Information Requested: First phase of non-combat path evolution
Beginning Report…
Prime examples of this are the widespread Redflower Clan, whose various life, water and earth based paths provide highly efficient agriculture on every continent, and the Crystal River School, which is the sole architectural contractor of the Nine Cloud Court. While combat is not the primary focus of their paths, even these organizations still teach basic martial training and combat based techniques to their disciples.
After basic needs such as food and shelter are comprehensively met, there usually emerges a collective need for greater luxuries in these nascent civilizations. This need first manifests with creative usages of existing paths, usually centering around Sacred Artists whose martial skills prove deficient. These less skilled disciples seek to provide value to the clan by utilizing their paths in ways others find beneath them. Illusion artists create artwork or supplement theatrical performances. Wind based paths find great success in adapting their mobility to acrobatics or couriering messages. In rare cases, the cultivators can find sufficient demand for their non-martial services to actually break away and form their own school, and occasionally find even greater acclaim and fortune than their originating clan. Such as in the case of the Beastwalker clan’s rejects forming The Dansim Brother’s Fantastic Spirit Beast Menagerie, which is still successfully touring four continents two centuries after the destruction of the originating clan in a territorial dispute.
Suggested Topic: Second phase of non-combat path evolution
Denied, report complete.
Yujin willed the silver blade madra to gather along the edge of his blade, staring down his opponent. For all his training and practice and countless defeats, Yujin still struggled to push the madra into the technique he desired. He’d lost a dozen times today alone but Yujin refused to let that lessen his determination. He would succeed.
Sweat dripped down his forehead, blurring his vision, but Yujin refused to blink, forcing the madra into the pattern he desired. He maintained his breathing, using the copper cycling pattern of the Flowing Blades path, and let the blade madra build to a crescendo.
Focus. Yujin scolded himself. You’ve practiced this a thousand times. Picture the pattern you want and just let the madra flow into it.
Just as it reached a density trembling at the very edge of his current control, he swung his blade down decisively and released a shower of slivery blades onto his opponent.
The stubborn carrot resisted, shivering, as his madra passed over and through it, before slouching in defeat. It’s neatly trimmed core reluctantly unfolded, descending into an elegant, symmetrical lotus flower without collapsing into a pile of overcut petals. The perfect, and final, garnish for the breakfast he’d been preparing.
Yujin gasped, losing his cycling technique entirely, and threw his hands up into the air. The carrot sat on the cutting board, all the more beautiful for being surrounded by the butchered remains of his failed earlier attempts.
“Yes! Finally!” Yujin knew how much his mother hated shouting in the house but some things deserved to be celebrated. “No ingredient can best me!”
“Yesh!” Kasina shouted from her seat at the table, throwing up her stubby arms in mimicry of her brother. “Fi’ally!”
“That’s right Kasi!” Yujin placed the lotus garnish into the center of the platter, heaved it up into his arms before gently settling it onto the center of the table in front of his applauding sister. “Finally. Breakfast is finally done.”
“What’s this I hear about breakfast?” Yuji asked, entering the kitchen ahead of Haisin as Yujin laid down the rest of the utensils and plates. “Is today’s feast finally prepared to our young chef’s standards?”
“Indeed it is, mother! After two weeks of effort, your son has triumphed and everything is as it should be!” Yujin couldn’t help the flowery language, as his giddy joy bubbled to the surface. “The omelets are folded, the bacon is crisp, the rice is fluffy as a cloud, the vegetables steamed to the edge of consistency, and it all resides under the finally. Perfectly. Cut. Carrot. Lotus.”
Yujin took a bow. “Enjoy.”
Everyone took their seats and dug in, and Yujin appreciated the moment. Yuji was placing food on Kasi’s plate before seeing to her own, piling vegetables atop the rice. Haisin taking his first bite and closing his eyes in appreciation. Yujin took a moment to breath it all in. The smiles, the smell of well cooked food, the sense of family and home and satisfaction that permeated the room. All the effort and time, paid off in full.
“You know,” Haisin began in a careful tone. “This is all delicious. But it’s just as delicious as always. The carrot flower doesn’t actually change the meal. None of us are even going to eat it. You didn’t have to spend all that time learning to cut it just so.”
“I disagree.” Yujin didn’t even feel the implied criticism. He’d finally cut the carrot. Nothing was going to bring him down. “It ties the entire meal together. Before, it was just a bunch of food on a plate, cuz we were hungry. Now, it’s a meal to remember. And I like to think it lets my family know they’re worth the extra effort.”
