The Geared Immortal

Chapter 2

A dark and hazy view emerges in front of Shin Jiao, as a dim light coming from a strange stone illuminates the whole place. Shin Jiao can now feel the solid ground on his feet which signifies that he is standing on flat ground. He carefully observes the place and noticed a bed and a table made of stone on one side and nothing else as it seems that those are the only thing in this room. From the light of his surroundings, he can deduce that he is actually in a small cave. Looking at its structure, a scary thought enters his mind; the cave might have been man-made. This grabs Shin Jiao's attention as he carefully scrutinized his surroundings and seems to forget his dilemma or even the situation he is in.

"This... This is too amazing, I... I can't believe that this is possible. The rocks seemed to have been cleanly cut roughly in just one stroke. And these markings?... Hmmm… This is impossible! It can't be… According to these markings… this cave was made by moving this whole lump of land at one go." Shin Jiao muttered to himself as he felt amazed at his findings.

As he turns around to see more of the cave, he was dumbstruck and suddenly jumped in fright. Not too far from him, he saw a human skeleton sitting on the ground wearing a robe just like those from the ancient times. The robe the skeleton is wearing didn't have any hint of damage or even decay. The skeleton itself is actually still sitting in a lotus position which made Shin Jiao frown. 

"This is too weird… It's like... I'm in a television drama set? But that's impossible… This is clearly a human skeleton, and if I'm not mistaken, he may have been dead for many years now." Shin Jiao muttered.

As a researcher and a former agent, Shin Jiao has the ability to analyze dead bodies even without using instruments. Though not that accurate, he can still judge that the skeleton may have been dead for around 40 to 50 years.

While in a deep thought his gaze was suddenly attracted to the ring on the skeleton's hand. Then a sudden thought enters his mind. Judging from the clothing of the skeleton Shin Jiao had a slight idea that he might be in another world. And if he is right, the ring he is seeing right now is a treasure.

"Hmm… This is crazy… I guess I could just try to do an actual experiment and see if what I'm thinking is correct... Hmm... Let's see… If I remember correctly, in the ancient times to activate the power within an artifact, I just have to put a single drop of my blood in it, right?" Shin Jiao muttered to himself as he carefully took the ring and scrutinized it.

"Okay... Here goes nothing." He said as his heart began to beat rapidly.

Right now, he felt a little excited and nervous at the same time. He is not sure yet what would happen. Though he brought his laptop, however, he didn't have any devices to connect to it like a scanner and check the ring.

But the thing that makes him wanted to try it out is the idea that he is not on earth anymore.

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So, he began to rummage through his bag trying to find his pocket knife which he always carries. When he found it, he immediately cut a small wound in his index finger and carefully drops a small amount of blood on the ring's surface.

Flop!

When the falling blood touches the ring, it was suddenly absorbed and immediately vanished. Then a pale green color began to glow from the ring. With a fright, Shin Jiao wanted to let go, but he suddenly finds himself losing his consciousness. And now he found himself looking at a tiny world with no living creatures in it. Just like a 3D object in front of a computer screen where one can navigate the small planet at will.

Then his attention was caught by a small hill made of different items. When he looked at those items he was dumbfounded. He saw many precious stones, gold coins, a number of weapons and armors, and some other foreign objects which he didn't recognize. There are also a lot of weird-looking stones that comprise almost 50 percent of the stockpile.

"What are these things? Hmm… Well, I guess this proves that I'm truly in a new world. But... how can I get out of this space?" Shin Jiao thought after he finished checking the small world.

Right now, being in a new world made him feel different emotions, like fear of the unknown, curiosity, anxiety, and the feeling of being at a loss as he didn't know how if he can still go back to Earth.

While thinking deeply, he suddenly found his consciousness going out of the ring and into the familiar-looking cave. This situation made him smile as he was suddenly struck with amazement.

But before he could analyze things more deeply, he suddenly noticed a floating figure of a man in front of him like a ghost. This made him almost jump back in fright and by instinct assumes a fighting stance. Without saying anything he just stood there with vigilance while observing the floating figure.

The man looks to be around 40-50 years old and he seems to be wearing the same robe as the skeleton sitting in front of him. This made Shin Jiao knit his brow with suspicion. The figure seems smaller and his body is transparent like that of a ghost or a 3D hologram. Due to his curiosity, Shin Jiao can't help but unconsciously ask the man.

"Who are you?"

The question is something normal as he already had an idea and knows that the man is not real. But from the looks of it, he is curious and must find out if the thing in front of him is an A.I. or a real ghost.

The man suddenly opens its eyes, to look at Shin Jiao and suddenly showed a faint smile. Then he suddenly spoke in a low voice but the voice is actually not heard by his ears but by his mind.

