Chapter 117: What the Body Gives Away

Joe noticed an unexpected problem as his Acquired Energy continued accumulating. Its circulation had begun influencing his breathing and pulse even when he was not cultivating. He could suppress the energy deliberately, but the effect returned whenever he relaxed.

He tested the connection by changing his breathing and performing several movements. The energy responded naturally to both. His body had possessed exceptional coordination long before entering Acquired, but the growing integration between his physical movements and internal energy could attract attention from experienced martial artists.

Joe examined the relevant entries on his talent panel.

Acquired Energy — Lv.1 / 28%

Disguise — Lv.1 / 74%

Breath Control — Lv.2 / 41%

His existing skills offered a solution. Breath Control allowed him to regulate respiration and conceal physical exertion, while Disguise helped him alter his posture, movements, and outward behavior. He had never trained either specifically for concealing a cultivation realm.

Joe cleared several days from his schedule and concentrated on separating his breathing from the circulation of Acquired Energy.

Initially, changing his breathing caused the energy to respond automatically. Forcing it to remain still was uncomfortable, so he practiced controlling the two processes independently. Once he succeeded while seated, he repeated the exercise while walking, turning, and expressing small amounts of Ming Jin.

The principle was straightforward once he understood the problem, and his talents accelerated the practice considerably. By the fourth day, Joe could maintain an ordinary breathing rhythm while Acquired Energy circulated within him. Two days later, he could interrupt and resume that circulation without noticeable changes in his pulse or respiration.

He then worked on his outward movements. His exceptional coordination remained difficult to reconcile with his publicly recorded cultivation, particularly during sudden changes of direction. Joe practiced moderating his movements without appearing deliberately clumsy, combining the adjustments with his improved breathing control.

Several days later, his talent panel reflected the results.

Breath Control — Lv.5 / Perfection

Disguise — Lv.2 / 18%

Joe tested his progress during his next scheduled visit to the Montclair annex. The physician found his organs healthy and his recovery satisfactory, while an instructor observed nothing unusual during routine training. Neither had reason to investigate his cultivation beyond the requirements of the appointment.

The concealment worked for his present circumstances, but Joe discovered another limitation when he experimented with releasing small amounts of Acquired Energy.

Even after reducing the quantity, its refinement and stability remained far beyond what his manuals described for an ordinary practitioner entering the realm. His ninefold foundation had determined its quality, and simply releasing less energy could not reproduce the characteristics of a weaker foundation.

Eventually, he would need to reveal his public advancement into Acquired. By then, his actual cultivation might be considerably further along, making the difference harder to conceal.

Joe considered extending his experiments with Static and Dynamic Foundation. Their combined application had already improved bodily coordination and reduced losses during Acquired refinement. Greater control over his internal systems might eventually allow him to regulate the intensity and characteristics of the energy he released.

He recorded the problem for future research and returned to the damaged spiritual herbs supplied by Adrian Ferrow's family.

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

The three batches included heat-damaged roots, deteriorated leaves, and a resinous herb affected by moisture. Joe had previously managed to preserve faint traces of spiritual energy while degrading these materials, but most of the spiritual component dissipated during processing.

He began investigating whether he could influence that process more precisely.

Working with the resinous herb, Joe tested different combinations of grinding, heating, and pressure. Excessive grinding dispersed the spiritual energy too quickly, while stronger heating destroyed much of the medicinal substance. After several unsuccessful attempts, he found that applying pressure before moderate heating produced a more promising result.

Joe adjusted the procedure and examined the residue after the material settled. Most of its spiritual presence had disappeared, but a faint trace remained. When he repeated the treatment using another sample, he obtained a similar result.

Unlike his previous experiments, Joe could now identify the procedure responsible for preserving part of the spiritual component. He had begun influencing its behavior during degradation rather than relying on whatever happened to survive.

His talent panel revealed an unexpected development.

Acquired Energy — Lv.1 / 30%

Disguise — Lv.2 / 21%

Breath Control — Lv.5 / Perfection

Alchemy — Lv.1 / 1%

Joe examined the new entry with interest. His earlier pharmaceutical experiments had contributed to Medicine, but deliberately influencing spiritual energy had produced an entirely different skill.

He had not cultivated qi or directly manipulated spiritual energy. Instead, he had controlled the physical conditions surrounding it, causing the spiritual component to behave differently during processing.

The distinction was worth investigating. Although the preserved residue was not yet suitable for cultivation, Alchemy's appearance confirmed that his work had entered a new field.

Joe recorded the procedure and considered what other spiritual materials he could study.

His thoughts turned to the six spirit stones recovered from Greyspine. Their concentrated spiritual energy made them potentially useful for his experiments, particularly if he could eventually degrade a portion into something his martial body could absorb.

However, experimenting on them without understanding their properties would be wasteful. Before proceeding, Joe decided to investigate their grades and value.

Ashbourne had limited but accessible commercial records concerning spirit stones. Joe consulted several sources and was surprised by the prices. Even one low-grade spirit stone could purchase a house in the most expensive district of Ashbourne, while mid-grade stones were worth considerably more.

He obtained a basic identification method that ordinary merchants could use without cultivating qi. The procedure could distinguish low-grade stones but could not reliably classify higher grades.

Joe tested the six stones individually, repeating the procedure to check his results. None matched the expected characteristics of low-grade stones. Their appearance and internal properties also resembled descriptions of mid-grade spirit stones, although he lacked the means to confirm that classification.

He reviewed the results carefully before returning the stones to their wrappings.

The discovery troubled him more than he expected. Even six low-grade stones would represent an enormous fortune, and these appeared considerably more valuable. Selling one would require dealing with merchants or families capable of handling such transactions, which would inevitably raise questions about its origin.

More importantly, Joe did not know whether the deceased Montclair descendant had owned the stones personally.

The man had possessed a Five-Attribute Spiritual Root and had been twenty-six years old according to his surviving records. His martial cultivation had progressed beyond the ordinary foundation, but he had not entered Acquired. Nothing Joe knew about his position within the family explained why he had been carrying six stones of such potential value.

They might have belonged to someone else, been entrusted to him for a particular purpose, or represented wealth acquired under circumstances Joe knew nothing about.

The stones had remained undisturbed in Greyspine for years, but that did not establish whether anyone had searched for them or maintained records of their disappearance. Their value made the uncertainty difficult to ignore.

Joe retrieved the old Montclair credential recovered beside the skeleton. Until now, he had concentrated on the cultivation inheritance and medicinal materials, giving little attention to the identity of their former owner.

He could no longer afford that ignorance.

Ashbourne maintained records concerning prominent families, and the credential contained enough information to begin an investigation. Joe intended to establish who the man had been, what position he occupied within Montclair, and whether anything was known about his disappearance.

He returned the stones to the locked case. Until he knew more about their origin, possessing them was already a considerable risk, and attempting to sell or use them could expose him to trouble he was not equipped to handle.