The Laws of Cultivation: Qi = MC^2

A lotus tree swayed in the darkness, sitting amidst a serene lake. I watched the calm waters lapping at the shore of unending nothingness, flowing in and then out. The light from the tree added life to the dreary void around me.

“Sii?” Silverlight called out. She was seated atop Sheldon’s back, her silvery eyes taking everything in with a child’s curiosity when taken to a new place, or given a new toy. I saw her gaze at the lotus with fascination, before her eyes moved upwards.

Following her gaze, I looked up and saw a ring of silver, donning the sky. But what should’ve been a brightly glowing ring of spirit and strength, lay dull, cracked and frayed, devoid of life. Roots spread throughout the ring, woven around its cracks. Essence coursed through them, into the little ring inside here, pulsating energy into them. I could feel the tie to the roots, from deep within my soul, a stop-gap, that held Zhang’s spirit in place. The most update n0vels are published on novᴇl(ꜰ)ire.ɴet

A rumble took my attention to Sheldon, who stood next to me in his massive spirit form. So easy to forget that my small playful turtle was an Elder spirit beast, capable of so much destruction.

“Focus. The cycle needs mending,” Sheldon said, eyes moving upwards at the cracked ring.

I nodded, and stepped towards the ring. Briefly, I reminded myself of the nature of this realm. Spirits had no gravity, no dimension, and no form. What was the ground beneath my feet may very well be air, and the air I stepped on, solid ground.

I raised one foot awkwardly in the air, and let Chi pulse from beneath. I tried to push, like climbing a stair, and found my feet wobbling, the control on my Chi slipping.

“Too tied to the outside. Be free of the chains. And believe. The spirit defines this realm,” Sheldon said, calmly ascending up into the air with Twilight on his back.

Trying not to be left behind, I took another step, this time keeping my eyes firmly on the glowing spirit ring in the sky. The step came, and then another. My feet wobbled less and less, as I climbed up into the air itself.