Blood and Qi: A Vampire Xianxia LitRPG

John had a change of heart. Amber’s plight weighed heavily on his mind. The best of men would consider those that meant most to him before all else, and she required his help. He would give it, even if it meant harming or delaying his true plans. He started to put thought into how he could get her safely away from the Peerless. It wouldn’t be an easy thing, if it was possible at all.

If Sunshine showed up, the task would be much easier.

Since John could gather energy so quickly and Nine was way over tier for a Li, both would only have to enter the Advancement Chamber once to learn the particulars of it. This was the first time the majority of Li entered the chamber too, and just one visit was enough for most in attendance to increase their rank.

Cultivating the colored mist required a specific type of meditation technique called [Mahina Hapalua Hapa Manao Technique]. John knew the technique, but purposefully didn’t take in much of the mist. He had no desire to have his aspects harmed in any way.

John also had to learn the general Oli mixed meditation, breathing, and cycling technique called [Manao Mahele Oli Ahi Ekolu Technique]. Reaching level 16, Apprentice Mastery, with both [Skills] was a requirement to graduate. And not just those, other such [Skills] had to be learned, though he had no use for them.

Due to his daily allotment of NCS training, unless they were math or science related, learning most [Skills] wasn’t too difficult for John. There was also an issue of an encroaching harmony cap and not being any closer to acquiring the mats for [Elaborative Encoding]. That [Perk] would’ve been a huge help, and he was disappointed he wouldn’t be able to get it. He discussed what to do with his harmony with Avatar, and very much liked the new plan.

Surprisingly, there were no math or true science classes at the academy. Li were supposed to have mastered those subjects while in their child groups. Both would be part of the final exams, but the academic portions of that exam were famously easy, or at least he was constantly told so by both Li and the instructors.

John still had to catch up to the other students, and many of his classes required advanced knowledge of many fields of math and science, so his need to study and learn would never relent while at academy.

Nine was a huge help there. Unlike Abe, Nine required little sleep and could check John’s work as he went along, all while Nine also watched the Mele monitors. And unlike Abe and Avatar, Nine was infinitely patient and never became annoyed with him.

Avatar was a good teacher but how she taught math and science classes didn’t fit with how John could learn those subjects. She would assume because he was able to complete a problem or answer a question months before, he had retained that knowledge and could repeat the feat. More often than not, he couldn’t. None of what he was studying clicked in his mind or stuck there.

And all the nonsensical math and science words he had to learn were gibberish to him. There was no way to differentiate between words as nothing ever stuck that made them different in his mind. The words were just noises without meaning

Nine had solutions to most of John’s learning issues.

Since John had a decent memory for stories and song, Nine would create stories or write songs about topics, giving John a way to, if not truly understand, at least differentiate words, memorize, and regurgitate information. John would then use Avatar to solidify that information with his daily training.

Nine also taught John a mnemonic system and method of loci for memory enhancement called a mind palace. Not a Mind Palace like what high-tier cultivators created in their mind, but a way to more easily store and retrieve information and facts by placing them within rooms of an imaginary palace he’d envisioned.

And as John and Nine became closer and closer friends, so too did John, Tiny-face, his other roommates, and their friends as well.

For every subject John was poor at, there were many others he excelled at, such as resisting torture, survival, escape and evasion of enemy forces, hunting, navigating, and anything related to combat or cultivation. And all the subjects he excelled at held the greatest weight among Oli.

In John’s opinion, Tiny-face’s issue was one of confidence and self-doubt. The Peerless strove for and embraced any change that made them superior, but many differences were often viewed as defects.

Since Tiny-face looked a little different, he was often treated differently in subtle ways. And this made Tiny-face believe he was different, possibly defective, and lesser, so he sometimes acted out. And even though he tested well enough to get into the top academy, his doubts manifested in a way that made him his own worst enemy.

The quickest way for John to foil his own plans would be to badmouth Peerless society and the Aikapu. He didn’t directly speak against the Li’s indoctrination. Instead, he told stories about his life –stories meant to teach the lessons he wanted the Li to learn indirectly. And he always made himself available for practice and instructions and tried to reinforce these lessons in those ways too.

Life in the academy mostly followed the same schedule. The days on Gani were shorter than days on Earth but longer than universal standard days. The last day of the week, Weekend, had extra hours to make up the difference. The other days were named Firstday through Fourthday.

Reveille was played in the early morning, signaling the start of the day. All students of a floor within a dorm, called a battlegroup, would have a roll call, exercise, drill, and break their fast together. After, the whole student body would form up for announcements, inspection, and a call for volunteers to perform various details.

