Qi Like Tar

Elder Song summoned a core disciple studying under her to guide him back to the compound. She was far too lost in thought to bother with it.

However, she told him she would see him soon and awarded him several sect points for his assistance, with the promise of more if he could continue to be helpful.

It was late by the time he got back to his house, and Paike was still exhausted. The mental load of keeping up with a high-realm cultivator on incredibly complex topics was extreme. On top of that, he hadn't been getting much rest lately.

Still, before he could get to bed, he needed to accomplish that initial task he had been trying to do this morning. He dropped off the stack of letters with the postal service.

At the last minute, he remembered to read the note that Elder Song had added. She hadn't told him not to or even given him a warning to actually deliver it despite it not reflecting well on him. She may have been a touch too trusting.

But a quick glance told him that it was exactly what she had said. A note to his father that he should teach his children mortal physics, and that the understanding of it would help them in combat and using their arts.

Paike added a postscript to his own note that he had met Elder Song because he had discovered internal circulation early, but there were no longer any concerns about him hurting himself anymore. He framed it in a favorable light that he hoped would make Father proud.

Then he paid the service fee and posted the letters. He wouldn't expect them to be delivered for a couple of days, as he didn't pay for the expedited service.

When he walked through the front door of his house, he found Guan Li still sleeping on the same chair as when he left. Paike was grateful that nothing seemed to have happened while he was away.

***

The next morning he counted the days and realized that it was time for his next lesson in battle trances. He managed to get more than enough sect points, but he also hadn't worked on the trance at all.

He hoped that his work on his physical cultivation would carry over. After all, the battle trance had been the product of taking the ancient spirit's qi into his own cultivation. That aspect was displaying itself in his physical changes when he awakened his physical cultivation, and in the aspect his qi had taken on.

This time he remembered to bring his staff without having to go back for it.

When he left the house, Guan Li was gone, but the bound notes they made were hidden in the agreed place.

Paike slowly made his way through the compound, observing everyone around him and how they reacted to his presence.

He had been making a splash recently. There had been the fights, but also yesterday he had been seen walking with an unknown elder. Things like that always caused a stir. That didn't account for the house he had knocked down as a message.

The message seemed to have been received. People got out of his way and paid him respect. Even the older outer disciples that had been here for more than a year deferred to him. Some of them were even at a higher stage of cultivation than he was.

After he made it out of the settlement, he broke into a jog. The rest of the trip down the mountain was rapid and uneventful.

This time he reached the tea house first. It was only after that he remembered that he had promised to see if Liming would join them for the start of the lesson. Taka had wanted to try and reconcile with her.

He had told her about his lesson and got her feelings on their brother, but hadn't explicitly invited her. He considered it. Liming wouldn't have agreed to come; he was fairly certain. But maybe soon she would. If Taka asked, he would say that he thought she would agree after more successful lessons and would ask then rather than turn her off immediately.

The small family running the tea house led him to a small private room where he could wait for his brother. Their eldest daughter brought him tea a few minutes later. He recognized her from before, though she seemed more shy this time.

As he sipped his tea after she left, he started to consider one of the ideas that he had yesterday while talking with Elder Song.

This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

His dantian was mostly empty, but he didn't want to refill it again using his usual method. The cut had just healed, and he wanted to try expanding it.

The only issue was that the expansion was done by pulling more and more qi into it. It would get harder the more full it was. But in forcing more in, it accomplished two things. Accumulated more qi, moving you to the next stage, and it stretched the dantian gently until it reached its limit for that stage.

That had worked for him in Ruby, but that was when it took the least amount of pressure to grow the membrane. Now he wasn't sure if he could clamp the wound close hard enough to stretch it out anymore.

Last time he advanced it was tenuous enough. Now that he was stronger, it might be even harder. He had originally had an idea of keeping his qi full while it healed and trying to use the unique properties of his qi to build a ratchet system and force it wider from the inside.

The issue was that he spent much more qi than he would have wanted. There was only a fraction of what he would need for his plan left by the time it was healed enough that he was willing to risk stressing it.

