Kai pulled on his gray robe. Cultivating dual energy had been unproductive. He pushed his hair back out of his face. The medium-length phase was the worse. Long hair could be tied back, and short hair was never in your face, but medium-length hair was always wrong somehow.
He sighed and fixed his collar. Refining his body three additional times improved his organic processes, but the improvement was minuscule - less than a percent improvement.
The repeated waves of purifying white energy were greedily absorbed by his cells, which then stuffed it all inside one of the two nuclei. And that was it. This secondary nucleus absorbed the energy, but the rest of the cell remained the same for the most part.
Once the secondary nucleus couldn’t absorb any more energy, the energy just passed through the cell and moved on. From what Kai could tell, this second nucleus didn’t actively contribute any functions to the operation of the cell. The primary, unaffected nucleus did everything.
Something was going on; he could see the secondary nucleus being restructured at the molecular level, but adding more energy didn’t speed up the process. It would do whatever it was doing at the speed it was going. He would just have to wait.
That left him with the proposal — the request of the Iceheart clan patriarch.
He should have seen the problem. He noticed all signs. He understood the math. Meilin’s cultivation was the strongest, despite the difficulty she endured. She was being groomed to lead.
That ended when she lost her cultivation base.
She could no longer cultivate the elemental ice of the Iceheart clan. Not only were all the clan techniques useless for her, but now she would have to go through the expensive foundation establishment realm again. Left here, how long would it take her to earn enough merit to afford the spirit stones needed to form and advance a core?
To complicate matters, a power vacuum was created by removing her from the line of succession. The Elders had drawn lines around their favored candidates. Already factions sought to subdivide resources. Meilin would never be prioritized.
Her father had made this clear. He could not publicly favor her. She would not get the resources she needed here. Kai got the impression that she was a source of shame. He didn’t understand the cultural norms of mix-race relations here, so he could not understand his position's nuance.
What was clear was that he was offering her to him. Perhaps unsurprisingly, he was cold about it. The first proposal was rejected with little review. In this world, arranged marriages were commonly done, but Kai wanted no entanglements of a permanent nature.
Kai felt out the patriarch with a back-and-forth conversation. He wanted to establish an alliance between his clan and Kai’s to receive support for his soon-to-be-chosen successor and for Kai to take on the responsibility of Meilin's cultivation, at least until she regained her previous strength.
Kai didn’t feel responsible for Meilin. He’d saved her life; that was enough. But an alliance with a powerful local clan might make his business in Arcadia easier. The real question was could he do what he said he could?
Can I forge the soul of another living cultivator?
He was sure he could forge a soul in his soul space. There he had near-god-like powers. If he could imagine it, he could do it. But a living cultivator’s soul was present in this world. He could temporarily pull a soul from its body and socket a gem. It would be traumatic, but it was theoretically possible.
Kai was curious. It was this quality more than any other that drove him. He left the cultivation chamber and followed the underground tunnel back to the clan. Kai stepped into the main cavern of the Iceheart clan's subterranean territory. The cavern stretched before him, its walls cut from ice and stone and sculpted with a grand formation that shimmered with a soft glow. Worked into the array, delicate patterns resembling frost-laden vines and snowflakes covered every surface, transforming the cave. The air grew colder, carrying the crisp scent of damp earth and a faint hint of frost.
He stepped along the familiar trail back to the patriarch's private estate. This time he looked over the symmetrical layout and disciplined design of the Iceheart clan's city. Frost-covered pathways meandered the village, guiding cultivators toward different structures and districts. Icy buildings stood tall and majestic, their facades reflecting and refracting the ambient light, casting an enchanting glow upon the surroundings. The intricate designs and patterns etched into the icy walls revealed the clan's mastery of craftsmanship and artistic flair.
Passing through the central plaza, Kai's gaze was drawn to the towering ice spires that encircled the grand open space. The plaza served as the village’s heart, a gathering point for the Iceheart clan. A frozen fountain at its center captivated Kai's attention; its waters transformed into a stunning display of frozen art, capturing the elegance and fluidity of ice in motion. The plaza buzzed with activity. Half a day ago, that was not the case. Word had gotten out about Meilin, and everyone was talking about it.