After the formation, they’d be released for classes. Most days had four classes either given in classrooms or Trainers. Some weeks had five classes a day. If a show was to play on the screens, the schedule would be modified to accommodate its mandatory viewing.

After classes, there was dinner, more exercises, and drills. Late evening was free time until curfew when Retreat played over the loudspeakers. John always spent this period of free time with his roommates and their friends.

Since John was always of the mind it was better to ask for forgiveness than permission, he’d leave his room after curfew and spend most nights with Nine at the Mele desk studying and learning. Nine welcomed the company. If the Rector or the Alii trainees had an issue with him breaking the rules and leaving his room past curfew, nothing ever came of it.

On Fourthday, everything that had been taught and learned during the week would be put into practice inside a Trainer, usually in the form of a mission called a field problem. The regular Trainers only had about 90% dilation, and a field problem usually lasted around two days inside of it, though some lasted far longer, and some far shorter.

Like for most soldiers, the life of an Oli was filled with other duties besides combat, such as guard and peacekeeping duties and the like, and many classes were geared towards these tasks.

During academy, the Li were expected to clean their own rooms and do police call, but the Servitors cleaned the common areas.

Most kauwas had robots perform menial tasks, the same Servitor robots that performed all the cleaning, farming, and manual labor for Peerless society. The minor kauwas, the pis, hadn’t the budget for such luxuries, and its Oli were expected to perform those tasks. The academy is where they were taught how.

That there were classes on how to clean correctly seemed silly to John, but since he scored so well in them, he wouldn’t complain.

All the classes and field problems were scored, and all the marks received throughout the year counted as half the final grade. Most of what was learned wouldn’t be tested again.

John had only passed some field problems related to repair and construction of common electronic devices due to the massive help he was receiving from Nine. Still, his scores weren’t good at all in such subjects, and he had failed a few classes.

Weekend was usually only a half day of voluntary introductory crafting classes. Oli weren’t expected to be proficient in a craft, but being certified at Novice level in one increased their point cost and could help set them apart from their peers. John planned on receiving a certificate in all crafts offered.

Weekend was also the day John was allowed to replenish his vital essence by hunting small game on the island. He was ordered to never kill the animal, and to always treat higher-tier animals with great respect.

As a Li, John wasn’t allowed to consume any animal products. He could no longer eat meat and eggs or even milk and butter. The Peerless also couldn’t eat foods they claimed were processed such as vegetable oils and refined wheat. What remained, what he was allowed to eat, made for a diet he didn’t care much for. He required very little sustenance, so the restrictions weren’t a great sacrifice.

Once John returned from his hunt on Weekend, he would enclose himself in the generator room and cultivate. The Rector and the trainees had no issue with this as long as he kept the generator topped off with his own essence. The amount of essence he could spare was doing wonders for the academy’s budget, and he was often allowed or granted special privileges since he was so willing to provide essence for anything the staff asked of him.

John would cultivate the strange energies within that room until shortly before the generator would turn off. Cultivating that energy had already raised his [Min. Power] [Stat] by a little over 3 points and further hardened his meridians.

Since John had such a great need to study, he meditated far less than usual, usually only in the generator room, so created less shen and emptiness than usual too.

After a couple months in the academy and ranking up to four-four, high Silver, John was again cultivating in the generator room after returning from his hunt.

Not since the Rector found him locked in this room had John been disturbed in there. So, he was surprised when he was pulled from his meditation by the door opening. The old crone entered the room and closed the door behind herself. He heard the seal activate.

The crone was smiling strangely and dressed far more salaciously than her usual modest dress. And there was a good reason for her usual modest dress – she was elderly, and no one wanted to see so much of her flesh. “Hello, Four-four,” she said, huskily.

John went from his meditation position to one knee and bowed his head briefly. “Hello, Nani.”

The crone stared into John’s eyes as she sauntered up to him. She gently caressed his face. “That tattletale fuss was ugly business. I didn’t come to discuss that matter. That’s done and behind us. But I can return those three credits if you prove to me that you’ve learned your lesson and have truly conformed to Peerless standards. Did you want your three credits returned?”

The crone continued to stare into John’s eyes as she lightly caressed his face. John said, “I learned much on that day and many lessons since, Nani. Yes, I’d like my credits returned, please.”

The crone smiled in a way John thought was supposed to be seductive. “Tell me who locked you in here.”

“You just said you didn’t come to discuss that.”

The crone laughed and said, “I didn’t.”

“Would you believe me if I said there was no prank? I accidentally wandered into this room that day.”

The crone smiled wider. “No, I wouldn’t.”

“Would you believe I’ve forgotten the culprits?”

