Qi Like Tar

"Force is mass times acceleration. That is the same as momentum, which is velocity times mass. You follow?" Elder Song summarized her lengthy explanation of mortal physics.

"Yes," Paike thought he understood. "But I don't understand why you are telling me this? What does force or momentum have to do with the internal circulation?"

"Boy, you don't listen well, do you?" Elder Song scolded. "As I said, I'm working on a theory. If you are going to understand it, I need to start somewhere."

Paike nodded in defeat. The equations weren't too hard to understand. Still, he knew this was only the surface level, and he was hoping there wasn't much more that the elder considered prerequisite knowledge.

"So my theory is that qi works in a similar way. However, if you consider realm as an analog for the mass of each qi particle, the numbers don't work out. There is a third factor, and I'm trying to measure that." Elder Song said. "I think velocity and acceleration work about the same, but maybe with more dimensions... However, I'm certain there is a third factor that seems to vary from person to person. It is very slight, but it keeps mucking up my data."

"So what is it?" Paike asked, as this was starting to make a lot of sense. It was a completely different type of experimentation that he and Guan Li were getting up to. Almost in a different field. Like they were doing applied qi theory, while Elder Song was working on the core fundamentals of qi.

Elder Song let out a dramatic sigh. "I don't know. I think it is some previously unmeasured quality of qi."

She pulled out scrolls of data and started to show him her findings. Paike was pretty sure she'd forgotten who she was talking to, as she expected him to know a lot more than he already did. At least he was Topaz and could see the demonstrations she did in the air around them.

Eventually, though, it was getting to be too much, and he brought it back to the original topic. "Okay, so I think I understand your theory, but I'm not sure how that applies to internal circulation of qi."

That did seem like they had got more than a little sidetracked, but Paike was now confused. "How can it hurt me?"

"Well, all that theory applies to rotating objects as well. Angular momentum is a major factor when dealing with qi. And spinning your qi, as you said, puts enormous pressure on your dantian. This can cripple you as the damage builds up over time."

Paike didn't think all this theory was even remotely necessary for understanding this. However, it did help him understand. After some consideration, he was pretty sure he was special in this regard.

"How much strain is a problem?" He asked.

"Well, if you can feel any, it's probably too much." Elder Song said, "From how fast I can see yours moving, I can't imagine you can keep it up for much longer. How long has it been? A few days? I'm surprised you haven't fallen apart yet. It must ache something fierce."

Paike frowned. "Are you sure?"

"Am I sure? Of course I'm sure!" Elder Song exclaimed, offended. "I've been studying spiritual material for hundreds of times longer than you've been alive. No dantian Emerald or under could withstand the pressure generated by internal circulation. There is a certain force required to create the conditions for a sustaining orbit. Until you grow powerful enough to control it, your dantian has to take a part of that load.

"No matter how tough you are, you can't keep your spiritual flesh together by force of will! You are lucky you only have a small amount in your dantian; otherwise, you would have exploded on the spot! I can already see stretch marks on your dantian forming."

Paike opened his mouth, then closed it. There were a lot of assumptions built into what she was saying, but it did make sense. However, he had started it with a fully dantian of qi. He didn't feel any pressure of any kind anymore. Those 'stretch marks' she saw were scars from him cutting it open, rather than from the spinning qi. But that did give him an idea for another one of the problems he was facing. He did need to grow his dantian to make up for the lost size from advancing out of Ruby early.

How could he explain this? Did he need to?

The concerned look that Edler Song was sending his way certainly made him think he did. If she was going to go through all this effort to save him from himself, he owed her some explanation for why he wasn't going to listen to her.

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"Actually, I did start with a full dantain." Paike figured this was the best way to start and probably the easiest thing to explain. "It was five or six days ago. I think I felt a little something when it first started, but it faded fast and didn't come back."

Elder Song's expression transitioned to disbelief, and when she seemed to read his face as honest, it turned to consternation.

"How?"

"Well, that term in your theory of qi force, the one that isn't the analog for mass. I think mine might be rather high." Paike said. It felt like an understatement if she only detected small deviations.

"How do you figure?" Elder Song asked.

"I've always been considered untalented. It took me until I was fifteen to awaken. My qi is slow to move, and I've found that I can accelerate it to higher speeds, but then it's harder to control. I can't really turn it fast without a lot of effort. I've also never seen or heard of anyone else accelerating their qi before." Paike said.

