She gave him a bright smile and then started to walk over to him.
Moving over to one side, Ash patted the bench next to him.
“We have to wait. We’re the first ones done,” Ash said.
Twenty-Five
Ash and Jia hadn’t left the bench, sitting there as others had begun to exit from the doors.
A number of them looked considerably worse for wear. Apparently, this challenge had been much more than Ash had taken it for.
It was obvious to Ash at this point that the test was winding down. Fewer and fewer people were coming out, and masters had begun showing up to collect their disciples.
“Gen is here,” Jia said.
Ash looked around and spotted the old man walking their way. He’d managed to find a new set of clothes somewhere, and he’d taken on the appearance of the frail older librarian again.
Walking up to his disciples, Gen looked from one to the other.
His grin was wide, and his eyes scrunched at the corners in clear mirth. There wasn’t anyone who would misunderstand what Gen was feeling, other than enjoyment.
“I understand the two of you ruined the paths you took. To the point that no one else could run them today,” Gen said, leaning forward over his cane.
“Ah… yes. That’s true. Sorry, Master,” Ash said, bowing his head toward Gen.
Clicking his tongue and yet smiling the entire time, Gen lifted his cane and pointed to the shattered exit that had been Ash’s.
“Ash, you broke almost every object in the trial. It will require a full year to repair,” Gen said. “There is very little left that can be used again. Apparently, it was also the single hardest trial in the entire examination.”
“I grew tired of the tricks. I decided the test was for me to display my control. So I did. I used my Qi and only my Qi,” Ash said.
Gen turned his head to look at Jia.
“And you, Jia. It isn’t that you destroyed all the traps and Qi dispensers, but you flooded the entire corridor,” said their master. “The entire thing is crumbling to nothing because the mortar has been completely washed away. Your trial will also require a year to repair, because it’ll have to be taken apart and rebuilt.”
Jia shrugged.
“Much as Ash said, I did the same. I flooded the entire hallway with my Qi, and simply rode it to the exit,” she said.
“Yes, so the observers saw and verified when the head elder tried to dismiss your times. Apparently, they are both sect records. First and second place. The difference between you was only two seconds,” Gen said, his smile growing wider. “Would you care to learn who took first?”
“Not really,” Ash said with a shrug of his shoulders. “Doesn’t matter.”
Jia sighed and glared at him. “Why do you not wish to compete with me? Why must I look like the eager one?”
Ash felt a weird flutter in his chest at her question. She wasn’t wrong. He really was avoiding a direct confrontation that would list one better than the other.
“Because he wants to be your equal,” Gen said before Ash could respond. His smile had slipped away, and he looked much more like the librarian he was. “Once one is better or stronger, there is no backward step. The relationship is set. Some people cannot see beyond that, and it eats at them.
“In some cases, they simply can’t be around the other person any longer without seeing someone who beat them.
“Which seems like he’s experienced it before. Much as I have once. Or am I misreading this, Ash?”
Letting out a held breath slowly, Ash shook his head. “No. You’re not.”
Jia looked unsure, her eyes moving from Gen to Ash.
After several seconds, her features smoothed over and she slowly curved her lips into a smile.
“In other words, you are afraid that knowing which one of us was stronger would change our relationship. That if you were to be stronger, that maybe I might not be able to handle it,” Jia said. “In other words, you are afraid I might leave your side.”
Ash knew exactly what she was asking. He wasn’t a shrinking violet without experience, either, so there was no fear in answering her.
“Yeah. That’s pretty much it,” Ash said.
Jia chuckled softly and then reached out, laying her hand on Ash’s forearm.
“Master Gen, what is next?” Jia asked, turning toward Gen again.
“The test of your Dao,” Gen said, a thumb tapping against his cane. “It’s a fairly straightforward affair. You stand on a point of energy surrounding the testing column.
“It will begin to transfer energy to each energy point. Your task is to resist the energy coming to your point and send it back.”
“And we do that with our understanding of the Dao?” Ash asked.
“Yes. The energy point will measure the resonance in your body, heart, and soul. The greater the resonance, the greater your power through the energy point,” Gen explained. “The entire exercise will last only the amount of time it takes for an incense stick to burn. And at the end, only twenty-five will make it through.”
Ash frowned and gave a small shake of his head.
He didn’t have any confidence in his understanding of himself.
Of his Dao.
Jia’s fingers curled into his forearm lightly before she patted it.
“We will be fine,” Jia said, her hip pressing into his.
Gen snickered and said nothing.
***
Scuffing his boot against the strange design beneath his feet, Ash wasn’t sure what to make of it.
It was a series of shapes and lines that seemed very much designed. It didn’t look to be an artistic decoration.
“We have a similar symbol in the Hall. Though this one appears to be a degraded version of that one,” Locke said.
“Degraded, huh? That seems to fit with what we’ve seen so far. Seems like the Hall is from a long time ago,” Ash muttered.
“I would concur. For all intents and purposes, it does seem as if the Hall is from a different era.
