Frostfire Legacy

"Body and... what?" Aster tilted his head, unable to catch what Kurenai exclaimed.

Seeing the confusion in his eyes, Kurenai took a deep breath, calming herself before explaining.

"Body and Soul Fusion Stage... It is the stage in cultivation where the practitioner's mind, soul, and body achieve unity. It is characterized by the ability to use both Mana and Qi simultaneously—a hard-to-reach level of control is needed to reach this stage!"

"Is that so?" Aster hummed nonchalantly in response. "After I felt Qi inside me, I noticed I could control it just as I do with Mana. So I don't know what's difficult about it..."

Kurenai's expression changed for a moment, as if she had just swallowed a bitter pill, before resuming a serious expression and adding some explanation.

"My Master said that if one's a master of Mana, then they should get a grasp of Qi quickly. I didn't realize Aster-sama is already at that stage, even though your level is still this low."

"I see..."

Aster nodded. However, there was still a part of him that was a bit confused. "How can this help me get strong, anyway?"

He could feel that Qi was almost no different from Mana—at least, that was what he could sense. Both were just as pliable and versatile, so he could more or less make do with only Mana and not regret it... Or so he thought.

"I forgot to explain it, didn't I?" Kurenai nodded.

She then closed her eyes, going silent for a few seconds. Then, all of a sudden, Aster felt a cold streak running across his back. He tensed while looking at Kurenai—who suddenly exploded with Qi surrounding her body.

Slowly, she opened her eyes and let out a short breath.

"I am a level below the Body and Soul Fusion stage—the Soul Formation Stage. And this is how powerful I am when I fully make use of all my Qi at once."

She then heaved a deep, long sigh. At the same time, the surge of Qi surrounding her like a wildfire started to die down until it completely disappeared, hidden completely.

"Based on the strength I released, can you guess what Level I am?" Kurenai asked with a thin, confident smile.

Aster knew that she wouldn't ask if the answer was obvious. The strength she showed, enough to send shivers down his spine, was definitely over Vanessa's level—at least level 1500. After thinking for a few seconds, he finally answered.

"I'm guessing level 1,200?"

"Close!" She grinned cutely, like a little kid who had just succeeded with her prank. "I'm just level 822 right now!"

"What close? That's farther than the Earth and Moon...!" He couldn't help but retort—but stiffened the next instant.

The fact that she's under level 1000 but could exert strength over it—such strength wasn't normal. "Is this... the power of Qi?" He muttered, looking at his own hands, still covered with Qi.

Kurenai smiled, nodding her head gently.

"That's right. Unlike Mana, which grows along with your level, Qi is independent of your level. If you undergo Qi training from a young stage, you can even exert the strength of a level 50 while still at level 1!"

"...!"

Aster gasped, surprised at this new information. A power that could increase while being independent of levels... Such power was definitely worth training for him!

"Please teach me more, Miss Kurenai!" Aster bowed his head, pleading.

If he could master using Qi, then he could gain power even without gaining levels! However, just as he was cheering internally, Kurenai's next words brought him crashing back to reality.

"You have great control over your Qi, and you have a large amount of it—as if you've cultivated in seclusion for thousands of years—but your meridians are all blocked."

"I-Is that bad?" Aster asked, worried. Stay updated through My Virtual Library Empire

Kurenai frowned, grabbing his arm, her fingers over his wrist as if feeling his pulse. She was thinking deeply for a moment before nodding to herself.

"Your meridians are blocked, so cultivation would be hard," she stated flatly. "But you can unclog the meridians as you cultivate."

From her words, meridians are like gate valves that help one govern the flow of Qi in their body. Right now, Aster could only use the Qi straight from his Dantian, out and around his body. With his meridians being blocked, his Qi wouldn't flow well, leading to "weaker" output.

But if he kept on trying, "loosening" the meridians slowly, then he, too, should gain mastery over Qi.

"The problem is that this method would probably take years to do," Kurenai added, feeling a bit sorry for him.

"Other than that, we could also forcefully unclog your meridians—but that would instead increase the risk, and could even lead to your death. I wouldn't suggest this shortcut."

"There's a shortcut?" Aster quickly gained interest. "Then, please go with that!"

Kurenai gazed into his eyes, her brows furrowed. "You... Didn't you hear me say that it's life-threatening? The chances of you dying are higher than your chances of survival, you know?!"

"I don't care," Aster said stubbornly, not willing to let the chance slip. "As you know, I'm way too weak right now. My enemies are way more powerful than I am. If I don't get stronger, then I'll just end up dead either way."

"..."

Kurenai frowned. She understood that Aster was already betting his life. She and her master, and everyone in the village, could only help protect him so much. In the end, it didn't change the fact that his life was already hanging by a thin, unreliable thread.

'If we succeed in unlocking his meridians, then he'd surely become a force to reckon with... Maybe even more powerful than Master.'

Aster's Qi was already beyond the amount someone at the Body and Soul Fusion Stage could imagine—probably touching the upper limit of cultivation already, the elusive "Immortal Realm."

After all, although unintentionally, Aster had been "cultivating" in the Cryogenic Pod for over 2,500 years... During that time, his body kept absorbing Qi in the air, gathering it within his body with nowhere to go.

Kurenai sighed, finally making her decision.

"Alright, let's do this the risky way," she muttered, her eyes gazing at Aster seriously.

"I'm ready!" he answered, his voice filled with strong will. "What do I need to do?"

Kurenai paused before averting her gaze slightly. "No, after all, let's postpone it. Tonight. I'll help you unlock your meridians tonight..." she muttered, a faint blush coloring her pristine cheeks.

"...?"

And of course, Aster had completely zero idea what sort of situation he had found himself in.