An hour had passed since ReZhui’s one-sided defeat. Luckily for him, if there’s one more thing he has gained from all this, it was undeniably immense endurance. MianJu plainly waited forty minutes for ReZhui to wake up from his nap after setting him to rest atop the tree stump. Once he woke up, MianJu brought him back to his humble dwelling where he administered some ointments and brewed him a cup of fine tea.

Currently, MianJu and ReZhui were outside, more specifically underneath the roofs of the backyard of his small smithy. It was a cosy place of fire and iron with no walls that partitioned them from the wild flora and forestry far off in the distance. The cool early autumn winds blew past his skin as ReZhui sat lethargically upon a wooden bench carved out by MianJu himself. He looked to his right, eyeing the large piles of chopped branches and tree bark stored at the very end and right next to it, stockpiles of iron ore and coal separately. To his left, it was the front entrance, leading to a set of stairs from the platform, and in front of him, MianJu was very busy with his smithing. The rhythmic beats of his hammering against red hot iron. The flying sparks, floating embers and the manner at which his body moves with every strike. In the midst of this, a raging furnace was running in the background, heating and melting the iron for a future pan mold. MianJu had previously stoked the kiln to its maximum from a fresh batch of coal and wood in his secret proportions.

ReZhui has watched his work for a long time and his professional labour was still very addicting to watch. Unlike during his spar, MianJu wore a light robe of starry black, tied loosely on a grey sash. Strangely, ReZhui never questioned why he still wears his black blindfold, deeming it a part of him ever since in his younger years.

“..Arch!”

But that’s when a sharp ache stinged his chest, interrupting his pleasant watch. He shuddered about, recalling why he came here. He turned to the stool beside him. Atop it, a new set of clothes were folded for him to wear and a small wooden box too.

Removing his filthy mess of combat attire, he inspected his injuries. Multiple new bruises emerged from his forearms and there was a deep redness on his wrist.

“...”

What’s most glaring though was a thick patch of bandages wrapped around his chest, concealing a large spread of blistering red from that final blow. At its deepest, a small red dot marked near his nipple but fortunately, no blood was split and MianJu sensed no internal damage. All that accidental build up of energy should have shot the spearhead straight through ReZhui’s chest and tore down a line of trees ahead, but MianJu was able to redirect it into that burst using an immediate release of his aura. Something MianJu never told him directly but surely knew ReZhui would have figured later nonetheless.

He first got himself dressed up with these new clothes like the ones he always wore back at the two villages.

Ultimately, it was a clean fit. He wore a plain blue HanFu tunic with a white inner layer that reached below the waist and to his ankles with a shirt of white, cut into two at the sides. One faced at the front and vice versa. His long wide sleeves of white were tied back into black leather bracers with light brown pants that closed off into a pair of black cloth shoes completing the getup. Draping over all of this was a dark brown sleeveless robe with thickened collars of a dark beige rectangular pattern.

ReZhui adjusted his clothes one final time before he sat back down, glancing back at MianJu. He was still deep in concentration for his forging.

“...”

Picking up the wooden case, he could guess what was in there and ReZhui turned out correct. In his rough, calloused fingers, ReZhui held a small medicinal ball. It was azure blue with splotches of light purple and magenta. Its surface was smooth to the touch akin to glass; something he had never felt before for such a herb. Normally, the ones he received were always coarse with a sandy finish. Curious, he questioned MianJu.

“Brother MianJu, what is with this medicine you gave me?”

Quenching the current metal piece he worked on, the sounds of the sizzling water came out as his early response. Vapour emerged out of the trough in a mystical spectacle.

“...”

Placing the cooled iron plough to the side, MianJu put down his hammer and plier to a nearby rack before he promptly took a seat beside him, ignoring his drenched state.

“You used Qi earlier, didn’t you?”

“...! W-what do you mean by that?”

“... . Although it was a miniscule amount, I sensed an opposing life force, and the only other individual present was you.”

“...Fine, you caught me.”

ReZhui never realised he exerted that much from within. It was all during the heat of battle.

“You used Qi to reinforce your core when we were both locked in that position, am I right?”

“Why did you have to express the unnecessary? I’m sure Brother is already confident with his observations.”

ReZhui whined away. In response, MianJu lightly grinned.

“It’s not a matter of embarrassment, ReZhui. Rather, my intentions were honestly congratulatory.”

“Really…?”

“I’m sincere about it. Now, let me ask you something that I cannot deduce myself right now. How did you come across this technique that I never taught you before?”

“Well, that’s pretty easy. Eddisson’s current Array manuals have some written basis about this application. Since those Arrays require remotely displacing Qi into certain materials to induce temporary properties or other forms of manipulation, I just experimented with that concept and later came up with the practice of considering my own body parts ‘foreign’ to achieve a similar effect.”

“...What a leap in logic, ReZhui.”

“But, you wouldn’t doubt me either, correct?”

