Fighting to be Kind in a Cultivation World

Over the course of the next week, I actually put one of my previous ideas into practice. Using the slow burn, intuitive discovery method, I go against the block that has been bothering me for a while now.

The first and most immediate information I find, is that it is a remarkably bad idea to pluck cultivation methods out of the ether, with no reason for it.

If you don’t have a reasonable source for the method, then you will be considered a thief. Which generally leads to you being ostracized at best, if there are doubts. In the worst-case scenario, your cultivation base will be shattered and you will be crippled.

There are exceptions to the rule, though, but those exceptions automatically show that you have received it through a specific method. One that can’t be replicated by just discovering the information through the scan.

Dark methods are another exception, but generally lead to the same outcome in a righteous sect. In a non-righteous sect, you will have to do some terrible shit that I’d really prefer not to do or teach others to do.

This doesn’t even take into account if you secretly practice a cultivation method that someone else has. At higher levels and with the stronger methods, there are rituals that detect whether you’ve acquired and used the method without going through sect rituals. And that’s when you get hunted down and killed.

All of this goes with anything to do with qi, whether it’s the simplest breathing technique or the strongest cultivation method. Even the glancing knowledge of some Qi usage techniques sets off alarms for these. Making it extremely dangerous to even try to just learn other methods to create a new one. To try to filter them is beyond my ability with the scan. Too many layers of hidden information.

Funnily enough, the ways that existing methods can be improved is not as hidden. But you need the existing method first, before you can improve it.

With this information in hand, I look for how I could actually get a method. Buying one is an option. However, when you join the Revolving Heavenly Light sect at a certain level, you are given access to a library of techniques.

Most of the Qi usage techniques are obviously not allowed to be shared outside the sect or without permission. However, there are a small number of techniques that are such, for the lack of a better term… shit… that they allow you to use and teach those Qi usage techniques outside of the group.

Of course, they highly don’t recommend it, but it is essentially yours to keep.

This is kept as an option, because it allows skilled people to try to fix these methods and bring new ‘blood’ into the system. This is usually only done by elders, but is open to someone of any level. As long as they have access to that part of the library, which only starts at the Inner Court level or mid-level Qi Condensation.

Likely, this will be the method I used to help the demi humans. I get a strong feeling that if I use the slow burn method, I can upgrade the Qi usage techniques, piece by piece.

But what about me then?

If I’m going to be healing people, then I need a healing specific cultivation method. One that would at least be reasonable to expect that it could heal on the level that I do.

From what I can gather, it would definitely not be a normal cultivation method.

Honestly, this is quite a conundrum.

Near the end of the week, I finally come up with a safe answer to this. After exhausting method after method, that is shown to have a high risk of being tracked Or heavily questioned.

Since I can’t direct the scan to target a specific type of cultivation method, because of the earlier restrictions, the only thing I really can do that it will allow, is to have it direct me to the best and safest cultivation method for myself that is possible.

Cautiously, I activate it using the slow burn technique at its most minimal level.

Even at the lowest setting, this immediately caused a head wracking pain, taking me far over my worst moment, when Gong and them had to carry me back.

I went past the limit.

Everything is dark. My mind feels blank.

Like molasses, my hand raises before my eyes. I seem to be laying down.

I feel like I see a spider and then suddenly Gong, who turns into Ai, and then Lin.

It’s like a blurred slideshow, with a ton of pieces missing. Gradually though, it speeds up more and more. Like a ball rolling down a hill, gaining momentum.

All until suddenly, everything is clear again.

I wake up to Gong laying beside me. Specifically, her head is resting next to me as I am in her bed.

As I move to get up, her head snaps up, looking me in the eye, shocked.

Before I can even process it fully, her arms are around me, holding me close to her.

“H-hey Gong… How long was I out for?”

The connotation behind my words shows that I knew something like this might happen.

I can practically feel her lips tighten beside me, before she says, “You were out for three days.”

She releases me from her hug.

“Wha… what happened?”

This will be a bit of a difficult explanation.

“… In short, I tried to pull information on how to get a cultivation method. It looks like that was a little too far for my ‘knowing’ ability.”

Before she says anything else, I explain some of what I found over the course of this week. As well as the plan that I was able to create for getting the Qi usage techniques.

I hinted that searching for my own cultivation method, with healing abilities, is what pushed it over the edge.

It’s clear she’s dissatisfied and believes this was too big of a risk.

She goes silent.

Ai and Lin rush into the room, but Gong seems to give them a look.

They fall quiet. Any words they were going to say falling to the wayside.

There are no words between us as her lips are pursed and her eyes look far off.

There’s actually is worse than them saying anything.

“Gong… I would have told you, if I thought there was a risk of this happening. I thought… I had this handled.”

Her mouth opens quickly, almost to snap out a response. She closes it.

And gives another slow nod.

I wrack my brain for anything else to say.

She’s the first to speak.

“What will happen, if you were at the sect with people you can’t trust? If something like this happens again and no one is there to help you?

“I was here. We were here. But there? Even if there are rules against hurting or stealing from your fellow sect members, there are many things you can’t hide from elders. Ai and Lin, over here, will probably be in a different area, so they won’t be able to assist too much.”

She seems pretty stressed right now, as her words slowly emerge.

“I understand there are risks you have to take, which is why I don’t want to say anything further.

“Just… Be careful.”

I nod my head at her words.

With this, I really really thought that I’d be able to spread this out. But, from what I can tell, there’s some information that you just can’t take in.

While I think that this was one that needed to be done, I think it’s sometimes best to agree and take the lesson. Move on with it in your heart.

Gong gives a sad smile, before getting up and walking out the room.

Ai and Lin both look up at me, placing a hand on mine, before leaving the room. She talks to them briefly, outside the room, before the three of them head to their respective areas.

I don’t listen in to their conversation.

In the back of my mind, as we discussed all of this, is a piece of information.

Something I’m scared to tell them. The only hint I had received about getting a personal cultivation method.

I have to heal using my powers at every chance I get in the sect city.

I’ll need to tell them.