Nature at its most abstract is an interesting phenomenon.
Philosophers would say that Nature is an amalgamation of Life in all its breadth and depth.
From the bountiful flora and fauna to the diversity of creatures that inhabit Nature.
The finality of that Nature that inhabits change is expressed by seasons, or at least that is something, I think they think.
Scientists, on the other hand, think that searching for all the hidden rules of Nature is the greatest cause of all. Thinking that if they master them, they in return become masters of that Nature.
I, personally, think differently.
Yes, there are hidden rules in Nature, just like there are hidden rules in anything. It is by using them we, the monkeys, became rulers of Earth, no matter if it was done by abusing evolution, religion, magic, or science.
Yet, all those achievements exclude one thing.
That by understanding Nature, in all its glory and hellish pits, that is expressed by Chaos, we in return embrace Chaos in all its possibilities.
Thanks to all our achievements, we monkeys strive for Order as the highest cause because deep down in our minds we know that it was in Chaos, that we thrived the most.
Now, all this begs the question why would I be narrating this in my thoughts?
The reason is simple.
There is nothing more human than going Yolo and pointing one's middle finger to Nature while it's winter and snowing and having a tournament by bodybuilding Cultivator monkeys on said winter days.
No matter where I looked, left or right, up or down, all I saw was the snow either falling or piling up on the ground, the road, the houses.
The exceptions to this natural phenomena would be the 30x30m stone platform upon which the contestant would fight and the stone seats surrounding said stone platform.
Those two things had been cleared of snow every day since it began snowing, I was told.
The reason why I thought of them going Yolo was simple as well.
A Cultivator's body is far more resilient to Nature than that of normal people, especially someone like me who needs to stay base human for quite a while longer.
Oh and my maid/servant, since she still counts as a base human in a sense. A few days of cultivation changed little on the physical side of her being.
Upon the stands and the seats, I saw few female body cultivators, as women, in general, preferred being slender and pretty, then buff and strong.
Completely ignoring the fact that when cultivation is involved that there is no need for them to be buffed bodybuilder women.
That being the case, my maid/servant and I were the only girls using lots of thick clothing to warm ourselves.
' I have been a girl for almost five months now, and it's still a bit strange to refer to myself as a girl. '
Straying away from my inner feelings, I looked at the elevated wooden platform and the seats upon which my new tiny but still growing butt sat.
Having everything here belong to the Yu Clan meant having to show off that status.
Our platform was the only place in this place that I would consider even having any bit of the much-needed human comfort, but the cold made that obsolete, to me.
Behind me stood my maid/servant Tao Fang. No luck for her having a spare seat it seemed.
On my right was my second uncle Yu Ying and on the right beside him was my father Yu Liwei.
Beside him was also a seat but it was empty as Yu Qiao, Master of this unofficial Sect of Jade, stood in front of us and observed the crowds.
In my past life, I had visited quite a few stadiums watching the most played game on the planet, soccer or football depending on where you lived. So looking at the crowd of hundreds of spectators wasn't anything special to me.
What was novel though, was that quite soon those 40 kids on the ground, each separated into two groups of twenty, before the stone platform on which they would soon be beating the hell out of each other.
' If that is not a novel experience to me, then nothing would be. '
Shaking away that thought, I consider the kids in question. All of them were facing this platform so it was easy to look at them.
On the right, we had the Internals, those who joined the Yu Clan and were allowed to learn the Body Mantry of the Heavenly Jade Mantra.
On the left, we had the Externals, those who joined this unofficial sect to be trained but not join the Yu Clan. Not being able to learn the Jade Mantra, they usually use their own Clans Mantra, whatever it may be.
On the off chance that they do not have one, they could learn one here.
In my mind, there was little difference as to which they used. Even if they used their Clan's Mantra, it would still be a second grade one, after all, there were only six first grade Mantras officially known in the Aure Wind Empire.
That begs a question in my mind.
Can the externals even fight on par with somebody using the Jade Mantra, at all?
In theory, they could. Especially in the earlier stages of cultivation, like Qi Gathering.
The name itself gave up its purpose, to gather Qi in one's body. How one did it mattered just as how long one did it.
Thinking of that fact, I heard my First Uncle speak at last. His voice, despite not being loud, reached the crowd and the participants in question.
" Newcomers, welcome to this year's Annual Tournament. Compared to last year, where all you did was watch your seniors, this year it's your chance to showcase your talent. I am sure you all know the rules and were informed of the rewards so with that being the case I leave it all up to you to claw your way up the ladder. Good luck to each of you, and may the best of you win. "
With that said he stepped back and sat on his seat beside my new father. Down there on the other hand before the two groups stood three men.
