The Laws of Cultivation: Qi = MC^2

I sat in front of the old man feeling a little strange. It had been some time since I had taken a lesson like this from him. Certainly not after the reunification of the two halves of my spirit. The mixture of those memories almost made it feel like this was a third entirely new and separate me that sat here once again.

Unaware of my thoughts, the old man continued, his long sleeves trailing behind him as they often did, while he flipped through a myriad of books that sat in his chamber until he found the one that he wanted to show me.

"Look, Lu Jie, do you see this pill?" He asked me, showing me the recipe of a pill that I wasn't terribly familiar with, but I knew enough.

"I do," I said to the old man. "It is a spirit-mending pill meant for stabilizing the spirit of a cultivator after it has suffered from backlash from a technique gone wrong or from an outside attack," I replied smoothly, feeling just a little proud of myself for remembering that detail which I had studied months ago.

"You're correct," the old man replied. "Do you know what it is made of, then?"

I frowned this time, delving into the depths of my memory, trying to recall the composition of the pill. After a few moments of contemplation, I shook my head. "No, I don’t," I admitted.

Closing the book, the old man revealed, "It is made of earth infused with Qi and spirit water. These are the two elements that, when in harmony, ground the others and provide stability."

Surprised, I looked at the old man. "So the pill is just dirt?" I asked, half-amused at the thought of a cultivator consuming cooked dirt mixed with water, almost like some kind of prank.

The old man's lips curved into a smile. "It is indeed just dirt, in a sense of speaking. Amusing, isn't it? How such a trivial and simple thing can provide such a powerful benefit? Of course, there are many other methods of creating similar pills with earth-attuned spirit herbs and water, and much more expensive and complicated ways as well, that many of the grand alchemists use. But ultimately, at the heart of it, it is simply just dirt and water. And yet, it is a powerful pill."

I nodded, finding a poetic resonance in his words. It made perfect sense and aligned with our teachings: the best systems are simple, redundant, effective, and economical.

"Do you know why I am showing you this pill, Lujie?" the old man inquired.

"Because my spirit is not stable, and I need to learn how to make this to stabilize it," I guessed. It wasn't a leap of logic to surmise as much.

"Not quite, though it is not a terrible surprise that you would think as much," the old man replied. "But your path is a very different one. It incorporates Qi and Gu, or Chi as you speak of. An entirely different form of cultivation. As such, this pill will not do much for you, Lu Jie. It cannot balance that which in itself is unbalanced," the old man said.

I nodded, understanding that there was also a deeper meaning to his words. Qi in itself was a result of imbalance, a result of the broken cycle of life and death. How could something formed of an imbalance cure the balance of a greater whole? What I had was like a larger sphere and Qi was just one part of it. No matter how I centered or stabilized it, it would never be able to stabilize the entire whole.

"Then, why did you show me the pill?" I asked.

"To teach you the principle behind it," the old man replied. "The principle of earth and the principle of grounding oneself. Lu Jie, do you remember what I had told you of the five elements?" the old man asked, as he walked up to his cauldron, running his fingers on its lips.

"I do. That an alchemist must master all five elements and that it is the harmony of those from which alchemy is born," I replied.

"That is correct," the old man said. "It is the harmony of the five elements that create alchemy. But what if those five elements themselves were imbalanced? What then?"

"What then?" I trailed off, unsure of how to answer.

"These are the questions we now seek the answer to. What does one do when harmony becomes unharmonious and there is an imbalance within a balance? I have pondered over these questions, thought over them, and I have realized that the answer is nothing," the old man said.

I looked up at the old man, surprised at his words.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

The old man walked away from his cauldron, looking outside the window.

"Our world is a world made of imbalances. It is a world made of things moving, flowing, breaking, forming, and changing. That change is good sometimes, and it is bad other times. And thus, if the answer does not lie in balance, where does it lie?" He said, as if asking himself the question. “That too was a difficult question, and the answer may vary depending on who you ask.”

The old man turned to look at me. "And so I ask you of this. If balance is not the answer, what is?" the old man said.

I frowned, trying to think of a suitable answer. When I had first arrived in this world, I would have dismissed his question and what he spoke of as mere poetic nonsense. But I was no longer that ignorant, and neither was I blind to the things he spoke of.