“Well said, Yujin. You’re exactly right.” Yuji replied, her words followed by a soft thump under the table that just possibly could have been her foot connecting with Haisin’s shin. “I can feel the difference already and I haven’t even taken a bite yet. And not to ruin the mood but are you aware that it’s almost ninth bell?”
“What?” Yujin felt all the joy of the morning evaporate as he checked the water madra clock in the corner. “Crap! I have cycling class! I’m late.”
“Cra’!” Kasi cried out, throwing her arms in the air again. “I’s lay!”
“Kasi! Language.” Yuji scolded before glaring at Yujin. “Watch your tongue. You know she’s nothing but mimicry madra these days.”
Yujin couldn’t respond as he’d just shoveled the majority of his rice into his mouth. He could not be late again. He mumbled what could have conceivably been an apology before grabbing a handful of bacon and sprinting out of the room.
Yujin snagged his practice and cycling blades from beside the front entrance and tore out onto the path. He glanced down at his robes and didn’t spot any particularly bad food stains. Instructors had disciplined him over that before and normally he wouldn’t have minded, but things were changing. Elder Lai had been hinting the last few weeks that if his exacting standards were met, he might finally let his students begin incorporation their chosen madra.
****
Yuji shook her head and turned back to ministering to Kasi while Haisin stared out after their son, frowning but not quite sure why. His son’s advancement training was going well and his dedication to training properly had done nothing but strengthen the last few years. Kasi and Yuji were happy and healthy. His latest patrols had gone exceptionally well and the accompanying rewards were speeding his way to Truegold.
Things were going well. Very well, even. Yet here he was, frowning after his son.
“Dearest heart.” Haisin said.
“Mmm?” Yuji answered, not turning away from Kasi.
“Do we need to have a talk with Yujin?”
“About what?” Yuji’s brow furrowed in confusion.
“Don’t you worry he’s, I don’t know…” Haisin shrugged uncomfortably, trying to find the right words. “Getting a bit too obsessed with cooking? He woke up two hours earlier than the rest of us to practice cutting carrots and he’s still running late for class.”
“All the best sacred artists have hobbies dear. It keeps them balanced.” Yuji’s laughter soothed her husband. “Besides, it’s doing absolute wonders for his madra control. You do realize the knife never actually physically touched that carrot, don’t you? And he did it in a single technique, not a dozen cuts. I’m not even sure I could do that.”
Haisin turned back to the diced vegetable that had so captivated his son these past few weeks. It was actually an impressive display of finely tuned madra, when he look at it objectively. Yujin had even managed to curve the cuts so the lotus petals curved just like the real thing. And the carrot was still technically one connected piece. Doing it in separate cuts was one thing, but as a single flowing technique? Golds would struggle to achieve such a thing.
Could I do that? Haisin asked himself, and realized he wasn’t sure of the answer.
Haisin found himself chuckling and shook away his doubts. Yuji was right. There was nothing wrong with having a hobby, and all young geniuses needed ways to express themselves. He should just sit back and enjoy the delicious food. Everything was going to be fine.
***************
Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
“Swords down.” Elder Lai said as he walked the rows between motionless students. “Begin stretching cycle four.”
Yujin knelt in unison with the rest of the class, setting aside his practice sword, and began working his way through the prearranged series of painful arm stretches. The Willowbranch Iron body was the Shin clan’s core Iron body, and when perfected provided incredible flexibility and endurance. It generally required years of painful limbering and strengthening exercises, as opposed to a few excruciating weeks or months that similar Iron bodies needed. The benefits it provided were designed to mesh with the clan’s primary sword style, which emphasized fluidity and curving movements over straightforward power.
“Students! What is the core of our path?” Elder Lai’s voice echoed through the room.
“Flexibility in all things!” Dozens of voices thundered back.
“Correct.” Elder Lai nodded approvingly before continuing. “But flexibility can, and does, mean many things to our school and our clan. There is the literal, such as when facing with an impeccable defense, you do not break through, but instead flow around. It means that to fully achieve mastery of our Flowing Dance sword style, extreme physical flexibility is required.
“But it is also much more than that. Straighten your back, disciple, you’re more likely to fall asleep than stretch a muscle in that pose.” Lai rapped a kneeling student on the back of the head. “It is about accepting and bending to reality, even if you do not wish to. Recognizing that we are not the largest or most powerful of clans, and thus must bend to the whims of the more powerful. Understanding that different clans see the world in different ways. And even, sometimes, accepting that the path of our children will not be the same as our own.”
Yujin’s went still at those final words, as did the rest of the class.
