Chapter 305: Wandering Fingers

Chapter 305: Wandering Fingers

With the next patient before me and the last one still on my mind, Im back to moving qi through my body while treating the patient.

With one major change to the process.

Now that Im getting close to the border of reaching Rank 2, I need to do the extra steps my particular path in cultivation requires.

I take an inward breath.

As both air and qi enter my mouth and lungs, qi also enters my body from every part of my body, funneling into my meridians and then dantians.

I take the opportunity to follow the path of one strand of qi, to watch how it travels.

While called a strand, this little strand actually seems more like a mote of dust. A little speckle of light when sensed.

But even as a speck, it still acts like a gas, as it floats around. And as expected, once I utilize my cultivation method to absorb the surround qi, it is quickly going towards my pores.

The moment it touches my skin, a transformation begins, stretching it out just like a strand of thread.

Normally, this would take a deeper journey throughout the body to stretch it, but with my body characteristics, that isnt the case.

But even in this state, this thread still acts the same. Just like a gas, it flows along the current its on. Similar to how light acts like both a particle and a wave, despite it appearing as an elongated thread, it still acts like gas, both in its movement and properties.

When it goes through my various meridians and their strange configurations, a different process occurs, which should happen later.

The strand becomes denser and denser, with other qi in the area is being woven into to it. Remarkably, without changing its size. Merging into one entity with a greater weight. Something that will continue to happen throughout the entire journey in the body.

While this happens, it still keeps the properties of gas.

The qi is just a little harder to move and causes greater metaphysical strain on the body to keep it in that form.

With something like this, I can see why some of these meridian changes are unsustainable for other cultivators. Their bodies just cant handle the extra dense qi or the effects of it remaining in their body.

Remaining gaseous, but with a changed quality, as it follows my specialized meridians.

Making it that much easier to use for healing purposes. Something that could be called healing qi, for simplification.

And while the qi around here is neutral, normal qi, it is possible to for both natural and manufactured areas to have specialized qi in the area, to make it easier to perform specific actions.

My guess is that this area is neutral, to allow for a greater range of cultivators to both work and cultivate here. As not all healers exclusively work off of healing qi. There are water, air, fire, and many other types of cultivator healers. Using one property or another to help people.

And each can process qi, albeit slower, into a form that would work best for them.

Now, with the many changes Ive made to all the parts of my body, my process to change the form of the qi is much easier, quicker, and effective than it normally would have been. The strain that it takes because of these adjustments expands the capacity and quality even more.

Something great for both my body and whoever I decide to use the qi on.

And this is just one step.

It goes through other meridian sections, which makes it speed up, move with more deftness, and become even more effective, not including several other changes before it gets to the lower dantian.

But when it finally reaches the lower dantian is when it really influences my cultivation.

As the dantians are primarily where qi is stored, I keep the qi circulating in these areas the longest. Systematically building up the pressure and size, while infusing the qi into them to expand.

Particularly for Rank 1, the dantians can be compared to an unfilled balloon. The work has already been done in Body Cultivation to build the balloon itself.

Now, the work within this first step is to prepare the balloon in a way, so that when I fill it, it can handle the stresses of being pressurized. So, moving from Rank 1 -> 2 means that the baseline level of qi is doubled i.e. that the balloons volume is filled out.

But that doesnt mean the balloon is fully pressurized and at capacity. Once all the bonuses that cultivators have built in comes into play, the Actual amount qi represents packing more and more qi into a now pressurized space, besides its quality and other factors.

Thus, being the exponential aspect of the amount.

However, this also means that every other Rank after Rank 2 is much harder and wont have such a large increase. As the balloon is already filled and pressurized. Rank 3 and up is all about maintaining the balloon, while slowly increasing its baseline volume.

In terms of the dantians, each dantian does its part in refining the qi further into a purer form to be used. While all are storage tanks, of sorts, they still go through a progression of lower dantian -> middle -> upper dantian, before the qi comes back into the meridians and out of the body.

