Seconds became minutes and minutes turned to hours, his progress little to none. No matter how many times he tried he could not do it – there were too many symbols and different shapes, and every time he tried to shape the qi in their forms he ended failing.
'Is my control lacking?' He had just recently arrived in this world and had achieved the third stage in a single night. Therefore, he had no experience controlling his qi, much less the qi in the atmosphere.
With his thoughts going in that direction, he decided to take a different approach.
Breathing in deeply, he once more calmed his mind. This time, however, he did not form a big line, but a small one.
Then, he felt the line made of qi wriggle for a moment, before taking the shape of an 's', soon, it changed again, becoming an 'l'… like that he changed its shape again and again.
When he completed the English alphabet, he made a second line, changing both of their shapes at the same time. Like that he continued with a third line, a fourth line, and so on.
If his control was not enough he would just train it - giving up was not a choice.
Since Yueshi was so focused, the morning passed in the blink of an eye.
Yueshi even skipped lunch, forcing Xuehua to come and met him midday. However, immersed in his training, he told her he was not going to eat, promising her they would have dinner together.
As always, she was understanding and left him alone.
By evening he was already dead tired and his head ached. He knew, at that point, that he could not keep going on.
Rushing things would not lead anywhere, so he decided to leave things at that for now and spent a bit of time cultivating his body.
'I want to buy a spear.' And with cultivation came the urge to hold a spear again.
He had not noticed it until now but, for some motive, it felt strange not having one in his hand. Was it the intense hours of training (beating) with Mu Qiang that conditioned his body to feel uncomfortable without a spear in his grasp?
For some motive, he was not really worried about his cultivation stage and felt more inclined to keep training his martial arts.
'The sect has many resources that can help in the process of refining the body. However, martial arts are about comprehension and are, in the end, about one's own road.'
Yueshi speculated about his lack of concern. Just like his spear was overbearing and powerful, and Mu Qiang's stable and unshakable, there were many other paths.
In the end, one's martial arts path was theirs to walk and theirs alone.
'Still, refining my body is important, even if just for the sake of pursuing greater progression of my spear arts.' Setting his priorities was important and he could not leave cultivation aside. 'Although master has probably done so'.
Soon, the sun disappeared over the horizon, leaving the moon and stars to shine above his head. Since he had promised Xuehua they would eat dinner together, he started to make his way back.
The road toward the residential area was not a short or long one, so he closed his eyes and appreciated the breeze. It was summer and slightly hot, so the cooling breeze from the river left him in a nice mood.
On his way home, Yueshi did not think about cultivation and tried to forget about martial arts, appreciating the world around him for an instant
When he reached his home, he could see the lights turned on through the window. Taking into account the hour, Xuehua should already be busily preparing the dishes.
After admonishing himself for taking so long and leaving everything to her, he entered the house.
Just as he opened the door, the smell that had been trapped inside assaulted his nostrils - sending him into a daze.
During the time they were living in their small house, the two of them would frequently eat porridge, porridge, rice cakes, porridge, and more porridge. In short, they rarely had meat to eat, because they could not afford it.
However, with the two of them joining the sect, things changed.
Having not felt the taste of meat in a few days, weeks in truth, Yueshi stared with glittering eyes at the many dishes Xuehua had prepared.
The outer disciples were given many cooking ingredients, including the raw meat of vicious beasts and, sometimes, the meat of low-rank demon beasts. Their succulent meat not only had a great flavor but also had other beneficial properties that helped in strengthening the body.
It was, indeed, a true delicacy.
And Yueshi had to admit he was mesmerized by it. The aroma alone was enough to leave him drooling, and the taste bordered divine territory.
In the end, while he ate a bit of the other dishes, he mainly ate meat and a bit more meat. Xuehua could only smile at his actions.
"Ah, that was truly satisfying." Leaning back on his chair, Yueshi spoke after washing the dishes. "I am truly blessed for having such a good cook as my sister." A talented, beautiful, charming chef and sister… ah, he was truly blessed.
Well, at the same time, because they were siblings, his mind was filled to the brim with troubles. Well, that was a matter that he would have to deal with overtime.
"It's good that it was to your taste." At his praise, Xuehua smiled. "Should we go for our usual walk now?" There was no way he would refuse such an invitation.
Almost jumping from his chair, he offered her his arm – making her laugh softly before grabbing it.
After leaving their house, Yueshi and Xuehua chatted happily while walking around.
From time to time they would pass by other disciples; however, most would not pay too much attention, only sparing them a glance or two. Some nodded in greeting, to which they nodded back; but, all in all, they seemed to be in their own world.
Yueshi only noticed now, but this place became even more beautiful during the night. The verdant green grass; the gently swaying and well cared for flowers and trees; the soft whisper of the wind… everything added together made the outer court a mesmerizing night view.
As they walked around they reached that same river he had been at earlier. Sitting on the small hill to the side, they appreciated the slow blowing breeze that brought with it the smell of flowers.
