Chương 16: "Did that turtle knock all the sense from your skull?"

Ch 16: "Did that turtle knock all the sense from your skull?"

With that enigmatic and vaguely threatening statement, Shuo turned away and Zhen unsaddled Chul. As he worked, he sensed qi flowing through the clearing. He paused what he was doing to try to isolate the sensation. The grass beneath their feet, the trees, even the air pulsed with a gentle rhythm, absorbing then pushing out waves of qi in an endless cycle. He turned to Shuo.

"The qi's dense here. Not like around Xuanfeng's lake, but more than normal. The grass, the trees. Everything's drinking it in." Shuo tossed his travel pack against a tree trunk.

"Took you long enough to notice. Why do you think I wanted to stop here?"

"You chose this spot deliberately?"

"Obviously." Shuo gestured toward Chul.

"This grass will help your mare build a body that can use those horseshoes more effectively. And it'll boost your training as well." A thrill went through Zhen's body at the mention of training. While he was more than a little disconcerted by the look on Shuo's face when he had talked about it, finally, they would begin real cultivator training. Images of his father wielding his massive two-handed sword flashed through his mind. He wanted that power.

"What are we starting with?" Zhen asked his hands subconsciously mimicking the fluid arc of his father's blade.

"I know that you said I should stick with hammers, but my father was a ghost with that jian. If I could even learn a fraction…"

"Your father is a warrior who learned to forge," Shuo cut him off.

"You're a smith who is learning to fight. And you're already behind. If I give you a sword, you'll be another mediocre blade-swinger at best. You know how to wield your tools, that gives us something to build on. It's also something that no one in a sect will expect." Zhen's shoulders slumped.

"But…"

"Put it out of your mind. Even that's a long way off, boy. For now..." Shuo's wrinkled face creased into a benevolent smile.

"Basics." The "basics" turned out to be anything but. First came stretches that pulled muscles Zhen didn't know existed. Then Shuo made him cross the clearing without touching the ground.

"Higher!" Shuo barked as Zhen's hands slipped on a branch and his feet nearly brushed the grass.

"Xuanfeng didn't put in all that effort to get you an Earth Tempered Body for it to go to waste. Use it!" Next came stance training. With a single blow Shuo shattered a fallen tree then had Zhen hold what felt like half a tree trunk across his shoulders while maintaining a perfect posture. Sweat ran down Zhen's face, his arms trembling." Elementary Pulse," Shuo reminded him sharply.

"Whatever else you're doing, you never stop. What have I told you about the qi flow through your left leg? Don't be lazy. The fact that the muscles in your legs are quivering means you have to adjust your circulation. Perfect form at all times" Zhen gritted his teeth, realigning his qi flow while supporting the crushing weight. Just as his muscles screamed for relief, Shuo finally nodded.

"Drop." The log thudded to the ground. Zhen collapsed beside it, gasping.

"Now," Shuo said, crouching beside him, "channel qi from your dantian through your meridians. Refresh yourself." Zhen closed his eyes, directing the energy stored in his dantian outward. Relief flooded his aching muscles as the qi washed through them, restoring their vitality.

"Again," Shuo ordered before Zhen had fully recovered. Hours passed, and late afternoon turned to evening as Shuo pushed him beyond exhaustion, then taught him to recover, only to begin anew. Yet despite the pace, Zhen began to glimpse the potential of his newly tempered body and his new cultivation. He leapt higher than he thought possible, then recovered from the strain that would have left him bedridden before, all the while sensing the world around him with preternatural clarity.

While Shuo pushed mercilessly, Zhen drove himself harder still. The memory of those black-robed cultivators haunted him. He had survived the Memory Wraiths, but a true cultivator would easily overpower him. He did not doubt that the Order of Folded Shadows would come for him again, but this time he would be ready. As night fell completely, Zhen completed another set of impossible exercises, his body trembling but his spirit unbroken. Shuo watched him with that unreadable gray gaze.

