Light returned to their stone chamber, and a surge of qi repaired the minor damage the protective formation had suffered.
“An improvement,” Cha Ming said, smiling. “Your ability to conceal your movements has improved. Your formation arts have improved as well. If I’m not mistaken, however, you’re relying a little too heavily on illusory formations.”
Zi Long shrugged. “With heart force, I can control illusory formations beyond my current cultivation realm. I need to use every advantage I have, though it’s far from enough.”
“Far from enough for what?” Cha Ming asked, slumping down against a wall next to his disciple.
“The war,” Zi Long said. “I have little doubt that it’s coming soon. I need to be as strong as possible when it does. Many members, including…” He shook his head. “Many members will die. Many friends will too. I can only do my all to protect everyone who’s dear to me.”
“That’s all we can do,” Cha Ming said. He tried his best to hide the pain in his heart, but he knew this disciple was especially observant. Fortunately, he was also considerate and didn’t pry into other people’s matters. “You’re a smart man, and I know you’re progressing well on runes, formations, and sigils. The guidance I can offer is limited unless you ask for specifics.”
Zi Long nodded and sat cross-legged, as they usually did with these sessions. “The five elements. I’m able to use them to superimpose with my true self using my Nine Illusions Staff Art. My true self is an illusory avatar, allowing the other five to coexist with me. Yet I have trouble wrapping my mind around the last three avatars that can be generated.”
“Ah,” Cha Ming said. He summoned five elemental balls and caused them to swirl in his palm. “I still don’t know how to mimic your illusory qi, but I will help as much as I can. Let me take you through it one more time.”
The five elements began exchanging qi in a clockwise motion, establishing a white ring connecting them and generating wind. The wind blew around Zi Long before returning to his palm in the form of an orb.
“Creation is birthed from the five elements,” Cha Ming explained. “It’s propagation. It’s fueling. You know that.”
“I do,” Zi Long said. “Though I have much trouble harnessing this power.”
The five elements shifted in Cha Ming’s hand, forming a crackling black energy that sought to destroy everything. It darted around the room before Cha Ming caught it and condensed it into a ball. The black and white orbs orbited around the center of his palm between the five elements.
“Destruction is like the lightning of judgment. It wishes to coexist with nothing, which is why I’m so amazed that you were able to superimpose it with creation qi and form illusory qi. As for the ninth element…” He dispersed the two balls and had all five elements come together simultaneously, concentrating all their power on a single point. A small gray dot appeared. “I think it’s less the specific mixture and more the focus on a single point that matters.”
The gray ball vanished in a puff of mist, and Cha Ming tapped his finger on Zi Long’s mind. He imprinted an image of himself executing three staff arts: Splitting Heaven and Earth, Crushing Chaos, and Origin Strike.
“Don’t focus on qi for now,” Cha Ming said. “Focus on absorbing the essence of these techniques. They’re formidable battle techniques, but more importantly, they allow you to gain inspiration on the elements and their origin.”
“Thank you, Master,” Zi Long said. “By the way, the others have been asking about you.”
Cha Ming nodded. “I’m thinking about how to best help them. They’ve changed so much, and it’s difficult to give blind guidance. I’m afraid I’ll harm more than help.”
“I’ll tell them,” Zi Long said. “But letting them know directly would be best.”
Cha Ming smiled. As he left, he saw Zi Long imitating the techniques Cha Ming had imprinted in his mind. They were simple, crude strikes, but he knew firsthand that enlightenment on them would be extremely beneficial. Still, nothing was a given on the path of cultivation.
He sighed as he made his way through the halls of Haijing Academy. While he’d acted all mystical in front of Zi Long for the sake of appearances, he was stumped. The most difficult case was Yue Bing. He wasn’t sure how he felt about her being a blood cultivator, even after assurances from Feng Ming that she hadn’t turned into a battle-crazed maniac like Gong Lan had.
From what he knew, blood masters were only found in the South. They were evil cultivators who drank the blood of their enemies to heal themselves and fight harder. Yet despite all this, Yue Bing had been acknowledged by a modest contingent of spirit doctors on the continent. Her new profession, blood doctor, had formerly been an illustrious profession in Haijing Academy. That spoke volumes.
He had blood on his hands, yet he couldn’t shake the feeling that there was something wrong with siphoning blood from his enemies. Did that make him a hypocrite or a bigot? He wasn’t sure. He knew he couldn’t avoid the problem forever, though. Besides, he’d seen the white hair on her head. She’d sacrificed a quarter of her lifespan while he’d been gone at Jade Moon Planet. Evil people didn’t do that.
He passed her on his way to his chambers. She smiled, and he nodded back. Then she continued reading as she went back to her chambers. Reading seemed to take up most of her time, since she had very few patients.
Cha Ming yelped in surprise as a smaller man bumped into him as he rounded a corner. It was Jin Huang, the youngest of the
