The eastern pagoda held thirteen floors, each designed to immerse its occupants in increasing levels of qi energy. In the center of this magnificent structure was an orb that transmitted visual and audio feeds to rotating curved spirit panels, allowing viewers to contemplate the lecture while being bathed in potent qi energy.
Known throughout 'Lotusia' as the pinnacle of erudition, the pagoda had facilitated countless breakthroughs in cultivation over centuries. The air buzzed with anticipation as disciples and elders gathered, eager to absorb the profound knowledge that could propel them to new heights in their cultivation journeys.
"Are you ready to earn glory for your sect, inner disciple Olivia?" Elder Nihlo asked, her gravelly voice tinged with a motherly warmth that offered both comfort and authority. Her eyes held a reassuring light, hoping to ease Olivia's nerves.
"Yes, Elder Nihlo. I have made great understandings in various aspects and am able to impart them to all members here today." Olivia gave a quick bow, though a flicker of doubt remained in her eyes. She straightened her back, summoning the confidence required for the task ahead.
"…Mmm. Don't let the spectacle from earlier distract you, my dear. Talent for qi is a matter of being born with good fortune; however, understanding the great dao is something that is earned and will benefit you more in the later stages than in the beginning. You will stand tall with the immortals while that little girl relies on her cultivation to rise up only to hit the wall once she enters the 'Ascended' realm." She tried to comfort her by noticing the hesitation in Olivia's eyes, as it was an experience she had once against a brutish pink-skinned cultivator.
"Thank you for your kind words, elder. In what order are we going with the demonstration?" A small glimmer of determination returned to Olivia's eyes, rekindled by the elder's encouragement.
"Turquoise Flowers Sect, Nether Beast Sect, Swift Gale Sect, then yourself. Like all the other times, with the insights given from the previous lectures, the stands will become empty for people to consolidate their cultivation." Elder Nihlo's voice was steady as she outlined the order of presentations, her gaze sweeping across the crowd to ensure everyone was prepared.
"May I ask why we do this tournament, Elder? I do not see what we gain from having other sects learn from us." Olivia's brow furrowed in confusion, seeking clarity on the purpose of the demonstrations.
"Sigh~ Put simply, it's politics and advertising. Don't ask any further as you will naturally know once you earn your seat as an elder." Elder Nihlo sighed, her voice carrying the weight of many years of navigating sect politics. Her expression softened, knowing that Olivia would come to understand in time.
"I wouldn't dare to be presumptuous." Olivia politely protested the claim as the elder patted her shoulder while walking away. The words of the elder she respected ignited her confidence once more as she walked in large strides over to the levitating podium that seated over the orb.
"All be seated, we will now begin with the comprehension portion of this tournament. To understand the world and dao is fundamental for all cultivators to have a solid foundation so you can rise to the level of immortals. For the scoring in this segment, it is with how many and potent of a breakthrough of those listening. Turquoise Flowers Sect shall be presented first!" Elder Nihlo's voice rang clear and authoritative, inspiring the audience to absorb as much as they could.
The five podiums above the orb held the five participants: a short young blushing girl, a man with a silver fox on his shoulder, Olivia, Soloman slumped in a chair, and the Elder who powered the orb. The crowd obediently sat on their cushions, which illuminated once a person's qi surged. Each level of the pagoda was tailored to suit the occupants' cultivation levels, stimulating breakthroughs once a form of enlightenment was reached. Six people sat on the seventh floor, observing the participants on the orb rather than the screens before them as the podium with the little girl rose. The atmosphere was thick with anticipation, each participant ready to showcase their understanding and insights.
"Why did you send a child instead of yourself, Hibiki?" The man in fur clothing, Ashan, looked at the beautiful woman to his right, his tone laced with curiosity and a hint of challenge. His eyes narrowed slightly, questioning the wisdom behind the choice.
"Giggles~ Age does not equate to one's understanding, Ashan. This one remembers defeating you in this game of rhetoric years before." The woman, Hibiki, used her long sleeve to hide her mouth as she laughed, her eyes twinkling with amusement. Her voice was light, yet carried the weight of past victories.
