Koriss motioned for Myrkas to follow him up the spiralling stairs. They climbed to the top level, bathed in gentle sunlight. The few windows below the dome revealed an unobstructed view of the city. In the lower districts, temple domes were the only peaks to see. Opposite, towers similar to the one they stood in rose, increasing in number closer to the city center. This center was easily identified by the City Palace it comprised. There, the Mayor lived and administered the city and its immediate surroundings under the joined authority of the Noble Provincial Lord and his Administrative Governor.
However, the pair had not climbed all those stairs to look at the view, regardless of how arresting it looked. Koriss brought them to a stop in front of a large bookcase. Its dark wood shelves and subtle carvings did not differentiate it from its adjacent cousins. It sported the same number of cases, and the three drawers at knee height as all the others in the library. The bottom-most part was comprised of a locked cupboard, identical to its neighbours.
Myrkas' uncle crouched in front of the tall piece of furniture. Slowly, meticulously, Koriss slid two square carvings to opposite sides. Then he turned them at 135°, both in the counter-clockwise direction. Next, he completely removed the left-sided drawer, carefully putting it on the floor, its heavy-looking contents making near a sound. His hand then reached into the liberated space and pressed on something, letting a single click be heard. Finally, he reached for a small set of keys loosely strung around his neck and unlocked the cupboard.
The sight when the doors opened was underwhelming. A pile of books at the far end, a metallic locked box, a few glass instruments, and a pouch of what looked like dried herbs summarised its contents. Myrkas held back a disappointed sigh. Hopefully, the box held promises.
Surely, his uncle would not hide a mere treatise on cultivation behind all these steps. Especially since Myrkas was convinced the omnipresent carvings hid protective Qi formations. Who knew? A wayward thief might get burned if he tried his hand at Koriss Hakhmir's secrets. Or maybe get frozen solid. Fire in a library was a bad idea, all things considered.
Taking the box, Koriss unexpectedly put it to the side. He reached inside, letting his hand feel the wooden bottom as he went further. When he reached a specific spot—utterly unremarkable to his nephew's eyes—Koriss tapped a rhythmic sequence around, bringing a hidden compartment into view. He opened it and delicately took out the hidden treasure.
The mysterious object was encased in velvet. Koriss unwrapped it and gave it to Myrkas to examine. The revealed trinket was pretty, but not awe-inducing. It was comprised of a rounded piece, made of wood or antler, with golden detailing. It fitted just so in Myrkas' small hands—the boy was still waiting on puberty. A simple, braided leather string looped through the hole in its middle, allowing it to hang securely from anyone's neck. The ensemble made for a long pendant, not overly ostentatious.
Myrkas shifted the probably precious object in his hands. As the boy did so, faint runes glimmered in the late morning light. Myrkas observed them for an instant, mesmerized. This finally smelled like power!
"Don't put it on yet Kassa," his uncle warned. "Let's get back downstairs, I'll explain some things first. And I need more tea."
They proceeded, settling back in their previous seats. Myrkas had trouble keeping his excitement from exploding. The time had come, greatness awaited onwards! The tween's entire being was focused on his uncle, waiting for the man's cultivation wisdom.
"I'll start at the beginning, I guess," Koriss said. "Don't want to skip over any important matter, it could be disastrous. Don't hesitate to stop me if you have any questions, Kassa. The proper understanding of cultivation's basic principles is primordial for the success of any true practitioner,
"As you know, Qi is all around us. It is energy with metaphysical properties. It can also cross planes under certain conditions. Cultivators gather and store Qi through meditation, mostly, and use it to enhance themselves. At higher levels, they can even use it to perform feats, or techniques, such as sparking fire, moving water, help with healing, etc.
"Most people can't see or sense Qi, or at least not very well. It's still there. Some places have more, some less. We don't really know why. We don't really know where Qi comes from or exactly what it is. How it interacts with matter, and Yin/Yang soul energies.
"A subset of people with tell you otherwise. Don't believe them for they are either arrogant fools or conmen. We do have a few hypotheses but nothing proven. Most popular ones say it is produced from planets and astral entities like the sun and the moons. Some say it comes from the Heavens themselves, and trickle down to our lower Realm. Others believe Qi just exists, a part of the makeup of the universe, like water or stone, with a finite quantity. I, myself, prefer the theory which deems Qi originates from the interactions between Yin and Yang, both inside and outside souls. Following this premise, Qi should be generated from the friction between those two opposite, and fundamental soul energies. Qi's main role would be to stabilize and help to maintain equilibrium in the planes of reality. It basically solidifies the link between souls and physical matter. Carries intent, soul power, into tangible effects... This makes the most sense to me."
