Adapt or Perish
Chapter One, part two
Clan Weng specialized in shipping and harvesting the outer rim of the Fang Kingdom. Their convoys of caravans and wagons shipped merchants and travelers on a semi-routine from desert to jungle, they were known for speed and reliability. What gave them this capability was a beast nursery that has been in their control for many generations. Now that by itself wouldn't be sufficient unless they had the strength to keep others from taking it.
Strengths come in many forms. Political alliances will only help a little, a friend one day can be the enemy of tomorrow. Knowing that only true strength from powerful members of the clan could be counted on in a crisis they trained all children over five cycles old in basic weapon and physical techniques. The spear and bow were the main focus of learning for weapons while endurance and awareness were taught for physical development. Only after an acceptable level of development would they be taught the clans Cultivation of the self method. Having been established for hundreds of cycles many secret techniques were hidden in these manuals. Some of these were only passed from master to student verbally and never stored in jade or writing.
Cultivation of the self follows different rules depending on the laws of the Heavens and Earth. The energy of various types is affected by celestial bodies. Size and mass are only two of the many parameters that can cause unexpected and unique effects. In this world where Feng Hei lives the moons have been shattered or stolen from wars long ago. Planetary bridges and space corridor lanes are unable to function due to the scars on the stellar bodies and can not function without outside influence anymore. This is a dying world. It lost a war it could not have won over a thousand generations lost to time. Those who cultivate the self to higher levels struggle for scraps looking for a way to ascend to another realm. The rest are just trying to survive and hope the victors of the past will overlook their existence.
The convoy that adopted Feng has always had this policy due to the many acts of raiders and monsters who slaughter others for the smallest gains. Some do it from blood crystal poison which causes an erosion of the soul. Giving rise to violence, savagery, and barbaric cruelty against any perceived prey or challengers. Most survivors of the assaults would be found with wounds and mental scars. Feng Hei's missing memory is treated as a common problem found in recovered people. His quick understanding of the caravan culture and martial arts granted him a place in the inner route convoy so he could be trained to be a pathfinder for the clan.
On the fifth seasonal cycle since his adoption by Clan Weng, he had surpassed their expectations on marital skills and physical training. Even his understanding of languages and bookkeeping showed a precocious intelligence they were quick to encourage and help develop in hopes that his ability would be of benefit to them all. Next was to see what his talent in cultivating could be. To do this he was sent with other youths to a special convoy that had one of the Clan's elders who specializes in training and evaluation for guards and pathfinders.
Today is the day I have been working so hard for, this is my one opportunity to meet Elder Shu. She is the foremost expert in the clan on the cultivation of the self. If my talent is any good I could end up as an elder one day too! Looking at the others I could see Shari and James who are the sister and brother pair of uncle Sid's children. Shari has been learning alchemy and herbology while James was training in beast lore and harvesting including beast butchering. They were the oldest in our group and the leading candidates for leadership roles. Over by the railing of our wagon looking around, all wide-eyed for our instructor was William, our youngest boy in the group. He was never able to sit still even in sleep. His arms and legs would move about. Then there was Sarah. She was the most popular due to her calmness and gentle outlook. Following her was Cile, her protector, a big but aggressive youth whose only thought was what she told him.
Sigh, why was I stuck in this wagon with these guys? We had been traveling for days only to stop here and wait till the convoy finished trades in the outpost hours away by riding beast kerns. Accordingly, we are to be picked up and begin a several cycle commitment with Elder Shu on the inner routes. Without her agreement, we couldn't get an apprenticeship in the clan's main businesses. For most of those jobs, I couldn't find an interest in learning more about. The basics were adequate for general knowledge. What truly got me to focus was martial arts and the possibility of learning to cultivate my body and soul. While a trade skill is important, the thought of being capable of lifting boulders and jumping from treetop to treetop or running faster than a kern, was so exciting and if I can advance far enough even magic is possible to use. To harness the elements and bend them to my will would be so amazing.
A small quiet voice asks "why are we waiting for them here and not just camp in the town?". The voice was coming from the second wagon and probably one of the kids from another caravan.
Other voices could be heard asking the same question of our guards. Until finally, Tao Weng's response shuts them up," Oh you want to head into town huh. Well, I won't stop you but here we stay. If you want to go see it then, go by yourself. Though I doubt you would survive to make it back." His voice was full of derision. "The outpost or town would rob you and claim you never arrived if you were lucky enough to make its walls" only those who are strong can survive alone out here. And your pups are too weak at killing and too slow to run away from the dangers around these parts".
I was glad I hadn't said anything when I saw the looks of amusement in the guard's eyes. While I knew what was said was true I also felt it would only be a matter of time before I and others would be guarding the wagons in a few cycles. I would just need to wait till we were declared ready.
You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.
I knew why we had to wait here was to prevent hostile groups from knowing how much we had in guards and valuable goods. Also, the outposts have fallen to raiders before and used as traps for those who come by for trade or services.
A strong whisper near my ear was William "I hear the kerns approaching. Do you think it went well? Feng, or will we be attacked soon?"
"How would I know!" also in a whisper, I nudged William away from me so I could listen and hear what set him off.
It didn't take long to hear the sound of a Kern patrol returning to the group of wagons and guards. Even the heightened awareness of the Pathfinder Tao Wang was obvious. A Kerns's speed and viciousness made for the best mounts and guard beasts when properly trained or bonded with. Wild kerns were a serious problem in some remote areas causing loss of life and goods for many harvesters.
