"Naturally."
"Why wouldn't we know?"
Neither of these two responses came from the giant pair of eyes.
Two spirits had left their respective pillars and were currently circling Sakura as they examined her from different angles. One of them was thin with a comparatively thin moustache that hung loosely over his lips. The other was shorter with a belly and a small, dual-forked beard where the two tips failed to escape the contour of his chin.
Sakura floated there proudly under their gazes for a few moments, but after they made two full circles around her, they approached her blade's hilt and tip with their faces which caused her to twist away in discomfort.
Kenja imagined if she could speak, she would admonish them, "Back up! You're too close!"
"Your ignorance is quite adorable, my young disciple. They know because they are Willars–ahem, I mean Pillars of Will." Snail had exited his shell once again, not for Kenja's benefit, but to revel in the flying sword's distress. On the ground next to him appeared a snail-sized cup with the miniscule pipe he had seen several days previously. It contained a fizzy, orange liquid and what Kenja could only describe as 'clear, crystallized cubes of coldness' that kept the drink chilled for consumption.
"Pillars of Will aren't made from a specific material or chanced upon randomly. It's more accurate to say that they cultivate into existence," he explained before sipping on the pipe. Seeing Kenja's face express more confusion than before, Snail continued, "For example, let's take your new 'master' that accepted you several days ago, Kaza-whats-her-name."
"Master Kazane," Kenja corrected him.
"Yes, yes, her. Now let's say everyday, in her cave, she sits in one place and meditates for at least four hours."
Kenja nodded his head to show he was listening. Several of the spirits that hadn't approached the center platform were asking each other if Snail was speaking about the current Fifth Elder Kazane, but they were too fearful of the terrifying snail to confirm with him firsthand.
"And she does this for decades, gathering and solidifying her Qi in the Qi Flourishing stage, sculpting her entire foundation in the Foundation Establishment stage, forming and crystallizing a core in the Core Crystallization stage, and giving birth to a new soul in the Nascent Soul stage, all while using the same, sturdy spot for her delicate derrière…" Snail paused to suck on the large pipe and make a large slurping sound, expecting Kenja to connect the dots, but Kenja's knitted brows did not relax.
"Do you really need me to spell it out for you? I thought you were supposed to be smart! You've read enough about pills and plants to know that they can attain their own consciousness depending on their circumstances. By now, I'm sure that you know weapons and special tools can give birth to their own spirits as well if they meet certain conditions."
Believing he had given Kenja enough hints, Snail paused once more to enjoy his drink and the sight of Sakura fidgeting uncomfortably under the two ghosts' scrutiny.
Kenja thought back to Snail's medicinal books. A couple of them had mentioned that both pills and plants could give birth to a spirit during their lifetime as long as they were kept in an area rich with Qi. He didn't give it much thought at the time since the book described coming across such a treasure as an improbable event that wouldn't happen, even if one had experienced a dozen reincarnations.
Kenja inspected the floating pillars strewn around him more closely than before.
Ignoring the giant pillar next to him, the others had only enough flat space on top to act as a seat for a single individual. Their heights varied greatly from a chi above the water's surface to three times as tall as the giant pillar next to him. Most of them were made of a dark and shiny black stone reminiscent of the material that Kenja's cave was carved out of while a couple of them had a rougher, black appearance resembling the outer cave walls that surround the sect.
"They come from the sect's caves…?" Kenja stated and asked at the same time. He wore a look of complete disbelief on his face as he pieced the clues together with what Snail had said.
"Ding, ding, ding! Took you long enough," replied Snail before slurping the rest of his drink through the pipe.
Grasping his chin, Kenja closed his eyes for a moment to think about the subect. "Are you saying that even the ground we meditate on can come to life at any time?"
Without realizing it, the sound of Snail sucking liquid through the pipe had ended, and he had already withdrawn back into his shell. Kenja's mouth tilted in an exasperated manner, annoyed that the mollusk had prematurely departed from the conversation.
At this point, Sakura could no longer stand being ogled by the two ghosts and flew behind Kenja's back for protection. Unbothered by her retreat, they turned to Kenja.
"You are not wrong in saying that…" answered the mustachioed spirit.
"But you are also not right," finished the bearded spirit.
They had moved closer to Kenja and were peering at him in the same fashion as they did with Sakura, pacing around him without saying anything. Kenja felt a coldness slide against his back's skin. Sakura had somehow entered his robes from the back and was using it and his hair as cover to hide from the invasive inspection.
Kenja was irritated with their cryptic answers followed by unhelpful silence. Considering his recent accomplishment, he wouldn't blame them for their desire to analyze him or Sakura, but they could be a bit more polite about it or at least answer his question thoroughly.
"Seniors?" Kenja attempted to grab their attention.
