by Rick Scott
The Duke’s eyes gravitated towards the gold rope as well. He chuckled. “Despite everything I just told you and you’re still willing to tempt the heavens…So much like me, little brother.”
“I’m nothing like you…”
The Duke smirked. “That remains to be seen. But no, I’m not here to fight you. I’m here to congratulate you…and to guide you now, I suppose.”
“Guide me?”
“I still want my body back, but fighting here will accomplish nothing. And since you seem to have earned the right to use my body for a bit longer, I might as well tell you what to do to progress it.”
“What do you mean?”
“When most ascend they don’t even realize they have a choice in how they advance their bodies. The ancient masters used meditation as a guide. Focus on strength during an ascension to become strong. Or speed to become quick. Many times it was simply the body’s reaction to a deficiency that caused certain ascension or the result of specific training or focus. But when you reach sufficient Dan, you’ll discover you have far more control and flexibility in the ways in which your body and spirit can grow. Normally such refinement in cultivation is only accessible upon reaching 1st Sen. But I was gifted to acquire it much sooner. And since you are here speaking with me, I’ll assume you still possess the ability, same as I do.”
He waved his hand in front of him and that same spectrum of glowing symbols appeared—the same he’d seen before.
“What is that?” Kenji asked.
“A tool of the gods,” the Duke said. “Only accessible here in the celestial realm when ascending between Dans. It will allow you to focus your cultivation on specific areas and enhance your progression of them in the mortal realm.”
“Enhance how?”
“By aiming your progressions towards a specific result,” he said. “You’ll then find your progression in it will be much faster. Invest in Body Mastery until twentieth Dan, focus on rejuvenation, vitality, and some strength. You’ll need it to survive what you’ve brought upon yourself now. Then focus on Qi cultivation and your meridians. Doma capacity. Leave the mind for last. You won’t gain much from that until you have access to much higher-level techniques.” He then grinned. “This is all, of course, assuming that I don’t happen to reacquire my body ahead of time.”
Kenji glowered with irritation as the Duke swiped his hand again and the symbols disappeared.
“Good luck, little brother,” he said as he turned about and walked across the black water. “When we meet again, I expect you to be far better than you are now.”
The Duke then vanished and left him standing on the beach alone.
What in the hells was all that about?
But curiosity gripped him and Kenji cautiously waved his hand in front of him, willing the symbols to appear. Like magic they did, the same glowing array that had appeared before the Duke, but somehow he was able to not just see them as symbols, but words and figures now. It was like being able to understand a language he didn’t previously know. It still looked foreign to him, but somehow he understood.
Current Dan – 81
Body Cultivation Mastery - Rank: 0
Soul Cultivation Mastery - Rank: 0
Mind Cultivation Mastery - Rank: 0
Cultivation Focus Ranks Unassigned: 1
Unassigned? 81st Dan? What was all this?
Kenji’s mind shifted as he recalled what Olja had said before, about still being considered a higher Dan in a celestial sense, even though the rebirthing technique had essentially returned his body to that of a newborn. And by what the Duke had just told him and the symbols in front of him now, that indeed seemed the case.
Was this how the Duke became so powerful?
If he were able to select with precision how his body transformed with each Dan, then he would certainly have an advantage. From what he knew, most mystic artists viewed ascension as a strictly linear system, with certain abilities possible only at certain Dans. But if one could Windwalk at first Dan, or learn Iron Body at second…?
The idea seemed impossible, but then…he’d just performed the impossible with those ropes. But at a heavy price as well. He almost wished the Duke had stayed so he could ask him more questions, but he supposed Olja would possibly know too.
Perhaps this was a lost art of sorts. The Duke did say that the ancient practitioners used to meditate to achieve specific measures of ascension. Maybe this was no different. Or perhaps, as he said, this was something available only to those who had mastered their bodies so completely, that they were now able to direct their cultivation at will.
Like a 1st Sen.
Anxiety and excitement filled him at the thought that he could possibly have such power now. He focused on Body Cultivation Mastery and a new set of symbols appeared.
Body Cultivation Mastery
-Vitality
-Rejuvenation
-Strength
-Celerity
-Endurance
-Toughness
Body Cultivation Rank: 0
These weren’t the types of things he was expecting. There was no mention of specific techniques like Windwalking, Iron Body, or Qinggong. He supposed those still had to be learned, but this would mean he could make his physical body stronger in very specific ways. He thought of Olja and wondered if she too had access to such means of focusing her ascension. It would certainly make sense given how long she had survived against the Duke.
He studied the Soul Cultivation next.
Soul Cultivation Mastery
-Cultivation Rate
-Doma Capacity
-Meridian Speed
Soul Cultivation Rank: 0
Not as many options, but he could certainly understand how focusing on such advancements early on could help speed one’s ascension overall. Finally he looked at the last Cultivation option.