"Hmph, Ardin won't lose to a little girl. He is the smartest man since the founder." Ashan crossed his arms, looking away in defiance. His tone was defensive, his pride in his sect apparent.
"That's not saying much." Hibiki threw a quick verbal jab, her smile widening. Her words were sharp, intended to provoke.
"What?!" Ashan's face reddened with anger, his voice rising. The two went back and forth several times, their squabble drawing the attention of those around them.
"Geez, those two need to get their own floor if they are gonna flirt so openly like that." Ouro scoffed, watching the two act like an elderly couple.
"Why is he sleeping? I'm gonna throw a jar of chili powder at him if he embarrasses us!" Illia's veins started popping in her hand as she clutched a red jar, her voice filled with frustration and determination.
"Calm down, sis. You have to imagine how tired he must be after making all these gloves." Ouro tried to reason with Illia, his voice soothing. He placed a hand on her shoulder, attempting to restrain her pitching arm.
"Shush." Sophia jabbed her elbow into Ouro's ribs.
"What are you looking at, Andre? Lectures are over there." Sophia saw Andre looking out of the window with an amused look.
"Have you ever seen an elder use a broom before?" Andre used his chin to point, causing the three to poke their heads out to see the elder who had searched their dantian using a broom and pan to clean up the rubble from earlier.
The elder was grumbling and noticed the gaze of three people, and started yelling while throwing a fit, all of which wasn't audible from the distance between them. The four started laughing out loud, the sight of the elder's frustration providing a brief moment of levity.
The podium of the little girl, Azamai, rose up in the spirit panel that transmitted her image and voice across the pagoda. The laughing and chatter died down as the audience's attention shifted to the young girl.
"Greetings to all, my name is Azamai. Today I will bring about greater understanding about cold and ice qi-based techniques and cultivation methods. Night is the time when yin qi is most prevalent in the world, whose attribute is often in line with coldness. But cold and ice are materials that are in constant flux. When fire or daytime is present, using cold/ice techniques or practicing cultivation methods, the effects are severely cut in half. So I have come to unveil the conclusion that cold/ice attributes are not necessarily an independent element or separate from the elemental wheel. Nor are they just the extremes of water techniques as we have previously assumed, due to most cultivators who master cold and ice techniques tending to be stronger than water cultivators. Cold and ice are, in fact, aspects of the fire element! Or in this respect, it is the removal of heat and fire elements in the user's dantian. By removing aspects that produce heat and movement, we achieve the essence of cold and ice." Azamai spoke for hours more about the relation of the absence of heat to sensations of cold. Her voice was soft yet steady, her words filled with conviction.
She took a breath and looked around the interior of the tower to evaluate any lights, only to find many of the cushions remained unlit with people talking about trivial matters. The sight made the little girl disheartened, her earlier confidence waning. When compared to when her sect sisters would listen with bright smiles; the indifference of the audience was a stark contrast. She continued speaking to not bring shame to her sisters who supported her by sacrificing their seats for her to be present today.
"I will now talk about how we can use this revelation in cultivation techniques…" She started to push through, trying to hide her tears and nervousness that was being broadcasted live for another hour.
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"Why would they let a Qi refinement disciple speak about cultivation techniques?" Andre looked at the screen, confused at the decision of the Turquoise Flowers Sect representative.
"Level doesn't matter, Andre." Illia rebuked.
"Look at our own presenter." Sophia coldly retorted at Andre.
"The level and age aren't what's wrong. Though many people here are looking down on her much like you are, the issue is what 'Dao' she decided to talk about in this event." Illia looked at Andre to clarify.
"She's too used to talking to women that she had forgotten this event is for both genders. Cold and ice techniques are mainly used by females, and many of the females here today already use different dao like sword, fire, bestial, and nature. As well, the disciples here experience matters that Turquoise Flowers never can." Ouro explained while looking at Hibiki to determine why they chose to place a young impressionable girl in a losing situation.
"What does he mean?" Andre turned towards Sophia, who was blushing heavily.
"On top of that, the people who would benefit from this discussion already heard it." Illia looked in the same direction as Ouro.
