It took a month for Boneroot to hone his new Radiant Claw into a functional technique. The effort was not in vain, though. Even in its imperfect state, the power and ki efficiency was greatly improved. Though he would need much longer, possibly years, to fully master it, Kroshieshi was satisfied enough with his progress to move on.
“You can continue to refine the Radiant Claw on your own time. For now, let’s move on to your movement technique. This is the backbone of any cultivation art worth pursuing. If you cannot catch your opponent, it hardly matters how hard you can hit them. Your development of the Shade Step, as you called it, presents you with an interesting choice.”
Kroshieshi paused for effect, to Boneroot’s annoyance, before elaborating, “The technique as it is now is nigh-irredeemable. However, you have two options that I can see when it comes to replacing it. Firstly, you can refine the technique to resemble more closely what we of the Sentoru Forest Pride use, the Void Pounce. We only use it to close the gap on particularly swift prey, but, with certain adjustments, I think it could serve you well as a more generalized movement technique.”
Then came another pause, as Kroshieshi trotted side to side in front of the boy, but Boneroot was too focused to care.
“If you choose this route, however, we will first need to determine if your Void attunement is significant enough to support it. On the other hand, you may want to develop a Spatial technique instead. There is a Light-attuned human cultivator who visits Felindei on occasion. I have observed him using something of the sort on a handful of occasions. It appears quite powerful, but most techniques used by Black realm cultivators do. I believe I can relay to you enough of the technique to create something similar of your own. What are your thoughts?”
Boneroot sat down to think and cultivate and think some more. Kroshieshi left him to his individual practice for the day, to return later for his decision.
In the time between the tsovar’s departure and return, Boneroot devoted half his the session to further refining his Radiant Claw and the rest toward experimenting with movement skills.
First, he tried to identify the Void ki in his Shade Step technique and swiftly gave up upon his utter failure. Perhaps he just didn’t have or use enough of the elusive ki type, but he could not, no matter how hard he tried, sense any of it. However, he made a note to ask Kroshieshi if it was just a caveat of the Void ki itself.
Trying to put the failure out of his mind, Boneroot began to feel out how a movement technique with Spatial ki might work. Though he was still quite inexperienced in consciously manipulating the essence type, he had an inkling of how such a technique could function.
When he was first adjusting his Radiant Claw, he had to prepare the empty space he intended to manipulate. He did this by manifesting a shred of Spatial ki at his target, expanding it slightly, then collapsing it as he materialized the full claw of essence. It was a slow, complex process that he eventually eliminated, but it was necessary to get a handle on distant space manipulation.
Boneroot started his experiment by doing the same thing, but instead of creating a claw of Spatial ki at the target, he tried to move the ki in his body, as well as his physical body, to the location. It was an ambitious idea, to say the least, but he felt that it could work. Theoretically, anyway.
After one round of attempting this until his ki reserves were exhausted, the boy sat back down to replenish them and reflect on his progress. Frankly, he hadn’t made much. In retrospect, attempting to squeeze all the energy in his body into a distant space may not have been the ideal framework. Nonetheless, he didn’t feel that he’d actually wasted his time.
Ever since realizing the nature of the Light and Spatial energies he was cultivating, Boneroot had grown dissatisfied with his understanding of his own techniques. Every step toward better comprehending them was a step in the right direction.
The young cultivator spent the remaining couple hours practicing the fledgeling idea of a technique and replenishing his ki. When Kroshieshi returned to hear his decision, some questions needed to be answered first.
“Why can’t I sense Void ki? You mentioned I was using it in my Shade Step, but I haven’t been able to identify even a shred of anything other than Shadow ki.”
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“Ah, perhaps I should have explained earlier.” The cat inclined her head slightly. “Void energy is, in a way, a natural subtraction of energy. Much like a beam of Shadow ki upending the light and heat in its path, leaving only the cold and dark, a Void technique seeks to subvert space entirely, rather than manipulate it. For one who cultivates only a small amount of Void ki, it is nearly impossible to identify.”
Kroshieshi paused, waited for Boneroot to formulate a response, then talked over him with a sly grin, “This is made even harder by the inherently subtle nature of Shadow ki. Rather than trying to distinguish the two, look for any gaps or inconsistencies in your ki cycle. It will be still be difficult to sense amid the Shadow ki, but that is what you need to look for.”
Turning his focus inward, Boneroot began to examine his ki with determination. He needed to meditate for nearly an hour before he was able to sense the slightest sliver of Void ki, which felt more like a quirk in his Shadow ki than its own entity.
“I found it. Some of it, at least. How do I know if that much can even support a movement technique? Isn’t that something I’ll want to use constantly.”
