Chapter 34: A Much-Needed Lecture on the Basics
Uzman woke up fresh and rested. He sat on the floor and started cultivating in his room. The energy density was very high such that he filled his Dantian within a few minutes. He continued his compression exercises visualizing crystals and then shaping his Chi using his will. Before long, he had most of his Chi into crystals. At this rate, he would ascend to the elemental rank soon.
He was drawn from his cultivation by a polite knock on the door. Uzman opened the door to find Mina standing outside hopping from one foot to the other in the corridor.
“Breakfast has been already been served in the dining area, it may get cold if you wait longer; after you eat. Battal has requested your presence in the grand pavilion,” She informed him.
Uzman joined Battal in the grand pavilion after taking his morning meal. The food had been as delicious and nourishing as the supper the previous day.
“Good morning,” Battal greeted Uzman stretching his hand out for a formal handshake.
“Good morning to you too. Speaking on behalf of Jingo, we are very grateful for your hospitality,” Uzman reciprocated.
“Don’t mention it. As I had indicated yesterday, you and I have a number of issues we need to hash out,” Battal stated. “We need to figure out how to go ahead with your training, and get your blood awakened among other things.”
Uzman fidgeted nervously. he was loath to show an indication of a lack of trust due to the support Battal had provided them so far.
"Ah-ah, there is something we need to clarify before we make any plans,” Uzman interjected remembering Master Khalid’s advice. Why do you want to help me; what is your angle? I hope you do not take offense by my questioning your motivation.”
“I can’t take umbrage for you choosing to have your eyes open when you jump. It would be unwise to do otherwise. To put it simply, there are a lot of important forces interested in stabilizing the situation in Tanga. Like I had told you; I am a troubleshooter of sorts. Additionally, Tanga would present a disruption to the status quo were it to be overrun that would cascade negatively into other realms. Since I cannot intervene directly, I must support you and prepare you to carry out your duty."
“There you go again, couching your answer in ambiguity. Let me clarify my question. What will you expect of me when all is said and done?
Battal chuckled “Do you have to suspect an ulterior motive lurking behind my every action? I see that Khalid has influenced your instincts. Since we are speaking plainly, you will be expected to return to Tanga once you are ready and close the Rift. Given that; I assume, this had been your objective all along, I find our objectives to converge.”
“In that case, how do you propose we proceed?”
“I can sense that you are near ascending to the Elemental Manipulation realm. You should hold off until after your blood is awakened. The main reason why I suggest you wait is that awakening your blood will improve your meridians and change your body. It will then be easier to learn elemental techniques when your body has been fully strengthened. Our first step should, therefore, be awakening your blood.
“There are two ways that your blood can be awakened. A wizard, such as myself, can gather the necessary ingredients and craft a portion that will awaken your blood. This method is easier but does not confer the true range of benefits open to a person with an ancient bloodline. The other approach is the traditional route. In this case, you must run the gauntlet at Dragon Peak. On reaching the top, you will receive a vial containing the enriched blood of an elder dragon that has already been prepared and aged. This is a risky method but the challenges are scaled to a person at the tempering stage.
“I assume that you advise that I should run the gauntlet?”
“Yes. However, the decision is yours.”
“Okay, so when do you suggest I do it? And are there any preparations I need to make?”
“Don’t worry, I will ensure you have all you need. If you agree, I can take you to Dragon Peak in two days’ time. Take the time to prepare yourself mentally, explore your motivations and try to align your mind with your body. Whereas the gauntlet tests your body, the ultimate factor in failing or succeeding is your will.”
Just then Jingo came to join them in the pavilion. In the front courtyard, a training ring had materialized, Uzman was sure it had not been there yesterday. Jamal and Zuhura were sparring inside the ring. The flash of techniques flared illuminating the arena as the two combatants traded pointers.
“So tell me, what do you understand as cultivation?” Uzman was drawn back from his momentary distraction by Battal.
“Ah- it is the manipulation of elemental energy to affect the world,” came the stock answer.
“But what does that mean, what is elemental energy?” Battal asked; this time turning to Jingo who had remained silent, his alert eyes roving around the compound.
“The way I understand it, elemental energy is the primal power of creation. Cultivation involves making our bodies vessels suitable for manipulating it. As a result, a person can harness the energy to impact the natural world.”
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Battal beckoned to Zuhura and Jamal who had finished sparring to join them. The five sat in a circle on the floor of the pavilion which was covered in a soft rug. It seemed to Uzman that this was a normal occurrence.
“We all agree that people cultivate energy to affect the world. But where does this energy come from?” Battal asked.
The four young cultivators looked at each other. No one seemed to have an idea about the origin of energy, even though, all were on the cultivation path.
“People ignore a fundamental lesson on their cultivation journey which makes it harder to achieve elemental mastery. This world was created from chaos and order. The intersection of these two forces gave rise to origin energy from which the first life forms emerged evolving through a brutal survival-for-the-fittest model. The descendants of these life forms are what are known as elder races like the dragons and the first gods. Those who understood the immutable laws of the elements ascended to godhood. This is the journey of every cultivator seeking insights into the immutable laws that govern elements.
