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> The 3rd Law of Cultivation: Qi=MC^2 > 7 — Totally not Drug Trafficking
7 — Totally not Drug Trafficking
The 3rd Law of Cultivation: Qi=MC^2 by Werds_Are_Tough

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Wrinkles upon wrinkles merged into one, as the Old Man stared at the green Elixir in my hand. He hummed to himself thoughtfully, his eyes narrowing down to two dark slits hidden under his wrinkly face.
I kept my expression straight, kneeling nearby as I held out the Elixir to him. The fact that I wasn't smiling with a smug expression impressed me a lot, as my cheeks hurt from having smiled all the while I'd tested the new Elixir. My tests had shown that it was around 4% more potent than the normal version, and 19% faster.
That may not seem like much if not for the fact that I'd only barely just started learning alchemy. Results like this may have been a fluke for now, but it was extremely promising nonetheless for the potential of much more development.
Even back home, chemistry began as alchemy and the desire to create gold. Same with the immortality chase and herbal science in Asia. Both of these fields were fuelled by the greed of the rich and powerful. Yet, both of these fields eventually led to become something far more valuable to humanity, and a way to study the world around us. If I could show the potential Alchemy had, research it and break it down in an understandable way, then perhaps I could spark a change in this world as well.
I doubt it would happen in my lifetime, and I didn't know if I'll even manage to succeed in breaking down the mysteries behind this world within my lifetime. But that did not matter. Even just a start would be enough for me. And this was a cultivation world, perhaps I'd pick up enough tidbits to live a bit longer. Worth it if it let me further my research.
"So you've done it, despite my warnings then," the old man said, and I nodded. He sighed once, walked forward as he took the porcelain bottle, swirling it once.
"Did you succeed in improving the recipe Lu Jie?" the old man asked, inspecting the elixir.
"Somewhat," I replied, "There's a lot to be improved even now. But it's marginally better, and slightly more cost efficient," I said as Old Man's continued to stare at my elixir.
"Do you know why, trying to improve these recipes is frowned upon, Lu Jie?" the Old Man asked, I shook my head, straightening up slightly. Something about the tone of his voice made me worry.
"The Ancestors, who established the Seven Celestial peak, from which the Cloudy Peaks sect branch was formed, had also formed a vault of alchemy. It is now run by a council of elders and holds many of the recipes that our ancestors had left behind," the Old man's voice was fraught, as he looked at me. "They safeguard the recipes, and the commonly available alchemical books only contain the simplified versions. Any alternate brewings are shut down, and added to the vaults."
I frowned, sighing somewhat. I'd expected this. Partially at the very least. It was difficult not to. No matter how backwards the technology might be, these Alchemists and cultivators lived for centuries, and are leagues better than what I can do with my own Qi. Something as simple as mixing in the Spirit lotus into the elixir would not remain untested for such a long period of time.
The obvious answer that I'd come to the conclusion to had been that some powerful figure was controlling the recipes present in the market.
"I've known a few, who'd still continued, trying to explore the depths that their knowledge and gifts would take them. They usually die, by some misfortune, or in some explosion from their elixirs or pills," The old man said, handing me the bottle of elixir back.
"Do you really wish to continue down this path Lu Jie? It isn't too late. You can climb much higher than this old man ever did. I've seen the drive in your eyes boy. But it doesn't have to go against the Elders to pursue that path," the old man said, his voice heavy and tired. I think he knew my answer, and the concern on his expression hurt me.
I stared at my elixir, frowning. I could go through the hoops, live as an Alchemist under the sect, and rise through the ranks, while experimenting on the side. But was that truly what I wanted to do?
No, definitely not. I wanted to be no part of these politics, and bullshit. Even as an alchemist, being part of the sect would mean interacting with cultivators, which I already had to do more than I'd like to. Not to mention, other alchemists might try to steal my recipes, or betray me, or just push me down a notch if I rise too fast. It was far too tedious.
No, I'd instead be free. I had no intention of going against any elders, or organisation, but I had no intention of being tied down either. What I needed was a lab. A lab of my own, where I could freely experiment, as I pleased, and research all I want, free from the concerns of the cultivator nonsense.
I raised my head, taking a deep breath in when the Old Man raised his hand, shaking his head.
"No need boy, I know that look," the Old Man said with a tired sigh. "You have the spark I lacked as a youth Lu Jie. Perhaps this truly was the path chosen by the heavens for you, but I see your desire to learn, and it is not one to be bound under chains, but one that wishes to soar like a dragon in the open skies," the old man said, smiling.
I scratched my nose, embarrassed by the heaps of praise. "I don't plan to go against the Elders, Master. I have no desire for conflict. But, I do not wish to be tied down by the sect. I would like to pursue my own craft, and stand on my own two feet," I replied. Had this been anyone else, I wouldn't have let my thoughts out so openly. Yet, even in just a few days, I'd come to think of the Old Man as my Master. And lying about this would've been an insult to him.
"There are free alchemists around. Usually more merchants than alchemists. It is difficult to make it out on your own, Lu Jie. Not in these cities. The lords of the empire provide for the sects, and any new rising powers are crushed with impunity."
I nodded. I knew this already, with how the sect was structured to favour strength. Not just the sect, but the entire empire. It was strength that ruled in these lands, and competition was not tolerated.
"I'd be more than happy to live a quiet comfortable life, pursuing my dream master. I don't dream of any more than that," I said, and the old man nodded.
"Very well, my disciple. You have chosen your path. As your master, all I can do is guide you along it. Let us begin the lesson," the old man said, and I smiled, taking out my little textbook as the now familiar scent of burning herbs and boiling elixirs touched my nose.
I'll follow my dream, and my Path. One step at a time.
***
Labby squeaked in my pouch, and I nudged his nose, trying to get him back in as I made my way.
For some reason, Labby had been refusing to leave my side for a few days. He'd climb on my body or my shoulder, or even sit on my head sometimes as I went through my notes. I hadn't been able to tell why he was doing so, so far. Nothing other than luring him with a pill or spirit herb would get him to leave me alone.
I ducked my head, keeping my eyes on the ground as a cultivator walked by. I wasn't particularly afraid of the disciples in the outer sect, but I still preferred not to stand out or be remembered by anyone if I could help it. The fewer people knew me, the easier it would be to leave the sect when I had enough money.
I smiled at the thought, patting my other pouch containing the spirit pills I'd agreed to give to Su Lin, in exchange for spirit herbs and a 3/4th share of what he got from the pills. The reason why I was even doing so, despite having Labby, was threefolds.
Firstly I did not know anyone who I could sell my pills to. Trying to explain where I got them would be annoying, and I had a feeling Su Lin would not care for the source so long as he got the pills.
The second would be, even if I knew someone who I could sell to. I'd have no idea how much these pills would cost, or how to get a good price for them. I wasn't a merchant or trader or anything, and Lu Jie had had no encounters with alchemy pills, or their prices, so his memory did not help either.
Lastly, I just didn't want to get involved. Perhaps Su Lin would sell these to whatever merchant he knew, or there genuinely was some smuggling going on. I did not care enough to stick my foot in there either way. Being an outside source, and creating my own pills means what I was doing was not illegal by any means.
There was the issue of Su Lin lying about how much the pills had sold for, which is why I'd asked the Old Man, how much these would roughly go for. The prices tended to vary but two silver and fifteen copper was his reply. Quite a bit more than I'd expected out of a single batch.
If Su Lin planned to lie to me, I'd be able to tell. But I suspected he would not do so. I'd tempted him with the promise of higher grade pills, it would be much more beneficial for him to have a good relationship with me.
I spotted Su Lin standing in the distance, under the shade of a tree, to a side path. I followed the way, walking nearby and Su Lin turned around walking away as he noticed me, a bit further ahead.