"Hello! My name is Gubu… Hahaha… You are a lucky person who will receive my legacy. If you are seeing this, then I'm not in this world anymore but the portal I made has been completed and was successful... but that portal should have been a doorway for me to escape…" Then the man named Gubu pauses as he seems to be trying to remember something.

Shin Jiao was dumbfounded by the fact that he can understand the man, but of course, this is due to the man speaking directly to his mind. It's like the man knows his own language. After a short moment, Shin Jiao regains his composure and just continue waiting for what the man would say next.

"I… I am a rogue cultivator, and I have traveled to almost all the corners of this huge planet. I have even met other races and other beings… This world is filled with many kinds of races, contrary to what the people in the cultivation land knows. And there exist different kinds of powers and cultivation energy besides spiritual Qi… This world is truly huge and is divided into many continents. But there are only four known continents which are actually known and named." The man named Gubu said.

"To the far north of the cultivation land which would take many months to travel via horse. This is a place on the opposite side of the dangerous Daemon forest; there exists the land of the Beast clan or what we call Beastia. In that land, a race of people which is called the beast-men lives. They were once ferocious beasts but were able to attain consciousness through the passage of time and evolution…" Gubu said as a picture of a beast-man appears in front of Shin Jiao's eyes.

"Then to the far west crossing the vast ocean exists the land of Magus, if one travels from the cultivation land to the land of Magus by using the fastest sea craft it would take them years before they can reach that land. When I went there I found many different races that exist besides humans. And the inhabitants in there are using the power of natural energy which they called, mana." Gubu said and then showed Shin Jiao what the people in the land of Magus looks like.

When Shin Jiao saw this, he felt that those people look very familiar. They are like the people from the old European regions of the Earth. But a hint of excitement was seen in his eyes as he imagines those magi from the games and movies he saw on Earth. But before his mind could think deeply his thought process was interrupted as Gubu continue talking.

"Then to the east, lays the mysterious fog covered islands. I haven't been there, but I heard that it's a land filled with mysticism and is protected by a deadly thick dark fog they called, Death Haze. Those who have tried to enter and survived tell the tale of many horrors they've encountered inside the death haze. From the stories, many have given up going there but there are those who still try and never came back." After saying that, Gubu turned silent.

Hearing the story of the man, Shin Jiao has now a vague idea of the new world he is in. This world is just like Earth with its own diverse culture, beliefs, and practices. But it is far bigger and contains the energies like Qi and mana in its atmosphere.

This information made Shin Jiao feel a little excited; he now wanted to discover what's outside the cave he is in.

But then something dawned unto him, and that is the thought of him surviving in this world as a mortal man.

The man named Gubu after stopping continued his explanations.

"The reason why I'm telling you this is because I wanted you to do me a favor. I don't know who you are but I wanted to tell you my story first." Gubu said as his figure on the hologram suddenly showed a sad expression.

"After a long year of travel, I was able to return to the cultivation land and intended to tell the empire of my findings and adventures, but my excitement died down after telling those people my story. They actually laughed and mocked me. No one, none of them believed in me. The only thing that they believe is the existence of the Beast clan as they are the main aggressor and mortal enemy of the cultivators.

But when I told the elders of the Imperial palace that I traveled the great waters, no one truly believes in my words as the knowledge of the dangers lying in the waters is etched deeply in them. So, I proudly showed them the vehicle that I have crafted which made everyone turned silent." Gubu paused as if recalling a very sad thing.

"At that time, I was used to my carefree life and have forgotten that the hearts of come of the cultivators in this land are cruel and evil. And when I saw them eyeing the thing in my hand like bandits, I was awoken by the truth… After I left the palace, many of them, chased after me for my artifacts. So without a choice, I escaped but I was assaulted on different sides… Although my cultivation level is high, it's not enough to fend off those old monsters." the melancholy in Gubu's eyes shows his regret at what happened at that time.

Shin Jiao suddenly felt sad for the man, as he might have escaped the dangers of his travels and adventures, but because of a moment of neglect, he lost his life.

"Then, I was wounded and didn't have any choice but to hide and make this cave inside the Daemon forest… In my desperation to escape, I decided to try a spell that I learned from one of the books in the land of Magus... It's a high-level gate spell, where a person can travel from one place to another. But since I am not familiar with it, I didn't expect that this gate would consume a lot of my spiritual Qi and natural energy… So to save myself, I have to sacrifice a void stone." After saying that, Gubu took out a black object that's shaped like a weird looking black stone.

When Shin Jiao saw it, he couldn't help himself from gasping in disbelief. Because that is the same black stone that he had researched on and is very familiar with when he was still on earth. He can even activate or create that thing provided there are materials available. With his natural gift, he already discovered the composition of the object and how it functions.

