“Young Master Jarrish of the Southern Huan, a pleasure to finally meet you.” Sect Master and now wandering tutor, Tundra Fox, greeted the young man. In truth, Tundra had to look up some records from the information networks before actually speaking to him. Jarrish of the Southern Huan wasn’t a name that rang bells, and it was likely the man didn’t amount to much in his first life.
He was in the fifth realm. A respectable level, but his father, the Patriarch Shurrish of the Southern Huan, was well in the peak of the seventh realm. The man rolled his eyes. “You’re the man my father engaged to tutor me personally in the ways of alchemy?”
“Ah, yes. Your father claims you have a passing interest in alchemy, and would like to dabble in it.” Tundra smiled. He agreed to tutor the young master for two months, and give the relatively young man a taste of alchemy. By most cultivation measures, the only one hundred twenty four year old young master is still young.
The young master didn’t respect him, and Tundra didn’t mind it all that much. The young master stared at him with contempt. “So. Show me what alchemists do.”
So, at the workshop provided by the hosts, Tundra did.
The young master was immediately bored.
***
“So, how is my son’s performance? Did he find it interesting?”
Tundra shook his head. “On the contrary, I believe he found it boring.”
“Hah I knew it. Lord Fox, bear with the boy for a month, I’d like to see whether he ever dares tell me he wants to dabble in alchemy ever again.” The Patriarch laughed. Tundra nodded, a little amused that the Patriarch of the Southern Huan set him up to fail. “Some tea?”
“Yes, thank you.” The Patriarch poured some tea for the regressor, and the two sat in a beautifully decorated tea room with a view of a gigantic stone-themed garden with multiple stone sculptures.
“You’ve been busy, Lord Fox. A string of battles, then I heard you’ve gotten into Princess Luharl’s good graces.”
Tundra shrugged. As expected his opponents looked into him as well. “Well, it is but a small thing. Independent sects like mine have to find an umbrella to shelter us from the coming storm, and pray that the umbrella we find is strong and sturdy enough.”
“Then join one of the Great Sects as a subsidiary sect.” The Patriarch suggested without shame. “The Great Sects provide cover quite unlike any other. These recent rising tensions have seen quite a few smaller sects making outreaches to us, and made the poor Branch Leader of my city quite busy.”
The City of the Golden Fists was home to two large family factions of the Ancient Titans Great Sect. The Southern Huan was one, and the other was the Southern Goldrish family. The two families were close, cordial and usually respectful with each other, though small conflicts and rivalries still broke out here and there.
The 8th realm branch leader of the City of the Golden Fist wasn’t from the two large families of Golden Fist. But, as a policy, the Ancient Titan’s Sect Master made sure that all branch leaders of a city didn’t come from that city’s families, so that they could serve as an impartial mediator between those factions, and better serve the sect’s interests.
Tundra didn’t immediately write off the option. “It is something we are still considering. Subsidiary sects have conditions and obligations that us independent sects are not yet ready or willing to fulfill.”
“Ah that is fair, that is fair.” Patriarch Shurrish of the Southern Huan was one of the many patriarchs and matriarchs of the wider Huan clan. The Huan family was so large that they might even have a few ninth realm cultivators, and used to even have a tenth realm ancestor over ten thousand years ago.
After a while, the Patriarch stopped, and then decided to talk about something else.
“What do you think of my son? He isn’t the oldest, but thus far he is the most talented of my breed of about two hundred children.”
Tundra blinked briefly at the number. “You’re a blessed man, Patriarch. The young master is talented, and seemed more inclined into the martial ways, even if alchemy isn’t his strong point.”
“Agree, agree.” Patriarch Shurrish sipped his tea. “Her mother was a talented cultivator in the fifth realm that I elevated to my closest consort. A few of his sisters are quite talented as well. How about you, Lord Fox, have you managed to get a talented son?”
“Ah. They’re decent.”
“That’s not good enough, Lord Fox. Even though my son Jarrish is decently talented, and which is why he currently has my favor, I am still trying my luck. It’s all about having more children and eventually getting one that is blessed by the heavens or favored by the fates. All that talk about tutoring and best materials only work if the raw material is a diamond. You cannot turn dirt into gold.”
Ah. That explained the Huan family’s mindset. An all too common mindset, because it is largely true. Tundra nodded and agreed.
“I’ll give you a tip.” Patriarch Shurrish seemed happy for some reason, and leaned closer. “It’s all about compatibility and blood.”
“Oh?”
“There appears to be some aspects in our blood, and the blood of our mates. If a lot of our aspects clash, it will result in children that have muted features. You want to find a mate where the aspects complement each other, instead of canceling out each other. “
Tundra rubbed his chin. “Oh, what is the way of ascertaining such aspects? Is there an art I should learn?”
