novelraw Chapter 107 - 106 - New Ambition
Chapter 107 - 106 - New Ambition
The captain's cabin was luxurious compared to Lind's own. He shared his with 3 other people and it was essentially a place to sleep and not much else. Compared to Earth, it was sufficient since cultivators had storage treasures.
The current cabin was wide open with a view out the back of the ship and a bed, an actual bed not a bunk, that seemed to have its frame as part of the ship. The water seemed so far away compared to the waves made by the battle. Lind still felt thrilled at how effective his control had become!
Still, the current man in front of him was swarthy, had an open red coat and white doublet on and slim black pants. If he at any point said the word 'Matey' LInd would dive out the window and take his chances.
"Before the battle, I watched you induct the young lass into the world of cultivators. You did it well. Have you much experience in training?" LInd was surprised by the topic. He had expected a reprimand or reminder that the captain was in charge, not a lowly Soul Realm.
"I only met her on this ship and she seemed to like watching me train. I merely answered her questions and helped her with her stances. She seems very gifted as she broke through 2 tiers right away." Lind was being honest but the shocked look on the captain's face told him he had missed something.
"T-two tiers with just 1 lesson?!" Lind did not see what was so surprising. Compared to any other realm, Body Refining Realm could be stumbled into with a simple routine. It would not be as effective. The girl had seemed to be 7 or 8 to his eyes, thus it was not unusual for her to quickly begin to unlock her potential at such a young age.
Lind waved his hand in front of the frozen captain until his dark eyes came back to life. The man waved to a seat and then pulled out a chest from beneath the bed. An ancient wine cask was set out and 2 wooden goblets filled. Lind was stunned at the quality as it was at the peak of the Soul Realm! He could get drunk if he was not careful.
The red wine had a powerful floral scent but did not overpower while the color seemed to deepen now it was exposed to air. Lind sipped as he waited for what the captain had called him back here for.
"Are you a 6 elemental?" Lind was now very confused. While most of the crew was in the Gold Tier for safety, the captain was only in the Iron Tier. It was still enough to clearly see through Lind's cultivation with ease, so why was the man asking? Lind's confusion must have shown before the captain seemed to suddenly calm down.
"Ah, sorry, I am not allowed to probe the guests I ferry to Indelia. It is part and parcel of our service but I have observed your training and noticed you have all 6 elements." Lind now understood and actually appreciated such professionalism. The captain went up in his estimation.
"I have no problem with that, but yes, I am a 6 elemental. I am at tier 8 in the Soul Realm if that helps." Lind saw the captain nod as Lind's aura had been clear as day to anyone even remotely paying attention.
"May I ask how you so easily performed tier 8 Soul Art Snake Lightning without suffering any backlash?" The captain seemed keenly interested and mistook what Lind had done for a Soul Art. Technically, he was not wrong, but Lind had not formerly codified what he had done into an Art.
"I am sorry, captain, but I did not perform a Soul Art, it was something else." Lind did not hide what he had done as it was impossible to replicate unless one was a 6 elemental. At least Lind had not found any technique that matched what he knew.
The captain froze again. Lind was wondering what was so surprising about him stumbling through cultivation doing what he could, but then the captain slammed down his cup which caused the wine to slosh all over the table.
The captain did not seem to mind as he stood up over Lind in excitement.
"Can you share what you did with me?! I will pay any price you ask?" Lind was thoroughly confused. The captain was not showing signs of more than 2 elements, water and air. Lind could see the flow of higher quality Qi so he was fairly confident as the Sand Tiers he could see seemed to match.
"I can share it, but what good does it do you, sir?" Lind had no desire to hold back his knowledge but how would the captain benefit to the extent he would act like that?
The captain suddenly seemed to lose all life and slowly sat back down. He seemed to age a few years but Lind was just as lost why there were such extreme reactions.
"My daughter…my daughter recently broke through to the Soul Realm. She is distraught and her prospects dried up overnight. No sect will take her and a family that was courting her nullified their proposal despite both children very much being in love." Lind felt his heart crack.
Harsh memories flooded Lind. Despite all kindness and supportiveness from his family, Lind watched as things he struggled not to be hurt by came easily to others. Despite reaching the 4 tier of the Soul Realm, his Soul Arts never advanced. Lind had pushed his meridians to increase the power of those Arts but had reached the limit fairly quickly.
He had no help, no guide, and aside from small miracles of the Ruin that had 6 primordial Immortals, he had struggled to progress. Until the staff technique and the staff tool that bound to him, Lind had no prospect of avoiding the same fate all 6 elementals suffered.
