Chapter 17

Xin and Lei were riding a carriage back to the sect, both exhausted.

"Shit, it was tough. You can't imagine the amount of bureaucracy in this city! I am tired of paying for stuff! And the whole barking stuff, if you only knew how many people I have to rub to make it work!" - Lei frowned. 

"So, will the guild genuinely double anything we make here?" - Xin was too tired to give emotional support, so he switched the topic.

"Apparently. Frankly, we aren't subtle about our guild connection at all, but they don't mind it. 

Maybe the guild don't necessarily see us as spies, and are injecting us here to brute force a connection. And any intel I provide is just a bonus."

"I see. How much are you even earning, can I ask?"

"Nothing. So far, I'm still trying to recoup the investments I made. I'll get a half of the sale, so it's only natural that I work on improving the sale value first and foremost, so I mostly attend meetings with guild higher ups and interested merchants from related businesses."

"Good. I am not envying you, by the way. It's nice that we both develop." - Xin felt like he didn't envy Lei, but was frustrated with his own low salary and status. 

"I had a chat with Chonglin today. He says that once I retrieve the permits and you finish training the workers so that they can work on their own, we'll be able to attend training again. Nice, huh?"

"Nice, indeed. I agree that we need to train, we still have a long way to go. Especially you, your foundation is lacking. We need to up our tempo, four years sounds like a distant dream, until it doesn't. The workers are retarded, by the way, but I think I can get them to produce most of the mundane goods by themselves in a few days time."

"Forget the workers, let's discuss what a jerk you are! My qi control is pretty good, you have to give me that. And when it comes to the breakthrough, I might just hire a specialist to assist me. I'll have plenty of money soon, hehe."

"The breakthrough is not just your chance to rank up. You can obtain heaven and human qi inspirations, or improve your physique with an earth inspiration. The more you learn before breaking through, the more knowledge you obtain afterwards, generally speaking." - It seems my comments stung Lei. Good, he needs to get his act together, he barely studies.

"I know this, smartass. Everyone does. But it's Foundation stage, maybe I'll get an idea or two, the gains are still marginal compared to higher stages. My priority should be ranking up as soon as possible, I can build my foundation up once I am a master."

"Well, I understand, but it's not just the new ideas and inspirations, but also emerging connections between your previous ideas. You can take a shortcut and obtain years of life experience if you attune properly."

"Well, tough luck, I trained by trial and error, year after year, through repetition and experimentation. I didn't have an advantage of knowing all these meditation techniques and alchemy like you do, and it's too late to recoup that loss. Think I'll just rush to Foundation stage, sorry."

"Well, don't forget you can also just fail your breakthrough. It's not a given that you just do it on your first try, even with your bloodline and talent."

"Nah, I'll manage somehow." 

Xin rolled his eyes.

Later that day, Elemental Pavilion Overseer, Yu Ting, a graceful woman who looked to be in her late thirties, approached the pair before her lecture.

"So, kids, you finally descended into our simpleton realm, huh?"

Xin pursed his lips, Lei just smiled innocently.

"Master Ting, we were extending the business interests of the sect. Forgive us if you felt like we were neglecting your classes, and your wisdom, by extension. I know that I now have a mountain to climb, but I'll work hard to impress you." - Lei made his attempt at diplomacy.

"After the main lecture, I'll quickly explain the basics of what you missed, then we'll test you and teach you how to use an Elemental Well. Xie Xiaodan and Feng Chonglin both spoke highly of your talent, make it count. You two are such a headache."

The pair nodded.

They joined their group and sat down. There were many students here, including every "seed" and freshly recruited internal disciple.

Yu Ting entered the lecture hall, her azure Condensation Stage robes woven with intricate golden patterns that shimmered like sunlight on water. Adorning her neck and wrists were delicate pieces of jewelry, complementing her expensive shoes, embedded with glistening crystals, sparkling with each step. The room, previously filled with chatter, fell silent as she exuded an air of feminine grace and gentle authority. She sat down, flicking away a speck of dust from her sleeve, and began to speak.

