Chapter 13: True to Form (2)

Chapter 13: True to Form (2)

Sylar stared at the pages of the text before him a moment longer. Tongues was in effect, and he could fully comprehend the semantic meaning that each phrase before him entailed.

Unfortunately, there was either some context he was sorely missing, or the author of the book had to be deep in the imbibement of hallucinogens the day he put ink to paper. With a final resigned sigh, he closed the pages of the book, leaning backward in his chair.

He had been surprised to discover that the Daodejing that Guanzhong had mentioned was not, in fact, a secret closely guarded by the cultivator sects. Instead, copies of the text were commonplace even in the home of the average layperson, serving as philosophical guides that touched on various topics. Any deeper meaning was something that cultivators derived from the primary text, by reading between the lines of what they considered a grand truth of the universe.

And some grand truth it was, considering that Sylar had no idea what profound wisdom it was trying to convey.

He thought back to the latest passage that had occupied his thoughts, a small excerpt from the 42nd section of the Daodejing. Tongues could provide a raw interpretation of the words, and from the workings of the spell, he derived a rough literal translation.

From the Dao came the One,

From the One came Two,

From the Two came Three,

And from the Three came the ten-thousand things.

Ten-thousand things, backed by yin and embraced by yang,

are infused with the qi to achieve truest Unity.

He doubted that this was an exercise in arithmetic left for the reader to enjoy, but with what he knew at present, its meaning was difficult to parse. Coupled with some of the more uh, questionable excerpts of the classical text when their meanings were taken literally, Sylar was beginning to question how this text was generally viewed with reverence by cultivators.

Seriously, that portion from Section 74 had been a real eye opener. He thought back to the rough translation, and wondered if there was some far deeper profound truth to be had there.

When people are not threatened by death,

why intimidate them with death?

Instead, if one trains them to constantly fear death,

and if when one rebels he can be seized and executed, then

Who dares?

Was the author a revolutionary arguing his case for a system of governance? He shook his head, disinterested, banishing the thought from his mind.

He hadnt yet had the opportunity of scavenging for any other books that may shed light on the matter, having just returned to the Lu Manor in the dead of night. There had only been a skeleton watch on duty, and after accepting a glass of refreshments offered by one of the estates staff, he had promptly sequestered himself in his room. He had discovered the book on the bookshelf of the guest room, but had never seen cause to pay much attention to it before, as fixated on uncovering the hidden truths of Essence as he had been.

And so, after a brief period of rest, he could contain his curiosity no more, and worked his way through the Daodejing with confusion and befuddlement that grew with each passing page.

He rose and stretched. It was time to take a break from reading. He still continued burning Fate-Fate as he worked, but now that he had supposedly achieved the First Comprehension, and opened the network of channels that Guanzhong had informed him were termed the meridians, pooling the released energies was becoming more challenging.

Before, he had been coalescing the energy released by Fate-Fate qi was what the cultivators termed it, he understood from context and gathering it together within his body. With his meridians opened, however, there was now a means of release for the stored qi, and a large proportion of what he was drawing in was simultaneously flowing out of the central storage, and coursing along his meridians. As far as he could tell, everything was being performed correctly, but this exercise now felt completely different from how it had been before, back when the energy released from Fate-Fate was simply being compressed together within him.

Hed spent roughly two to three hours reading at this point, by his rough estimation. The dawn was just beginning to break when he began, and by now it was already well into the morning.

There were quite a number of things he needed to get done today. First and foremost was drawing up a concrete set of plans regarding his decision to open a branch of the Nimbrian Academy of Essence Studies in the vicinity of Penshan. It had been an impulsive decision back then, but thinking over the logistics of it now, there would be quite a lot of things he needed prepared.

Then there was the matter of his current student. She was progressing finely with the basic set of spells and Essences that a Neophyte was expected to wield, and he had been assured that there was nothing to fear at present regarding her bodily cultivation, but he had to start thinking ahead into the future. Once she condensed enough qi and opened her dantian admittedly still quite a long time away, at her current rate of progress it would perhaps be best for her instruction in cultivation to be handled by the members of the Righteous Heart Sect.

Abruptly, the doors to the guest room slammed open.

Teacher!

And speaking of his student

Lu Qiyu was standing by the doorway, a bright smile on her face, with Lu Jin trailing behind her with a half-exasperated, half-fond look of his own. She cupped a small orb of fire in her hands Dancing Flames and continued chattering excitedly.

Look! I can keep it going for more than ten seconds now!

She was certainly going at it with far more control than she had previously. It barely wavered as she held in it place, and she seemed to be handling the Soulburn left in the wake of the spells manifestation with less discomfort.

Alas, she had quite some ways to go yet.