“Now I will tell you a secret that may or may not be useful to you; there are two types of origin energy; emotive energy which is given up by all living things and Chi energy which is the foundation of all creation. Demon lords and gods supplement their mastery of origin energy with emotive energy. Emotive energy is part of chaos while Chi energy is mainly made up of order.
“Emotive energy is associated with the souls of living things. It can either be positive or negative. Gods use positive energy that is collected through prayers and supplications to improve their power. Demons use negative energy developed through suffering and pain."
At this point Battal stood; his eyes lightly glowing and put forth his hand. Bright orange fire bloomed in his open hand. The fire condensed to a small fiery ball that changed color to a bluish hue. The fire then grew rapidly into a big ball the size of Uzman’s body.
“What did I do to increase the size of the fireball,” Battal asked Looking at Jamal.
“You increased the amount of Chi from your Dantian feeding the fire,” Jamal, who was a fire cultivator, answered.
“That is a limited answer and the myopic view that most cultivators have. How else can we increase the size of a fireball?”
“I think by increasing the air in the fire,” Uzman answered. His reflection on his forms and the formation of his shields had shown him this relationship between fire and air.
“Very good. What most cultivators don’t realize is that fire includes a certain amount of air energy. Water is also made up of compressed air. The earth can only be manipulated if it contains air. Removing air makes the earth hard and brittle. You can form the ice element by sucking out all the fire energy in water. there are many examples that illustrate the interaction between elements. Looking at the elements individually will skew the mastery of your element and may hinder further progress past the Mind Realm.”
The four students were silent, engraving every word into their minds. It was not every day that a Soulcrafter shared their knowledge.
“All elements are made of origin energy in varying quantities and concentration. Wizardlings like Uzman are born with unaspected cores, making it easier to control all elements. For mages like the rest of you, your affinity hinders your ability to fully channel origin energy. However, you should train your passive affinity as it will help you create more robust techniques.
“Apart from Uzman, the rest of you are already in the elemental manipulation realm. What are the steps needed to reach the mind realm?”
Jingo answered surprising everybody. He had remained silent keenly following the discussion. Only his eyes betrayed his engagement with the lesson.
“There are three main steps; you form a solid core in your Dantian to hold Chi, you achieve mastery over your element, and finally demonstrate your mastery.”
“That is not all there is to it. Zuhura, care to improve on the answer?”
“Eh- you need to link your mind meridian and your core and channel Chi connecting the Dantian to your brain.”
“Jamal?
Jamal moved his head from side to side.
“I am surprised that even you Zuhura cannot name the steps needed to reach the Mind Realm. For Jamal and Jingo, I understand that their masters may not have been knowledgeable or forthcoming with such information. I do not believe in hoarding information if it can help a person grow stronger. So, listen carefully.
“The most obvious step in the elemental manipulation realm is the solidification of the core. This makes the size of your Dantian permanent. This is the first step on the elemental manipulation level. The second step is opening the mind meridian which connects the brain to the Dantian. Once this is achieved a cultivator is at the final stage of the elemental realm. Achieving elemental mastery is an ongoing exercise from the time a person ascends to the elemental realm. At a minimum, they must achieve a form of mastery before ascending to the mind realm.
Uzman had followed the discussion silently muzzling the many burning questions that were ping-ponging around his head. There were many issues he needed clarified, but the most pressing issue that made him break his silence involved mastery.
“Pardon my ignorance, but don’t all mind-level cultivators have mastery over their elements?” He blurted out looking around the group. He could see that Jingo was relieved to have this question in the open.
“Good question. But what is elemental mastery? Hmm. Jingo, how will you know you have achieved mastery,” Battal pulled Jingo into the conversation.
“I heard it told that you have to demonstrate your mastery by fighting other elemental masters. They would then evaluate your use of the elements and determine whether you have achieved mastery.”
“Can someone identify the flaws in this approach?”
“It is a self-perpetuating cycle of a fallacy. If the other masters have not also obtained mastery they will pass cultivators who have not achieved mastery,” Uzman answered.
“Very well put, an objective test should be free from human interference. The lowest level of mastery allows a person to travel through their element. A higher level of mastery enables a cultivator to negate all attacks based on their element.
“Mastery only becomes relevant due to the last step when a person demonstrates their mastery. I believe Jingo misunderstood what demonstrating mastery means. The last step involves channeling chi through the mind meridian from the Dantian to the brain. In almost all cases, this leads to a heavenly tribulation that a cultivator must pass to ascend to the next realm.
“Invoking the tribulation performs two important functions; it declares to the heavens that a cultivator has obtained mastery. The heavens test your mastery by challenging you in your element. If you pass, the heavens reward you by reforging your body in origin energy to make it stronger and improve the harmony between the body and the mind.
“Those who do not undergo a tribulation cannot advance further in the cultivation path and are limited in their ability to control primal energy. So I hope you are now grounded on what is needed to advance on your paths. I want you to meditate on these steps tonight. I will answer any questions that you may have tomorrow.”