"Acceptable," the old man said.

"Not good enough," Zhen said as he wiped sweat from his brow. Approval, or perhaps amusement, flickered across Shuo's face.

"True. So get back to it." Shuo pushed him for another half hour before relenting.

"Enough." Zhen collapsed where he stood. Despite his growth and newfound strength, the relief flooding through him felt almost embarrassing. Even the longest days at the forge had never felt like this. He took several deep breaths, using what he had been taught to use qi to wash away at least a little of the ache.

"Food," Shuo said.

"You'll need it." Zhen nodded, gathering himself. He pulled out a cooking pot, and some dried meat and vegetables from his supplies, then kindled a small fire. As he set water to boil, he focused on the simple, familiar task of cooking. The repetitive chopping grounded him after hours of pushing his body beyond mortal limits. You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

"While that starts to cook," Shuo said, pointing to a cluster of plants at the clearing's edge, "dig up one of those. Add the root to your meal." Zhen glanced at the unremarkable-looking plants.

"What are they?"

"Medicine? Poison? Does it matter if I'm telling you to eat it?" Shuo's face creased with amusement.

"Also, add two handfuls of those herbs." Following Shuo's gesture, Zhen saw another patch of vegetation near the treeline. Even from this distance, he could sense they pulsed with a dense, vibrant qi. When Zhen approached, he found Chul already there, happily munching away at the herbs. The mare's eyes glowed with contentment as she devoured the qi-rich plants.

"Move over," Zhen said, gently pushing her aside.

"I need some too." Chul swung her head toward him with an expression of such clear offence that Zhen laughed out loud. She had eaten half the patch and wanted it all. After a moment of equine disapproval, Chul shuffled sideways just enough for him to gather two handfuls of the fragrant herbs. The moment Zhen touched them, he felt energy tingle across his palm. As Chul returned to her feast, Zhen carried the herbs back to the fire. As he walked, he forced himself not to think about what Shuo was making him eat.

Back by the fire Zhen washed and chopped the root and the herbs and tossed them into the pot. While the meal bubbled over the fire, Zhen stretched out on the grass. His muscles quivered with exhaustion as he closed his eyes, hoping for a few moments of rest before dinner.

"What do you think you're doing?" Shuo's voice cut through his brief peace. Zhen cracked one eye open.

"Cooking?"

"Perfect time to work on your spirit gates." Shuo settled cross-legged across from him.

"Up." Zhen forced himself upright.

"Are we opening another gate tonight?" The prospect sent a surge of anticipation through him, tempering his exhaustion. Shuo rolled his eyes dramatically.

"Did that turtle knock all the sense from your skull? Have you forgotten you need a full dantian to attempt another gate? That'll take at least a few days." Disappointment flickered across Zhen's face.

"If we have to deal with the consequences of you having the Eye, no sense in wasting it." Shuo gestured toward Zhen's chest.

"Turn it inward. Examine your open spirit gate and tell me what you see." Zhen closed his eyes, focusing his perception. He had only ever used the Eye of Xiezhi to look inward when he had initially opened his Qihai gate and it took a few moments to get it to work. All at once it snapped into focus as something shifted in his awareness. He sensed, more than saw, the structure of his Qihai spirit gate. Energy flowed through it, but not smoothly.

"The gate edges," Zhen said slowly, trying to translate what he perceived into words, "they're jagged. That's not exactly right, but it's the best way I can describe it. Uneven. Rough." Shuo nodded.

"As I thought. You need to refine that gate. Make the flow smoother, cleaner."

"How?"

"Direct your qi to grind away the roughness. Like polishing metal." Zhen focused again, looking closer with his Eye. The jagged points and edges of the spirit gate were creating turbulence in the qi flow. Each point where the energy caught and swirled was a blockage, however small"Actually, what if I don't grind?" Zhen asked. An affronted look came over Shuo's face and Zhen hastened on.

