The Laws of Cultivation: Qi = MC^2

Liuxiang opened her eyes, finding a completely new myriad of senses present within them. Where before, she had to focus upon her sight to see through the life energy permeating each creature, now it was a part of her sight, naturally present at any moment like her sense for Qi.

Her gaze shifted towards her great-grandmother. A glowing beacon of life so bright, that Liuxiang had to lower her eyes for a moment.

“So you have succeeded,” the woman said with a trailing hiss, a cold smile upon her face.

Liuxiang looked up at the woman, as the words her father had said played in her mind. The truth about her birth, and the reason behind her father’s suffering.

“I have,” Liuxiang replied with a bow. Her voice was lighter now, free of the touch of Yang and her body had begun adapting to its Yin alignment already.

It had been years since Liuxiang had taken upon a Yin form, and the womanly features she was expected to gain upon puberty had always been lacking with her. Yet with her recent transformation, she had already started to notice a change begin to appear.

Frustrating, but nothing she couldn’t deal with later on. Her poison could stem her growth if she wished now. She had that much control.

“Ah, I’d missed your hair. I’d always been envious that I had not inherited my mother's hair,” the serpentine woman said, walking closer as she brushed Liuxiang’s hair.

Liuxiang’s eyes drifted onto the white strands flowing past from her pins. The color she’d abandoned in her last shedding, to try and pull away from her past even further.

“There is much left for you to learn my child. And little time to do so. Come, we will be meeting with some of your cousins who possess some hints of our bloodline as well. They will form good vassals,” the serpent said, grabbing Liuxiang by hand.

“Will… I not be going to the sect? There is a tournament going on,” Liuxiang replied, trying to pull her hand back.

“There is no point to the facade anymore. You will train with me, before we shall head on to the capital,” the woman said.

“Liuxiang…” Zhi Zhu trailed off.

“I am fine. This had been a long time coming. Merely unpleasant that it came in this manner,” Liuxiang replied.

“Let us go now,” the woman said, as Qi rippled around Liuxiang.

Liuxiang took one last look back. She would have to break her promise to Lu Jie, to help him with his ambitions.

“The boy will be fine. And so will be you. After gaining the training from a Divinity, you will be far more equipped to help him if you so wish,” Zhi Zhu said.

Liuxiang nodded. Taking one last look, she turned forward. Taking a deep breath she nodded to her great-grandmother.

Light flared all around her, and with a blink they were gone.

***

A myriad of sensations assailed Labby. The Qi had flowed into her, pulsing at a steady rhythm as she felt the Blessing of the First moon course through her body.

There was a warmth encapsulating her, like the hold of a loving mother. It felt as if she were just being born anew.

Labby let the Qi flow in her Dantian as it grew. Her Qi was vast now, vaster than it had ever been. She could sink into her dantian, in the lunar lightning that filled her core. As a rat, her Qi had been meager all this time, but no more. She had broken past, learned the tempest from the dragon, and met the moon itself.

She was still weak, but she would not be helpless. She could fight alongside her master, and protect him.

Powerful crackle of lightning licked her body, rumbling with the promise of violence. Gently, Labby took in from all her senses as she opened her eyes.

A cavern chamber came into her sight, as she found herself lying on the ground, with her hands tied behind her back.

Hands? Labby tugged at her limbs, glancing downwards. She was higher from the ground, far far higher than she was used to. Her body was not the furry small thing she was used to, it was tall, and had very little to speak off. She was wearing unknown garbs of the moon, draped around her new body.

Labby tried to move and tumbled face first onto the ground with a faceplant. Her hands were tied behind her back with something, and even if she tried to use her lightning, the restraints were Qi infused and not budging.

“Ouch,” Labby said out loud, and paused. She’d just spoken. Not from her Qi, or with any bond. She had spoken through her mouth.

Emotions began to well up in her chest, but she forced her attention back. How had she come here? She had been in the court of the moon before.

Her eyes glanced around, and she noticed the large gate, shut close tightly. It was the door she’d entered, which had taken her to the dragon. She was back at the entrance. But then who had tied her up?

