Chapter 17: The First Combat Technique
Entering the Scripture Pavilion, An expected to see the old lady Doshu, but instead, he found a man who looked to be about forty. The elder had black hair, a white beard, and deep dark eyes, he was dressed in black robes speckled with blue.
"Greetings, Elder. I would like to look at some techniques," An said, approaching the desk and stating his purpose just in case.
"You may call me Elder Wu. Go ahead." The elder nodded, approving of the boy's manners.
An began wandering the first floor, searching for signs indicating the Wood element. He finally found a suitable row, but as he browsed the techniques, he realized the prices were dauntingly high. Even if he sold every Kavana fruit in his possession, he wasn't sure he could afford a single one.
Hoping for better luck, he decided to scout the other rows.
Eventually, he came across a section labeled 'Universal Combat Techniques'. This row was much smaller than the others. Looking through the scrolls, he found four that fit his meager budget. Since he still didn't own a proper weapon, he set aside the techniques for swords and spears.
In the end, An chose the 'Vibrating Fist' manual, deciding to save 'Air Steps' for later.
He returned to the desk and placed his plaque along with the book before the elder.
"Elder Wu."
The elder nodded, reached into his desk to pull out a corresponding scroll, and picked up the plaque to process the payment "Do not forget, copying or reselling the contents of this scroll is strictly prohibited." Elder Wu handed back the items.
An checked his balance, only five contribution points remained. Tucking the scroll into his pouch, he ran toward the Kavana tree. He hid behind the massive trunk to stay out of sight of the Outer Hall's entrance and began gathering fruit until his pouch was stuffed to capacity. Then, he sprinted toward the forest path.
He veered off the main trail, running through the thicket of trees to stay hidden while keeping the path in sight. When he reached the edge of the woods, he stopped to scan his plot. Seeing no sign of Rollo Por, he sprinted the remaining distance to his home.
Once inside his formation, An exhaled a long breath of relief. He sat for a few minutes to calm his racing heart, then headed to his spot by the stone stove. He pulled the 'Vibrating Fist' scroll from his pouch and broke the seal.
The technique had no author or introduction, just the raw principles and a few cryptic hints. After reading it several times, An grasped the concept. Essentially, it was an additive technique that taught a cultivator how to make their Qi 'heavy'. By enveloping his hands in Qi and fluctuating its weight upon impact, he could create a high-frequency vibration. If performed correctly, he could deflect weapon strikes and bypass an enemy's armor, unless the armor itself utilized a similar vibrational or liquid structure.
An stood up and tried to apply the technique. To his surprise, he mastered the basics quickly and began to experiment. He tried enveloping his entire body in the vibrating frequency, but immediately ran into a problem, the Qi consumption was terrifying. In that state, he could only last about 20 seconds.
Limiting the vibration to his legs, An noticed how the grass and earth were slightly torn up by the force. He realized that with the correct timing, he could use the Qi to push off the ground, gaining a significant boost in speed with every step. He practiced until his Qi reserves were dry, then sat down to snack on Kavana fruits, sharing some with Baldi.
The bird looked at the two fruits, unable to decide which to eat first, his head darting back and forth.
"Bawk!" Unable to find a solution, Baldi simply dragged both fruits into his burrow at once.
Watching this absurdity, An lay on his back and stared at the sky, waiting for his energy to recover.
Suddenly, the plaque in his pocket began to vibrate. He didn't even need to look to know that someone was standing at his formation. He checked it once, then went back to watching the clouds.
Rollo Por turned out to be more persistent than expected. It took thirty minutes before the senior brother finally gave up and left.
"You think you can just take my stones? Keep dreaming. I'm not leaving until the next distribution!" An muttered. Once his Qi had recovered, he sat in a meditative pose and began another cycle.
Three weeks of constant routine followed. Finally, An crossed the threshold into the third layer of Qi Condensation.
Standing on the surface of the lake, achieving balance by fine-tuning the vibration frequency at the soles of his feet. He decided to rename the concept 'Frequency Control', as 'Vibrating Fist' was too narrow a name for such a versatile power.
