The breakthrough when it came shattered the Dharmic body that I had created, the creation of my first Dao pillar was a monumental step forward. I knew that it was only a step, but my fledgling understanding of the Dao of movement would increase my effectiveness in all aspects of martial techniques. My newly gained understanding tempered both my Dharmic body and my meridian network.
It took longer to form a new body than normal, as I integrated the profound truth of Movement into the spiritual construct. The changes to both spirit and body would mean that I would move faster, my actions smoother, my techniques flowing like water and air. But that was only the beginning. I would think faster, my attacks and defenses would be sharper, crisper as I wove the truth of movement into my training.
As I traveled the path of Dao, I would become more closely attuned with my affinities, until they merged and became part of my Dao. There were many Dao's I could have gained enlightenment from, that the Heaven's had gifted my actions with the [Dao of Movement] was fortuitous. This Dao would make for a powerful synergy with the martial skills I was practicing. I was already forging the techniques of a cultivator that could out-maneuver those more powerful. With the truth of movement integrated into my fighting style, I would be able to and hold my own against those even a step above my cultivation Realm.
Movement was intricately linked with so many other powerful Dao's. Time, entropy, chaos, order, they all responded to movement in some manner. Einstein had posited the theory of relativity, at the heart of that fundamental truth was his attempt to explain and define how time and space are linked. His forays into physics were considered by many the first step in the creation of a field of study trying to understand string theory. As a physicist tried to reconcile quantum mechanics with classical physics, I realized that across all of these universal truths was the concept of movement.
The answer each of them was searching for was the enlightenment that could be found within the understanding of Dao. No matter how you came to enlightenment; time, chaos, order, movement, the Dao of each of these splintered concepts could be encapsulated within the umbrella of Nirvana. Dao was the string theory that explained and defined the workings of the Universe.
My duality of thought, one guiding my cultivation, the other forming my new Dao body joined, a profound Ying/Yang entity, each side of a duality meeting and forming along an unbreakable seam that mirrored so much about the mortal condition. It was this duality, this Ying/Yang that set the tone for self-identity and sexual attraction.
If the Ying/Yang were unbalanced, that would be reflected in the personality traits of aggression and compassion. Gender attraction, heterosexuality, bisexuality, or homosexuality were also greatly influenced by this imbalance. The soul was never meant to travel alone, and it was the instinctive need to find a partner that complemented the Ying and Yang that guide an individual to a suitable partner. In order to balance their dualism, someone lacking Yin would gravitate towards a person who had an overflowing abundance of that principle.
Dual cultivation only became possible when the Ying and Yang of both parties complimented each other perfectly. It was why a pair of individuals that was in sync were considered a blessing and sacrosanct. Their ability to cultivate in tandem encouraged no matter the gender or sexuality of the pair because the chances of finding your perfect soulmate were so rare as to verge on the impossible.
For me, I saw this duality within myself for the first time. My Ying/Yang energies were as close to truly balanced, almost in perfect equilibrium. What that meant in the future I wasn't sure. But what it meant for the moment was that combined with my spirit root and dual affinities, I was in the best position I could find myself. Of course, there existed imperfections, but Genesis had created a virtual body for me that would respond to the work I invested in cultivating.
As I reached enlightenment and gazed upon the duality of my soul, I took that next step reaching the perfected level of the middle tier for the Body Refinement Realm. My growth, an increase of two stages in less than a year was impressive if not genius level. There were those in the Sect that would move from low tier to high tier in this same amount of time. But my cultivation speed was formidable.
I had hoped to break through to the high tier before the Sect tournament. It was still possible. And that combined with my new understanding of my understanding of Dao would help me to do well, it should allow me to hold my own against Braun who had been in closed-door cultivation all of this time.
I wasn't so naïve as to believe he hadn't been fed resources to help him increase his cultivation while he was placed in forced solitude. With no duties and nothing to do but cultivate, he had to have advanced. I just hoped that he hadn't been given such an unfair supply of resources as to make his ascent up the Realms meteoric.
I exited the cave my Dantian filled and my meridian channels and nodes brimming with energy. Refreshed, my muscle response and synaptic neurons were firing at an improved rate of speed. Even without activating [Lightning's Rush], I noticed a marked increase in my reaction times.
Satisfied with the gains I had managed to integrate using the dense Qi that had accumulated in the mine; I retraced my footsteps back to where I had first sighted the Roc. I was hoping to find a nest. A Roc chick or egg would be a formidable companion if I could bond with one.
Because I was hoping to tame one, an unhatched egg would be best. But I would be happy with a juvenile as long as it hadn't grown an entire set of pin feathers. One could still be tamed if it had matured to that point, but it would require a Cultivator that was focusing on Taming as their secondary profession.
Keeping one eye on the sky, I slowly approached an upper area that I thought might be home to any nest the Roc may have built. I skirted the edge of the area, climbing higher hoping I could get a better view. Rocs are fiercely territorial, and because of that there would not be another nesting pair in any of the surrounding mountains.
The size of the planet actually made the isolation each pair required easier to secure. Territory battles and squabbles still occurred, but it was usually easier for a new breeding pair to continue searching until they found an unclaimed area or one that had been abandoned.
It took the entire morning for me to finally find any evidence that a breeding pair existed. In all that time, the male Roc that had attacked me the previous day had remained hidden. The animal must have recently snagged a large enough prey to feed himself and his mate for today day at least. While not scavengers like vultures, they were opportunists, and if they found recently killed or wounded prey, they would confiscate the animal.
They were large enough and powerful enough to make off with entire carcasses, and nests were often littered with discarded furs, bones, scales, and feathers. The nests themselves were built using loose rocks, a roughhewn barrier filled with carefully selected pebbles. This landfill of loose debris resulted in a structure that was stronger and more ably fortified than anything constructed of twig and branch.
The nest, when I finally located it, had been built on a ledge, the ledge a place to land while opening into a deep depression. Not quite a cave, the opening was deep enough to hide from anything flying over, unless an animal was willing to invest time doing a careful search. Anything that was that methodical would be noticed and earn the anger of the adult Rocs. They would launch an attack long before the intruder could find the nest.
My guess that the male Roc had managed to catch prey or find a large enough carcass to make hunting unnecessary true, proved correct. It looked like I had supplied dinner for the animals. The Eoraptor carcasses that I had left behind a couple of days back was lodged on the ledge that held the nest. The meat in easy reach for the female Roc to tear into bite-sized pieces for her chicks without moving from the security of the nest.
I couldn't see if they were brooding on a clutch of eggs at first, not where I was when I first discovered the nest. But a change of position using a quick burst of [Lightning's Rush] to allow me to climb higher and at an angle allowed me to take stock.
Three large blue speckled eggs nestled securely in the pebbles that had been scavenged were basking in the afternoon sun. The egg color allowed me to identify the type of affinity the Rocs possessed. Air Aspect Rocs, perfect for bonding with a Cultivator that had a dual affinity for water and air. One that could call the Storms and control the Lightning.
We would make a great team if I could gain the beast's trust after it hatched. And if I didn't kill myself while trying to steal an egg while its parents were guarding.