Lind suddenly felt his mind explode. Why had he never done this? Why had he never thought to record and teach his discoveries that allowed him to actually use his own cores without the staff?! Why did he not encourage the Heavenly Maidens to teach it to every 6 elemental they currently had?
Lind felt a burning desire light in his heart and he suddenly wished he had blank jade slips as scrolls were not enough. He had revelation, after revelation. He was about to ask when his anger at the current techniques resurfaced.
The current Soul Arts were wasteful. They forced multi-element dantians that had opposing pairs, forced part of the Qi to counter the repulsion force to allow the goal to be reached. Lind had calculated that at least a third of all Qi in a given technique was wasted that way. He could fix those as well!
A dream came upon him as strong as the enlightenment that once carried him through making peak Heaven grade 2 elixirs. The current cultivation path was flawed. It caused all cultivators to waste Qi and likely hinder their comprehension of the relationship between their elements.
LInd could only talk about the Soul Realm, but he was almost at the peak, thus it should be very helpful for most 6 elementals!
"Do you have blank jade slips?" Lind looked at the man across from him who looked so defeated but Lind's question breathed new life into him. The captain tore into his chest as clothes flew across the floor and bed but not finding what he wanted, the man stomped across the cabin.
"STOR! STOR! STOR WHERE ARE YOU RIGHT NOW?!" The captain's voice shook the timbers as Qi was clearly infused into his throat. A quick sprinting step was heard above Lind's head as someone was swiftly coming to them. The 2nd in command showed up panting, looking at his captain in concern but was then physically lifted from the floor by the same captain.
"WHERE IN BLAZES HAVE YOU BEEN?! GET ME BLANK SLIPS, NOW!!" Stor looked stunned but knew his captain was not kidding around and sprinted off. As Lind waited, he thought over what the captain said earlier.
The little girl had been struggling but had quickly corrected her stances. Lind had not simply stood there, but helped her guide the Qi through her body as she had no true control over it. The stances were efficient but were not 100% efficient. Her breakthroughs were in part due to his guidance.
Could he pass that along as well? It was more difficult to answer that question. His Sky Eyes allowed him to see clearly what needed to happen as his Sky Touch gave him the finesse to pull it off so it was unlikely others could easily mimic what he did.
He also did not trust other cultivators that much in regards to meddling with another person. His recent experience in the false legacy Ruin had burned that lesson into him. Lind would be far more cautious with his trust going forward, but he did not want to cut himself off. Nadia proved there were good people out there even when you did not know they were there.
Unless he met them, Lind would not blindly entrust such a dangerous technique for now to others.
Stor finally came back with 7 blank slips. Lind scanned them and was satisfied with the capacity. After all, Lind also knew his solutions may not work for other harmonies. Lind took the slips and began to work. Imprinting a jade slip was usually not easy, but his Sky Touch made it far easier to use every nook and cranny effectively.
It took most of the day, but Lind finally finished. It was tiring but fulfilling. Lind realized he now had a new ambition for his cultivation path. He was going to let others follow his path. He was going to guide the currently bedeviled 6 elementals as best he could. His price for that would be extremely helpful.
"Is this the secret?" The captain looked almost rapid so Lind first took out a tea set and quickly brewed a calming tea he purchased from the guild before he left. The soothing tea took effect and the captain seemed more steady now.
"I need to be clear. I have struggled and experimented to find a way forward. My harmony is different from others I have met and the few that have shared their discoveries did not always work for me." Lind did not hold back as he held out 6 slips. "Only 1 slip is needed for your daughter. She should test and carefully see what works or what helps. Do not blindly follow me."
His words seemed to dishearten the captain but Lind was not done.
"The other copies I request you to deliver to the following places: Gu Clan of Lotus Empire Southern District, Lotus Academy, Heavenly Maiden Sect, and Divine Sword Sect. You also must obscure where these slips come from." Lind looked hard at the captain who now nodded solemnly. "Further, if your daughter has questions, please record them and send them to the Heavenly Maiden Sect to Elder Shoti or Mistress Qing. They will be able to reach me. I will do my best for her."
The captain began to weep. There was hope. Hope Lind had forged one painstaking step at a time. He had no doubt the original cultivators had done much the same but their approach was so flawed.
"I have one more request you will find in that slip. It is how the elements relate to one another and how they can work together even when opposed. I do not want money, I want you to have that copied and distributed as far as you can. Do that, and we will be even." Lind was a lower realm, but in that moment, the captain bowed to him as if he was a great master.
"Thank you, may the spirits bless you!" Lind smiled and waved it off. He then got up and headed to his bunk.
When he arrived, he found an old man gently caressing a small girl's hair as she slept soundly. The old man smiled and Lind smiled back. He had more he wanted to talk about with this man now that he had a new goal for his cultivation path.