The first one was familiar to me as it was in his 'house' that I lived in these past few months, Gao Junjie. Beside him on each side stood two other men. It was easy to guess that each of those two men trained one group.
" As you have heard the leader, I too wish you good luck. But I am sure you guys won't need something as elusive as luck, after all, you had my juniors to train you in the basics. " Gao Junjie said to the newcomers. Similar to my First Uncle's voice, his too reached everybody, but unlike my First Uncle that encouraged those who heard him, I saw the participants gulp and tremble slightly to Gao Junjie's voice.
Seeing them do such a thing, I had no choice but to glee in happiness as my new eyes showed me a beautiful new world.
' Compared to my past life where I was blind as a mule without glasses from staring at a screen nearly 70% of my life there, here I have 4k HD TV eyes and with Life Essence I can enhance them even more. '
It had taken me a few days of careful testing but by now I could influence the muscles in my eyes to narrow or widen the lens that welcomed the Light. With that, I could zoom in whenever I like.
Still, as that thought passed my mind, I saw Gao Junjie point at his two juniors, I guess, and have them each take a group to one side of the stone platform in the middle of all this.
Once they were in position, Gao Junjie spoke again. " Good, now as tradition dictates, I will ask the best one from each of your groups to come forward as a volunteer and have you fight the first battle. " Saying that he looked at both groups and yet none came forward.
Frankly, not even a peep was heard from them. " I see, no volunteers this year either. Nevermind then. You! "
He said suddenly and pointed at a child in the Internal group. The child didn't look anything special.
To my eyes, which had zoomed in, and to my brain that was forcefully rewired to accommodate my past self, the child in question didn't look anything outstanding.
If there was anything about him that could be pointed out, when compared to the others in his group, it was that he was slightly chubby on his face.
Seeing Gao Junjie point at him, he trembled like a deer caught in the headlights of a car. " Go, you're the first one this year. " Gao Junjie said, as he turned away from him and looked at the group of Externals. Observing them for a few seconds, he pointed again. " You. Go. "
Similar to his compatriot that had no choice but to go up the stone platform, he took a deep breath and went on it. " Good. Now I hope both of you will put all your effort and showcase your talent as it will be by your standards that I will judge the others. That being the case, introduce yourself and you can begin. "
The first one to speak was the second kid. He was taller and slender than the chubby. " I am Lia Yan. Nice to meet you. " He said, as he cupped his hands and bowed slightly.
Taking a breath to center himself, the slightly chubby one replied. " Likewise, I am Chang Niu. " With his head bowed slightly and hands cupped over each other, the two boys prepared and took their stances.
Chubby went for a stance similar to boxing, only his guard was wider and at the same time he lowered his stance a bit to increase his stability.
From the past four months in which I used the time to recover the health of this body, Gao Junjie had explained a few things about combat and how the stances worked, and why they worked.
' Considering my knowledge, then chubby should be an earth type. The lithe kid on the other hand with his relaxed stance and palms forward would be either water or air. If I am not wrong he should be able to switch between offense and defense quite easily. '
My guess turned out to be not that wrong regarding the lithe kid. As both of them had entered their familiar stances, they relaxed and the lithe kid slowly moved closer to chubby.
Once he was at a comfortable distance, I guess, he dashed forward. With a speed that thoroughly surprised chubby, he changed his angle of approach to the side of his body and engaged with a right fist to the face.
His hit landed with accuracy and he retreated just as fast. Yet, as I looked at the chubby who wobbled for a moment before he recovered himself, I knew he was up for more. Shaking his head for a second he refocused on his opponent.
' A kid, taking such a hit from somebody and not falling? I guess this proves that cultivators are resilient bitches. In the future, I will need to go around defensive types like him. I don't feel like slapping somebody like that for hours just to lose. Like a certain chairman '
" Speed vs defense? Junjie did pick a good first fight. Let's just hope it won't turn into a slugfest. " I heard my First Uncle say.
As if to deny my uncle's thoughts, the chubby kid moved forward while maintaining his guard stance. Step by step he moved closer. Xia Yan, the lith kid, on the other hand, started moving diagonally from his opponent.
Like that they chased themselves. One went forward, one retreated and so the merry go round went until one of them snapped. It definitely was not the lithy kid who kept his cool much better.
" Oy, stop running like a girl. Come and face me like a man. " Shouted the chubby as he stopped chasing a fleeing opponent and just stood his ground.
The insult didn't seem to work as intended but as his opponent just stood there the lithe guy finally found his courage and went forward.
