Nobunaga Oda's Isekai Cultivation Experience

After considering the positives and negatives for the better part of five hours, Nobu had separated the three paths as such...------------------------------------[Nine Divine Sacraments]Pros: Free heals, Divine Protection, Maces are pretty cool, potential favor of a GodCons: Healers are incredibly rare in Nian, costs a shit ton of money, the God might be an asshole[Ten-Fold Path of Entertainment]Pros: Fuck lots of women, get hammered, shit ton of buffs, extremely liberalCons: The 'need' to fuck lots of women, alcohol is expensive, support specialist, extremely liberal[Breath Progression Technique]Pros: Breathing is easy, Low threshold for entry, doesn't require resourcesCons: Requires traveling to numerous, potentially dangerous, locations.------------------------------------Though the last one might not sound like much of a con, the requirement for advancing to the Fifth Realm, Breath of the Mountain, forced him to scale numerous mountains without the use of tools or external support. As for the Ninth Realm, Breath of the Heavens, he was required to spend an entire year at an altitude of 40,000m. This was practically space, so, unless he learned how to fly, there was a chance he would be stuck at the Eighth Realm, Breath of Transcendence, for the rest of his life.Fortunately, even if a person were stuck at a specific Realm, there didn't seem to be any cap to their Aura reserves. One of the cultivation paths, Mandate of Heaven, literally required him to accumulate 1,000,000,000 Aura just to attain Rank 1 of the First Realm. Using the Metal Infusion Technique as a standard, this was equivalent to reaching Adamantine, the Eighth Realm.As tempting as it was to select the most powerful cultivation method, Nobu needed strength now, not a hundred years from now. His father, one of the most powerful Feudal Lords in the present era, was a mere Mithril Lord after more than sixty years of cultivation. This was considered a monstrous achievement, but, from the perspective of someone who wanted to return home in the next couple of years, Nobu couldn't afford to follow convention."Ah, fuck it..."In the end, Nobu decided to just leave things to fate. It had been pretty keen on dictating his path thus far, so, using a coin, he pitted each option against each other, round-robin style, to determine his path moving forward. This resulted in the Ten-Fold Path of Entertainment losing out to the other two, and, once everything was said and done, fate had decreed he would become a Hippie."Well, that takes care of that. Guess I'll need to invent a hot air balloon or some shit..."Shelving that idea for the future, Nobu adopted a halfhearted lotus position before doing his best to follow the instructions listed for obtaining Rank 1 'Breath of the Mortal'. It told him he needed to take a single breath in a single minute, so, assuming a breathing technique wouldn't require him to hold his breath, he did his best to take a single, slow, and steady breath...After a mere nineteen seconds, Nobu felt as though his lungs were about to burst. His follow-up attempt clocked in around twenty-five seconds, but, no matter how many times he tried after, he could not exceed twenty-three. Even taking a series of deep breaths to try and oxygenate his body didn't help. Instead, his vision began to turn black around the edges, almost as if his mind had been primed to continue taking in more oxygen and was now panicking due to its sudden absence...Exhaling a frustrated sigh, Nobu was about to try lying on his back when the silence of the cave was broken by a soft, "What are you doing...?"Starling to a sitting position, Nobu exclaimed, "Holy shit! What are you, a fucking ninja!? At least say something when you come in!"Furrowing her brows, Yui's voice became stern and somewhat defiant as she flatly retorted, "Did I not just say something...?"Though he was highly tempted to shout a rebuttal of his own, Nobu just massaged his temples for a few seconds before answering, "A certain someone won't teach me any cultivation techniques so I'm trying to create my own. Now, if you don't mind, I'm busy training."Contrary to his words, at least from Yui's perspective, Nobu promptly rolled onto his back, crossed his feet, and folded his hands behind his head. From an outsider's point of view, he was just lazing about, but, in reality, he was doing his best to regulate his breathing.To her credit, Yui was actually able to perceive what Nobu was doing, but, thinking nothing would come of it, she just shook her head before taking a seat and preparing their meal. Aura Breathing Techniques were quite common, so much so that she knew thirteen different variants, but, as far as she could tell, Nobu was breathing normally. His ability to control Aura was around the same level as a child throwing a tantrum, as, without being extremely angry, he couldn't muster even a fraction of the ever-growing reserves in his body. Thus, without some kind of miracle, he would forever be stuck at the Foundation Building Realm.........Matching Yui's