After the fiasco with those weird church of the one true Dao people I spent more time cultivating in my small apartment. I didn’t rise through any ranks in my cultivation, but I felt stronger nonetheless.
I went back to the foundry and managed to convince them to let me continue cultivating nearby though they asked that I stay a little further away from where they were working if that horrid smell was going to come back. I spent the entire day cultivating my body with the metal qi abundant in the forge and finally I was halfway to the body training realm.
Each time I upgraded my body cultivation I noticed a marked difference in my figure. I looked trimmer and more toned, stood straighter, and generally felt more energetic than before I had begun body cultivation. The effects were amazing! I brushed my hair away from my face after finishing and made my way back to the bathhouse. I again had to pay a little extra to make use of their facilities, but it was worth it. I only had wind, wood, and earth qi left to train my body in, but I didn’t know where I was going to be able to find locations where I could. Maybe that park in sector B? There was a lot of wood and earth qi, but it didn’t feel as abundant as the forge or bath house did. I didn’t even know where to begin looking for somewhere to train my body in wind qi, it all felt so out of reach, and Text recommended I didn’t progress too far in my spirit cultivation without my body training catching up.
I was feeling dour and walking through the market district when I suddenly found myself surrounded by men and women in red and gold robes. I went on high alert, and a familiar voice from behind me really sent me over the edge and sent me into a spiral of fear.
"Why if it isn’t the young lady who came to the church the other day. I’ve been looking for you." Zanador said.
I slowly turned around and put on my best smile.
"Ah, Mr. Zanador, it’s a pleasure to meet you again, I was just thinking about the beautiful sermon you gave the other day. To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit today?" I asked him.
His smile that never reached his ears spread out across his face, matched with his slanted eyes I felt like I was looking into the face of a predator.
"After your… rapid departure the other day, we sent people out looking for you and learned you frequent this area. I simply wanted to extend my thanks to you for coming to visit our church and was curious as to if you would like to learn a bit more about our beliefs." He said. Something about the way I was currently surrounded by men and women and the look on his face made it seem like I didn’t have a choice in the matter.
I decided I wasn’t going to just let them take me back to their creepy hideout and I began backing up. I soon found myself butting up against the wall of robe-wearing acolytes but my attainments in body cultivation must not have been expected. As I made to move farther backward, I knocked down some of the acolytes. I tripped slightly but quickly regained my balance. I looked directly into Zanador's furious face.
"Get her!" He commanded his acolytes and they flooded at me as one. The press of bodies threatened to overrun me, but my cultivation gave me an edge in agility. I dodged the main body of the throng of acolytes and ran down the street.
"She’s a cultivator! Use your cultivation!" Zanador called out behind me as I ran. I pushed my body to its limits quickly outpacing most of the acolytes. Some of the faster men and women managed to catch up to me and began harrying me with various techniques and martial arts. I dodged blasts of wind, fire, and water as I ran through the streets. I realized I didn’t have any techniques of my own and promised to rectify that once I was safe. I ran as fast as I could to the nearest guard post, hoping they could be useful this once. To my frustration, no one was manning the guard post, and I was forced to defend myself against three cultivators.
I got in close range to the cultivator using a wind technique to make him faster. He was fast, but thanks to my body cultivation level I was still faster than him. I sent a flurry of punches at his midsection, and he was only able to dodge or block a few of them. I was hit in the side by a blast of fire and let out a yelp in surprise. It didn’t burn, luckily, thanks to training my body in fire. I moved on to the fire cultivator and easily dispatched him in the same way.
With only the water cultivator left I decided to continue my flight. I ran past side streets and higher up, I needed somewhere I could hide and recuperate from fighting. I couldn’t head home; they probably knew where I lived. I decided I’d head to the entrance to sector B. There would always be guards stationed there, and they may help me.
I ran up the catwalks and through side passageways in the walls. I knew the area well, having lived here my whole life. I just managed to dodge a slice of water launched at me from the water cultivator as I turned the corner and approached the entrance to sector B. As expected, a row of guards was stationed at the sector transition and readied themselves for a fight when they saw me running at them.
"Help!" I called out to them.
"I’m being chased by these rogue cultivators." I told the guards as I approached them and slowed down. From around the corner, multiple figures in red and gold robes appeared, Zanador at their front.
