Fatherly Asura

Udvah’s grin was wide before Shaokang as the brute grunted. “Three.”

“From [Mystic Realms] of variety,” dipped the smiling monk. “Amituofo, a fool guesses, but this lacking daoist might presume you have no further questions?”

There came a second, dismissive grunt.

Against such an outlook, Kang Jae’s was as the difference between Heaven and Earth. “My time amongst the Wayward Winds did not turn me foolish. Even so, I had not guessed the true method of collapsing realms. All I might ask will take days.”

Fu gestured to Udvah. “While Zhu and I hold a small record for this, Udvah’s own was overlooked. The constellations fear few souls more,” he said, drawing a spatial ring from his pocket. “He has kindly offered to clarify what the mighty Wen Pinxui has not covered within her reports.”

With an almost reverent step, Kang Jae and his [Spirit Grub] lurched towards the wealth in Fu’s palm.

It was met with both a laugh and a half-moment of unwavering grip. “We know your nature, friend. Cloud Dragon Hall still has need of you.”

The mist-rich grounds of their training hall were, in that moment, a scene of hanfu-wrapped statues. Such was the discipline offered by all of their patient juniors. From [Spirit Condor] to lion, insect and shoal, the two hundred disciples were arrayed, stock-still, and expectant.

Only Kang Jae and Shaokang entered behind him, descending the small steps of his courtyard as not to stand above their senior.

Waipi’s inordinate scale made it unseemly, though Fu cared not for such things, saying nothing of the [Spirit Crocodile’s] wafting tail as he began his address. “Disciples of Cloud Dragon Hall, it is a testament to your diligence that you have not been waylaid by rumours and the whisperings of Jade Songbird Province. The personal [Tribulations], challenges and hardship you have chased since the [Beast Tide’s] fall has likewise left me prideful.”

The mass bowed lower.

“Such honor must be rewarded, yet I must ask - who among you believes themselves worthy of further gifts?”

A hummingbird’s wings might be heard in the silence.

Shuidi hummed approvingly.

His hand flickered in dramatic fashion, widening the great aperture of his [Shrine of Final Skies]. From it, four [Constellation Seeds] emerged. Powerful treasures, by choice, for he sought to measure the strength of their conviction when so obvious a boon stood before them.

“Freely offered,” he said.

Clear then, was the glint of eyes. Still, his lessons prevailed.

“Patriarch,” offered Xiongdi, the brother Baotai.

“We would humbly ask on these treasures. A way to earn them must exist, no?” finished Jiemei, the sister.

Both [Spirit Eagles] rested atop their opposing shoulders as though a blurred mirror, gaze never lifting.

“Therein stands Cloud Dragon Hall’s true purpose, disciples,” the Patriarch said in half-truth. “The collection of these treasures requires a method you will soon learn. Know, however, that only the [Trial] to claim one will mark you as worthy to possess it. No task exists beyond this that might more perfectly embody the essence of our mantra.”

While none broke the seamless ranks, many postures grew taller.

Expectant.

“Our first foray begins today. To aid in this, and so that our most promising might guide those that will follow, Cloud Dragon Hall will field three groups. I will head the first, while Masters Shaokang and Kang Jae will head their own. Then the honor of leading your fellows will fall to you all,” he said, turning to his seconds. “Is there wisdom you might add?”

Shaokang demanded attention with a grunt, crossing his arms. “It is difficult.”

“Difficult,” confirmed Kang Jae, fixing his spectacles. “Indeed. What lies ahead is as Patriarch Fu describes. [Trials] set forth by the Heavens themselves. Tests to temper facets of one’s cultivation that cannot be fathomed without first being witnessed. They are… outstanding.”

Fu dipped his douli in thanks. “Cloud Dragon Hall, the next Path blows before us. I ask you now, will you chase it?”

Their roar was as thunder.

🀦

Fulfillment.

Beyond the assassin yet before the coming of the [Primordial Lord], this… calling had shown. A precursor to his Path, indeed, if mundane.

The nourishment of others, growth, encouragement, tutelage, potential.

“It is enjoyable, no?” smiled Fu. “Progress. The unknowable twists of their cultivation and to see where their Paths might lead. When the world settles…”

Hushi gave a mirthful tap.

