I let out a quiet sigh, so as to not create a disturbance, as I set down another scroll. I had been researching everything I could about using the path of polarity to cultivate. It was clear why it had been given up so long ago as a viable thod of cultivation.
Finding opposite types of resources of a high enough rank, was near impossible. Each setup was also unique to each cultivator, based on their understanding of the principles involved. Or it could have just been variances in the materials used. It wasnt entirely clear.
That was the problem with this thod of cultivation. It was a path no one walked, due to the impossibility of getting an appropriate opposite. One of the biggest hurdles, the base structures had already been taken care of, and one half of the polarity path. In terms of work I had to do, there wasnt much, but what was left was the hardest part.
Months of constant research, and nothing to show for it. This wasnt a topic with its own section either. Sure there were a couple of specific tos on the path of polarity, but I needed to look into opposites, which involved Daos.
The reading on Daos were incredibly thick and limited to the Dao the elder focused on for their cultivation. I had made so progress, by trying to understand exactly what a Dao was.
A Dao was a path of deep and comprehensive understanding. Soul and body cultivators would take on a singular Dao. Mind cultivators, would have multiple Daos. The later stages were based around setting up an internal structure to house Daos, and use ones understanding to deepen ones relationship with the Dao they had chosen.
The second bottleneck, to the ninth stage Immortal Ascension, was about harmonizing perfectly with ones Dao. This would break the limits that constrained all cultivators, including their mortality. These Daos, or concepts, were often based on the path of cultivation a person took in the earlier stages and was very personal.
All of this ant that Aoyin, didnt have three Daos, or paths. But rather that the Dao he had chosen, could only be encompassed by those three words togeather to form a greater whole. If I had to describe it, the best guess would be The power of blood to consu. But even this might not be entirely right.
That was the biggest headache of my research. Since the deeper the understanding, the harder it was to describe with words. Elders had written entire tos about their daos, trying to explain their understanding, but the writing was lacking.
One cultivator might have asured everything precisely for their focus, while another tried for a more holistic understanding. The best example of this issue was the Dao of Fluidity. There were three tos about this Dao. Each of them took a different approach to describing the Dao.
The first to talked about states of mater and tried to quantify the fluidity of any object. The second to used poetry to describe the cultivators understanding. The third to was more of a story of understanding about fluidity. A journey of self-discovery. There were clear differences and similarities between each to.
That was why I was sighing. The understanding at the later stages was much more personal to each cultivator. Consu blood for power, was another valid interpretation. Blood consud is power, was a third interpretation. Even with a slice of Aoyins cultivation stuck inside of , it wasnt sothing that could be easily discerned. Getting as far as we had, was already trendous progress.
Putting away the tos I had been reading, I left the elders library. I had been focusing on my cultivation recently as well. Once I entered the third stage, then I would have a lot more problems to deal with and resources that I needed.
Going to the dining hall, I sat down. I noted that Gen was here as well. He gave a look of regret but didnt approach. A glance at him, showed that he was still struggling through the second stage of cultivation. I smiled to myself, it was good to know that I was on pace with the other disciples, even though my cultivation was far superior and much more complicated.
That was one reason I ate in the common dining hall. I could have arranged to have food delivered, but I wanted to see the other disciples and gain motivation about my progress. Greetings Senior Yuan Zhou, Wen Xue said.
Wen Xue, please sit, I gestured with my hand.
Thank you. So, making progress? he asked .
So. But the higher concepts give a headache, I said with a sigh and poked at my food. He let off a light chuckle at that.
More complications with your path of defiance? he asked .
Yes. I need to look at Daos for the third stage. What about you? You have entered the third stage. How is that going? I asked him.
A struggle. I am focusing on earth attunent, but it is slow going carving out all my ridians and channels. I am getting better at it, but the amount of focus required is more than the second stage. That is how you know you have changed stages it takes more ntal effort to do anything, Wen Xue said.
How many ridian and channel sets are you carving out per year? I asked.
About two and a half. But I should be able to get it up to three. I have about thirty more years of work. I winced at this. That was another problem that needed to be dealt with. The speed of carving out my channels and ridians. It would speed up with null tal and a focusing gem, but that would help with the detail work I needed to do.
I would have 1,304 channels in total, compared to Wen Xues 100. I would have to find a faster way to cultivate. The problems were just piling up unfortunately. But that was the curse of my path of defiance. That is good progress. The goal is two sets per year, I replied and Wen Xue gave a nod.
