Chapter 35
Won inhaled deeply, filling his body with the living air that it needed to burn the fire inside of him. That was the secret to the Inner Fire. Fire requires two things to burn. Fuel, which was the food that he ate each day, and air. The breathing technique of the Inner Fire was as vital to the process as the understanding behind it.
The Inner Fire body enhancement technique was different from the other elements.
Pao’s body was enhanced constantly by his magic, and the boy was always as strong as he could be. His struggle came with managing that constant strength and learning to be gentle, so that he would not use it unintentionally.
Tan’s speed was something that he could turn on and off, making it much more like the Inner Fire technique that Pyter was teaching him. But it was fundamentally different as well. Where the speed that Tan employed was variable, it was also consistent.
Much like Ko’s technique as well.
The secret of the Inner fire was timing. If Won burned his Inner Fire consistently, then all he’d do is waste the energy of his body. When he enhanced a punch, he had to enhance the punch , causing an explosion of energy at exactly the right second to make it matter.
It was obvious, once he’d been educated on the matter, how fire body enhancement worked. Won had simply never thought of it before it had been pointed out. How exactly would fire enhance his body without burning it?
It didn’t.
The secret of the Inner Fire enhancement technique wasn’t igniting a fire inside his body. It was stoking the fire that was eternally burning within him already.
Won was a fire. His life was a flame, and he was a fire cultivator. By mastering his control over the fire element, he mastered his control over his body.
He pulled back a fist, and he punched.
His sister caught the punch, her eyes widening in shock as she contemplated the force behind it.
“That’s very good, Won,” she said. “My hand hurts, and I was enhancing myself. I think you’re at least as stong as I am now.”
He nodded, grinning. “I’m not though. Not most of the time. Water is water consistently. Fire is hot only while it burns. When we’re not fighting, you’re stronger. When we fight, I burn hotter than you.”
Ko nodded. “I think I understand. Water is balance, and even when it is flowing it is water. It soaks into the holes and filles in the crevaces of the world. Fire waits for the moment where it changes from one thing to another.”
“Right,” Won agreed. He grinned. “I can’t wait to fight Tan and Pao and punch them right in the face as hard as I can!”
~~~~~~
On the ninth day, the children were gathered in the courtyard for a demonstration. Tan’s recent advancement, and Won’s discovery of the Inner Fire technique, had them discussing their advancements excitedly as they waited for their masters to finish setting up the lesson.
They were each looking forward to returning home and having another unofficial tournament.
When the adults were finished moving around the various supplies for whatever the lesson would be, Zenith stood in front of them and smiled.
“So, you’ll be leaving us relatively soon, assuming that Tren has run into no difficulties in claiming the spirit that he’s hunting. You’ve each learned much and grown significantly, walking far along the paths that you have chosen during your short stay. I thought that, before you leave, we should give you a short demonstration of exactly what lies further down those paths. I do not say the end, for while most paths do have an end, that end is simply wherever you stop walking,” the air cultivator said. He nodded towards his companions.
“I’ll go first,” Nora said, and she stepped forward. “The others are going to show you some fancy technique for you to master. Those exist for the Earth element as well, of course, but as I’ve already told you, Pao, your body will always be your strongest weapon. It is through your use of your body that you effect your will upon the world. Allow me to demonstrate.”
She stepped over to the boulder that Pao had been trying – and failing – to lift for almost a week now. She took a stance, she gathered into her body a surge of Qi. A truly massive amount. She drew back a fist, and struck the boulder with a “Ha!” and a palm strike. The boulder shattered, pebbles flying away from her as it was reduced to rubble.
She grinned. “Meet your oponents strength with yours and overwhelm them with your might. That is the strength of an earth cultivator.”
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She stepped back, and Pyter stepped forward next.
“You’ve learned a lot. I’m proud of the insights you’ve come to, Won, and your mastery of the Inner Fire will see you far in the world. But you will enver be as strong as an earth cultivator. As flexible as a water cultivator, or as swift as an air cultivator. In a physical confrontation, you will often find yourself overwhelmed if you rely only on your body, as Nora suggests that Pao do in your place,” Pyter explained.
“So don’t fight them on their terms,” the man suggested. He pointed at a wooden log the size of a man, and the log exploded, causing the children to shrink back.