But Elder Song had given him an idea. Slowly, he nudged the orbit of the qi swirling in his dantian outward. It slowed fractally as it moved out of the stable pattern but started to want to move back to the stable configuration as soon as he stopped pushing on it.

He let it go and watched it resume its dance around his dantian. Paike nudged it out again. This time he didn't stop until it was pressing against the membrane of the dantian.

Slowly he increased the pressure. The qi stretched the wall, and when the point he had been pressing made a full rotation, he could feel a slight stretching sensation applied evenly across his entire dantian, despite only putting pressure on the one point.

There was no way he could have done this by just will. He held it there for a minute and then let go.

It seemed that the qi had gotten settled into the new configuration, as it didn't return to the previous position; instead, it continued to apply gentle stretching pressure evenly across the entire inner surface of the sphere.

For over an hour, Paike sipped his tea with his eyes closed. He carefully monitored his condition and watched as his dantian expanded fractionally. By the end of the hour, there was no longer any pressure being exerted as the membrane was now beyond the orbit of the circulating qi.

He nudged the qi outward again, but as soon as he did, he felt a deep ache in his soul. Quickly he pulled the qi back into its original orbit and let out a sigh. It had worked. Better than he could have hoped.

However, it seemed that Elder Song's concern wasn't without merit. He would need to be careful and let it heal before he tried again. But maybe another five or six sessions and he would have made up for all the missed growth. After that, he could look to moving to the next stage in Topaz.

Opening his eyes, he found a face that mirrored his own sitting across from him.

"Brother," Taka greeted him.

"Brother," Paike said in return.

Taka didn't ask about Liming; instead, he just picked up his own cup of tea.

"How long have you been waiting?" Paike asked. He had been grateful that he wasn't interrupted, as that could have gotten risky for him.

"Not too long. Enough for a cup. What you were doing was interesting. I didn't make out everything, but that clearly wasn't a standard cultivation method." Taka replied.

There was an implied question in that statement, but Paike didn't know if he should answer. He had been warned against telling people. But that was because it would be dangerous for anyone in the outer sect.

Taka wasn't in the outer sect. He had been a member of the inner sect for years now. He was Emerald. Elder Song said that Emerald couldn't do the technique either, but this was Taka; he always seemed to be able to do whatever he wanted. Paike didn't want to be petty and withhold information because of spite. That would weaken the family.

However, he also didn't want to share one of his advantages with his brother. Taka was already so far ahead. Paike might have been doing well recently. He was near the top of the new class of outer sect disciples. He was already Topaz and was set to advance to the next realm of physical cultivation soon. He would break through again as soon as he found the time.

All that meant nothing. Not to him. Not when he was staring at his own face that had done so much more. His twin. Someone with every single thing he had and how much further ahead he was. Paike couldn't let himself feel too strong when he was pushing around the children with him in the outer sect. Not when what he should be was right in front of him.

Now, after years, it felt like he might actually have a chance at catching up. He was closing the gap. Despite all his disadvantages, he was finally past the starting line. Why should he give Taka even more help? Once he caught up, sure. He would help. They would fight and put their past behind them. When they were equals, they would be brothers again, like they were as kids. But now... But now...

If he told Taka and Taka hurt himself, crippled his cultivation, how would Paike feel?

He couldn't answer the question. That he might not really care if his family got hurt, that his brother could be injured, that scared him. Was he really that hurt? Had the offense taken been that bad?

Paike convinced himself that he was trying to keep the secret from Taka because he was being selfish and didn't want his brother to have one of his new advantages. He should just tell him. After all, it was far more useful to him than any other cultivator. Typical cultivators likely had a bit more responsive arts and circulating qi through the channels was a bit faster. But the difference would be much much smaller. So why not tell him?

He had his mouth open when his conscience caught up with him. What were his motivations? If he said anything or didn't, either could be selfish, either could be vindictive. However, both could be in Taka's best interest. Paike felt beyond confused. Perhaps it was best if he didn't decide.

Finally, Paike was able to say something. "I'm not sure I should tell you."

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!