Cultivation is Creation

Week 1 of Training

The crisp, clear morning air was tinged with the faint scent of spirit herbs wafting from the nearby gardens. I stood with Wei Lin and Lin Mei before the great iron gates marking the entrance to the outer disciples' beast grounds, watching the early morning mist curl around our feet.

My plan was to spend the morning doing some team training before heading to the sect archives to research soul bonds in the afternoon, and if I find something useful there, then tomorrow I’ll return to the Two Suns world.

"You know," Wei Lin said, breaking the comfortable silence, "when you suggested team training, I was thinking more along the lines of sparring in the practice yards." He eyed the gates warily. "Not, you know, potentially getting eaten."

Lin Mei elbowed him in the ribs. "Don't be dramatic. The truly dangerous beasts are kept in the inner disciples' grounds." She paused, then added in a slightly less confident tone, "Right?"

I nodded, though privately I was wondering if I should mention the rumors I'd heard about an eighth-stage beast that supposedly wandered the deepest parts of these grounds. Probably best not to bring that up right now.

"Azure," I thought inwardly, "what can you tell me about the layout?"

"The grounds are divided into rough concentric circles," Azure said. "The outer ring, where we will be staying, usually has beasts between the fourth and fifth stages of Qi Condensation. The middle ring hosts sixth and seventh stage beasts, while the inner ring..." he trailed off meaningfully.

"Let me guess – that's where our theoretical eighth-stage friend lives?"

"Among others. Though the probability of encountering it while staying in the outer ring is virtually zero."

I turned to see that my friends were still arguing about the relative dangers of various spirit beasts.

I let out a loud cough, trying to project more confidence than I actually felt. Being responsible for other people's safety was... new.

"Ready for our first team training exercise?"

Wei Lin stopped mid-sentence (something about how even a second-stage beast could kill us if it got lucky) and gave me a look that suggested he was seriously reconsidering our friendship. "You're enjoying this way too much."

"Maybe a little," I admitted with a smile. "But think of it this way – better to work out our teamwork issues here than during the tournament."

"He has a point," Lin Mei said, though she was fidgeting with her sleeve in a way that betrayed her nerves. "And I've been wanting to test some new techniques I've been developing."

"Just... remember I haven't learned any healing techniques yet," she added quickly. "So please try not to get hurt."

"Your concern is touching," Wei Lin said dryly.

"It's practical," she shot back. "I'd rather not have to carry either of you back to the sect."

Before anyone could back out, I placed my hand on the authentication stone beside the gate. It glowed briefly, recognizing my status as an outer disciple, and the massive doors began to swing open with a deep grinding sound that reminded me of Rocky.

We stepped through into what looked like a perfectly normal forest. Tall trees stretched overhead, their branches weaving together to create a natural canopy that filtered the morning sunlight. If it weren't for the slight shimmer in the air – the telltale sign of an active containment formation – you'd never know this was a carefully controlled hunting ground for spirit beasts.

The gates swung shut behind us with a resounding boom, and I felt the formation activate fully, ensuring nothing could leave without proper authorization. The sound seemed to echo through the trees, making birds take flight in the distance.

The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

Wei Lin cleared his throat. "Right then. Since you volunteered to be our scout, how about finding us a nice, reasonable fifth-stage beast? Preferably one that's already eaten recently."

"And please," Lin Mei added, "keep us away from anything higher. I've heard about what sixth-stage beasts can do to unprepared disciples."

I nodded.

"Azure?"

"Already scanning," he replied. "There are several fifth-stage beasts within reasonable distance. The closest is... interesting."

"Define interesting."

"It appears to be a Jade-Crowned Serpent Tiger. According to the spiritual fluctuations I'm detecting, it's at the peak of the fifth stage."

I relayed this information to the others, and Lin Mei's eyes lit up with recognition. "Oh! I know about those. They're actually perfect for our first training exercise."

"Perfect how?" Wei Lin asked suspiciously.