Stopping for a moment in confusion, I followed behind him. The way took me around the corner, behind the sparring chambers into a small bamboo thicket. I was starting to grow wary, wondering if an ambush was waiting for me here. Murder would be far too difficult to hide, and Su Lin did not seem the type to me, but I kept my guard up.
As if sensing my worries, I felt Labby's Qi flare. The little rat had grown a decent bit, though I suspected he was still not at the first realm yet. I gently patted his head, as he seemed to calm down somewhat.
"Do you have it?" I heard Su Lin ask from further ahead, his two crooked teeth showing as his nose twitched once. Definitely rat-like. Though Labby was far more precious.
"I do, do you have the herbs?" I asked, eyeing Su Lin.
He held a pouch in his hands, showing me the herbs. I stopped myself from snickering at how much this interaction felt like I was dealing drugs.
I took out my own pouch, and opened the bag, dropping the Qi refilling pills in my hands. I saw Su Lin's eyes go wide as he saw them. Unsurprising, it was difficult to get your hands on any pills as an outer disciple. I suspected a lot of them would be willing to pay me more than the pill's worth, just for the chance to cultivate better. It would make me money, but exploiting those disciples, or getting involved with them was something I wanted to avoid.
I held my hand out, handing the pills to Su Lin, and took my little herb bag.
"I never knew ye had it in ya Jie. I was expecting ya to not show up today," Su Lin said, storing the pills.
"Three fourths of the money goes to me," I said, looking at Su Lin, the lanky fellow nodded once, snickering.
"Got yourself a hand on the key perhaps. Nah, don't say it. I won't hear where you get these from. You'll have the money by next week, when we meet," Su Lin said, walking further into the grove.
I sighed, feeling slightly exhausted from the interaction. It was tough being a cultivation drug dealer.
"Let's go back eh Labby?" I said, and paused, when I didn't see Labby in my pouch. "Labby?" I called out, as panic began to build up in my chest. I walked out of the grove, trying to sense Labby's Qi when I heard an ear piercing shriek.
I ran towards where the noise came from, and just a bit further ahead, I found Labby frozen with a half eaten pill in his hand. A young girl stood with her fists bare, wearing intricate robes filled with Qi as lightning crackled among her fists.
"What is that rat doing here?" the girl shrieked, as her face turned red.
I felt my heart drop into my gut, as Lu Jie's memory informed me who she was. The girl I stared at was the young prodigy of the Inner sect, a famous young beauty, and the granddaughter of an Elder, Yan Yun.
Fuck me Labby, you'll get us both killed.
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> The 3rd Law of Cultivation: Qi=MC^2 > 8 — Forbidden Love
8 — Forbidden Love
The 3rd Law of Cultivation: Qi=MC^2 by Werds_Are_Tough

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Qi swirled in Yan Yun's dantian, her lightning arts crackling like a whip of power among her fists as her face turned red from anger. A shudder went through her spine as she relived the sensation of the rat crawling up her leg to grab a pill from her pouch and a murderous rage began to boil in her.
She churned her Qi, staring at the little rat and the confused boy. Both standing frozen in front of her.
"Is it yours?" Yan Yun asked, her voice clipped. There were very few things that she hated, snakes, insects or such bothered her little. Pests could not hurt a cultivator after, but rats were the one thing that she despised. It had stemmed from being bitten once as a young child, and the encounter had given her an unreasonable fear of rats that she hadn't managed to overcome yet.
The boy stood with wide eyes, gulping once before he nodded. Yan Yun took a breath, modulating her Qi as she cut off her Thunder Tempest Arts.
The boy hurriedly bowed his head, as the rab chittered, running away. "Forgive me, Senior sister, I'll keep a closer eye on him next time. It was my mistake," the boy spoke, clutching the little rat protectively.
"He ate my pill," Yan Yun said as she saw the boy wince. She would've felt pity normally, but she wasn't feeling charitable.
"Whatever, forget about it," Yan Yun said, infusing her voice with Qi. She clicked her tongue, feeling her mood sour. She looked forward to the little respite she got at the end of every week when she escaped to the outer sect to finally be free of her grandfather's influence, but the heavens seemed set on spiting her today.
Her mood further soured when she saw the boy just standing there instead of just running off at her dismissal. She was about to say a few scathing remarks when Yan Yun realised something.
"What're you doing all the way out here? Much less with a rat?" Yan Yun asked, her eyes briefly glancing at her surroundings.
This section of the outer sect was one of her hidden places. A peaceful thicket filled with gentle calm Qi that soothed her nerves from the overfraught training her grandfather put her through, or the lustful and pickering noble heirs and lords who kept eyeing her with distasteful eyes.
It had been her hiding spot of respite. The little groves, this and a few others, being the only places she could escape to, for some peace and quiet. To find others coming into these parts, made her feel as if her private space had been invaded.
"Err, umm. I was well, Labby can search for spirit herbs and..." the boy trailed off, leaving the rest of his words unsaid.
Yan Yun curled her eyebrows as she turned to look at the Rat hiding in the pouch at the boy's waist. She extended her senses, inspecting the rat when her eyes widened a bit at what she saw. Her discipline quickly kicked in as any hints of surprise was erased yet Yan Yun still found herself staring at the rat, and the miniscule amount of Qi sitting inside it.
She turned back to stare at the boy, as laughter began to well in her. A spirit rat of all things? Yan Yun had never heard of such a thing in her life. Spirit animals tended to be serene and pristine, marvels to be coveted, and beacons of strength that thrived under Nature's embrace. The rat in comparison, was tiny, with black fur and a cowardly disposition, not to mention the meagre amount of Qi it held.
Yet she wouldn't make a mockery of the boy, or the rat. All under the heavens had their places, even rats, spirit animals or not.
"Where did you find that spirit rat?" Yan Yun asked the boy, curious about how he'd found such a strange creature.
"Well, Labby had been eating up stuff in my chamber. And one day I caught him doing that, that's how," the boy replied, scratching his head as he ducked his head awkwardly.
Yan Yun snorted, amused by his reaction and the curious rodent. She could smell spirit herbs off the boy, their Qi mixing almost imperceptibly with his own, as if he bathed in them almost everyday.
"What do you even do with all those herbs?" Yan Yun asked, as her curiosity began to grow. There seemed to be something strange about this boy.
"I… well, I… eat them?" the boy said, almost as if he was unsure of himself. Yan Yun almost coughed in surprise as she stared at the boy silently for a moment.
"You- you eat spirit herbs?" Yan Yun asked, horrified by the boy's words. She knew that the outer sect disciples got few resources, to hear that one of them simply ate the spirit herbs, not even utilising their Qi to cultivate- Yan Yun shuddered inside.
"They taste pretty good actually, and there's interesting ways you can cook them," the boy said, as if urging her to try them out. Yan Yun felt a headache mounting, the stupidity of the idea making the world spin. Why would anyone not make pills to further their cultivation from spirit herbs and simply eat them as is? It made no sense, and she found a smile breaking out, as her discipline began to slip.
"You… are one strange boy," Yan Yun muttered, eyeing him. He looked to be older than her, around twenty or so if she were to guess. There was little remarkable to be noticed about him aside from his cultivation being only at the peak of the third realm. She'd have thought him to be a former cultivator, working as a servant if not for his outer sect robes.
Yet despite his simple appearance, something about his demeanour felt strange to her. Yan Yun silently stared at the boy for a moment, his eyes drifting around as he shuffled the rat that occasionally squeaked from his pouch.