Edler Song had placed her teacup down and was leaning forward with naked curiosity. "I've always thought the idea of measuring qi talent by qi speed ridiculous. It would be like saying longer legs means you are a faster runner. Certainly it helps, but it's not like being talented in math or something."

That was certainly an unorthodox view of things. But it made sense to Paike, but he was more than biased.

"Show me," She demanded.

Paike expelled a ball of qi. He found she was right; it was impossible to stop spinning. He was able to slow it a little, but it was taking so long. He just shrank it as the spinning became even faster. But he wasn't able to use the built-up speed in the spin to propel it, like he had been doing with the strand by letting their momentum do the work and just guiding them.

He started to move the ball, and it shifted at the same sluggish pace that his qi had always moved at. He bore his will down, and it started to accelerate away from him. At double the speed, it was out of his reach, and he had to let it go.

Wiping his forehead, he sat back. "If I orbit it around myself, I can get it up to much faster speeds," He gestured to his core. "As you can see."

Elder Song was silent, and he gave her some time to process.

"That certainly is new," she said eventually. "Push some qi against this."

She produced a device that was made of metal heavily imbued with qi.

He followed her command and pushed a bit of qi against it.

"It was moving at about..." Elder Song checked the reading as she scribbled something down and did some math.

"That can't be right." She said, looking down at the result. "If the readings are right, you are producing as much force as come Emeralds, but your qi density factor is the highest I have ever seen. Maybe fifty times average, at least!"

"Qi density?" Paike asked. "Is that what you are calling this factor? I thought the realm of qi was a factor of its density, but it seems like it's not?"

"Oh, it is in a way. The realms are just stable points at which qi density increases, where the qi bonds and transmutes, not really the same as density, but close. However, I would argue that a realm is more equivalent to mass than density. But I'm not sure what else to call the qi factor to fit into physics. It has a hidden effect that acts like mass, but it isn't just more qi closely grouped together." Elder Song started to theorize. "This doesn't explain why you are okay, though. It just doesn't make sense! If anything, it should increase the pressure with the same speeds and the mass being higher..."

She looked like she was about to tear her hair out in frustration.

"Well, the qi factor seems to come from the person controlling the qi," Paike said, trying to spark something. It seemed it worked as she looked up, excited.

"But if it's about the force generated rather than adding to the mass, then it would help you counter the centrifugal acceleration!" Her excitement faded into frustration again. "But then you should be able to have an easier time, not a harder one. It seems to add to inertia, but works in a negative way in some contexts... Gah! Why doesn't this line up at all?"

"What happens after it is released, or if something takes it over? Does it make it easier or harder to do so? How does it interact with the material world after it has passed through a meridian? Do the same equations still work? What does the soul impart or change about the qi that passing through it changes it?" Paike asked, more questions coming to him as well. Some of it connected back to what he was doing with Guan Li. He already had some ideas for more things to try to get different effects.

One thing that he thought might be holding Elder Song back was that it might be a mistake to try to fit it all into mortal physics. It wasn't all analogous, and the metaphor was probably holding her back. He obviously didn't say that thought. He didn't know her that well yet, and if she had been working on this as long as she had claimed, he wasn't about to tell her it was wrong without solid proof.

"Those are all excellent questions and are many of the things I aim to answer with my research." Elder Song said. "It comes down to fundamental properties of qi. Realm, speed or spin, and this qi factor."

"What about its viscosity?" Paike asked. That was his biggest problem after all. The slow qi was something he could deal with, but not being able to gather qi without cutting open his dantian was a real problem.

"Viscosity? Qi doesn't have viscosity." Elder Song stated.

"Yes, it does?" Paike insisted.

"Prove it." She demanded. "I would think of it more like a gas in this case. But it doesn't always spread out... and I could call gathering it the same as condensing, that doesn't alight..." She trailed off into thought before coming back. "If it does have viscosity, it's all the same. Like water, so you can't really call it a fundamental property."

Paike considered how he would but eventually just tried to shove some qi through the handle of his teacup. They watched it bulge as it slowly seeped through.

"By the heavens." Elder Song cursed as she pushed her own qi through, and it flowed perfectly and instantly. She did it again.

For the second time, she fell silent.

"Why don't you head home? I need to design some experiments." Elder Song stood and started to wander off, a deeply thoughtful look on her face.

Paike cleared his throat to get her attention. "How do I get back?"

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