Chapter Thirteen: The First Cultivation

“We martial artists do not seek immortality; we cultivators exist only to protect.”
The first sixteen words that greeted him as he opened the first page were these.
Not for immortality, but for protection.
This was the belief of martial artists and cultivators today.
The era had changed; the grand age recorded in history had long faded, the once powerful sects scattered across the land had declined, and the Age of Dharma's End had reset everything. Now, a new era had arrived, spiritual energy revived, and all powers fell under national supervision. The establishment of SkyNet blanketed the nation, and the duty to protect the country became paramount.
Yang Fan continued reading.
“Using medicinal stones as a guide, soak the whole body, feel the blood coursing through yourself, let the medicine drive the blood, nourishing the body, and thus attain the First Rank.”
After finishing, Yang Fan realized it was no different from what the elder downstairs at the Combat Arts Hall had described: first, a bath—during which one should sense the flow of blood, then accelerate circulation, stir up the power of vital energy and blood, and cleanse the body.
He wasted no time. Yang Fan rushed to the bathroom, filled the bathtub, and added the Vital Blood Sensing Solution according to the ratio. The pale red solution entered the tub, and the water, which wasn’t particularly hot, suddenly began to boil. Seeing this, Yang Fan quickly undressed and jumped in.
The moment he entered, a tingling sensation spread through his body, as if thousands of ants were crawling over him. The book described this: a normal reaction to the medicinal stimulation of the body; endure it, and the body would adapt.
Gradually, the tingling faded. Yang Fan began to focus on sensing the rush of blood within him.
With the help of the medicine, he soon felt the blood surging—a sensation unlike anything before, as if countless iron tracks crisscrossed his body, and his blood was the train, rushing back and forth.
He tried to control the flow, but nothing happened. At this stage, he could only sense it; his body had not yet been sufficiently nourished, so he could not command his vital energy or accelerate circulation.
Yang Fan spent the entire night in the tub.
Though he couldn’t control his blood, he was still fascinated by the surging within him, watching it for most of the night. Only as dawn approached did he finally drift into sleep.
“Glug, glug—”
Daylight had broken. Yang Fan, still asleep, slipped beneath the surface.
“Pfft, pfft—I actually fell in; I nearly drowned!”
He stood up in the bathtub and saw the water, once pale red, had turned clear. He knew the medicine had been absorbed. Rising, he dressed and checked his body. Though he still couldn’t command his vital energy, he felt stronger, his body more relaxed, as if a burden had been lifted.
Then Yang Fan decided to head out—he hadn’t bought any toiletries or daily necessities yet. The academy had a supermarket for these, which Yang Fan had seen yesterday on his way to the dormitory area, conveniently located nearby for students.
He grabbed his money and was about to leave when someone knocked at the door.
“Bang bang bang! Yang Fan, open up!”
Yang Fan opened the door and saw it was Zhou Yiyi.
“Why are you here? Didn’t your sister tell you to come after school started?”
Yang Fan was surprised. Yesterday, Zhou Ting had clearly told Zhou Yiyi to wait until the term began, yet here she was today.

