A second shockwave slammed through the stone pillars, dumping another shower of fine gravel across Kaelen’s quilted blanket.
He did not jump up. Instead, he reached out with one lazy hand, brushed three jade pebbles off his chest, and pulled his straw hat down over his nose.
Within his dantian, the ancient Fallow Slate pulsed with a steady, amber glow.
[The Fallow Slate: Stage 5 Hibernation Compression active.] [Track 1 (Cultivation Vessel): 1,420h 00m. Multiplier: 14,210x.] [Track 2 (Martial Combat): 1,840h 00m. Multiplier: 18,410x.] [Track 4 (Dao & Array Comprehension): 1,420h 00m. Multiplier: 14,210x.] [Track 3 (Alchemy & Comprehension): 1,120h 00m. Multiplier: 11,210x.] [Countdown to 1,440-Hour Milestone Seal: 20 Fallow Hours (10 real hours).]
Ten real hours, Kaelen thought, staring at the golden numbers through half-closed eyes. Ten little hours to reach the two-month milestone seal. That is a ten-fold multiplier bonus on three separate tracks.
If he stood up right now to swing a sword, the True Fallow State would snap like a dry twig.
He would lock in an ordinary streak and forfeit the milestone bonus. A month of sleeping in a damp cavern would go down the drain just to please an impatient warlord.
I would rather chew raw turnip skins for a week, Kaelen decided, turning onto his left side. Nobody is making me work overtime today.
