The large pines gradually gave way to barren rock and deep snow as Liang and the Old man traveled further up the TianTai Mountains. Liang struggled in the unpredictable weather; however, the old man appeared to be enjoying their hike, even playing in the snow at times.
While they were walking, the old man found a spot where winds from two mountain passes converged and created a perpetually spiraling ground blizzard that interested him. After entering for the time it takes an incense stick to burn, the old man came out with a completely frozen beard and icicles hanging from the sides of his eyebrows exclaiming, “Excellent! This is the spot!” before throwing Liang in.
The howling winds inhibited his hearing and he was unable to see further than his hand. Even standing steady was difficult and the biting chill made him feel as though his skin had frozen. Liang’s entire body was numb, which was exactly what the old man wanted and told him, “It’s time to train essence detection.”
All living creatures, from plants to humans converted free qi in the air into life essence or essence qi. Detecting that essence was crucial to survival. From potential enemies to potential food those walking towards immortality faced countless scenarios; every skill was a possible lifesaver.
Liang understood this and was willing to work hard; however, the old man was brutal. He covered Liang with an extremely pungent mixture of herbs and the innards of one of the boars they killed. Even within the ground blizzard where it was difficult to smell anything, the beasts the old man threw into the vortex went into a frenzied state and attacked.
The beasts were not strong, all weaker than he was but when attacking Liang they had the potential to inflict injuries. Most were cuts and tears on his arms and legs that were not life threatening, however, the numbness of his body made detecting the wounds a struggle and severe blood loss was a possibility.
After one week of this hellish training, Liang was finally able to sense the essence in some of the stronger savage beasts and the essence within his own body. However, it was not precise and all he was able to understand was the approximate strength and location of the creatures. He was not however able to detect essence in the old man.
The old man was satisfied with these results though. Telling Liang, “You acquired this ability within a week due to your increased sensitivity from the core in your spine and the life and death situation you were in. You need stimulus to spur growth. Now that you have the ability you can train it at all times so we do not need to remain here.”
“This is a good way to gauge the difference in strength between you and a potential foe. Cultivators are able to distinguish between cultivation levels and beast cores, but they fail when facing non-cultivators and divine beasts.”
It was the first ability he acquired that was not only a physical enhancement. So far, he was unable to create qi manifestations outside of his body, which was a large handicap. The new skill left Liang feeling quite good about himself and the old man noticed.
“Of course, most children outside of this ignorant world are able to sense essence before they are 10 years old. Indeed, your level of skill is somewhere between an 8 to 10 year old. It is a great accomplishment and when we leave here, I’ll throw a grand celebration for you in the trading town.”
Liang did not know whether that was true but he thought it probably was. There was always the possibility that the old man was senile and his stories were fake, as most of them were too fantastical to believe. However, Liang was too inexperienced to distinguish fact from fiction and the old man brushed off his questions saying, “Don’t worry about the details” and, “Focus on your training.”
Oddly, after leaving the vortex every beast Liang killed was some type of delicacy to the old man, leaving him wondering if there was a way to lure only specific beasts? The old man told Liang, “It’s just a coincidence” but he was not so sure.
They captured Horned Fur-Snakes that tasted excellent fried in bear fat, Pronghorn Hare whose meat was especially tender, Six-Tusk Needle Boar that the old man enjoyed boiled to create a thick broth, and countless others. The old man’s knowledge of animal cuisine was impressive.
During the two week’s they traveled further into the mountains he collected 43 more cores and the bodies of all the beasts he had killed. The amount of bodies could be stacked like a mountain; it was far more than Liang thought they would be hunting.
The culling of so many animals worried him; however, the old man assured him that they were only hunting non-breeding males. Territory bosses held dominance over breeding rights and most of the males were nothing more than stragglers living on the edges, barely surviving.
It was possible the old man was implying these were only the weakest of each species but with each battle, Liang’s reflexes became quicker and his actions were better timed and precise. Beasts that were challenging in the beginning only took a few moments to take care of and whenever he made mistakes, the old man corrected him.
He also noticed the further they went up the mountain the quicker he was absorbing qi, which led Liang to ask why the qi was denser in the mountains. The old man responded by telling him, “It’s not that the qi is denser, it’s because there is less air the higher you go up.”
“Air is affected by the same forces that pull rocks to the ground but qi is unaffected by these worldly forces. The higher you go up the less air there is to breath but the amount of qi does not change. Cultivators will see quicker gains in the mountains.”
“There are limits though. You will die if there is not enough air and your body will take longer to recover. It’s a balance. If you are training martial skills, it’s better to be lower because your body needs air. If you are in closed door cultivation then it’s better to be high.”
Liang finally understood why most sects established themselves in the mountains but the old man said not all mountains were ideal. Air that flows up a mountain is dense and contains more moisture so every breath will hold more parts air at the peak. A mountain where air flows down will hold more parts qi at the peak.
The old man explained this was also the reason absorbing qi was best done at night on a mountain. The air from the mountains sink into the valleys below during the night leaving more parts qi in every breath. Competition for peaks was very common and many sect battles occurred because of this. There were also powerful savage beasts that claimed peaks.
The conversation touched on another of the old man’s favorite groups to criticize so he told Liang, “I’ll tell you something boy. When cultivators are young, their bodies allow them to absorb and store qi quicker. This is because their bodies are still growing. Why is it that young people who develop quickly are able to advance further?”
However, the old man did not allow Liang to respond and instead continued, “This is because of the transformations to their body the qi causes during growth. The meridians will never be as extensive as the blood vessels but when you are young they can be developed further.”
“But where are the sect elders? They are always high up above the rest. If they cared about developing disciples, those decrepit fossils who can no longer advance would leave those perches of theirs to the next generation. They do not care boy.”
“Clans do a better job nurturing their next generation but they normally cannot compare to sects when it comes to resources. They also often have internal family issues. First generation patriarchs are normally the cap in power of a clan but there are some very powerful exceptions to beware of.”
The old man told him that universities were the best place to learn. They did not hide their agenda. You would pay them and they would teach you. However, the old man said universities were rare because their lack of loyalty to any specific power. Unaffiliated organizations or individuals often faced suppression.
While Liang was asking questions, he heard a loud roar not far in the distance. However, when he looked towards the source a boulder half his size was flying in his direction. Able to raise his shield in time, the boulder slammed into his chest causing him to tumble several times before he crashed into another rock, a scenario that was becoming too familiar.
After a few breaths time he saw the old man standing beside him with a smile saying, “Looks like we found our target. Red Furred Stone Ape, descendant of the Zhuyan Ape. That creature is a savage brute I tell you. Completely unreasonable fellow that will only converse with you by using his fists.”
“All of his descendant’s take after him. Despite their intelligence, they become brutes when fighting. This seems like a good time to warn you, always be cautious of your surroundings. All right, now that we’ve found them you’re going to need two for what we need to do. Don’t worry; they’re only slightly stronger than you, perhaps more intelligent as well.”