"Greetings. This lecture isn't meant to give you a rigid structure to follow, but to help you explore the options that you have. My philosophy is based on letting the students teach themselves, with the teacher just giving them the instruments." - Everyone nodded in agreement, but Xin disliked this. Based on his previous experience with different mentors, he felt like this approach was only one step away from slacking off and blaming the students for failing.

She continued:

"So, being a water path master, I can manifest water, but also invoke the properties of this element. Now, if I were to try and invoke an adjacent element, like ice, for example, would I be able to do it?"

Xin was the first one to raise his hand.

"Sure, Xin from Tealstone. Please enlighten us."

"It depends. If you can quickly transform your water qi into ice qi, and hold it long enough to invoke a technique, this is doable. It will be hard to invoke 'iceness' without natural affinity, and requires a serious foundation. It's a wasteful method, but has its uses."

"It's a useful method on higher stages. Continue."

"A better option is using materials and artefacts to set up formations to augment the process, instead of relying on your natural concentration. This reduces the reliance on your natural affinities, and eases the mental strain of the whole process."

"Correct. Keep working like that, I'll give you a contribution point." - She seemed impressed.

"I am not sure it's a contribution, frankly. I am using my past knowledge, not being a good student."

"Let's say I praised your good explanation, and not your knowledge. - She looked annoyed now. "Can anyone explain the drawbacks of using the moves of the element you don't specialise in?"

The young noble man raised his arm. He then started twitching it, as if trying to say "Me! Me!". The teacher nodded to him and smiled.

"Teacher, there are indeed several drawbacks. For once, you are wasting a lot of qi. In every transformation, there is a loss. Second, your techniques don't benefit from your internal landscape, so they'll be weaker. And the chance to fail such a technique is also higher, as you are mentally strained and have no qi affinity. Thus, it is recommended that..."

"I'll continue from here, thank you. I don't recommend using any foreign qi techniques of your level, unless they are your trap card in a very specific situation. If you want to invoke a foreign element, generally speaking, at the Foundation stage, stick to mortal moves. At the Condensation stage, the Foundation stage moves. And so on. Some of the drawbacks can be nullified by dao shards, can someone enlighten me about them?"

Many people raised their hands. It was one of the most popular topics in the world of cultivation, after all.

"Yao Nang, speak."

"Yes, master! So, Dao shards are pieces of Great Dao, they are like... concepts, but they took form. And they can grant you special abilities, but the number of shards you can use is limited by your soul foundation."

"Correct. You've worked hard enough these past few days. Contribution point."

Xin and Lei exchanged glances and smiled. Is this female favouritism? Xin considered Yao Nang pretty stupid, he was certain she didn't truly earn the contribution point.

"Thank you, master!" - she was delighted. Several other students also rolled their eyes.

"Master, if I may?" - a person in the second row raised his hand. It was Rui Ming!

"The prodigal son decides to break a vow of silence? Please entertain us." - Yu Ting smiled, but there was a hint of condescension and caution in her expression.

"The Great Dao is in a state of constant suffering, so it sheds pieces of itself to ease the pain. The more whole it is, the more it feels the misery of its existence. It needs to split itself into smaller things, with less sentience, the big concepts into smaller concepts, unable to bear being what it is. It's a great tyranny, being 'you', the burden of 'why am I me' can make one's head spin. Who says that the Great Dao is not subject to the same pain? 

Still, like ants picking up small pieces of candy, we fight for these scraps we call dao shards and shed blood, all to support our delusions, like wealth and status. In actuality, it's an escape from nothingness. Tempest wrote about it in "Five Winds Treatises", I agree with him."

Xin and Lei exchanged glances, smiling. This guy was very entertaining. Yu Ting was baffled for a few moments, but recomposed herself, coughed lightly and spoke again:

"Ehm... Let's try to extract something constructive from this fairy tale Rui Ming came up with, and summarise a bit of what we heard so far.

 Great Dao is not a person. Great Dao is just a philosophic concept, a simple way of expressing Dao as a whole. It's not an actual entity, just a useful term. The Great Dao can't 'suffer'. It undergoes different transformations, still subject to Wuxing principles, simplified into concepts like 'heaven and earth' and 'Yin and Yang'. The 'stronger' dao shards are named 'sword' and 'truth' and are more conceptual, while the 'weaker' dao shards are 'water boiling' or 'serene fruit expansion'. 