Kai continued on into the residential area. The streets were lined with individual homes carved from the mountain rock, their intricate carvings and enchantments radiating a warm ambiance despite the frigid environment. Kai saw cultivators working hard, cultivating, or practicing within these dwellings. The sheer amount of elemental ice energy he could see illuminated the world with ambient blue light.
He paused. Off in the distance, he could hear the sounds of martial practice. He could hear the clash of swords, the determined grunts of cultivators, and the encouraging roar of an audience. A tournament? There was a vibrant energy pulsating through the city. Laughter, conversations, and camaraderie - he could feel the lively atmosphere and noted that it wasn't like that when he'd passed this way not long ago.
Arriving at the patriarch's personal estate, he made himself known. He was quickly ushered in.
Kai entered and counted the council of elders among the patriarch's guests. Each elder wore the familiar family robes of the Iceheart clan. Kai stepped to the center of the stone tiles and waited.
“Master Ahja Kai, when you claimed magics thought impossible, we were skeptical, but your skill was as you claimed. It is refreshing to see someone deliver on their promise,” Xiangyu’s voice reverberated around the courtyard. Kai looked at the elders. The most common expression was curiosity. He hadn’t met most of them, and while they were undoubtedly informed that the master soulforger was a child, hearing and seeing were two different things.
Kai looked them over. Some elders were older, while others seemed as young as the patriarch. With cultivators, you can never tell.
“Have you considered our proposal?” Xiangyu asked.
“I have,” Kai looked around at the cultivators. Since he brought up the proposal, these must be his trusted council. “I am not free to negotiate an alliance for my order, but my personal strength is enough for what you propose.” Kai knelt in the same position as the patriarch.
“It is no small thing you have requested - to forge the soul of a disciple. Cultivators forged with spirit beasts develop innate abilities but, most importantly, gain intuitive insight into their Dao path. This smooths their cultivation progress and removes many bottlenecks.”
Kai could hear the murmurs of the elders as he revealed the proposal's subject.
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“My order has established heaven-bound oaths restricting all who master this art. These oaths are designed to protect our order and its members. One such restriction denies me the ability to forge a cultivator for two rival factions. I must carefully consider where to lend my support or if to lend it at all.”
“I see,” Xiangyu replied.
“I do not mention this as a pretext for refusal. I can complete your request, but doing so binds me to the Iceheart clan. I mention it because good alliances are built on mutual commitments.”
“Well said,” Elder Lief spoke.
The negotiations began in earnest; Kai parried and countered the group. Outnumbered and undoubtedly outmatched, he did his best to secure the most for his interest, but when the deal was struck, he was left doubting he received adequate compensation.
“Now, as for what you need to know of the ritual. The compatibility with the cultivator’s energy is more critical than realm or rank. A common spirit beast with elemental ice affinity would be better than a more powerful beast without it. Of special importance,” Kai began detailing the information they would need to complete the preparation.
“The Iceheart clan specializes in heart cores. Spirit beasts have a total of seven body soul gems, only one of which is a heart gem. To maximize the strength of the fusion, collect multiple spirit beasts in hopes of getting a compatible heart core gem. With different kinds of spirit beasts, we may be fortunate enough to find one among them.”
That was all. The terms of the alliance and payment had been struck. Kai would give them time to hunt spirit beasts and conduct their cultivator trials to select the next leadership candidate. Before leaving Arcadia, he would return here to complete the agreement.
“You will be staying in Arcadia then?” the patriarch inquired.
“I will. I have business there.”
“I would speak with Master Kai privately,” he said.
The elders took their leave, and Kai was left in the courtyard alone with Xiangyu.
“In the spirit of our new alliance, I would speak with you of matters of Arcadia.”
Kai was ready to go but sat back when he heard this.
“Your daughter mentioned you were trying to keep an antidote from reaching the city. The black heart antidote.” Kai raised his eyebrow.
“We thought that the most likely course of action, we did not anticipate the City Lord could recruit a master soulforger of your skill.”
“I haven’t been recruited by….”