A quick glance had him looking back at her, with a very awkward smile that he sent her way, that made the answer obvious to her. This man seemed to show almost next to no interest in her. Yan Yun wasn't arrogant enough to believe herself the most beautiful person around, but both her bloodline and her high cultivation meant her youth were captured at their peak. She knew that she was not the most beautiful one around, yet she was still quite beautiful.
It wasn't something she took pride in, and if Yan Yun could trade her beauty for a quiet life, she'd do it in a heartbeat. Her beauty had made her the target of many young men's courting attempts and not all of them had been civil with their attempts. It had forced her to be better than her peers at all times, to remain a step ahead, as no man wished for their wives to be stronger or smarter than them.
It had forced her into cultivating against her wishes, and live through the heavy expectations of her grandfather, as he imposed lessons on her to be more feminine and to stop her rambunctious and tomboyish behavior.
Yan Yun hated every moment of it. She had no interest in embroidery, or to be married off to some noble by her grandfather. And so, cultivation had been her respite, her struggle for freedom, which she had desperately clung to.
That was why, it surprised her to no end, to find the boy not eyeing her as all young men did. Not turning lustful eyes away, as they derobed her in their minds. She had grown sensitive to such thoughts over the years, and the lack of which baffled her.
Another thought hit Yan Yun just a moment later. What if the boy was not interested in women? Yan Yun paused, taking another look at the secluded location she was in. She vaguely remembered sensing another presence nearby, one of the boy's and another one that had been distinctly male.
Pieces began to fall together in Yan Yun's mind. A young boy, uninterested in women, with a quirky spirit rat and the habit of eating spirit herbs. A secluded location and a tryst between two lovers that weren't meant to be.
Yan Yun's Qi began to pulse faster, golden lightning began to crackle in her eyes. Ideas upon ideas began to spin themselves together, tales of forbidden love spinning in her mind as she looked at the boy in a completely new light once more.
Had she just found herself interrupting a meeting between two hidden lovers? Yan Yun almost giggled out loud. A secret hobby of hers had been reading the romance between those of the same gender, and a hidden stash of books still remained in her closet to this day that she read through occasionally.
Yan Yun coughed lightly as she saw the boy slowly inching away from her. She'd gotten too excited and her Qi had begun flaring up.
"What's your name?" she asked the boy, struggling to hold back her squeal of delight. The boy hesitated for a moment, before he spoke.
"Lu Jie," the boy said, and his rat squeaked as if in agreement.
Yan Yun felt the name was a bit bland, but not everything could be as per the books she'd read. "Lu Jie, I would normally ask you to not visit this place again, or to ever speak of it with anyone as it's my private place for respite."
Lu Jie nodded, gulping once.
"But, I have changed my mind. You can visit this little area, so long as you don't share its existence with anyone else, outside of… the other person who knows."
She watched horror descend on the boy's face and Yan Yun hurriedly reassured him.
"Don't worry, I, Yan Yun, with the heavens as my witness swear to treat your secret as if it were my own." Yan Yun exclaimed as her Qi flexed, and the oath was formed. She gave the boy what she thought to be a reassuring smile as she pushed down another delightful giggle threatening to burst out.
Lu Jie huh? She'd have to keep an eye on him.
***
I stared at the crazy girl, as she flashed me a smile, her eyes still glowing with what looked like electric sparks. I was torn in asking her to use her abilities to test if it followed normal electricity and just dashing the hell away from her.
She'd talked about keeping my secret and even swore an oath to the heavens! Lu Jie's memory had quickly informed me that even a weak oath like that would set her back a month in her cultivation. Not something to be taken lightly, and that baffled me all the more.
Hadn't she just caught me red handed? Hadn't Labby just stolen her alchemical pill? Why was she being so nice? Or more accurately, crazy? I couldn't think of a single reason she'd not just tell this to her grandfather and get me kicked or crippled or whatever punishment the sect had in place.
"You can go now," the girl said, waving her hand away.
"Thank you Senior Sister," I bowed, trying to sound as grateful as I could. It wasn't even a lie, I was very grateful to her for not ratting me out. But I was also extremely suspicious and creeped out. She'd just barged in and mostly just glared at me before her demeanor had flipped around all of a sudden, as she'd started smiling to herself.
Whatever, don't fuck with the crazies as they say. Especially if they have a high and mighty cultivation grandfather. The girl was trouble and I wanted as little to do with her as I could. I hurriedly turned around, cursing Su Lin for his quick escape and Labby for being pretty much a drug addicted Lab Rat as I hurriedly walked away.
Labby squeaked, sinking into my pouch as he felt my emotions from my Qi. I sighed, giving in as I bestowed some pets onto the little rat. I had been too naive with Labby. I'd need to train him and teach him not to run off like that, not only can it get me in trouble, but it may also just get him killed.
I should be glad the girl didn't just straight up murder me because she was strong. The lightning Qi I'd felt from her still made my arm hair's rise from its intensity.
I shook my head, shelving the thoughts for another day. I was too tired. I set the pouch down, letting Labby out into my room.
"It's alright Labby. I just realised that I need to pay more attention to you," Labby squeaked in reply, before he ran off to some corner to do whatever he wanted to.
I let him go, sighing before I remembered the original purpose I'd went to all that trouble for. I dug into the little pouch, as I dug out the spirit herbs Su Lin had given me.
Qi spilled forth alongside the pleasant smell of the various assortment of spirit herbs that sat in my hands and a smile began to cover my face, my exhaustion already fading.
A lot of fun experimentation awaited me, and I had no intention of letting any of these go to waste.
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Comments (13)
Newest Most Liked
CrazyReader· Dec 6, 2021
Thanks for the Chapter. I am so grateful that you avoided the trope of "Here's a discipline who interested in me, now let's follow him and become a love interest
Reply · 10 Likes · ·
andyjh· Dec 22, 2021
I was very worried about that when she started going on about how he wasn't interested in her. Even if she finds out later and then falls for him it'll at least make more sense, she'll actually know him as a person instead of just wounded pride.
Reply · 11 Likes · ·
Azel· Mar 3, 2022
Where is the fun with that if all he did is
Experiment
Experiment
breakthrough
Experiment
Countless times. In fact, this is also a trope of doing the exactly the same as other chinese novels of ignoring everything for power/experimentation
Reply · ·
andyjh· Dec 22, 2021
I have a few questions about how the beauty is perceived. Because how we view beauty changes depending on various things and has changed several times as history progresses, it used to be considered beautiful to be fat, because it was a sign of wealth and if you look at actresses for movies from the 50's we don't see them as incredibly attractive anymore (I mean in the movies when they were young not now when they'd be old) so does this world have the same beauty standard as the mc does? If not it would make sense that he's not interested in the other chick.
Reply · 4 Likes · ·
Enchantbook· Feb 5, 2022
I haven't seen any novels that put that into consideration but that's super interesting, Gonna go on the prowl for anything like that, cheers!
Reply · 3 Likes · ·
Fuxy· Jan 18, 2022
Please don't make him be the center of attention of random cultivators... for once I would like to see a story where the MC actually stays low profile instead of just f*cking up to celebrity status...
Reply · 3 Likes · ·
MarkofWisdom· Dec 6, 2021
Spoiler
Yan Yun is eager to get away from her grandfather's influence? Is he smothering/annoying to her? Or just frustrating he gets pestered by everyone and has no alone time or people actually wanting to be friends with her rather than use her for a goal? (Later)-sort of both-harsh training from her grandpa and lots of people around her viewing her as a goal/trophy to be won
Yan Yun seems like a genuinely nice girl, and seems to have some similar goals to Lu Jie in just being left alone and living her own life, though she's been much less successful at it so far than he is.
"as no man wished for their wives to be stronger or smarter than them."