expectations, days passed without Nobu making any observable progress. The only things that kept him going were the knowledge that he could perpetually increase his aura through clicking, and, more importantly, the notion that he was tantalizingly close to success.Staring at the time on his tablet, Nobu's eyes were on the verge of becoming bloodshot as he did his best to force additional oxygen into his lungs. He had been able to consistently clock in around 55 seconds, so, with a bit of effort, he was sure he could reach a minute. The key, strangely enough, had been exhausting his body before attempting the breathing technique. This was the opposite of what he would have thought, but, after working out for three hours and lying on the cold floor for around two, he felt as though he could naturally draw out each and every breath.("Tick faster you stupid motherfucker...!")As that thought crossed his mind, Nobu's body seemed like it was about to force him to breathe out, but, just as he was about to smash the seemingly indestructible tablet against the ground, he suddenly felt as though he could keep breathing. At the same time, a powerful aroma assaulted his senses with such intensity that he could have been convinced that someone invisible asshole had just smacked him in the face."What the actual fuck...!?"Covering his nose in an effort to block out the extremely pungent smell, Nobu's eyes widened as he quickly realized where it was coming from."Holy shit! Is this me!? And...oh god! My fucking breath! Did that bitch feed dog shit to me in my sleep!?"Feeling a sudden and intense urge to vomit, Nobu ran to the isolated area at the back of the cave that served as a latrine. It was basically just a massive hole that Yui had dug out using her aura, but, as it was far more dangerous to venture outside, it was the only option he had to relieve himself.Before he got anywhere near said hole, Nobu felt as though he had walked into a physical wall of shit and piss due to how powerful the aroma was. It existed outside the barrier intended to conceal their presence, so, while the aroma was prevented from invading their living space, it was effectively confined to a much smaller space.Overtaking by an indescribable feeling of nausea, Nobu emptied the contents of his stomach onto the cave floor. This caused an even more pungent aroma to spread through the air, and, much like a person who had just gotten a whiff of someone else's vomit, Nobu couldn't prevent himself from heaving even as stomach acid began to burn the interior of his mouth and throat.("Oh god...! This can't be happening...! Shit...! Fuck...!")Unable to voice his thoughts, Nobu was left with little choice but to scream out in his mind as tears and mucus began to pour from his eyes and nose. He felt like a drug addict that had been forced to ingest a spoonful of ipecac, as, no matter how desperately he resisted the urge, he continued to dry heave with such intensity that every muscle in his body was beginning to seize.........Returning with the day's harvest, Yui was about to announce her presence when she noticed that the cave was empty. This caused her to momentarily freeze in place, but, after confirming that her Scouting Owl was still stationed outside, she quickly calmed down, muttering, "He must be using the bathroom..."Convinced this was the case, Yui sat down in her usual spot and began peeling various fruits. One of the downsides to an all-fruit and berry diet was that it could cause gastrointestinal discomfort if you ate too much all at once. Thus, with the intention of balancing out his diet, Yui pulled out a handful of wild chestnuts and began carefully extracting the oil-rich nuts within. It was only after a half-hour had passed that she began to seriously worry, muttering, "Don't tell me he fell in..."Though she typically would avoid walking in on someone trying to relieve themselves, the hole Yui had dug was nearly five meters deep. If Nobu really had fallen in, there was a very real chance that he might have injured himself. Even a minor wound, once infected, could become a life-threatening injury, so, without any discernible hesitation, she rounded the slight bend leading to the back of the cave."...!"Seeing Nobu collapsed on the ground, Yui immediately flashed to his side without any regard for the putrid vomit covering the ground and staining his clothes. When she turned him over, his face was completely pale, sweat staining his face as his heavily dilated eyes darted around sightlessly in their sockets.Feeling more panic than she would have anticipated, Yui smacking the unconscious Nobu before shouting, "Wake up! I need you to tell me what happened! Did something bite you!? Did you eat anything strange...!?"Rather than responding to her calls, Nobu's eyes promptly rolled upward and towards the back of his head. This caused Yui's already racing heart to beat loudly in her chest and ears as she borrowed a page out of Nobu's book, shouting, "Fuck...!"Looking around, Yui's eyes turned to the vomit on the ground before setting Nobu on his side and