Nox's reaction was something Thorian had already predicted, but he had acted with a purpose in mind.

"I have made a deal with this child's protector. No one is to touch him, understood?"

Nox and the rest of the kobloids nodded, but they couldn't shake off the strangeness of the situation. They looked at Thorian with furrowed brows and raised eyebrows.

"The deal I have made is very beneficial for us. Don't worry."

With those words, Thorian made his way inside the cave, knowing that there was no use in explaining himself further. The cavern was dimly lit by the outside light, leaving its corners filled with shadows and darkness. Thorian sat down in one of those shadows, placed the sleeping child on the ground next to him, and began meditating in a lotus position.

This is the best time to cultivate Qi. I will need to wait for my mana to fill up either way.

Thorian practiced his breathing technique, and for the first ten minutes, the Ether in the air had difficulty entering through his Qi paths. Despite having undergone a cleansing the previous day, his channels were still more clogged and filthy than those of a typical human practitioner.

Minutes slowly passed, and Thorian was able to use the surrounding Ether to clear his channels. It was only after an hour had passed that a small droplet of Qi reached his dantian.

With the Qi having reached its destination, Thorian could do what he hadn't been able to do the day before: circulate it through his meridians.

I should start with the Vermillion Bird. My fire powers will be unmatched if I can strengthen that meridian path.

Using the two drops of Qi that Thorian had gathered, he pushed them toward the entrance of the Vermillion Bird meridian. However, no matter how much he tried to force them to enter, the path was clogged beyond repair.

This is frustrating. I can't dig through this filth even with two drops of Qi?

Thorian cleared his mind and continued his breathing pattern to calm his emotions. Since circulating the Qi internally was out of the question, he could just focus on gathering more of it.

Once again, Thorian pushed the surrounding Ether through his external paths. With them already slightly cleared, the process became much smoother and faster. In the hour he had left to cultivate, he was able to gather another two droplets of Qi.

As Thorian opened his eyes, the first thing he checked was the child beside him. The boy was still sleeping soundly.

Display panel

Ding

Status Panel

Race

White Kobloid

Level

/15 (exp: 27/180)

Class

Magus

Level

/20 (exp: 13/180)

Lifespan

years

Cultivation realm

Qi Gathering First Stage (31.6%)

Stats

Strength

Agility

Constitution

Mana

Qi

Free Points

Skills

Minor Moon Boost (Passive)

Fireball (active)