“There’s a reason traditional foundations lasted over millennia until the present day, ReZhui. I fear that this may come with some unknown effects later on. The idea of rejecting your ‘vessel’...Body constitution…”

“...” In the face of MianJu’s muttering analysis, ReZhui brought him back to reality. “Brother MianJu, do you hear me?”

“Right, pardon me earlier. Listen, I have no opinion of this technique yet, but there is one thing I will be certain of.”

“What’s that?”

“Although I admit this could be as effective as the usual practice, it will never be as energy efficient to begin with.”

“...!”

“You can feel it, don’t you? A slight slumber in your unawakened meridian near your stomach.”

“...” Perhaps MianJu was telling the truth.

“You only never realize it because it’s used for shorter periods of time, and with a smaller quantity of objects imposed with your Qi. Remember, the disciples of the martial sects are trained for full-body enhancement. If you were to direct Qi to every possible muscle, undetermined whether most are identified as a single unit of a bundling group or individual tissues, it’s mentally impractical to monitor all of them.

Arrays are different. The ingredients imbued with Qi are limited. While the more complex, larger scaled Arrays say otherwise, those opted for more casters and in most cases, require their reserve of Qi to be used only once for the initial setup. Maintaining it afterwards is less straining than thorough augmentation simply by the fact that an Array is usually static.”

“...”

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

“Hence, don’t ever do that again. It’s not beneficial to you, ReZhui.”

MianJu demanded with his monotonous voice, but ReZhui could not believe what his teacher was saying given the circumstances.

“Brother, I understand that too. However, you left me no choice. If you would gladly allow me to learn the proper way to utilize Qi, then maybe I wouldn’t find myself stuck with this flawed technique.

But no, all because one has to cultivate a foundation first before they can start. Eddisson’s Arrays need no cultivation base to use his Qi but I need to. That’s what you always told me and those reasons ring in my ears every time I ask to progress. What gives?!”

ReZhui looked frustratingly at his black blindfold, hoping to get a reaction out of him, but to no avail. Instead, MianJu felt silent until the tension cooled off. ReZhui returned level-headed and then, he spoke.

“In spite of what I said, ReZhui, please take it not as belittlement but as correction from my genuine care to you as the one who you call Teacher. As I said in the beginning, I was genuinely impressed at how you found your way around to reach this level of strength but, that doesn't mean I shouldn't apprehend your mishaps, should I?”

‘Evenso, it’s still your decision that made me do this.’ ReZhui scowled internally.

“So that’s why, ReZhui, I plan to change my ways. Seeing your desperation, I finally decided to risk it all and guide you through cultivation.” MianJu ended in a light-hearted

“Exactly, Brother MianJu, this all started from your teachings so you are in the wrong here. Thus, I insist that you-Wait, what!?”

MianJu’s last sentence went in one ear and out the other for ReZhui. He was so focused on his ultimate comeback, aimed to persuade his mentor once and for all.

“...Did you not hear me before?”

Apparently, ReZhui had already done so…

“Sorry…it passed beyond me.”

“I’ll be teaching you how to cultivate the first stage in order to learn the Qi manipulation of a true martial artist.”

…from the very start after their spar.

“Are…are you serious now? You aren't lying to me, are you, Brother MianJu?”

ReZhui had waited religiously for this very moment for the last five years and now, he couldn’t believe his ears. However, for MianJu, he never figured out ReZhui's huge fuss about this revelation.

“...You heard me clearly, ReZhui. I’ll take you to the first stage, and only the first stage.”

“...” ReZhui never felt his heart sink so quickly.

“Don’t ever hope that I will continue to guide you up the ascension ladder. No, I will still go by my code of law. My reason stands as the top priority, albeit I will give some leniency for this case. The first stage should be the bare bones of cultivation so detecting you as a rival cultivator will remain as the hardest.”

MianJu smiled in relief.

“...Alright, Brother. I-I’m grateful.”

While ReZhui wished to seek more power, he also realised that probing deeper will probably alter MianJu’s decision, since he too was considering ReZhui’s own safety in all this. Pleased with his student’s reply, MianJu pointed to the azure ball.

“If you would like an apology, you could think of this medicinal herb as one.”

In ReZhui’s palm, the glassy ball rolled around.

“Firstly, what’s this, Brother MianJu?”

“On my latest trip to the Northern Capital to make deliveries, I stopped by one of my regular alchemy stores, which I highly recommend for their impeccable quality of elixirs. Fortunately for me, I arrived at the right time as the shop owner just finished brewing up a new medicine for cultivation use. A one of a kind, all would say. It was an intense auction that I participated in next, but I managed to save the last one out of three at the staggering price of seven thousand golden tags.”

“W-wha…Seven thousand…Brother, where did you get that money?”

“My smithing is also one of a kind, ReZhui, and I do have a lot of patrons.”

“So, this ball you bought…”

“Yes, ReZhui, this particular elixir, when consumed, will grant the person an extra century’s worth of internal Qi.”

“Whoa…How cool!” ReZhui’s eyes were wide open.

Glancing back at ReZHui’s reaction, MianJu grinned softly.