“She is awake, brother,” a voice sounded from nearby.

Labby looked ahead, and saw two children walk towards her. She recognised them as Yan Yun’s cousins, the ones her Master had been trying to defeat.

The boys walked closer, and Labby inched a bit further away, glaring at them. How had they trapped her?

“What is a child like you doing here? You can’t be more than eight,” one of the boys spoke, looking at her in fascination.

“She’s in the third realm, brother. At such a young age too. How come we’ve never heard of her,” the other boy said, glancing sideways.

Labby tried to wriggle her hands from behind her back, as the boys continued to talk.

“It’s pointless to try. The ropes have been soaked in Qi. Even we would struggle to break them,” one of the kids said, glancing towards Labby.

“She had not been in the chamber with the participants. Do you think this is some sort of trap or trial?”

“I’m not sure brother. But it’s best to keep her asleep for now. She has no spirit herb treasures regardless,” the boy said, turning towards her. Lightning crackled between his hands as he moved closer.

“Don’t resist, and it won’t hurt for long,” the boy said, moving towards her with an apathetic expression.

Labby pushed her legs back. If she had her claws, she could’ve cut through the ropes. She was unfamiliar with this form, her feet were too long, she had no tail, her body moved completely differently to before.

Thought paused Labby. Claws. She did have claws.

She kicked the ground, raising her back up against the wall. Pouring Qi towards her feet, Labby jumped through the air, twisting. She flooded lunar Qi towards her hands.

Silver Crescent Arcs.

Claws of silvery moonlight formed upon her fingers as she cut through the rope tying her wrist.

Flailing her hands around, she fell down, and broke into a roll somehow managing to stand up, and raise her fist. The method to move her body filled her mind, the blessing of the moon imparting the knowledge upon her. Labby followed its whispers, taking a stance.

“Labby is gonna beat you up!” she shouted, as lightning crackled between her fists.

The twins glanced towards each other, before laughter burst forth from their stomachs.

“Brother, let me take care of her,” the second twin said, patting his brother on the shoulder. “Let us trade some pointers, Junior sister,” the boy said, raising his own fists. Golden lightning arced between them.

Labby closed her eyes, sinking deep inside her mind. The moons had left instructions for her. How to move her fists, her feet, her body. How to channel her Qi through this new form that she had gained.

She let the Qi guide her hands and body, honing her senses before she opened her eyes once more.

There were no words exchanged, as the boy kicked off, his feet crackling with lightning. Labby raised her fist, letting her arm deflect the incoming strike, as she pivoted. Turning around, she let the flow of her body guide her into a spinning kick.

Qi gathered at her feet, scythe like claws of silver growing as she swung.

The boy raised his arm, bolstering it with Qi as he blocked her kick. Her claws remained an inch from his face, as he grinned.

With a sudden fall, the boy swept his leg outwards, kicking her legs from underneath her.

Labby yelped, her concentration broken for a moment. She pulled her arms inwards, blocking a lightning coated punch that took her in the chest.

The ground collided with her back, lightning Qi coursing through her. Another strike followed, and she rolled to the side, as the ground splintered where she had been.

The tang of blood filled her mouth. Quickly pulling herself to her feet, Labby flooded her feet with Qi. A push had her shoot towards the boy, her hand pushing off the ground. She gathered a bolt of lightning upon her fists, letting her Qi collected in one small section.

With a pulse of Qi, she swung.

Purple lightning arced forward, crackling with booming thunder as it shot towards.

Golden lightning swirled, striking her bolt of purple lightning, as the two burst apart in a rain of sparks.

“So much skill at such a young age, plus a strange kind of lightning. I’m Yan Li, who’re you?”

Labby kept her fists raised, looking at the boy. She breathed hard, trying to keep herself from falling apart at the disjointed sensation of her new body.

“Labby,” she replied to the boy, trying to gather her breath.

“La Bi, a strange name. So be it La Bi. You are a worthy opponent. Let us show you what the lighting of a phoenix looks like,” Li said. Qi swirled around his fists, as they moved in a mesmerizing arc.

