“As you have considerably less experience in cultivation than most disciples,” Nadia started. “I have chosen to both instruct you verbally and through text. What you were given is a simple computer containing all the basic information an aspiring cultivator would learn in their life.”
James nodded. The two were sitting in the gazebo overlooking the pristine lakes. Nadia had directed James to a sitting position that had both feet crossed in front of him.
“Do I have to sit like this?” James asked. “It’s not like its uncomfortable, but it feels a bit weird.”
Nadia thought about it for a moment. “It isn’t a requirement, but until you are more aware of how things are, or I become a better teacher, this is the best way for me to convey information.”
The computer dinged as James touched it. “Info that’s on this, right?”
“Some of it,” Nadia admitted. “However, the device will only hold general information, mostly because the sect won’t allow me to disseminate much else. It is also why you are still in my personal valley and not in a more fitting quarters that might be more conducive—“ She stopped as she noticed James’s confused expression. “Apologies. Not in quarters that are better for learning.”
“Well considering I don’t know what it is I’m learning, that might be a good thing,” James answered. “I mean, I have a general idea? It’s those things you all did when you fought that other cultivator.”
“General is the apt term,” Nadia answered. “For cultivation is more than crafting spellgrams, formations, or manipulating the world. It is a complete merging of intent and instinct, of mind and body. With cultivation, a person learns to achieve the pinnacle of existence. By integrating with the natural world, we learn how to improve ourselves and come to terms with our station in life.”
“So where do I begin?” James asked.
“The first step is to understand that the world you know is not the only world,” Nadia said.
James waited as Nadia contemplated. “It is difficult for me to explain in simple concepts,” She said. “Imagine for a moment that the two of us reach out to touch the same flower.”
“Okay,” James said slowly, not knowing where Nadia was going with this.
“Both of us would experience the world in a physical sense but our experiences will differ. You might gently stroke the flower, I might poke at the stem. In doing this, the world as we know it will be different. This is what I mean by more than one world, for each of us hold a separate world in our mind.”
James frowned. “But my thoughts aren’t real. What I know in my mind won’t change the world.”
Nadia agreed. “Usually, you are correct. A flower will still be a flower despite what you know. However, if you know the flower, you could grow it greater than what it would be alone. Is this not your experience—your mental world, as it is, changing the flower?
“That’s not the same as creating electric nets of paper or waterfalls of water from your arms.” James pointed to a distant lotus flower below. “I might be able to pour water on the plants below but I can’t move it with my mind.”
Nadia made a gesture, and James watched as a whip of water shot out from her hand to wrap around the flower. A quick flick of her wrist had the lotus rising into the air to land in front of James. “Anything is possible with practice and determination, disciple.”
“You didn’t move that with your mind,” James argued again.
“Do you not move your hands with the brain inside you?” Nadia asked calmly.
“That’s not the same,” James muttered.
“That, disciple, is part of the first barrier you must overcome,” Nadia said. “Before you run, you must walk. Which is why the first task of any cultivator is to understand themselves. By understanding yourself, you understand your part in the world, and thus your image of the world and its reality coincide.”
“Coincide?” James asked.
“They match,” Nadia answered. “We call this a metastate. When you attain a metastate, your body and the world attune, letting your thoughts affect the world. However, it is not an easy state to enter, and many spend years before they build that part of themselves.”
“So no pressure then,” James answered sardonically.
“Do not worry, disciple,” Nadia said. “Everything I am to teach you is to help you better understand this. Yes, even that sitting position.”
Nadia moved behind James and placed a gentle hand on the top of his head. “When one achieves the metastate, they will feel a connection to the world in five points. These points correspond to the nodes on the back of a person and link themselves to various body parts. The one where my hand resides, the back of your skull, links to your brain.” She moved her hand down. “The next, here at the top of your neck, connects to your cerebellum and your muscles. Below that, at the top of your back, is the node that connects to your spine and blood. This one on the shoulder blades connects to your lungs. And finally, the one here on the middle of your back, links to your heart.”