Indeed. The issue are the resources I need to attune my channels and ridians. Unfortunately, I am going with the standard attunent for earth, he seed a bit depressed at that. I needed to get perfect attunent, which ant even more resources. I know there was a plan to use force was the elent for attunent.
Normally the elent people used, tied into their Dao. At least they would get a head start. Choosing sothing that wasnt related to your attunent was a setback. The better the attunent, the better ones understanding of their chosen Dao in the later stages. But it was all a race against ti to get past the first bottleneck.
Cultivators didnt have ti to get everything done perfectly. They had to work as quickly as possible, otherwise they would be stuck. I had managed to clear all the requirents to reach the third stage. But the third stage required several special items and knowledge. The fourth stage required an insane amount of energy.
The challenges I faced were imnse. I could understand now, why other cultivators didnt go this path. The headache of trying to get over all these hurdles was imnse. Having one or two hurdles, was doable, but they kept piling up in front of .
Well I am glad you are making progress, I told Wen Xue.
Thank you senior. What about yourself? he asked .
I have no issues until the third stage, which I should arrive at in about five years, I replied.
On pace then with the other disciples, impressive, he said. I shook my head at that.
A headache. Fighting beasts, risking my life multiple tis, and barely managing to get all the materials, I needed. It has been a massive headache. The third stage is even worse, I said morosely while poking at my rice.
I kind of felt like a spoiled brat. Even with all the help I had, there were just so many hurdles to overco. Even research and studying, both things I enjoyed, felt burdenso with the lack of progress I had been making in finding an opposite to Aoyins Fang.
Even so, you have managed to clear your path until the third stage. When you make it to the later stages, you should have a much easier ti, Wen Xue said.
Hopefully. Here is a tough question for you. What do you consider the opposite of blood, power, and consu? I asked Wen Xue. He got a thoughtful look on his face for a bit.
Well, blood is the life force of the body. I would say ash would be the opposite. It is dry, floats, and devoid of life. The opposite of power is weakness. The opposite of consu is expel. I would guess a weak volcano for your riddle, he replied.
My eyes lit up at that. A weak volcano, belching out clouds of ash, I repeated while thinking over that. That was actually the kind of insight I needed. I was much more logical. One plus one, giving two kind of thinking for my cultivation. But Daos were much more freeform.
While I couldnt use Wen Xues exact understanding, I needed a more holistic approach and answer to the question I was confronted with. It was like mixing colors instead of numbers. Red plus blue would make purple. Now I just needed the sa for concepts.
The idea of a volcano just resonated with . Such a location was bound to have a treasure that could be used. I would have to do research on volcanoes and possible treasures I could find near one or inside one.
I am glad I could help, Wen Xue told , and I gave him one of my brightest smiles.
Consider this a thank you. I had been stuck in a ntal rut for a while trying to think my way of a cultivation issue, I told him and put a rank 2 spirit coin on the table. He quickly picked it up and gave a look of surprise. He put it away and then bowed his head towards .
Thank you Senior, he said.
Trust , it was worth it. I need to start thinking less math and more relationships, I replied as I kept trying to play out the relationships and what I thought the opposites of such things were. Blood could refer to family. Aoyin killed his father and probably consud it. The number of tis he had brought his father up during our conversation togeather was a big clue.
Power could also refer to movent, the cultivator is powered by blood. The opposite of power then would be inactive. That made sense to . This made much more sense to on a fundantal level.
The final word I had learned about Aoyins Fang was consu. Consuming was using sothing up. I had been thinking too literally about the word for a while. The opposite of consu was preservation. Keeping sothing around and not using it.
Tying all this togeather, I needed sothing unattached to Aoyin, that was static, and preserved. I felt like I was making so progress in understanding and coming to a realization. But it wasnt just about figuring out the opposite, but getting the resources that were the embodint of such a thing as well.
I didnt like any of this. The entire process was too imprecise. There needed to be a better way. After finishing off my al and excusing myself, I went back to the elders library and began to look for texts on the energy of heaven and earth itself.
If it was a wave or ripple of so kind, then I just needed to find the opposing modulation to cancel out Aoyins Fang. I could scientifically make my way to the correct answer, rather than searching blindly. The Sect Leader had ntioned about being able to test if items were opposing Aoyins Fang up to 90%. That clearly ant there was a way to test and observe these things.
I needed more precise asuring tools, and then a way to adjust whatever item, or items would be used. Searching through the texts I didnt find anything useful. The next day, after my ti spent working on my cultivation, I went to the Sect Leader once more.
His help had been invaluable. Without his support, I would have never have been able to make it this far. What is it now disciple? he asked once I entered his office. I explained my thinking to him.