Standing on the water with his eyes closed, An felt the changes. His Qi had become thicker and denser. His physical strength had surged, making his very molecules feel reinforced. It created an illusion of invincibility, though he knew it was just the fleeting high of a breakthrough. His mind was clearer than ever, and his inner world had expanded significantly.
"Cluck~"
An looked down to see Baldi swimming in circles around him. Reaching into the water, he tucked the bird under his arm and walked back across the surface to the shore. Once at the stove, he set Baldi down and rewarded him with a fruit.
Settling in front of the fire, An decided he was finally ready to attempt the Qi Enlightenment pill. Over the past three weeks, he had meticulously studied the properties and Qi flows of its three ingredients: Blood Lily, Frenzied Ivy, and Fragrant Crane Shoot.
Each plant had its own peculiarities. Only the seeds of the Blood Lily were used in alchemy, for the Frenzied Ivy, only the lower third of the stem was required, and for the Fragrant Crane Shoot, only the delicate petals.
Separating these parts was a tedious task, he had to ensure that no Qi escaped the plants during the process. Due to his inexperience, he only managed to salvage enough material for three attempts.
He began his first try. To his delight, it was an immediate success. Holding the still-warm pill, he read the energy flows and saw that the loss of effectiveness was over 70%. The result didn't surprise him, as he had nearly failed twice during the Forming and Calming stages.
After packing the pill into a labeled envelope, An started his second attempt.
Another success. This time, the loss was less than 60%. He had managed to correct his mistake in the Calming stage, though he still fumbled during the Forming. He decided to rest for an hour before his final try.
By the end of the third attempt, he had corrected all his major errors, though the losses remained significant, about 40% effectiveness wass loss in the final product. Ultimately, An had produced a low-quality first-rank pill.
As the sun began to rise, he realized the entire night had passed.
He took out a piece of paper marked with notches, his homemade calendar. Fearing he might mix up the days, he used it to track both the date and his lecture schedule. According to his drawings, today was the day of Elder Shoa's lecture.
He approached his gate and scanned the area. Finding it clear, he enveloped his legs in Frequency Control and shot out of the formation with a faint whistle, disappearing into the forest.
Arriving at the Alchemy Hall, he headed straight to the third floor. He took his usual seat at the edge, near the door, and laid out his supplies. Even though he noticed his memory improving with each breakthrough, he still insisted on writing down the most vital points.
Soon, Chen Ho and Xia Ji entered the room. The other disciples watched them with a mix of envy, anger, and calculation. Xia Ji glanced at An and smirked, but he ignored her, keeping his gaze fixed on his desk. Her brow furrowed, she clearly wanted to say something but decided it was beneath her status and followed Chen Ho to the front row, directly before the master's desk.
Ten minutes later, Elder Shoa strode into the room.
"Good morning, disciples!" he announced. He barely seemed to open his mouth, yet his voice was so resonant that those in the back rows jumped in surprise.
"Good morning, Elder Shoa!" the class replied in unison. An muttered along, not wanting to stand out.
"Today, I will demonstrate the concoction of a first-rank pill to aid your future attempts," Elder Shoa said with genuine warmth. The room erupted in quiet excitement, witnessing a Grandmaster at work was a rare opportunity to deepen one's understanding.
Chen Ho and Xia Ji, however, frowned. They couldn't understand why their master would waste his time showing anything to these ‘useless people’.
"Oh, my old head... I completely forgot to bring a cauldron from the storage room," Elder Shoa said, shaking his head "I need someone to help me fetch it. Any volunteers?"
Almost every hand in the room shot up, except for An’s. He simply sat there, staring at the board. Seeing this, Elder Shoa smiled.
"An? Isn't that right? Forgive me if I've mixed it up. Won't you help an old man?"
An froze in surprise before nodding and standing up.
He met Elder Shoa at the door, and they left the room together.
"Lucky guy. I bet he'll get some private advice on the way."