“This Gao Shuidi would push them more. [Intent], [Constitution], [Dao]. After six [Seasons] of our tutelage they will stand atop the Jianghu,” the [Spirit Crab] offered. “All the world will witness their arrival. This tournament, hmm, yes. The line of potential disciples outside Cloud Dragon Hall will travel beyond the horizon.”

A pleasant thought.

[Imperial Realm 26,892]. A realm of [Core Formation] strength, [Dark Qi], and a novel [Trial] encompassing the land. Here the sun never seemed to rise, held at bay- or prisoner, by a murky blanket of shifting, purple skies. Thick enough to be mistaken for ink.

“Discover the [Reliquary],” he had instructed, leaving some twenty disciples upon the lantern-lit [Paifang’s] approach.

Weak lanterns held the murky night at bay, coloured Yellow for the March to which they belonged.

What passed overhead in swarms of several hundred, these shared no such theme in hue. Not in the sheen of their pinions nor the flare of light they dazzled all below with before vanishing once more into the gloom.

Myriad chains were already in the hands of his disciples, and the teeth of many [Spirit Beasts] were bared against the night. Fu wondered, perhaps, if they had already noticed the [Mystic Realm’s] unusual poison.

An omen lurked in the miasmic black. A force not unlike the [Green Blight] of many [Seasons] past. It was all the more treacherous for the swarming [Spirit Crows] above.

Fu traversed the skies for a time, spectating as his disciples navigated below. His true interest lay in the clouds. Unseen to the forces of this realm, he wisped his own fog about the closest. He then ringed all [Water] and [Air Qi] from the hostile puff.

“The meaning within is half-[Demonic]. A [Dao] of sapping and withering. Hah, what challenge, no? It claims [Spirit] through their own shadows. How resourceful will our disciples prove against it?”

Chan Gui was seniormost among the disciples, an ever brow-quirking sight due the grace he displayed despite his portly physique. His [Spirit Pirhanas] were of this cumbersome nature, and lead from the front without the usual, frenetic energy of such beasts.

[Senses] revealed much.

“...of a [Spiritual] nature,” he continued. “Ah- well, that is a good countermeasure. Perhaps, well, Patriarch Gao instructed me in this manner, and I would not deviate.”

A hefty [Intent] streamed about the senior disciple in nigh-translucent currents.

“Senior brother!” remarked a woman of high-braided, sapphire hair. “Such control! Upon return I will endeavour to learn-”

Both [Spirit Pirhana] paused to shake.

“No, junior sister. Apologies. I- I see how this realm might distract the mind, but that is not the way of Cloud Dragon Hall,” Chan Gui smiled, offering a palm. “May I?”

The junior allowed it, and he lost all uncertainty of tone as he placed his second just above her navel.

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“To know the nature of wind is to know the nature of water. Patriarch Gao once spoke of ribbons, and to this I likened my flow. We are wayward winds and droplets both, moving on whimsy, moving by another’s will- is this not the Qi within us? Yet to know that one rain is all rains, that one cloud is all clouds, does this not reveal much?”

Cloud Dragon Hall’s shared [Intent] was displayed in varying stages. For many that had already reached such a stage of [Spirit] it was of little difficulty to project, but it was a choice few that could refine it further.

“If one cloud is all clouds, then why does your [Intent] not match my own? [Inner Qi] or [Spiritual] energy, these hold the flow of our will. Do not allow them to be wayward, for Cloud Dragon Hall requires more than those that drift upon the breeze.”

He nudged a portion of his [Intent] upon her own, as if the childish headwater of an incoming flood.

Her hand clasped where his own had left and about it there sparked a mossy flame of [Intent]. “Senior Chan, a thousand gratitudes. I will ruminate further upon the Patriarch’s teachings. It is small wonder that you stand so far above us.”

Hushi impressed a pang of nostalgia, for the boy’s lesson was an insight they had gained many [Seasons] prior. That which had first ascended the [Dao of Reach] into the [Dao of Wayward Breezes].

More impressive yet, the disciple knew much of transformation. Of air’s nature, despite his [Affinity] of [Water Qi].

“We did not choose Chan Gui for his talent, but his heart. He is a fine cultivator, and a righteous soul,” smiled Fu. “Let us see if that is enough.”

While no perfect refinement of [Intent], the palms, paws, tails or crowns of disciple and [Spirit Beast] alike expanded their own [Spiritual] force with an effect not unlike the lanterns at this realm’s opening.

The gloom shirked from it, and in turn, their footsteps grew unmolested.

