Bumping

>>44516619
Bare fist.
Other: Poison.

>>44516619
>Bare hands and fists. Triumph against all as no more than yourself.
Against using poison; it's also for pussies.

Can you explain what energy-gathering vs. energy-usage entails?

>>44516912
>>44517080
For the second choice, choose what you do with the energy. Gathering is just storing in, making the energy spark grows bigger, whereas usage involves more attempting to use the energy in various ways.

>>44517080
Do you either wanna kill'em quick, or at least let them suffer if you escape/they ran away.

>>44517098
Have the second be corrosive/poison.

>>44517098
>>44517126
Also, don't discuss too much about elements like poison, fire, etc. That'll come later, but you'll need a teacher, heavy exposure, etc. Just want a general "What to do with the energy".

>>44517098
Does that mean that the former is useless without the latter? Or would 100% gathering have some use somehow?

Is this just a question of being able to gather enough to keep up with the techniques we learn?

>>44517107
>>44517126
We've shown ourself in the first thread to be an intelligent, somewhat friendly individual keen on testing our mind and talents.

I'd like our fighting style to reflect that.

>>44517140
Would Ki blast be energy-usage?

>>44517154
Alright, just a bit forgetful.

>>44517154
With gathering, your recovery speed and cultivation will be faster as a result of high exposure to absorbtion, whereas usage would make manifestations/manipulations of energy would be easier and more effective in the future
>>44517162
Yes, but not initially.

>>44517193
I haven't a clue what would be best, so I'll just vote
>55-45
for gathering against usage, on the basis that it's better to have and not need than need and not have.

>>44517226
Forgot to clarify, also want a ratio for physical:energy practice time.

>>44517240
1̶0̶0̶-̶0̶ ̶a̶l̶l̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶w̶a̶y̶

I see no reason 50-50 wouldn't work.

But really, we're just making largely blind decisions here with the exact numbers. I doubt people would complain if you just streamlined things into something like:
>Would you rather emphasize:
>A?
>B?
>Or train them equally?

>>44517309
True that. I'll make it more simple.

>More physical, or more energy-related?
>In energy-related, more internal or external?

>>44517344
Then, to rephrase my above votes:
>Equal physical and energy
>Slightly more internal

Wonder where the other anon went.

>>44517344
Are you basing this of any actual xianxia fiction; i.e. web novels/ films as such?

>>44517381
Yeah, towards Coiling Dragon and ISSTH, as well as the other webnovels.

>>44517344
This >>44517377

Sorry, was out for dinner

>>44517377
Time flies by, and eventually are moved out of the cage. Now, you sleep on the wooden floor without a blanket, only comforted by the flickering of torches. You thought that being taken out of the crib would allow you freedom outside of the room as well, but it seems that the door will not budge, despite your best efforts.

You have finally learned to speak fluently, and your parents have started to teach you arithmetic and history. You learn that you live on the western edge of the Rohk empire. The Rohk empire used to be a territory ruled by hundreds of warlords, until three waves of religion spread across the area, which made the various towns and villages clump together into three groups:

The Asterian Lands, made of people who worshipped gods of sickness and death in hopes of praying them away.
The Klein group, made of worshippers of the god of the sun and divinity
The Godless. Not strictly a group, but made up of people who believed that there are no gods, only beings of great power.

Eventually, one man from the Godless lands developed enough power to unify the whole of the Rohk Empire, and did so, defeating all who opposed him. In his castle in the central kingdom, he founded a religion that revolved solely from himself, before dissapearing for no apparent reason. His bloodline has ruled the entire empire for the past 300 years, until now, when the 7th king was assassinated, the first time in history. Now, chaos has erupted throughout the region.

In your training, you have tried to balance out physical and magical training equally, while training internal energy manipulation more than external.

(1/2)

Your father aids you in your physical training, and your mother your energy-based.

Not straying from his strict approach to education, he agrees to teach you hand-to-hand combat. The training is long and grueling, and for the first ten cycles you are beaten to the ground over and over again with only his pinky finger. Eventually, however, you learn to either parry his finger jabs with your hands or dodge to the side, both of which are much easier said than done. After training your defensive skills, he instructs you to punch the wall until you fists bleed, and kick until your toenails split. It is just as, if not harder than the previous training, but you can feel yourself getting stronger with each cycle.

Your mother's magical training, while not physically demanding, is incredibly mentally taxing. With a clap of her hands, you can feel a giant force wash over your mind before you black out. When you come to, you can feel that the very air is clawing at your mind, threatening to rip your consciousness to shreds if you do not pay enough attention. Your mother has left a note, telling you to absorb the energy in the air. It seems like an impossible task at first, and you can barely keep yourself conscious for the first training period. Over the next few cycles, you finally manage to figure out how to wear down the hostile energy and absorb the remnants.

The external energy training is just as harsh, as she instructs you to make a sphere of energy on your palm. Much easier said than done, and even drawing energy from the spark in your lower dantian takes over 20 training periods.