Patriarch Shurrish laughed. “Oh there are many, each with it’s own uniqueness. Have you heard of the Stained Bowl Blood Aspects art?”
“Isn’t that a form of divination?” Tundra said. He wasn’t a big believer in divination, but if there are other uses of such ability.
“That’s what the fools use it for. But in our part of the world, we do use it to test the blood compatibility of a man and a woman. We do it secretly, because we don’t want to ruin the couple’s chances, but as parents we always secretly test my wife, and my descendant’s compatibility with their mates.”
He may have lived 10,000 years, but Tundra still felt like his knowledge is only excellent in his narrow field of focus. Clearly, such abilities could help contribute to talent.
“Now I do not want to say it as if it is a sure thing. The heavens do what the heavens wish to do, but the Stained Bowl Blood reading arts is a way of loading the die and calculating the odds.”
But he could see how it was useful. “But then, would your mates agree?”
“I’m one of the Patriarchs of the Southern Huan family, and we are part of a great sect. If I desire for a mate, I can have a line as long as the city’s perimeter.”
Tundra smiled at the man’s boast. With his might and resources, it is certainly possible. There are so many who would give up their dignity for a chance to hold onto the buddha’s thighs.
Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
“Well, that would be gaudy and bad for my family’s reputation.” The Patriarch said, “So I wouldn’t actually do that. But I do have a new consort or concubine every few years. You should consider it, who knows when you’ll get someone talented enough to reach the seventh realm like you.”
The regressor leaned closer, and then asked something else instead. “But how do you keep things in order? Surely, with so many concubines, consorts and wives, they will bicker.”
“That is normal. Men bicker. Women bicker. When they are competing for favor and resources, bickering is expected. Normal.” The Patriarch answered. “And I let them bicker. But as the head of the family I set some rules. No deaths, no permanent injuries, no permanent scarring, no curses or poisons, no sabotage, no selling out to competing sects and families. If possible, each consort and their children are kept apart from others. Any competition must be within the family, and done within reasonably. All bickering that devolves into harm is answered with the same harm on their end, and more.”
“I see.” Tundra nodded. That made sense. As Patriarch, it meant he generally opted to step away from the conflict and let them sort it out themselves, as long as it didn’t get out of hand.
“You should try it. I see you brought two of your consorts with you, that can be an act of favor. If you want, I have some things that boost fertility, and claim to even improve the will of your future children.” The Patriarch jested, and Tundra wondered whether this was how Patriarch Shurrish established rapport. He met many kinds of men over the years, and there were people that loved to talk about such things as a way of being friendly.
“I’ll take your suggestions in mind.” Tundra said, not wanting to offend the man. The man probably talked about it all the time, so, he decided to ask for more tips. “Say, patriarch, are there any other secrets on how to raise such talented children?”
“I let them fight among themselves and pick the best. Reasonably fairly, of course. The elders help and they’ll assess my children. Some of them move faster.”
“Ah. I thought there’s some secret bloodline arts or that sort. Some secret ability that makes the difference.” Tundra said offhandedly, and wondered whether the man would pick up the bait.
“Oooh. Rumors travel fast. You must’ve heard of stories of how we use bloodline techniques on our children! Those merchants and their loose lips!”
“There is no smoke without fire, Patriarch.”
“And merchants mix lies with truth all the time to get your listening ear, Lord Fox!”
***
Tundra spent a few days tutoring the young master of the Southern Huan family, and with each passing day, the young master’s interest in the subject diminished.
It was not intention, but alchemy involved knowledge of thousands of different materials and their interactions, and the various processes used to extra specific effects out of certain materials.
Most cultivators are fascinated with alchemists, and a not insignificant sum of cultivators always believe they can do it better. But once they got down to it, it wasn’t easy work. Most cultivators do manage to eventually make one or two basic pills, but the more advanced pills require extensive knowledge, finely honed control of energy and fire, and a whole lot of patience that many cultivators fail.
So, the young master’s reaction was entirely expected. There wasn’t some magical scripture that could transform one’s alchemy knowledge overnight. There are some great scriptures that gave alchemists a good, solid grasp of the key concepts, and these great scriptures are common reading amongst all junior alchemists.
Once that was done, he would spend the rest of his time with his two wives, to help them with their cultivation. Both Marin and Celestia were almost ready to attempt their fifth realm breakthrough, though from Tundra’s brief sense, he could tell Marin’s soul was rushed.
As the soul expands and reclaims space from the world, thus building their inner spirit realm, there is an outward force that resists the wider world, and prevents it from collapsing. Most of the spiritual realm is held together by the structural shell that hardened after each cultivation, but a portion of that outward force comes from their spiritual core.
It is the heat radiated by a fire that drives away the cold. It is the wind that blows. It is the waves crashing on the beach that creates lines in the sand.
