The Laws of Cultivation: Qi = MC^2

I flew through the skies, making my way to Lord Zhou's manor. By opting to fly rather than take a carriage, I kept my journey short. The concerned look of the messenger who had informed me of this meeting did not bode well. As I descended, the guards watched me warily before recognizing me and giving a light bow.

As I stepped down, a servant rushed out, bowing her head deeply. “Elder Jie, the Lord is awaiting you.”

I nodded, following her as she escorted me through the manor. The gates slid open, and I walked in, bowing my head deeply. “My lord.”

“Raise your head, Lu Jie,” the lord said. “We have just received a summons from the Jade Court, inviting us to the banquet held in honor of the Shie clan gaining a new Divinity. But it was not just us that a letter came for. You got one as well,” he informed me.

I walked closer, receiving the letter from the lord, examining the pristine Jade seal with the symbol of a dragon carved in Azure color. I looked up at the lord.

“Once you open that scroll, you will have to obey its words, no matter what. But if you choose not to open it, there will be people who will come here to test your loyalty to the empire. And we will be powerless to stop them.”

I gulped, looking down at the scroll in my hands. Nodding, I sent a pulse of Chi, cracking the seal open. The scroll unfurled, revealing some of the most beautiful paper I had ever seen since arriving here. It was soft to touch, with a firm surface and the most intricate embroidery that glowed with Qi present on it. Opening it, I began to read through the contents.

“Lord Lu Jie,

Baron of Taizhou and Elder of the Divine Tree Sect,

The Empire rejoices as we prepare to honor the Elder of the prestigious Shie Clan, whose ascension to the ranks of Divinity marks a momentous occasion in the annals of our illustrious history. After a prolonged period of closed-door cultivation, their emergence as a beacon of celestial prowess and wisdom is a testament to the enduring legacy of our cultivation heritage,” I paused, skipping a few paragraphs of similarly long-winded formal talk.

“In celebration of this auspicious event, a grand banquet will be held at the Jade Court in the Imperial Capital, coinciding with the Winter Solstice Festival. This event will not only pay homage to the newly risen Divinity but also serve as a gathering of esteemed figures from across our vast empire.

Your presence, Lord Lu Jie, as the Baron of Taizhou and the revered Elder of the Divine Tree Sect, is eagerly anticipated. His Imperial Majesty invites you to partake in the grandeur of the festivities and to affirm your fealty to the throne and the Empire within the hallowed halls of the Jade Court.

Sincerely,

Wei Xun

Chancellor of the Jade Court,” I finished, reading through the entire scroll, feeling a pulse of Qi travel through the chamber.

“What was that?” I asked.

“An art. The Jade Court now knows that you have received the invitation, and failure to arrive will likely be considered treason unless a sufficient explanation is provided beforehand,” the lord said.

“That’s quite…” I trailed off, not sure what to say. Hardcore, perhaps? I definitely felt the authority of the emperor within the scroll, only a hint of it, but even just that was enough to remove any ideas of disobeying the orders.

“Normally, provincial barons such as you do not receive a direct invitation from the Jade Court, and will instead follow a higher-ranking member as a part of their entourage. The fact that the Jade Court has specifically called you to the banquet means that they have taken note of what you are doing, and more importantly, what you represent,” the lord said, shaking his head. “Truth be told, I have never seen such a strongly worded letter from the Jade Court before. So you would need to make sure that you can convince the emperor that you're loyal, and at the very least, useful to the empire.”

“Strongly worded?” I asked, confused, given how polite the entire thing had been.

“Yes, the letter directly asks you to affirm your fealty to the throne. That’s basically asking you if you’re a traitor. I could feel my heart drop as you read the letter,” Lord Zhou said, showing a rare display of nervousness which did not help my own nerves.

“We had anticipated this, just earlier than expected,” I said.

“The Alchemy Halls' likely have put pressure on the Jade Court. Given that they lost an elder, they will likely grow fearful of you and intend to crush you while they can.”

Delightful.