“Yes, yes, as promised, the day has finally come.” Elder Lai’s voice was indulgent. “Today I will begin accepting requests for alteration or addition to the Flowing Blade path’s madra requirements. After class or at any other time, you will be allowed to approach me and explain the reasoning behind why you wish to supplement your blade madra. If, and only if, I find your reasoning acceptable and fitting with your current progress and style, you will be allotted a sacred treasure of that madra and allowed to begin integrating it into your core.
“Do not take this lightly.” Lai’s tone hardened. “I expect your decisions to be carefully considered. Beyond personal cultivation, this will be the first duty tasked to you by our sect. Our founding Patriarch foresaw the wisdom in allowing our paths to bend with the needs of the individual, and entrusted that choice to each generation.
“Now.” Lai clapped his hands together. “Another piece of wisdom our wise ancestor left to us is the value of hard work in clearing the mind. Let us all meditate once more upon the paths we will follow while moving through the Sweeping Blade kata. I say, three hundred repetitions. What say you?”
The shouts of assent outnumbered the groans, but only just.
***************************
“Already, disciple?” Lai raised an eyebrow. “It’s only been an hour since I made the announcement. I hope you aren’t here to waste my time.”
“No Elder.” Yujin genuflected over pressed fists. This was it. He tried not to stare at the open book in front of the Elder. With just one stroke of a brush, everything could change, for better or worse.
“Very well then. What is your request?”
“Fire madra.” Yujin forced himself to speak slowly. He could not seem overeager. “I wish to incorporate fire madra into my path to supplement my swordplay.”
All the reasons he’d rehearsed rushed through his mind. It was flexible, just like the sect’s path of the Flowing Blade demanded. It would enhance the area his sword strikes could affect. It would open up a whole new field of ruler techniques. It could distract and intimidate his opponents. It was a popular addition amongst many of the sect’s Golds, so he would have a wealth of experience to draw upon if he had questions.
None of these reasons were why he wanted the ability to wield flame madra, but they were all still technically true.
The seconds seemed to stretch into days as Elder Lai looked him in the eye. Sweat poured down Yujin’s face but he refused to look away. He would be strong in this. It was what his path required, what he required, and he would not be turned away in this. ‘No’ was not an acceptable answer.
“Very well.” Elder Lai nodded. “The sect approves this alteration to your path.”
“Huh?” Yujin asked, knowing how foolish he sounded. He felt as if he should have stumbled, but have been standing still, it didn’t occur.
“I said, your decision has been accepted by the sect.” Elder Lai smiled. “I can see in your eyes and your spirit the determination you possess. And I do believe your core resonated ever so slightly when you said it. This was not a decision you came to lightly. The warnings we give are merely to dissuade the fickle and foolish. I can tell this is the path that calls to you, and when you feel such passion for a chosen path, strong and firm advancement inevitably follows.”
“Thank you, Elder!” Yujin bent forward, bowing over his fists until he worried he might strike the floor. He couldn’t be certain how exaggerate that worry might be, as his eyes were clenched shut tightly.
“But be warned, this is not the final decision. You will still be expected to show improvement.” Lai’s voice remained warm but the firm words chilled Yujin to the bone. “If you demonstrate an inability to control or properly incorporate this madra into your path, you will be forbidden from advancing to Iron until your core is once again purified to possess only sword madra. I do not expect this to happen, but I will not refuse to see it should it occur. This choice you make is both a duty and a privilege. To fail in your duty to the sect, is to also lose it’s associated privileges.”
“Yes, Elder!”
“Good.” Elder Lai dropped his eyes and began writing in the entry beneath Yujin’s name, formalizing the approval. “Sacred treasures of an appropriate aspect and strength will be withdrawn from our stores and delivered to your home within the week. If you already possess such a treasure, you may begin incorporating flame vital aura into your core before they arrive. You will be expected to present yourself for an inspection once a month to ensure that you are properly balancing the blade and flame madra in your core.
“You should also head home immediately,” Lai glanced back up from the book. “A message was sent to all students’ parents about path alterations today. I have a feeling yours know you won’t wait and are quite curious about if you succeeded. You are dismissed, student.”
Yujin gave one last deep bow before sprinting out the door.
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“Well?” His mother demanded the moment Yujin entered the house. She was the only one in the entrance hall, but Yujin could feel his father listening from further into the house.
“Fire madra!” Yujin shouted, throwing up his arms in triumph. “My path has been approved!”
“Oh that’s,” Yuji covered her mouth as her eyes welled up. “That’s just wonderful! I knew they’d accept your change. They’d have been fools not to.”
“Thanks Mom.” Yujin said, trying not to roll his eyes.