He laughed and conjured five orbs of Dancing Flames, and had them perform a neat little choreography of his own design that had always left Master Rynwald annoyed in his own days as an Acolyte of the arcane. Qiyu gaped at the display, then pouted angrily, and her own flame snuffed out as her concentration broke.

Ah, how pride cometh before the fall.

Jin chuckled with amusement at his daughters antics, and ruffled at her hair. Its good to see you again, Sylar. You wont believe how shes been behaving over the last two days. Whens teacher Sylar coming back, father? Can we go and find him? Father, can you teach me combinatorics? He shook his head. Honestly, shes been a real handful.

Father!

Come on now, its just two days, Sylar said, smiling with amusement at Qiyus flustered reaction. Its not as though Ive been gone for six months without a word and suddenly returned.

We were expecting you to be away for a longer time, even. Did everything go well at the Demons Pass?

You could say that. Even now, there was a trace of the heightened sense of awareness he felt following his first steps into bodily cultivation, although it now seemed a little diminished following its initial awakening. Its been quite an enlightening experience.

Im glad to hear that. Would you like to accompany us for breakfast in the main hall?

Please, Im famished. We pretty much rode through most of the afternoon and evening to get back to Penshan.

They walked along what were now familiar hallways and corridors of the Lu Manor. Two weeks hed been a part of this world, and it was starting to grow on him. Sure, he missed his adventuring friends back in Resham, but they only occasionally dropped by for visits when their paths saw them returning to Nimbria ever since hed taken a break from the adventuring lifestyle. With new acquaintances and friends in this world, new mysteries to uncover, and new dangers to brave, he was beginning to be quite fond of the Immortal Lands.

To be honest, I might be a bit out of my depth with regard to the process of bodily cultivation and tempering, Sylar said. I didnt understand it before when I first arrived in Penshan, but I now know that there is almost no equivalent to the art back in my homeland. During my trip to the Demons Pass with Guanzhong, I did manage to achieve the First Comprehension

The what?

Thats what they said, anyway. The First Comprehension deals with cultivating the body. Its nothing impressive. Im fairly certain that I opened my meridians, though there are probably a bunch of twelve-year-olds up on that mountain that are at a further stage than myself. Sylar waved his hand, dismissing the earlier statement. Anyway, not important. Qiyu is doing fine, at present, and Ive been told that she should be able to reach a similar stage in due time. Id put a good wager that she might be faster than they expect, considering her progress with the Spiritual Arts Ive been teaching her.

Jin seemed surprised at that, and there was no hiding the obvious pride he felt for his daughter. Still, he was aware that Sylar was holding this discussion for a reason, and there was an undercurrent of worry in his tone.

Go on, he said slowly.

Jin already had some notions of Essence, since he had unknowingly taught them about it during the carriage ride up the mountain. As such, there was no need to hold back certain details, though in hindsight Sylar wished he had been more careful.

The issue comes after that. With my backing in the Spiritual Arts, I think I have a good chance of understanding what I need to do to continue further along with my cultivation, but because Qiyu is practising with Fire Essence, while I work with Fate, it is likely that our methods will diverge greatly past the first step. Sylar looked seriously at Jin. Ive been cautioned by Guanzhong, as one far more experienced than myself in your local cultivation methods, that there are great risks associated with improperly cultivating, and that these dangers only increase with each stage. Given that the Righteous Heart also has members that engage in cultivation techniques building upon a foundation of Fire, it would perhaps be safer for her to join the sect and learn from them once she reaches that stage.

Jin was silent for a long moment. He clearly knew what that would entail, and Sylar saw no need to remind him of them.

I see, he finally said, sombre and contemplative. What kind of parent would I be, if I allow my only daughter to come to harm as a result of my own desire to protect her? He sighed, and looked tiredly at Sylar. How soon would that be, if she has to leave this house to join the Righteous Heart Sect?

Its hard to say. Months, maybe. No more than a year, I would think.

Again, he fell into a long silence.

Its funny, Jin said. I know that the Righteous Heart is less strict than other sects on cloistering themselves on Penshan Peak, and that there will be many opportunities for my daughter to return and visit. But even then it just wouldnt be the same, would it?

There was no need to answer.

And you, Sylar? Jin asked. What do you think I should do?

The safest option, and the best for her well-being, would be to have her join the Righteous Heart Sect, I think, he said. But

But?

There is an alternative Ive been thinking about. Im not certain if it will work, but youll find that Im not keen to give up my first student without a fight. Sylar shot a conspiratorial look at Jin. That brings me to the second issue I wanted to talk to you about.

What is it? Jin asked.

