“Good, you have adapted your strategy for interacting with me. That is as it should be. But we have spent too long removing our masks and we should get to the meat of this conversation, after all my time is not infinite.” Shen Lan leaned back and lounged on her simple chair as if it were a throne, looking more like a tiger resting in a sunbeam than anything else, full of menace at rest and deadly promise.

“I have been watching you three since you arrived and you have impressed me. Your persistence and determination in breaking through first, as well as your cunning in avoiding Lu Wu so he couldn’t distract you are promising qualities for a cultivator. But what most impressed me was your ability to convincingly pretend. Although Lu Wu is foolish and naive he is not stupid, convincing him of your innocent intentions is a worthy challenge for a young cultivator, lacking in practical experience.”

“I know about the existence of your contract with him, though I don’t know the specifics, nor do I care. It has been clear to me since before I ever met you three that you would all be in conflict and I have just one piece of instruction as your master. Handle your affairs without leaving sufficient evidence behind and I will shelter you from reprisals, otherwise I will turn you over to Lu An.” On that chilling, but not unexpected note, Shen Lan left the topic of the contract and Lu Wu behind to talk about Ji Kang’s cultivation.

“Now that you have reached Qi Condensation you have the first opportunity of your life to select your cultivation technique manual. In the vast range of cultivation techniques not only are there differences in quality, there is also the matter of suitability. Not everyone is equally suited to every manual. It is mainly personality type, individual comprehension and luck that determines whether the technique you select will be suitable and remain suitable over the long term.” Shen Lan first introduced the concept of suitability before moving on to talking about the manuals she had selected from her library based on her thoughts of which would be most suitable for Ji Kang.

“I have chosen three options for cultivation manuals that are likely to suit you from my library, as well as three technique manuals for you to study as well. You could theoretically go to the sect’s main library to find cultivation manuals there as well, but you would need to exchange for them with contribution points, and besides I have already looked through them and added the best ones to my personal library.”

“Most cultivation manuals have an elemental attunement, or symbolic theme, making it easier for a cultivator to cast techniques that fit their cultivation style. Common alignments are to one or two of the five elements: Wood, Fire, Wind, Water, Earth. Less common alignments are for less concrete ideas, some examples being Yin and Yang and all Five Elements in balance, or aligned with more specialized derivative elements like Lightning or Metal.” While Shen Lan was saying this she spread the six manuals out on the table so that Ji Kang could see each cover.

Each of the three cultivation manuals had a colored cover with a symbol printed on the front and in addition the name of the cultivation technique was printed down the spine of each book. This uniformity of design showed that all three books had been bound by the same person, likely Shen Lan or someone she employed.

“This is Lone Pine Bending,” Shen Lan said while pointing at the green manual with a white pine tree design on the cover. “This is a Wood and Wind cultivation manual, suitable for you because of its focus on stability together with flexibility. Notable advantages to be gained from cultivating this technique are an attunement with nature and forests, making finding or growing precious herbs easier, and giving cultivators the ability to fly at Core Formation whereas most cultivation manuals don’t grant flight until Nascent Soul.”

Next she pointed at the black book with the blue and white symbol saying “This is Harnessed Flame, a somewhat unique Fire and Metal attuned cultivation manual that focuses on creating concentrated, potent, and esoteric types of flames rather than the generic bigger is better philosophy so common in other Fire attunement manuals.”

The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

Lastly, Shen Lan introduced the third cultivation manual. “This last one is called Yin-Yang Nourishing. It has no elemental attunement, and instead focuses on the concept of Yin and Yang working together. Because it has no elemental attunement there are almost no techniques or spells whose potency it increases, but this cultivation manual has a different advantage; it increases cultivation speed above what would ordinarily be possible for lower grade aptitudes.”

After introducing all three cultivation manuals Shen Lan sat back and watched Ji Kang from over her clasped fingers. Ji Kang knew this would be an incredibly important decision so he made sure to put aside his first inclinations and consider deeply.

The first two manuals sounded excellent and mystical, but they couldn’t compete with the third in the eyes of this C grade talent. The thing he had always been most concerned about, aside from how he would deal with the contract, was falling behind his peers and being unable to match their cultivation speeds. After all, it didn’t matter how cunning he was or how many plans he made if his enemies were too far above him in cultivation. Cultivation was strength, and strength was the foundation for agency in this world. If you didn’t have strength you would forever be bound by the rules of others, but if you had sufficient strength you could walk unhindered across the face of this world.

Ji Kang sensed an implication from Shen Lan’s description however. There seemed to be roughly two types of Imperial Cultivation manuals, one that increased the strength and potency of the cultivators’ abilities, and one that increased the speed of cultivation. It was likely that with just the Yin-Yang Nourishing manual and no mitigating factors that Ji Kang would be weaker than others at his level.

A sinister smile crept onto Ji Kang’s face. So what?

Wasn’t intelligence a mitigating factor? Ji Kang had never been the strongest or biggest young boy, but he had still been able to carve out a niche for himself in the incredibly competitive messenger business back in Jidong. When he first started out many bigger boys came to find trouble with him, but with his cunning, prudence, and ruthless methods he had forced them to give up.

So what if he didn’t have the highest strength among those at his tier? He had no reason to fear being unable to succeed on that front.

“I would like to choose Yin-Yang Nourishing Master.” Ji Kang cupped his fists and bowed respectfully.

“I thought you might.” Shen Lan’s eyes shone with laughter for a moment, but quickly she regained her tranquil expression and spoke again. “Just so you know, every two years there is a tournament within the sect among the inner disciples. The lowest performing five disciples are demoted to the Outer Sect, and the winner is given the opportunity to become a Core Disciple. Usually the masters of demoted disciples cut off contact until the disciples are able to rejoin the Inner Sect through succeeding in the Outer Sect’s version of the same tournament.”

Ji Kang was all too conscious of the conspicuous lack of mention as to what she would do if that happened. He would need to do well enough to remain in the Inner Sect.

“Thank you for your guidance Master.”

“All right, take your cultivation manual and these three skill books and leave.” Shen Lan seemed to transform without any true changes as she resumed the posture and bearing of an old woman tottering on the brink of infirmity before waving her hand to dispel the array on the door that led back upstairs.

“This disciple takes his leave.” Ji Kang bowed one last time and departed.

While he was walking back to the room he chose on the first day it struck him that Shen Lan had only ever dropped her disguise when inside fully activated wards despite being inside her own underground complex. Either she strictly followed a better safe than sorry policy, or she believed she was being spied on.

This was interesting, but ultimately there was little Ji Kang could do with the information for now. Much more interesting and immediately important were the four books he was carrying. Ji Kang needed to get started reading, he needed to begin memorizing his cultivation manual in case it was lost or destroyed and he also needed to read the three technique manuals Shen Lan had given him.