“Hey, can’t you think for yourself? Just because my sister told me to come after school starts doesn’t mean I have to. Yesterday, I called my dad all afternoon until he finally agreed to let me come early.”
Zhou Yiyi said this with a proud expression.
Yang Fan still didn’t get it. “But there aren’t any new students yet. Those who haven’t left have moved elsewhere. The new dorm area is empty—why come now?”
Zhou Yiyi looked at him with disdain. “How could there be no one? Aren’t you a person?”
Yang Fan was speechless. She had a point—he couldn’t argue.
Seeing his stunned look, Zhou Yiyi burst into laughter.
“Haha, alright, I’ll stop teasing you. I came early to avoid crowds, and home is boring anyway. Sister and Dad are away, and I’m alone. By the way, are you heading out? You’ve got your coat on.”
The weather in the city was much milder than at the frontier, but November was settling in, and the cold was creeping in.
“I’m going to buy some daily necessities at the supermarket. If you don’t mind, I’ll be on my way!”
Yang Fan had no desire to keep talking.
This girl was born to poke at people’s hearts, rivaling the chubby guy from the resource exchange center yesterday. She was impossibly proud, too—best to avoid her.
“Perfect! I just got here and haven’t bought anything either. Let’s go together!”
Zhou Yiyi seemed completely oblivious to Yang Fan’s wish to keep his distance, smiling as she spoke.
Yang Fan was desperate. “What have I done to deserve this? Can’t she take a hint? I’m clearly showing that I want to avoid her, yet she acts like it’s nothing. Am I too subtle? I need to practice rejecting people, or I’ll be miserable.”
While Yang Fan was tangled up in self-criticism, Zhou Yiyi marched ahead.
“Hey, what are you doing? Hurry up, will you?”
Seeing Yang Fan stuck in the doorway, Zhou Yiyi shouted.
Seeing the situation, Yang Fan resigned himself and followed.
...
“Zhou Yiyi, are you planning to open a supermarket in your dorm?”
At the checkout counter, Yang Fan looked at Zhou Yiyi’s overflowing cart in disbelief. Glancing at his own modest pile, Yang Fan had only one thought: poverty limits my imagination.
“You don’t understand; these are all essentials.”
Zhou Yiyi ignored Yang Fan’s shock and started checking out item by item.
Essentials? Really? Yang Fan saw her look at him like he was some country bumpkin and didn’t bother to reply, turning to leave.

Zhou Yiyi called out, “Hey, where are you going?”
Yang Fan: “Back to the dorm!”
Zhou Yiyi: “Wait for me! I can’t carry all these—help me with some, will you?”
Yang Fan stopped, resigned, thinking, “Just wait, I’ll definitely get better at rejecting people—this is unbearable.”
...
Back at the dorm, after putting things away, Zhou Yiyi wanted to go eat. It was almost noon; in the city, it was lunchtime, but Yang Fan wasn’t used to it. The time difference between the frontier and the city was nearly two hours; in the frontier, he’d usually eat around 1:30 p.m.
But Yang Fan had given in—whatever she said went. He was actually a bit hungry, too; since he’d eaten with Zhou Yiyi and Zhou Ting yesterday, he hadn’t had anything since, except for a few mouthfuls of bathwater in the morning. Now, as Zhou Yiyi mentioned food, his stomach growled.
The cafeteria was behind the teaching building, not too far from the dorms.
There was only one cafeteria at the City Cultivation Academy, despite its vast campus; Yang Fan couldn’t figure out why.
The cafeteria had two floors: the first served ordinary meals free of charge; the second offered food that could replenish vital energy and nourish the Qi Sea, but at a steep price.
Yang Fan naturally chose the first floor; he didn’t have much money, having just spent a hundred and fifty on supplies, and was still feeling the sting.
He also realized he had no income—living off his savings wouldn’t last long. He’d have to find a way to earn some money soon.
After eating, Zhou Yiyi finally stopped clinging to Yang Fan, saying she wanted to surprise her sister. In Yang Fan’s view, “surprise” deserved quotation marks.
When Zhou Yiyi left, Yang Fan had no desire to wander and decided to return to his dorm to continue cultivating.
Once a person gets excited about something, they can become obsessed for quite a while.
Yang Fan was thrilled by the feeling of blood surging within him during cultivation. It might not be particularly pleasant, but for someone who’d been an ordinary person just yesterday, it was highly alluring—a clear divide between ordinary people and cultivators.
Back at his dorm, Yang Fan entered the training room.
Sitting there, he held a small vial in his hand—the First Rank Vital Blood Pill he’d exchanged yesterday. He’d gotten five in total. Then he took out another bottle—Vital Blood Recovery Pills. The chubby guy had recommended taking a recovery pill after each cultivation session with the First Rank pill, saying it was good for the body. Of course, most students wouldn’t do this—recovery would happen within a day, or even overnight. Yang Fan was different; he had a hundred credits, which, according to the chubby guy, was generous—most students with a Second Rank talent entered with only about fifty credits.
Yang Fan swallowed a Vital Blood Pill. Moments later, he felt heat rising all over him, a wave of restlessness in his heart.
He knew the pill was working. He immediately focused on his blood, trying to sense and control it. He could feel the blood racing faster and faster, and he was getting closer to being able to command it.