After 15 days, one night, Kevin was finally able to understand what the people of this new world were saying.
Although it was a new language, about 70% of its grammar and structure was similar to English.
It took him 15 days to partially grasp the language, mainly because he was a bit weak in English to begin with.
After grasping the language, he could finally understand the position he held in this world.
He was the only child of Sarah and Wilson.
His father, Wilson, was the lord of the Raindal Domain one of the two leading factions in Eldia.
His family was akin to one of the royal factions in Eldia, blessed with great wealth and influence.
Still, it wasn't a stable position for him because in every noble household, especially his own, an Elder Council existed. This council demanded that every newborn child possess cultivation talent.
If not, they would be cast out of the family with only a small fortune, even if that child was the lord's own son like Kevin.
Talent was measured using a mysterious dark orb.
If the orb didn't change color when held near a person's forehead, it meant they had no aptitude for cultivation.
If the orb turned green, it indicated basic cultivation talent.
A red glow, however, signified a rare genius someone who could cultivate at double the normal speed of a green-tier talent.
Kevin's family only required a green-tier talent to allow a child to maintain their position within the household.
During these days, Kevin noticed something strange no one else seemed able to see the glowing particles in the air except him.
He guessed this was one of the perks of being reborn into a new world.
After closely observing the particles in the air, Kevin discovered another truth: he couldn't see them by simply looking around.
He could only perceive these particles when his concentration was at its peak.
Seventeen days after his birth, Kevin's father once again brought the dark orb to his son's forehead.
As Kevin focused on the orb, he noticed black particles emerging from his body and flowing into it. Slowly, the orb's color began to fade.
Within 5 minutes, the dark orb completely shifted to a bright green.
At that moment, a spark of understanding lit up in Kevin's mind so this was what talent truly meant: the ability to passively absorb particles.
For green talent, only a small amount of absorption was required. But for red talent, the body had to passively absorb much more to meet the threshold.
Upon seeing the result, Wilson proudly shouted, "My son can cultivate! Ha ha ha!" Then, without wasting a moment, he rushed out the door to share the news with everyone.
Eighteen days after his birthday, his family conducted the naming ceremony.
For this, all the elders of the elder council and other auxiliary family members gathered.
During the ceremony, Wilson proudly announced that his son was able to cultivate and passed the honor of naming the child to Sarah.
Sarah, still weak after childbirth, stood up from her seat, approached the crib, and whispered 'Luke Raindal' in his ears.
Three months later, Luke began reading some basic books about this world and cultivation in the private library owned by his family, which only the direct family line had access to.
During this time, he discovered many things about the world and its cultivation system. In this world, the particles are called Qi, and one can only begin cultivating after learning to sense it.
Here, "sensing" doesn't mean seeing.
For Luke who could already see the Qi when he focused it became easy to sense it without much difficulty.
Normally, children start sensing Qi around the age of 2 to 3 years. After they begin sensing it, they can start actively accumulating Qi through a basic breathing technique, which even mortals practice to strengthen their vitality.
For those with green-level talent, it typically takes about one year to break through to Level One, known as the Body Refining Realm.
Those with red-tier talent usually take about 6 to 7 months to reach the Body Refining Realm.
To break through to the Body Refining Realm, one must first accumulate Qi in the backbone and use it to refine the entire skeleton.
After that, they must refine all the muscles in the body.
Only then can they officially enter the Body Refining Realm.
After the Body Refining Realm, the next levels are: Level 2 – Soul Refining Realm, Level 3 – Path of Vision, and Level 4 – Ascended.
These are the officially known cultivation stages in Eldia.
Besides Raindal, the other main powerful faction in Eldia is the Whitewall Domain.
There are many similarities with the old world besides cultivation for example, units of measurement and the way time is tracked are the same as in the old world.
Eldia Island is roughly 1,000,000 square kilometers in size.
It is located in the Western Sea and is surrounded by dangerous sea beasts.
In the center of Eldia, both major domains are situated, encircled by the Eldia Forest, which is also inhabited by powerful beasts.
Both domains have a main city at the center of their respective territories, and a safe path connects these two cities, which takes four days to cross.
In both domains, the people primarily cultivate grain, and each domain maintains reserves that could last for the next 200 years without any additional farming.
Eldia's main currency consists of copper, silver, and gold coins. One gold coin is equal to 10 silver coins, and one silver coin equals 10 copper coins.
An average family of four needs about 5 gold coins per month to live comfortably.
The beasts are also categorized by order.
Normal livestock animals are classified as Order 0 beasts, while slightly stronger creatures are considered Order 1 beasts.
In Eldia, beasts go up to Order 4.
There are a total of 10 Order 4 beasts in the Eldia Forest, known as King Beasts by the people of Eldia.
An Order 1 beast is stronger than a Level 1 average cultivator, and this scaling continues all the way up to the King Beasts.
Some old books mention the existence of an Order 5 Emperor Beast in Eldia, which is said to be contracted by the West Immortal Sect a powerful faction from outside Eldia.
This is believed to be the reason why the ten King Beasts never cross the border to hunt humans in either domain.
Near the Raindal Domain, in a secure location, there exists a teleportation circle connected to a major continent.
The West Immortal Sect uses this circle to visit Eldia once every ten years.
During their visit, they collect grains, provide funds, and select children under the age of ten who have reached the Path of Vision Realm to join their sect.
Since they visited just last year, it will be another nine years before they return.
If I miss this opportunity, I'll never be able to leave this island and reach a higher level.
Starting today, I will begin my cultivation journey to reach greater heights.