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2.12 - Old Guo's Training
🕑 Added 2024-01-16 23:00:03 +0000 UTCMuch to He Yu’s disappointment, the first thing Old Guo had them do was chop wood. Where the old man had gotten his axes from, He Yu couldn’t have said, but he produced three of them. Once the disciples each had an ax in hand, Old Guo pointed them to the tree line and told them to get to work.
“This is outrageous,” Yan Shirong said, once they were within a few yards of the trees. “Jobs fit for a servant.”
“You aren’t wrong,” Li Heng said. “But I think we should at least do what he asked. If only out of gratitude for saving us, and then consenting to train us.”
He Yu said nothing. Mostly because he was actually looking forward to the work. It was an odd feeling. He’d never been strong enough to help with any of the household chores that involved real labor back when he’d still been living with his father. The best he could manage was to sweep the forge or wash up after meals. The fact that after only a few months of cultivation at the Shrouded Peaks Sect he was strong enough to fell a tree seemed like a tangible mark of progress to him. While he was still far weaker than Li Heng both in cultivation and raw physical strength, it was far more than nothing.
Planting his feet shoulder-width apart, He Yu took a hearty swing at a tree. The ax rebounded from the trunk as though it had struck stone, sending shocks up his arms. He dropped the tool with a pained shout and shook out his hands.
Li Heng frowned. “Trouble? Chopping wood can’t be that difficult.”
“No,” He Yu said picking his ax back up. “It shouldn’t. At least not from what I’ve ever seen. I’ve never actually chopped wood before,” he admitted.
“Maybe your technique is wrong?” Yan Shirong ventured.
“I’ll try,” Li Heng said, taking He Yu’s place next to the tree. His swing was no more successful than He Yu’s. The ax head rebounded just like it had for He Yu.
“Foolish children!” came a sharp shout from behind them. Old Guo stood there, eyebrows drawn together in displeasure. “Have you learned nothing from your time at the sect? Did you think I would have you chopping trees if it weren’t for some other purpose as well? Cycle qi! Use your body arts, assuming you have them.”
He Yu stepped up to another tree, feeling a bit the fool as he did. Of course these wouldn’t be common trees. Given that Old Guo had made his home here—and based on his presence from the night before, cultivated aspects of wood—these trees must have some strong spiritual aspect to them. A brief look with the Cloud Emperor’s Peerless Judgment confirmed as much, and when He Yu planted his feet a second time, he also activated the first technique of the White Mountain Body Art, the Eternal Mountain Root.
Qi flooded his limbs. He stood as though he were one of the giants of the Shrouded Peaks, practically rooted to the ground by living stone. The muscles of his arms swelled with strength and power, as mountain aspected qi surged through his meridians. He swung his ax. This time, when the head connected with the bark, the handle snapped. He at least allowed himself to feel some small sense of satisfaction as the ax head flew off into the dense undergrowth.
“What was that?” Old Guo snapped.
He Yu’s initial instinct was to throw himself to the ground and apologize, but Old Guo had produced yet another ax from nowhere and held it out for him. He took the tool from the old immortal, absently wondering just how many axes he had in his storage treasure, and why he kept them there in the first place.
“Apologies, Honored Elder,” He Yu said, hefting his new ax. It was heavier—and hopefully sturdier—than the previous. “This one was simply trying to follow the Elder’s instructions.”
“I can see that,” Old Guo grumbled. “I meant your body enforcement technique. Never mind, we can deal with that later. You!” Old Guo jabbed a finger at Yan Shirong. “Chop!”
He Yu scrambled to make some sense as to what had made Old Guo angry as Yan Shirong took up a stance next to another tree. He’d only done as he was told.
The comital scion drew back his ax and swung. The ax didn’t even so much as scratch the bark of the tree.
Old Guo threw up his hands in disgust. “Outrageous! Young Master Li! Chop!”
Yan Shirong’s expression was a mix of frustration, annoyance, and shame as he relinquished his spot for Li Heng to take. Unsurprisingly, Li Heng’s attempt fared little better than his peers’ had.
“This is absurd. Do none of you have a body art appropriate to your cultivation? Why are all of you attempting to use a mountain aspected body art, when none of you cultivate mountain qi?”
“The White Mountain Body Art is the only body art this one had access to, Honored Elder,” He Yu said into the ground as he kowtowed before the increasingly irate old immortal.