Similar to his last successful attack he dashed forward but the chubby wanted none of it. He lowered his stance and suddenly charged at his opponent like a bull seeing a red flag.
Not expecting him to be so fast, the lith kid had no defense ready and felt his body being folded as chubby slammed into him.
Chubby on the other hand hugged him tightly and began to squeeze.
' Uhh, I remember being squeezed like that as a child before. It was the stupidest game I ever played. '
" Ah, I haven't seen a Bear's Grip like that in years. I remember a guy being squeezed like that. Was not a good ending for him. Jiao remembered this sight and burned it into your memory. While earth-type fighters might be slower, they are not as slow as people imagine. If they do get a grip on you, they will not be letting go unless you go for their squish bits, before you get squished in return and have your insides become mush. Sadly in the higher stages of cultivation, even those became less of a weakness than people imagine as the stages increased. Of course, the best possible scenario is to not get caught at all. "
" I understand, uncle. Thank you for the graphic scene left in my mind, " I nodded to him without taking away my gaze from the stage.
" My pleasure. " He added, with a pleasing voice.
The lith kid definitely felt it. His face went red like a tomato and his hands started hitting the chubby on the head and his back, but no matter how he was hit, he just did not let go and squeezed harder.
For a moment I thought he would snap the kid in half when I heard it.
" Chang Niu, you can stop. " Gao Junjie decided.
With that said, chubby had no choice but to relax his grip on him and slowly bring him to the ground. When lithy was finally down I could see how wobbly he felt. To me, it looked like it would take but a strong breeze to topple him.
" Lia Yan, will you be fine or will you need to visit a healer? " I heard the man responsible for the Externals say.
Shaking his head he went down the fighting stage slowly if slower than usual and meditated.
' Looks like he'll be fine. Still. '
" First Uncle, I know they are new recruits but will all the fights be like this? "
" Sort of. I am sure you expected it to be more flashy and are now disappointed, right? " He replied to me.
" Jiao, don't worry about it. Once the junior recruits are done, the real tournament will begin. " My Second Uncle Ying added beside me. " Of course, even that won't be as grand as the one that happens every five years. "
" Another one? When is that one? " I ask.
" Ah, you missed the last one. It happened last year. " He said. " We always have one whenever we recruit new people. On one hand, it's used as a graduation event for the previous generation and on the other, we have a grand showcase for the new recruits. "
" Graduate? " I repeat the word that stuck the most to me. " How does that work? "
" It's simple, little niece. " Hearing the slightly rougher voice of my First uncle I focused on him. " Once the recruits have been here for 5 years learning the basics of combat in all forms needed, they are sent to the capital and employed there. Once there, they are sent under a master who would then teach them one-on-one for the next five years. Under him, they would learn the advanced stuff and gain real combat experience in missions. With such experience under their belt, they are then given a Jade Slate stating their identity and upon their right shoulder, they are given a mark that marks where they were educated. With those two things in their possession, nobody would be able to deny them their skills. "
" I see. " I barely murmured when he spoke again. " Of course, that's only for the Externals. Once they leave, it's all up to them. With their skills, they are usually employed by the various merchant companies that had sponsored them in the first place as guards and whatnot. If they came from a Clan they go back to them and do Clan stuff. Those that don't go back to the Clan they came from, due to various reasons, join the Empire's Army. "
" Funny thing is. Those that graduate and join the Army are not only welcome but even encouraged to join it. " My father interrupted us. " With their skills, they are treated well and with them, they are very likely to climb their ranks. To ensure that there will be no spies in return they are made to swear an Oath. "
" Oath? " I ask father, as I observe another Newby climb onto the stone platform.
After a quick introduction and bow, they began to fight. Unlike the fight with the chubby, this one was more ugh… normal, I guess.
Both fighters were similar in style and started dodging and hitting countering.
It looked similar to a martial arts movie, after all, there are only so many actions a human body can perform without them being repeated all the time.
A few dodges and hits later, a winner emerged as he grabbed onto the loser by the clothes and threw him onto the ground, and began clubbing his head on the stone.
" Ah, the Oath isn't that strict. " My father replied. " Usually those that we train are from the minor Clans or a second or third child, depending on the lineage, from a second grade Clan that is under one of the five big ones. Otherwise, the Clan will train them and not some outsider, even if they can't compare to us. Anyway, we were talking about the Oath. The Oath ensures they have not become and will not become spies for us in the future, as if there are no ways around that. "
Considering what my father spoke in my mind, I observed the unconscious child picked up and sent to the healer. Interesting thing is that an External won this one.
Recalling his name being Hui and surname Bai I observed him in detail for a second.