Mind Cultivation Mastery
-Perception
-Discernment
-Vision
-Memory
-Mental Celerity
Mind Cultivation Rank: 0
These options were a bit vaguer. What was the difference between perception and vision, after all? But he could see why the Duke had advised not to invest in Mind Mastery from the start. There were legends of art styles that required entire books of knowledge to perform a single technique, and being able to enhance one’s memory would no doubt aid in that. But he was nowhere near that level.
He glanced at the giant Bakunawa circling high above him and considered what he should invest in to start. Invest…now he truly understood what that word meant. With his body in the state it was, perhaps toughness would be a good option. He was already quite strong. Kenji frowned. Going with Body Mastery was what the Duke had suggested.
But should he really listen to the likes of him?
The Duke merely saw him as some kind of caretaker at the moment. And perhaps his advice would only serve to more easily allow him to obtain what he wanted in the end. Kenji looked over all the options again and focused on the last one.
Mental Celerity
In truth, that was what had saved him. Certainly his physical makeup had helped him to survive and endure, but it was his quick thinking that had allowed him to come up with the ideas for the ropes. Speed of mind. And the mind controlled the body, after all.
Kenji nodded as he made his decision. To the hells with what the Bloody Duke had said. He was forging his own path now.
You have chosen the path of Mental Celerity for your next focus.
Your Cultivation Rate of Mental Celerity Mastery is greatly increased.
Mind Cultivation Rank: 1
You have 0 Cultivation Focus Ranks Unassigned
A strange sensation overtook him as the symbols disappeared.
He looked down at his hands as they became translucent and then the entire world faded…into Off White.
* * *
Kenji awoke with a sudden cough, something flying out of his mouth. Whateve
r it was hit the wooden bottom of the boat and bounced out of sight. Before he could even take further stock of his surroundings, Shinoto appeared above him and crushed him in an embrace.
“You’re awake!” she said excitedly, as she pulled him upright. “Thank the heavens!”
He stiffened with shock at first, forgetting for a moment that tiny Shinoto had transformed into the beautiful young woman who now held him in her arms. Her jade eyes shone like emeralds as she pulled away and her brilliant smile filled his heart with warmth. After what he’d just experienced, it all seemed like part of a dream.
“Shinoto…?” He glanced about. It seemed they were back on the river again, the boat floating lazily along with the current. He looked to the blue sky above, fearing that he’d see some giant Bakunawa descending upon them at any moment. “How long has it been?”
“A few hours,” Shinoto said, and then she placed a quick kiss on his cheek. “You were ascending the whole time. Did you see a color?”
Kenji blinked. “Off white…”
“Congratulations,” Olja’s deep voice came from behind him. “Looks like you’ve broken through to a new Dan.”
He glanced over his shoulder to see the Xjian woman seated once again in lotus position at the stern of the boat, healing her many wounds.
“Olja!” His heart filled with joy to see her again. “Thank the heavens!”
“No…thank you,” she said. “You did well, Kenji. I don’t think we’ll be seeing Li Wan Fu again for a very long time.”
He huffed out a laugh. “Not according to him.”
Kenji still couldn’t believe it was all over and perhaps it truly wasn’t. It could never be until he faced the Duke and defeated him somehow. But it at least seemed over for now. “He’s still alive. I just spoke with him. And I’ll need to be a lot stronger when I face him next.”
“You will be,” Olja said. “Your training starts tomorrow.”
Thoughts of his encounter with the Duke jumped to the forefront of his mind. The glowing symbols he had seen and used. But also the three Bakunawa he’d seen in the sky. An uneasiness entered Kenji’s stomach as he considered what that all meant. An enemy of the heavens. He remembered what had caused it all. What he’d experienced when racing through time to reach the Duke and save Olja: that cracked red sky and the horrid monstrosities that were clawing their way to get inside.
And that voice he had heard as well.
“We need to talk,” he said, turning to Olja. “I’ve seen things that perhaps only you can help me understand.”
He then began telling her about what he’d experienced and described in detail what he’d seen—the red sky, the giant spirit creatures, the voice. Then about the Duke and the strange symbols that allowed him to refine his ascension.
“Hey, hey…” Olja said with a wave of her hand. “We have all the time in the world to talk about that. And I have a lot of questions for you too. Like what we’re going to do about those damned ropes. You definitely can’t be using them so haphazardly anymore. You need to gain some true skill and ability now, use your own strength, not those artifacts. But before all that, the main question for you is…how are you feeling?”
“Me?”
“Your doma?” Shinoto said. “Olja told me what you did. You did the same as me but with a golden rope!”
Kenji hadn’t considered it like that, the risk he’d taken.
He then noticed there was no pain in his body at all. He felt for the back of his head and even his hair and skin had completely regrown. “Wait, did my leaking Qi cause me to heal this quickly?”
“You ascended, remember?” Olja said with a laugh. “You’ve got a brand-new body, kid. Wish I were close to jade right now. Healing like this is going to take me forever.”
Kenji paused to let that sink in for a moment. He’d actually done it. What he had striven his entire life to do—he’d reached first Dan.
“Check your doma, Kenji!” Shinoto insisted excitedly. “You ascended so perhaps your doma isn’t sealed anymore. Perhaps you can cultivate now!”