What I am asking Master, is if there is any way to get a better asurent, and check ingredients? I asked.
It isnt that simple disciple. I am making the determination with my personal abilities. A lower ranked cultivator compared to myself, wouldnt be able to even get that much accuracy. An Immortal would have far more, he said with a heavy sigh. I knew he was frustrated about his lack of connections as well.
And they dont use the polarity path for their disciples? I asked.
There is only so much adjustnt that can be done before items begin to lose their potency. And even that isnt a simple procedure. You need a cultivator who is experienced in soul manipulation. Very few are, and I am one of them. Still, your idea is interesting, he replied, and I got so hope in my heart.
A special chamber would have to be constructed and built up. Sothing like this isnt simple. A formation master would be needed. And there is no good way to isolate Aoyins Fang inside of you. If it wasnt then sothing could be done, but with that there, it just isnt practical, he said, and I winced at this. That is why, creating test samples could be done. But that would double or triple the resource requirents.
Testing? You an altering my astral soul stabilizer and then seeing the effect? I asked.
Yes. Normally this is impossible. Since a soul would break under such strain. But you. Well, your cultivation is ridiculous. We could do three to five attempts. The closer we are the first attempt, the better.
Then make adjustnts after that, I added and the Sect Leader nodded. It felt nice for once that my cultivation was helping , instead of dragging down. It just kept putting up roadblocks, which was exhausting. Now a roadblock was being removed and a solution was now possible.
Exactly. I should be able to make it work. Once both halves are functional, Aoyins Fang would be pulled into you as part of your cultivation. I didnt suggest this before, since it has never been done, and the resource cost will be imnse. I would need at least 4 different resources, in decent sized quantities. But realistically, 6 different resources, in large quantities would be the best.
That, is a lot, I replied quietly as I thought over the issue.
They would only need to be rank 6. But yes, it is a massive headache to get such things. The greater the difference between the resources gathered, while still being opposite of Aoyins cultivation, the better. I didnt understand the chanics of exactly what the Sect Leader would be doing, but I trusted him. He had been helping and guiding for quite a while.
Could I learn what you do? The soul manipulation? I asked him out of curiosity.
I attuned to sothing different, which was what helped on my path. We might want to consider three separate attunents for your channels and ridians based on their alignnt, he added.
Why? I asked.
Using force is useful for your soul path. And even your body path. But with the mind path of cultivation, I would suggest sothing opposing force, the Sect Leader suggested.
What else is there, that can be used? I asked.
That a big question. I wanted to bring this up, since Liu Chen has been hounding about it, the Sect Leader said.
But you dont think I should do sothing like that? I asked.
No. Choosing an attunent or attunents for your channels and ridians is a deeply personal matter. This will have a large impact on the later stages of your cultivation. There is no hand holding after the first bottleneck. One cannot cultivate for another, or have the sa understanding, he explained to .
Could Aoyin switch up what he did to remotely? I asked.
No. What he has done, is crippling to an extent. He removed a part of himself and put it into you to nurture. A very small part, and the damage done is also small. Still, it would have weakened him, however slightly. He cannot change his cultivation at his stage. His path is set, the Sect Leader answered.
Alright, I have an idea where I need to start. I will start looking through the list of known resources, I replied and the Sect Leader gave a nod at that.
Your ability to focus and conduct research is important. It is good you are working hard. Your cultivation, any issues? he asked , and I shook my head.
No, issues. Just taking ti to align all the motes. I should be done in five years, I replied, and he nodded at that.
A decent speed, for a cultivator of your age, and the path of defiance. There are three other hurdles for the third stage. The amount of spirit stones that you need. Null tal and a focusing crystal. Finally a focusing chamber to draw out energy from spirit stones and change it to force energy. The good news, is the chamber is on track to be completed. Where are you on the other two hurdles? he asked .
That was the power of an entire sect. I would be a guinea pig for this new type of cultivation attunent in the third stage. The sect would gain knowledge. I just had to fuel the entire formation. Getting enough spirit stones should be possible. You know of my business venture, I replied.
Yes, but explain it to again, the Sect Leader asked. I explained about the plan that was being implented to gather spirit ore from across a large area on a regular basis. Taking my mine managent sche to the next level. I had brought this up before, but he hadnt really dug into it, focusing more on Aoyins Fang and dealing with that.
It is a decent plan. And you have an elder of the Imperial Sect, and a deal with a family in Imperial City. Also, the funds to see it through. I will ask for ten percent of the profits. In exchange, I will dispatch five mbers and an elder to support your operations in Imperial City, the Sect Leader offered.