"Oh, where are our manners? This old man is the 2nd generation Third Elder Xiang Xin. You can address me as Third Uncle if you like," said the mustachioed spirit as he referred to himself with a kindly smile.
"And I am the 1st generation Third Elder Huai Yi. Feel free to call me Third Granduncle," said the bearded spirit as he rubbed the two tips of his beard with a solemn gaze.
Xiang Xin rolled his eyes at Huai Yi's introduction. "Brother, why do you insist on one-upping me? We are equals, so stop misleading him."
Huai Yi frowned at Xiang Xin's words. "Between you and I, we are equals. But I did come before you, and you were my disciple when I was alive. At least give me some face in front of the children."
Xiang Xin frowned back at him, but before he could respond, Kenja inserted himself in between them. "Are you the souls of the previous elders?"
Xiang Xin refocused on Kenja and smiled before answering him, "You can say that we are…"
"...but you can also say that we aren't," continued Huai Yi with a sly smirk.
Kenja frowned at them.
Living in one of the poorer and more deserted areas of Ryuga, most of the people he had interacted with were elders who couldn't afford to live in the other areas, had no family to support them or were transported there by their cheapskate children, so he was used to dealing with these types of answers. Instead of disclosing the exact answer or idea, elders gave subtle hints to drag out their explanations and either allow Kenja to come to the realisation on his own or highlight how much he has yet to learn. Sometimes, Kenja believed they just wanted to spend extra time chatting, afraid that once they had given the answer, he would lose interest in speaking with them.
Kenja sighed defeatedly before responding to them, "Would Uncle and Granduncle guide this inexperienced disciple?"
Although Kenja was seventeen-years-old, he believed his maturity level was beyond that. For this reason, he wished elders would stop treating him as a child and get straight to the point. Alas, he knew that demanding better treatment or a hasty answer would further consolidate his image as a kid in their eyes. The fastest way to get what he wanted was to play along with them.
Xiang Xin smiled approvingly at Kenja's attitude. "As Pillars of Will, we gave birth to our own spirit, our very own consciousness if you will. Having followed our master's cultivation for so long, we attuned to their body and spirit. Once his time neared the end, the '2nd generation Third Elder Xiang Xin' infused part of his soul into my spirit, gifting me with his lifetime's experiences and memories."
"In this way, we can carry on their life's legacy and will to protect the sect, long after they have returned to the ground," Huai Yi finished the explanation before turning turning to the giant pillar, "And because we came from the stone made from the sect, we are sensitive to the state of each of the sect's Immortal caves, allowing us to know which cave houses your body's signature energy and aura. Isn't that right Leader?"
"That is correct. Although I could tell you've been visiting other caves, it's a simple matter to know which one belongs to you. 5-5 was the first cave you entered, and the one you spent the most time within," bragged the pair of eyes as if it was the most natural thing in the world for him to know.
Xiang Xin let out a chuckle. "You are also the first person to use that cave in quite a long time."
Huai Yi grasped his chin. "Actually, I don't believe a Fifth Elder had ever taken in so many disciples at once. He very well may be the first person to use the cave at all."
Kenja reflected on their words as he tried to ignore the frigid steel blade intermittently touching the skin of his back. The spirits of these two pillars were birthed from the caves of a past Third Elder and his succeeding disciple, and after accompanying their owners through their lifetimes, the elders infused part of their soul into the pillars for the sake of the sect's future.
Kenja's opinion of the pillars and their deceased masters rose significantly after hearing this. The desire to protect their home and family even after they had passed on was, by Kenja's standard, an admirable and honorable trait that should be revered.
After fully grasping their explanation, he clasped his hands and bowed slightly. He would have bowed lower if he could, but Sakura's tip threatened to tear his robes if he bowed any further. "Thank you for your explanation, seniors. I have been enlightened."
"Now that you understand, state your name so that I can record it," commanded the pair of eyes.
Kenja clenched his fists as he pondered over how to respond.
As Kenja grew up, many stories and myths contained talking animals, flying swords and spirits of the dead, so Kenja was not completely unprepared when stumbling into them. Perhaps the most nonsensical thing Kenja had encountered thus far was that the very ground could suddenly come to life, and conveniently track the state of their birthplace from a distance, placing him in his current predicament.
Kenja gave the pair of eyes a pained smile. "Senior, I do not believe I have earned the merit for this deed. Is it possible to not record a name at all and leave the previous record in place? The blessing you have gifted to the sect is reward enough."
The pair of eyes stared solemnly at Kenja in silence for several breaths before closing his eyes.
"An odd request, but very well. Needless to say, you will not be allowed to attempt the same challenge that you have triumphed once before, but your achievement will not be recorded in the archives. The blessing to your cave and the sect is a celebratory reward I have no intention of withholding. Make use of it to advance your cultivation, junior."
