BWFoster78
patreon
Chapter 81 – Juggernaut
🕑 Added 2024-10-19 17:37:38 +0000 UTCSo far, Benton had come up with two techniques he definitely wanted—the one that layered void and variable aspected qi on a weapon tip and the one that made an arrow faster and/or homing.
What else?
The first thing that came to mind was some kind of area attack. All things were possible in a cultivation world, so he should expect the unexpected. Even though his arrows would be hard to counter and would deliver a devastating blow, they weren’t impossible to evade or block.
If he had some kind of area affect, that addition would really round out his offensive powerset. Su’s memories indicated that, though a fireball could be blocked by just about any type of qi, only ones effecting temperature would prevent the heat from penetrating.
That fact gave Benton an interesting idea.
“System,” he said internally, “can using gravity to make objects heavier be blocked by a qi shield?”
That response contained an interesting tidbit that needed unpacking.
“System, how can a localized gravity increase be countered?”
If Benton encountered an opponent who also used gravity aspected qi, he’d deal with that eventuality when the time came.
The second scenario didn’t mean Benton shouldn’t use an area of effect technique. It just meant he should be prepared for the technique to be countered. It wasn’t like he wouldn’t use direct attacks just because of the existence of shields.
Actually, what it really meant was that he needed such a measure for himself. He saved that thought for later to avoid getting sidetracked.
“System, how much qi would be expended for an attack that would bring a peak Foundation Establishment cultivator literally to their knees, and how much for a directed attack that would cause them to lose their weapon?”
Gravity seemed like a nice, efficient way to disrupt opponents, both to throw off an attack with a weapon and to take them down to the ground.
“System, can I create a technique that allows me to use gravity in both manners we just discussed?”
“Not quite yet. Thanks.”
That combat ability would address his lack of an attack that couldn’t be evaded. Next, he needed a shield, and naturally, he thought about replicating the variable attack method he’d come up with earlier.
“System, can I get create a shield that will use a variable qi aspect that is strong against the element an opponent attacks with?”
Okay. That response was expected, but he wanted to make sure. Now for the true cheat idea.
“System, can I create a technique that triggers a shield only when I am about to be struck by a qi attack, and can I further have the technique trigger a shield of the exact size and amount of qi required to block that attack?”
Benton laughed. Perfect.
“System, can I create a shield technique that combines the qualities of both the techniques I just asked about?”
The amount of Sect Points used was starting to get expensive, but at the moment, Benton preferred to spend points in order to ensure his qi efficiency during battle. After all, he didn’t expect to see another order of magnitude jump in his pool’s size until he reached Golden Core, at which point he was sure there would be some kind of expense required to upgrade his techniques. He could live with paying double for a technique that was almost guaranteed to save his life at some point and be so efficient in its qi usage at the same time.
Next, he needed a movement technique. According to Su’s memories, the techniques most cultivators in the Foundation Establishment realm used made qi directly propel them forward like wind pushing them from behind or earth pushing up against their steps. There were thousands of variations, and each was quite cheap.
He wanted to be able to instantly move from one point to another.
“System, what type of qi aspect would allow me to teleport?”
“Thanks for the completely non-helpful answer, System,” Benton said internally. “Let me rephrase. Let’s say that I have a conception of the qi aspect of dimensions that allows me to step from where I am through another dimension to where I want to come out back in this dimension. Does that work? And if so, how much qi would it cost?”
Okay. That didn’t work. What else could he try?
“System, my concept of the qi aspect of space is that it can be physically folded to make two points closer together or farther apart. How much qi would it take for me to fold space in such a way that I can move from where I am standing to a point one hundred miles away in a single step?”
That amount was obviously still too expensive, but it at least was low enough cost that he might be able to lower it to useable levels.
“System, using the spatial qi aspect, how much qi to move one mile?”
Going in the right direction.
“System, using the spatial qi aspect, how much qi to move ten feet?”
That amount was affordable, but much less would work for combat.
“System, using the spatial qi aspect, how much qi to move three feet?”
That worked. In a fight, he’d be able to move anywhere from a long step to ten feet for a quite reasonable qi expenditure, and since he was folding space to avoid the intervening distance, he’d be able to step through people and walls and other obstacles. He had his movement technique.
That left only one more idea, the ability to take all the time he wanted to plan his next move.
“System, how much qi would that trick to pause time that you suggested previously cost?”
Yikes. That was expensive, and he couldn’t think of a way to reduce the amount needed. He wanted it, though. It could be a lifesaver.
What he really needed was a larger qi pool.
“System, is there any way besides advancing in realm to increase the size of my qi pool?”
Okay. He hadn’t really even expected for there to be any path forward, so he’d take that.
“System, how can I earn another Perk Point?”
Perfect. That situation might just take care of itself.
Benton went through and calculated all the Sect Points he’d like to spend through the peak of Foundation Establishment, and the number was quite high. He decided that he could forego the area attack shield until some point in the future. He had the System display the results in a table.
Yikes. Even with eliminating one nice to have, his ultimate combat build required eighty-nine total Sect Points, eighty-seven more than he had available to use at the moment for his personal improvement. To acquire those eighty-seven points, he’d need to earn eight hundred and seventy additional points. He’d only earned two hundred thirty-one so far.
If he could buy all those improvements as well as increasing his qi pool greatly, he had no doubt he’d become the strongest Foundation Establishment cultivator to ever exist on this planet, a true juggernaut.
The question was—would such a juggernaut be curb stomped by an average Golden Core cultivator?
Benton honestly didn’t know enough about cultivators in the next major realm to make that determination. He would need to balance his spirit cultivation advancement with his techniques.
The more important immediate question was—what was the most effective use of points at the moment?
His biggest need was some way to convert his qi pool into something useful in combat, and for that he needed a technique, eliminating the first four items on his list. The arrow technique was meant to be a delivery method for his other attacks and didn’t do much on its own, so it was not an immediate consideration, either.
“System,” Benton said internally, “for all the scenarios earlier that answered how much qi various techniques would use, were you quoting values for Small Success or for Mastery?”
That was a little bit of a relief.
“System, how much would the qi usage be reduced for Large Success and then for Mastery?”
Sweet. That reduction meant he could actually use his most powerful attack when he mastered the technique.
Unfortunately, the two most important techniques that he wanted to buy both cost more to learn than the two points he had available. Pause Time wouldn’t help him use his qi to defeat his enemies. Quickstep could save his life by allowing him to evade attacks, but evading wasn’t the same as winning.
Reluctantly, Benton decided to wait to buy a new technique until he had at least one more Sect Point.
