Leaving A Legacy

Elder Yun brewed a fresh pot of tea, giving Ren a bit more time to think about what he wanted to ask the elder. However, this only prolonged Ren's torturous decision-making, as everything he had learned made his original questions seem increasingly irrelevant. However, there was one area that Ren most needed advice on, which was perfect to ask a senior walking a similar path.

If only the elder hadn’t already advised him to follow his own path! Ren tried to calmly sort his thoughts to come up with a better question and, to his surprise, found one that had puzzled him for the longest time. He still waited for the elder to pour him another cup of tea, using the time to frame the question correctly. The sip of tea he took caught him by surprise, as instead of relaxing, it started to invigorate his thoughts and fill him with energy. He hesitantly put the enticing cup of tea down and finally spoke.

“Elder Yun, from the very start, the many mysteries of karmic cultivation have impeded my progress, but none more than the concept of intent and perception influencing karma. How are they related?”

For the first time, Elder Yun started laughing lightly, making Ren blush in embarrassment, thinking his question had been silly or worse, wasted!

“Forgive me, lad, it’s just that I’ve been asking myself that very question for hundreds of years!”

That actually made Ren perk up. Even though the elder strongly implied that he hadn’t found an answer, he was still much further ahead in his contemplations. He eagerly awaited the answer, glad his question hadn’t been foolish.

The elder regained his composure, and his expression grew serious. He drew in a deep breath, and Ren felt a rise of energy in the surroundings that had nothing to do with elder's qi or presence. It was as if the world was anticipating the words about to be spoken.

“The Dao birthed One.” The room darkened.

“One gives birth to Two.” The pressure grew all around him as half the room lit up.

“Two begets Three,” Ren found it hard to draw breath as the light and shadows joined and split unpredictably.

“and Three begets all things.” The sharply rising energy and pressure that were suffocating Ren dissipated like smoke, and everything returned to normal.

Ren sat there covered in cold sweat, gasping for air, awestruck by what had just happened. He frantically channeled Serene Pool Meditation, his mind-art technique he normally used to memorize and solve calculations, to remember every single thing about this moment. A strong instinct told him that the elder had just given him a precious gift!

The elder looked exhausted as if he had physically exerted himself. His voice was faint as he continued speaking.

“No doubt you recognize this line from your manual, referring to the Origins of the Dao. The difference here comes from my understanding. I remind you of this because it is too early for you to have come into prolonged contact with the true Dao of Karma. Tell me, young Ren, what is karma?”

Ren was still reeling from what he had just experienced and from memorizing the sensations, but he forced himself to focus and answer.

“It is the measure of the relations between people and things and a measure of one's worth determined by their actions.” It was the simplest and most straightforward answer he could give, the meager sum of his understandings.

The elder nodded and said, “True, though it is infinitely more complicated. Tell me, can Karma truly exist in the Void, before Life itself was born from Yin and Yang? Can there be a connection without two separate beings? Thus we can conclude that life itself gives meaning to karma and it is why the Dao of Life has some measure of influence over it. As living beings, our intentions, perceptions, understanding and power can bend the rules of Karma and make it sway one way or another or even yield at times. At least, this is one theory.

But it doesn’t mean Karma is a lesser Dao! Underestimate it at your peril. This is all I’m willing to say on the matter. If you wish to learn more, then you’ll just have to grow stronger and climb higher to uncover it for yourself!”

Ren digested the words slowly but at the same time couldn’t help but feel shortchanged. He was grateful for that powerful recitation earlier, but this answer, which turned out to be a theory, was so profound that it basically told him nothing. Did the elder have to intentionally be so vague? And after he promised to answer Ren reasonably too!

The elder smiled as if he could read Ren’s thoughts plainly on his face and thankfully took mercy.

“As the one responsible for shattering the cultivation manual you practice, I shall take responsibility and give you another avenue to pursue. That manual has extremely profound origins. After being butchered by that lunatic, what little I could divine about it told me that it has an ancient history, passed down through the ages. I see you’ve begun dabbling in the art of divination as well, so you should know how difficult that can be! As prone to madness as the cultivators practicing the manual are, a scarce few methods have somehow still been preserved from the original. The fundamentals of the manual, the qi constructs. More importantly, the concepts they represent.”

Ren’s mouth dropped open in amazement. Those basic qi constructs that he could form as soon as he entered the foundation realm? The seed of intent, the Fire of Life, and the karmic strands were all easy to form and nurture, requiring only a small amount of qi. How could those have such mysterious origins?