The thought filled him with a new sense of excitement as Kenji felt for the area right below his naval. He detected a new sense of pressure there, stronger, but with a dull pain as well. He closed his eyes, envisioning a great river. He channeled Qi through his meridians and into his doma, flooding the river behind a dam. It filled; he could actually feel it! But it came with a dull pressure and pain.
Not as sharp as before, but it was there.
“I’m not sure,” he said. “I was able to cultivate just now, I think, but it’s like my doma is still partially contained.”
“At least you still have one,” Olja said. “And the fact that you increased in Dan, means you can train. Probably wouldn’t risk trying to ascend another Dan though.”
“True.” His hopes sank a bit as he reached into the bottom of the boat and found the sliver of sapphire that he’d just coughed up. “Looks like it’s still mostly sealed. Which means it’s probably still leaking as well.”
Killing me slowly…
Shinoto frowned. “I’m sorry…I was hoping maybe you’d gotten rid of it on your own.”
“No such luck, it seems,” he said with a shrug. He then looked to Shinoto and a new worry crossed his mind. “But what about you? Your doma?”
She shook her head. “I don’t know. I can’t feel much of anything at the moment.”
Kenji swallowed a lump in his throat. Curse the fates…had he crippled her now too?
“Don’t look at me like that.” Shinoto nudged him with a smile. “I was always a dullard, remember. It’ll probably just take a bit longer for it to come back.”
Perhaps it was true. She had just decompressed her entire doma, unleashing ten years’ worth of condensed Qi into a single technique. Considering that, he supposed he was indeed lucky to have been able to merely break off a further splinter of the sapphire seal, rather than shattering it completely—along with his doma.
The fates are merciful indeed…
“I suppose that means we’re still heading to this Kurogane place,” Olja said with an exaggerated sigh. “How far away is it anyway?”
Kenji laughed. “You know, I’m not exactly sure.”
“A few days, I think,” Shinoto said.
Days. That was just fine with him. He had much to discuss and learn. But more importantly, he now had a future ahead of him. One that would be forged by his own hand. He looked to Shinoto and kissed her gently, finally taking her hand within his as together they sailed into the unknown.
Chapter 49 – Epilogue
General Amikazu awoke in darkness.
A piercing wail split the air and his heart leapt with terror. Confusion took hold as he stood on a beach made of black sand. The darkened sky above him was roiling with lightning and chaos, giant creatures swimming through it like sharks circling prey.
“Don’t worry,” a voice said. “They’re not here for you.”
Amikazu turned to see the Bloody Duke, standing behind him, perched on a body of black water that extended as far as he could see. For a brief second, he saw the boy, Kenji, in him. The last moments of Amikazu’s life flashed through his mind—the boy striking him with a blow that had torn his body apart.
A new terror took him. “Where am I?”
“Not Xanadu, that’s for sure.” The Duke laughed. “But fear not. I’ve arranged to delay passage to your final destination, Amikazu. I may have need of your knowledge yet, before you travel to whichever hell your sins have earned you.”
“What are you talking about?”
The Duke then nodded to something behind him and Amikazu turned to see it was a cage. Karma of fates…it was near identical to the one the Xjian woman was imprisoned in, or perhaps it only seemed that way to him.
“I’d enter quickly if I were you. They’re coming.”
As the Duke said it, another wail shattered the air. Rapid footfalls shook the ground. Amikazu’s heart raced as he ran into t
he cage and closed the door shut behind him. People then emerged from the darkness, screaming and running in panic. A few spotted him in the cage and ran towards him.
“Let us in! Please!”
Amikazu backed away from the bars as they tried to reach through to him. Dark ghostly figures emerged behind them, black demons with bodies of smoke and throats made of fire. One by one the people were snatched away, dragged into the darkness. Their cries of horror echoed in the blackness, causing Amikazu’s blood to chill before all became silent once more.
The Bloody Duke appeared next to him inside the cage. “Appears you are safe for now.”
Amikazu stared at him, perplexed. “W-why have you done this?”
“Well I can’t make use of a complete corpse, now can I?” The Duke chuckled. “But a half-filled vessel will do just fine. Fare thee well, Amikazu.”
The Duke then disappeared and somewhere upon the surface of the mortal realm, beneath hundreds of feet of broken granite shale, the mangled body of General Amikazu breathed life once more.
* * *
Kenji sat cross-legged, lightly channeling his Qi while he studied his father’s notes. It was nearing twilight now and Olja had fallen asleep, leaving him and Shinoto to guide the small boat downriver. Shinoto lay with her head upon his shoulder and he enjoyed her closeness and warmth as he read over the secrets of the Han arts.
Quietly he considered the road that lay ahead of them. Three powerful Bakunawa and whatever spawn they would bring would now be hunting them—as well as that spider-demon, the imperial army perhaps and of course Li Wan Fu himself. If he wanted to survive and protect Shinoto, and indeed the entire realm as a Celestial Templar, he needed to advance. The opportunity was almost there, so long as he worked hard to become strong.