"When I activated that gate, I realized there was a mistake when the black stone suddenly disappears. I guess it was because of my injuries that I wasn't able to create the right gate. But upon checking again I discover that it's not actually a gate to this world but a dimensional gate to another. But I couldn't reverse it anymore as it was already too late… And so I resigned my fate. I don't know what kind of creature will go through this gate but I know that you're a human, as only humans can access my ring and activate this recording crystal." Gubu said with a smile.

"I may not have any disciples, but I still wanted to pass down the knowledge that I have learned and cultivated. And I chose you to carry out my legacy… You are my only hope so that the skills and abilities I gained would continue on… I am known throughout all the land as the artifact crafter Gubu, and I was hunted for it. So if you decided to learn my skills, please be careful and don't show the artifacts that you've made unless you are confident to face your enemies and are able to annihilate them. Now inside my ring, there are 5 red jade strips which hold all the records of my skills and legacy." Gubu explained.

After hearing this, Shin Jiao looks at the ring with a smile. He is excited as he actually saw those red jade strips. He is also excited because now he can learn cultivation and can become a cultivator. So he quickly tries to enter his consciousness inside the ring. But he was dumbstruck as nothing happened. Then everything became clear as Gubu continued his explanation.

"If you are a mere mortal, then you've accessed my ring for the first time when you dropped your blood in it and experience the way of cultivators. Some of the knowledge of this world especially the language may have entered your consciousness after accessing my ring. But since you are unable to wield any type of energy yet, then you will be unable to access the ring again… So the only way for you to do so is for you to awaken your own spiritual roots or learn other ways to use the energy of this world. I will show you the two types of energy that I have discovered…" Gubu said as he lifts his hand and an image of a paper scroll which contains the cultivation land's steps of cultivation appears.

"This is a cultivator and beast-man cultivation style which has 10 realms and 9 levels or 3 stages each. The realms are called as such: body refining, spirit refining, core-forming, golden core, infant soul, nascent, world nascent, heavenly nascent, saint immortal, and the Deity realm. Everything will start after you open your spiritual roots. If you are unable to open one, then you will just be branded as a mortal." After explaining, Gubu hides the paper scroll and then opens another one.

"In the Magus land, as far as I know, the level of power is a bit simpler. In that land, every single person has the ability to wield mana. This is because they are bestowed upon them since their infancy. So, there is no such thing as a mere mortal in that land, although there are still people who cannot attain a high degree of power, which they call peasants. The Magus land has three classes: warriors, mages, and clerics. And under those classes exist the 10 rankings and titles, each with specified training techniques and unified skill learning system which made their Empire very strong."

After hearing the explanation of Gubu Shin Jiao recalled some movies from the Earth which tells about magic and knights. This made him more excited about the prospect of exploring the world and meeting other races.

"On the table are two jade strips. The red one is the basic cultivation technique that can help a person awaken his spiritual roots and start his path to cultivation. The blue one, on the other hand, is the basic absorption of mana which will guide a person in using mana and magic. It is far simpler, but I have no other information on mana use and magic as my time in the magus land is short, plus I cannot learn any magic as I cannot use mana that well." Gubu said while pointing his hand to the stone table.

"To learn these things, just put the jade strip on your forehead and the information will just flow to your mind. It's up to you to choose. If you choose any of these two, you can open my spatial ring, as I have crafted it to do so." Gubu said with a faint smile.

Then all of a sudden, Gubu's image began to flicker and seems fainter. Shin Jiao somehow expected this since a long time has passed.

Looking at the table, he saw the two jade strips, a blue one and a red one. The blue one has the engraving of "mana" on it. So it means the other one is for someone to awaken his spiritual roots.

Shin Jiao was in deep thought on what to do, as his choice will have a great impact on his future achievements in cultivation. After some time he still didn't make his choice but instead study the engravings on the jade slips and also began checking the whole cave.

He found a water source and a small hole at the top as an air vent but no exit. This made him a little worried. He actually noticed the big stone blocking a hole which could be the only exit and entrance of the cave. But he didn't know how to move it. He tried pushing the huge stone with all his strength but to no avail.

After carefully checking everything, he sat once more on the ground at the opposite side of Gubu's skeleton remains.

"This guy died many years ago before I appear in this place. I can't be sure of the time-space distortion but, I guess he prepared this for me to inherit his will... Well, thank you senior for the gifts." Shin Jiao said as he bowed while cupping hands towards the skeleton just like the greetings in those ancient times.

"Maybe I can get out of here if I absorb a jade slip and practice Qi cultivation or mana absorption… But… I'm not sure what to choose though… Hmm…" Shin Jiao once again thought for a while.

Then an idea enters his mind and he decided to take out his laptop from his bag to do some decoding. While working on his idea, he felt hungry and ate some food which he brought with him when he was transported in this place.

It took him a couple of hours using the program he used to decode the runes and characters on the black stone, and now he was able to decrypt the jade slips and miraculously opened the contents therein.. He then learns from them about spiritual roots, the dantian, meridians and also the mana channels in the body.