You can only attune to and manipulate a certain number of shards, based on your soul foundation. Each shard has at least one use, but sometimes more, and they need to be fed to not wither away. The food requirement is tied to the rank of the shard. Using a shard without attunement is much harder."

Wu Lei raised his hand.

"Yes. I am listening."

"Master, I know that shards have levels just like xiandao cultivators, but can they be upgraded?"

"Oh, absolutely, refinement isn't just shard creation, but also upgrading. If you break through correctly, you can even bring them up with you, if your breakthrough method accounts for it, of course. Since you and your friend are dual element, you won't be able to refine or upgrade any shard this way. 

You could also downgrade them, or attempt to split them into numerous smaller shards, but it's very hard to do and the effects depend on a shard. You people won't have a refinement course this year, your program is already overloaded, if you ask me. So just remember it for the future."

"Thank you, master." - Lei's eyes shone as he fantasised about wielding different dao shards.

Xin wanted to ask his master a question - "are totems a category of dao shards?", but he decided to restrain himself, for obvious reasons.

"Now, let's review the sources you were assigned. Bagua principles in relation to physical reality..."

After the lecture concluded, all the students could consult the elemental masters of their choice, as long as they had free time, and ask them for guidance.

Xin and Lei were lucky, as their seed status entitled them to ask Yu Ting directly.

"What kind of guidance do you need, boys?" - Ыhe looked pretty cordial, despite the initial annoyance, she liked the pair.

"We need to improve our combat skills, first and foremost. Both of us already wield some techniques, and have good qi control, but there is a problem." - Xin said.

"The conflicting nature. I am aware. Is there a point in asking you to stick to one element?"

 Lei looked at her, then shrugged and smiled. Not happening.

Xin took the lead again:

"Feng Chonglin told me that there is a unique advantage in our situation. The elemental breakdown effect could be weaponized. How do we look into this?"

"Feng Chonglin is right, except such techniques require a lot of talent and are pretty rare, as they are mostly cultivated by conflicting element users, who are few in numbers. Is this what you want to focus on?"

Lei was about to interject, but Xin took the lead again.

"Yes, me and Lei both have basic attacking techniques, and physical enhancement abilities. At our current level, spreading yourself too widely is asking to run out of qi. In case the war breaks out, we need synergies." - Xin felt that the conflict with the Fist sect is a real possibility, despite most people dismissing it.

"The war? Don't speak about such stuff in this hall, kid. Fine, I'll authorise you to read Foundation stage metal and wood inheritances of our sect. Lei, you can read the fire and metal inheritances. Take your time, they are quite profound. Consult the elemental masters if you need any help."

Lei was excited, he felt like hugging Yu Ting, but quickly restrained himself. They thanked their master for her guidance, bowed and left.

Xin had already read several basic inheritances before. He suspected that this inheritance wouldn't explain the stuff he didn't already know, but it could name-drop some techniques or methods that he could research further.

The pair went to the library, retrieved the inheritance scrolls and started reading.

"Look, Xin, Rising Phoenix compound technique! Oh, Burning Nail! Forest Fire Rising! Sacrificial Whirlwind! I heard these names, but there are actual descriptions of the techniques here, with pictures on top! That's so cool!"

"Yes, but a description is not enough to learn a technique. You need an in-depth breakdown. Oh, look, Iron Mantis Pincer. That's a complex one. Iron Will Mantle, pretty hard to execute, too. Hmm…" - Xin was mostly browsing a metal inheritance scroll.

"Didn't you say we need to focus? Let's check catalogue three, is there anything in it?"

The pair flipped through the pages of several inheritances, but didn't find any meaningful techniques that they could learn at their current level. Even if they imagined themselves being rank one, most of the stuff they've seen so far just didn't fit their fighting styles.

"These dual element moves suck. Too hard, too expensive. Maybe we should try and stick to one element for now?"

"No, trust me on this one." - Xin was insisting on his approach. Lei chose to trust him, as he respected Xin's cultivation knowledge and intuition.