The leading Pillar of Will would normally be inclined to refuse a request to hide the establishment of a new record and its successor, but he and the other pillars were secretly grateful that Kenja wished to conceal his result.
The records were meant to push the limits of the challenging disciples with clear goals and tasty incentives, but his performance was a tad…impossible. The previous record had been in place for centuries and long-believed unbeatable, but Kenja's sword flew past that mark several times over. The blade hadn't stopped until it hit the boundaries of the room for heaven's sake. Even if an aberrant, once-in-a-millenium cultivator with a talent for the 'Ethereal Blade' came along, they couldn't very well fly past the walls of the Dragon's Basin.
This could be remedied by having the cultivator start away from the center platform, but just considering that notion was vexing for the giant pillar. Just imagine it! Asking the junior disciples to relocate onto one of the heads of his pillar-brethren for the purpose of undertaking a hopeless challenge…
Moreover, it was difficult to decline the request of such a courteous disciple, his compassionate sword…and the crotchety snail with a chilling aura that had already kidnapped one of them in the blink of an eye.
With a sincere smile and the still-clinging Sakura glued to his back, he clasped his hands and bowed slightly. "Junior thanks his seniors. Junior wishes to challenge the Foundation Establishment record for the 'Ethereal Blade' technique."
After flying around on Sakura for the better part of the day, he inquired Puchi and Snail about the 'Ethereal Blade' technique. He learned that those in the Qi Flourishing stage could fly on their sword from between five to thirty minutes at a time before needing to take an extended break to recoup Qi and regain focus. This meant that Sakura, who allowed him to fly everywhere with effortless ease and for several hours at a time, was an unfathomable existence.
Since Kenja reached the Qi Flourishing stage, he had attained the ability to sense the relative strength and stage within other cultivators, but when faced with those at the Core Crystallization stage and beyond, they shared a smiliar feeling of facing a vast, incomprehensible power that he could do nothing against. Snail, Souji, Elder Kazane, Sora Yu, Matsushita Hizumi, and even these Pillars of Will—it was like trying to compare oceans of varying sizes without seeing their boundaries or depths. Kenja could tell that there were sizable differences between them just based on Snail's overbearing attitude, but he was too weak and inexperienced to measure the distinction.
Because he had become familiar with this helpless sensation when facing others, he was at a loss when looking at Sakura. He couldn't sense that 'vast, incomprehensible power' within her like the others or any power for that matter. Not that he would ever tell her this, but if she lay perfectly still without her sheath, he would believe she was a heavily-rusted sword on the brink of shattering into pieces.
Knowing that after divvying up the tribulation stones in the caves' meditation pools, the sect's Qi reserves would be depleted, he decided to enter the sect's Challenge Room and utilize the enigmatic Sakura to clear one or more of their records. In this way, he could kill two birds with one stone: he would replenish the sect's Qi before the Yin-Yang imbalance became too noticeable, and he would ascertain Sakura's true capabilities for himself.
Xiang Xin nodded approvingly at the humble Kenja while turning to speak to Huai Yi, "This is what a true disciple of the Flowing River sect should be like. He doesn't overestimate himself, but he still looks to the future, wishing to surpass himself and everyone else. With modesty, forethought and ambition, I hereby give this junior my acknowledgment."
One of the pillars surrounding them slowly dipped several cun into the water. The same greenish-bluish hue that he saw before rippled from the pillar across the surface, increasing the Qi in the water and air.
Xiang Xin raised his left eyebrow at the bearded ghost as he challenged him, "You still don't deem him worthy, brother?"
Truthfully, after setting a new record, many would avoid trying the next challenge unless they had reattained their peak form and were planning to defeat the record in one go. To attempt the next tier of the challenge simply to establish a new goal or understand the difficulty of what's to come , you put yourself at risk of allowing a demon into your heart. Only those with complete confidence or a mind stronger than steel would be unperturbed by the results and receive the benefits of pre-emptive exploration.
Huai Yi frowned in displeasure at being put on the spot. He held his hands behind his back as he looked at Kenja and spoke in a loud voice, "After confirming the quality of his sword's spirit, I cannot claim to not see his potential, but I believe it is still too early to give him my acknowledgment. How many young 'geniuses' had reached the peak of the Qi Flourishing stage in record time only to fail in breaking through to the next stage? How many times have you witnessed an exceptional seedling pass away in seclusion?"
He released a sigh and turned to look at Xiang Xin.
"You have always been too easy on your juniors, brother. Just look at what became of your disciple if you want proof! He successfully surpassed our records in the Qi Flourishing stage, but that was as far as he could go. You ended up wasting your own time and resources on him, only to let him drag you down with him."