“But it is not completely hopeless,” Lord Zhou added. “The nobles will be waiting to see whose side you are on. Whose pawn you truly are. No one expects you to be independent; rarely has anyone ever been in a position like yours without some sort of backing. This will be beneficial for you to gain favors and form connections. But if they learn of the threats you pose to them…”

“I am aware, my lord. And I am working on the problem as we speak. There are lots of potential connections that have already been formed; the people who are aware are starting to reach out to learn more about me. The Shie have already shown some interest in supporting me, having found out earlier about some of the things I’m doing through Liuxiang. The sect patriarch of Cloudy Peaks has also shown some interest, but his knowledge is more limited, and his intentions are to test me,” I said.

“That is good. The Shie are powerful, as one of the ducal clans within the empire, their backing is powerful support. Especially now that they have regained a Divinity. But at the same time, they are not very well liked by the Jade Court and have been historically isolated, partly due to the bloodline, and their descendants being settlers from outside the empire. The Cloudy Peaks Sect, on the other hand, is not nearly as powerful but has many more allies within the court and can leverage its connections to allow you to gain a broader foothold,” the lord said, leaning forward in his seat.

“We are curious which one you intend to choose as your ally.”

“Neither, my lord,” I replied.

“Oh? Do you intend to rely on us instead? As flattering as that may be, we are still the lord of one of the seven peaks, and as such, our essence within the Jade Court itself is not as powerful, as we are seen to be one of the provincial lords. It would not be enough to navigate the politics of the Jade Court, or the pressure from the Alchemy Halls.”

“No, my lord, I intend to rely on no one but instead to do something else entirely,” I said, a smile forming on my face.

The lord raised his eyebrow, his interest piqued as I continued. “My lord, the problem with the Azure-Jade Empire is that it does not seek progress, and to some extent, actively works to hold it back. A centralized empire looking to have absolute control over its citizens. The system only works because of how isolated the empire is. There are no threats outside of the demons. And until very recently, demons had been more like wild animals, dangerous if allowed to go rampant, but manageable and predictable. In my world, history has given examples of what empires like these go through. More often than not, upon the death of their leader, they fall apart into warring states, until someone unites them again. But due to the long lives of cultivators, no, rather, the immortal lifespan of the Divinities, the process has instead gotten stuck. As a single powerful ruler continues to hold command, and the empire stagnates, dying a slow death instead.”

The lord’s eyes widened. “You… are correct. That is indeed what we are seeing within the empire. But, things such as these are treason, Lu Jie. And even the walls have ears.”

I shook my head. “I do not believe so, my lord. The emperor is powerful, but what we need is not someone else in his position. But instead to bring changes from within the empire itself. Now that the threat of the demons grows to be something more significant, it is high time for the nobles to start seeing the errors of their ways,” I said.

“Your sentiment is admirable, but how do you intend to achieve this? The empire has stood in its ways for over a thousand years. To change now… it will be a difficult task.”

I nodded. “I’m aware, my lord. But my answer is simple and is a tried and tested method. Greed and economic prosperity.”

“Greed?”

“Yes, my lord. Currently, any advancement has to be registered with the empire's halls, with only paltry rewards at best for doing so. Most of these innovations never see the light of the day. They are hoarded, and stored in the vaults, kept safe within treasuries. And also useless. No one can use these without the permission of the emperor, or the vaults such as the Alchemy Hall. It's the exact same method that they themselves used to control alchemical pills and their spread. Are you aware of how the Alchemy Hall keeps such a tight grip on all pill recipes?” I asked.

“We do. The halls themselves, beyond just using their authority, also incentivize selling any form of new recipe to the halls themselves. Upon doing so, they decide what the cost of the pill will be, and take a share of any money those pills make. This gives them a massive hoard of recipes that only they have access to, which means most alchemists never even consider going independent. But if that wasn’t enough, if anyone decides to be independent and use their own recipe, the Alchemy Halls use their vast resources to make their own pills much cheaper in contrast, to the point where no single alchemist could ever even hope to earn a living. If that doesn’t work, they have their... other methods,” the lord said.