Lu Jie-"Ooh, ooh, I'm no man! I mean-I'd love a wife that was stronger and smarter than me."
Pfft, Yan Yun's misunderstanding and apparent rooting for Lu Jie's "forbidden love" with Su Lin is pretty funny. Her being a secret BL fan explains her reaction, as well as jumping to the wrong conclusion. I wonder how she'll feel when/if she finds out she was wrong about it and that Lu Jie's one true love is alchemy. Hmm, perhaps Lu Jie won't end up becoming a romantic interest of hers, but he may eventually help her escape the sect and find her own sort of love?
I do actually kind of hope they become friends-Lu Jie could get her help to experiment with Qi based lightning and electricity and start making crazy inventions and stuff with that
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> The 3rd Law of Cultivation: Qi=MC^2 > 9 — Experiments
9 — Experiments
The 3rd Law of Cultivation: Qi=MC^2 by Werds_Are_Tough

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A shit-eating grin covered my face as I stood in my messy room that had more area covered by random junk and notes lying around than the floor itself. I stared at the porcelain bowl filled with spirit grass, that sat in boiling water. The goal was to boil the essence from the spirit grass and examine its properties. I'd have preferred a test tube, but something like that would have to be specifically made by a glassworker and I had nowhere near enough money for that. Glass was quite rare, and a sign of wealth as well.
It was something I'd think about once I'd managed enough to set up my own lab and alchemy shop.
I left the boiling porcelain bowl, moving aside to inspect the various spirit herbs I'd gotten. So far, I'd managed to make two broad distinctions in the types of herbs that Su Lin had provided me. The first one was the "standard" Qi type of herb. A general plant that had Qi inside of it. The second and more interesting one were the plants with special attunements and properties. Like the prismatic lotus, or the seven poison spirit leaves, and lightning ginseng that sparked every time I put Qi through it.
These plants shared specific attunements of Qi and I wanted to test what was different in normal Qi compared to attuned Qi.
Different though they may be, both these spirit herb types shared a common factor that they contained some form of Qi in them. The difference between these, and the regular plants that I fed Qi to was that these plants could absorb the Qi from their surroundings.
Almost as a normal plant would absorb water and carbon dioxide, these absorbed Qi. I was hoping to keep some and create a chamber completely devoid of Qi and see if the herbs would survive in there, or lose their magical properties.
The thought that the plants were cultivating came to my mind, yet I shot down the idea quite quickly. From what I could tell from Lu Jie's memory, cultivation required the conscious channeling of Qi. What the plants were doing was akin to something more along the lines of simply breathing in the Qi, and soaking it in, instead of any guided cultivation.
I do wonder if some plants could cultivate though. Did they even have a dantian? Animals could cultivate, Labby was a perfectly good example. The little rat didn't exactly know the concept of cultivating, but I'd found him channeling his Qi on his own sometimes. So perhaps it was instinctual to animals, how they were supposed to cultivate.
I hummed to myself, turning to stare at the little pots with mostly regular and a couple of spirit plants sitting around. Another interesting thing I'd noticed was how difficult spirit plants were to grow. It made sense that the sect had to create an area dedicated to them. Spirit grass, I could grow anywhere, but something like the prism lotus, or lightning ginseng was far too difficult.
That's why I was testing with the spirit grass, to see if I could find something that could help me grow spirit herbs of my own. It'd solve most of my problems if I could source my own spirit herbs, and not only that, but set up a method of hastening their growth.
I'd had a few opportunities to try, and I was starting to have a gnawing suspicion that my Qi could increase the speed at which these herbs grew. The difference was minuscule, as after two weeks of supplying Qi to one plant, and not to the other, I'd found the one fed with Qi to be a bit more healthier and taller.
This was no real indication that it had happened due to my Qi and not just genetics, so a group based test with random assortments of plants will need to be done to verify it. If only I had a garden or something, and a lot more Qi. This was the most tempted I'd ever been to try out cultivation.
I'd even tried to sit down one day, just to see how it worked and I'd found my whole body itching as I shook my knees and wrists, unable to sit in place. I wasn't even surprised, I'd never been able to just sit down and do nothing in my life. I had to do something, tap my fingers, or hum a tune. Just something.
Squeak!
The sound came as Labby ran into the room and rushed up my leg. "Whoa whoa whoa, calm down little buddy," I said, as Labby clung fiercely to my body.
I turned to look at the direction he'd come from, to see what exactly had scared him so much. A ginger cat walked closer, staring with wide eyes at me, not expecting to see something five times its size around.
"Ah a cat, that makes sense I suppose. I'd expect a spirit animal to be fine though," I said, scratching Labby's head as he squeaked, his voice still nervous.
I waved the cat away from my chamber, receiving a hateful glare from the animal. "I can't let you eat my assistant and spirit herb detector just like that," I said to the cat as it turned its butt towards me, walking away.
"You really need to stop getting into so much trouble, Labby," I said, as Labby calmed down a bit.
I extended my palm and Labby climbed on my arm and sat there. I smiled. The week after the encounter with the strange cultivator girl, I'd decided to train Labby a bit. He was smarter, smarter than even dogs and cats I suspected, so there was no reason not to train him.
"Sit," I said, as Labby sat on his back legs, raising his front ones up.
"Roll," I continued, as Labby lay down on my arm, and rolled once. I pet his head, as the little rat squeaked once, adorably. I dug into my sleeves and pulled out a pill to give it to him.
"Good boy!" I praised Labby as the rat dug into his treat. "Maybe also bring me that spirit grass from there?"
His ear swiveled once, as he squeaked, jumping off in a single leap. Labby ran through the room, going up to my counter as he grabbed a few grass leaves and ran up to me. I smiled, shaking my head. What he'd brought me was normal grass leaves, I'd kept it in the place I usually kept my spirit grass.
"I guess you're not that smart yet. Still pretty damn smart though," Labby stared at me for a moment, before his attention was brought back to the pill in his hand, and the gluttonous rat began to chow down.
I shook my head, amused by Labby's actions. Aside from being extremely smart, the other little give-aways I'd noticed about Labby were how his fur was extremely fluffy. Like, you'd imagine a rat to be filthy and what not, but Labby looked like he went to a spa on a daily basis. I did still clean him once a week with some water and a brush, but there was definitely something unnatural about his fur.
The second thing was how he didn't need to eat any food. Which was somewhat similar to me. Just a few days ago, I'd realised that, stuck in my notes, I'd forgotten to eat, or drink anything for two days straight. It was only when someone had come to check in, thinking I'd died that I'd realised how much time had passed by. Perks of having a cultivator's body I suppose, but I enjoyed eating things too much to give it up.
The rattling of the porcelain cup told me my spirit herb solution was prepared and ready to be messed around with.
I walked closer, removing the single spirit stone that was fueling the Qi based burner stove I'd created as I waited for the heat to cool off slightly. A moment later I realised I could grab the plate straight away, as I was fairly resistant to heat as a cultivator.
I took out the fibrous strands of lifeless grass that remained, as I stared at the sloshing greenish water that sat in the plate. Putting most of it in a porcelain bowl I closed the lid, before I took another dish and poured some of the Essence-water in.
"Time to see just what makes you work," I said out loud, as I sat down on the floor, and began to channel my Qi into the spirit water. The first and most obvious difference was the Qi present in the water pushing against my own. I couldn't forcefully saturate it like normal water, as the Essence of the spirit herb pushed back any attempts I made.
Instead I began to circulate my Qi. For once, I found it easier to do so, as I didn't have to forcefully calm my excitement down. Something shifted in the essence of the Qi present in the Essence-water.