Sparks crackled, and the air turned static as pure lightning Qi began to gather at the boy’s fist. In a steady rhythm, his fists moved through the air, plucking bolts of lightning that swirling around him.

One by one they gathered, a spear formed of pure energy crackling madly between his fists.

“Thunder Phoenix’s breath.”

Lightning pulsed out with a blinding flash. Labby moved on instinct. Lunar Qi flooded her pathways. She guided her lightning, gathering the Lunar lighting around her fist. Stomping her feet into the ground, she shot her purple bolt into the blazing shot

Lightning struck lightning, a blinding flash resounding through the cavern. Yet it wasn’t enough, as the golden bolt tore through her purple lightning, heading towards her.

Moving her hand forward, a pulse of lightning struck her finger. She let the lightning enter her body, and let it course through her. Lunar lightning stirred in her core, as she guided the lightning down, into her chest, and then below, down to her feet and out into the earth.

Smoke rose from her body, her newly formed gray hair smoldering as burnt skin and blood singed her.

“H-how? The strike didn’t work… what did you do?” Li blurted out.

Labby coughed, stumbling as her vision began to spin. She clenched her teeth, fighting against the disorientation. “Labby’s master taught her,” Labby said, her eyes meeting Li’s as purple lighting sparked in them. “Lightning seeks the earth. It seeks balance. So she gave it balance.”

“That… makes no sense,” Li said, an expression of fear flashing briefly on his face.

“Now it is Labby’s turn,” Labby said, looking towards Li. She raised her fists, as lunar lighting flowed through them. Her body burned with pain from the recently passed lightning through it, but she pushed through.

The wind stirred around her, lightning crackling, as bolts of thunder began to crackle down from upon the sky.

“The wrath of dragons, the rage of storms. Labby has learned to capture it,” she spoke, her feet briefly parting with the ground. Golden lightning shot at her, and crashed into the air around her, before breaking apart.

Her Qi pulsed, following the rhythm of a soaring dragon, as she called upon the Qi of the world. There was electricity in each corner. In each section of the world. All she had to do was form an imbalance.

Qi poured out from Labby’s body, as the air crackled, vibrating. Heat rose around her in a cloud, as the wind howled with increasing intensity.

Labby pushed even further, letting the air crackle with fury. She fueled the rage of the dragons, the sight she had watched as she rose into the very heavens, to chase after the moon. The world rippled, a blinding light rising, as a bolt of pure energy manifested.

With her soft hands, Labby reached out, cradling the lightning within her palm.

And then, with a silent look of rage, she let it loose.

“Dragon’s Tempest.”

Purple lightning crackled, tearing through the air as it shot forward. Wind howled with fury, as bolts of lightning struck towards Li, one after the other.

The boy screamed, golden lightning flashing striking back. But the barrage didn’t last long. A powerful bolt of purple struck true, drawing a scream from Li as he stumbled back.

“Brother!” Lei screamed, before turning towards Labby with vibrating fury.

A powerful bolt of gold rose from Lei, his fist lashing out towards Labby’s back.

Labby turned, raising her hands as the bolt struck true. She tried to channel the lighting, but her feet were parted from the ground.

The lightning tore through her body, rushing into her dantian. Something cracked, Qi pouring outwards in a wave. Labby crashed on the ground, losing all sensation in her limbs.

Lei rushed towards his injured brother, who stood bleeding, yet conscious. “I’m okay,” Li spat, coughing out blood, yet if he said anything more, then Labby couldn’t hear the words.

The world spun around for Labby, an agonizing throb rising from her dantian. Her Qi rapidly poured out of her body, her dantian starting to crack. Agony tore through Labby’s spirit as she watched the two twins walk towards her with a dimming gaze.

Labby closed her eyes, shame filling her chest. She had lost. Even after gaining the form of her desire, the strength she’d chased so desperately. She lost nonetheless.

She felt lightning Qi gathering near her as the twins moved closer, and she knew what was to come.

“Master…” Labby cried out, tears flowing down her cheeks as the world began to dim.

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