The crone laughed again. “No. You’re a funny boy. I know you haven’t learned your lesson. I watched your flogging. How you stood straight and silent, never even letting a peep out. You just took it, expressionless, like it wasn’t even happening.

“You know, Akua only used his seed for the initial Peerless. So long after she died, he remained true to his wife and refused to satisfy his needs. When I was a girl, the older Alii would tell us stories they had heard, stories of how Akua would have Alii whip him to help purge himself of his great desire to bed his daughter-wives. Oh, how those stories would dew up my flower. I’m not sure why.

“We, of course, can’t dirty our hands by directly administering such punishment to our boys. I’d like to make a deal with you. I’ll believe you’ve learned your lesson and return those three credits. In return, you’ll allow me to flog you a little. I’ll use a type one. I doubt it’ll break your skin. I will not require sex from you. That’s too much. I won’t go that far. But I want golden nectar. I need to find out what that’s like.”

John thought through the offer, but it didn’t take long or much thought. He certainly didn’t want to do this. He wouldn’t enjoy it at all. He had done way worse things to win, and this was necessary.

I swore to Amber I’d never spend credits again. And I won’t. This isn’t spending them. It’s following Amber’s instructions. I’m regaining lost credits. And far more importantly, I’m gaining something that could help with my true goals.

John celebrated only in his mind. His deception had worked. The crone wasn’t aware he had acquired an NCU that recorded video, so the Mele weren’t aware of it. He didn’t have the storage capacity to record the whole act, but a few snippets here and there would give him all he needed.

“You have yourself a deal, Nani,” said John, trying not to smile with excitement.

The flogging part was no issue at all. The other part was very, very disgusting to John, but he gave the crone what she wanted. She gave him his credits back and, unknowingly, the exact type of footage he was looking for.

The next day, there was an assembly where the crone, dressed much more appropriately for her advanced age, informed the Li about changes to how they’d cultivate and modifications to the Advancement Chambers. The chambers would purify crystals still, and advance ascendency faster still, but in a slower and less deleterious way to aspects.

There were few permanent staff at the academy. Most weeks brought new instructors for the new topics they’d be learning, picked from among high-tier Oli of kauwas not deployed off Gani. Since they were the top academy, their instructors were usually the highest tier, most competent, and notable. And since the academy was Koa clan, they could draw instructors from all six clans.

One of the instructors that week was an Oli John had already met, the elderly Oliua of the crone.

The class the Oliua gave was on forming parties through the NCS, how a kauwa organized parties, the benefits, and all such relevant information.

It now made sense why Party-pooper didn’t want Amber to join a party. The information it gave to other members was staggering. All the data shown in a summary was available to every party member, and more besides, such as vital information – heart rate, stress, injuries, and the like.

But, especially for Tech 1 NCS users, it made organizing a battle much easier. Parties could be chained together. Friendly forces and enemies seen or sensed by any member could be highlighted in different colors, shown on maps or HUDs, imposed with icons set to flash with various statuses such as injured, dead, requesting reinforcements, and many other such helpful functions.

Avatar was able to hide or modify some of John’s information from showing to party members the same as she did with the Trainers, the information it was important or feasible to keep hidden.

Since John had partied with Nine, he learned the biosynth had only one concept, an orange aspect, ‘solar,’ a great and powerful mid-concept. He was certain Thirteen had had the same. He also learned that he was much stronger than Nine was, at least raw [Stat] and [Skill]-wise. And Nine wasn’t an alpha-type, the biosynth was only an A-grade beta-type.

This was also the week when the Li students would first strengthen their meridians within the Agonizer. The crone offered a half credit to whoever lasted the longest, or a full credit to any that set a new Li record, which was only one minute and 21 seconds, standard time.

John won, easily besting Nine and his old Oli record. He received a message from an unknown sender through the CSL stating he should go and cultivate in the generator room. The crone wanted her own reward.

Since the videos his NCU recorded were date and timestamped, John considered himself doubly rewarded.

The crone told John she’d try to avoid long missions and have her boys answer when calls went out for instructors. Any way she could find to offer credits, she would. And if John won credits from her, he was to meditate in the generator room that night.

No Mele was on the island, and even if there was, no one could see or sense into the generator room. John was to tell anyone asking that he was teaching the crone how to cultivate the strange energy, and that the crone was trying to ascertain if doing so could help Oli pass the bottleneck.

She also told John he must be on his best behavior this Weekend at the event he was required to attend. Nani Terra would open a portal from Terra to Gani on that day, and a celebratory ceremony was being held in her honor.

John would be returning to Earth for a short time to be paraded around with Amber.