“Now.” Yuji sniffled and wiped her eyes clear. “There’s still some time left. I can run to market and get what you need for your favorite dinner. I’d offer to cook but, well, I know only you can make it the way you like anymore.”
“Actually,” Yujin put on his most charming, loving-son smile. “I was hoping I could try something different tonight, to celebrate.”
***********************************
Yujin took a deep breath and focused on the ingredients he’d prepared around the kitchen.
The vegetables and chicken were laid across the table before him. His cycling sword was unsheathed and leaned against the far wall, far enough out of the way that he wouldn’t risk knocking it over. The sacred treasures inside the stove were fully unsealed, releasing heat and red-orange vital aura into the air. His mother and father were watching silently, curious, and keeping Kasi quiet.
Everything was ready.
He picked up the freshly sharpened kitchen knife and let himself fall into his traditional cultivation trance. Then, carefully, he began to lift himself back out of it. A hair at a time, Yujin became less and less aware of his core and madra channels, and more conscious of his surroundings. After several minutes, by his best guess, he’d evenly split his attention between his cultivation trance and the kitchen.
Let’s give this a try.
Yujin picked up the first carrot to begin dicing, and began the breathing pattern for his cycling technique. He carefully chopped his way through the ingredients, all the while pulling a thread of flame and blade madra from their respective sources into his core. It was far slower than both his usual cooking speed and his usual cultivation, but he managed to maintain a tenuous hold on both.
As he progressed through the meal’s preparation, all the reasons he had for choosing to incorporate flame madra into his path bubbled up in his mind. Ingredients that would never burn from excess heat. A even distribution of warmth across his pans. A knife that could be any sharpness or temperature he needed. Fish and meat that he could cook, inside and out, to his exact desires. The sizzle and roar and toast of every stove, flame and oven in his kitchen under his complete control.
And it wasn’t just control over fire If he could just master this technique, every time he cooked a meal, he would simultaneously be advancing his cultivation. The hours in the day he could cycle would more than double, and the boredom he had to fight through for hours each day would disappear.
The dream of complete mastery over what he had come to see as his domain seemed just within reach. The possibility sustained him through the intense focus cultivating while cooking demanded. But no Path is without obstacles.
The problems began when it was finally time to fry all his prepared ingredients together. Any rapid or sudden movements stole away control of his cycling’s breathing pattern. As a result, there was significantly less stir than a proper stir fry required, and a burnt haze of smoke gradually filled the kitchen. Nothing was ruined beyond edibility, but the black char on everything was far, far below his normal standards.
He could also feel the worried gazes of his parents on his back. Yujin wasn’t sure if it was for the burned meal, his strange cycling, or fear for his sanity. Yujin had only heard of Sacred Artists cycling while moving in myths of Sages and Monarchs. And not while cooking, either.
But for all the evenings failings, Yujin set the bowls before his parents with a sense of triumph.
He’d done it.
A (technically) edible meal, prepared without assistance, while cycling a cultivation pattern. Yujin could feel the change in his core, a fair orange sheen just barely tinting the silver sword madra already present. It had been slow, and ineffective, but he’d taken in both blade and flame vital aura present in the kitchen. That meant it could be done.
And if it could be done, it could be done better.
As he dug into his meal, which tasted delicious despite being objectively not, Haisin cleared his throat.
“I owe you an apology.” Haisin said.
“What?” Yujin glanced over at his mother in confusion, but she was too busy soothing Kasi, who most definitively not tasting the glorious victory that Yujin was. “Why?”
“I’ve been worried about your… interest in cooking. I was afraid that too much of your energy and focus was going into making food, and that your cultivation would suffer as a result. I am very relieved to have just been proven wrong.” Haisin’s smiled. “What you just did, cultivating while not just moving but cooking, was incredible. I don’t say that I understand it. Heavens, I don’t even understand your decision to leave a pure blade path.”
Haisin trailed off, frowning, and Yujin realized what his father was trying to say.
“Dad, you don’t have to worry.” Yujin answered, “I won’t let cooking distract me. It’s just fun to do. It helps me focus. Helps me learn. I won’t let my cultivation suffer. I’ll make you proud.”
“Good.” Haisin smiled again, then rested a hand on Yujin shoulder. “Good. I’m very proud of you, Yujin. You’re going to go very far.”
Yujin nodded, and they both returned to their food. Haisin, with immense relish, and Yujin with a great deal less. It was strange but for some reason, the food lacked that triumphant taste. In fact, Yujin felt a sinking in the pit of his stomach, which didn’t make sense, as the food wasn’t that bad. In fact, it felt similar to when Yujin used to feel guilty about not cycling as diligently as he should have.
To Yujin, it almost felt as if he’d just lied.