BXBX NOVEL Chapter 190 [Bonus ] Finding Paths
'Judging from the diagram, I don't have to submit a Cultivation manual as well! I can directly start adding CP!'
The newly advanced Path Finder thought with glee.
He chose a random Chakra and was about to press the [+] button that meant Add CP when he noticed something written below the button. Written in fine print, it was a cautionary warning!
[The order you mark the Chakras cannot be changed. It will be your final Path. Please be careful when choosing each chakra to be marked.]
This was the first time Ikasa received anything like a note or a caution from the User Interface. His excitement cooled as he retracted the finger that was about to add CP to a random chakra.
"I have to think carefully before marking a Chakra. If I want to form a Circulation path involving all 121 Chakras, every step needs to be perfect. The first Chakra I choose will determine how many more Chakras I can cover in my path."
Ikasa did not rush as he realized the importance of the first Chakra. He saw countless possibilities as each of the 121 Chakras had the potential to be his first chakra but not all of them could form a coherent circulation path involving all the other chakras.
"Should I start at the bottom?" Ikasa thought as he eyed the chakras in the legs. Then his eyes moved upwards and his attention was drawn by the chakra in the upper body, "Or should I start from the top?"
Ikasa became confused as he could not decide on any one chakra. He had numerous options. Top, center, or bottom? Major or Minor?
Even if he could decide on the broad categories, he was spoilt for choice when choosing one specific chakra!
The night was not getting any younger as Ikasa was lost in thought. At one point he had even drawn the humanoid figure with 121 chakras and started the game to line the dots!
A few hours later, Ikasa crumpled another piece of paper and threw it in frustration. Naturally, he had failed to connect all 121 dots even after tens of attempts!
He always missed twenty or so chakras in one limb or another. Not to mention his diagrams did not look like anything!
Ikasa had the urge to let out a shout of frustration but considering the silence of the night, he controlled his impulse.
Ikasa stopped this pointless endeavor and decided to check what had changed with his breakthrough.
As soon as he toggled to the Print screen, an animation appeared. The shackle around the Level 3 broke and it shone with golden light before disappearing.
"So, I can print the Path Finding Manuals now, huh?"
Ikasa mumbled to himself. He first checked his Cultivation Points. 480/540.
He was glad to notice that the limit had increased from 490 to 540 with his breakthrough.
Without further adieu, Ikasa opened the Targeted Printing option. He selected Level 3 of the Cultivation Manuals and clicked on Print.
[Would you like to spend 8 CP for Targeted Printing of the Level 3 Cultivation Manual?]
This single print cost him 8 cultivation points! Ikasa considered the higher costs as a consequence of specification and accepted by clicking on the Yes button.
The Cloud Printer began to suck the energy with whirring sounds and soon a new manual was formed on the table.
To Ikasa's surprise, the manual formed this time was not in the form of a regular book. Instead, it was a folded map.
[Congrats, you have obtained a High-Grade Chakra Chart, The Middle Finger.]
Ikasa read the notification on the screen before him. He looked at the dark sky and sighed.
"I should have asked Absolute of Water about who came up with these brilliant names…"
Lamenting the missed chance, Ikasa picked up the book. On the first page, he saw what the name suggested, a monkey showing his middle finger.
Ikasa shook his head and unfolded the chart inside. He noticed that 93 of the 121 chakras were connected to form a vague image of a middle finger. This path included every major Chakra and many other minor chakras as well.
As he traced the start, Ikasa noticed that the first chakra was located near the thighs of the humanoid figure.
It then moved up to the palm of the figure and skipped many of the Chakras in the middle before reaching the minor chakras around the brightest major chakra.
Then it moved downwards connecting several minor chakras and the major chakras before moving to the other thigh of the humanoid outline.
From there, it connected to the starting point and completed the Circulation Path.
Ikasa looked at the Chart and realized something. The Chakras could be skipped!
The lines Ikasa drew on his paper were all straight and the dots only connected to the chakras in the immediate vicinity. He did not try to curve around other chakras.
"Hmm! Maybe this approach could work."
Ikasa thought as he got new ideas regarding how to approach his Cultivation Cycle encompassing chakras. Ikasa immediately got to work as he tried out the new ideas on the paper.
Even after the sky turned orange, Ikasa did not have a single good Chakra Chart!
Ikasa looked at the rising sun with his bloodshot eyes and stopped his futile efforts. The night he had spent awake could be said to be fruitful and fruitless at the same time.
He walked into the bathroom and picked up the tender stem of the neem tree that served as his toothbrush. His attention was drawn to the mirror on the wall.
As the weather grew colder, the kids would breathe their hazy breaths on the surface of the mirror and play a game of 'connect the dots' on it. The traces of their previous games were still visible on the mirror.
"If I am unable to think of anything, what is stopping me from enlisting the help of the kids?"
"In fact, why don't I just make it into a City-wide competition? There is no way I won't find a suitable design answer after that!"