Qi Like Tar

Before he tried again, Paike examined his dantian for any changes. If there were any, they were too small for him to detect.

So naturally, Paike tried again. It came a bit faster this time, and he paid attention to how long the qi could store the extra energy. The vibrations lasted for some time and did not fade as quickly as the first time.

The inconsistency troubled him. So he tried again; this time, the energy lasted for less time.

That ruled out the possibility that it was just a progression based on how many times he made the change. His initial theory was that there was something from the changes that he couldn't detect from the process of moving up a stage. These changes might have been letting him either push more into it or maybe insulate it better so the energy didn't leak as fast.

That neither was happening meant there was some unknown hidden variable. That bothered him. Paike liked understanding things. It was what he had based much of his current cultivation and combat style on. Yet this was the first time he had felt truly stumped by a cultivation question.

With a lack of ideas, he tried again and got a slightly longer length of time before the energy faded. Paike had no more clues.

That was something he could move on from if he had to, but there was one more problem. There was no way he would have the time to apply the energy to all the qi he had. He assumed he would need to in order to trigger the change that would push him to Peak Topaz.

Still trying might teach him something. Paike made the pattern one more time. But instead of watching, he did it again. And again. And again.

But the tenth time, he had made a dent in all of his qi, but the first section that he had changed had faded all the way. As his little nodes of energized qi faded, Paike carefully examined every part of his spirit. Yet no matter how he looked, he could see no change.