"This place looks perfect." It was not just a paradise for cultivation. Its beauty was almost artistic, a scenery that any painter would want to make eternal.
"Hm." Xuehua nodded at his words. "It is as if someone thought a lot about how to make a beautiful arrangement of flowers. If even a single little piece of it had received a little bit less of attention, it would have been ruined…"
Touching a flower in the ground, Xuehua smiled, and Yueshi felt that she was not willing to pick it up, as if removing that single flower would destroy the entire landscape.
'Every single piece matters… every flower, every pebble, and every blade of grass.' His eyes became hazy for a moment. 'I see… every single detail matters and I can't rush and try to form them all at the same time.'
The fog on his mind was cleared as he finally understood how he had to proceed about the Ancient Dragon Seal. However, shaking his head, he stopped thinking about it.
Maybe, in the future, he would be too busy to spend his time like this. But, for now, he wanted to appreciate each and every moment he had together with Xuehua.
Cultivating and training were both important … but he could not forget why he decided to travel this road, why he had set firm resolve into it.
Looking at Xuehua by his side, he smiled. Time after time she helped him, at times without even taking notice… the debt he owed her was increasing day by day.
"Thank you." Hence, he thanked her, because that was all he could do right now.
At his words, she looked at him, before shaking her head. Then she looked toward the shinning moon, before finally opening her mouth.
"I should be the one thankful." The silvery moonlight seemed to make her shine at that moment. As her eyes reflected the bright moon, she seemed so ethereal and out of the world… like a fairy that had descended in the mortal realm.
Without questions and words, the two stood there - appreciating each other's presence as they enjoyed the view.
--- - -
The days passed in the blink of an eye, and soon it had already been six days since the newcomers had arrived in the sect.
Other than spending time cultivating, Yueshi frequently accompanied Xuehua and also was quite often teased by Yuan Yue as the two trained together or relaxed.
He also talked a lot with the other disciples of the Flying Snow Dojo as they were now some sort of big family.
After his enlightenment the other day, Yueshi used the qi not to form a line, but to form the small symbols one by one. He was training to form each symbol thousands upon thousands of times, and had decided to do so until making them was as easy as lifting a finger.
Today, a day before having to return the manual, he finally felt he was prepared to form the seal completely.
Sitting on his bed Yueshi prepared himself, calming his mind and focusing to the best of his abilities.
He had slept quite early the day prior, all so that he could be well-rested for this; it was time to know if all the training, both in control and forming the symbols, had been worth it.
As he started to control the qi, it soon took the shape of a hexagon. This was the base of the Ancestral Dragon Symbol.
Then, line after line formed, connecting with one another as they seemed to draw over the base, forming the shape of a roaring dragon – this was the outline. Now, came the most important part.
Each of the thousand lines had thousands upon thousands of small symbols that formed some sort of scripture, and those small symbols were responsible for the absorption of power and its eventual release, as well as control.
If he made a mistake when inscribing even the smallest of symbols, the entire thing would crumble down.
Drawing in a deep breath, and leaving those thoughts aside, Yueshi got ready to start.
His eyes grew sharper as he put all his focus on sensing the changes in the qi he was controlling.
The lines forming the outline of the seal started to wriggle, threatening to dissipate at any given moment; however, under Yueshi's meticulous control and painstaking attention, they did not break.
Then, minute changes started to take shape in them. If one looked closely one would see that all similar symbols were being formed on that instant in different, interconnected lines.
After that, and as soon as they had been completed, another batch of similar symbols started to form. Yueshi had trained each of them uncountable times so he knew how to form each of them.
However, if he focused on forming one line after the other, as well as symbol by symbol, his mind would not be able to withstand the stress of the extended period of deep focus.
Knowing each symbol by instinct, however, made it a lot easier. The complex lines formed one after the other, as strange scriptures took shape.
Even if it had been enlarged, the thousands of symbols clustered together made it almost impossible to read them all.
However, just when Yueshi was giving the last like the finishing touches, the entire symbol crumbled down, the qi dispersing in the world once more.
With a sigh, he looked toward the sky.
'I can't let my attention fluctuate and must focus on it completely.' At that moment, he had paid a bit more attention to a single point, making the qi there move and change faster than in the rest of the diagram-like seal.
After letting his mind rest for a moment, he started again.
Time flowed fast like this.
After eating lunch with Xuehua, Yueshi decided to engrave the first seal in his body.
He had trained a few times in the morning and had eventually succeeded in forming the complete symbol; after repeating it hundreds of times, he decided that was time to try the real deal.
Soon the qi started to coalesce in the air around him, before surging toward the chosen spot on his body. Because he did not want it to be too glaring, he had chosen the back of his neck, where it would be hidden by his hair.
He could feel a burning sensation as the qi started to engrave the symbol on his flesh; the energy seemed to almost reach a solid-state and, like a needle, pierce and carve through his skin.
However, Yueshi did not delve into the pain nor in the intricacies of qi and its wonders, only focusing on what he had to do.