“It is of no importance; in the end, we are allies now.“ the patriarch took a coin from his pouch and flipped it to Kai. The coin flew so fast that Kai needed to slow down the world to reach it in time. He flipped it over and looked at the inscription.
“The local merchants guild have been allies of the Iceheart clan for almost as long as Arcadia has stood. Before meeting City Lord Luo Tian, consider meeting with the head of the merchants guild, Naas Zhi. Hear what he has to say. That coin will let him know I sent you.”
Kai flipped the coin over again and pocketed it.
“Where would I find him?”
“He runs the local financial services office in the Lotus Pavillion. I hear you’ve already been there.”
“I know the place.” Kai nodded.
The patriarch shifted in his position before continuing. His face went from cold and logical to something else.
“Have you given any further thought to Meilin?”
Kai sighed. He already had four cultivators he felt responsible for. He didn’t want another. Yet she did have some redeeming qualities.
“I would hate to see her potential squandered but am unwilling to support the lazy or untalented. If, in the time I’m here, she can complete the absorption of the Qi already provided to her, I will take her and see she is raised to the advanced core formation.”
“If she can not complete the task, she will be for you to raise.” It was a safe bet, and he felt guilty making it. The energy he provided her would be enough to complete the first body refinement and begin working towards a core. He might be here a few more days or a week, but he didn’t think she had enough time to refine half that much.
“I will let her know. She will not disappoint.”
“Now, I would review the final payment.”
The patriarch stood. “We have it prepared.”
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Kai walked back to Arcadia, lost in thought. The grand views of the city as the sun swept across the sky, the sparkle of the ocean, the bright rainbow in the clouds, these were all lost on him.
Weapon formation realm. Why didn’t the Celestial Temple tell me about this? He was struggling with why there was such a difference between the Celestial Temple’s cultivation steps and the Iceheart clan’s understanding. There was a whole missing realm, and the realms with three ranks in the Celestial Temple’s method were split into other realms with two ranks in the Iceheart clan’s method.
This gave him no confidence in either method. He stretched the time between steps to give him more time to think about it. Could it be that the Celestial Temple’s approach was customized for soulforgers? But why can’t soulforgers create a spiritual weapon?
I need more methods to compare. The most likely explanations for all the strange facts he was collecting all seemed cynical and dark. Why hadn’t he endured another tribulation when he advanced his eighth core? Why would forging a spiritual weapon be impossible or dangerous for soulforgers?
Cultivators were secretive. Knowledge was power, and you hoarded what power you could get on Long Yuan. But did it go further than that? Did organizations conduct counterintelligence operations to spread disinformation about cultivation to weaken their enemies? Was there some elite organization spreading imperfect cultivation knowledge to maintain their power advantage?
And what was the deal with heavenly tribulations? How could that be a natural phenomenon? If the build-up of spiritual energy created some kind of natural lightning reaction, why didn’t it occur after the eighth time? He couldn’t think of a natural explanation. To Kai, it felt like a system running behind everything, with logical statements responding to events with pre-programmed responses.
He considered spinning up threads of thought to investigate all these theories. He didn’t. What could be gained by knowing you were being lied to about cultivation. What good could be achieved knowing you were running around in a system designed to oppress and prevent your success?
A better use of his thought power would be documenting his cultivation experiences. He could only rely on what he could confirm with his own analysis. He would have to experiment. He would have to try different methods. And I need more data. Even if he couldn’t trust these various methods, they must contain some truth, or they wouldn’t survive long enough to be used by cultivators.
Like deciphering a cipher, he could figure out the rest if he had enough samples.
For now, he would take it one step at a time. Kai paused and took a deep breath. The cold mountain air filled his lungs with the scent of the last of autumn and the first of winter. He looked down over the city and smiled. Banishing the dark thoughts that had plagued him since his failure to trigger another heavenly tribulation, Kai set his mind on something that excited him.
Spiritual Weapons.
A weapon was a tool for war, and Kai liked tools. He had many ideas about what he wanted to forge for his first core.
Kai set off down the mountain towards Arcadia with a smile, his feet lively. If he was inside some kind of system, he wouldn’t play fair. He needed to cheat.
He laughed as he began work on the design.