“Precisely. But that won’t work with me. The method of production I own means that even mortals can create these pills. It is why I went to such lengths to make sure that every part of the process could be replicated and created by mortals, because when done so, they instead become part of the labor, and no respectable alchemist would ever agree to a wage as low as mortals. But even if not just that, the production of the Qi crystals, and soon other pills, is not half or even a third of the price, but as low as one-tenth. So their usual methods will not work here,” I said, smiling.

“That is true, but at the same time the Alchemy Hall's vast resources, and their respectable reputation within the empire, will be used to apply political influence and pressure to crush you and restrict the use of your Alchemy methods,” the lord said.

“Or alternatively, they will send spies to try and steal the information. They have probably already sent some,” I said.

“But what about their spies and attempts to steal your methods?” the lord asked, concern still evident in his voice.

“Are you not worried about that? Them stealing your method of production? Crushing you with political power? We do not have the influence needed to protect you from them. We can merely stall them at best,” the lord said, his expression a mix of worry and contemplation.

“I’m aware, my lord. Neither of us have enough influence to outright stop the Alchemy Halls, but… what if we didn’t have to?” I said, a hint of a plan forming in my words.

The lord looked at me, intrigued but still cautious. "Explain."

I grinned, unable to hold my excitement, as I began to reveal my plan. "I intend to hold an auction in the capital. I’ll be using the Shie clan’s influence and the Cloudy Peaks Sect to invite as many sects, clans, and nobles as I can. Everybody is welcome, all with the means and resources. And there, I will start selling the things that I have created, and will be creating. Artifacts, relics, foreign technology never seen before within the empire," I said, as the mental image unfolded before me.

"But that is just the first step. Afterwards, I will send an invite to the largest clans and sects, to hold a private auction. One of these invites will be to the royal court itself. Here, I will provide them with the best resources. The things that were not public. Special offers available just to them. But alongside these things, I will also give them the ability to buy the patent."

“The… what?” the lord asked.

“The patent, my lord. It is the right of ownership of a piece of information, or a method of production and technology, given to the one who registers it as such under an official body. It is not a recognized system in the empire, of course, there is no such concept of this thing. But, what the Alchemy Halls effectively do, is already this. They buy the recipes, the techniques, and hold the right to use them perpetually. I will be selling those techniques and the rights to use them,” I said.

“And… you're sure that's a good idea? To simply hand these things to these sects?” the lord asked.

“I’ve thought about it. And I do believe so. I lack the resources and power to distribute the things that I wish to create on a wide enough scale with a capital that could allow me to truly utilize them to their full potential. But at the same time, for everyone who is wise, they will see the opportunity that these things present. The ability to make their own territory stronger, clan members powerful, themselves more prosperous. And thus we go back to what I said at the start. Greed. That is what will fuel the changes that are to come. But I also intend to make sure that those changes are not abused to go out of hand. Part of it will also be that I will be taking a percentage of the income from any piece of technology I sell that the clans use, which will allow me to begin step three,” I said, raising three fingers.

“What else could there be?” the Lord asked.

“I intend to keep some things that I create to myself. Some weapons, some tools. I will not share everything that I have, of course. But more so than anything, the primary reason to do this is to get my name out there. That I have these things that have been created. That they have been created by mortals. This will create many rumors, some possibly false, most true. After that, I will spread one more rumor myself, a true one. That says, any mortals who join the Divine Tree Sect can unlock their cultivation,” I said, as the Lord’s eyes widened in shock.

"Rather than try to hide it, you intend to leverage that as a tool? That… that’s brilliant,” the Lord said.

My grin widened, unable to hold my giddiness, as I let my ambition bare. “I will call upon scholars, mortals, craftsmen, any and all who would listen to my voice. And I would offer them a home, and a dream, that their lives could be far better than they currently are. And using these people and their ability to innovate, I will create a merchant empire right here, on the Seventh Peak and Taizhou. A thriving new capital of prosperity.

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