But if balance was not the answer… what was? What was my spirit missing, if not balance? So far I had simply assumed that it was the lack of my ability with Gu, or perhaps simply my lack of master on the elements. But if the balance in those things was not the answer… then what was?

“I’m… not sure,” I replied, looking at the old man.

The old man gave a nod. “And that is alright. The ways of the heavens are mysterious, and these are not questions we find the answer to immediately,” he said. “Let me ask you this instead. Why does simply water and earth infused with Qi turn the spirit of those with spirit wounds calm and stabalises their mind?”

“Because Earth Qi has a grounding effect? And water can mellow things?” I replied.

“Yes, but does that mean? Why does simple earth and water Qi do this?” The old man asked.

I thought over it for a few seconds. “It’s because… earth can disperse Qi, and water can conduct Qi, and together, they distribute it evenly?”

The old man nodded. “And does this balance the spirit of those who eat this pill?” He asked.

“No, because they have an excess of Earth and Water Qi in their body now,” I replied.

“And yet, it stabalises their spirit,” the Old man said, now smiling.

“The answer to my question, Lu Jie, is not one I can give you. But the first step to finding an answer is understanding the question.”

I gave the old man a nod. My spirit was shifting as well, telling me that I was once more, a step closer to a truth.

“The thing about your spirit Lu Jie, is that it holds vast powers. Things it cannot yet control. It is like trying to squeeze an ocean inside a cup. The cup will simply break no matter what you do,” the old man said.

“But do you what Earth and Water make? They make clay. And clay is what we use to build,” the old man replied.

“So… I need to build my spirit?” I asked.

“Indeed. I heard of your desire to form a mental palace. And that is the right direction, but it is not the path you must take on it’s own,” the Old Man said. “Your spirit has three balances to math. One of Gu and Qi, one of the five elements. Can you tell me what the last one is?” The old man asked.

I thought over it for a few seconds. “Body and spirit?” I asked, uncertain.

“Indeed. You must form, what is called a Nascent Soul, and a Twin Body. Ordinarily, a cultivator only forms one, or the other but some choose to do both. It is a difficult path, and many fail. But like all things, you path is not an ordinary one. And thus, you must perform both steps to fortify your spirit,” the old man said.

“Okay…” I replied. I had some concept of what a Nascent Soul or Twin body was, but that didn’t mean I had a good idea.

“So… how do I do that?” I asked.

“Patience. We will tell you,” the Old man said, taking a book out as he opened it up. “This is an old technique… from our previous clan. It teaches one how to form what is called an Immortal Twin. You must form a creation of purified earth, with spirit water, forge it in flames, and then, impart a half of your soul into it, giving it life,” the old man replied.

My eyes widened in surprise.

“Wait— does that mean…”

“Indeed. You already possess a Nascent Soul. An incomplete one, but it is there, and has been for a long time, growing inside you, and with you. Now you must forge a vessel for it, and create your Immortal Twin. Then, the two of you shall be tied together, in body and spirit. Two halves of a greater whole.”

The first law thrummed in my spirit, burning with frenzy at the prospect. Some part of me shivered, almost as if crying out in relief, and my lips shook, forming a smile as the idea took root in me.

An immortal twin. I had couldn’t thought that something like that would even exist… and yet… the moment it appeared in front of me, I knew it was what I needed to do.

“But, I will warn you, Lu Jie,” the old man said, his expression turning grave. “This is the path to immortality, and upon the end of your path, the two halves of you must unite and form a greater complete whole, forming a true body. And many have fallen to their other halves, or lost sight of their goals upon this journey. This technique is a dangerous one, especially with a path such as yours. So think carefully before you embark upon this journey,” the old man said, and after a moment of hesitation, added.

“It is how my grand son, my Yuan, became the demon Yang Shen.”

I looked at the old man’s grave expression and gave him a nod. “I will.”

The Old man gave me a nod, seemingly satisfied with what he saw. “Now, let us begin by forging your spirit by forming a mental palace. Close your eyes, and I will guide you.”

I closed my eyes, following the Qi from Old Man, as I began to guide my spirit. As the Chi from my core swirled, reaching into my mind, I felt the world around me shifting.

A part of me shivered, memories of a life lived in the darkness returning, and yet, another part of me sighed in relief, something that had once been broken, healing, as I my consciousness sunk into the depths of my spirit, the old man’s voice fading into the distance.

And soon, everything was dark.

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