To start digging his Energy Channels, Desper did what the Fifth Elder had said during the lecture.
He focused on his Origin, the black one in his chest.
He chose to start with it, rather than gray one beneath it, because the black one was much faster at absorbing Energy, and it could store much more than the gray one could.
'I will think about what to do with the gray Origin later'
Upon focusing on his black one, Desper controlled the Energy within it to attack its inner wall.
He wasn't really attacking it, but pushing it on a specific spot. It was the closest one to his spine.
After a while, the wall finally started to stretch. Desper focused on directing the Energy to apply more pressure on that stretch.
After about four hours, Desper opened his eyes. There was a smile on his face.
"Now I can call myself a real cultivator." He said as he checked his Origin again.
There was a large channel about five centimeters in diameter, connecting his Origin with the bones of his spine.
"Finally, I dug the Root Channel" Desper sighed.
'It is the easiest Channel to dig, yet the most important Channel in the body.'
'This is for three reasons. First, it is the only Channel that connects your body with your Origin. Second, the Origin can't endure forming another Root Channel. Lastly, it controls other Channels in the body' Desper murmured inwardly, remembering the lecture.
'The Origin absorbs the Energy, while the Root Channel distributes it'
'No one can cause injury to the Origin, but they can injure the Channels. If a normal Channel is fully cut, you can dig another one. But if the Root Channel is fully cut, the Energy escapes the Origin uncontrollably, and the cultivator's body explodes' Desper felt fear when he remembered that.
"Let's not think about these things" Desper sighed
'After reaching the first bone in my spine, I should use the same way to form two Channels: one going upward and the other downward. Of course, both of them will be smaller than the Root Channel.'
'Now I'm a bones cultivator' Desper celebrated.
Desper narrowed his eyes as he thought about something.
'Something is off' he muttered.
'Using my black Origin, I'm sure I'm faster than anyone else in cultivation, assuming that everyone has a normal gray Origin like the one under my chest.' Desper thought 'So, I have the highest chance to win the competition after one month, even over those who will have been cultivating for three months.'
'Here comes the strange thing'
'I'm sure that even if I cultivate hard all the day for the next thirty days, I will not be able to dig Channels into half of my bones.
'Even if I could, that wouldn't increase my strength a lot, but my defense. All other new disciples will be the same: with more defense than strength.' Desper rubbed his chin as he thought.
'Which will make the competition feel more like street fights between ordinary people than true battles between cultivators' Desper guessed.
'Another strange thing: Darek told me that he was sure that I wouldn't be able to win the competition, in spite of the fact that I killed a mid-muscle cultivator before.'
'Either Darek and Eland lied about me killing the Great Elder's son, which I highly doubt, or there is something I don't know about the competition.'
Desper was highly suspicious.
After some thinking, he decided to ask Eland once he came.
Beeeeeeb
Beeeb
The watch started to ring next to Desper.
'It is 8:30 already?' Desper was surprised 'The time passed so quickly while cultivating.'
Desper exhaled a deep breath. Then he stood up and got out of the private room.
He noticed that his new clothes were drenched in sweat, so he took a bath and wore a new set, but this time, he wore the sect uniform.
Desper was amazed by how fit it was.
Desper left his dwelling. He was hungry, so he needed to go to get some food.
After passing through some streets, Desper reached a place called the disciples' restaurant. Here, he can eat for free, using his badge.
Desper entered the place and found multiple disciples were sitting inside. Of course, Desper didn't know any of them.
He wasn't interested in making friends right now, so he chose an empty table and sat there alone. He needed to get back quickly because Eland told him that he would come at 9, so Desper ordered the fastest food to prepare.
After a few minutes, the food arrived. It was fried fish and white rice. The waiter offered him more food, but Desper refused.
After eating Desper had to admit that the food was delicious.
After that, Desper returned to his place.
He found that a tall man with red hair and red eyes, waiting in front of his building.
"Hey, Eland. You have been waiting for me?" Desper looked at his watch as he said. It wasn't 9 yet.
Desper didn't see him while leaving the place.
"I have just arrived. I'm waiting until it becomes 9, as I told you" Eland replied with a smile.
Desper stared at him for a while.
"You wanted to talk to me about something" Desper murmured.
"Yes, let's talk inside. It will take some time." Eland replied.
Desper nodded and led the way to his dwelling.
After getting inside, both of them were sitting before each other.
"So?" Desper broke the silence.
"How are you preparing for the competition?" Eland questioned, crossing his arms.
"I have no preparations. I will just cultivate hard until the time of the competition. I'm sure I will do well" Desper replied with no reaction.
"Hmm? Desper, how many new disciples do you think will be there in the competition" Eland frowned and asked.
Desper didn't understand what he meant by this question.
"I saw 25 disciples during the lecture, so I guess the sect receives 25 new disciples every month. With the competition every three months, there should be 75 disciples in the competition."
"Wrong" Eland snapped. "This is a quarter of the real number. There will be 300 disciples in the competition"
"Huh? What do you mean" Desper was surprised.
He felt like there was a question inside of him, about to be answered.
"The disciples you saw at the lecture were only the male new disciples" Eland answered "There was another lecture for the female ones in another hall"
Desper's eyebrows rose in surprise as he heard that.
All he saw at the lecture were men, but he didn't think about it that much.
"Hmm, I didn't think the female disciples would be three times more than the male ones." Desper mumbled "But it doesn't matter. I'm still fine with large numbers"
"No no, Desper. The females aren't more than men; they are equal in numbers: 75 males and 75 females." Eland shook his head in denial.
Desper narrowed his eyes and asked "And where are the other 150 disciples?"
"They are the half-disciples who turned 15 in these three months" Eland answered, clutching his fist.
Desper could feel the anger in his voice.
"Half-disciples?" Desper could feel that he knew this term, but he couldn't remember.
"Your memories again?" Eland sighed "When someone awakens their Origin before the age of 15, the sect won't force them to be disciples, but half-disciples. They will live in the sect, and the sect won't require them to take on any mission. All they have to do is cultivate until the age of 15"
"That is fair" Desper responded "Sending children to fight monsters is like killing them"
Now Desper understood why he hadn't seen any younger disciples during the lecture; they had already been given the lecture before.
Suddenly, Desper's eyes widened.
"Wait a minute! You mean to say…"
"Yes, you guessed it" Eland confirmed "When they turn 15, they will be treated as new disciples"
"Which means you won't be fighting only those who have been cultivating for only three months, but also those who have been doing it for years." Eland gritted his teeth.
Desper's mouth opened widely. He didn't know what to say or how to react.
"Haha, I should forget winning the competition." he scoffed.
"NO!" Eland snapped. "You should win it"
"Huh? What do you mean by winning it?" Desper sneered "Do I even have a chance?"
"Yes, you do" Eland replied "The strongest one of the half-disciples in the next competition is a mid-muscle cultivator"
In Grafa Level, after digging Channels into all of your bones, you would dig Channels into your muscles. You would be called a muscle cultivator.
Muscle cultivation can be divided into three sublevels: low-muscle, mid-muscle, and end-muscle.
Each sublevel grants more strength, speed, and agility than the one that came before it.
"Huh?! A mid-muscle cultivator? What chance do you think I have against him?" Desper scoffed "I wish I can just dig Channels into my spine before the competition; that will make me happy"
"But you killed someone as strong as him before" Eland tried to convince him.
"Yes, I did. But I don't remember how. Let's tell the Sect Leader to delay the competition until I remember." Desper was annoyed by Eland's way of thinking.
"I'M TRYING TO HELP YOU HERE" suddenly, Eland roared at Desper. His eyes were full of anger.