Nadia moved back to stand in front of James. “Each node must be opened while in the metastate. Once opened, the node acts as your link between your mental world and the physical world. It is the locus where you exert your will on the world, and in turn allow the world to exert its will on you. This connection grants you a boon depending on the unlocked node.”
“What kind of boons?” James asked.
“Unlocking your brain grants faster cognition—apologies, thinking. This manifests in multiple ways. Some cultivators find themselves thinking two thoughts at once, others find it easier to recall memories. Unlocking the cerebellum and muscles often grants cultivators quicker reflex. The spine and blood often gives a general immunity to disease and toxin while the lungs often become more efficient. The heart is similar to the lungs, often growing stronger and granting stamina. Though, these boons come from your understanding of yourself in the world and may change drastically upon your understanding.”
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Nadia continued to lecture. “In addition to these boons, unlocking a node grants a cultivator the ability to activate a core.”
James opened his mouth to ask but Nadia was already explaining. She turned, raising her long black hair to reveal a shining blue orb resting in one of her nodes.
“Cores,” Nadia explained. “Are condensed worlds all their own. Cores are almost an inverse of the metastate. Instead of acting their will on the world, the cultivator instead channels the will of the core through them. The cultivator then interprets this will in their metastate and unleashes it on the physical world.”
“Is that why your arms can make waterfalls of water?” James asked.
Nadia nodded. “Correct. For clarification’s sake we classify cores according to the ancient elements and whether they exist in a yin or yang state. Yin cores are passive, tend to always be active, and are more subtle. Yang cores are active, tend to stay dormant until used, and are often noticeable.”
“And the elements?” James asked.
“In the past, cultivators tried a more robust classification system,” Nadia said. “We separated cores by the sciences and the periodic table that you are taught at the schools. However, it became apparent that even cores using identical sciences and elements still acted in different ways. No two cores were in fact the same, meaning that a cultivator couldn’t use the knowledge of the classification system. Eventually, we settled on a broader definition, using the ancient elements in mythology. These are water, fire, metal, wood, and earth.”
“So a yin fire core would do something with fire, work all the time, and might be hard to see?” James asked. He was starting to understand how things worked.
“Correct,” Nadia said. “I have two nodes, both water. One is yin and the other yang. That is what allows me to create, as you say, waterfalls. Oh, keep in mind that most will not divulge you information on their cores so easily. Others will find it rude to ask.”
“Got it,” James said.
“So this is the boy who recently had the medicine hall up in arms?” A sagely voice said.
“Sect Master Robert, ” Nadia said upon turning. “I did not realize you would be visiting today.”
The sect master stroked his beard, a large, bushy brown ball of frizz that sprung every time his hand ran over it. James stared. It was the only thing natural about the man, that and his hair. His rusty hair stood on end like iron shavings under a magnet, short and spiky. The rest of his body, face included, was covered in gold plating. Overall, James had the impression of a golden buddha that was the result of a schoolboy prank.
Sect Master Robert seemed to lean into the look. His face had that good-natured smile that the happier buddha statues wore, though James could see the look never reached his eyes. The young man immediately clocked the leader as someone who presented an outward geniality in order to get people to let their guard down.
“I won’t lie to you, Nadia. Others in the sect have come to me complaining of your heavy-handed actions.”
“Surely you can see reason, Sect Master,” Nadia said. “Osman had no right to take my disciple from me, not even to study his unique constitution.”
Sect Master Robert hummed jovially. “Yes, Osman is always rather overeager. However, you can not blame him too much. None would have suspected the lad to be your disciple. He is not usually the type we recruit.”
“Even then Osman overstepped,” Nadia said. “I had declared James under my protection, and a guest. His breach of etiquette is a shame on the sect.”