“A different era that also had significantly more strength.”
“Well, that’s yet to be seen. Ya know? The middle realm and the upper realm could have more strength. We’re still in the lowest realm.”
Ash looked to his left and his right.
Twenty feet in both directions were other disciples. Everyone was standing on the same symbol, just as Gen had said. They were arrayed out in a circle around the massive, glowing, bright-blue column in the middle.
“The test is about to begin!” called a master. “Prepare yourselves.”
Prepare? How does one prepare… I mean, I guess I could start meditating, but would that help with my Dao?
They didn’t say anything about that. What if—
The column suddenly exploded into a giant ball of azure flame. It was a roaring inferno of energy.
Ash felt the symbol beneath him activate, and he felt a force pulling at the column. It was trying to pull the energy straight through Ash, and into the symbol directly.
Blue crackling light sped down in an arc toward him, aimed at his chest.
Panicking, Ash struggled to push out against the attraction force that was pulling the energy straight to him.
Slowly, he could feel the symbol responding, and allowing him to negate some of its pull.
But it wasn’t enough. It wasn’t enough by even a third. The energy continued to burn through the air towards him.
Ok, ok. Dao, Dao, think on our Dao and synch our whatever and resonance and… Dao. Dao.
Ash was panicking. And he knew it. His mind was blurring quickly as his heart hammered in his chest.
Struggling, Ash began throwing his beliefs up into his mind. With each and every one, he pushed at the symbol with his entire being. Trying for all his worth to reject the energy coming his way.
Nothing worked.
Nothing changed.
Energy continued to crawl down towards him. Inch by crackling inch,
it headed his way.
Panting, Ash couldn’t figure out what to do with himself. If this were a straight challenge of strength, he would be confident. If it were his abilities, he would be reasonably sure he could handle anything. Even his Spiritual Sense, he had a newfound confidence in.
But his understanding of a vague and nebulous concept that you can’t really train or be educated in?
Never did well in philosophy, damnit.
The only thing he’d ever identified with was listening to a handful of martial artists giving interviews back home.
They weren’t always the strongest, but they’d always been able to adapt and change to the situation.
Stop. Stop!
We’re focusing on what’s in front of us. We’re missing everything else beyond this one moment.
Sighing, Ash began to empty his mind. His thoughts drained away slowly.
The panic and fear started to vanish. The sights and sounds from all around him became murky and full of shadows.
They ceased to exist.
Things were starting to feel like when he’d first started martial arts. When an elderly instructor had told him he was overthinking his matches.
With a soft thought of nothing that came from deep in his mind, Ash was empty, and all that remained was his consciousness. It flowed through him like a stream.
Ash felt it then. The line of force from the symbol was moving through more than just his body. It passed through all three of his Dantians.
Where it clipped through his lower Dantian, it bisected it perfectly. As it went through his middle and upper ones, though, it hit to one side or the other.
I’m unbalanced.
I must be one with myself. I have to let this go.
I have to be formless.
Without design.
If this were combat, I would react with violence. If this were a challenge, I would move to overcome.
This is no different. This is just a different obstacle.
One where I need to bring myself—to myself.
The line of force going through him slowly began to adjust in his middle Dantian. Inexorably, it began to move towards the center.
A lazy thought slithered up from his subconscious. A thought he’d had when Gen had helped him into the first step of his Dao.
It hadn’t settled firmly, going by as quickly as it had come.
Be like water.
Respond in kind to whatever is put in front of me.
Ash paused as his thought jumped forward two steps.
Flow forward and carry the momentum of whatever is given, then turn it back.
There was a crack as the line of force suddenly lined up much more cleanly with all three of his Dantians.
It was by no means perfect, but it was much tighter than it had been.
The force that was pulling down the energy vanished. Instead, it rapidly reversed itself and began to send it back to the column.
Ash didn’t care.
Deliberately, he tuned even that out and focused internally, only on himself.
Nothing else mattered but the thought that was sitting there in his head. It felt as if it were branching out from there and beginning to drill into the rest of his entire self.
Turning his senses inward, he began to look into his Qi Sea.
Sitting there in his Qi Sea was a golden pillar. It was sticking up from the ocean of his Qi. Only perhaps ten feet, but it was clearly growing.
Golden brick after golden brick appeared, one atop the other, building ever upward. Layer after layer after layer.
And it felt right. It felt like it was meant to be there, even though he’d never heard anyone speak of such a thing.
Moving his senses closer to the column, he could feel the power that was coming off of it.
It wasn’t the power of Qi, though. Or Essence. Nor the strange magic Moira and Tala used.
To Ash, it almost felt more like a power such as gravity. Sunlight. Or time.
Force and power that simply was, and that could be felt. Directly or indirectly.
But there was nothing actually there that could be latched on to.
The golden bricks began to slow down. Then they came to a stop.
The pillar was roughly halfway from the top of his Qi Sea. From what he understood, the depth and breadth of his Qi Sea wasn’t going to change. From here on out, it was about filling it to the brim.
