Seated on a moss-covered tree stump within a secluded clearing enveloped by the dense foliage, Demeris started his Qi experimentation. Inspired by the martial arts displays he had witnessed earlier, he fixated on the mesmerizing art of wielding Qi to command swords. Intrigued by the notion that Qi could bear the weight of solid objects, he knew that Qi therefore can become solid too. But he has failed in making his Qi solid numerous times in the past so he decided to try a new approach.
With focused intent, Demeris molded his Qi into the form of a delicate bowl, its ethereal substance hovering above his open palm. In his mind, a whispered chant echoed, "You are a bowl, you are a bowl," aimed at the bowl made of Qi. With hopes up, he cautiously dropped a small stone onto the Qi-formed vessel.
The outcome, alas, fell short of his expectations. The stone effortlessly pierced through the still insubstantial bowl, descending to the earth below. Unyielding, Demeris persisted, experimenting with smaller stones, pebbles, and even twigs, leaves, and dirt. Yet, each attempt resulted in the same disappointment – the Qi-formed bowl proved incapable of cradling any substance, remaining like a ghost in the material world.
In his frustration, Demeris hurled the Qi-formed bowl towards a tree with a mental command. To his surprise, the bowl didn't pass through the tree; instead, it lost its shape and dissipated upon contact with the tree's trunk. Intrigued and eager to understand, he swiftly conjured another bowl and directed it toward the tree. Disappointingly, the second bowl behaved as expected, passing through the tree as if it were insubstantial.
Halting for a moment, Demeris engaged in introspection, racking his brain to recall the circumstances of the first successful attempt. "I thought of throwing it at the tree," he mused. Delving deeper into his thoughts, he inadvertently asked himself why he wanted to throw it. That is when a realization dawned on him.
"Maybe it's not just thinking about it; it's also about what I felt about it," he concluded, speaking aloud to himself. "I was so angry; I wanted that bowl to shatter upon contact."
Empowered by this newfound insight, Demeris fashioned yet another bowl and directed it purposefully toward the tree, intending it to shatter upon impact. To his delight, the bowl fulfilled his command, dissipating into thin air upon striking the tree. Encouraged by these repeated successes, Demeris conducted the experiment several more times, consistently achieving the desired outcomes.
Upon scrutinizing the tree's trunk, Demeris found no evidence of impact – not a scratch or blemish in sight. A realization dawned on him: the issue lay in his intention. Determined to correct this, he gathered Qi into his palm and sculpted it into a simple sphere. With a directive to "hit" the tree, an audible "thud" resonated as the sphere obediently followed his command. Inspecting the point of impact, Demeris observed a noticeable indentation in the bark, marking the successful interaction between his Qi and the tree.
Joy surged through Demeris as he unraveled yet another facet of his Qi mastery. Returning to his initial experiment with the bowl, he molded it once more. This time, with heightened determination, he picked up a stone and dropped it into the bowl, distinctly willing the Qi-formed vessel to hold and contain the stone. To his satisfaction, the bowl succeeded, cradling the stone securely and preventing it from falling to the ground.
Now, Demeris aimed to test if his Qi could carry and move an object around. His first step was to identify a stone on the ground. Once he had a target, he focused his intention, commanding his Qi to envelop and encase the stone. With success, he instructed his Qi to lift the stone from the ground, and to his satisfaction, it floated obediently.
Taking it a step further, Demeris directed his Qi to transport the stone to different locations. It followed his commands precisely, moving the stone as instructed. Curious about the limits of his control, Demeris decided to hurl the stone towards a nearby tree with a simple thought. The stone soared accurately and audibly struck the tree. However, upon impact, Demeris observed that his Qi dissipated, and the stone bounced off the tree, falling to the ground.
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A new idea sparked in Demeris's mind – if he could make his Qi substantial, could it also break under force? Eager to test this theory, he conjured a sphere in his hand and pressed it against a sturdy tree. Commanding the sphere not to yield, he slowly increased the force applied. As he pushed harder, he felt, more than saw, the sphere starting to break, and soon enough it shattered, dissipating into the air. This validated his theory, and he took note of this limitation, and also the part where he “felt” his Qi straining.
Demeris wondered how much weight or force his Qi could handle. He picked a big boulder nearby and tried to wrap his Qi around it. He chuckled when he saw that his Qi couldn't cover the entire boulder, even when stretched thin. "Dream on, Demeris," he chuckled to himself, guilty of fantasizing about crushing his enemies with big boulders.
He then aimed for a more realistic goal, a rock about the size of his head. His Qi could circle it, but when he tried lifting the rock, his Qi broke and disappeared. "Too heavy," he said, or at least that's how it felt to him before his Qi broke.. Trying again with a smaller rock, just the size of his fist, Demeris succeeded in lifting it and sending it crashing into a nearby tree.
Recalling how the cultivator Kursana wielded two swords during the Initiate Tournament, he willed his Qi to split into two equal parts. His Qi obeyed without delay. He then directed one part to gather and lift a stone from the ground, and the other part to do the same to another stone. Simultaneously, both Qi reacted, resulting in two stones now floating in front of Demeris. With the swiftness of thought, he then commanded both Qi to carry the stones and rotate them around him. They followed his instructions without hesitation. He continuously increased the rotation speed until he felt the two Qi were near breaking. He let them dissolve, and the stones shot out of the rotation carried by their momentum before falling to the ground.
Demeris continued his experiments, testing the boundaries of his Qi's carrying ability, its resistance to force, and the speed at which it could move objects. With the first signs of dawn emerging, he returned to the dorms, quietly slipping into his bed. Following his customary routine after a night of experimentation and practice, he employed his Qi to rejuvenate his body. He lay there in relaxation until the others started waking up, marked by the crowing roosters signaling the onset of a new workday for the servants.
During his work that day, he relied on his Qi not just for his own energy but also to assist in various tasks. He employed his Qi for digging and pulling out weeds, seamlessly integrating it into almost everything he did. The natural ease with which he could command his Qi allowed him to apply it in a variety of ways.
After work, Demeris joined Ronan in walking back to the dorms. They talked about the Initiate Tournament again while walking, Ronan still fascinated by the events they witnessed that day.
Reaching the dorms, Hestos immediately walked up to them and said “Demeris, you are wanted by the Master. You are to report to his office immediately.”
Demeris asked why, but Hestos just shrugged and walked away.
Perplexed, Demeris made his way to the Master's office. Upon knocking, he was told to enter. Once inside, the Master, shaking his head, immediately remarked, "Tsk, tsk, Demeris. I knew you were trouble from the first time you came here."
More confused than ever, Demeris asked, "Have I done something wrong, sir?"
The Master directed his gaze towards an inner room and called out, "The one called Demeris is here, Initiate."
Demeris heard approaching footsteps then saw who they belonged to - the cultivator from the Initiate Tournament, the one who used a large magic fist to defeat his opponent. And behind the cultivator followed the limping, but grinning Malachi.