Koriss paused, lost in his thoughts for a moment. His explanation made more sense than the one Myrkas half-remembered from the novel. Actually, there had not been much of an explanation on what Qi was or where it came from in the web series, now that he thought about it. Qi existed, one only had to believe and witness its feats. The prince had not been one to ponder much about the whys and hows of the world. He had put all his focus on accumulating power for his revenge, crushing anything in his way. Nothing else had mattered to the Imperial scion but the Betrayal.
Upon learning of those possible understandings of the laws underlying this universe, Myrkas immediately planned to correlate this information with what he understood of the atomic theory from the "modern world." With dedication, he might gather new insights, and with luck, he might even achieve enlightenment!
"To cultivate, in essence," his uncle continued, "is to gather and store Qi in one's self, allowing one to modify and improve their mortal being. At the highest heights, one can become functionally immortal and hope to ascend to a higher Realm of Existence, a different physical dimension. But that's not for now.
"At the Mortal Cultivation Realm, the first state of being, the starting point of all mortals whether humans, beasts or plants, one's self is divided into three parts: the body, the Qi plane, and the soul. Your body is your physical body, the one you can touch, feel, and bleed from. The soul is your immortal self, the piece of you which gets reincarnated, the undying part that makes you, you. Certain scholars theorize that cultivation is a fool's errand to bypass the Heavens’ planned ascension through subsequent reincarnations. Truthfully, I'm not sure where I stand on that subject. we will have to discuss it further down the line. It is a supremely interesting philosophical debate."
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
Before Koriss could loose himself in reflections on the subject, Myrkas interrupted with his first question: "what is the Qi plane then, Uncle?"
"Ah! The Qi plane. It is harder to visualize. See, your body is your body. It is there, solid. Now imagine your soul as overlapping your physical self. Tied to it in a way you cannot see or feel. Like a blanket that is secured to you in three places: your head, your chest, and your center of gravity. Those are your dantians, or gates. Where cores can form. Humans and beasts all have three. Plants are another story I will not get into today. The Qi plane is the space between your soul and your body. It is infinitively narrow and infinitively wide at the same time. It doesn't make much sense, I agree, but that is our current understanding.
"To cultivate is to accumulate Qi in each of the three planes. Body is easiest. You don't need any extra steps to access it, although having strong spiritual roots help tremendously. Remind me to get back to roots later Kassa.
"To cultivate in your Qi plane, you first need to open one of your surface dantian gate. It allows Qi to traverse your body and enter your Qi plane. In a similar manner, one needs to open a deeper dantian gate to access their soul plane. It is harder and more dangerous the deeper one goes. Once a set of surface and deep gates are opened, a proto-core forms. It is an unavoidable goal to reach before one can attempt to pass from the Mortal Realm to the Earthen one. Those Realm are Self ones, not to be confused with the Greater Existential Realms. They are similar but different in scale.
"But the first step is usually body cultivation. It's easier, as I mentionned. There are many ways one can incorporate Qi into their body. Medicinal baths, advancement pills, elixirs, and meditation are the most used. Qi improves one's body inherently. Expert body cultivators can refine their mortal flesh enough to improve and change their constitution. Strengthen their muscles, quicken their reflexes, recover faster... Some focus more on an element, enabling them to meld with shadows or become impervious to fire.
"If one can manipulate Qi well-enough, it becomes possible to do amazing things. Enhance crafting up to spiritual levels, regrow limbs, change shapes, anything really. It is said that powerful soul cultivators can see glimpses of the future, track karma links or access past incarnations. Supposedly.
"Are you still with me Kassa? Any question so far?"
Myrkas was indeed attentive. This dump of information was what he had been anxiously waiting for. A real glimpse of everthing Myrkas dreamed of becoming through cultivation. All the possibilities laid bare before his eyes. It was too much and not enough knowledge simutaneously. There was so much to integrate that Myrkas had no time for details.
"Yes! Uncle, I think I understand how to get stronger better. But how does one defy Heavens exactly? How can we ascend?"