rummaging through the foul-smelling contents without any hesitation. She was looking for any sign of poisonous herbs, plants, or mushrooms that might have been mixed in. She would need to know what he had eaten if she were going to carry him back to the city for treatment. If she failed to find the cause, even a common toxin could be fatal.Failing to find anything out of the norm, she would know, Yui's next course of action was to quickly strip away Nobu's clothes. Though slim, there was a chance a poisonous snake or spider had been able to penetrate a gap in the barrier. There were a number of insects smaller than a fingernail who could even drop experienced warriors with their venom. If Nobu got bitten by one of those, he was almost guaranteed to die. The most she could do at that point was put an end to his suffering, but, as such creatures were typically bred in captivity, she held out hope.Finding no traces of any injuries or puncture wounds anywhere on his body, Yui was starting to feel incredulous as she quickly yet methodically combed through Nobu's hair for the third time. She was checking him for ticks, fleas, lice, or any other type of insect that might have attached itself near the base of his hair or scalp. Unfortunately, even after searching every nook and cranny of his body with a comparable degree of scrutiny, the only abnormality she discovered was that an inordinately large volume of snot was trickling from his nose..."Nobu...what the fuck..."......(A/N: It seems our boy is slowly corrupting our naive young heroine...)

After one of the most hellish experiences he had suffered across two lives, Nobu awoke to find the lower half of his face wrapped with a damp cloth, a minty aroma assaulting his senses.Compelled by instinct, Nobu attempted to remove the cloth from his face only to find his hand grasped in another, followed by a stern, "Leave it. Whatever you were doing managed to open your Nasal Acupoint. Without using your Aura to block it out, even something as mundane as body odor will overwhelm your olfactory senses."Following the sound to its source, Nobu found Yui staring down at him with the kind of accusatory glare that was typically associated with mothers who had learned of their child's bad behavior. This caused him to feel more than a little annoyed, but, after several seconds of tense silence, he forced himself to mutter, "Thanks..." before closing his eyes and focusing on his breathing.Restraining a sigh, Yui's expression noticeably relaxed as she stated, "You don't have to explain right this instant, but it would help if I knew what happened. Opening your Nasal Acupoint typically takes a considerable amount of effort. It isn't the type of thing that just happens without cause..."Though he was tempted to tell her he could only explain if she lowered her head and began calling him Master, the thought of anyone actually doing that was extremely cringe. He had heard girls call him Daddy, but, even if he were to accompany his parents on a trip to Japan, he would avoid places like Akihabara and Maid Cafes at any cost..."I was just breathing in and out like I've been doing for the past week. Then, all of a sudden, it was like someone smacked me in the face with a brick. After that....uggghhh...."Recalling his experience in the rocky corridor leading to the bathroom, an expression of profound disgust manifested upon Nobu's face as extreme nausea surged forward like a predator pouncing on unsuspecting prey. Before he could lurch forward and find a place to vomit, however, a golden needle manifested in Yui's left hand as she used her right to pin him down. Then, with the precision of someone who had been practicing acupuncture for decades, she deftly inserted the inordinately thin needle at a point in between his eyebrows.Feeling a sensation similar to warm water flowing over his forehead, a relieved sigh escaped Nobu's mouth as he repeated, "Thanks..." in a sincere tone. This actually earned him a slight frown from Yui, as, for the past two weeks, most of the words coming from his mouth had been harsh, abrasive, and outright callous. She even thought her ears might be playing tricks on her, but, observing the pure and unadulterated relief in Nobu's countenance, she could tell he was being sincere."Think nothing of it...I was just doing my duty..."A stark contrast to Nobu's straightforward gratitude, Yui found her own words to be hollow and insincere. Despite this, the former just chuckled in a light-hearted manner before replying, "Well, thanks for doing your duty. If not for you, my ass would have been grass a long time ago. Since I didn't get to say it before, I'll say it now. Thanks for saving me..."Though he nearly called her by name, Nobu managed to restrain himself thanks to the pout-like frown on Yui's face. He had clearly caught her off guard, but, after what he had just gone through, he wasn't really in the mood to tease anyone. His body felt like it had endured several marathons, so, more than anything else, he just wanted to sleep...Seeing Nobu close his eyes, Yui's frustrated