Whether they knew this or not.

Not even an hour had broken before Shuidi turned pensive. “When skies are clear it is not difficult to catch a single raindrop in a flask. A downpour would prove most effective.”

She vanished.

Somewhere in the night, the realm’s [Spirit Beasts] grew wary. Stirred from their darkened places and hidden haunts by a force unknown- a ghastly wind, sudden deluge or unsettling [Intent], and in short order their first desperate cries began to close upon the disciples.

Brother, she is rowdy today, no?

Hushi returned to the douli, content.

🀦

Many poisons had been reaped across the [Seasons], and while no hard rule - the realms of [Core Formation] grade were unlikely to grow their [Hundred Poisons Synthesis] by and great leaps and bounds.

Hushi had parted some hours prior to confirm this.

Shuidi toyed with [Arrays], using the [Spiritual Trial] of this realm to test lower strength formations.

Small, foundational improvements to while away the time.

Fu’s pipe puffed above the [True Reliquary] in shapes that only he and the Heavens might see. The complexity now was of a play, once witnessed within the Four Corners Prefecture. Both a test of memory and [Control] as he wove together feminine, dancing forms and contorted different densities of Qi to produce lightning or effects.

All in spectation.

The hollow of a great, fallen trunk housed the final [Trial], split and exposed to the blackness in such a way that it appeared a shallow cave of only some li wide. A tether of ribbons decorated all sides of this entrance, yet not in a colour any might parse, so long and so claimed by black were they.

Drained, or washed.

It was here the disciples of Cloud Dragon Hall recovered, now as pallid and reduced as the fabrics above. The permanence of their withered [Spirits] was fleeting unless they truly fell here, and even now Chan Gui’s expanded [Intent] held back the encroaching dark.

[Spirit Bats] flew overhead once more, birthing a final muted flash before coming to roost upon the ribbons’ attaching ropes.

A greedy blackness stole forth as the shadows of Cloud Dragon Hall were exposed, vivifying the murk to press harder, cloy longer and further test the senior disciple’s will.

“You must progress alone senior!” came the struggled demand of his juniors. “This much- this much we might abide. Save your strength for the true [Trial] of Patriarch Gao’s warning. Surely this place is the [Reliquary] of which he spoke.”

He shook. “We progress together, or not at all. As the rain does, continue without end. Our Hall’s words shall not be forsaken.”

“To linger here is unwise. Go, senior, please. Conclude the [Trial],” said another.

Chan Gui’s [Senses] were second only to his swiftness, and Fu was prideful over his reactivity to all that conspired against him. They held an element of deception, he saw, and perhaps explained the rotund appearance of this disciple.

An illusion of weakness.

See how his partners laze in the wind, as if adrift? Hah. Admirable pageantry, for he is well aware of the [Trial Guardian] above.

Indeed, the [Spirit Bats] had morphed in subtle fashion, and of this a disappointing number of his disciples were unaware. The swarm proved a singular entity, shifting its form into that of a bloated half-man of open robes and unwell complexion.

Hesitation. Ah. Villainy. It is conflicted over whether to allow access or to slay my disciples where they stand.

Fu shook.

Let us hope, for its sake, it chooses wisely.

Moments passed before the [Trial Guardian] descended, cascading in a wash of murk. His address was akin to the shrill tone of clashing jian. “When the small cast large shadows, the sun is soon to set. Novelty, yes. That so many have defied the night. However the [Trial] might only be pursued by one alone.”

Chan Gui’s chain was lax in hand, if only by appearance. He stole a measured look at each of his juniors before progressing, delivering of all things, a bow. “Venerable [Trial Guardian], this lowly disciple extends gratitude for your hospitality. We will be the petitioner for your [Trial].”

“Decency,” mused the [Trial Guardian]. “The Heavens still hold wonder. You share not the night’s [Affinity], children of [Winter], but that you have reached this place proves you no fool. Knowing that the Heavens stand against you, enter.”

Both guardian and disciple vanished.

The current of [Intent] that clad his juniors collapsed, prompting all that had stood within it to recoil, grunt, or waiver.

Fu returned to his pipe.

🀦

[Primordial Law of Tribulations]

Refinement.

[Second Law: Longanimity] 2/100,000

The benefits of disciples were truly peerless.

Endless.

