Path Of The Dragon (A Dark Fantasy Cultivation Wuxia Xianxia Progression Series)

Chapter 43 The Cultivation Chamber

The column Jie was on sank down slowly and she found herself on the stage once more. Everyone was hurrying off to their next distraction and Jie frowned. Why would anyone go to a feast? That seemed absurd. Why wouldn't they just cultivate and train? Didn't they want to get stronger?

Jie shook her head and found her own way through a more discrete exit from the arena.

"I thought you might come this way," Elder Shi said, "Not a fan of crowds are you?"

"Just not used to them," Jie said, "Tell me... why do they waste their time with a feast?"

Elder Shi blinked but quickly recovered and smiled. "Not everyone is like us," she said.

"Why not? I thought strength was all that mattered in this world?" Jie said.

Elder Shi narrowed her eyes. "The way you say this world... are you perhaps from another one?" she asked.

Jie kept her face expressionless. "You didn't answer my question," she said.

Elder Shi scoffed. "I could say the same," she said and her eyes lingered on Jie as though probing her for secrets, "still... not everyone is as disciplined as you are. Strength may be all that matters, but many want to take the time to enjoy life. Most people only want the strength to get something. Money, sex, status... many things are valuable to people besides raw power."

"That's just ridiculous," Jie said.

"Oh?" Elder Shi said.

"None of those things matter as much as power. Without power, everything you have will be taken from you," Jie said.

Elder Shi studied Jie for a long moment. "There is truth to your words. But, it's a harsh lesson few get the chance to learn from," she said, "so what will you do to celebrate your accomplishment?"

"I think I'll return to training," Jie said, "I thought this tournament would put me under severe pressure to improve, but it didn't. I might study the scrolls later, but I want to know about the Cultivation and Conditioning Chambers. I didn't hear anything about them during the tour."

"You wouldn't," Elder Shi said, "They're treasures for those in the Crimson Academy. Using them is one of the perks of being an elder here. Very few students will ever set foot inside them, so talking about them is pointless."

"So... are they good?" Jie asked, "What do they do?"

Elder Shi smiled. "The Cultivation Chamber gathers Essence using a sophisticated array and channels it into a very small space. The Essence inside the room is so dense it's like steam. Few can handle such dense Essence. You should be alright though and it will be extremely good for your cultivation.

"The Conditioning Chamber puts you in a hostile environment that exerts tremendous pressure on you. It helps to stabilize your cultivation base, remove impurities and toxins from your body, and toughens you up considerably. Some have undergone a massive shift in their entire bodies after sustained usage," she said.

Jie nodded. "I think I'll try the Cultivation Chamber then. My qi feels fine to me, so I don't see that it could cause an issue," she said.

"Perhaps... though your qi always feels both stable and unstable at the same time to me. It's so... wild," Elder Shi said, "but... I don't think that's an issue in your particular case. Follow me, I'll take you there. You can book when you'd like to use it."

Jie pouted. She had to book her time? She couldn't just go in? That sucked.

Jie followed Elder Shi and smiled as the wind whipped her face and her long, blue hair trailed behind her. It felt amazing. This world felt amazing. Even with the weird culture, she couldn't deny that she'd choose this life a hundred times over in place of her old one.