Quantum Cultivation by Jace Kang (simple e reader TXT) 📕

chest filled, and he met Aya’s gaze. Her tears glistened in the moonlight.

“The portals are opening again soon,” Siena said. “You will need to close them soon, or several yokai will be trapped on this side.”

With a nod, Master Ryu climbed up onto the rim of the well. He offered Siena his hand; when she took it, he helped her up. He stripped off his robe and handed it to Kentaro. “For you.”

This was it, then. All words of gratitude died in Ken’s throat.

“I’ll be back soon,” Siena said.

Clasping Aya’s hand, Ken watched through tear-filled eyes as the two jumped down into the well.

Chapter 41:

The Cultivator

R yu’s Wood Path-enhanced sight made out clear shapes in the darkness five meters down, but Siena spoke a word, lighting the hole up with a gentle white light.

The square space at the bottom of the well was only about two meters to a side. From the large dusty rocks and hard-packed dirt beneath Ryu’s feet, he would’ve wagered it hadn’t held water in centuries. Scrapes and scuffs in the ground and the heavy timbers along the sides suggested that people did come down here.

Siena placed a hand on the side and smiled. “I can feel it more strongly here, the intersection of many of the Earth’s energetic pathways.”

Ryu reached out with his Qi. Indeed, the energy coursed and swirled here. “What are the odds that the Dragon Pearl was placed here, of all places?”

“Knowing my brother,” Siena said with a chuckle, “he probably planned it that way.”

How Ryu would like to kick her brother’s ass. He studied her. “You aren’t really a science envoy, are you?”

“I guess you won’t be able to tell anyone… I am attached to the Elestrae Federation’s elite commando team.  However, I am also a science envoy, assigned to Earth to see if I could re-enter the World of Rivers and Lakes.”

Though Ryu thought he knew the answer, he still asked… “Why?”

“To find an alternative energy to istrium. It’s the source of intergalactic conflict.” She searched his eyes. “So you can imagine my excitement when you appeared.”

Noble intentions, but apparently the Elestrae hadn’t considered the repercussions. Would she really help him now, if that meant closing the portals?

Could she be trusted? Something didn’t sit right. “If you’d visited the World of Rivers and Lakes before, how come you asked me about Cultivation the morning you introduced yourself?”

“It was my way of knowing you were an authentic Cultivator. When you answered all my questions, I knew you were.”

“All right,” he said. “I am going to do the secret form. You’ll need to connect to the meridians of the world, but also stay out of the way.”

“I will.”

Hopefully it would work. With a deep breath, Ryu raised his arms into an arc and then pushed them down in front of his torso. His Qi energized within his belly. Setting his hands over his Core, he took a step to the right while sweeping his arms out. He started stepping in a clockwise semicircle, then shifted his weight, sweeping his hands, and turned to walk in a counterclockwise semicircle.

For her part, Siena did more than just avoid him. She raised her voice in a song so beautiful his heart ached. Her circle walking complemented his, turning clockwise when he shifted clockwise, hands raised when his sank. Each of her movements drew the Qi of the world into this space.

How easy this was! He hadn’t needed the Impurities Scouring Pill, nor the Infinite Energy Pill; just an Elestrae who could match him. The Qi of the world surged through him as his meridians linked up with the Earth.

Just a few more cycles of the footwork…

A nearby portal opened, breaking the flow of Qi. It yanked on his Core, making his next step wavered. Another portal opened, and the draw on his energy nearly sent him into a collapse.

“Faster,” Siena said, panting. “You need to execute the movements faster.”

With his energy flagging, he was just moving more slowly. He sank to his knees, hands on the ground, heaving for breath.

Siena broke off her song and knelt down beside him. She placed a hand on his back.

“I…I can’t,” he said, fighting for breath. “Without the pill of Infinite Perpetual Energy, I need to advance a rank. That could take days or weeks of eating the right food…none of which I can find here. And even then, it might not work.”

“You said my power is greater than yours. What if I did the form, and—”

He shook his head. “I don’t have the Core to establish the link to the Earth’s meridians like you can.”  And every moment they wasted, more yokai would enter this world, wreaking havoc.

Her pretty brow furrowed. “Infinite, perpetual energy. That’s what you need, right?”

Where was she going with this? He gave a tentative nod.

“Many legends speak of male and female deities uniting to create the universe.”

“And?” He raised an eyebrow.

“You said the first time we Cultivated together, the Conception and Governing vessels of two people coupling become the symbol for infinity.” Siena traced her finger in the air, forming a figure eight. “Yin and Yang energies, swirling about each other.”

Understanding bloomed on his face. “Your Core is First-Ranked, and already vaster than mine.  Still, I think you would need to Advance.”

She nodded. “You also said that men’s seed gained more Essence the longer they went without spilling it. How long has it been for you?”

“Nearly seven hundred years.”

“Quite potent, then.” She winked.

“Enough for a First Rank to Advance to Second Rank. But you weren’t paying attention to how to—”

She giggled. “Do you really think I wasn’t paying attention? When