expression immediately became one of concern as she hastily leaned forward to check his pulse. When she detected the usual strong and steady rhythm, a sigh of relief escaped her lips, followed by the shaking of her head as she complained, "This man is going to be the death of me..." (A/N: *heavy sweating*)......Though it was a little annoying with Yui constantly watching over him, it didn't take long for Nobu to discover the ups and downs of the Breath Progression Technique. It turned out to be a lot more complex than he expected, but, considering it was a technique that would allow a normal person to become a superhero, he wasn't all that surprised.The thing Nobu had difficultly wrapping his head around was his sudden and unexpected ability to inhale continuously. It quickly consumed his Aura, but, so long as he had the reserves to sustain its activation, he basically had an unlimited supply of oxygen to his body. This caused his mind to buzz in a manner similar to a runner's high, and, as a result, his mind would become crystal clear as every muscle in his body cried out in subline exaltation.Simply put, while his Aura wasn't nearly as durable as a cultivator of the Metal Infusion Technique, Nobu's five senses, stamina, and reaction time were drastically improved with the consumption of his Aura. He would most likely need to rely on the use of external tools, but, so long as they weren't exponentially more powerful than him, he should be able to overwhelm most opponents solely due to the fact he no longer needed to take a break.Other people had to regulate their breathing, and, the more they exerted themselves, the harder it would be to supply their body with the oxygen it needed to continue functioning. This limitation no longer applied to Nobu. Rather, he could inhale so quickly that it would only take a few seconds for him to pass out due to the sheer amount of oxygen entering his system. In other words, so long as he had the Aura to sustain it, he had functionally unlimited stamina.Though this ability came with the extreme detriment that he would pass out the moment his Aura had depleted, such side effects were common among cultivators. After all, Aura was effectively the amount of energy a person could pull from their own vital essence, spirit, and willpower. Thus, the moment you ran out, your body would naturally shut down in order to preserve itself and prevent permanent damage. There were techniques that would allow you to overdraft these reserves, but, in exchange, you would literally be burning away your life. As for how Nobu had learned of this, well, it was only natural that Yui would discover the irregularities within his Aura when he was constantly exhausting it........."Keep your back straight. Even if you can inhale continuously, your posture and the way you move your body are important. The more you exert yourself, the quicker your Aura will deplete. A skilled opponent will be able to exploit this. Never give them any openings, or..."Trailing her words, Yui sidestepped Nobu's attempt to tackle her before manifesting a pale golden crossbow and firing a blunted bolt into his back, adding, "...you will most certainly die."Though the bolt had been blunted, the force behind it was still enough to break the skin and leave a large bruise at the point of contact. Since she had accurately targeted a nerve near Nobu's spine, the latter was forced to inhale sharply due to the sudden and intense pain. This wouldn't have been an issue for a normal person, but, thanks to his breathing technique, Nobu's brain began to buzz as he collapsed forward into the snow.Converting the crossbow back into pure Aura, Yui approached Nobu's side, kneeling next to him as she plainly remarked, "The most important lesson any cultivator can learn is humility. Never assume you are the strongest. Prove it by defeating every opponent who stands in your way. If you can't do that, such sentiments are pure hubris...now, get up. I know you're not unconscious."Crushing a bit of snow in the process, Nobu balled his hands into fists before attempting a sneak attack. Unfortunately, Yui had seen through his intentions from the very beginning so the only thing he managed was eliciting a monotone, "Pathetic..." as she instantaneously stepped out of his range. Then, taking advantage of the fact he was basically on all-fours, she kicked him directly in the chin, knocking away the partially frozen cloth covering the lower half of his face.Though the attack was only enough to enrage him, Nobu's offensive capabilities were effectively crippled as he instinctually covered his mouth and nose. Unfortunately, even the aroma of the soil on his palms was completely overwhelming. As a result, he could only grimace in fury and disgust as Yui kicked him away and dangled his make-shift facemask between her thumb and index finger, saying, "In your present state, you have too many weaknesses to count. If your sense of smell gets stronger with each Rank, you may even need to order a custom mask from the Iga Clan. They use a special technique that gives them