trait evolution detected - Spiritual Harmony (Normal+)
"His trait adapted," Sarah observed, watching the subtle changes in Mark's spiritual signature. "Is that normal?"
"Nothing about our situation is normal," Xìng Huáng replied, but privately he was encouraged. If Normal-level traits could evolve through proper cultivation practice, Sarah and Mark might have better chances than he'd initially calculated.
Three hours and eighteen minutes remaining.
With both of his companions having achieved basic cultivation levels, Xìng Huáng turned their attention to practical combat applications. The evaluation wouldn't just test their ability to sense spiritual energy—it would assess their potential as useful additions to native society.
"The Blood Iron Tribe values earned power through combat adversity," he explained while demonstrating basic weapon techniques enhanced by spiritual energy circulation. "They'll want to see that you can fight, learn, and contribute to their strength."
Sarah's Strategic Mind trait proved its worth here. Once she understood the fundamental principles of cultivation combat, she began developing tactics that maximized her limited spiritual energy reserves. Her movements were economical and precise, each strike carrying maximum impact for minimum effort.
Mark's evolved Spiritual Harmony trait created different advantages. While his raw power output remained modest, his enhanced connection to spiritual energy allowed him to sense incoming attacks and adjust his defenses with supernatural timing.
One hour and fifty-seven minutes remaining.
The final phase of their desperate training involved actual combat against the corrupted creatures that still roamed the merged reality. Xìng Huáng led them on a carefully planned hunt, seeking enemies that were dangerous enough to test their skills but not so powerful as to overwhelm their novice cultivation levels.
They found perfect targets in a pack of Twisted Rats—creatures that had once been normal rodents but had been mutated by exposure to chaotic merger energies. Each one was roughly the size of a house cat, with crystalline growths along their spines and eyes that glowed with unnatural intelligence.
TWISTED RAT PACK *(6 Enemies)*
Cultivation Level: NONE *(Mutated Creatures)*
Threat Assessment: MODERATE *(vs. Novice Cultivators)*
"Remember," Xìng Huáng called out as the creatures surrounded them, "this isn't about winning quickly. It's about demonstrating proper cultivation combat principles while under pressure."
Sarah moved with calculated precision, her Strategic Mind trait helping her identify optimal positioning and attack sequences. Each strike was deliberate and efficient, spiritual energy flowing through her improvised weapon in controlled bursts.
Mark's approach was more defensive, using his Spiritual Harmony to sense the rats' attack patterns and respond with perfectly timed counters. His evolved trait allowed him to predict their movements with uncanny accuracy.
The fight lasted exactly seventeen minutes—long enough to demonstrate sustained combat capability, but quick enough to show they weren't completely helpless against even basic threats.
COMBAT RESULTS:
SARAH CHEN: *Cultivation Progress +15, Combat Technique: Basic*
MARK RIVERA: *Cultivation Progress +12, Combat Technique: Basic*
XìNG HUÁNG: *Minimal advancement - focus on instruction rather than personal gain*
Thirty-seven minutes remaining.
As they returned to camp, exhausted but marginally more capable than they'd been twelve hours earlier, Xìng Huáng felt the weight of uncertainty pressing down on him. Sarah and Mark had achieved basic cultivation levels and demonstrated combat potential, but would it be enough to satisfy evaluators like Grakh the Earthshaker?
The answer came sooner than expected.
A familiar harmonic resonance filled the air, and three synchronized entities materialized at the edge of their camp. But these weren't the same artificial beings they'd encountered before—these were clearly native inhabitants, their spiritual signatures radiating power that made the air itself shimmer.
"Integration period conclusion: Thirty-six minutes, seventeen seconds," they announced in perfect unison. "Pre-evaluation assessment initiated. Human cultivation potential: Marginal. Tribal recommendation assessment: Initiated."
One of them turned toward Xìng Huáng, its gaze carrying the weight of accumulated centuries. "Blood Iron Tribe probationary member, present your sponsored candidates for evaluation."
This was it. Everything they'd worked for in the past desperate hours would be tested in the next few minutes. Sarah and Mark stood behind him, their newly awakened cultivation auras flickering with nervous energy.
"I present Sarah Chen and Mark Rivera," Xìng Huáng said formally. "Both have achieved basic cultivation levels and demonstrated combat capability within the past twelve hours."
"Rapid advancement noted. Instructor capability: Exceptional. Candidates will undergo standard evaluation protocols."
The entities raised their hands, and spiritual energy began to coalesce around Sarah and Mark. Whatever test they were about to face, it would determine not just their own fate, but potentially the future of human survival in the Blood Demon Martial Realm.
EVALUATION COMMENCING...
STAKES: MAXIMUM
OUTCOME: PENDING