"I mean that I can see where the specific imperfections are in the gate. Rather than just generally grinding it down, if I target my qi at a few specific points, I think I could work the blockage loose." Shuo's affronted look turned thoughtful.

"In theory that could work, but I can't guide you. Even people who have a highly tuned qi sense can't see things like that. Try it." Zhen directed a careful stream of qi against one of the rougher edges, like water wearing away stone. He felt a subtle shift as the obstruction began to loosen. With growing confidence, he increased the flow of qi to that spot. Just as he could smell that his dinner was cooked, he managed to dislodge that first jagged point. It came loose and dissolved into the flow of circulating qi.

As soon as it was gone, the difference was clear. Qi flowed through his gate with noticeably less resistance at that point, a steady current rather than turbulent rapids.

"Better," Shuo acknowledged, handing him a bowl of the steaming stew.

"But not good. Keep at it every night until it's completely clear." At the first bite, Zhen's eyes widened. The root and herbs Shuo had him add transformed the simple meal into something extraordinary. Though they were delicious, that barely mattered. Qi entered his circulation immediately as each mouthful gave him a little boost.

"Don't stop Elementary Pulse," Shuo instructed, watching him eat.

"Continue the meditation even as you eat. The goal is to eventually use it constantly, even in your sleep, without thinking about it." Zhen adjusted his breathing, maintaining the cultivation technique while eating. He felt the qi from the food being drawn into his circulation, guided by his meditation toward his dantian. It was like adding water to a reservoir, drop by drop.

"These herbs," Zhen said between mouthfuls, "and the root. They're adding qi directly to my body."

"Of course they are." Shuo took a bite from his own bowl.

"You think I'd make you eat roots and herbs because I care how your meals taste? Make sure you channel it properly. Don't let any of it go to waste." Zhen nodded, focusing intently on guiding the qi through his newly smoothed gate, feeling his dantian gradually filling with each bite and each breath. After his exertions Zhen slept soundly and woke at first light to the sound of Chul determinedly harvesting the last of the spirit herbs.

She looked up as he approached with her bridle, and swung her head away, continuing to munch with single-minded focus.

"Come on, girl. Time to go," Zhen coaxed, holding out the bridle. Chul snorted, pawing the ground in protest. Her eyes flicked between the remaining herbs and Zhen with clear displeasure.

"I know they're good, but we need to follow Shuo," he said, scratching behind her ears.

"Without him we're not going to get to the sect." After another moment of stubborn resistance, Chul relented with a resigned equine sigh. The next few days settled into a routine. By day, they traveled through forests and valleys, Zhen practicing Elementary Pulse while riding. By night, Shuo drove him through increasingly demanding training routines before allowing him to collapse by the fire to continue to perfect his open spirit gate.

Each evening brought another clearing rich with qi, another meal supplemented with spirit herbs, and another night of Chul devouring qi-rich grasses while Zhen refined his cultivation technique. By the end of the first week, Zhen noticed the change in Chul. Her stride had lengthened, and her breathing remained steady even at speeds that would wind normal horses. She carried herself with new strength, as if the spirit herbs were transforming her from within. Zhen felt similar changes within himself.

His dantian gradually filled a little more each day, even as Shuo's training forced him to expend qi constantly to recover. The persistent ache in his muscles had transformed into a pleasant hum of readiness. It was during the third week that, they made camp in a clearing where the broad oaks that Zhen was used to were interspersed with tall trees with silver bark that Zhen had never seen before. Shuo had Zhen meditate on a large boulder that sat next to the ice-cold stream that ran through the camp.

As Zhen did so, he could sense Shuo observing his meditation unusually closely.

"Your dantian is full," Shuo announced when Zhen opened his eyes.

"Tomorrow, we begin work on your second gate." Excitement surged through him.

"Which one?"

"Mingmen. The Life Gate." Shuo's smile held no humor.

"This one will make opening the Qihai gate feel like nothing."