a stronger sense of smell than most canines so they commonly wear masks to conceal their identity and inhibit their sense of smell. If you save up a few hundred Koushukin(golden coins used during the Sengoku Period), you might be able to commission their craftsmen to produce one..."Using the upper-half of his tunic in a vain attempt to filter out some of the smells, Nobu glared at Yui as he growled, "Give it back..."Before she heard Nobu's threatening tone, Yui had every intention of returning the face mask. Now, hoping to instill just a marginal amount of discipline into him, she adopted a serious expression and said, "If you can't ask respectfully, the only way you're getting this back is if you snatch it away from me. Without power, bravado and threats are meaningless."With Nobu glaring with even greater intensity than before, Yui's body tensed in anticipation of the attack that would come. What she didn't expect was for Nobu, through clenched teeth, to promptly reply, "May I please have my mask back?"Though it made him feel like he was back in kindergarten, Nobu would rather swallow his pride than put up with the odors assaulting his senses. He also knew he wasn't Yui's match, so, rather than suffer in vain, his only focus was on recovering the face mask. Everything else, even his rage and indignation, could wait.Furrowing her brows, Yui was tempted to refuse Nobu's request since the look on his face didn't even remotely match his words. Unfortunately, he had a habit of resorting to extreme measures if pushed too far, so, after a moment of consideration, she tossed over partially frozen cloth, saying, "We're done for the day. Your Aura density is already approaching a dangerous level. Go inside and warm yourself up. I'll be back in an hour or two with something to eat."Without waiting for Nobu's response, a golden aura shrouded Yui's body as her figure flashed into the distance. She knew he needed time to calm down, so, before he did something they would both regret, she took it upon herself to vanish beyond the tree line.........Though he told himself he wasn't following her instructions, merely seeking warmth, Nobu dragged his exhausted body into the cave before falling, face-first, onto the thatch bedding. This prompted his muscles to scream out in protest, but, ignoring them completely, he just lay in silence for several minutes before groaning, "That bitch really is a sadist..."(A/N: Let me know what you guys and gals think about the MC's cultivation method. I have quite a number of ideas in mind regarding its progression but I'm more than willing to change things up if any of you have interesting ideas. For now, I want the MC to focus on the aspects that make him unique rather than having him follow a generic path of cultivation. He will become strong, sure, but, as he has mentioned several times till now, strength is just a means to an end. If you expect him to suddenly start behaving like the psychopathic and murderous MCs found in most cultivation novels, you're probably going to be severely disappointed. He might kill someone who is trying to kill him, but, no matter how you look at it, it isn't 'normal' to believe that wiping out entire clans and stuff is 'necessary' for survival. If you had that kind of power, you could literally just walk away and there is nothing anyone could do to stop you xD...)

Though he didn't wake to find her sleeping next to him, Yui's stirring caused Nobu to awaken two hours earlier than usual. He could have easily gone back to sleep, but, after lying in silence for a few minutes, he ultimately rolled to a seated position, suppressing a yawn as he asked, "Do you get up this early every morning?"Hearing the question, a tired sigh escaped Yui's mouth as she momentarily set aside her comb and answered, "A structured routine serves as the foundation for a disciplined mind. It also takes a long time to comb my hair. If I don't care for it properly, it would only take a few days for it to become a hindrance and a liability..."Having heard something similar in his previous life, Nobu nodded his head without pressing for a more detailed explanation. He had about two year's worth of growth on his own head, and, due to the way he had been living, it wasn't exactly pleasant. As for Yui, her hair was longer than any of the women he had encountered in his past life. The longest strands were only an inch or two away from touching her ankles. Had they been back on Earth, she could have easily made a career modeling various hair care products...Feeling Nobu's unabashed gaze linger on her for far longer than most would consider appropriate, a slight frown marred Yui's face as she asked, "Was there something else...?"Though he shook his head, Nobu, without averting his eyes, casually answered, "I was just thinking that I've never seen someone with such long and healthy-looking hair. I bet you make a lot of other girls envious, right?"Unsure of what to make of his 'compliment', Yui stared at Nobu in contemplative silence for several seconds before asking, "You really have no idea, do