I tried to pay close attention as the still plate of water slowly but surely began to swirl. I felt my excitement shooting up, as I began to circulate my Qi even faster. Something stirred in my mind and I followed my gut, closing my eyes to focus as I changed my Qi circulation, splitting it in two parts. Two circles swirled in two loops, one into the other, like a never ending cycle.
I felt a strong shift in the Qi around me, as if a vortex had been opened, the Qi in the air began to be sucked into my body. I opened my eyes to see the water swirling in a smooth manner, untouched by any force outside the circulation of my Qi, as the Essence of the water began to flow into me, helping me absorb even more Qi than before.
The results shocked me, breaking me out of my circulation method. I let the Qi settle for a moment as I inspect the water. I'd just made the water in this plate swirl without touching it, purely using my Qi.
There were far far too many possible answers for this, but I put them away, rushing to my notes as I began to jot down what I'd observed. Not only had the water begun to swirl when I used the different method, but the Essence in the water had seamlessly merged into my own Qi, the moment I'd begun to cultivate.
Something about the essence, had helped me speed up my Qi circulation. I scribbled down in my notes, grinning as I went back to the Qi try and induce another reaction.
I swirled the Qi near my hand, keeping my finger close to the dish as I tried to project it outwards, to rotate the Essence-water. A few seconds passed by as I frowned, focusing harder and harder but the water showed no reaction.
I was missing something. Something about the method of cultivation itself? I frowned as I tried to think over what the reason could be. I might need to get a look at the library, to find more information about the cultivation techniques we were taught. I knew them by instinct from Lu Jie's memory but lacked the needed understanding to break down how it worked.
My eyes turned towards the plate one more, as gentle swirls swayed the Essence-water. I looked to the side, to see Labby circulating his Qi, in a manner extremely similar to my own.
"You sneaky little rat you," I said, in a quiet whisper to not disturb Labby. I'd leave him for his cultivation trip. Perhaps he can surpass me and become some kind of cultivation god-beast, and I could work freely living off of his wealth.
I snickered, laughing at the prospect as I poured some essence water on another plate. There was another experiment I had in mind.
If my hypothesis was true, then there should be a fire starting within that Qi infused water, and I didn't know if that was any worse than normal fire or not, so I was going to stay further away.
Taking a moment, I set the essence water on the ground and took a step away. I channeled my Qi, and then, similar to the way I started a fire, I set the water on fire.
A blazing white inferno erupted from the plate as porcelain shards shot off. I leapt back as a tongue of fire threatened to lick at me, but it faded out right after as the water evaporated instantly in the explosion.
I stared at the charred remains of my plate and the dark black marks on the ground, as my heart pounded. The panic faded soon as laughter began to bubble inside me, pouring forth in a mixture of relief and amusement.
"Exploding water, that's the shit. Hah!" I laughed, a few moments longer, my smile maintaining on my face as I heard Labby squeaking in anger, having woken up from his trance.
"Broke your cultivation eh buddy?" I said, petting Labby as an apology, but my mirth was not lost.
I shook my head in silent admonishment, and reminded myself to be careful, as I enjoyed the best part any chemistry lab experiment in any world had to offer. The explosions.
I love my life here.
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10 — Labby
The 3rd Law of Cultivation: Qi=MC^2 by Werds_Are_Tough

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Qi swirled within a small core. It thrummed it, pulsed it stretched. She was at the cusp of something. To become something larger than before. Even though she didn't know any such concepts, being guided purely by instinct to seek out the light buried within her being.
The Qi swirled once more, two circles turning into one. There was a brief shudder, a moment of resistance before the barriers broke, and the Qi of the world rushed into her body, forming the very first circle in her Dantian.
She had just broken through to the First Realm.
Awareness came flooding in all at once. Knowledge, wisdom, understanding. Her being expanded, as she grew to be more than she'd ever been. Her nose twitched from the smell of herbs, and she let her mind drift on the torrents of Qi pouring within her.
The Qi asked her for a name.
Labby.
The answer came all of a sudden. Labby, she thought to herself.
La Bi?
The Qi asked. She didn't know. She knew that La Bi wasn't right. The Qi liked it but it wasn't right. Yet something about Labby was wrong as well, something in the Qi told her that the word was unfamiliar. Not from here.
Labby protested in her mind. The Great Master had named her so, and so she shall be called
She accepted the name, swirling her Qi angrily. That was who she was. Labby, and not La Bi. The words may not be from here, but they were of her Great Master's, and that was how she'd be known. The Qi resisted, shuddering for a moment before it broke, and the torrents began to flow. The Qi accepted her will as its own as her breakthrough was finalised, a purpose and identity were formed. The Qi took a sigh of relief, as its name was revealed and it began to fill her Dantian.
Labby.
She said in her mind, feeling happy. It felt right now. It felt like her. The Qi disliked the name, but Labby had started to like it. The great name her Great Master had bestowed upon her must have some special meaning to it, one so grand even the Qi didn't know about it.
Labby squeaked to herself, feeling content and happy. Her eyes shifted over the sacred workshop. The place where her Great Master worked his miracles, producing delicious pills that he gave to her, in his boundless generosity.
Perhaps she could help him with the task now?
The thought pleased Labby. Yes, he'd called her an assistant. So she'd try and help her great master out. But where to start?
Labby sniffed the air, as her gaze travelled to the divine texts. Her Great Master always seemed to write in them. She hadn't realised it before, but now that she could think clearly, she knew that he must have imparted his words of wisdom onto those texts. They may allow her to learn the Sacred art of her great master as well.
She could even make her own delicious pills!
Labby squeaked happily at the thought once more, her tail moving happily behind her. She jumped off the table, running to where her great master sat deep in thought. Labby slowly climbed on his tall shoulder, perching on them as she looked down at the words of wisdom he wrote on the paper.
It was then that Labby realised something very important. She couldn't read. The words the great master wrote curved and twisted flowing into one another. They were not the sharp stokes of the brush she'd expected them to be, but akin more to the scribbles of a kid.
What kind of strange language did her Great Master use? Labby thought about that, before the obvious realisation came upon her. It must be a language he'd created! Her master was great, so there was no reason he couldn't create a language of his own. Labby would do her best to learn it as well.
Labby squeaked out to her master, trying to make her wishes known. The great master turned to look at Labby, breaking out his trance. A gentle smile covered his face as his hand rubbed her head, and Labby leaned in, feeling happy. But soon, he returned to his notes, forgetting about her.
Labby sat waiting for a moment before she realised he wasn't paying attention to her. Labby tried to speak to her master, yet all that came out were quiet squeaks. She couldn't speak like he did, she didn't have the ability to.
The thought filled her with frustration. She wished to talk to her Great Master. To learn his great teachings and make pills of her own. If she couldn't even speak then how would she do that?
Labby couldn't come up with an answer. Filled with frustration she was about to go bite the evil Orange-Cat once more when a scent came upon her nose. Labby sniffed once more, the Qi making her nose tingle. The scent was familiar to the Storm and Lightning woman her Great Master had rescued her from.
Entranced by the scent, Labby ran jumping up the table. She used her paws to try and open a drawer but the hefty wooden structure groaned, refusing to move. She used her Qi, flexing them and the drawer opened, letting out a thick plume of Qi and the scent of herbs. Labby squeaked, squeezing herself in as she sat next to the herb, filled with lightning Qi.
Ideas upon ideas filled Labby's mind as she tried to resist the desire to eat them all. She was almost successful in doing that. Almost.
A lunch of spirit grass leaves later, Labby was back on track. Determination filled her heart, as the thought of eating a delicious pill filled her mind.
It was time for Labby to follow in her Great Master's footsteps!
***
I'd come to realise something. Qi Gathering Pills, and Qi refilling pills were the one and the same. The Old Man has just used an uncommon name for the pill. I was a bit ashamed that it'd taken me this long to realise despite the recipe being almost identical for both of them. Way to confuse me, Old Man.