"Please forgive me, Azamai. Master asked this of me." Hibiki looked at the girl with soft, sullen eyes of pity and a small smile on her lips.
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"…and that is why the d-dual cul-cultivation method works when tw-two people of fire and ice essence have a greater effect. Thank you for listening." Azamai concluded her lecture, her voice faltering slightly. The podium slowly descended, and the little girl blushed enough that steam seemed to leave her head as she covered her face with her hands. Her earlier confidence had evaporated, leaving her vulnerable and embarrassed.
"Heh. Looks like your girl is practicing what she preached by releasing all that heat." Ardin gave a chuckle while resting his head on the back of his hand.
"…Three breakthroughs discovered. Next is Ardin of the Nether Beast Sect." Elder Nihlo recorded the result and proceeded to the next individual. As the podium slowly rose up and past the other that was descending, Ardin looked at the blushing girl and decided to pull a little prank on her.
"A bit young to be talking about dual cultivation, ain't cha?" Ardin had a mischievous grin on his face. Azamai, peeking through her fingers to see who was speaking to her, turned immediately pale. She stared into his eyes and saw what appeared to be a fanged beast writhing in chains inside his pupils.
"Wh-what are you?" An irrational sense of primal dread filled her as she finally landed back onto the orb, a cold sweat enveloping her clothing. The feeling of standing in front of a starving predator was screaming in every cell of her body to run. She started to wiggle free from the device with terror-filled tears so she could run into her sister's arms.
"Yawn~ Calm down, girly. You're making a ruckus." Soloman half-opened his eyes when he felt his chair violently shifting around. His voice was drowsy but held an undertone of authority.
"Nothing is gonna happen to you with your guardian around, let alone this person." Soloman lazily pointed to the elder in charge of the device, but his lethargic hand didn't rise past his sleeve, let alone the armrest. His calm demeanor contrasted sharply with the chaotic little girl next him.
Azamai, looking in the direction of the voice, saw Soloman slouched in his chair with a cold look on his face. She failed to notice his pointing towards the elder and assumed he was referring to himself in the third person. She had spoken with many people deemed strong in this world, such as her sect sisters and her master, who often spoke in the third person. Remembering Soloman's earlier display of strength, she believed he was a powerful protector. Calming down, she felt her rapid heartbeat slow. "…Ri-right~. Th-thank you."
"M-my name is Azamai." She fixed her posture and grabbed the hem of her skirt as she introduced herself once again with a pink blush on her face. Her voice was timid, but she tried to project confidence.
"I'm aware. Pay attention in class." Soloman, who was half asleep, responded like he was a teacher back in the sect.
"Y-yes, sir." Azamai grabbed the sides of her face in embarrassment at the thought her name was remembered by such a powerful person. Her cheeks flushed, her earlier fear forgotten.
"What on Lotusia is he doing?" Illia placed a hand on her forehead, looking at the interaction between the two. Her voice was filled with exasperation and disbelief, unable to comprehend Soloman's behavior.
"My name is Ardin, and I will be discussing utilizing the aspects of beasts' spirits and behaviors. Primarily using the beasts known as humans as a way to improve one's movements. We humans are no different from other beasts, let alone spirit beasts. We have used dragons, tigers, leviathans, and others as a way to improve methods or emulate the use of our fists and swords. However, we have neglected the one animal who has usurped the thrones of these beasts as the strongest…" Ardin's voice was confident and commanding as he began his lecture. His words were filled with passion and conviction, drawing the audience in.
Ardin went at length for over an hour about the superiority of humans and how the methods of human ingenuity and body structure could be more perfected to improve one's fighting capability. His lecture was met with eager attention, and the lights of over seventy cushions illuminated, indicating breakthroughs. Thirty people even requested to use a confinement room to solidify their cultivation, a testament to the impact of his words.
"…Seventy lights discovered with thirty breaking to the next stage of cultivation. Very good. Next is Soloman of the Swift Gale Sword Sect!" Elder Nihlo announced the results, then turned to Olivia with a look of worry that the results shown could not be beaten. Her voice was filled with both admiration and concern, knowing the significance of the breakthroughs achieved.