"Let's ask Feng Chonglin for help, then? What do you think?"

"He already directed us towards this method, I think he won't help us any more."

"Xie Xiaodan? He likes you, after all."

"Yes, but I don't think him or Yu Ting will help us. This sect likes dangling a carrot on a stick in front of you. I have an idea, but please, finish reading these notes and go train your qi control. You need to improve."

"Man, I can already use Lava Spit without burning my tongue! And my fire qi infusion is much stronger than a few weeks ago! Don't act superior, remember when I kicked your ass?"

"I am acting superior because I am superior in this particular aspect. I didn't speak of techniques, but of research and knowledge. Please stay here and read, I'll go try something."

Xin left the library, travelled outside through the Elemental Pavilion, emerged in the internal gardens and crossed them to enter the canteen. There, he entered a sector served for xiandao masters to dine in. 

They were a colourful bunch, unrestricted by the disciple modesty rules, and many people wore expensive clothing and had their looks enhanced alchemically. To Xin's liking, some even went overboard and appeared somewhat grotesque. Xin quickly scanned the tables, until his gaze finally found Xie Xiaodan. That was exactly who he needed!

He wanted to approach him, but an external disciple, a canteen servant, crossed his way and said:

"It is not customary to interrupt the masters when they eat. Please, wait in the corridor."

"I have an important matter to discuss with master Xiaodan, scram before I spilled your guts." - Xin wouldn't let external disciples tell him what to do. The disciple rolled his eyes and went away.

He approached the table, and waited at a respectable distance. 

Xie Xiaodan noticed him and called him up. 

"Did you need anything, boy?" - He asked. Master Huang Lingbo, who teased them during an introductory lecture, was also there. The third person at their table was a beautiful raven haired woman, the one who was a part of a cultivator wedge during the tryouts, and wore an expensive ornate armour. This time, she wore an elegant dress, highlighting her impressive features.

"Forgive me, master. I don't know the correct procedure, so I wanted to wait till you are free.

I tried to keep a respectable distance, as I don't know the proper customs."

"No cultivation method will help me digest the food if you stare that intensely. Come closer and speak, chump. Make sure it's worth our time." - Huang Lingbo was abrasive, but also invited him to come closer. In Xin's eyes, it was a win.

"I wanted to consult with you both, actually, and I am blessed by heavens to meet you in the same place. I hope I am not bothering you too much." - Xin tried to weave a respectable thread in this conversation.

"Get to the point." - Xie Xiaodan furrowed his eyebrows.

"Wait, if you wanted to consult us separately, who would you approach first?" - Huang Lingbo teased him again, laying a trap for Xin to avoid.

"I don't know. When I think of trustworthy teachers, I think of you two. In fact, the reason I am embarrassed is that I think both of you are overqualified to entertain my problem."

"Yet you chose to bother them anyway. So, what kind of problem do you have? Sounds like the beginning of some story. An aspiring young student asks two different teachers to make a judgement, and it sparks a captivating discussion." - The woman spoke, and Xin was captivated by her ringing, authoritative voice, with a slight air of gentleness. He stared into her gleaming eyes, and his gaze fell on her beautiful lips, formed into a gentle smile. He quickly regained composure, but couldn't help but think that she probably noticed. 

Shit, got goosebumps.

"Iron Fairy, the kid is already stressed out, you don't have to smile like that." - Is Xie Xiaodan hitting on her? Can I use it somehow?

"He'll be fine, is this the prodigy you told me about? The battle maniac?" - she stared at him intently.

Xin's first instinct was to be rude to her, but he quickly regained his composure again. Is this my reputation?

"Indeed, I enjoy the thrill of battle, but I derive no pleasure from killing. Still, there is something I find more enjoyable than fighting - obtaining knowledge."

A bright idea flashed in Xin's head, and he continued:

"So, I've been listening to the lessons of both master Xie Xiaodan and master Huang Lingbo, and I was relating them to my own experiences. I think I made a breakthrough in my way of thinking, that I need guidance on." - If he phrases it like that, then whoever helps him the most will get the credit for inspiring the student. If he subtly makes them compete with each other, all under the gaze of a beautiful female, their male natures will betray them, and they'll both try to overcome each other to impress her.