In the next few minutes, three more patrols reported that the trade mission was successful and we would resume our route to the next town or outpost.
A large beast being ridden by a driver and handlers soon made its approach to our convoy and took the lead position to break the trail for the wagons to travel on. An octabull's head is wide with large flat teeth that never seem to be done chewing and with eight thick stumpy legs. Its weight was many tons and it had the power to shred or plow through the ferns that grew as tall as a two-story home. Even small trees would bend and break if it was moving at a fast pace. The thick hide and hairs could stop most weapons and even warriors with a stronger body would have a tough time making them bleed. Passive by nature and a herbivore just made them perfect for jungle and wooded areas as trailblazers.
In a few more moments, we are on the move to pick up the goods and reunite with the rest of the convoy. The bushes and ferns can be hard to navigate through safely as visibility is greatly reduced. The Octabull is tall enough for the driver to see over most lower vegetation and the patrolling Kerns would constantly keep the pathfinders aware of any threats or difficulty with the terrain.
Once again we go through the routine process of merging with the trade group and continue onward. In one of the lead wagons, I see the elders looking over maps to plan out the next stop and hope that we can be introduced and tested on our potential for cultivation. I just can't help feeling that my potential will be outstanding and profound. Sure it's very rare that anyone under ten cycles will show capability but I have learned so many languages and know basic mathematics well in advance of these other kids. I just need to find out if that's true or not. I know that there must be a reason my clan was destroyed by that outsider.
"Hey, answer me" an annoyed huff by William.
"What", " I was thinking about something."
"Why do you always ignore me, it's rude." William's voice while low was still enough to get the other's attention.
"I wasn't trying to ignore you. What do you want?"
"When do you think the Elder will test us?" His wide eyes and earnest expression showed his dream of being a hero or some such is so obvious that I couldn't stop my eye roll.
Sheri cut into our discussion with derision saying "Of course she won't be testing us anytime soon, just be patient and sit quietly. Do the breathing exercise we were taught last year if you need something to do."
Janes just had to add in his opinions too. "Look, my dad says she does the testing whenever she feels like it. Some won't be tested at all if you can't meet her standards. Just do the tasks she gives and when the time comes you will be told."
Rather than getting into an argument I stay quiet and think through some of the tasks I already have accomplished. What other tasks could I learn about that might get her to notice me and decide to test me? Lost in thought I practice meditation and reflection to make plans and see if I can draw in energy from the heavens. If someone can fill their body with the energy of the heavens it will show them where the Meridian channels are. The more channels the easier you can absorb energy and use techniques that require energy movement throughout the body. All channels lead to a centralized point. Similar to blood vessels feeding the body with the heart as the core of the system. Meridians circulate and connect the body to the mind and the soul. The Core chamber needs to be grown and nourished like a seed to later store energy or convert it into elements for magical skills.
After a few hours, I can't keep my focus and pull out the book of cultivation to see if I can figure out how to improve my ability to feel the energy of the heavens. Due to the difference in body types and bloodline traits, most methods won't work and requires constant trial and failure is common in the early stages. Understanding the body and sensitivity to the flow of energy is a requirement for developing cultivation skills. Just breathing alone obviously is not enough or everyone that breaths would be far more powerful. Holding the energy in the lungs helps the blood absorb and be refined to carry it throughout the body. As more blood gains this ability to transfer energy it causes a metamorphosis cell by cell. Over time this enrichment creates mutation and a fundamental transformation. The most obvious gains are in longevity and a resilient physical form.
The cultivation of the spirit and soul are only taught by Masters and Sects due to the powerful changes and combat capacity derived. A Soul Master can destroy or manipulate others due to the strength of their soul alone and at considered to be the most dangerous of opponents. Spirit Cultivating allows for a strong mind that can wield puppets and weapons while maintaining focus in multiple directions. All without physically touching or seeing as spiritual senses are far more capable of perceiving their surroundings.
While I can recall almost everything I read it still helps to review and see what other concepts a different perspective can yield. Over the cycles, I have found three breathing exercises that seem to work but are very ineffective overall. I wonder if I combined aspects and see if I can feel a difference in the flow of energy within and without.
Let's see, three main parts; Sensing the energy, gathering of the energy, and the absorption of energy. Most of these use imagery to denote concepts while doing breathing exercises. Maybe the way I'm thinking of the methods is too literal. What if I attempt to just sense energy then visualize a gathering method and see if the amount around me becomes denser.
While attempting to create my breathing technique, I also study the energy flow around the others as they also attempt to gather energy. William has the worst focus but is surprisingly apt at amassing a decent amount but his ability to pull it into himself leaks appallingly. The siblings were amassing very small amounts that seemed almost tangible. It was packed so tight together, and the rest were all in between those methods. As for the body absorbing the energy in the lungs, I couldn't tell. Overall the siblings were the furthest along within our group.
How, how could I adapt to what they were doing and improve my technique. There has to be a way. Judging by the method of William he's wasting stamina and grabbing more than he can hold. The siblings are using a slow but steady approach focused on the efficient use of stamina and mental focus. Kinda reminds me about the tortoise and the hare tale. Slow and steady or fast but needs rest frequently. Sigh, absorption seems to be the key while gathering and sensing the energy matters, without a talent for it you will keep falling behind others.
My experiments with sensing and gathering do help me figure out some improvements. But after a few hours I'm so mentally and physically exhausted I fall asleep.
End part two of chapter 1