She sighed at the thought this would be detrimental to Olivia's growth, then looked at the next contestant slowly rising past her, only to see a man conforming to the shape of his chair fast asleep. Her eyes widened in disbelief, unable to fathom how someone could be so careless at such a critical moment.
"What on Lotusia?" She was bewildered at this unprecedented event.
The podium stopped in front of the panel that broadcasted lectures, the image of a man sleeping in his chair filled all the screens on all seven floors, creating a great guffaw to erupt in the pagoda. Every person remaining laughed with tears in their eyes, ridiculing the members of the Gale Sect and body cultivators. The laughter echoed through the structure, the absurdity of the scene providing a brief moment of levity.
Even the seventh level was filled with laughter, which left only three people shaking their heads in disbelief while one turned red from anger. The unexpected display had turned the serious atmosphere into one of amusement and mockery.
"IF YOU DON'T WAKE UP, I'M GONNA THROW THIS JAR OF CHILI POWDER AT YOU!" Illia shouted the threat she promised earlier at the slouch in the chair. Her voice was filled with frustration and determination, her eyes blazing with resolve, arms cocked back to launch the jar.
"Hahaha~ Sis, wait, wait, wait. I have a better solution. Don't throw that jar, it'll make the matter worse." Ouro latched onto Illia's arm to stop her, offering a better solution.
"Like what?!" Illia's voice was sharp, her frustration bare faced. She looked at Ouro with impatience and rancor.
"Ahem. I'm gonna tell Sect Master Aria where you're sleeping." Ouro spoke in a calm voice that was drowned out by the laughter, which made Illia confused as to how this would have any effect.
"Bweh~ I'm awake!" His reaction was swift, driven by a primal fear. Soloman's eyes snapped open when the words reached his ears, images of Aria finding him asleep in his bed filling his mind instantly.
Her body constitution saps the energy from the environment constantly, and coming in direct contact with someone drains the person like a vampire. Remembering one time Elder Shariz found him as an emaciated corpse one morning when Aria came over to drink while requesting a seven-branched sword left a trauma inside him. Finally getting his bearings, he saw the spirit panel in front of him and understood that his turn to present had started.
"Ahem. My name is Soloman, a consultant of Swift Gale Sword Sect. The lesson I'll be instructing you on today is how lightning is formed and the implications of how this mirrors the average cultivator's methods. First, I will review in the most rudimentary way how a cultivator typically gains their qi from my observations. While you cultivate, most if not all of you sit on the ground in the beginning of your journey. The reason I have found for this, and with consulting with other Masters, is to gather energy that flows through the ground first to insulate oneself and then to gather qi or aether in the air. Energy from the ground tends to be of a positive charge while some energy in the air is of a negative charge. This allows one to not be struck by a bolt of energy and fry their insides." Soloman took on a cool, stoic demeanor while illustrating what he was saying on a diagram he pulled from his bag to reach out to all students who have different learning methods.
"So by combining both positive and negative energies inside one's body while seated on the ground, you help ensure that you do not shock yourself into a coma. Now, how this is similar to lightning formation: lightning comes from electrical charges that build up within a storm cloud, the dantian in this case for you. Thunderstorms form when warm, moist air rises high into the atmosphere, similar to the qi that permeates the air. This rising air is called an updraft. As air rises in the atmosphere, clouds form when water vapor in the air cools into water drops, called cloud droplets. We can call this your formula of cultivation; you gather spirit energy to form a specific structure. Some cloud droplets freeze into ice crystals. These cloud droplets and ice crystals collide and form larger particles, called graupel."
"As the ice crystals rise up, they collide with the larger and heavier graupel. Again, for you, this would be combat or real-world experience; you mesh and use energy in different states and conditions that lead to changes to your dantian. These collisions result in positively and negatively charged particles. The updraft carries the positively charged ice crystals higher and higher into the cloud, dantian in this case. The thunderstorm cloud is mostly negatively charged, which causes a mostly positive charge to form on the ground, you. When these opposite charges become strong enough, there is an electrical discharge—an energy release—in the form of lightning. Of course, lightning in this analogy is your cultivation stage or layer."
