The Laws of Cultivation: Qi = MC^2

The wind roared around us as we flew through the skies, commanding gusts and parting clouds and swirling through peaks. I could fly myself now, so this wasn’t an entirely new experience, but there was a grace and control that was here which I simply did not possess yet.

Yulong moved as if the sky and it were one and the same, like an extension of himself and his body, free to be commanded and molded as he saw fit. The valley flew past us as we moved deeper inside, the density of the Qi in the air rising rapidly as we did. Many of the dragons flying around turned in our directions, and it was almost amusing to see some of them do double takes as they noticed us upon Yulong’s back.

Soon, while flying through the clouds, I began to see a clearing with a strange kind of mossy structure around it. It took me a moment as we closed in to realize what I saw. A massive dragon curled around itself within the valley, its jade green body covered in moss and growths as if it had been sleeping here for decades, its horns had flowers blooming onto them and vines intertwined around them, making the dragon seem one and the same with the valley around it.

Yulong lowered himself as we headed closer to the valley area near the dragon and with a swirling gust of wind, the dragon landed, as we all leapt off of its back, regarding the massive older dragon in front of us.

“Mother, these cultivators wish to seek the Azure Dragon and asked me for their help,” Yulong said.

The ground rumbled as the dragon in front of us raised her head, opening her eyes to regard us at last. The giant dragon yawned, and the wind around her swirled with a blooming pulse of vital Qi that revitalized me, before she finally focused on us.

“Cultivators? You… carried them here?” She asked, clearly surprised.

“This spirit here has been taught by Shen Teng, and bested me in her command of lightning. I only did as honor demanded.”

The older dragon snorter. “I know you, child. Honor is the last thing you care for, only pride. But…” she paused and then turned to look at us. “It is true, we can feel Shen Teng’s lingering legacy within this spirit. Him, and the command of lightning, mingled with the blessing of the moon. What a strange path to walk upon,” the dragon remarked.

“We have no doubt about it,” the dragon said. “Why do you cultivators seek the Azure Dragon? Those who come here typically either wish to seek guidance or to tame one of our children as spirits. Few succeed, but occasionally some do. Never has one come here to seek the Azure Dragon himself.”

“The demons are attacking, and we need the Azure Dragon to return so that we can fight back,” I said to the dragon.

“And why should a dragon have to concern themselves with such concerns?” The mother asked, eyeing me.

“Because this is not just about us. This affects everyone and everything in the empire. The heavens themselves are falling and if the demons win and take over… there’s no saying how things will be. They have an army filled with Deathless and if there’s to be any hope of us beating them back, then it’s with the Azure Dragon’s help,” I said, looking up into the Dragon’s eyes.

The dragon regarded me silently, assessing me, then she turned to face one of the cliffs in the distance. “Last we saw, the Azure Dragon had headed in that direction. But we can no longer sense any presence, so he clearly wishes to remain hidden. It is going to be difficult to find him.”

I nodded, glancing towards the peak in question. It was the tallest peak in the Cradle, rising up high into the skies with a torrent of lightning strikes and storms swirling all around it.

That was going to be a pain, but it was a start at the very least.

I nodded, bowing to the dragon. “Thank you.”

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

“We are not heartless, child, but the last time dragons mingled in human affairs was not a good one. If the Azure Dragon is free of his oath now, we are not so sure you will be able to convince him to return,” the dragon said.

“Can’t do anything if I don’t at least try,” I told the dragon.

“That is true. Perhaps the strange man residing at the peak will be able to help you. He’s been there for months now, so if anyone must have seen where the Azure Dragon went, it would be him,” the dragon said.

“Strange man?” I asked.

“Yes. A strange cultivator. He arrived here one day some months ago, and then began to spend his time on the peak. Some of our children even prodded him and tried to remove him, but he managed to fend them off, so now they simply avoid that peak,” the dragon said.

“Huh,” I muttered to myself. Who could that be?

The older dragon turned to face Yulong. “Since you said you had been bested and it was a matter of honor, child. Surely you will take them to the base of the peak at least?”

Yulong clearly did not look very pleased by that idea. “Very well,” he spoke at last, and we climbed back on the young dragon’s back.

With a gust of wind swirling around us, we were back in the skies, and off towards the thundering peaks in the distance.

***

We stepped off Yulong’s back, arriving at the base of the mountain in question. Already, the warmth of the valley was fading away here, though instead of cold, this place had more torrential downpour and lightning for days. Bright flashes continued to dominate the area.

“The Qi is particularly bad here. Even we avoid this place nowadays. It’d do you best to be careful,” Yulong said.

“Thanks, we will,” I said with a smile.

Labby waved the big dragon off as it flew back into the valley as we continued on towards our destination.

“Alright… here goes,” I said, as we made our way up.

***

The sky roared in a downpour of rain that drowned the world out. Lightning crackled, striking right next to me as wind threatened to blow me onto jagged peaks nearby. I’d recalled both Labby and Ash into my spirit, and was struggling to shield even the others as we climbed.

The path was treacherous, with some places only having 5-inch wide paths and footholds that threatened to crumble at any moment. The earth beneath felt like it’d been cracked and broken and would give away with a careless step in the wrong place.

But worst of all was the Qi. It permeated the air, the world around us, pushing down onto us with roaring fury, and crackling down in bolts of lightning that left craters in the ground.

Crack.

Another loud bolt of lightning shot near us, almost throwing me off my footing. I grabbed Yan Yun who slipped, about to fall, and pulled her back up.

“We need to find a way out of this,” I said through the heavy rain, barely able to hear my own voice.

“There, there might be a cave we could stop at ahead,” Liuxiang pointed.

At that exact moment, a bolt of lightning crashed into the peak of the mountain, sending a giant boulder tumbling down our way.

Zhang kept up, spear poised as he struck at the boulder. His Chi flared, shattering the boulder and then turning the falling pieces weightless as they harmlessly clattered down the side of the cliff.

In doing so, Zhang barely held onto the cliffside as the winds almost toppled him over.

Yeah… we needed to weather out this storm and come up with a new plan.

“Follow me,” I said, letting my Chi expand outwards. I created a shield of sorts all around us, burning a stupid amount of Chi to protect us against the storm. All of us jumped ahead, flying through the air under my shield as we quickly rushed towards the cave Liuxiang had pointed out.

Lightning crackled once more, almost threatening to strike us down. My shield creaked and flickered but held by a little and we crashed into the cavern.

Picking myself up, I found myself brushing the water out of my hair and clothes, absolutely drenched from head to toe.

“Wow, talk about an insane storm. Just what’s causing it to be like this?” I said, looking out to the flashing stormy skies.

“Dragons are creatures of the skies and callers of storms. With so many of them here… it is likely that their Qi slowly seeps out into the world and creates these storms,” Yan Yun said.

“No, there is that… but this is actually a little different,” Liuxiang said, squinting as she looked out.

As she said that, I noticed it as well. There was a distinct humm to the Qi, it was swirling and rising in a steady tide somewhere above us, and I realized what this was as my eyes widened in surprise.

“It’s a tribulation,” I said, looking around in surprise.

I stepped closer to the entrance, watching the clouds rumbling in the distance and thundering with golden light, as the tribulation gathered itself.

A heavenly tribulation… but for who?

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