Lin Liqin eyed the youth before him. The thought of him as an assassin seemed preposterous. Ku Wei could be serious when it came to treating injuries, but most of the time he acted with a carefree attitude. Shaking his head, Lin Liqin questioned, “In theory, I understood what Tomo was saying earlier about people being capable of using more than just the element they awaken. But aren't the death and life elements complete opposites. Why are you able to use it so effortlessly?”

“Because they aren't opposites. None of the elements are,” replied Ku Wei cheekily before continuing, “The Egyptians of Alkebulan primarily cultivate the life and death elements, but according to Tomo they treat them as one element, not two. When I first arrived Tomo revealed that I had the death element. Similar to his example using hands that he gave you, he described cultivating the death element as walking for me, but said there was nothing stopping me from walking backwards. Either way I'm still walking, just the direction has changed.”

Seeing that Lin Liqiu was starting to nod off as Ku Wei was redressing her wound, Lin Liqin motioned for them to continue their conversation in the hall so she could rest. Once in the hall, Lin Liqin confirmed, “So you're saying that the life and death elements are the same in principle, it's just a matter of application?”

Ku Wei nodded as they began walking down the hall, “Exactly, let me try to explain. You recall me mentioning potential and kinetic energy to Tomo? Well, basically potential is stored energy and kinetic is active energy. Most elements are kinetic in nature, because most techniques are based on movement. Starting, stopping, or changing direction all require kinetic energy. Our bodies contain stores of potential energy that are converted into kinetic energy that our muscles and organs can use. The life and death elements influence that process. The death element slows it down, depriving the individual of the energy they need to live. Conversely, the life element speeds up the transfer of energy, revitalizing and promoting healing, but the effects are temporary and leave the target feeling tired and hungry. That's why Lin Liqiu often falls asleep after I treat her.”

“Is the life element potential like Tsubame's or kinetic like mine?” Lin Liqin asked as they entered Tomo's reading room.

Hearing the question Tomo answered, “It exists at the junction between the two, one foot firmly in both camps. Energy isn't created or destroyed, it simply changes, often flowing from potential into kinetic and then back again, over and over. Life and death element cultivators can effect this flow in any object, but the results are most evident in living beings. For example, a high level death technique prevents the kinetic energy in the target's brain from dissipating back into potential energy. This causes the target to be incapacitated with seizures and if maintained will kill them by cooking their brain with it's own electrical impulses.”

The mental image made Lin Liqin's scalp tingle. Seeking to change the subject, he noticed Ming Jia Ying sitting with Tsubame who was holding a padlock. “What are they doing?” he asked, motioning to the two.

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“She's picking the lock,” Tomo stated matter of factly.

Lin Liqin had seen Tsubame pick locks before, but something felt off. Then it dawned on him, “Where are her tools?”

“It's a three pin lock and she claims to have experience opening them before. The hope is that her previous experience will help her instinctively use her elastic element to compress the springs inside and open the lock.”

As the three men silently watched, Tsubame continued to stare at the lock. At that moment her eyes lit up, she moved her hand across the lock and an audible click signaled the setting of the first pin. Tsubame practically jumped with joy, but Ming Jia Ying was quick to remind her to stay focused. It almost seemed like the two had swapped ages, as Tsubame's building excitement was evident from the way she kept fidgeting in her chair.

Finally the third click sounded and the lock sprung open. At the same time Tsubame shot up from her seat, leaving behind a very exhausted looking Ming Jia Ying. She ran up to the group of boys and proudly presented the open padlock, “I can't believe it actually worked! Look, I opened the lock with my chi.”

Tomo took the lock and began examining it as he asked, “How did it feel? I'm curious how your usage of chi compares to others.”

Tsubame paused for a moment to recall the feeling before answering, “I focused my chi into hand. As it ran up my finger tip it pulled at the spring. Once the spring was in place I locked it and my chi in place.” Lifting three fingers on her left hand, Tsubame continued, “I used a different finger for each pin. They still tingle a bit.”

Tomo tried to close the lock but it wouldn't latch. Glancing at Tsubame's fingers he asked, “Is the chi still locked at your finger tips? Could you try returning it to your dantian?”

Tsubame nodded and after a moment of concentration a click was heard from the lock as the pins snapped back into place, allowing Tomo to latch the padlock.

“Why does her chi technique sound like a ki maneuver?” mused Lin Liqin.

“That's a good observation,” complimented Tomo. “As you know chi and ki are two names for the same pool of energy found in our dantians. Instead of letting it flow, like a chi technique, a ki maneuver focuses that energy in one spot. Ki generates an aura that increases the inertia of the target, making it more difficult to move or redirect. Tsubame compressed the spring by inducing a high potential energy state. Objects with high potential energy also have greater inertial mass.”

Looking around and seeing the confused faces, Tomo cleared his throat. “It's difficult to explain, but the mathematical equation for energy is the mass of the object multiplied by a constant value. Since that value is constant that means any change in the total energy equates to a change in the mass. The constant is very large so even big changes in the energy will result in very small changes in the mass, but they are there none the less. Thus increasing the potential energy also increases the inertia similar to a ki maneuver.”

Seeing that they were still lost Tomo decided to move on, “I'm curious, Tsubame have you ever tried ki refinement?”

“No,” Tsubame shook her head, “I was always told it was similar to chi meditation and assumed I would have no talent for it. I didn't want to get my hopes up again so I never tried.”

“Would you mind giving her some lessons, Liqin, while you're here?” Tomo proposed, “I imagine ki maneuvers may be even more compatible with her chi techniques than they are with yours. I'm very curious what the results may be.”