That seems like quite a bit of support, and the percentage? I asked, not understanding what he was bringing to the table.
It would ensure there would be no long-term issues. The mortals could run things, but the transportation of the ore needs to be protected. It would also allow the Cloudy Moon Sect to insure your investnt is protected, while also allowing the sect to create an embassy of sorts in Imperial City.
I hated giving up even more, but there was no choice. I couldnt say no with how much the Sect Leader was helping . I needed him to get a cut as well, so the sect would continue to support my antics. What was left unsaid, was that it would tie to the sect, and create broader support once the Sect Leader died. He was aging, which ant he didnt have much ti left.
While it was aggravating to be put into this position, the weak had no power to object if the strong decided to step on them. I had hired Zheng Ting. I had gotten the funding. I had arranged the other backers. Now the Sect Leader was coming in at the last minute and taking another bite out of my business.
Very well, I would like to speak with the elder and the mbers who are headed out, so there are no misunderstandings, I replied.
I would expect nothing less. I will set up a eting in a couple of days with you to go over who I will recomnd. I will find people who wont make a ss of things, the Sect Leader said and I nodded at this.
Yes Master, I replied.
That just leaves the two last treasures, he said.
I inquired about them in Imperial City. Unfortunately, these arent the type of items that go up for sale. Still, I did learn that null tal, is tal untouched by the energy of the heavens and the earth. It is incredibly rare to find any, I replied.
Indeed. The biggest issue with such a thing, is that such tal is very easily contaminated. Finding it is impossible for cultivators.
There is a special mine, that carefully extracts minute quantities. But it is under control of the Blazing Sun Sect, I replied.
A huge hurdle to overco. It wont be sothing they easily export like a red sun rose. And the focusing crystal? he asked.
A large clear diamond, cut at specific angles. The issue is the purity needed, and the energy imparted into such an item. There have been attempts to manufacture one, but they lack the focusing property that makes them so valuable, I replied.
Any leads? he asked .
No. But there are diamond mines in the Sky Peaks, under the control of the Sky Peak Sect. A mid-rank sect, that is under the Imperial Sect. There have been two focusing crystals that have co out of diamonds from their mines. I just need to get a diamond from them, and then find a master to cut it, I replied.
That could work, but again it wont be cheap. I am glad you had the idea for your business. Sending you out into the Firmant is not sothing I want to do until you can learn techniques at the very least. But if there is another path forward for the third stage that would be best.
It felt good to be able to work through these issues with the Sect Leader. Like a teacher guiding along my path and supporting . Sure, there were issues and setbacks, but that was part of life. I couldnt and shouldnt complain.
Just thinking about Wen Xue, sure his path was easier, but he would struggle later on and never reach immortality. That much I knew. While there were many cultivators out there, there were only six known immortals. That ant the standard thods didnt work.
I had asked about this, but it ca down to a limitation of resources and techniques. It wasnt so much about everyone reaching immortality, but making each stage a bit easier.
If there was a thod found to make the first bottleneck more efficient, then that would allow more cultivators to eventually reach the eighth stage of cultivation and attempt to break through to immortality.
In full, it was about making each stage easier with limited resources. Soone like who ca along taking up all the resources in their path, was the opposite of the mindset the high ranking sects had been trying to cultivate for millennia. They wanted to increase the pool of candidates and make cultivation more efficient. They didnt want to create super cultivators stuffed to the brim with special items.
That was the understanding the Sect Leader had passed onto , and it felt right as far as I could tell. Regardless of what other people might do, my path was set. I needed to keep moving forward and aim to get the resources I needed.
The good news was that the polarity path of cultivation, and the resources for that, could be put off until the end of the third stage. There was no rush there. The null tal and the focusing crystal would be needed right away.
While I could carve out a ridian and a partial channel, through the six-fold valves up to Liu Chens valve design, stopping partway was not a good idea. They would then be attuned once completed. Technically a cultivator didnt have to attune their channels and ridians until they were all carved out, but that just added in more ti. So, most did it concurrently.
If I had to travel, I wouldnt have that luxury. I wouldnt be able to sit inside a specialty built chamber and attune my channels and ridians as I carved them. It would increase my workload, but I couldnt just sit around like everyone else in the sect.
There would be an area of greater resistance, which would be hard to break. Still, it might be worthwhile, since I couldnt afford to slow down in the slightest. That was still an issue that hadnt been fully worked out either.
There was no good answer, since having as many channels and ridians as I did would be insane. I just had to aim to go as fast as possible to carve them out to reach the fourth stage.
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