"Good, straight to the heart of the matter. One must first ascend through the nine Cultivation Realms of the Self before Ascending to the next Realm of Existence. Each Cultivation Realm is divided into nine stages, with every stage further divided into nine steps. You, Kassa, at the start of your journey, should be in the Mortal Realm, first stage: Qi gathering, on the first step for body, Qi, and soul planes. A cultivator needs to reach the ninth stage, ninth step in at least one of the three planes to attempt Integration and step into the Earthen Realm of Cultivation. Not many make it. The process is deadly in itself. Then one has to survive a Heavenly Tribulation to complete the process. The more pinnacle planes a cultivator achieves first, the less risky it becomes. Same for proto-cores. You need at least one, but having all six gates opened is a definite advantage for survival.
"Then a cultivator has to repeat the process of accumulating and developing Qi and their planes through all next eight Self Realms. There are near infinite paths to reach the goal. Different techniques, elemental Qi, supplements, it all depends on the Dao one follows."
Koriss was getting more and more enthused as he talked. The alchemist dived deeply into long lectures about complex meridians schematics, the pros and cons of different Qi types, elemental Qi versus conceptual Qi, and everything else in between.
When the man started on soul theory and integration strategies, Myrkas knew he had to stop his uncle. The boy was loosing it. This cultivation business was much more intricate than the novel had made it look. The princeling only ever needed to gather random Qi by meditating really hard, and his innate talent and Imperial Bloodline had done the rest. The original main character did not have to "build his own meridians" or even work to open his first gate. He was born with awesome meridians and a proto-core thanks to his imperial bloodline. It was so unfair!
Stupid overpowered protagonist. Myrkas was starting to hate the guy. Never met him, likely never would but it didn't matter. It felt so good to direct his anger at something. To purge some of his unwanted feelings at a faceless icon. The prince acted as the perfect scapegoat, the ultimate metaphorical punching-bag!
From his recent experiences and his uncle's lectures, Myrkas better understood how risky and difficult cultivation truly was. The boy had a long, long road ahead. One trife with traps and steep cliffs. The mountain rose in all its splendor, the peak showing now that the clouds had lessened.
Myrkas was at its base. He needed to climb, one step at a time. The way littered with rocks to cut himself on and slopes to fall from. No matter, for Myrkas had decided to rise. He was commited. To grow strong. strong enough to safeguard himself and his loved ones, no matter what the future brought. Myrkas would transcend his potential. He would prove once and for all how much better he was compared to that over priviledged princely main character. The goal was in sight, the path at Myrkas' feet. All he had left was to climb and prevail.
"Uncle, sorry to interrupt but aren't those concepts a little advanced? Shouldn't I start with the basics? Such as meditation and Qi gathering?" Myrkas asked.
Taken aback, Koriss stared at his nephew. It was as if the man had forgotten the primary purpose of his talk, so taken was he by the subject.
"Yes, yes. Indeed. We will elaborate later on, when you are more familiar with the practice. You can put on the artefact now, but don't let it touch your skin yet. Hide it. Most would kill to get their hands on it. Do not bring it outside the estate and give it back to me between uses. Do not tell anyone about it, especially not Suna Ranil. Heaven knows what he would do if he knew. Then again, Suna should aim not to incure my wrath too too much.
"As you may have guessed, Kassa, this is an Assessor, and a pretty good one. Very, very valuable. A rare one, unusually versatile. While I know not who made it, or their cultivation level, I would not be surprised if they had already been an Immortal for a long time before they fashioned this particular Assessor. I learned a great deal from it. More than from the Sagace Glass Cauldron Sect's Academy I attended.
"I have to warn you, however, it can be a little reckless in its advice. Take the proferred paths with a grain of salt. It may have agreed or even encouraged you in your recent risk-taking behaviours, as ill-advised as they were.
"It remains a tool, not a Master. I am here if you need. Don't cripple yourself. Don't take risks. There is no rush. I have seen too many die in the pursuit of blind power. Same goes for Master Ranil, I will reign him in if needed."
At the end of his speech, Koriss took on a pensive air again, the older man easily lost in memories. Myrkas waited politely. And waited. Until shadows moved with the waning sun. When his uncle started to read in his face, the boy concluded he could take his leave. Teaching was over, time to start with practise!
At last, his training arc could debut!