“ReZhui, do you realise how great this is?”

“No, but please do tell.”

“Regular medicinal balls can only store a maximum of twenty year’s worth of Qi. Anything beyond that will take much longer and are very rarely made. This took two decades for the owner to make.”

“But Brother MianJu, can’t one just consume five smaller elixirs to gain the same effect as this single medicinal ball?”

To that, MianJu simply answered.

“At first glance, ReZhui. But there is a difference nonetheless.”

“...I’m not buying it. Sounds very much like it’s just an elaborate marketing scheme, Brother MianJu. Are you sure you aren’t fooled by this blatant sense of illusionary quality?”

This was one of ReZhui’s strong points too. His studies paid off with him giving MianJu a snarky, doubtful look. Witnessing his enjoyment, MianJu immediately thought of an allegory.

“ReZhui, listen to this clearly. Imagine each of the regular medicines as their individual cups with coloured water.”

“Alright.”

“Next, imagine the azure elixir as a large pot of pink water.”

ReZhui nodded.

“The difference here is that each of the individual cups contains water of different pigmentation while the pot has one unified colour of equal amount. When these five pills are consumed together, preventing the opposing energies from ripping one’s insides before cleansing them in time for ascension takes a lot of work all at once, and that’s horrendous since cultivation itself is also deadly if executed wrongly. The presence of the five energies is just a huge risk for all cultivators so they rather take it slowly by consuming one elixir after the other between timed internals.

Likewise, the azure elixir contains a single, harmonious kind of energy in larger amounts which is perfect to fasten one’s progression through the ascension realms.”

“...I see.” Given ReZhui barely knew the steps to cultivate, this somewhat made sense to him. A slight disappointment at MianJu’s simple comeback.

“While the manufacturing of elixirs itself are secrets worth the alchemist’s and their extended family’s very own lives, it’s common knowledge that each individual elixir is never identical to the next. That’s all tied to how they are made.”

MianJu poked his temple with his finger.

“It’s something to keep in mind, ReZhui.”

“... . I understand.”

“Excellent. We will begin the next time you return here.”

“What! Why not today?”

Looking up towards the overhead sun, MianJu replied.

“It’s reaching noon soon, and you still have other errands to take care of.”

“Fine…”

ReZhui fiddled with the glass elixir dissatisfied.

“...”

That’s when MianJu eyed him a bewildered look.

“What are you waiting for?”

“...! Waiting? For what?”

“The medicinal ball. Consume it whole.” MianJu replied bluntly.

“...Now?”

“Yes. If you are scared of this particular one, just remember it’s a similar experience to all those other times I gave you pills and elixirs. It’s not worth the fuss over it.”

Seeing MianJu misread his actions, ReZhui held his arms forward.

“No, no, no, that’s not it, Brother MianJu. I just thought you have to eat it before meditation.”

“... . That is not the norm either, ReZhui. As long as you don’t use your accumulated Qi before your first ascension, you will still retain that energy by the time you return here. To which I am confident, lifting inventory and filling account booklets do not consider the need to use martial strength, aren’t I right?”

“If that’s how it is…Well then, say so earlier, Brother MianJu! I’ll swallow this elixir in a heartbeat!” His voice rose with excitement. Patting him on the shoulder, MianJu got up from his seat.

“To be frank, ReZhui, developing your first cultivation base doesn’t require much Qi in the first place, but that just means you will have plentiful reserves to practice Qi manipulation.”

“Then…can I raise further-”

“No.”

MianJu answered plainly, yet sternly.

“...There’s no way going through you, huh.”

Sighing, “I’ll be back from the storehouse shortly, ReZhui. So take your time absorbing that century’s worth of Qi.”

And MianJu descended down the stairs towards the back of his workshop. The call of nature and his smoking furnaces were the only sounds remaining.

‘Should I sit cross legged whilst I swallow it? No! That’s too excessive. Brother MianJu clarified this would just be like all the others, but…’

The glassy surface shimmered in the sunlight.

‘It’s too exotic to ignore that.’

Fiddling with it more and more, ReZhui needed to be decisive. His head spun around, worried that his amateur actions would make something go wrong.

‘Alright, fine!’

“Hu… If Brother is so nonchalant about this, then let’s just get this over with, quick!” ReZhui muttered, “Thank you for the meal.”

“Aaaahmph”

With the ball rolling above his tongue, ReZhui then immediately swallowed it whole, giving no time for saliva to cover around it completely. His immature Adam’s apple jerked outwards and sank down. The spherical bulge in his larynx came and faded in the blink of an eye. The azure elixir was officially inside him now.

“...”

ReZhui clenched his fist and contracted his guts in preparation for any sudden sensation.

“...”

However, nothing happened as he waited. He anticipated an explosive ripple in his stomach; the rise in digestive acid; or perhaps, simply an increase in his body temperature, but there was none. It only felt similar to eating regular food. In the end, ReZhui breathed a sigh of relief mixed with dismay.

‘Well…that was anticlimactic.’