I intend to open a school of my own; the Nimbrian Academy of Essence Studies. It wont be anything grand I certainly dont have the means or intentions of creating a vast estate up on a remote mountain but I hope to pass on some basics of my Spiritual Arts to talented students, he said, letting the words sink in. Then, as an afterthought, he added. Of course, Qiyu, as my first student, will be the ranking disciple.

Jin played along. That would only be natural, yes. Heavens forbid that any of her juniors discover the folly of crossing her wrath. He smiled faintly. Shes been a lot more lively recently, you know. Its always been a hassle trying to get more to engage in anything, and that little child of mines chased away more than one tutor that I brought in to teach her. Now, shes even going out of her way to insist that I provide her with some books on mathematics.

Heh. Perhaps you might be generous enough to provide the salary you previously offered her tutors, then?

Jin snorted. He took another long sip of his tea, and returned back to the previous topic of discussion. How would that idea help with her situation, though?

Im thinking of bartering an arrangement with the Righteous Heart Sect. In exchange for some pointers and instruction with the Spiritual Arts, they assist with ensuring the safe cultivation of my students and I, and perhaps provide some supervision as well. If it proves fruitful, perhaps we can think of a greater degree of an exchange of knowledge, ideas, and techniques, Sylar said. Im hoping to rely on your assistance with the logistics involved, and any connections you may have with those both within and beyond the sect.

You think they will agree?

Its hard to say, and Guanzhong was undecided as well. I know that Elder Yang seems to have a good impression of me, at the very least, but this goes beyond tradition. He thinks that the Grandmaster may have to be involved in making this decision. He tilted his head slightly. Have you had any dealings with him before, Jin?

Yes, Grandmaster Mu is an acquaintance of mine, he said. The leaders of each of the three sects of the Penshan Alliance meet with the magistrates of the cities within Jinxiang Province every few years to ensure that the affairs of the mundane realm are in order. He hesitated. He is a fair man, and definitely one who abides by the righteous path. But

But?

He holds strong opinions regarding traditions, and the limits to which they can be stretched, Jin answered. Grandmaster Mu is proud of the history of the Righteous Heart Sect, and while he is honest and just, he will likely feel that yielding some of the sects secrets to outsiders would be akin to betraying his predecessors. He will not be careless with the responsibilities entrusted unto him as leader of the sect. And considering your young age, he might be less inclined to agree to your request as well.

Hmm. Darn. Sylar hoped it would have been an easier task, but it seemed he may have some work cut out for him if he pursued this course of action. What would you suggest?

For one, you will need to leave a good impression on him. He must feel that you are worthy of some of the sects secrets both in wielding them, and in upholding their continued secrecy. That extends to any students you may have in the future as well, Jin said, thinking carefully. You must have conviction. Valour. Pride, and respect. A commitment to the ideals of the Righteous Heart Sect, or at least a way to prove yourself as a worthy ally. Perhaps it might be worth speaking with Elder Yang, and see if he might have any thoughts on the matter?

The more that Jin spoke, the more respect Sylar felt for the Grandmaster, though he had never even met him in person. It wouldnt be easy, but Sylar would not have it any other way.

I see, he mused. I had plans to visit the Elder Yang at some point, anyway, and I did promise to meet with Guanzhong, Quanhao, Yao, and Shurui in the near future.

Right. That was a plan, then. But for more material matters

He coughed politely. I dont suppose, ah, that you might be willing to offer a small piece of land for me to set up my school? Perhaps some raw materials to work with as well? He felt almost embarrassed to say it, but he had virtually no possessions with him. It doesnt have to be within the city. Even outside Penshan would be fine.

Jin was silent, adopting a calculative and contemplative expression as he studied Sylar intently.

I am magistrate of Penshan, and one of Jinxiang Provinces administrators, Jin began saying. But I am also honoured to call you my friend, Sylar Spellsight. So I must ask you now are you requesting this in the capacity of a future ally that we, the mundane people, might be able to call upon in times of need, or simply as a favour between friends?

There was little need to even consider his response. Even as he said it, the words felt right in his ears.

Both.

He straightened his posture. He was Sylar Spellsight former student of Janus Rynwald, scholar of Essence Studies, and Arcanist of the realms of Resham. He was also an adventurer, one who had ventured the lands of the Kingdom of Nimbria and beyond, putting down threats and ensuring continued peace within the Kingdom. In separate phases of his admittedly short life thus far, he had always adopted one of those mantles.

Now, as a Planes-displaced resident of the Immortal Lands, he would pick up both.

You can count on me and my future students as your allies, Jin. And between friends, if theres ever a favour you need of me in return, you need only to ask.

Jin both the official, and the friend of Sylar Spellsight judged his words carefully.

Then, he nodded.

Very well, then.