“At least you have an excuse,” Old Guo snapped. Before He Yu could feel too much better, he added, “But not much of one. I know how the sects operate. Surely you’ve made enough contribution points to purchase something more fitting to your spirit, no? You cultivate wind! Why wouldn’t you purchase a body art to compliment it?”
He Yu had no answer. The others fared little better under Old Guo’s questioning. Once the old immortal had chastised each of them in turn, he produced yet another ax and took his place next to one of the trees.
“Observe.” Old Guo removed his outer robe to reveal a well-muscled torso and arms that belied his age. He held the ax in one hand, drawing it back for a swing. The muscles in his shoulder and arm bunched, and there was even a slight distortion in the air around them. However, he didn’t use any qi that He Yu could sense. Only the physical strength he’d gained from what He Yu could only assume amounted to hundreds of years’ worth of physical cultivation.
The ax practically disintegrated when it connected with the tree. The handle snapped instantly, much like it had when He Yu had struck the tree with the Eternal Mountain Root activated. Metal screeched as the ax head tore itself apart under the force of Old Guo’s blow and the seemingly indestructible bark.
“The bark of the Stonewrought Pines that grow in this area of the Dragon Empire harden over the course of their ten-thousand-year lifespan. They are powerful spiritual trees, rich with qi. Not even I, an expert of the Soul Refining stage can harm them with physical strength alone. It is one reason why I chose this spot to cultivate towards the Seventh Realm.
“The other reason is this. Stonewrought Pines can only be harmed by qi that aligns with fundamental aspects of the one who strikes them. They are still tough, and only by more fully aligning one’s techniques with one’s natural affinity can one hope to chop down one of these trees. Even for one who has reached the Sixth Realm, this training refines control, and strengthens one’s alignment to their fundamental nature.”
Old Guo curled his hand into a fist, this time cycling wood qi to the limb. It wasn’t a full release of his spirit as when he’d chased off King Hao, but he still radiated the presence of a forest older than memory. He launched a quick, straight punch at the tree that had just shattered his axe. Wood cracked and splintered under the blow, and chunks of bark flew from the trunk.
“So we simply need to infuse the ax with qi that aligns with our natural affinity?” Yan Shirong asked.
“That would be enough on its own, but I’ve given the three of you a unique opportunity. You had the right idea when you used the White Mountain Body Art. It was the choice of technique that was the mistake.”
He Yu grabbed the ax from Yan Shirong and stepped up to an untouched tree. When he’d first been preparing for the tournament in Shulin, his father had taught him how to cycle his qi to his limbs. It had been unaspected qi, of course, since that was all he cultivated at the time. But there was no reason he couldn’t do it with wind qi, was there? So far as He Yu could tell, Old Guo hadn’t done anything special when he’d punched the tree a moment ago. He’d simply cycled wood qi into his arm.
In much the same fashion as he had during the tournament in Shulin, He Yu cycled qi through his meridians and into his limbs. This time, he drew upon the wind aspected qi he’d since cultivated through the Five Crescent Winds. Elder Cai had told him his natural affinities were for wind and water, but he’d yet to cultivate any water techniques, thus he had no water qi to draw upon. Old Guo’s eyes narrowed as He Yu drew back the ax yet again, but the old cultivator said nothing. For good measure, He Yu activated the Sweeping Wind, cloaking the ax in yet more wind qi.
The ax bit into the bark with a satisfying thunk. He Yu couldn’t help but give a small, satisfied smile.
“Good! Good!” Old Guo exclaimed. “Tell me, why did you both enforce your body and activate a technique for the ax?”
“Did I do something wrong?” He Yu asked. He searched to old cultivator’s features for some sign of displeasure but found only shrewd appraisal.
“No,” Old Guo said slowly. “But tell me why.”
“This one simply thought it would be best to do both,” He Yu stammered after a moment.
Old Guo nodded. “Powerful arts inherited from family or patrons will only take you so far,” he said, addressing all three of them once more. “It is a trivial thing, as He Yu has demonstrated, to cycle aspected qi to one’s limbs. It is a technique that even one barely awakened to the world of immortals can accomplish.” He gave a knowing look to He Yu as he said the last.
“Similarly, if one does not have a specific technique, a cultivator can enhance even a mundane weapon with their qi. This is the basis for forming your own techniques. The further you advance, the more important it becomes to develop techniques that are wholly yours, aligned with your own nature, and forged from your own qi. Train hard and lay the foundation that is the purpose of your current stage of advancement.”
Donning his robe once again, Old Guo turned and left, materializing another three axes as he did. Without another word of protest, the three of them began to train.
