----------------------------------------
Stone Qi
A subset of Earth Qi, one of the fundamental building blocks of reality.
Type: Elemental Qi.
Occurrence: Very Frequent.
Density: High.
Colour: Deep grey and brown hues above ground. Lighter hues the closer it is to the World’s Child.
Temperature: Neutral, but can vary based on interactions with other qi.
Typically characterised by stability and resilience, strength and unyielding, it can be found on most places of the planet, and as a result, it is the most commonly used sub-element of Earth Qi.
The most efficient way to channel Stone Qi is to always have one point of contact with the ground or the wall. Slowly and steadily, the Qi must flow from one’s legs into their dantian, and then evenly spread throughout the body. It is important to fix a mental image in one's head, no matter what it is. The less it changes, the more agilely one can manipulate Stone Qi.
Unlike common assumptions, it does not increase the further down into the earth that you go. Instead, it is the densest in leylines, tall mountains, and underground caves. It is particularly abundant in mines that feature gemstones, which are the crystallisation of Stone Qi. As such, spiritual gemstones are often used when cultivating or performing specific techniques.
The abundance of Stone Qi may attract Earth Dragons, Rakshasas, Living Mountains, and much more. (See below.)
----------------------------------------
Now, imagine a situation. This first page was clearly the passion project of the author—he would categorise hundreds of different qi types in a systematic way for everyone to understand. Then, someone else tells him that it’s too dry and won’t properly sell. Thus, the second page was born, describing advice from seniors about how to properly manipulate a certain type of qi. It was from this that Jun perfected his magical techniques.
‘It’s always more money and more resources with these cultivators. The markets are rigged! The sect halls are full of nepotism! Freedom to the people!’ Jun thought, gnashing his teeth. He remembered all the incoming expenses—the gemstones, the second book. He was already bleeding spirit stones thanks to the plants. The tragedy of it all.
Putting away the book for now, he pulled out the stone dog manual, re-reading it now that he had this information.
“The Earthquake Stomp is the second move that the Man-Eating Stone Lion possesses.”
“After the lion is done ramming into stone, it will frequently groom and admire itself. It considers itself to be the most beautiful creature to ever exist, mocking and despising anything and everything prettier than it.
“The sight of a pretty or shiny thing drives the lion into a mad and senseless rage as it aims to crush the thing beneath its feet, whether it be gemstones, jewellery, or attractive humans. The lion will stomp and stomp until the thing is ground to dust, and then lap it up with its tongue, believing that the remains will make it in turn more beautiful.
“You must possess extreme narcissism to cultivate this technique. There is no being you could ever love. None are as beautiful as you. Only you are perfect in this world, and the rest are merely fakes and pretenders—those who dare to shine brighter than you must be viciously crushed underneath your feet.
“Draw in the stone qi and gather it beneath your foot. Then, with one violent burst, send a wave of qi through the ground, letting it cleave the earth asunder. When it burrows deep and runs its course, the natural stone qi will shift and collapse, creating an earthquake. This is also the basis for many of the lion’s sub-techniques and variants, which I have not included here.”
Jun looked between this manual and the book about qi he just read. He was incredibly tempted to test the Earthquake Stomp on this stupid thing.
“Why are there only three important sentences on how to perform the technique? For what possible reason would you not include the variants? Are you stupid?” Jun shouted at the manual, cursing the author to stub his pinky a thousand times.
He spent the rest of the day angrily preparing, sending Wang Lei on another errand to buy some spiritual gemstones. Unfortunately, Jun was once again poor as dirt. He could only afford chipped and low-quality sparklies. This sent him into another grumbling fit until he made his way to the undersect, choosing a relatively unoccupied area. For some reason, the people here kept pointing at him, practically on the verge of tears. More than one child began to sob.
A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
‘I’ve been the epitome of sneakiness while I’ve been here. There’s no way they recognize me. Someone’s dog must have recently died or something,’ he shrugged, dropping a particularly shiny ruby on the ground. Then, it was time to delude himself.
For this special occasion, he had prepared a small hand mirror, which he awkwardly held in his paws. His fur was dirty from the garden, but he was lean and muscular for a dog. When he stood straight, he was as immovable as stone, and when he bared his teeth, even lions would think twice about attacking him.
