Today, was a surprising day for Fushaka, and most of the disciples. A few days after her spar with the Salamander, while she was puzzling over her Stars, the Outer Sect Disciples were invited to the Inner Sect Arena to witness a day where the Inner and Core Disciples were sparring among each other to show off their capabilities to their generation. It was quite sudden, and Fushaka couldn’t help but think there was some wife-shaped hands all over this. Still, it was going to be a great day hopefully, so Fushaka got herself washed up and cleaned her uniform before falling in with the rest and ascending up the mountain to the Inner Sect at the guidance of the Outer Sect Elder.
It felt like a whole new world, being up here. Everything looked better, like there was some real focus on keeping this place well kept. Made some sense, really, since the Outer Sect was barely the porch of the Asura Foundation Sect. There was here, the Inner Sect, and then the Core Sect, and then the Elder’s Palace at the summit. So the guys who kept the walls nice and washed not going down to the Outer Sect was not really all that much of a shock to her.
What was a shock to her, however, was the capabilities of her elder Brothers and Sisters. Gathering around the arena, Fushaka was shown what she could really get up to, if she put her mind to it. Staff, Spear, Sword, Blade, Fists; all were on display here, as well as good control of the Ki. Fushaka drank it all in, her eyes flitting a hundred directions and bloating out her brain with a lot of things she had no frame of reference for, a lot of things she’d not be able to properly use for years to come. But all was stored, for that one day. She even got to see her rival - the head of the Three Mind Society - fight, and showcase that Fushaka was not worthy of even being called a rival to a woman that skilled right now.
Eventually, there was a lot of hubbub from the referee, and two people took to the stage with murmurs of delight from the crowd. On one side, there was Raimaa Futago, who was introduced as an exchange student from the Mount Hua Sect. A sect famous for it’s swordsmanship, who held the accolade of being one of the only three sects to ever best a Balor in battle. There was much excitement to see her in even a spar.
On the other side, The Young Sky, Talia Ci Tsu, stepped onto the stage. Thundering Sky Style was the Martial of the Asura Foundation, and seeing it in action was always a treat. These two together, was seriously just flexing the strength and power of the Sect, but that was what the Strong could do. How better to motivate other people than to showcase what they would be able to do if they put their heart and soul into it. Was it cheating to use prodigies and daughters of the Sect Leader in this showcase? Probably, but the world was cruel, and trying to avoid such a truth was how warriors ended up dead.
And so, the spar began. Here, and now, the true capabilities of the four Gong were on display. There was a feel like they were holding back, so the gathered students could keep track, but they were still using their Qingong to be inhumanly fast and kicking off the air in a temporary flight, flashes of semi-visible light dancing as they did. Neigong was also displayed as their bodies moved, struck, and twisted in a way that a body simply could not if it wasn’t enhanced by mystical energies. After a few minutes of physical sparring showcasing their Waigong, they would break off for a moment and then envelop themselves in the same semi-visible light that the Qingong movements had released.
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Electricity coated Talia, while Raimaa danced amidst illusionary cherry blossoms, the arena filling with the smell of petals and ozone. Two energy blasts struck at each other, exploding on impact and blasting the gathered students with the shockwave, to their vocal shock and surprise. Once that had died down, the spar was ended, and the day had come to an end. Talia would turn to Fushaka and blow a kiss - because she needed more attention, apparently… - and stride off back to the Core Sect.
The Outer Sect Elder guided them back down the mountain, and then had his hands full at the ravenous explosion of activity. People filled the sparring halls to burst, stripped the mission board almost dry, and jostled for position that threatened to turn ugly before being interrupted by the Prefects. For her part, Fushaka found herself a nice empty corner of the Outer Sect, and sat down. She was roiling with the thousands of things she had seen today, and didn’t want to try and do anything with it until she knew what it was. Plus, she had no real desire to get involved with the stampede of the current situation. Instead, she recalled her lessons.
Qi, was Breath, Breath, was life. One must master the breath of their Self before they could manipulate it to their own ends. As such, breathing exercises were of great importance to a budding Martial Artist, as much as any actual art or ability. Gathering breath in the Dantian was the first step towards becoming a true Cultivator. Though feeling the flow of energy was hard for her, because of the Stone. Every bit of energy she might have managed to direct to the Dantian simply bounced off it, like it has ossified or something. One Yin Manual was not enough, she needed a more powerful energy technique.
That said, there were warnings abound of jumping in with both feet. Qi Deviation, Meridian Shredding, becoming a Kuei. That last one sounded the worst from what she read. The other two simply damaged your body in varying ways, that you might even be able to recover from with enough time and effort. But a Kuei, was a twisted thing. The very brain chemistry was altered by the incorrect flow of your energy, and you became a beast that focused on their obsession to the point of insanity. Worse, you were a normal person in every other instance, so you didn’t even get the ‘benefit’ of mindlessness…
After circulating her energy until nightfall, Fushaka stood, and headed over to the Martial Hall. It was a cacophonous aftermath of The Horde, and the Prefects were busy cleaning up up and fixing everything. But one was flagged down eventually for her to talk to.
“You had the right idea, staying out of the way like that” he commented with a gruff laugh.
“Thanks. On that topic, I have a problem. I’ve been working One Yin Principle and trying energy circulation, but there is a strange feeling. Like, my Dantian is a rock and everything-”
She was cut off mid-sentence by the man grabbing her hand, and feeling her pulse. She yelped and pulled back, but he did not let go. Just as she was ready to punch him, he would stop and nod.
“You are the Gregari that was brought in by Talia, yes?” he would ask, looking at her.
“.......Yes?” she’d rely, cautious and suspicious.
“Mmm, your Brothel Master seems to have been gathering cultivation resources for the Heavenly Demon Sect, and so you and the other girls were most probably smoking Tribute Grass. There is nothing much for it other than to keep circulating, and eventually you’ll revitalize your Dantian. I’ll let the Elders know, and we’ll send you some extra resources to speed it up. For now, just get some rest and carry on as normal”
The Prefect would nod, and then return to his work. The idea that the Brothel had been stealing her energy like that sucked, but they were going to fix it. So she didn’t really have much room to complain, and simply did as she was told.