I sighed, taking my brush, as I began to write down the new results from my last batch. So far I'd succeeded in making three pills quite consistently.
Qi Gathering Pill:
Cost of Production: 1 Silver 7 Copper
Cost of Sale: 5 Silver
Effectiveness Increase: 9% -> 11% (Roughly)
Cost Reduction: 3.2%
Qi Gathering was most of what I gave to Su Lin now. These were the pills I'd spent the most time refining and improving. The forty-seven silver coins I had were a result of these as well. About twice as much money as Lu Jie had saved up in months of work. A smile covered my face as I continued to write the next entries.
Body Purification Pill:
Cost of Production: 2 Silver
Cost of Sale: 7 silver 9 copper
Effectiveness Increase: 2% -> 3% (Roughly)
Cost Reduction: 0%
This was the second pill I'd been working on. Body purification pill. All it'd really done was cover me in sweat and some dark gunk (which I'd promptly collected and stored somewhere to test) and made my Qi flare up and my heartbeat rise. I wasn't sure if I'd made a mistake or if that's just what the pill was supposed to do, but I couldn't tell how useful the pill was.
The next pill was one that had my interest. The Qi tempering pill. It could hasten someone's cultivation and help them rise higher. I could feel some desire building up within me, to snag the pill and use it to finally break through into the fourth realm and form my second circle. But the thoughts mostly stemmed from Lu Jie's memory and I quickly shook them off. I was far more interested in the process of how this pill worked than in trying to cultivate to get stronger, but so far I hadn't been able to make one. I left the entry empty.
The last pill was the Qi Reinforcement Pill. The one the old man had given me that'd healed my wounds and my dantian. It'd taken me over a week before I'd finally realised that channelling Qi into the cauldron and letting the Qi slowly dissolve into the herbs was the 'subtly infuse your QI around the herb' thing the book was mentioning. These people really needed more clear cut definitions in their books. I wrote down my progress.
Qi Reinforcement Pill:
Cost of Production: 6 Silver
Cost of Sale: Unknown
Effectiveness Increase: None
Cost Reduction: None
I breathed in a sigh, closing my note and putting it carefully to the side. I'd quickly come to realise that if I didn't organise my notes, any clue or information I may get could be lost and I may never find it. It should've been the first step I did but being used to automation had left me with sloppy habits.
So far I'd managed to create a stack of notes for each kind of pill. A transactional log in which I entered the money I earned from each pill. And I'd also calculated how much money I'd need to get a shop of my own.
It was 20 gold pieces. At the minimum. I'd earned roughly 50 silver in the last two weeks. And a gold piece was 100 silver. So it'd take me at least 80 weeks to have my lab if I earned just this much for the entire year. I'd earn more in the coming weeks as I learned more but that was still roughly an entire year of work, just to start a new life. Maybe more.
I let out a tired sigh. Being disheartened would do nothing. All I had to do was steadily keep at it, and keep improving. I'd gotten used to living in the sect as well, and treating alchemy as a part-time job. As long as there were no hindrances, I'd be free to leave in just a few more months.
I got up from my seat, turning around to arrange some more tests when I noticed something. A threat stood facing me on the floor, its black body shining in the dim sunlight. A bug. I quickly assessed the danger it posed to me, putting it at a Yellow alert at best.
I snorted, amused by the random thoughts, and ready to get to work, when the bug revealed its true weapons. It had wings.
The threat had risen up to red in an instant as the bug charged and I- sidestepped and walked outside the room. A few moments passed before I came back in, a sandal in my hand.
It was a battle to witness, something to go down the ages. My Qi churned as I infused the sandal with it, and then in a fell swoop, I launched the deadly projectile, crushing the bug underneath it.
"I'm sorry, bug," I whispered. "But you were bugging me," my resolve broke as I both groaned and laughed at my terrible pun. I was both deeply ashamed and highly proud of myself right now.
"I need to keep the herbs covered though. They let out far too much Qi, and the bugs here seem to love that stuff. Another detail to explore," I said out loud when a slightly ajar drawer caught my attention.
Curious, I walked closer when I heard something shake inside. I pulled the drawer open, trying to see what could be inside when a dark figure jumped onto my face. I panicked and stepped back as I fell on my butt.
I grabbed the creature trying to remove it when I heard a squeaking sound. A moment later, electricity coursed through my body as a sharp jolt hit me, the sensation like being pricked by a thorn.
"What the- Labby!" I shouted as I felt the lighting Qi course through my arm for a moment. I saw Labby stand frozen, as lightning crackled all around him, his fur rising up like a spiked ball of fluff.
"Did you just thunderbolt me?" I asked in surprise as Labby squeaked in protest, his ears drooping. I stared in horror and surprise at my little rat before I began to cackle madly.
Labby had used drugs to evolve into an electric type.
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11 — Spirit Animal
The 3rd Law of Cultivation: Qi=MC^2 by Werds_Are_Tough

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It took me a few minutes before I'd finally stopped laughing, every attempt being thwarted by the confused look that Labby gave me as his fur sparkled and crackled on its own. A few moments later, I'd managed to kill things down to just a quiet snicker as I began to inspect my troublesome rat.
"Come here Labby," I said, extending my hand. Labby walked on, jumping onto my hand and I felt a quiet tingle from the electric Qi still coursing through his body.
But before I did any poking and prodding I had to make sure of something. I made my gaze be a bit more stern, as I looked at Labby. "You know you did something bad right?"
Labby's ear drooped and I felt like a heartless monster, but I couldn't let him gain the habit of sneaking into my closets and eating random herbs. I had no doubt that I was most certainly moving on from the weak harmless pills I was making right now to more potent stuff that I couldn't test on myself anymore. And Labby eating any of those could be catastrophic.
"You're not allowed to eat the spirit herbs without asking me, okay? Be glad the only thing this one did was give you an electric charge," Labby squeaked in reply and I felt agreement come from him.
I paused at the feeling. Labby hadn't ever sent more than vague emotions before had he?
I extended my senses towards Labby, trying to have a look into his Dantian. The blur of Qi that prevented me from seeing inside was extremely thin for Labby, and I easily managed to pierce through it. The higher the realm of the cultivator the more difficulties I'd have seeing through.
I sensed the Lightning Qi, flooding through Labby's body. I'd expected the charge to slowly dissipate over time and wash away, but what I saw surprised me. Labby hadn't just eaten the lightning herb, he'd also started cultivating it.
A meridian was opened in his body where the Lightning Qi was slowly accumulating. If Labby succeeded, he'd be able to learn a lightning elemental art.
My senses shifted from the lightning meridians still forming to Labby's dantian. The vague blur of swirling Qi was much more defined now, as a singular circle of Qi swirling inside it, just like my own.
Labby had broken through to the first realm.
My eyes widened in surprise as I looked at Labby. I hadn't heard of rats breaking through to any realm before. I guess he was a spirit animal, but I'd still only expected him to be a quirky rat with Qi.
"You're one curious little rat aren't you?" I said to Labby who was busy grooming his spiky fur and pushing it down.
I got an idea in my mind, from a common technique many cultivators with spirit animals used. I swirled my Qi, sending a link to Labby as I packed my thoughts into it.
Can you understand me?
I felt extreme joy flood the link as Labby squealed loudly. I felt a confirmation to my thoughts being sent. The Qi was distorted, but I could hear him trying to form words.
Surprise filled me as I felt Labby's excitement at being able to communicate with me. Had he been trying all this time? A lot of thoughts assaulted me all at once. I'd need to look into spirit beasts and how to take care of them. Also, find details on what exactly Labby was, there had to be something on spirit rats out there.