As I placed my attention on him I saw him turn around and look directly at me. As I had zoomed in on him as much as human eyes could, I noticed he had silver eyes. He looked at me for a few seconds before going back to stand among his compatriots of the Externals.
" Father, if I remember correctly, the Bai Clan is under the Dong Clan in the north of the Empire. Does that mean that he is from there? " I ask and point at the kid in question. As I said that I saw my father look at First Uncle for a second.
" Indeed. " He confirmed a second later. " He is one of the two second-grade Clan members that joined last year. Usually, when one of them joins I don't pay much attention, as there are always a few but he was an exception. Unlike the other one who came from the Lin Clan under the Chun's in the east and is the second child of an elder of theirs, this one is actually an illegitimate direct descendent of the Bai Clan leader. "
" Illegitimate? How did that happen, when the culture here encourages a man to have a harem? " I ask in curiosity, but my plain wording must have grated on them somehow as all three of them looked at me with wide eyes. " What? Why are you all looking at me like that? "
" Was it different, in your memories? " I heard my father ask. In my ears, his voice was steeped in curiosity.
" Mostly. It depended on the culture in question, but it was encouraged to have one wife and in some, it was even mandatory to have only one child. In the past, there were too many disputes about one's inheritance that led to way too much misery, so it became a tradition. Of course, one woman was never enough for men who had power. Still, when they neglected their wives at home it wasn't unusual for the wives to have a fling on the side, in secret for the excitement of revenge. Of course, if it was found out, and trust me it was not that hard to find out, lots of drama would emerge. " Remembering all those dramas I watched, I ignored their wide eyes and refocused on the main topic. " So how did he become an illegitimate child? "
" Cough. Unmistakably, the Bai Clan leader had some fun outside the house and the child was the result. " As he said that I rolled my eyes at him. " Not only was the child a son but it was even born outside the house. It caused quite the scandal in their town and it was hushed up soon after. But it was easy to find out with our information network, especially once I knew of his existence. "
" So, he was bullied by the main family line and everybody else did it in favor of said line, but for some reason, they could not get rid of him. Why? " I asked, but did not wait for an answer. " Could it be that the blood he inherited was too strong? "
" Probably. " Responded, Father. " After he was old enough, he stole enough money that reaching the capital was easy. Have no idea how he reached it without getting caught by the Bai Clan. Anyway, once he was in the capital, with the rest of the money he secured his chance to join the recruitment that happened last year and after his talent was tested he was accepted. "
" Hmm. First Uncle, does he practice their Clan Mantra? " I ask him. To which he answered with a shake.
" No, as far as I know, he does not, but Junjie did observe that his Mantra is Ice based just like the Bai Clan. " He replied and I went back to staring at the boy in question.
" Oh, you never told me that fact. " I heard my father say as they started conversing without me.
Time passed, and fights happened. Each of them, I observed to the best of my ability and stored the memory as best as possible for a later shadow boxing training regime I could imagine myself doing.
When every one of them had fought at least once, a new round began.
An interesting fact after all this time, I noticed that Gao Junjie knew exactly who each of the children was, and he certainly knew which style they trained in. As he called them on the platform, it always turned out that they either fought those who were of the opposite element or of a similar element to achieve the maximum amount of gained experience for them.
That fact did nudge me to pose a question. " Father, First Uncle there is something I am curious about. You both know I have not read the Clan Mantra, at all. But one thing stood out to me as I watched all this. How come those down there are using so many diverse styles if they are practicing the same Mantra? "
" Well, that one is easy to explain. " He remarked at me. " You know that Jade has various colors? "
Of course, I knew that.
Seeing me nod he went on. " Every first-grade Mantra has some sort of Root Transformation involved. The point is that ours is just more varied. If you meet the basic requirements of the Jade Mantra and your roots start the transformation process, they will in return adapt the color of the strongest Roots in return and a Jade of variant color is born. At least that is the theory that we adopted, if there is some more mystery we don't know. "
" And the different Jade colors represent the different elements? " I ask. To that, he nodded and responded. " Yes, The color represents some aspects that their Jade Mantra absorbed. The first kid that fought, Chang Niu, represents the brown Jade of the Earthly Jade Fist, perfectly. They are strong and robust. In the future, once he can create his Jade Armor, it will be easier to realize that fact. "
' Is that not an interesting fact? If so, then the varying degree of color blending represents the elements in some cases. Hmm, brown and red would be Earth Qi and Fire Qi. Blue and Purple would be Water and Air, I think. '
" But what about the other colors like white, green and black. " I asked him.