Yet, the more he thought, the more Ren had to acknowledge just how unique they were. How could something that mimicked an esoteric force like Karma be something simple! The Fire of Life also refined sin and merit and influenced his life in unknown ways as it continued to grow heavier in his dantian with each breakthrough. The seeds of intent that help form the connections between strangers and, when paired with the karmic strands, helped him draw and share imperceptible amounts of providence from their Fire of Merit! And though he couldn't see the Fire of Merit in others, it represented the sum of their achievements. To this day, he had never been able to understand just how the constructs did what they did.

‘The elder has given me an invaluable gift by pointing out their significance. Does this mean that my idea to create more Fire of Life constructs has significance? I’m definitely going to consider it more now!’

More than satisfied, Ren was ready to ask his second question. He was already aware that the elder didn’t have to offer him that additional advice because he had indeed been a little careless with phrasing his first question. He couldn’t count on receiving such a bonus a second time.

He had been a little hesitant to bring it up, but he had already trusted this elder with so much. And Elder Yun Peng had also been fair and helpful, even giving him this opportunity, earning Ren’s trust. But in light of what he had just learned, he needed to know. Ren sipped some more tea and then asked his second question.

“I encountered and came to care for a very young core formation spirit beast. I don't want to leave it behind for fear it would not survive the calamity. And if I were to take it with me, I fear that someone more powerful would take him from me. And in the future, I doubt I can provide it with the precious resources it needs to grow. How can I conceal and raise it better in the future?"

For the first time, Ren saw a slightly disapproving look on the elder. “Unless you are a beast tamer with techniques and cultivation depending on spirit beasts, that is not the question you should be asking. You have realized it already. You cannot raise it well because you will also need to gather resources for your own cultivation.

“If you choose to raise spirit beasts, then it should be contributing to your growth, not detracting from it. And moreover, by treating it as a pet, you are insulting the snake. It is a companion on your journey, in battle, and in life and as such, deserving of your respect. Spirit beasts strive for the heavens just like cultivators. Their very instincts demand it. They fight and compete for resources to grow stronger, and at the peak of their prowess, to find a mate and sire a more powerful generation. It is not a dog for you to coddle.”

His tone softened a touch. “It is good that you worry and care for it, but if you go too far, you will only hamper its growth.” He said not unkindly. “As for your question, you may approach Elder Ding, and only Elder Ding among those who will be guiding you on this journey. He raises an earth elemental, and they are known for their ability to disguise themselves. Just this once, I permit you to use my name when asking him for assistance.”

Ren took the remonstrance to not disrespect a companion to heart, but he found he didn’t entirely agree with the elder on one matter. It spoke to the result oriented thinking of most cultivators to consider spirit beasts only in terms of usefulness. That spirit beasts were only worth raising if they had something to contribute. The sect raised beasts for their cores and specific parts. Even Mei Ling raised her Silent Jade Spider for its venom and silk, as well as a guardian. It wasn’t wrong to think in those terms. But there had to be other schools of thought.

While the elder was right to scold him for hampering Yu Ran’s growth as a core formation beast, Ren wouldn’t have considered it a loss if all he managed to achieve was raise a happy child. Granted, he wouldn’t want to raise a wastrel, and he would indeed be putting a lot more effort into Yu Ran’s training. Still, their relation could be more complex than solely based on mutual benefit.

Ren would never have raised his amazing Myriad Path Tortoises with such varied and powerful qi alignments if he were only concerned with benefits. Many of them managed to refine their bloodlines before settling into an alignment because they had been lavished with resources without any demands being made of them, a feat previously unseen in their species as far as he could tell.

And since when was a pet a bad thing to have? Their happiness gave Ren more joy and relaxation than many other activities. Wasn’t that alone worth investing in them? Did all cultivators have to meditate in gloomy caves all alone to get rid of their stress and exhaustion? But instead of arguing with the elder, Ren just acknowledged it as a point of difference where individual preferences mattered. And he had given Ren a way to conceal little Yu Ran after all, perhaps even calling upon some favor Elder Ding owed.

With this, Ren’s most urgent concerns had been addressed. He still had much he needed to do to improve his cultivation manual, to prepare and refine the Causality of Karma for the breakthrough to the core formation realm. But the elder had already provided Ren with 3 books previously to aid in these efforts. Feeling a little more latitude in what could be asked for his 3rd question, Ren took his time.

Elder Yun said nothing and waited patiently while Ren was lost in his thoughts, which showed a rare amount of grace to extend toward a junior. Ren considered the tumultuous events of the day and finally settled on what he wanted to know. With his previous two questions, Ren had asked a question pertaining to his future and one pertaining to his present. With just how much events of the past had come to play a role in his life, it felt only fair to dedicate the last one to the past.

Ren finally looked up into the elder’s glinting eyes and asked his 3rd and final question.