I also couldn't treat Labby like a pet anymore, could I? He was more a small child than a pet, and treating him like one now would make me sick. I shook my head, doing away with the thoughts.
"It doesn't matter, does it, Labby? You're my assistant... Junior Brother? Something like that, following me on my journey to understand just how this world functions. A companion on the same Path. What do you say?" I asked Labby out loud, feeling a bit silly for trying to talk to a rat seriously.
The silliness faded instantly as I felt a complex torrent of thoughts come from Labby. Respect, Awe, Wonder and the strongest of them all being agreement.
I smiled even as the burden of a spirit animal began to dawn on me. Well, I'm sure I'll do just fine. As long as it's just Labby then I should be able to handle it.
I paused at the thought, staring at Labby with a frown. I'd just jinxed myself hadn't I?
I heard Labby squeak happily at the prospect of gaining more friends and I shook my head, unable to even be worried.
"Well, well, well, my new Junior Brother, I'll have to officially register you now won't I?" I said out loud, and Labby squeaked in reply with one of his paws raised up above his head.
Labby used Cuteness attack. My heart was destroyed.
I pet Labby's fuzzy head, unbothered by the minuscule amount of sparks that touched my skin. An idea began to form in my head on the various ways I could use the electricity that Labby had now. I could perhaps see if Lightning Qi mimicked electricity, or how the hell did Labby not just spark himself from the lightning.
Perhaps I could even do some electrochemistry?
I grinned, as the ideas began to overflow. I turned towards Labby petting his fuzzy little head even harder, snickering as I imagined Labby protesting at being used as a power source.
Labby, as if in response, crackled with sparks all over and I broke out into laughter all at once.
I'd just acquired a Rattery!
***
A deep breath in, a deep breath out. Lightning Qi crackled in her core, her Dantian brimming with power as she channelled her Qi through her meridians. Her art thrummed in her mind, ready to be used at any moment.
Yan Yun let a calm breath out. Calm was needed to tame thunder, and prevent it from lashing out at random. It was something all lightning and fire cultivators struggled with, the nature of their Qi making them more prone to impulsive and strong behaviours.
"Come in Zu Ri," Yan Yun said, opening her eyes, as her Qi began to settle down.
A shadow flickered in her vision, as Zu Ri let her arts fade, her form turning visible. "I didn't wish to disturb you, young mistress," her handmaiden said, and Yan Yun nodded.
"Just a brief meditation Zu Ri, I wouldn't be cultivating in my chambers if it was any sort of prolonged cultivation," Yan Yun replied, eyeing her Ru Zi once. "Did you find anything?"
"I did, young mistress. Extremely easily so. The sect archives had most of the details, and the boy is starkly unremarkable in most ways," Zu Ri replied, as she dug in her robes, pulling out a scroll.
Yan Yun took the scroll in her hand, looking through it. She quickly read through the pages, finding not much remarkable to be found about Lu Jie written in it.
"There was one curious thing. The boy has stopped sparring and hasn't been seen in any of the cultivation halls for a couple of weeks. I dug in a bit, and found that he had apprenticed himself to Lao Zhang, the old alchemist of the outer sect who took care of injured disciples."
Yan Yun curled her eyebrows in surprise. "Alchemy? That does explain how drenched in spirit herb Qi he felt. What a curious boy though. He's apprenticed himself to an old alchemist in the outer sect? Has he not joined any of the sect's alchemy halls or any other Alchemy halls."
"No, young mistress. Not as far as I could tell. The boy had been defeated in a spar and had suddenly decided to take up alchemy. Perhaps, he hopes to pursue a different path in life?"
Yan Yun frowned, something about that didn't feel right to her. "Perhaps. Do you also know anything about his-" Yan Yun paused for a moment, her cheeks flushing a bit. "His… you know I can't say it," she added in a quiet voice.
She could feel the laughter that Zu Ri stifled in her chest. Yan Yun coughed to hide her embarrassment, and Zu Ri made no comment on it. She was the only one who knew about her… hobbies.
"The boy seems to visit the grove every week," Zu Ri replied.
Yan Yun felt her Qi thrum, as mirth filled her chest. She'd been worried that the encounter would scare them away.
"Do you also wish for me to look into the other boy?" Zu Ri asked.
"No, leave them be. That'd break my oath that I'd given to them," Yan Yun said, sighing. She regretted her impulsive oath a bit, but the consequences would still be light enough that she could get away with breaking it. She wouldn't of course, it would ruin the extremely delightful discovery she'd made.
"Perhaps I could sneak in there as they met. No, that'd be too shameful. But. No, I can't" she saw Zu Ri quietly walk away as Yan Yun continued to struggle. Her handmaiden didn't share her interests, but that was alright, Yan Yun would be glad to keep her joy all to herself.
Quiet laughter filled the courtyard of the inner sect, accompanied by the occasional crackle of Lightning as a young mistress opened a closet filled with books she hadn't opened in a long time.
***
I shuddered once, as a chill ran up my spine. "Strange, it isn't even cold," I muttered as I rubbed my arms, letting the chill fade.
My mind returned to the pile of coins in my pouch as I began to list down everything that I needed. Labby squeaked, excited about the idea of going outside and I shared the sentiment.
It was time to do some shopping.
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> The 3rd Law of Cultivation: Qi=MC^2 > 12 — Sect Halls
12 — Sect Halls
The 3rd Law of Cultivation: Qi=MC^2 by Werds_Are_Tough

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There were a few things that I needed to do before I could head outside the sect though. The very first was officially registering Labby as my spirit companion, now that he'd broken through to the first realm.
I'd had to run rounds trying to find out what the procedures were because Lu Jie had never even considered acquiring anything but a pristine spirit beast. Having realised he didn't have nearly enough luck, or Qi needed to get one, he'd never bothered learning more about the details needed.
Thankfully all I really needed to do was go to one of the administrative halls, and mark him as my spirit. I also planned to ask where I could find more information on spirit rats, or if Labby was just an oddity.
I picked up the list of items I'd set out for checking. The very first was a smaller cauldron. The one the old man gave me was nice, but also, far too large. It wasn't meant to test and analyse small amounts, but to create batches of pills and elixirs instead.
The second was spirit stones. I'd read of heating arrays in a book, and how some cauldrons made use of those to finely distribute heat across their bodies. It also allowed the Alchemist to control and fine tune the heat permeating.
As can be expected, it was probably going to be expensive. Just how expensive? I had no idea. But I intended to take a look, and buy one, if I could.
The other things that I intended to look at were a thermometer, or the equivalent of one, other alchemy tools, and most importantly, some copper wires. If I wanted to explore Labby's lightning Qi, and try and see how I could use my handy Rattery then I'd need some wires to form circuits.
The good thing I'd found out was that Labby was quite weak, and just channeling Qi around my skin made me fairly resistant to not just heat, but also lightning. I had some theories on how that worked as well, ranging from an interference in the transfer of energy to the body to simply just forming an additional layer to pass through for the electricity, and the resistivity of the Qi itself being fairly high in its "default" state, which was what I possessed. At least, as far as I knew.
I pocketed the little sheet of parchment in one of my chest sleeves as I cleaned up my table. My progress on tidying up my room and making a centralised note making system was… not good, but there had been progress, and progress made me happy.
"Ready to go Labby?" I turned around and asked, smiling as Labby squeaked jumping in the pouch at my waist on his own.
I had one last look at my room, before I walked out, and off to officially register Labby as my spirit animal.
Squeak!
***
The Cloudy Peaks sect was massive. I had thought this before, but the idea was reinforced all the more strongly as I began my way uphill on the lesser peak where the main sect halls were.
