Tantra is dying.
Although she says that for every jog. Why does cultivation have to involve so much pain? Did a massive masochist discover the mystic arts and pass it down through the generations? If that’s the case, Tantra’s gonna find them and strangle them until their face turns blue.
Hmmmm, no, they’d probably enjoy that.
The jogs, as always, don’t really need description. It’s a jog. Her legs ache and lungs burn and the smell of so much sweat is an offence to her sinuses. Which is why it’s quite surprising that she actually finds herself enjoying it for once. She hasn’t suddenly become an enthusiast for cardio, no, it’s much more mystical than that. She won’t have to spend hours on end maintaining the focus needed to circulate! Truly a momentous occasion, she’s actually pushing herself harder to get this over with and experience vindication. Her core is bursting with energy just ready to be dumped into her body, she’s almost eager.
So it’s a little sooner than usual that she finds herself being dragged by one of the assistants to the side to circulate. Ah circulating, such a misnomer for what she’s about to do, she settles into a cross-legged position and reaches into her core. She isn’t delicate, she doesn’t need to be, she just opens her core fully and lets the energy seep into her body.
Well, about a tenth of the energy, but it’s still enough.
When she opens her eyes, barely any time has passed, and she lets a wild smile loose.
“Well, well.” Says a familiar voice, “congratulations junior, you’ve finally accomplished the basics”
Tantra schools her features and turns to face the girl, “Forgiveness disciple Etra, but you are not my senior.”
Etra shrugs, “senior, junior, they’re just titles to compare strength; and in regards to strength I am superior in every way. Once you manage to beat me in one of our ‘duels’ I’ll gladly call you senior.”
Tantra raises a brow, “Those titles are used in relation to when you started the journey, not strength. We started at the same time, therefore, you aren’t my senior.”
Etra chuckles, “going right to the details huh? I’d almost be surprised if it weren’t so typical. Tell me, how does all that crammed knowledge serve your brain when it’s getting rocked by my fist?”
“It serves me just fine,” Tantra replies smoothly, “provides the perfect padding.”
Etra looks shocked, then lets out a long laugh, slapping her knee a few times.
“So you are capable of humor.” She finally says wiping a tear from her eye, “I was starting to think you were as bland as unseasoned rice, color me pleasantly surprised.”
Tantra refuses to smirk at the girl, they are not friends, still she can’t help the slight twitch that breaks through her mask. One in which Etra seems to have noticed, as she puts on a wide smile of her own.
“That’s the spirit, acting more like a cultivator by the day.” She says, “maybe there’s some hope for you after all.”
-
Tantra has a lot more free time since getting the Qi stone. Which means a lot more time in the library. “Tantraaa,” Yorin wines, “I’m sooo bored” Tantra glances at the boy but pays him no mind.
“Uncultured swine.” Kisrin sneers, “books are the height of intellect, of ingenuity, of creativity!”
Yorin gives Kisrin a flat look, “Papa says that only pussies base their personality on a girl”
Kisrin goes purple and sputters out a retort that Tantra doesn’t really listen to, she’s engrossed in the migration patterns of Ghoma antelopes, a rare species of ungulate spirit beast. They travel the whole eastern continent throughout the seasons, starting from mount Ghoma in the winter down to the Devils fissure during summer. They, ironically enough, search for harsh climates rather than avoid them, which seemingly works wonders for their survival as they are some of the strongest herbivores on Testhim. They don’t even have a predator to be wary of, other than an unusually strong spirit beast.
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Tantra reads happily as Yorin and Kisrin have entered into some such argument, so engrossed in her book that she doesn’t realize the presence of the librarian until a wave of Qi washes over all three of them.
Tantra freezes, mammalian fear overtaking her decision making as the librarian walks over.
“Now, I know we aren’t the most prestigious, lacking in patronage as we are, but this is still a library.” He says, his voice seeming to overtake any possible noise, “you will be silent or you will get out”
“Yes, master librarian”
“Apologies master librarian”
Both the boys bow.
The librarian grunts “you should be more like your friend there, all focused on learning rather than talking.”
Tantra smiles slightly, although sweat still beads on her forehead, “thank you, master librarian.”
-
Tantra weaves two threads of Qi together, ever so slowly, like two snakes coiling around one another. She’s gotten faster, although not by much, but it’s noticeable. Though that’s the thing with the metaphysical, it’s a lot harder to measure progress than its physical counterpart. So for it to be noticeable means it is significant, at least by her measure; and her measure’s the only one that matters to her so it’s the one she’s using. She coils the threads together and pulls them taut, letting the rope travel further through her body, reaching the solar plexus. The heart doesn’t have any meridians, because that’s where the core lies, so reaching the solar plexus makes her somewhat giddy. She threads and threads as the hours pass.
-
Dok the duck is staring at her as she eats her rice.
It’s been staring at her for the past ten minutes, she does her best to just keep eating her rice. She refuses to acknowledge the thing as it eyes her.
Sola enters the living area with a yawn, then stops short at the sight of Tantra.
“Tantra?”
“Yes, honoured senior?”
“Why are you sitting on the table?”
“No reason”
-
Tantra throws out a jab, swift and fast. Karaz brushes it aside as she enters Tantra’s guard and pushes her back.
“Too slow and too eager.” Karaz taunts, “I could see that from a mile away”
Tantra ignores the verbal jabs as she produces a few physical ones alongside a right cross. Karaz dodges the jabs and blocks the cross, bringing up her leg slow enough for Tantra to raise her guard and protect her head. It hits like a battering ram, knocking her slightly aside despite her senior holding back. Even if they’re both disciples of the foundation realm, the difference between their physical capabilities is stark. She doesn’t know how long Karaz has been a disciple of the sect, but it’s clearly more than just a few years.
As Tantra resets her stance, Karaz throws a hook that she actually manages to dodge. Well, if you consider taking a step back dodging. Karaz takes a step forward and follows up with a flurry of jabs that Tantra can’t follow, forcing her to cover her face with both arms as she weathers the blows. Tantra ducks once the next jab is delayed and is vindicated when a hook cuts through the air above her, she brings her fist up and buries it in Karaz’s guts. The girl grunts as Tantra follows up with an elbow to the chin that Karaz barely dodges with a tilt of her head. Then the girl headbutts Tantra’s face.
“Oh shit,” she says as Tantra falls to the ground, “I’m so sorry, got caught up in the fight. You did pretty good at the end there.”
“Thanks,” Tantra replies nasally, “Senior? I think you broke my nose.”
Karaz waves her off, “just a flesh wound my young disciple, happens all the time.”
“I’m pretty sure the nose is made of cartilage.” Tantra points out.
“Eh, tomato tomahto, cartilage is basically just fleshy bone” Karaz replies.
Tantra scrunches her brow, “that doesn’t sound right at all.”
“Hah! That’s where you’re wrong junior, this senior has the highest scores in biology and medicine, so anything I say must be correct.”
“They teach medicine here?”
“If the Elders deem you worthy, which I am.” She replies smugly
-
Rizin doesn’t really do much for the sect, he sweeps the floors and cleans the houses when the disciples are training, but otherwise he’s left to his own devices. He finds that odd, as a servant, shouldn’t he be worked to the bone? That’s how it was in his previous sect. This schedule actually gives him some time to cultivate, although he’s too old to take the tests. But discipleship isn’t the only path to immortality, at least that’s what he chooses to believe as he pushes his Qi out to his body. He’s barely progressed over the years, but he has progressed, and he holds to that like a lifeline.
He’s too focused on cultivating to notice the dagger that pierces his heart.