"Lucky? Did you see the brand on his neck? He could listen to immortal lectures for ten years and still wouldn't understand a thing! Ha!"
"Hahaha, I didn't even notice the brand. What a waste of a chance, that talentless good-for-nothing won't get a thing out of it."
In the front row, Chen Ho and Xia Ji exchanged looks. Their faces were dark with displeasure, and Xia Ji’s eyes were cold, as if she were already plotting something.
"How are your results, An?" Elder Shoa asked as they walked side by side toward the storage room.
"I managed to refine a Summer Dew pill with 25% loss and Qi Enlightenment with 40% loss. I only had three attempts, though... I didn't have enough materials for more. So far, that's all," An answered truthfully.
He felt no need to hide his progress. Even though he couldn't read Elder Shoa's emotions due to the vast difference in their cultivation, he saw no reason for excessive caution since the elder already knew about his ability to see Qi flows.
"Not bad! Very good, actually. When you can prepare Qi Enlightenment pill with a loss of less than 20%, find me. I will give you the test to obtain the status of Alchemy Apprentice," Elder Shoa nodded, a pleased expression on his face.
"Understood," An replied with a simple nod.
On the way back, Elder Shoa resolved several issues that had been bothering An, especially regarding control during the 'Forming' stage.
Walking slowly, they returned to the classroom. Elder Shoa pointed to the table where An should place the cauldron.
"Excellent... I've decided that for our first practical lecture, I will demonstrate the concoction of a Qi Enlightenment pill." As the elder walked back to his desk, An quickly returned to his seat, sitting up straight, afraid to miss a single detail.
Over the next ten minutes, Elder Shoa explained the use of catalysts and the proper execution of all four basic techniques. In the end, he produced a pill of the highest quality, even though he had used only young, recently planted herbs instead of aged ones.
What interested An most, however, was the movement and manipulation of the Qi flows during the process. Thanks to this demonstration, An realized he now understood enough to lower his own losses to 25% and less.
When the lecture ended, An ran to the first-floor windows ahead of everyone else. He bought ten sets of ingredients for Qi Enlightenment, giving him thirty more attempts. After handing over two spirit stones, An activated his Frequency Control and sprinted home through the forest.
He arrived without incident and locked the gate. But the moment it clicked shut, a voice drifted from behind the formation.
"Junior brother, I finally caught you. How is your life?"
An turned his head and frowned. Standing at the edge of the barrier was Senior Brother Rollo, wearing his trademark smile.
'Is he stalking me? Then why didn't he stop me on the path?' An furrowed his brows and decided to read the man's Qi.
As he focused, An understood everything. It turned out that Rollo Por was no longer a ‘senior’, his cultivation was at the third layer, exactly like An’s. Now, he realized he could stop playing along.
"I’ve reached the third layer of Qi Condensation. There’s no need for me to dodge you anymore... I’ll say it straight, get the hell out of here!" For the first time, An’s face turned deathly serious as he looked directly into Rollo’s eyes.
Rollo was taken aback by the blunt words and the intensity in the boy's gaze. "What? The third layer? I... congratulate you, brother, on such a fast breakthrough! As for your rudeness, I truly don't understand what you're talking about..."
Rollo put on a mask of wounded innocence, his eyes clear and his smile kind, continuing to pretend he had no ill intentions.
"Enough. I know you wanted to take my spirit stones. I'm warning you for the last time, give up those thoughts and stop wasting my time!" If An couldn't read the information within the Qi, he might have believed the act. But he could see that the ‘kind’ brother before him was burning with fury on the inside.
An turned his back, ignored the man, and walked deep into his plot.
At the formation, Rollo’s face twisted with pure rage. Danger flashed in his eyes as he watched An walk away, already formulating dozens of plans for revenge. No one in his circle had ever humiliated him like this, especially not some low-born slave.
Sitting by his stove, An set his schedule, first a cultivation cycle, then fishing, then alchemy. Just as he sat down, Baldi ran up and plopped down next to him. An smiled, pulled a fruit from his pouch for the bird, and closed his eyes to begin his cultivation.