The Sect Master hummed again, and James was starting to get the feeling that the man had a different opinion than Nadia. That didn’t bode well.
Robert stroked his beard, his gold hand flashing as he did. “I understand your view, but you must also understand Osman’s. After it was revealed to us that your disciple could resist one of the deadliest and most dangerous demonic techniques, understanding how his code worked became vitally important. Think of the lives saved after knowing his ability.”
“At the expense of my life,” James muttered coldly.
The Sect Master turned to him. “Ah yes, the crux of the issue. You must understand, as cultivators we strive to maximize the amount of good we bring to the world. Our longer lifespans give us more time to contemplate the impact of a single life. Osman only tried to maximize the amount of good he brought to the world.”
James nodded along but didn’t trust a word of what the Sect Master said. It sounded nice, sure, but at the end of the day James was the one getting sacrificed for the greater good. Sorry but your death might make lives better wasn’t the kind of apology James wanted to hear.
“Which in fact, brings me to the matter of my presence,” Sect Master Robert said. “As I’m sure you’re aware, Nadia, the impact James’s constitution would have is practically immeasurable. The demonic cultivators—and in fact some of the unorthodox sects—have grown more aggressive as of late. We’ve lost many a good cultivator to their techniques. As is stands the urgency of finding solutions is pressing. I am not sure how long I can keep the others from forcing a renouncement of the discipleship.”
“What?” James asked incredulously.
“Sect Master,” Nadia stated. “Is the sect truly so desperate? What you ask is highly dishonorable, if not outright sacrilege.”
“Which is why I have been able to delay proceedings for a month,” the Sect Master said. “If your disciple is unable to attain his first node before that time, I will be unable to delay further.”
James almost shouted at the man. A month? After Nadia had explicitly told him it could take years to unlock a node? He was practically sentencing James to death!
From the look of it, Nadia thought the same. Her face, normally serene as the lakes below, was pinched in disappointment and anger. The Sect Master saw this too, and placed a golden hand on Nadia’s shoulder. “Do not worry. I am sure that with your teachings, James will surpass all our expectations.”
With those words, the Sect Master gave another wide smiled, then stepped away.
Once he was out of sight, James made a rude gesture in his direction. Nadia gave him a look.
“What? He’s practically signed my execution! You said it yourself, it takes years of meditation to unlock a node!”
“I said it takes most years,” Nadia said. “You could also succeed in a day, or perhaps even after your first attempt.”
James snorted. “Yeah, sure.”
“You cannot doubt yourself,” Nadia said. “Doubt ensures you won’t succeed.”
James threw his hands into the air. “I just don’t see how I’m supposed to do this in a month is all. It’s not like I want to die.”
“I know, disciple,” Nadia said. She looked out at the vast lakes. “I won’t lie to you, it is unlikely for you to succeed within a month. The patience and determination that lets one attain a metastate is not easily gained. Plus, it is unlikely for you to get assistance from anyone but myself in this.”
“Guess I should just give up now, then,” James complained.
“I did not say that,” Nadia rebutted. “In fact, you have an advantage that others would not.”
“Oh yeah, what’s that?” James asked.
“Myself.”
James looked at her. “I don’t follow.”
“I would not expect you to,” Nadia said. “You have not been brought up in this world, have no knowledge of how it functions. In other hands, I do think you would fail in this. However, you aren’t in any hands, you are in mine. My full name is Nadia Archimedes, sixty-seventh daughter of the Archimedes family. While I am not someone of worth inside the family, outside I hold extensive sway. I had initially not planned to use the resources my family allows me, as it might lead to an inflated sense of ego, but I no longer hold those qualms. The others in Blue Mountain have made it abundantly clear that they plan to ignore decorum. It is only fitting I do the same.”
Nadia said the words with such conviction that James found the doubts fading. He had no clue how important Nadia’s family was, but she made it sound like someone powerful. If that was the case, then maybe James wasn’t as dead as he first thought.