"So in summary, the energy you gather from the ground and the air you bring into your core collides and forms sparks of energy while your cultivation structure turns that energy that is released back into a compatible and malleable substance you can use later, like a battery." Soloman finally took a breath and used a handkerchief to wipe the sweat on his forehead. He looked towards the students in the pagoda to see if any hands were raised. Silence enveloped the pagoda enough to hear the grumblings of an old man cleaning outside.
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"My god, is he really a mortal?" Ashan leaned closer to the screen, his eyes wide with astonishment.
"This appears to be more than just lightning and thunder techniques, fascinating." Hibiki hid her mouth with her sleeve, her eyes gleaming with interest. Her voice carried a tone of admiration and curiosity, intrigued by Soloman's insights.
"Did Sect Master Aria instruct Soloman to turn the world upside down?" Ouro gave a wry smile, shaking his head in disbelief.
"Sigh~ Don't know, stopped caring. Once he is done, the whole continent will be after him." Illia relaxed her entire body, giving up trying to bother any further. Her voice was resigned, lamenting not consulting Soloman first on what to avoid exposing to the open world.
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"…Any questi- AH! SOLAR FLARE!" Soloman had to cover his eyes from the light that blinded him, mimicking his favorite ancient cartoon.
The silent pagoda turned into an uproar with every student yelling from the amount of energy gathering around them. The light from the cushions turned into beams that reached the next level, leaving the entire pagoda glowing like a giant lantern. The sudden burst of energy left everyone in shock and awe.
After the light dimmed down, every student in the tower left their seat and requested a chamber, making a large din comparable to a rock concert. The atmosphere was electric, filled with excitement and anticipation for the breakthroughs achieved.
"…All seats lit up…all seats broken through…I need to leave myself…!" Elder Nihlo seemed antsy to leave as soon as possible, quickly deactivating the orb. Her voice was hurried, reflecting the urgency of consolidating the newfound insights.
"We will continue once…never mind, Swift Gale wins this bout!" She pulled out her prized flying sword and created contrails as she flew to her secluded cultivation chamber. Her abrupt departure left the people at the base of the tower mystified at the result of Soloman's lecture. Olivia, gazing at the floors and the empty seats contained within, felt a sense of emptiness not dissimilar to the view in front of her. The magnitude of Soloman's impact left her reflecting on her own path and growth.
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"…I am sorry for my impertinent attitude I have shown you in the beginning, Master Soloman. Please forgive this little one." Olivia gave a deep, proper bow towards Soloman, who was stretching his limbs. Her voice was sincere, filled with a newfound respect for Soloman.
"Yawn~ Don't worry about it, Ms. Olivia. Just don't disrespect my people again, alright?" Soloman brushed off the apology, feeling awkward to have a beautiful woman bow in public. His voice was casual, trying to ease the tension.
"I obey, Master Soloman."
"Stop that 'Master' stuff. I'm just an average scientist and a teacher. If you ever want a lesson, you're free to stop by my house for a lesson or two, but be sure to bring your own material, okay?" Soloman brushed past her to find his group so they could head back to the tavern. His tone was friendly, offering a sense of approachability despite his impressive display.
{Such a troublemaker. Oblivious even.}
[How so?]
"A fair trade, Scientist Soloman." She bowed once again and left the grounds with a pep in her step. Her voice carried a tone of gratitude with an impassioned gaze to take up on that offer immediately.
"I enjoyed your lecture, Scientist Soloman. It seemed very similar to my own but much more profound." Azamai gave a quick compliment, hiding her face and pitter-pattered off to find her sister before Soloman could correct the scientist title issue that appeared to be spreading. Her voice was shy yet filled with admiration.
"Sigh~ So how are we going to finish the last stage with everyone scampering off?"
{The whole world will be after you, dunderhead. I said we would win…but you went and made history.}
"Hey Soloman! We are going to the tavern…also Illia said she wants to scold you. So…yeah…Have fun." Ouro waved Soloman over at the entrance, the sight of a sharp glare could be seen over his shoulder. Soloman pulled his thermos out to drain its contents, the thought of sleeping over Illia's scolding sent a shiver down his spine.