you...?"With a slightly annoyed look on his face, Nobu asked, "About what?" in an audibly defensive tone. If she intended to insult him, he wasn't just going to take it lying down.Taking note of the sudden 'resolution' contained within Nobu's eyes, Yui's feelings of exasperation began to increase. Nothing good ever came from arguing with him, so, after carefully considering her words, she patiently explained, "Tradition dictates that an unmarried woman should not cut her hair before the even of her twentieth year. In this way, we pay our respects to Ōhirume-no-Muchi-no-Kami, the Great Goddess of the Sun, Amaterasu-sama..."Though she wanted to follow up by saying she shouldn't be the first woman he had seen with hair of this length, Yui allowed her words to trail off as she observed Nobu's reaction. He reacted like a child learning something new for the first time, his face and body language utterly devoid of deceit or subterfuge...Realizing she hadn't been trying to insult him, the tensions in Nobu's body gradually relaxed as he replied, "Cool. I'm not fond of traditions and all that other complicated bullshit, but this is one I can get behind. Chicks with long hair are pretty cool. I bet you could even weaponize it if you attached a weight or something to the end."Blinking in surprise, Yui was about to comment about the foolishness of such an idea, but, realizing it wasn't a 'serious' suggestion, she chose to remain silent. It was gradually becoming apparent that Nobu didn't actually mean anything when he spoke. He was just making conversation, and, so long as she didn't take his words at face value, she could spare herself a number of headaches.("He really is just like a child...")As that sentiment became stronger within her mind, Yui shook her head before promptly resuming the long and arduous process of combing her hair. This time, she completely ignored Nobu's gaze, as, despite her initial impression of him, he didn't seem to have any ill intent. His eyes were devoid of the possessiveness present in the gazes of the many men who had covered her. Instead, the way he looked at her was filled with genuine intrigue, and, though she didn't want to admit it, boredom. In other words, he wasn't looking at her because he desired her body...he simply had nothing better to do...After watching Yui for the better part of twenty minutes, Nobu's boredom eventually got the better of him. He alleviated this by pulling out the stone tablet and proceeding to make some headway on his stockpile. From Yui's perspective, however, he appeared to be fidgeting like an unruly child who had grown impatient waiting for their mother to prepare breakfast.........While they weren't exactly on good terms, the tensions between Nobu and Yui gradually waned from the moment they started sharing a bed. They still didn't talk very often, but, after a few days had passed, Yui began delaying her trips to the outside in order to oversee Nobu's training.Though the advice she offered sounded extremely archaic, Nobu was unsurprised to discover that her methods were remarkably effective. This was, after all, a fantasy world with a cultivation-based power system. Unlike the self-proclaimed and consistently ridiculed Grandmasters of his world, this was a place where children as young as four could gather Aura into their hands before shooting it off like a character in DBZ. Thus, while it made him feel like a complete tool, Nobu closely followed Yui's instructions even when she forced him to pose and hold a squat for a full thirty minutes.Unfortunately, even after several days had passed, she vehemently refused to teach him anything related to Aura. This was pretty annoying, but, so long as he had the stone tablet, Nobu knew it was only a matter of time before his familiarity with the Ki-like energy increased. This sentiment became even stronger when his total Aura increased to 1000 points..."Rank Progression Tab...?"Though he had also unlocked an Achievement, Nobu had grown weary of thumbing through the seemingly endless list in search of specific achievements. Thus, without any hesitation whatsoever, he opened up the brand new tab to find what could best be described as a Skill Tree."Holy shit...and here I thought Path of Exile had a massive fucking skill tree. Are each of these a different cultivation method...?"While the path of Metal Infusion was the default method listed, there was a total of 108 different empty nodes branching from the point at the exact center of the screen. Clicking on these nodes caused a metric shit ton of other nodes to pop out, each branching into a mind-boggling number of cultivation paths. The only real limit seemed to be that you could only upgrade to a major realm, each possessing ten Ranks, a total of ten times before the branches disappeared into a mysterious fog..."What's the point of being so mysterious? It's obvious that fog is the realm beyond what mortals are able to achieve...how dumb..."Shaking his head, Nobu decided to pointless to think about the various cliches he had encountered in this world. Every time he