Current Cultivation Progress: 89%
Eighty-nine percent.
Just eleven percent more and I'd step into Stage 1. The thought alone sent a ripple of excitement through me… but I could feel the hollowness in my limbs. My strength for the day was already spent.
I exhaled slowly. "Alright… chores first."
The clay pots still needed to be made.
From the riverbank, I had collected a mound of natural clay — but it wasn't pure. Tiny stones and stubborn grit hid inside it. I worked through it patiently, removing each impurity until only clean, pliable clay remained.
I soaked it in water and began kneading. Again and again, I folded and pressed the clay, feeling it soften beneath my hands until the texture was smooth enough to work with.
Next came shaping. I set the clay on a round wooden disk I could spin by hand, coaxing the walls upward into a neat curve. One careless move could ruin hours of effort, so I worked slowly, adjusting the shape until it matched the image in my mind.
When the forms were ready, I left them in the sun to dry. The wait was long, but necessary — if the clay wasn't fully dry, it would crack during firing. Once dry, I placed them over a steady fire, heating them until they hardened into sturdy vessels. Then, I left them to cool.
It sounded simple when spoken aloud, but in truth, the process took three to four days to complete all eight pots.
During those days, I still kept up with my daily missions and exercises. My cultivation progress crept forward by only two or three percent each day. This sudden leap to eighty-nine percent… it had to be the result of every effort I'd made since the start.
Curious, I called for an update.
Fetching current cultivation progress…
Current Cultivation Progress: 99%
I froze.
"Ninety-nine…" A faint grin tugged at my lips. "So tomorrow's the day."
The day wasn't over yet, though. I gathered the eight finished pots and made my way to the merchant.
He was already there, waiting. After some small talk, I showed him the pots and suggested he test them for a couple of days. He considered it, then nodded, telling me he was willing to invest ten silver coins.
One silver coin was worth a hundred copper coins — a total of one thousand copper coins in funding. That was more than enough to move forward.
I handed him the pots and proposed a plan: offer cool water to travelers passing through under the midday sun. Once they felt the refreshing chill, they'd want one for themselves. The merchant agreed readily.
With that settled, I returned to the inn.
I lay down on my bed, staring up at the wooden beams above. My heart was calm… yet filled with quiet anticipation.
Tomorrow… I would step into the Realm of Cultivation.