Chapter 61: Mana to Qi

Chapter 61: Mana to Qi

How many hours had he been sitting and gathering qi? Opening his eyes to peer at the sun again would only make things worse, and he was safe since he would smell any monster approaching. So Kai remained seated and focused on qi condensation.

He had expected it to be like gathering dew off of grass in the morning, but it was so much worse. Like sucking clouds from the sky by huffing and puffing. The strange energy was so thin on the ground that it seemed to exist only in the corners of his vision, evaporating whenever he focused on it. Zae Zin Nim had years of experience with the task but could only describe how it had felt in her home land, where they were swimming in the stuff.

She was still in the small city they had passed, running errands so that he wouldn't incite attacks from anyone. The trip was supposed to take some time, so he threw himself back into qi condensation so he could show at least a little progress when she returned.

The second major problem was that so many of his instincts were wrong. Mana required a strong and confident hand, drawing in power quickly so that it became second nature, just part of his normal actions. Qi flowed away from him if he applied more force than a butterfly's wings. He had needed to adjust his mental models: thinking of stirring it with his hand was too forceful, he needed something more like a thin reed.

But still, when he really focused, he could succeed to a small degree. The insubstantial wisps gathered together inside him and became... well, if not droplets, at least spiritual moistness. He'd gotten better at the first task, the problem was what came next. No matter whether he concentrated fully or tried a light touch, the energy seemed to dissipate once he held it.

Then a scent interfered with his meditation: Zae Zin Nim was back. He tried to keep working until she stood just in front of him and began setting things down.

"These tents are small, but reinforced," she said tersely. "I wanted to acquire sanitation stones, but the quality was unacceptable."

"They might not make them to your standards here." Kai opened his eyes and looked over what she had bought. At least she'd gotten a proper flint. "If you don't buy them now, we might end up smelling like this for a long time."

"It may not be appropriate for fine courts, but we are training ourselves in the wasteland, not striving to impress. Besides, one grows accustomed to it. Your hygiene standards on Deadwaste are nowhere near as slovenly as I had been led to believe."

"I've always reached for the high ideal of 'marginally less slovenly than expected.' "

"This is the remaining money." Zae Zin Nim set the bag down in front of him. "It was somewhat replenished by selling the monster cores. I tried not to waste any."

At a quick estimate, there were about five hundred Goralian Eagles left. Based on his best guesses for prices, she had haggled for good deals, but also purchased a few things for herself. He hadn't noticed at first, but she was wearing a new tunic, longer than necessary and cinched with her old belt. If a few small purchases made her more comfortable, he was glad to let them pass unmentioned.ViiSit no(v)3lb!n(.)com for new novels

Only a little of it was lost and he succeeded in stirring the rest into his soul, forming a solid bead... and yet it still seemed to be dissipating. He desperately tried everything he could, but the qi was ebbing away no matter what he did. Eventually a small remainder stabilized, settling in the new hollow that existed in his soul. Was that failure?

Zae Zin Nim abruptly pressed a palm to his forehead. He could feel her examining him, like spiritual sight but tactile. A moment later she pulled back and frowned.

"Well?" he demanded. "Don't keep me in suspense."

"Nothing has changed from my first evaluation of you. Your dantian is large, and your body soaks in qi like nothing I've ever seen, but the heavens have blessed you with very poor growth."

"Does that mean that I'm doomed as a cultivator?"

"It will never be your central source of power, but you can still gain something from that fiendish determination of yours." Zae Zin Nim sat down opposite him and folded her hands in her sleeves. "The qi condensation stage will help you develop, and if you can reach the Body Refinement stage that will reinforce everything you've gained. What I have to offer is not useless to you."

"I'm glad to hear that. I want to ask you how your mana exercises are going, but there's one other thing... you said my capacity to retain qi was good, but it doesn't feel that way to me."

"Some of it is being absorbed by your body. This is natural, if a bit unusual. I'm afraid the fact is that your path is different from those I've studied. This can be neutral or even beneficial, but it is easy to deviate catastrophically if you aren't following a stable path. For that reason, your cultivation will need to proceed slowly and carefully."

"So if there's no path for someone like me, can we create a new one?"

She blinked at him several times, as if he'd suggested they punch a mountain. "Kai, I need you to understand something. Paths on Cloudspire aren't invented on a whim. All of the cultivation techniques I used were developed by entire sects over many generations. After a lifetime of work, a master might hope to add a few strokes to their techniques. No, we can't just create a new path."

But it seemed like that was the only option available to him. Kai wasn't even bothered by the fact. Ever since he'd begun to accept that his soul was apparently a freakish product of coincidences, he'd known that he'd need to move forward cautiously. The monstrous parts of his soul might offer potentially great power, but they weren't going to hand it to him. He'd need to work harder than ever before.

Of course, he couldn't have done that without Zae Zin Nim, so he needed to pay her back. He smiled even though he knew she wouldn't smile back and stood up. "Thank you for your assistance this far. Would you like to work on mana training now?"

"Yes. There is much work to be done."