“That’s a valid concern, but ultimately misplaced. You’ve been using the Void ki in your movement already, you just bolstered it with an excess of Shadow ki to make it function. I might have commended the idea if you were doing it on purpose.”
Slightly chagrin to have forgotten that, Boneroot wondered out loud, “So, if I dedicate all of my Void ki to this technique, it will free up more energy for other things?”
“Not quite. Ki is hardly so cut-and-dry. Each energy within you, qi included, feeds into each other, forming a cohesive whole. The benefit is more in a compartmentalization of your techniques. If you are using Void ki to move, Shadow ki to hide, Spatial ki to attack, and Light ki for whatever else, you’ll likely find it much easier to perform each function one after the other, in various orders, and at different timings. It is a rather enviable position for a low-level cultivator. That’s why I think you should attempt to learn our Void Pounce. Ultimately, though, I will abide by your decision.”
Before he committed, Boneroot reflected on his time in the grove. Ever since coming to the grove, the choices he was allowed to make were few and far between. He felt some appreciation at being taken seriously, or something close to it, by his teacher. That, or Kroshieshi was trying to get him to take her side. Either way, his mind was made up.
“Void Step, it is, then!”
His master rolled her eyes, “By the time you leave here, I swear I will have beat a better sense of naming into you.”
Not backing down from the playful challenge in her eyes, Boneroot declared, “Just wait ‘til you hear the name of my cultivation art!”
“Well all this jabbering hasn’t left us with enough time to begin on your movement technique. However, I think we have just enough time to go over the major policy mistakes of the Xiatian dynasty.”
Boneroot didn’t even groan. He knew this one was coming.
~
The next day, Boneroot joined his teacher in the center of their training field. Neither of the two mentioned Kroshieshi’s shift back to a male form.
“There are, to the best of my knowledge, three ways to perform the Void Pounce. First, you can simply wrap Void ki around your legs in a manner that lets you put great distance into each stride. The technique relies on the Void ki allowing your legs to move forward in a manner that is not so strictly limited by the traditional rules of space.”
Kroshieshi punctuated his statement with a demonstration. A faint film of black mist swirled about his legs as he bounded forward. From the other side of the training field, he continued to explain,
“However, this method burns through the most essence of the three. Although, you only need to wrap the ki around two legs, so that might make it a bit easier. Tsovars who have not yet cultivated enough to be sentient will also lean toward this first method, as its the most intuitive. Still, I wouldn’t recommend it to you.The second way to use the technique is what I prefer.”
Again, he gave a demonstration. Boneroot noticed the space in front of his mentor warp in on itself briefly, and, in the next moment, the tsovar disappeared, before reappearing back in the center of the training grounds.
“I performed the technique at a snail’s pace, so I expect you were paying attention. What did I do?”
The student wouldn’t claim to have noticed every nuance of the movement, but he thought he’d noticed the basics behind it, so he replied, “Well, it looked like you channelled Void ki into the air in front of you, but after that, I’m not so sure.”
Kroshieshi critiqued his assessment, “You should have also noticed the burst of Void energy at my feet. You are partly correct, though. By preparing the space in front of me with Void ki, as well as pushing off with some behind me, I can launch myself forward at exceptional speed. The advantage of this method is efficiency. Watch closely.”
Kroshieshi blinked to the edge of the field and back before speaking once more,
“When you do this properly, you need only output Void ki in a small amount, in two places, for the briefest moment. While the first technique has more versatility to a new cultivator, this one surpasses it with sufficient advancement. For someone with limited affinity for the Void, I expect this will be the best choice. Nonetheless, you have one more option. This is the way Kuroki moves. He is strange.”
At that, Kroshieshi performed a final demonstration. This time, a black vortex shot forward from the point where his master was standing. Only when the dark, twisting effect had faded from the space in front of him did Boneroot notice his mentor had been transported to the other side of the training grounds. When Kroshieshi returned to the center at full speed, the technique’s inky swirl was nearly undetectable.
“As you can see, this technique is rather absurd. By creating a funnel with your Void ki, then moving forward in step with it, you can almost entirely bypass the natural space in front of you. To be fair, it is much more subtle when you’re doing it properly instead of trying to demonstrate the mechanics visually. However, it requires much more energy to use and it’s exceptionally disorienting, so using it in battle— you’re not even listening. You’re choosing this one aren’t you?”
The way Kroshieshi let his head droop nearly to the ground reminded Boneroot of his father palming his face. Though he laughed at the accusation, he could hardly try to deny it. After all, his teacher was correct.
“I’m going to call it Black of Night Sunless Stride.”
“A ridiculous name for a ridiculous technique, not to mention redundant!” The tsovar sighed with as much indignation as resignation.
The admonishment didn’t even register in the boy’s mind. He was already trying to figure out how to get Void ki to spin.