"Halt citizen." One of the guards called out to Zanador as he approached.
Zanador ignored him and continued moving forward.
"You see, young Astra." I heard him say from a distance away as he walked.
"Our church recognizes the unfairness of this world. Those with power abuse it and oppress those they deem beneath them. Even here in Setria 9 have you not noticed the lack of strong cultivators? It’s because no one is allowed to exceed the foundation establishment realm unless they are brought into the power structure of our tiny colony. They kill anyone who dares become strong enough to fight against them. Doesn’t it all just seem unfair?!"
"Citizen! You are ordered to halt your progress." the guard yelled with more urgency in his voice, clearly unsettled by Zanador’s continued disobedience.
"In the eyes of the one true Dao, all will be equal." Zanador said, and he was finally upon the guards. He struck out with both of his hands and the guards went flying in opposite directions as if they didn’t weigh anything. I gaped at the casual display of power. I could feel his power now, no longer being hidden and I balked at his strength. He must be near the peak of the foundation-building realm already. The remaining guards all rushed him and put up a bit more of a fight than the initial two, I took my chance and ran past Zanador’s fight with the guards. I bowled through the gathered acolytes at the end of the hallway and made my way further up. There was only one place I could run to now; I needed to hide and figure out some way out of this situation.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.
"Hey Astra, you going out to the fields again? Wait, where's your suit? Hey!" The guard at the exit to the mining fields said as I ran past him and out into open space. I used my qi to help propel me outside and hid behind a nearby asteroid. Luckily none of the acolytes seemed interested in following me which gave me some time to think. There was no way I was going to be able to fight against Zanador with my current level of power. Not without some kind of trump card. I couldn't just stay out here in the vacuum of space without my suit for too long, I would run out of qi and die without air to breathe.
"Text, any ideas on how to beat that guy?" I asked the seemingly omniscient text.
"ANSWER: Usurping the power difference in ranks within a cultivation realm is supremely difficult. The user’s body cultivation combined with their spirit cultivation should put their strength somewhere near the high rank of the foundation establishment realm. Fighting against a cultivator at the peak of the foundation establishment realm should be possible though without any techniques, the chance for victory would be minuscule at best." Text said in my vision.
I cursed under my breath at the news. Just my luck, I never learned any techniques.
"Text, are there any techniques that are compatible with my cultivation method that I can learn from the inheritance?" I asked hopefully.
"ANSWER: No. Combination of techniques is possible; however, given enough treasures are present." Text answered.
Well that wasn’t good. I didn’t have many treasures on me. Then it dawned on me, I was surrounded by asteroids that probably have various treasures and gems within them. I quickly began analyzing all of the asteroids near me as I slowly made my way away from Setria 9. I quickly found a few asteroids with gems within them and snatched them up, keeping tabs with Text on when I had accumulated enough to combine techniques.
I had just found another stash of treasures hidden within an asteroid when I heard a booming voice reach me from Setria 9’s direction.
"Oh Astra! I’ve seen your strength with my own eyes, join me and we will overthrow this cruel destiny being thrust upon us by those in power. We will take over Setria 9 and rule it together!" He called out to me. I shivered involuntarily at the idea of it and quickly scooped up all of the gems and treasures I had just found.
"DING: Enough treasures and gems have been accumulated, beginning the process of combining techniques." the text on my screen read.
"Nice!" I said a little too loud before catching myself, not sure if Zanador had heard me. I hid behind the asteroid and tried to come up with a plan to bide my time until Text finished creating a technique. I calmed myself and did my best to cultivate while I waited. After some time though I was interrupted by a voice eerily close to my location.
"Ah, found you! So kind of you to cultivate and let me know exactly where you were hiding! Now come, fight not, join me and embrace the one true Dao!" Zanador said from too close for comfort.
"No thanks!" I called out, still trying to buy some time. Silence rang out for a short time before the asteroid I was hiding behind exploded and launched me forward. I yelped in surprise and curled my body to protect it from any of the flying debris. I felt a strong grip around my neck and Zanador pulled me up to be eye level with him.
