Tsu Shi felt his strength fading as his right arm hung limp by his side. He wasn't ready for that technique, but he'd used it anyway to slay Liu Xi. With blurred eyes, he swept the compound looking desperately to find the easiest way out. Already his feet burst into motion as he dashed for the left side of the open field, his body leaping over the wall as several younger and weaker disciples chased after him.
He was exhausted, and his Qi reserves were nearly empty. His body, rather than running down the steep mountain, more resembled an uncontrolled tumble. A jagged rock tore a gash through his left arm, several other large rocks bruising him and launching him into the air as he continued his descent.
He could no longer hear the disciples or Elders giving chase. He let his consciousness fade.
At least, Yu Ti'er, I avenged you.
His body went limp as it rolled down the final stretch of the mountain and into a lake that sat at its base. His earth qi dance with vigor, creating small waves as he sank into the depths.
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I watched Tsu Shi with interest as me and Qinglong spoke.
"The cost of the spear is based on the development of your world. As people have yet to advance to the iron age, buying a spear like that might be enough to have it called a divine artifact." I frowned. I guess it made sense, but the concept of an iron spear being called a divine artifact seemed bizarre.
Without too much more thought, I purchased the three items. Qinglong found them specifically for me, so they should be rather decent even for their price. I looked into the Sun and Moon Celestial Body manual first. After all, I needed at least some cultivation to practice the spear technique.
Sun and Moon Celestial Body, Cultivation Manual
As with any cultivation technique, you must first enter a meditative state and realize your inner Qi to progress.
After doing so, the next step in the manual will be shown to you.
I looked to Qinglong for guidance. "Why can't I see the entire manual at once?"
"Doing so could disrupt your understanding of the technique, and cause harm. The system put this sort of barrier in place to prevent that." I shrugged, before sitting down in a meditative pose and closing my eyes.
"Let me know if that Tsu Shi guy does anything interesting. Breaking through to the Qi Infusion realm like that," I muttered the last part under my breath. I didn't bother to finish the thought. Instead, I cleared my mind as I focused on trying to sense my Qi.
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Tsu Shi woke with a start, grunting in pain as he felt the many bruises and cuts along his body. His head whipped side to side to try and get an understanding of where he was. A rather small wooden hut made of logs. The bed he was on was crafted from a dense layer of leaves atop a long stone to support his body. On him were various bandages made of plant fiber.
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With unsteady feet, he rose, leaning on the wall with his left arm. Searing pain shot through his body from the long gash that ran across it, forcing him to let his arm down again. He grunted in pain, but didn't try again. These injuries already made him too vulnerable. He hobbled over to the shoddy door and pushed his weight against it, letting it swing open.
The sight that greeted him made his heart flutter in fear for a moment. Hundreds of people, in a village large enough he could barely see the edge of it. It was bustling. What caught his attention next though made his mouth go dry. A woman in long white cultivator robes, a bamboo hat on her head tilted down to cover her face, and a basic stone sword strapped to her waist sharpened to a deadly point. She walked towards him leisurely, though he knew he wouldn't be able to run even if he tried.
His injures were too extreme. He reached out his Qi senses, gauging her strength. She was at the peak of the ninth ascension, reaching the boundary he'd only just managed to cross through a life and death battle. He sighed and once again resolved himself to death.
"Greetings, Senior." She bowed, and he blanched. What?
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I suppressed an excited squawk as I finally grabbed hold of my Qi. Now, I could feel it course through me like a shallow stream of water. I opened my eyes to view the manual again.
Sun and Moon Celestial Body, Cultivation Manual
Congratulations on sensing your Qi for the first time. To progress, you need to condense two cores of Qi within your body of opposing elements. Ying and Yang are recommended, but any will work as long as they oppose each other in nature.
After doing so, the next step in the manual will be shown to you.
The name was fairly apt, I realized. I hadn't considered what implications it might have. "Qinglong, what exactly is ying and yang natured Qi? How do I condense a core, let alone two, and attune them to these natures?"
I watched mirth fill his eyes. "Not everything can be given so freely, Creator. These ideas have not yet been discovered on your world so I cannot share them with you."
I rolled my eyes with a huff. "Call me Kuan Yin, please." I waited a few moments for him to acknowledge it, but it seems like he'd rather pretend to haven't heard it. It didn't really bother me, so I just continued my focus inward.
What was Ying and Yang, really? Life and death? Creation and destruction? Good and evil?
These were all very vague concepts. I frowned. This would likely take a long time. I hope Tsu Shi survives long enough for me to meet him, his story seems rather interesting.
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Tsu Shi sat in a meditative pose, watching with curiosity as the girl in front of him cultivated. She'd offered no details about herself, and he didn't truly have the strength to demand them at the moment. She'd only wanted to know how to break through. Knowing in his current state, she could kill him at any moment, he hadn't refused.
What shocked him the most was how rapidly she was progressing. To infuse Qi into every cell of your body was an incredibly painful process, one which he'd only done by accident during his descent down the mountain. It had also taken his entire descent down the mountain. Several hours of high-speed travel, both willing and unwilling, down from the peak.
Yet, after just half an hour, this lady was already approaching the final stage of the break through. Her head and spine were the only two parts left to be transformed under the infusion of Qi. Tsu Shi, for the first time in his life, was utterly outclassed in terms of talent!
He thought for a few moments about slaying her before deciding otherwise. If he could gather her as an ally, the Crimson Gate Sect wouldn't dare to pursue him!