Qi Like Tar

Paike had expected that this lecture would not apply to him. After all, he was one of the only two people who passed the trial. And he was pretty sure that he could have kept going. It was a bit disappointing to have the first real lesson in the advanced class be something he couldn't learn from.

It turned out that he was very very wrong.

"Paike!" The elder called. Paike straightened. "Come to the front. Those who did well will be rewarded."

Paike stood and walked to the front of the class and stood facing the elder. At first, he thought he might have been used as an example, but that wasn't it.

"Your qi control is abysmal." Elder Ji stated bluntly. "As a Topaz cultivator, this trail was easy for you. You should have been working on fine-tuning every use and flicker of qi the entire time. Instead, you coasted through on raw power. It was good you didn't fail, but I'm disappointed in your work ethic."

Paike knew better than to argue. He had been criticized for many things, but not working hard enough hadn't been something since he was a little kid. It was one of the few things he was relatively proud of. But he also knew he couldn't disagree; he had been relying on power for the trial, and any excuse about how his qi was slow was just that, an excuse.

"Circulate your qi for me." The elder ordered. Paike completed one loop through his channels.

"Again."

Paike did it again.

Elder Ji spent nearly five minutes tearing into how his physical cultivation was made. Each and every criticism was entirely valid, even if it was not something Paike could have done better. But they were just empty critiques. With each problem, the elder gave one or two ways to fix it.

Paike scrambled to memorize each bit of insight. He wasn't sure that many of his own family would be able to give him such a useful evaluation. Elder Ji was clearly a genius at physical cultivation.

Eventually, the torrent of advice and criticisms came to an end. Paike turned and saw that everyone was staring at him. Many with pity and others with scorn. It wasn't common to reveal that much about one's cultivation to others. Paike didn't mind that all his real secrets were still safe.

He sat down as Li Feng was called to the front.

"You wield your qi like a child blowing seeds in the wind. There needs to be more force and conviction."

Paike hadn't ever expected Li Feng to be accused of lack of conviction.

"More force through your channels, they can take it. The efficiency of the power has a relative maximum when its..."

Elder Ji's dressing down of Li Feng went on just as long as his had, with just as many things to fix. Paike didn't understand a lot of this, and it wasn't relevant to him. Li Feng seemed to have almost the opposite problems he did in every way.

Piake started to tune it out and focus on locking what the elder had told him into his memory.

After Li Feng returned to his seat, Guan Li was called up.

Paike listened, but again, a lot was impossible to understand without knowing Guan Li's cultivation intimately.

A few minutes in, Guan Li broke the pattern; instead of just taking the criticism, he asked a question.

"What about?" Guan Li said as qi wriggled around him, forming a shape so complicated, Paike didn't have a chance to fully parse what it did before it changed.

Elder Ji stopped mid-sentence, and the class collectively held its breath. His perpetually neutral expression slowly turned into a frown. Paike expected to hear some punishment for interrupting, and as qi erutped from the elder, he flinched.

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But the qi formed something complex as well. "Hmmm, if you can manage that, then how about..."

The elder couldn't directly show Guan Li what he was doing, as Guan Li didn't have qi sight yet, so he had to describe it.

After he was done, Elder Ji said, "You also, stay after class."

Liming was next, and then Mei Lingchi. Elder Ji continued in the reverse order from when they had failed. It wasn't until ten more had received instruction that Paike noticed the second pattern. He and Li Feng had received around the same amount of instruction, but even Guan Li hadn't received as much advice.

After ten, the boy received less than half of the elder's time.

Was this what the elder meant when he talked of rewards? If the advice wasn't so useful, Paike wouldn't have wanted more details about his cultivation shared with everyone. But he didn't think the elder cared. Not that he revealed things that wouldn't change if one took his advice.

The last disciple only received a few sentences of advice and looked more than a little embarrassed.

Paike hadn't been the only one listening the whole time, but many had started implementing the advice right away. There was still time left in the class, so he joined them as the elder watched on, occasionally making corrections.

When he first noticed the disruption in his qi channels, he had assumed it was something to do with his slow qi. But the way the elder explained it made it clear that he was over-attaching his uniqueness.

It wasn't the same as starting from scratch, but it felt like it as he started going over every fiber of his muscles. A lot of the time, a simple correction wasn't enough. He would have to drain the qi in a painful process like ringing water out of a rag. Then re-layer it.

This time, he built space around the qi channels, so they could expand and flex as he forced qi into them. It was something the elder had advised him to think about. Just that it could be done was a revelation, along with everything it implied.

That his qi channels could move or expand was new to Paike. It wasn't something told of in stories at all. However, it made sense. When he ran his still-spinning qi through the channels, he could see them shift at bends to absorb the force of the flow and redirect it. Maybe if he could widen them even more, he could force more power through as well?

He was still a long way from finished by the time the class ended. However, he had fixed most of the vital parts in his organs and along his qi channels. The rest would require days of careful work. He was also hopeful that completing it would bring his physical cultivation to the next stage. It would need his focus for a while.

If he looked at it from a positive angle, it would give his spiritual cultivation time to settle and for him to see if there were any side effects from his method of cultivation before he advanced again.

Paike sat on his mat and carefully cultivated as the other students left. When only he and Guan Li were left, the elder spoke.

He was standing in front of Paike, and he could see a qi barrier preventing Guan Li from listening in.

"There is a reason I did not talk about this in front of others." The elder started. "What you are doing is risky for the lower realms of cultivation; typically, internal cycling is not taught until after the Elermald realm, as it is a delicate balance that, if disturbed, could destroy one's cultivation."

Paike frowned. It hadn't seemed very delicate to him; if anything, it was hard to move it from the equilibrium he had achieved. But if his qi was anything, it was resistant to being disturbed.

"So I must ask, how did you learn it, and did you tell anyone about it?" The Elder asked.

Paike shook his head. "I mentioned that I had done something different in gathering my qi, but I didn't explain to anyone."

"Good."

Paike then explained vaguely how he had achieved the spinning qi ni in his dantian. Not telling the elder about cutting open his spiritual organs, it didn't feel like that would be a productive conversation.

"That is not the typical way it is achieved, but I don't think there is anything theoretically wrong with that." The elder said with a frown. "However, this is not my field of expertise. I will be referring you to another elder. Expect to hear from her in the week."

Paike nodded, glad there was nothing seriously wrong that Elder Ji could see. It was strange that he was receiving more help with this than with his battle trance. When he asked about that, the elder gave a grim smile.

"This is far more interesting. An uncontrolled battle trance is not too uncommon, even with a physical transformation element, and it is nothing but a dangerous risk in the eyes of the elders. A Topaz self-teaching internal circulation, or spinning qi as you put it, has the potential to teach us something."

That was the grim reality of the world. Old or ancient cultivators like the elders didn't see children like him as too much more than subjects; the centuries of life kept their perspective distant and callous.

As much as it might sting to be viewed as an experimental subject, Paike couldn't refuse the help. It was far too valuable to give up for pride. It was just one more thing that he would have to manage. But at least this seemed to be more upside than not.

But he did have some room to negotiate. "Will I be compensated?"

Elder Ji raised his eyebrow, but Paike thought he could see a slight twinkle of amusement in his eyes. The elder didn't rebuke him directly, "Is the time not enough?"

"As we were talking about, I need to get my trance under control, and I need sect points to pay for lessons," Paike responded as respectfully as he could.

"I'll make sure you get something." Elder Ji said, with a wave, clearly a dismissal. "You may go now."

As Paike turned to leave, he saw the same dome of qi around the elder and Guan Li, preventing him from hearing even the start of their conversation.

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