"They're powerful but predictable," she explained. "They have enhanced speed and can channel jade essence through their claws for extra cutting power, but they're not particularly clever. Their attack patterns are well documented."

She started counting off on her fingers: "First, they'll try to ambush from above. If that fails, they'll attempt to circle their prey, looking for weak points. Their third pattern involves using their jade essence to create cutting waves through the air – we'll need to watch out for those. Finally, if all else fails, they'll resort to straightforward physical attacks."

"That's... actually really helpful," Wei Lin admitted. "How do you know all this?"

Lin Mei smiled. "The herb gardens get regular shipments of beast cores for medicine refinement. I like to study where our ingredients come from."

I couldn't help but smile at that. Trust Lin Mei to turn even beast core deliveries into a learning opportunity.

"This way," I said, starting down a barely visible trail.

We moved quietly through the forest, Wei Lin and Lin Mei following my lead as Azure tracked our quarry. I made sure to keep us downwind, though with spirit beasts, physical senses weren't always the most important factor.

"Wei Lin," I whispered, keeping my voice low enough not to carry, "I've been meaning to ask – how exactly does your merchant method work in battle? I understand using it for cultivation, but combat?"

Wei Lin grinned, clearly pleased to be asked about his technique. "Remember how I told you my inner world is like a marketplace? Well, each 'shop' specializes in a different type of energy. When I fight, I basically... make trades."

"Trades?" I raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah. Say someone attacks me with fire essence. I can 'buy' it with my qi, store it in the appropriate shop, then 'sell' it back as a different type of energy. Usually earth essence, since that's what I have the most affinity for." He shrugged. "The conversion rate isn't great – I lose some power in the exchange – but it means I can adapt to pretty much any type of attack."

"That's... actually pretty clever," I admitted.

It wasn't as flashy as some techniques, but the versatility could be invaluable in the tournament. It could probably be OP in the higher realms.

"Just don't ask him about his 'special discount techniques,'" Lin Mei cut in with a smirk. "He'll talk your ear off about market optimization and energy arbitrage."

"Hey, proper resource management is important!" Wei Lin protested, though he kept his voice down.

After about five minutes of careful stalking, I held up a hand for them to stop. Ahead, in a small clearing, lay our target.

The Jade-Crowned Serpent Tiger was beautiful in a deadly sort of way. About the size of a small horse, it had the muscular body of a tiger but was covered in scales rather than fur. The scales were a deep emerald green that faded to white on its belly, while a crest of pale jade crystals ran from its forehead down its spine. Its tail was long and sinuous like a snake's, ending in a sharp jade barb.

Currently, it was sprawled in a patch of sunlight, apparently napping. But I noticed its ears twitching occasionally, and its tail moved with too much purpose for true sleep.

"It's aware of us," I whispered. "But it's waiting to see what we'll do."

"Waiting to ambush us, you mean," Wei Lin muttered back.

"Probably," I agreed. "Perfect chance to practice our coordination."

I could feel both suns' energy stirring within me, eager to be used, but I forced myself to ignore them. One of my goals with formation study was to find a way to better hide their unique energy signatures. Until then, I needed to practice fighting without them.

Besides, when we're in a forest like this, my ability to manipulate plants was a big enough advantage already.

"Okay," I whispered, "here's the plan. Lin Mei, you'll be our support – focus on disrupting its movements and creating openings. Wei Lin, you're our heavy hitter. When you see a clear shot, take it." I paused, making sure they were following. "I'll keep its attention divided and try to control its movement options. Ready?"

They nodded, both looking nervous but determined.

"Remember," I added, "this is practice. I won't let anything serious happen to either of you, but you need to experience some pressure to improve. Trust me?"

"Trust you?" Wei Lin grinned, though it was a bit shaky. "You're the crazy first-year who challenged a sixth-stage cultivator yesterday. But sure, why not?"

Lin Mei just nodded again, her hands already moving through the first positions of her Flowing River Method.

"Then let's wake up our scaly friend."

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