" Well, white and black are very rare. Once they appear they are usually associated with Thunder and Metal Qi or in the even rarer case of Light and Shadow. " As he said that he raised his left arm towards me.
Alongside the hand, Jade manifested as if he wore a tight glove. " Green Jade, on the other hand, does not represent Wood Qi at all as some imagine, but for some reason, it is often used by healers to amplify their healing capabilities. So some associate it with Life, hence it was termed Heavenly Jade. When compared to the other Jade variants physically, not only is it stronger but it is also more resilient. Still, the true uniqueness of Heavenly Jade Qi is only shown by those who practice the Spiritual Mantra. "
" Let me guess? Do you gain access to all the elements? " I ask at the obvious that was implied by his explanation.
" Naturally. Still, nature does like to balance things around. " He commented and explained. " For such variety, Heavenly Jade Qi, in turn, lacks the pure power usually shown by those that practice their respective elements. It is for that reason that a Body Mantra was created to complement the weakness of the Spiritual one. "
" I see. " Was all I said and ignored them to consider my own thoughts.
The reason was simple. As my uncle explained the wonders of Clan Mantra, an itch appeared in my mind that I just had to scratch, intellectually that is.
Summoning my phantom's hand I placed it in front of me and on it, I resurfaced the Jade intent that I had taken a bit over a week ago. Playing with it I had it appear, disappear and replace the skin of the phantom. As I did that I felt the Divine Sense of the three brothers on the hand there.
The more I played with the Jade intent, the more I realized where the itch had come from, and with that came the much-needed spark that had eluded me so far.
Reversing all the changes to my phantom hand I dismissed it. That done, I closed my eyes and reconsidered my approach for a few seconds.
' Ha, it all boils down to a simple fact. If I want to increase my own Power in the fastest way, then making the Oath should be easy, after all, all I would be promising is to not share the Mantra with others. ' Yet as that thought appeared I felt something unsettling stir deep inside my mind.
' The Oath doesn't stop me from using the Mantra as an inspiration and figuring something out, yet for some reason, I still don't feel like taking the Oath. '
Disturbed by what I felt, I started questioning things in my mind.
' Why is that? Why would considering making an Oath bother me so much? I doubt it's the Oath itself. An Oath is just a process or method towards something. Could it be that I simply don't want to place restrictions on myself? But why? Why do I resent being restricted by something? It makes no sense unless, unless, unless. '
Opening my eyes in shock, I looked around to center myself.
On the right of me were the three brothers who became my new family.
Behind was my maid/servant.
Down and ahead of us was my teacher for the foreseeable future and in front of him were the kids beating each other.
Seeing them beating each other, did bring me back to the here and now. " Jiao, is there something bothering you? " I heard my Second Uncle inquire.
Taking a deep breath I shook my head. " No, it's fine. Just old memories reminding me of something. "
With that said I took another breath, closed my eyes, and pondered about myself.
' Yes, old memories indeed. While I may have embraced my new identity of Yu Jiao, in truth, I am but a remnant of the old memories held together by the Power the original me had. '
' That being the case, whatever I am feeling now must be the aftereffects of something that had been ingrained deeply into the memories. If I consider the skill by which the original weaved the Dream of Remembrance, I am sure he left it in there for a reason. '
Taking another deep breath I ponder some more. ' I am sure, he could have made the aversion to Oaths stronger if he wanted. Since he didn't, that leaves me with a simple resolution. Use them but be very careful of them. '
Taking another breath, I came to a conclusion. ' This must have been some kind of test on his part, otherwise he would have just said it, instead of making me do all the thinking. Very well, bastard. I will take this warning dearly, after all, if I can't even trust myself, then whom could I? '
Taking another breath I open my eyes and look at my father and the two uncles as they stare at me.
" Father. " I said as we both stared at each other's eyes. " I have considered my thoughts regarding the Clans Mantra. "
" Yes? " We both had seriousness in our eyes. " Our relationship may be strained due to the past event but I still consider us family. On such a basis I can promise not to divulge the Clans Mantra to anybody. I will only use it as a basis for certain things. But here is the important thing. I will not under any circumstances risk my internal mental health, no matter how juicy something looks, in search of personal Power. How and what you do with that statement is out of my hands, I have expressed myself enough. "
Breaking our staring contest I looked back to the kids fighting on the stone platform.
' Even if the path in front of me is harder, I will not be bound by anything. I will do anything I want, where and whenever I want it, and if the consequences do reach me. I will point my middle finger at them and power through with sheer Will if I have to. '
With that conclusion, the unsettling feeling vanished and with them a weight I never even knew I had.