Won opened his eyes wide as he understood what had happened. The man had set the log on fire, but he had caused it to burn all at once! The combustion was not complete, ash remained behind, but the accelerated fire had turned the log – sitting fifty yards away from anything important – had exploded violently enough to tear anything close by apart.
Rainard stepped up next. He sighed. “I may not have been as enthusiastic as the others, Ko, but I am proud of the progress you made under my tutelage. You have learned of the flexibility and fluidity of your element, and how it seeks a balance. That is good. But you must also learn how to tip the balane in your favor. I show you now one of the secrets of water, the Blade That Is Not.”
He made a gesture with his hands, and water rose from a pot. Then it shot forward at lightning speed and high pressure and cut through a stone pillar that had been erected for the demonstration. The stone parted in two, with a slightly diagonal cut causing the top half to slide and then fall to the ground.
He stepped back, satisfied with his demonstration.
Zenith nodded at the others. “Tan, my demonstration is a little different. I have shown you how to exert great force using your element. But air is not about strength. It can be strong, and it can be gentle. It can be warm and it can be cold. It feeds the flame and it snuffs it out. It dries the water, and it brings the rain. But its greatest strength is that it is everywhere.”
He stepped into a booth, closing the door behind him and obscuring him from sight. A series of servants stepped forward and began erecting bamboo poles. After they had completed their duties, they fled the area.
“Rainard showed you the Blade that is Not. I show you now the Sword that is Everywhere.”
The bamboo poles, narrow and flexible, were suddenly struck by blades of wind Qi and sliced into shreds. Within moments, they were cut down to nubs, with shards of fibrous material littering the ground.
All without disturbing the booth at all.
“Wind can not only cut, but it can cut at a distance, and when you are a true master, you will not even need to see your target with your eyes,” Zenith said once he had stepped out of the booth. He dusted off his sleave and turned to the children. “These are not the ultimate techniques of our elements. There are no ultimate techniques. But they are abilities that you should aspire to mastering. That’s it for the lesson for today. Go meditate upon what you have seen, and you will spend the remainder of your time in Mosanatas attempting to develop methods of using your Qi as a weapon.”
The children nodded, returning to their cultivation locations to reflect on the techniques that had just been demonstrated for them.
The next day, they began trying to emulate their masters, much to the amusement of everyone who watched.
Pao slapped boulders, but although he broke them occasionally, he could not turn them into the find rubble that Nora had managed. Won could easily set wood aflame, but he could not make it explode. Ko’s water blade splashed harmlessly against the stone she aimed it at, and the gale that Tan summoned whirled around him, but could not cut paper.
Still, they were praised by their masters for their efforts and told to continue practicing until they could match the demonstrations they had seen. Or improve upon them even further.
~~~~~
Tren found the fire spirit on the tenth day. It was anticlimatic. It was resting inside of a tree that had been struck by lightning, feeding on the lingering Qi of the event. He set up a circle to help him commune with it, and once he had finished he respectfully fed provided it with a taste of his Qi to gather his attention.
“Who who who are you?” a simmering voice asked.
“I am Gaia’s child,” Tren answered.
“What does that old wench want with me?” the voice inquired. “I have nothing to say to her that has not been said.”
“I bring you an opportunity for growth,” Tren said. “I have a daughter, and I am searching for a spirit worthy of her. Will you bind with her?”
The voice was silent for a moment. “If she is worthy,” the voice said after careful consideration. “It has been a long time since I have found someone worthy.”
Tren nodded, and he presented the spirit with a ruby the size of a plum. The ruby was uncut and imperfect, but when the spirit saw the gemstone it coalesced into a tangible form for a moment, then was seemingly sucked inside the stone.
Tren sat in the clearing afterward, scratching his head. He’d expected a bit more argument, or something. He looked at the sky, shrugged, and began heading back to Mosanatos. He took his time, knowing that he had four days and no need to hurry.
~~~~~~
The bolt of lightning passed through the sky, traveling from horizon to horizon, leaving thunder in its wake. When it struck in the courtyard of the palace of Mosanatos in the dead of night, on the twelfth day since the children had arrived, the guard rushed out to investigate.
They found a young appearing man dressed in simple robes. Upon the robe was embroidery declaring the man a fire cultivator and a grandmaster. He smiled at the guards and bowed.
“I apologize for appearing unannounced. I prefer not to speak my true name. Call me Renton Shen, for now. I believe that there is a niece of nephew of mine who is residing in this location, and I am very eager to make their acquaintance.”