All with the additional increases that said meridians provide to outflowing qi for cultivation techniques.

Unfortunately, a permanent source of qi is not yet present in the Qi Condensation realm. Every piece of qi that I use, I have to recover from the environment.

Like gas held in an open balloon, it is a constant struggle to keep it inside. And any that is used for cultivation techniques leaves the body.

For me, I just receive far more qi coming in than I use.

Once I reach Foundation Establishment, then I wont have to rely on the environment. My body will naturally regenerate qi, with the quality of it changing, as well.

And this one piece of qi, that has traveled through my entire body and back out toward the patient, finally reaching them and healing them, resonates with the new qi just nestling in my upper dantian.

Its time.

The balloon starts to fill.

Deep within my dantians, a change happens. The space within them expands and increasing the suction of qi around me. But instead of it letting it go out, I keep it in. Pushing the walls of my dantians further and further.

I shift my body to grasp my hands on her soft, delicate, and terrifyingly strong ones. Almost immediately, she grips them tightly.

My eyes travel up into her blue ones. I can feel warmth in the way they catch the eye, like the trailing smoke of a flame.

I hear heavy breaths and close my mouth, just to realize its not mine, as she stares just as intently at me. Shes excited.

My heart thumping furiously, I move slowly but with a bit more confidence. Wrapping my arms around her, pressing my body against hers. My hands are low against her back, but not too low. Just to enough to show this is a romantic gesture, rather than a normal one.

I can feel the side of her perfect face press against mine like a feline as she squeezes against me further.

The air has definitely changed with this. But theres a reason Ive done this.

Ive made a commitment to change. To be honest with those around me. To not be afraid of making a deeper connection and all that comes with it.

Nuan

I feel her shiver as I dropped all the titles I usually preface her name with.

She doesnt rebuke me for saying it like that.

I feel a noticeably tighter squeeze. She definitely liked it.

Im glad you are with me, Nuan. Im sorry that Im causing such trouble for you.

Theres a blur before I realize shes moved her lips to press against mine.

And then shes standing away from me. Her face a shade of red, with the scent of vanilla and jasmine still lingering before me, making me dizzy for a brief second.

She coughs, biting her tongue when she speaks and stutters.

W-well talk more out of h-when- we get back.

this helps my head to clear a bit and pull back on the natural reactions from our compatibility.

I guess its easy to forget that she doesnt have much experience with this stuff. From what Ive gathered, her relationship with Elder Gu went nowhere and cultivators arent really known for focusing on romance.

Especially when they were geniuses that trained from birth.

I think this is good, though. I want to do this right.

Which also means I will need to talk with the others. Show how I feel about them, too.

To not make her feel awkward, from the situation Ive created, I turn to the side. Even as I try to keep cool, even my cheeks are burning right now.

Okay. Thank you again.

She nods swiftly before stretching out her hands. Closing her eyes.

She gives a slow inhale, before exhaling back out.

When she finishes this, her eyes are clear again.

Alright.

How many people can you heal now?

Right. Back to business.

All of them. Though, since this will be my first-time healing in this way, it may take a bit.

She gives a curt nod.

Good. The timeline is different, but it will only work to our benefit. All of us have experienced a sudden windfall, so theyll understand it with this.

Right after you finish, Ill contact the Patriarch and Head Librarian. The slaves from that Long Clan Elder should arrive before we leave. Ill arrange for transportation to the tower, for after we check over them.

She looks around the room.

In the meantime, Ill set up some additional protections in this room. Just in case. As youll be using this one to heal the Patriarch and Head Librarian and test out that jade slip from the Unsecured Halls.

I suspect that will be something we should have them stay for.

She clearly knows what is going to happen when I use the jade slip.

I'm really scared too.

Falling silent, she looks over at the door, while I start up one of my first dedicated cultivation techniques for healing.

Fingers of Life.