The sect's administration and main halls were present on small wide hills, with living chambers and sparring quarters spread across the hills eventually spreading out to the forests that surrounded the city.
I walked through the dirt path, grateful that I was in the third realm, and quite close to the peak of the sect. The homes the outer disciples got were simple things, usually containing a few rooms, and a chamber to cultivate in. Even those were separated by realm, with third realm disciples being the closest to the peak, and second realm disciples just below them, and first realm disciples below them.
It wasn't all about the realm either, as you had to have worked for the sect, and had successfully been allowed to move to the upper areas. Lu Jie had barely managed to qualify for the Third realm, but breaking into the Fourth realm, and forming the second circle in his dantian was a challenge that he, like many others, wasn't able to surmount.
The similarities that the sect had to a modern college also amused me, and in some ways, it functioned as one. As long as you ignored the fact that you could be called to serve in the sect's army at any given time as a disciple in the sect and were basically the equivalent of unpaid workers.
Lu Jie would count as a Student repeating their third year for the fourth time, unable to graduate yet unwilling to give up. It let me understand his frustrations a lot more, as being a true cultivator was only possible after you had formed a core and entered the Fourth Realm. Reaching the peak of the Third realm yet being unable to take that last step, I could understand Lu Jie's desperation somewhat, even though I did not share his desires for reaching the heavens.
I felt Labby crackle with Lightning, and I gently rubbed his head, handing him a few leaves of spirit grass to nibble on. I knew I was indulging him, but the way he held the grass in his paws as he took bites from it was just far too cute for me to meaningly resist.
What a scary rat, breaking the will of a cultivator two realms above itself. Shudder.
Squeak!
I felt another spark of Lighting Qi from Labby, this time accompanied by agreement and pride. I laughed at the smug little rat, as he continued to nibble away at his stalk of spirit grass. I was starting to get better at understanding Labby, but without any actual Arts to form a link with him, we still weren't able to communicate properly.
I was also curious about just how these arts worked. The realisation that I had so much to explore, yet nowhere enough time to do it was a bit daunting, but I wouldn't let that stop me. Can't give up when I've just barely started after all.
The scenery started to change, as taller buildings began to approach. There were extremely few regular people in the sect anyways, and around these areas, all I saw were other cultivators that walked by. Many seniors, juniors, and even some elders moved about the pathways. Mostly other outer sect disciples.
A plethora of Qi and Arts assailed my senses, as the world itself seemed to turn more vibrant with the many kinds of Qi spreading around. I continued on my path, not extremely surprised by any of it. It wasn't any surprise to me that cultivators would fill the main halls, but Lu Jie's memories still left some sense of surprise and awe left in me from his childhood nonetheless.
Cultivators were rare, and heralded all the more so outside the bigger cities, even just a first realm cultivator would be a boon to a village like his. So Lu Jie was by all means, a gift for the people of his village.
Lu Jie had scoffed at that, upon his arrival in the sect. The reality of having Qi, and being better than his peers had so thoroughly been shattered when he'd truly seen how widespread the world was, and what the true geniuses looked like.
Perhaps it was unfair of me, as Lu Jie's desperation, and drive had only led to his untimely death, but I thought it a good thing that he'd come out to the sect. Being a small fish in an even smaller pond would never allow anyone to expand their horizons. The thing I despised was not seeing how vast the world was, but his desperation at his lack of talent, and that talent was what determined the fate of so many.
I despised the notion that everyone couldn't gain a better life through effort. That even just being a cultivator was such a big gamble, that only a select few got, and how cultivators often had children with Qi, and other people had to rely on the heavens for their blessings.
I could not deny talent. Lu Jie's memories would not let me. Yet I despised it nonetheless. And I refused to believe that cultivation couldn't be made more accessible to people. There had to be some rules it ran on. Like any other force of nature, it must follow a path. Why did cultivators need to form a core? Why were there twelve realms of cultivation? Why did we form circles in our dantians?
The path to immortality seemed to be laid out, with each step, all the way to the end, neatly separated in realms of strength, each with their own nature and purpose to serve in the quest. Then why was it so dependent on talent? There had to be something that was missing and my curiosity began to build up.
I felt a strange anger, unsure if the emotions were completely mine, or originating from Lu Jie's memories, yet the deep seated frustration was echoed, and driving me. An idea began to bud in my mind, a collection of laws, to guide people, and to break down the Dao itself.
I felt my Qi shift. Something was right. Something about this felt right. A path of guidance, to take not just myself, but others with me, in the journey to break down the science behind the Dao.
To find the Laws of Cultivation.
I felt Lightning Qi from my pouch, as I snapped out of my daze. I looked around, realising I'd been standing silently in front of the sect halls and felt slightly embarrassed about it. I blamed the overly potent Qi present in the air, too easy to get lost in thoughts with so much of it around.
"Thanks Labby, let's go now," I whispered to Labby. The cultivators could probably hear me no matter how quiet I spoke, but such was life among super humans, eavesdropping was just another fact of life.
I entered the main hall. The sect halls were wide, tall buildings made of wood. The eastern architecture was obvious and yet, there were subtle differences present as well. I wasn't an architect though, and neither did I hold much interest outside of how these buildings were built.
I gathered back my distracting thoughts, looking around the halls to find where I was supposed to go.
I followed the paths, looking around for a while before I eventually found the chamber I needed to go to. I paused for a moment, wondering if knocking was what I was supposed to do. Lu Jie's memories weren't much help, as he had no clue about what was to be expected.
I didn't get to make the choice, in the end, as with the flare of Qi, the door slid open to a chamber stacked full of books lying everywhere. My eyes drifted to the man sitting at a desk, his face hidden behind the stacks of books and paper all around him.
"Greetings, Elder. I need to register my spirit companion," I spoke out, bowing, when a chill traveled up my spine.
I felt Labby crackle with lightning, as he too felt the sensation. A heavy presence filled the chamber, as an untold number of eyes looked at us, I felt my body freeze under the gaze, unable to move.
Cold and gentle Qi drifted over as a laugh, like the sound of ringing bells was carried through a winter forest, the moon silently watching over me.
"That's enough play Xin Yue," the man spoke, as the pressure vanished. "Show me your spirit," he added and I nodded, gulping as I tried to recover from the strange gaze I'd been under.
I tapped my pocket, gently rubbing Labby to calm him down as I pulled him out. Labby squeaked, climbing onto my hand.
I saw the man freeze as his gaze turned towards Labby. A frown set across his brow as he looked at my face before looking back to Labby a few times.
"What is that? I have little patience for games, disciple. Tell me why have you brought me a pest?" The man asked, annoyance filling his voice.
I was about to explain when I felt Labby stomp his feet, his annoyance leaking out in the form of crackling lightning that spread towards the Elder and I felt my heart stop.
Damn it Labby, not again!
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Comments (6)
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MarkofWisdom· Dec 9, 2021
Spoiler
"A path of guidance, to take not just myself, but others with me, in the journey to break down the science behind the Dao."
He shall ascend to immortality with science! He and his growing horde of spirit animals/children. Completely on accident too, since his main goal will be alchemy.
Reply · 9 Likes · ·
Fuxy· Jan 18, 2022
He really needs to get his pet under control or it will get him killed one of these days...
Reply · 2 Likes · ·
ARTS· Aug 17, 2022
Again.... Sigh.........
Reply · ·
BRUH123· Jul 11, 2022
Blob Neutral
Reply · ·
destroyer_canon· May 28, 2022
MC is a carbon copy of the MC of "Beware of Chicken".
Reply · ·
Rodvek97· Apr 17, 2022
Thanks for the chapter 
Labby : "You dare to harm MY MASTER!! Take this, Lightning Bolt!!!
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