Like one of his favorite analogies of the glass blower, each breakthrough is like pushing against a soft molten glass in order to form a vessel. Once hardened, the glass can hold some pressure and resist the outward forces. But, if there is nothing from within the soul to help offset the energies of the wider world, even that glass would collapse.
And Marin’s soul, at the moment, appeared fragile. Imperfect. There wasn’t enough.
Sensing it, he decided to warn her on one of the nights. “You’re not ready for the fifth realm breakthrough, Marin.”
Marin blinked at him, and then looked at Celestia accusingly. Celestia shook her head, and answered. “I didn’t say a word, Lady Eastheart.”
Tundra blinked, and realized he had erred. “Marin, walk with me.”
The two took a walk along the streets of the City of the Golden Fists. The Golden Fist was a city with multiple peaks and valleys, filled with stairs and narrow walkways. Buildings were built to reflect the terrain. They wouldn’t dare change the terrain too much, as it was an insult to the mark left by their ancestor.
“You’ve rushed your cultivation.”
She didn’t need to answer. Tundra knew, he could feel it. Instead, she looked at the sights, and then asked. “How did you tell?”
“You’ve barely tried to hide your cultivation, and I could feel it’s brittleness just from how our spirits touched.”
She blinked. “I want to be in the fifth realm. I asked Celestia whether the difference is big.”
“You’ve seen your father.” Tundra repeated. “Your father’s cultivation is flawed, and so he is unable to push towards the fifth realm without great risk. It is why he stagnated at the peak of the 4th realm. Despite all my lectures, it seems you are walking the same path as your father.”
The mention of Marin’s father made her stop. She never realized how similar the two of them were. “Why is my cultivation flawed? I rushed, but I did not feel it was flawed.”
“You have all the forms of someone in the peak of the 4th realm, but none of the substance, and let me show you how. Come.”
The two walked to the gates of the city, and exited to a nearby canyon. It was mostly uninhabited, but it would be sufficient for their cause.
“Use your cultivation energies and strike that stone.” Tundra asked, and Marin did. She released a fairly large ball of energy that smashed into a rock. The attack blasted a hole in it.
Tundra stepped back. “I will now use the amount of energy I had when I was in my 4th realm. Observe the difference.”
Tundra’s ball was smaller, yet denser. It didn’t smash the rock. It turned it into ash.
Marin blinked. With Celestia, she didn’t feel the difference was that big. “Your spirit is the building blocks of your cultivation. If you build your future layers without the requisite strength, yes, you will still benefit from some of the gains, but it is harder for you to move up when you do. Some flaws cannot be fixed without taking a step back and surrendering your cultivation, and by then, doing so at a high age may lead to death.”
She was silent.
“I do not wish for such a future for you.” Tundra said. Maybe she was a little too excited, when he offered her a chance to leave if she reached the sixth realm, and so she wanted to get there as soon as possible.
But what the woman tried to do was recklessness. “Is there a pill that can fix it?” Marin asked. She was fairly smart, and talented enough to realize what he meant.
“No.” Tundra answered. “A pill supplies energy, resources. A large amount of energy. In the early stages, cultivators struggle to gather the energies needed to ascend the realms. A pill cannot rearrange your spiritual shapes for you. The problem of building blocks is one you have to fix yourself.”
“If I insist on reaching the fifth, what will happen?”
“Then I believe your path to the sixth realm will be harder than ever.”
“What’s the difference between me and Celestia?” Marin asked. “What is she doing well?”
“Each stage of our soul is a layer. A floor to a building. Celestia put a lot of thought into hers, and even if she made mistakes, there is a difference in the weight of the structures she built. You two may form the same pieces, but her pieces have more details, and are heavier spiritually. They thus better stand the crushing resistance of the world. I once lectured that there is a difference between geniuses and mortals, and that is in their innate comprehension. They rise many realms in a matter of months, while the rest of us take years to walk a single step. That comprehension and visualization is one of those differences.” Tundra wondered whether Marin truly listened when he lectured.
And even if she listened to him, did she truly digest the implications of those lectures?
A cultivator forms an understanding of the spiritual world, and thus with the blocks and pieces of their soul, build a structure to best create a powerful spiritual world. That spiritual world then becomes a part of their strength.
Marin looked at him, and sighed. “When will I be ready?”
Tundra frowned. “I do not know. It can take months, if you know what you are doing. Years, for some. Celestia’s going through each piece of her spiritual world, making minor improvements to them each time. You may want to do the same, but it is a slow process. It may also not help you, if the design and layout of your spiritual world was not proper in the first place.”
She sighed loudly, and then walked to the edges of the canyon. She screamed in irritation. “Arghhhhhhhh~”
Tundra merely stood and allowed the woman to vent. Maybe she’ll feel better this way.
