I understood Thomas and Lenna's frustration. Because I was a mother before entering Digi-verse, I could relate. But my ability to empathize with them didn't excuse the extent of betrayal they had engaged in. The farming community was innocent in this. They had welcomed and supported the family, treating the children as their own, and Thomas's fury and resentment had returned that care with the same disregard and contempt the Fidel Clan had for his children.

He and Lenna weren't the ones that started the fire that could have destroyed the entire community, but they were the ones that supplied the bandits with the information that hastened their actions. If my arrival hadn't been shared, they wouldn't have resorted to such drastic measures.

It was Thomas that entered into a Faustian bargain with the Cleave young master, done with Lenna's complicity. They were the ones that watched as raids against livestock occurred, raids that jeopardized the community's ability to flourish, even survive the vagaries of winter. If they were willing to allow their friends and neighbors to stave this winter, to allow young children to suffer because of their jealousies, then any sympathy I might have for them was mitigated by the thought of those young children possibly dying of hunger.

And despite how the Fidel Clan acted, Sophie was innocent in the matter. She couldn't control how the Clan treated her any more than she could control how Thomas's children were treated. But here in the community where both families lived, there was none of that bias or mistreatment displayed. Sophie and Thomas's children were friends. She often spent time playing and watching the children, helping with lessons, and sharing chores. They had grown close, as close as siblings, and Thomas would destroy that connection and create rivalry and abhorrence where none existed.

Even worse, Thomas had devised a method to destroy her, to sell her as a whore to a young master, damn the consequences. I understood his anger, but I abhorred his methods. What happened to him and Lenna were out of my hands now. I had the answers I needed, for my part, my Mission was completed.

The Eoraptors that had been raiding the farm were dead, those responsible caught. What happened to Thomas, Lenna, and the injured Cultivator from this point were in the hands of Matriarch Helena and her community, they had been betrayed and would have to create a path forward. I didn't envy what choices they would have to make. If the farming community survived and endured, I would be surprised.

I only spent a few moments longer, once questioning was complete, and the investigation closed, to inform the Matriarch the general location of the mine, and to let her know that I had submitted and staked a claim with the Empire before we found out about Thomas's involvement.

I thought I saw a flash of resentment once I broached the subject, and I couldn't blame her. As the original claimant, my share of the profits would amount to one percent of all stones gathered. The village would only receive enough to offset yearly tithes and taxes owed. If Thomas had processed the claim, the farming community stood to earn an additional five percent on top of the tax and tithe forbearance.

Towns, communities, clans, and Sects were awarded a larger share of the profits. It was explained as compensation for the investment those institutions invested in the claimant. I thought it more likely the Sects and Governments in power made tithe and tax policy so made sure to award the lion share to those that had the most power. That five percent would now go to Flowing Water Sect.

Before I headed back to the Sect, I wanted to spend some time consolidating my gains. Although the fighting I had done had been quick and easy, I felt a stirring of enlightenment gathering from the use of [Lightning's Rush]. I also planned on gathering more herbs. I made my way back to the mine, entering the tunnel by circumventing the marker array instead of destroying it. The array was synced to my Qi so gaining entrance was easily accomplished.

Once I'd navigated the narrow passage, I found a spot relatively flat and free of debris, an area that was comfortable enough for me to maintain the lotus position and to begin cultivating. My ability to cycle Qi, using [Transcend the Heavenly Footpath] had progressed steadily over the year. It still took time to complete a revolution, but the intricacies of the technique led me to believe this would always be the case.

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I might, in the future, progress enough that a revolution would take the same amount of time as any other technique, but until then, I would slog through the effort required to nurture my Qi network.

Once I had begun cultivating, absorbing the much denser Qi that was available in the soul stone mine, I entered my Soul Ocean and began meditating, trying to understand the gleanings of enlightenment I had gained. This duality of consciousness, a split of awareness where one of my selves monitored each revolution of Qi that my body cycled, and one of my selves entering into meditation in my soul ocean had been hard for me to grasp, but it was a necessary evolution for any successful Cultivator.

It was a requirement, a duality of form and function needed in order to attain enlightenment. My brush with the Dao was a Heavenly opportunity, something I shouldn't have expected until I had reached the Qi Gathering Realm. When gaining enlightenment, the splitting of mind and perspective was required, the ability to maintain cohesion and focus without losing yourself to the gains you might make, while not allowing your cultivation to deviate.

For me, learning this method was even more important, because if I allowed my cultivation to deviate, I would take real damage that would require time and effort to heal.

The Soul Ocean I had formed at this stage was nothing more than a vast sea of billowing fog. I hadn't absorbed and processed enough Qi for the fog to condense and begin forming the pools of water that would fuel my Dharmic body. Eventually, the wisps of Qi fog would condense, pools would form and join together, and I would be left with a vast ocean, a vista of water that responded to my emotion and will.

I mirrored the lotus position in this space that I had taken with my physical body, although there was no ground or firmament to anchor myself, I was able to maintain the position, allowing the gentle stirring of fog to send my body wafting along with the eddies the fog followed. Turning my attention to [Lightning' Rush] I began trying to build a deeper understanding of the movement technique.

What is movement and how does this technique translate for me? Because I had noticed in my fights that if I had used [Lightning's Rush] to position myself, to dodge in and out of range and attacks, my own attacks and defenses were heightened, the increase in movement corresponded to an increase in efficacy. I was just that much faster when incorporating [Lightning's Rush] and my attack and defense was improved.

I realized that movement didn't just mean running faster. It was a profound Dao that touched upon the very framework of my life. Running, attacking, and defending were obvious instances were [Lightning's Rush] stacked with other techniques. As I reflected on my battles, I noticed other increases in movement and speed on my body. My heart rate and breathing increasing my body's ability to respond, it increased blood flow rich in oxygen resulting in an increase in the ability to stimulate muscles more efficiently.

But even more profound than these tangible improvements were those I considered intangible. I was able to perceive actions faster, make decisions easier, and think of strategic responses at a heightened speed. My perception of time increased, and the surrounding people seemed to slow, their motions telegraphed in a manner that my reflexes were able to process and respond to.

The [Dao of Movement] was not only about how the technique affected me, but how my use of the technique affected the world around me. And as I came to understand this, I could see where complete enlightenment of the Dao would lead. Planets, Suns, Universes in constant movement. Someone who had attained a complete understanding of the [Dao of Movement] would be able to stop the rotation of planets.

I could see beyond that localized interference. Someone who had attained ultimate enlightenment might be able to change the path of the Universe itself as they employed their understanding to affect the unending expansion of the Universe at large.

As I made this realization, a stirring, a clashing of forces within my soul ocean forced me to divert my attention, ignoring for the moment my understanding of the Dao and focus on what was happening. Until this point, my soul ocean had been bereft of any type of structure or land. But as I had attained enlightenment of the Dao, that understanding had been mirrored by the creation of a construct. A towering pillar that was ringed in the runic script that encompassed all that I had understood.

I had taken the first step towards enlightenment. Just the beginning stage, but enough to form a Dao pillar that I could use as a meditation focus to expand that understanding. The [Dao of Movement] had become an intricate part of who I was and how I would develop as a Cultivator.