Then locking it into place.
Does that mean I need to build this pillar before that happens? What if I can’t do it?
With that single thought, the column stopped building, and Ash was forcefully ejected out of his Qi Sea.
Opening his eyes, Ash looked to the testing column.
The line of energy that had been heading to him was much further away now. The amount of force the symbol was able to push through him was non-existent.
“This exam is over,” called a voice.
Following the words, the symbol shut itself off.
Ash felt lightheaded when it did. He hadn’t realized just how much effort he’d been putting in. Apparently, his entire being had focused in on the simple task of sending back all the energy that had been heading his way.
“If your symbol turns green, please remain where you are. If red, please return to your housing,” called the same voice from earlier
Looking down at his feet, Ash watched as the symbol flashed red, then a solid green.
The color didn’t change after that.
“Alright. I made it. I guess I just stand here then,” Ash said.
“Your heart rate, cognitive ability, and body chemistry is very erratic right now. I recommend eating something with some sugar in it.”
Woodenly, Ash pulled out an apple from his ring and immediately bit into it.
He wasn’t about to argue with the magical voice inside his head. It hadn’t steered him wrong yet. If anything, it was the only reason he’d been doing so well recently.
Just because it was the same reason he hadn’t unlocked his Dantian didn’t mean it hadn’t done him better than if he’d not had it at all.
Actually, now that I think about it, it’s likely I wouldn’t be doing half as well as I am without Locke.
“Ash,” said Gen’s firm voice. “Come. We’ll listen to the head elder for a bit, then proceed to the next test.”
Looking over his shoulder in the direction of the voice, Ash found Gen standing there with Jia.
Nodding, Ash came over and followed Gen when he turned away.
Jia looked a bit wobbly on her feet, but her eyes were clear.
Pulling out another apple from his ring, he held it out in front of her.
Jia’s hand came out and took the apple wordlessly. Holding it out in front of herself, she seemed unsure of what to do.
“Eat it. You’ll feel better. I already ate one myself,” Ash said, encouraging her. “Felt better within seconds.”
Lifting the apple to her mouth, Jia began to steadily eat it.
“The test is draining. The energy the column uses is drawn from those it’s testing,” Gen said offhandedly. “It’s mostly irrelevant since the next test is one of determination and will. Not of strength of energy.”
“Are the tests so routine that they’re the same every time?” Ash asked.
“One test is almost always different, and the other two are selected from a number of predetermined ones. It gives masters a chance to prepare their students for two of them, though that isn’t always the case,” Gen said. “As an example, they told me about none of the tests, nor what they would be. Though I’ve since discovered that information was provided to everyone else.”
Ah… I see.
“That certainly would confirm that the Deng family is after us, or Gen. Though, more than likely, it’s just us. We’ve certainly been a pain for them since we showed up,” Locke added.
“I would imagine this is due to me. I’ve been a problem for the Deng family since the day I showed up,” Ash said.<
br />
“So I’ve gathered. You broke one of their youngsters, whom I believe was harassing young mistress Yan. Had I known, I would have dealt with the villainous scumbag myself.
“You beat the tar out of a young female Deng family member who challenged your sister, and by their accounts robbed her and her friends,” Gen said, holding up two fingers of one hand over his shoulder. “Then you defied the trading arm of the Deng family. So far, your mercantile partner has forced the Deng family markets to slash their prices over and over. It’s being said they are making very little profit anymore at all.”
Gen was now holding up three fingers.
“Then you stepped in and broke the hold Jing had over Yan, while shaming the Deng family publicly and thrashing one of their allied members,” Gen said, holding up a fourth finger.
“Yeah, seems like the Deng and Sheng family just won’t get along,” Ash said with feigned sadness. “Such a pity, too. I’m sure I could have made an excellent husband if I sold enough of my soul and family members to them.”
Gen chortled at that, then held up his thumb.
“Then you did something truly unthinkable. You gave me back what I’d given up as lost long ago. Put me back into a position where I can begin paying them back for all the wrongs they’ve given to me,” Gen said. There was a deep and unfiltered hate in his words, burning with anger. “In the span of a month, you did everything outside of simply sitting down with a table in the middle of the sect with a banner that simply read, ‘I’m going to punish the Deng family’ and then wait.”
Ash coughed into his hand.
Gen wasn’t wrong. The Deng family weren’t just enemies, now that he thought about it. They were a clan enemy at this point.
A clan enemy he’d need to either exterminate or harm to the point that they didn’t want to deal with him.
“Yes, they’re a clan enemy,” Gen said, as if reading his mind. “It’s a pity the clan only has three members that can fight on equal footing with the Deng clan.”
Me, Gen, and Yan.
“Four,” Jia said. “Seven, if you count the others.”
Snorting, Ash shook his head.
Great. Group of seven to take on a band of cutthroats for the safety of the Outer Sect. This never turns out well for everyone, does it?
Cultivating Chaos Page 27