After an innumerable amount of cycles, you finally achieve the three tasks that were impossible so many cycles ago: defeat your father with both hands while he fights with one finger, absorb an entire rooms worth of hostile energy, and form two spheres of energy in your hand.

(2/3)

Your father and mother enter the room, and it is the first time you have seem them together in the same room since your birth.

"Son, your mother and I have agreed that it is best if you go explore the world for yourself." He pulls out a map. "This is where we are right now," he points to a spot on the map, in the far western edge., "And this is the entire Rohk empire. You can go to the empire in the west if you want to, but it is ill-advised." He pauses. "Here are the five top academies in the region", he indicates five points on the map.

>Kakwore Institute. The most expensive, and the leader in magic/energy.
>School of Gefeth. Still very expensive, specialized in purely hand-to-hand combat.
>The Laererra School. Very little combat, but lots of academic and leadership opportunities. Many of the top generals go there. Decently cheap.
>Muxrity Academy. Good in all areas, but doesn't specialize in anything. Pretty cheap.
>Iletwine. Specializes in not only wilderness survival, but also thievery and banditry. Free, because most people won't survive.

Or, you can simply explore the world. Not recommended for a five-year-old, but you do what you want." Your father steps, aside, leaving your mother. She provides you with a plain iron knife and a set of clothes, before wishing you good luck.

As walk outside, the sudden exposure to sunlight blinds you for more than a moment. Finally adjusted, you begin your journey into the real world.

Inventory
>1 Knife

Body
>100% Health
>Energy spark: Intermediary stage, level 2
>Body stone: Intermediary stage, level 1

>What do.

>>44518854
Is it not an option to stay with our parents and train more, because surely they have much more that they can teach us? For that matter, what do we know about our parents?

Anyway, I don't see any reason we can't explore a little before settling on an academy - but not before properly expressing our gratitude towards our parents and bidding them a proper farewell.

>>44518890
You turn around to give your parents a more heartfelt thank you, and perhaps ask for more time to train, but the house seems to have disappeared. You were sure it was there before, where else did you come from?

Now, all there is is forest. You're surrounded by green trees that seem to stretch from the sky. You can hear the sounds of various birds and insects, combined with the rustling of the leaves all around you.

According to the map:
>Kakwore: 10 thumb-lengths
>Gefeth: 12 thumb-lengths
>Laererra: 20 thumb-lengths
>Muxrity: 7 thumb-lengths
>Iletwine: 9 thumb-lengths

Also forgot to mention, you'll have to pay for your own tuition.

>>44518990
>the house seems to have disappeared. You were sure it was there before, where else did you come from?
Well, I'm not sure what I expected.

>you'll have to pay for your own tuition.
Fuck. Time to find a job, then. Will we be able to keep up an income while studying?

Anyway, may as well start exploring. I'd say head in the general vicinity of Muxrity while we're at it, since it's the cheapest one that isn't by nature full of dishonorable backstabbing bandits.

>>44519056
Yeah, all schools have nearby revenue sources. Gonna add,
>Kakwore: High in a castle. Lots of mining money to be made from the valuable gems, or by original research
>All of the money in Gafreth is through gladiator fights, either through fighting or betting.
>Laererra is smack in the middle of the central district, and there are lots of rich employment options in various trading and gambling companies, but only if you play your cards right
>Muxrity is near a small town, most job opportunities will come in the forms of blacksmithing, cooking, etc.
>Iletwine is in the in the forest, so most of the money will be from hunting/scavenging. Or banditing.

>>44519123
>Kakwore: High in mountain, in a castle.

>>44519142
>>All of the money in Gafreth is through gladiator fights, either through fighting or betting.

>>44519168
Yeah, fighting for money sounds fun, and you'll be getting fighting experience from it as well. Whats not to love?

Your parents taught you that the sun goes from east to west, and according to the map Gafreth is in the southern desert. Seems like a bit of a trip, but you're in no rush.

Your travels so far are uneventful, and you haven't encountered any monsters or people so far. The sun is setting, but according to the map there is a road ahead soon, assuming you're going the right direction. There is a river that you can hear, but it still sounds fairly far.

>What do.

>>44519324
Looks like we're locked into Gafreth. Welp.

>Head towards the sound of the river.

>>44519337
You can change paths now if you wish. Didn't know there was more than one anon here.

>>44519359
My vote was to explore as we head towards Muxrity, as in >>44519056. But if we're tied 1 to 1, we'll never get anywhere.

Still would like to hold off on actually enrolling, since we lose nothing but time by getting to know the world better.

>>44519376
So just explore the world or head towards Muxrity?

Also, if only explore, go where?
>Northern mountains
>Eastern plains
>Central city
>Southern deserts
>Western Forest (where we are now)
>Outside the Rohk

>>44519396
As a compromise, how about exploring a little as we head in the general direction of Gafreth instead of heading directly there?

inb4 the other anon never appears again

Well, thats it for today. Sorry about the really short thread, I'll try to make the next one longer.

>>44519532
Damn it I just caught up!

>>44519396
I suggest we head for kakwore, we will need a source of income first though.