"What a cunning young man, I am enjoying this. Still, be careful not to bite off more than you can chew." - Did Huang Lingbo instantly figure me out? This is terrible. But, he is still listening, not all is lost!

"Dominant elements attack the vulnerable elements. My metal nature is attacking the wood element of my body. This greatly restrains my wood qi, despite the bloodline I have. But what if I could master this interaction?" - He acted like Feng Chonglin's advice was a genius idea he had.

Xie Xiaodan nodded.

"That makes sense, and I've seen it done. There are plenty of techniques like that, conflicting dual element techniques utilise the conflict, either by weaponising it, or by fixing it somehow. In that case, they become regular dual element techniques."

Huang Lingbo added:

"I like to combine my sword path techniques with different elements to create dual element attacks and target the opponent's vulnerabilities. There are several elemental interactions that can be utilised, let me provide an example."

It worked, even if he figured it out? The male's nature was indeed easy to exploit, Xin just hoped that he wouldn't draw the masters' ire for what he did.

"Afflicting the opponent's wood qi with your wood own qi creates a bonding interaction that you can instantly exploit by launching a metal qi attack." - Huang Lingbo continued. "Still, it has to be delivered simultaneously, otherwise the effect will fade away almost instantly."

Xie Xiaodan added:

"That's a good explanation, but please consider that the destruction can also emanate powerful energies that could be weaponized.

For example, the infamous Blood Boil technique of fire and blood elements is nothing but a demonic version of a Molten Heart technique, mixing metal and fire qi! Just like your friend Lei's Lava Spit, which mixes metal and fire elements, and causes the corrosion in the opponent's qi, not just the burns."

Xin was moved. Did Xie Xiaodan take care of Lei this way, name-dropping a perfectly fitting technique? What a gentleman.

The "Iron Fairy" added:

"The gentlemen's knowledge is truly profound, but as a metal path master, is there a direction that you'd like to pursue? I'll give you my advice." - Xin was moved even more. It was truly a beautiful thing, being surrounded by helpful, knowledgeable people, even if they teased him and made him jump through hoops.

"I think I've mastered Resonance Palm by now. I will expand this technique once I break through. For now, I am looking for a complementary attacking method."

"Young master, consider a technique called Woodcutter's Downswing. I'll authorise the librarians to show you this one. It utilises the interaction master Lingbo spoke about " - Young master? When Jia Li called him this, he felt like she actually considered him someone respectable. In this case, it felt like she implied that he's being pampered. Still, even by the name he could tell that the technique is something he'll like!

"Good job, kid, you went over the Foundation stage masters' heads directly towards us, and reaped your rewards. Let's hope it doesn't bite you in the ass! And let's hope the students don't envy the special treatment you just received!" - Huang Lingbo mocked him again.

"Master, you are a good person, even your teasing is filled with profound advice. Thank you, I won't overstay my welcome. And thank you too, master Xie Xiaodan. And as gentlemen, let's concede that the "Iron Fairy", whose name I sadly don't know, was the most helpful." - Xin smiled and bowed.

Xin was wise enough to raise this compromise, making sure that there was no fight over which male master was the wisest.

It was also wise to acknowledge the female master, who was very helpful indeed. Still, the manner he did it in wasn't the most elegant.

"Scram, kid. I want to see you back in training, you business enthusiast. I am tired of your words." - Xie Xiaodan flicked his arm, as if he was an annoying fly, but this was enough to actually push Xin back, such was his strength. Xin bowed again and left.

He was ecstatic! He got away with his audacity, he was authorised to study a complex technique, and he didn't spend anything to do it? He also felt like he might have gained some goodwill with the teachers doing this.

"This kid, he'll be a righteous demon, if such a thing exists, I swear by the heavens." - Xie Xiaodan sighed.

"You are spoiling him too much, my man. He'll get wasted if he overestimates himself." - Huang Lingbo sighed.

"I don't think he deserves any further attention. Let him earn it first." - Ruthlessly cut the Iron Fairy. "Still, we need to break the habit of suppressing the youngsters, the times are different now" 

The men nodded.