attempted to dodge a flag, he ended up being beaten into a near-death state or having his ass handed to him by fate. He needed to get a lot stronger if he wanted to avoid being the plot's bitch, so, after a bit of deliberation, he clicked on the node representing the Copper Metal Infusion Technique.Though he had already noticed it while clicking through random nodes, Nobu was surprised to see there were more than a dozen different methods to advance to something as mundane as Copper Rank 1. The simplest method required absorbing the essence contained within 100kg of unrefined Copper Ore. As for the most difficult, one tasked him with obtaining the Reverse Scale of a Copper Dragon while another required him to find a material known as 'Essence of the Mountain God'.Based on this information, Nobu could infer that there were drastic differences between cultivators even at Bronze Rank 1. After all, there was no way someone who had obtained the Reverse Scale of a dragon would be weaker than someone who had used unrefined ore to advance their cultivation. If that were the case, there would be no need for Heavenly Treasures as everyone could become the strongest in the world by sucking stone...Unfortunately, even if he wanted to pick the best possible route, Nobu wasn't exactly in a position to be picky. His savings were probably enough to purchase the requisite amount of copper ore, but, without connections, it was unlikely anyone would be willing to sell him the refined material.Even without Yui's behavior to serve as a foundation to derive conclusions, Nobu could guess that mines and refined materials were heavily regulated. There was no way the government would allow peasants, farmers, and other common-folk to freely trade materials that could be used to produce weapons or empower loose cultivators. Commoners weren't even allowed to carry weapons without a permit, so, with the exception of talented youths, conscripted as early as eight years old, everyday citizens were forced to rely on the Feudal Lords and their forces for protection.Shaking his head, Nobu backed out of the Metal Infusion Path and began cycling through the other 107 basic paths. Aura seemed to be able to acquire the properties of anything it had been exposed to. The only reason people adhered to the Metal Infusion Path was because they simply didn't know the proper route to follow a different path. After all, you couldn't simply start off with Orichalcum as your first infusion. Every path had a specific set of requirements for ascending to the next Realm, so, unless you belonged to a lineage that had developed their own method over thousands of years, it was utterly impossible to pursue an unorthodox route."If I compiled a few of these methods into a book, I'd probably go down in history as a Great Sage or some shit..."Shelving that idea for a time when he could actually defend himself, Nobu continued to filter out cultivation methods until he was left with only three options. From what he could tell, these were the easiest, and, as a result, the best options available to him. He would probably be a little weaker than cultivators of the same Rank, but, unless his hand was forced, it wasn't like he was intending to go around picking fights. Only idiots, fools, self-righteous prick, and bloodthirsty psychopaths went around starting fights with Clans, Sects, and other organizations. Since the thought of killing people didn't exactly give him a raging boner, Nobu would rather just stick to becoming a merchant or an advisor to some rich asshole willing to pay for the 'knowledge' he could provide."So my options are to basically become a Priest, a Bard, or a Hippie..."Though the methods were known as the 'Nine Divine Sacraments', 'Ten-Fold Path of Entertainment', and 'Breath Progression Technique', Nobu believed his own descriptions were spot on. As for what made them easy, well, the first simply required him to pray and offer donations to a God known as the Divine Dragon, Albion. As for the other two, the Ten-Fold Path of Entertainment required him to have fun while the Breath Progression Technique, as the name implied, literally only required him to breathe a specific way for a set period of time.While others might find it difficult to become stronger using such methods, Nobu could circumvent the more annoying aspects of cultivation thanks to his stone tablet. He could literally just laze about all day, and, so long as he continued to click its surface, his strength would gradually increase. Sure, he could probably benefit from some actual training, but, even after pushing himself for the last five days, his points hadn't increased in the slightest. Since his parents had also shoved hundreds of rare and expensive herbs down his throat, many of which were supposed to help increase his cultivation base, there was a very real chance that his Aura could only be increased using the stone tablet.........(A/N: Which path will our beloved asshole choose? Let me know what you think in the comments section~)

Chapter 20: Karma's a Bitch, but Fate-chan's a Sadist...