‘My face is also cute and lovable. Honestly, how could anyone hate me? No other dog can compare in terms of strength, looks, and most of all, intelligence. Perhaps I am the most perfect dog of them all. Someone fit to rule over others, wiping out opposition like the Human Emperor.’
The self-delusion engine was fully operational. The more he thought about it, the more he realised that everything was true. He was the first dog to ever properly cultivate. He was flawless.
But then… Something was horribly wrong. The gem beneath him dared to shine brighter as if it was mocking him for being dirty.
“It’s the dirt of hard work and labour! Square up! I’ll take on you and all of your friends.”
Jun jumped up and down, glaring and growling at the gem before him. Then, he drew in the stone qi around him, channelling it all to his right paw. The fur turned grey and rigid, and his muscles tensed unlike anything before. In his mind, he shaped it like an ocean wave and narrowed it like a drill. He lifted his foot high in the air, sneering at the pathetic thing beneath him.
“Farewell.”
STOMP!
The pain that followed after was so intense that he cursed for an entire minute, describing the gemstone’s mother in ways that should not be repeated. Flesh quickly regenerated, but the pain was still there, ever-lasting.
“Do you think you’ve won? You can never break me!” he shouted, lifting his foot again. His qi visualisation must have been wrong. This time, the gem would shatter.
STOMP!
He was so, so wrong. But had he given up when smashing his head against a wall a thousand times? No. he would not give up now. Righteous fury overwhelmed his mind.
STOMP! STOMP! STOMP! STOMP! STOMP! STOMP! STOMP! STOMP! STOMP!
The earth rumbled as he continued stomping despite the overwhelming pain. Finally, the eleventh blow proved to be too much for the gemstone to handle as it shattered into a million little pieces, ravaged by the qi inside of it. Beneath it, a few feet of ground had split open.
“I win. Fuck you.”
Then, he snapped out of his self-inflicted delirium, truly wondering if he had a mental problem. Blood, shards, and fine dust mixed into a strange blend underneath his paws. Closing his eyes and taking a deep breath, he began licking up what he had just shattered.
“I hate this,” he said, gagging as he did.
The sharp shards cut the inside of his throat, and although his flesh quickly healed, it was one of the most unpleasant feelings he had ever experienced. Thoughts of putting the technique down and never touching it again ran rampant in his mind, but he persisted by bringing up memories of the butcher. If he was going to learn the technique and become stronger, then he might as well fully immerse himself. At this moment, he was the Man-Eating Stone Lion.
However, this was enough for today. There was only so much torture a dog could endure before breaking. And as he made his way back above ground, an old, wrinkly man stopped watching the scene—he had been alarmed by the ground shaking, witnessing the dog’s madness first hand.
“What was it?” a small girl asked by his side, jumping up and down to try and reach the window.
“Shhh. It’s the Mourning Dog hunting for revenge. Be careful these next few days,” he said to the child. However, just hours later, he told the story again, now to a bigger audience.
“I swear I saw the dog that the tales speak of! My eyesight may be poor, but I clearly witnessed how it crushed a skull beneath its paws until the ground was covered in blood. Even worse, it proceeded to drink the blood of his enemies, relishing in the sensation.
The whole thing sent a shiver down my spine when I saw it,” the old man addressed the rest of his family, who had come to visit. Gasps and shocked whispers rang throughout the room.
By the end of tomorrow, half the undersect knew of the story, adding one more exploit to Jun’s legends. Intrigued by the tale, the head of Crimson Rose, a bloody Lu sub-family, put out a bounty for the dog—dead or alive—but the request was gone by the time morning arrived. It was rumoured that someone of a similar rank in the Lu family had personally intervened.
And then, time passed as it always did. Like a cruel mistress, it didn’t care about the feelings of others. Fortunately for Jun, the month ticked away in peace and quiet. Hours and hours of spiritual gardening had given him inner peace. Well, as long as he ignored the hundreds of dead rabbits, that is.
Lying down in the corner, on an illusion formation he had carved when they moved in, Jun pulled out a book he had toiled to purchase for an entire month. In shimmering red letters, it read “The Human Bloodline.”