"I’m not going to take no for an answer, girl." He said as he squeezed my neck. His grip was strong like an iron vice was wrapped around my neck. I put my arm on his elbow and slammed my other arm into my own elbow causing Zanador to lose his grip. I infused my body with qi and propelled myself forward getting into close quarters with him. He must not have expected me to be so swift because he wasn’t able to react before I sent a few punches into his solar plexus. He recovered quickly and tried to grab me again, but I dodged out of his way. With me now fighting properly he must have decided he could no longer go easy on me.
"Flaming fist sutra, first form" Zanador called out as I again approached him. His fists became coated in flaming fire qi and he launched a consecutive series of punches at me. I deftly dodged or parried his punches and delivered a few more hits to his sternum. He grew angrier as we fought in close quarters.
"So you were a body cultivator, why am I not surprised." He said through gritted teeth. He quickly broke off from our engagement and held his hands out in front of him.
"Hell-flame paradise!" He yelled at me, a cone of flames flying out from his hands and directly at me. I wasn’t able to dodge completely, and my flank ended up getting singed. Despite my body cultivation the flames still burned me and I felt the searing pain across my side. It was hard to focus on cultivating and fighting but I steeled my resolve and calmed myself, pushing through the pain.
Zanador looked no worse for wear from the attack, and he again took up a martial arts pose.
"Flaming fist sutra, second form" he called out and rushed at me. His flurry of attacks came more quickly now, I wasn’t able to dodge them all and some of them hit my already injured side.
I did my best to further infuse my body with qi until I was again matching him pace for pace. He grew angry that he was unable to overpower me, and I could see it on his face.
"Flaming fist sutra, final form!" He cried out and sped up once again. He was now easily overpowering me, and I couldn’t push any more of my qi through my body with my current body cultivation.
He broke through my defenses yet again and managed to grab my neck, flaming fire qi still coating his hands.
He lifted his hand back for a punch but before he could attack, I saw text spread out across my vision and time seemed to slow down.
"DING: Combining technique manuals to create a technique suitable for the Myriad Elemental Halcyonic Scripture is complete. Now loading technique ‘Swords of the Halcyonic Sea’ into the user’s brain… Loading.'
A piercing pain flooded my brain, though not as strongly as before. My screams of pain must have startled Zanador as the punch he was preparing never came. I screamed out into the void around us for at least a few seconds. Finally, as my pain subsided, I knew how to activate my technique. I used Zanador’s momentary surprise at my screaming to my advantage to break his grip again.
He snarled at me and prepared another Hell-Flame Paradise. He launched his attack at me, and I focused my mind inward. I focused on my qi, grabbing qi droplets from the bottom of each harmonious spiral. I honed the opposing elements of qi into three blades, one for each pair of elements. Each blade, honed to a razor’s edge, spread out from within me when I opened my eyes. Zanador’s flame attack spread out towards me, and I placed the sword made of fire and water qi in its path. At the same time the water qi quenched the attack, the fire qi absorbed it into the sword, nullifying the attack completely.
Zanador stared at the swords in confusion.
"I thought you were a body cultivator!?" He yelled at me. Activating the final form of his flaming fist sutra again he charged at me. I took the swords of earth and wind and of wood and metal in my hands and used my qi to control the sword of water and fire. I intercepted Zanador’s path with the sword of water and fire, but he batted it quickly out of the way, only a slight amount of his fire qi dissipating from contact with the sword. We traded blows, my clumsy, unpolished swordplay matching his strikes, empowered by my new technique that gave me an increase to speed and power for each halcyonic sword I wielded.
He brought an arm back to strike at me, but the sword of fire and water qi came at him from behind and stabbed into his back. He cried out in pain as the pace of his fighting decreased markedly. He tried to put up a fight but was unable to do anything with my increased speed, power, and fighting ability due to the swords’ influence. The fight was soon over, and I left him beaten and bloodied, but still alive against a nearby asteroid.
"Finish me off. They’ll never let me live with what I’ve been doing in Setria 9. They don’t like people upsetting the power balance."
"I don’t just kill people willy-nilly." I told him as I picked him up by the collar of his shirt, allowing the swords to dissipate back into qi and reabsorbing them in my body. I dragged Zanador all the way back to Setria 9 and handed him over to the guards when we arrived. They thanked me for dealing with him and took him away. As I handed him over, a well-dressed man approached me.
"Hello Miss Astra. My employers would like to speak to you. Please come with me." He said.