Legacy of Hatred

Liam didn’t find that too shocking. His own Master had pushed the third layer of Qi mastery to the point where he could replicate antidotes with Qi alone. It wasn’t odd for a leafing expert to have developed a unique technique.

Still, that sounded at odds with what the Demoness wanted to achieve with Liam. She looked both lazy and domineering, but Liam didn’t doubt her intentions, especially due to the promised rank 3 ingredients.

As useless as those priceless resources could be for leafing experts, they still warranted far more than mere sword lessons. That, or the Demoness was the kind of crazy expert willing to burn money as long as she got some entertainment.

Honestly, Liam felt he couldn’t deny that last part, but the Demoness was definitely strong enough to earn the benefit of the doubt. If anything, the massive gorge next to him forced him to respect her.

’How do cultivators create techniques?’ Liam wondered. ’How do martial arts come to be? Do I need a few breakthroughs to see it?’

That topic genuinely interested Liam. It was the natural evolution of his current training after all. No technique was created with his unique limits in mind, so he would have to make his own at some point.

However, even Horace Rauret’s inheritance said nothing about the topic. Liam hadn’t gotten any closer to an answer in the battle cages, either. While he wielded many martial arts, he couldn’t understand how anyone could make them.

If it were just about using Qi to enhance an action, that would be a non-issue. Liam already did that constantly. Instead, martial arts required several specific energy patterns that somehow created far superior effects when performed correctly.

It didn’t help that cultivators learned martial arts differently. What was written in tomes wasn’t what they actually performed, not exactly. Adjustments were needed depending on their unique cores, meridians, bodies, and sheer understanding of the technique.

Luckily, Liam had never been shy. In many ways, he was actually shameless, even if his was just innocent curiosity, and he couldn’t find a more perfect chance to express it.

"Demoness, how do cultivators create martial arts?" Liam questioned.

"Keep swinging, boy," The Demoness warned, a tremor running through the very world at her more serious mood.

Liam hadn’t even realized that he had stopped waving the greatsword, but promptly resumed. Friendliness aside, his very being found the Demoness terrifying. Yet, she also addressed his doubts.

"Cultivators don’t create martial arts," The Demoness groaned as she lay on her back. "Once they elevate themselves beyond a certain stage and master their nature, they might come up with spells that embody their unique existence."

The Demoness used one of her arms as a pillow, the other summoning another jug that kept her company during the explanation.

"That happens during what’s commonly referred to as enlightenment," The Demoness continued. "Some might observe the world and mimic a phenomenon. Others might find the answer inward. There’s no real rule."

Liam frowned, voicing a massive flaw he had spotted in that reasoning. "But martial arts do exist."

"At the lower stages," The Demoness responded. "There is a sub-branch of formation masters specialized in their creation. Those zealots waste their lives calculating all possible behaviors of the Qi, at times finding patterns that generate greater effects worthy of being martial arts."

’Is martial arts’ creation just trial and error?’ Liam seemed to understand, but his frown didn’t ease. Actually, it deepened at the implications.

"Demoness, are you saying there are no rank 4 martial arts?" Liam probed.

"Some exist," The Demoness replied. "Few, very few, not that they are too useful."

Liam kept swinging, and his eyes suddenly went wide when understanding dawned upon him. The answer was actually simple in the end.

’The Qi summons more of the dantian’s traits at higher stages,’ Liam concluded. ’Leafing experts might match what I see as spells with their Qi alone.’

Realistically, Liam had an easier time seeing and accepting that point. He already had experience with Lancelot’s flames and his own black Qi. They were already strong now, and they would go through qualitative transformations with each breakthrough.

At some point, Liam might very well unleash the Poisonous Breath with Qi alone, without needing to perform any specific spell or action.

’So,’ Liam thought, sorting through his discoveries. ’The sub-branch of formations invents martial arts like alchemists create recipes, using actions and Qi flow as ingredients. Instead, leafing experts just rely on their superior Qi.’

Liam could guess that there was some imitation going on, too. Just like his alchemical skills improved as he learned more about life, some martial arts might be generalized copies of spells superior experts had created for themselves.

’I might have been arrogant,’ Liam acknowledged.

Liam had been working on creating a fighting style specific to him, but it seemed like every cultivator did that at higher stages. The Demoness had made it sound like a mandatory requirement, meaning he wasn’t doing anything special. At most, he was ahead on schedule.

Of course, that wasn’t all Liam was doing. That was just part of the whole of improving the recipe that represented him. Moreover, even if everyone was engaged in that project, he had his inborn advantages on his side.

Also, starting early could provide benefits. It was a foundation that would facilitate advanced applications, like the wasteful but perfect approach to alchemy Liam had learned from his Master.

’It does make sense,’ Liam admitted. ’Each core is different. There are no two identical fire dantians. At the leafing stage and beyond, that gap would create two entirely distinct experts, as if they belonged to separate species.’

"What about weapon arts?" Liam wondered.

"They can be exceptions," The Demoness stated, taking a swig from her jug. "They rely on altered but shared versions of the Qi. Of course, they often don’t exist as scrolls. Cultivators learn by watching Saints perform them."

Liam nodded to himself since he had guessed as much. The Sword Qi could be pursued by any core after all. That unified method enabled generalized teachings.

The three noble arts and whatever other form of excellence probably belonged to the same category, but Liam still found a flaw.

’That’s likely not as general as I think,’ Liam pondered, ’Just more general than martial arts. No bow is the same after all, and that goes for every weapon.’

Chances were some rank 4 weapon arts and beyond were feasible only through specific magical items, like a sword technique created specifically for a rank 4 magical sword and the sort.

Liam was also sure of another thing. The Demoness hadn’t used anything of the sort earlier.

"Demoness," Liam called. "You didn’t use any spell earlier, did you? That wasn’t a weapon art, either, was it?"

Liam obviously couldn’t be sure since he had no idea what leafing experts were capable of. However, he hadn’t sensed anything as specific as a core’s nature in the devastation from earlier, and that power seemed to be on par with spells despite that.

"Your senses are sharper than what you showed in the battle cages," The Demoness released a pleased, short cry. "Boy, are you a magical beast in human shape?"

Liam couldn’t reply. The short cry had opened cracks on the ground, making chunks crumble in the gargantuan gorge, forcing him to jump away to avoid falling, too.

"Rather than spells," The Demoness explained, raising one hand at the sky, "I sought a technique beyond my core’s nature."

Liam’s hair stood on end as crackling noises spread from the Demoness’ raised palm. A blinding, chaotic white light shone there, forcing Liam to squint his eyes to keep looking.

Then, something black flashed among that whiteness, and an ethereal but raging beam shot upward, rising high into the sky, turning the night into day.

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