Estimations on when either Kang Jae or Shaokang’s disciples might complete their [Trial] were a half-confirmation for his thoughts. When night turned to day, then back once more, he received the full insight.

[Primordial Law of Tribulations]

Refinement.

[Second Law: Longanimity] 3/100,000

Chan Gui and his [Spirit Pirhanas] collapsed upon the hollow’s threshold, and before the ground might claim them, into their Patriarch’s blurring arms. Welts of darkened tone had left much of his flesh marred in strange, hand-like burns, and Fu could scarce recall feeling such cold from any cultivator’s flesh.

“Pa-patriarch,” he blinked, haplessly groaning from his cradle. “Our juniors- how do they…”

“Diligent Gui. Worry not.”

“Patriarch?”

Fu hoisted the disciple higher, supporting his rise with a shoulder. “They have taken Cloud Dragon Hall’s words, your words, disciple, to heart. I sense the [Trial] has concluded,” he said, allowing a view of an [Intent]-rich ring of seated cultivators. “You have proven exemplary.”

Bunched within his white-knuckled grip was a sleek shroud, and he offered this forth once he had glimpsed the struggling, albeit alive, forms of his juniors beyond. “We have… retrieved it. The [Constellation Seed], as it was spoken,” Chan Gui groaned, pushing to stand free of support. “Please accept it.”

A small chuckle escaped Fu’s mouth.

“Foolish youth. The treasure is your own,” hummed Shuidi.

“Our own?”

“Yes. We would urge you return to Cloud Dragon Hall before absorbing it, though if you feel bold enough to do so here we will aid you,” smiled Fu.

The juniors stole his attention.

“If I am to be bold, it will only be to ask that we return. The treasure can wait, Patriarch, there are more important matters.”

Hushi approved, and lifted the douli to press out a single arm. [Intent] erupted from this unnecessary gesture, and Fu smiled at the small pageantry on display. The strength of their soul arrived like a dividing corridor, cleansing vast swathes of the murk so all that bleached grasses and withered pathways appeared below.

The third flaring of [Ink] arrived some steps beyond the threshold of [Cloud Dragon Hall].

[Primordial Law of Tribulations]

Refinement.

[Second Law: Longanimity] 4/100,000

Fu retired to his lake to ruminate upon it, though his [Senses] upon crossing the [Paifang] had warned that they would have little time to do so.

“The progress comes from hardships that we have instigated. This much is clear, no?” he mused.

[Ink] wafted before Shuidi as she used the sparse information as reference. “Longanimity. Our outlook of continual pressure, challenge and difficulty. This peerless mistress disagrees with the Heaven’s notice. Should more time not be taken? Our disciples concluded each [Trial] in a matter of days. They did not suffer for long.”

“Perhaps it is the accomplishment that marks progress?”

None among the three were convinced by this notion.

“Until Jae and the brute return we will not know. Another source may have gifted us this. The [Red Cord Condemnation] of Wanjie and Yasodhara. These may be testaments to their own progress of [Karmic] difficulty.”

Hushi offered an arm. “A flood is not disaster for both shrew and crane.”

At that, Fu nodded. “Indeed. The [Trials] of [Mystic Realms] are novel challenges for our disciples. Was Chan Gui to collapse another realm, this mark of progress may not appear. Only time might have these waters recede.”

Three heartbeats fluttered.

[Senses] expanded.

Someone appeared that was outside of their expectation, prefaced as ever by a shallow hum. “This patience is unlike you, son-in-law,” offered Grandmother Hua, her step gentle upon the walkway. “Why do you not rush to meet him?”

“[Looming Amaranth Tyrant]? We cannot decide if it is better to offer hospitality or receive his own. Neither would we waste time when Cloud Dragon Hall has many matters in need of attention,” he returned, dipping only once. “Beyond the impossibility of a [True King Realm], what else should we know of him?”

Hua hummed, content with this answer. “Wisdom. I feared some childish reprisal and the lecture I would give upon receiving it.”

“The stars are your concern, Grandmother. This Gao Shuidi, no, these three souls would not intrude. All we must know has been said.”

“Bah. Flattery, Gao Shuidi. Save such breath for what comes,” she waved away, turning westward. “The [Primordial Lord of the Hunt] is late. As he is often cursed to be. Propriety would suggest you save him from such trouble, no?”

The flutter of heartbeats became a roar.

“As you will, Grandmother.”

[Dao of Four Horizons].

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