There is no perfect story. But every story that tells struggle within it is something perfect.
"The world of cultivation and the world of martial arts are intertwined. Cultivation strengthens the body's power using nature energy, while martial arts is the art of body movement in combat. The higher your cultivation level, the more martial arts techniques you can master.
"Humans are essentially just walking flesh with minds. They also have limitations in their lives. Most humans easily die from small wounds in fatal places. Most also die from other things like ailments, poison, or accidents during martial arts training. Therefore, they must rely on something called Qi. The nature energy."
I began teaching Shun Jin the basic concepts of martial arts and cultivation after she finished lunch. I brought some plants that I knew could be used as spices, and some wild rabbits. She made rabbit satay using the food items I got from the forest.
Her appearance now looked more beautiful after she finished cleaning herself and put on clean clothes. Her jet black hair was straight and looked a little shiny? What did she use to make her hair shine like that?
Her facial skin was clean and white without any dust or dirt spots. If she wore better clothes, people would surely call her a princess. It's a shame she only had that worn-out servant's robe.
"Qi?" Shun Jin asked innocently.
I nodded. "I'm sure you've heard what Qi is."
Shun Jin nodded slightly. "It's the natural energy that resides in every living creature's soul, isn't it?"
I neither shook nor nodded in agreement.
"Qi... It is indeed natural energy. But it's not only found in the souls of living, breathing creatures. Qi is everywhere in this world. The air we breathe, the flowing river water, the stones we step on, or even the clouds in the sky. Basically, Qi is the element that forms everything in this world, and some living creatures who know it can borrow the power of that Qi for themselves."
We were both sitting behind the waterfall curtain. There was a small cave that was like a concave room. I lit a bonfire inside to illuminate the surroundings. That's also where Shun Jin cooked and ate her lunch.
"What does Qi look like?" Shun Jin asked with curious eyes. Judging by her question, she was indeed very new to the world of cultivation.
"You'll know after reaching the Qi Refining stage."
"Are there levels to mastering Qi?"
I nodded slightly. "There are ten levels. Mortal Realm or its other name, Body Tempering. After that..." I paused for a long time while touching my chin. "I forgot the order."
Shun Jin slapped her forehead. "Not only bad with directions, but you're also a forgetful, crazy man."
I shrugged. After becoming a demon, I didn't pay much attention to small things.
"Well, to defeat that arrogant king, you don't need to train for years to become an expert cultivator. Cultivation levels only make you hard to kill. It doesn't mean you can't be killed. I once saw an ordinary farmer without any cultivation level kill someone at the Nascent Soul cultivation level."
Shun Jin lifted her face. "Is that possible?"
I nodded. "Cultivation levels only allow you to manipulate Qi, both inside and outside the body. But without martial arts talent, you are nothing more than a natural energy ascetic who is difficult to injure."
"How did that farmer kill someone with a high cultivation level when he had no cultivation level at all?" Shun Jin asked, surprised and skeptical. She had low trust in me.
"By beheading him." I replied, "Apparently, that farmer possessed formidable martial arts skills and managed to decapitate the Nascent Soul cultivator, who could even use dao techniques."
Shun Jin's mouth formed an 'o'. She looked impressed.
"So how are you going to train me to kill King Fong, who killed my father, crazy man? I will train as hard as I can." Her eyes blazing with determination and spirit. Good for her.
I thought for a moment, rubbing my chin with my thumb and forefinger while looking at Shun Jin from the top of her head to her toes. Her face suddenly turned red, realizing I was observing her body.
"W-what are you looking at, you perverted crazy man? Say something!" Shun Jin covered her cleavage, which was slightly exposed from her servant's robe. I had to admit she had breasts that would make Ye Jing dream of fondling them because of their tempting and ample shape in hand.
"I realize you are an ordinary person who has never studied martial arts or cultivation, Shun Jin. Since I am a man, I don't know how to train you in a woman's way. Therefore, take off your clothes."
"W-what?!" Her face turned even redder, like a boiled crab. "P-pervert!"
I stood up and squatted in front of her face. Shun Jin turned her face away, her hands crossed over her chest.
"Take off your clothes and sit cross-legged facing backward. I need to check the condition of your body and your dantian first before giving you the correct training regimen."
Shun Jin opened her mouth to say something but stopped. She clutched the collar of her robe and sat cross-legged with her back to me.
"J-just you wait... if you do anything strange to me, I'll leave this place!"
Shun Jin lowered the collar of her robe until her upper back was wide open. Her two hands were still crossed, covering the large mounds on her chest.
Pushing her long black hair to the front of her shoulders, I touched Shun Jin's white and smooth upper back with my index finger. White as fullmoon. And she was quite slender. My index finger slid from the top of her nape and stopped in the middle of her heart.
From the tip of my index finger, I sent a little Qi to check the talent located in her main dantian. Everyone has different talents in absorbing Qi, and different types of dantian. Dantian types are the basic elements in the world, such as fire, water, earth, or wind dantian. Depending on her talent, she can unleash elemental dao techniques that match her dantian talent. Or unique talented dantian like ice, lightning, plant (poison), and others.
Like me, I have a fire-type dantian. That's why I often use martial arts and dao techniques that use fire. I can also use other elemental dao techniques like lightning because lightning has the same elemental properties as fire, although not as well as someone who has a lightning talent dantian directly from birth.
But Shun Jin had none at all. Shun Jin's dantian even seemed weak. She could easily suffer from Qi deviation.
"W-what are you doing, crazy man? W-why are you just silent after touching the middle of my back?" Shun Jin tried to turn her head back. She glanced at me, who was just silent, frowning.
"Shun Jin..."
"Y-yes?"
"It's a pity. I have to tell you this."
***