In the winter months, I have other regular classes put on by the Sect. Much of this knowledge ranges from the classics to formations and spiritual equipment. I cannot say that I am the most brilliant student. As you know, there are many better suited to the scholarly lifestyle. Still, I do not think I shame our family. Certainly, compared to Tou Hei, I find many of the lessons easier. Tou Hei’s previous life as a monk has created interesting gaps in his education.
Good news about Tou Hei too. He’s managed to clear his fourth Energy Storage meridian. His Master is very happy with his progress, though I understand they intend to slow his breakthroughs now. At least for the next few months to consolidate his development.
Wu Ying looked at the letter and what he’d written. Tou Hei was, in many ways, the quintessential prodigy. A martial prodigy who had spent years of his life studying multiple styles. An incredibly quick cultivator. Except there was that unspoken issue with Tou Hei’s chi cultivation. The ex-monk still had not revealed the details of it, but Wu Ying knew that Tou Hei’s master was hard at work searching for a solution. If they could not find one, Tou Hei’s rapid ascent could find itself bottlenecked at the Core Formation stage.
Admittedly, for many cultivators, that would be a problem they wished to have. But like Wu Ying, Tou Hei sought the furthest reaches of cultivation. To be bottlenecked before truly stepping on the road to immortality would truly be a shame.
Lip curling up, Wu Ying shook his head and returned to his writing.
I continue to practice the other martial styles that were taught to me. I believe I’ve managed to achieve a small breakthrough in combining the three styles. Fairy Yang has been particularly gracious about spending her time teaching me. Of course, she is very busy as the newest elder in the Sect, but she seems to make a little time every week to continue my training. It seems that unlike my Master, she is willing to be more hands-on. Elder Cheng continues to feel that too great a hand in my training will divert my fate.
Of the two cultivation exercises I have learned, I’ve achieved a greater understanding of the Aura Strengthening. I am unable to progress the technique further though, as I’ve sealed and compressed my aura as much as possible within my current cultivation level. Further progress will have to wait until I reach the next level.
There was no knock on the door as Ah Yee arrived, carrying a small, covered, clay drinking bowl on a serving tray. The older woman, his designated servant, set the bowl beside Wu Ying before lifting the lid with a flourish. Wu Ying choked at the smell from a mixture of months-old herbs, dirt, and other foul-smelling ingredients.
“Your daily supplement, Master Long,” Ah Yee said. “Remember, don’t leave it too long. It will lose potency if it grows cold.”
“And taste worse,” said Wu Ying.
Not that the sludge-coated oil taste could be much worse. The supplement was a requirement for Wu Ying’s second level of his other cultivation exercise—the Reinforced Iron Bones technique. At this stage, it was insufficient to wait for damage and repair his body when it occurred. He had to induce the damage and the cleansing—which was where the sludge came in.
“Waiting won’t make it better,” Ah Yee said, tapping one foot.
“Fine!”
Wu Ying picked up the bowl and, holding his breath, drained it in one gulp. It was, as he remembered, terrible. A mixture of rotten food and herbs, with a weird texture and an oil-coated sludge taste. After he choked the drink down, he placed the clay bowl on the tray and reached for the cup of tea Ah Yee had poured in anticipation. Already, he felt the toxic sludge roil in his stomach, trying to come back out. In an hour or so, he would be in a dire situation with his guts. Until then, he could only hold on and distract himself.
“Good. We’re nearly out of the autumn willow roots,” Ah Yee said. “Seven-year roots are hard to find.”
“I’ll ask Master Li.” If there was one good thing about the concoction, it was that Wu Ying had been able to find more effective and cheaper substitutes for the herbs within. Of course, part of the reason no one used the substitutes he did was because of the taste.
Ah Yee bowed and, after replacing the lid, took away the offending bowl, leaving Wu Ying to his silent torment. He stared at his paper, considering what else to write. More news about his cultivation exercises. Not about their recent martial training. His father would understand and approve—he always said the more one trained, the less one bled. His mother would be upset though, and while they might afford each other privacy, any letter he wrote would be read by both.
More news about Li Yao?
Wu Ying shook his head. No. His mother disapproved, and his father did not care. And, truth be told, his relationship with her was tenuous enough. All they had done was take long strolls and meals, the occasional assignment, and spar together. A lot of sparring. Discussions—deeper discussions—had been avoided.
Wu Ying sighed and gave up. There was not much more to write. He’d finish it later. Right now, he needed to meditate and channel his chi. It would not help a lot with the cultivation exercise, but any improvement was better than sitting here stewing.
Chapter 4
“You are back.” The speaker was an elderly gentleman with an extremely deep voice, clad in the gray-and-green robes of a Sect Elder. Elder Ko, unlike most of the other Elders, wore the elaborate headdress that marked his elevated position in the Sect as Librarian and Scholar for the Inner and Outer Sect Libraries. He absently stroked his beard as he stared at Wu Ying, who had been wandering the stacks, pulling out occasional scrolls and manuscripts to browse through their contents before returning them.
“Yes, Elder,” said Wu Ying. “I am still looking for a new cultivation exercise that would supplement my training.”
“You’re still blocked at Body Cleansing, correct?” When Wu Ying nodded, Elder Ko continued. “And you’re looking to advance to Energy Storage soon, yes?”
Even though Wu Ying thought that this was very much a rhetorical question, he nodded yes. Elder Ko chuckled and gestured for Wu Ying to follow.
They walked half a dozen steps before Elder Ko looked back at Wu Ying. “You will pay the appropriate fee afterward.”
He did not even spend time waiting for Wu Ying to acknowledge his words. Not as if Wu Ying intended to cross the Elder. Few individuals within the Sect would be more detrimental to cross than the Elder in charge of the Library. Maybe his own Master and the Sect Leader. Maybe.
“There are three types of cultivation exercises I believe could be of use to you. Firstly, we can increase the speed of flow of your chi. This will allow you to initiate energy projections and certain types of skills at a greater speed in the future. Of course, right now, none of this is particularly useful since you are at the Body Cleansing stage. Even your equipment will not benefit much from your work. However, this increased flow could be useful for you in breaking through to the Energy Storage stage.”
When Elder Ko had finished speaking, he turned around and handed Wu Ying a small manual. The manual was more of a notebook than a full document, but by this point, Wu Ying had gotten used to the idea that many of the cultivation exercises recorded in the library were jotted down thoughts, well-constructed workarounds, or small techniques that his predecessors had created. Only a few were extended documents.
“Now for the second option, we can expand your dantian.”
Wu Ying could not help but interrupt Elder Ko at this point. “I thought the Sect did not have any of these manuals?”