Chương 32: A Century of Qi

The night was uncomfortable, and Paike and Guan Li took turns keeping watch, which was rough since they couldn't even cultivate while keeping their awareness of the surroundings. Luckily, neither of them really needed much sleep. When Paike was waiting for his turn to rest or cultivate, he looked up at the stars. The night sky stretched endlessly above, a sea of stars glittering against the dark void. Occasional clouds drifted like phantom beasts, slow and silent.

Paike sat still, his gaze casting ever upward, though his thoughts were grounded. As the heavenly light shone down upon him, there was something in him also feeling the quiet pulse of the earth. The stars shimmered far above, distant and unreachable, while the steady presence of the earth below kept him anchored. Each cloud passing by shook this sense of connection. And for brief seconds right before or after a cloud Paike felt off the edge of an epiphany. He breathed deeply, savoring the fleeting moment of calm.

And while trying to keep that coat of wonder, he counted the time until his watch ended. Most of the time they weren't on watch, they spent meditating. Guan Li was carefully recovering his qi while Paike focused on progressing his physical cultivation. When they had left the damaged house, Paike had brought the earth-based stave he had acquired during the trials the day before. It rested across his knees as he probed it. The staff's aspect was clearly different from the attunement of his physical cultivation.

Yet there was still a resonance he could feel. The staff slowly changed as he meditated and cultivated. He wasn't sure if it was due to natural exposure to his qi because he couldn't feel his energies seeping into it, but something was clearly happening. Immediately after he acquired it, Paike thought this was a simple weapon made by a cultivator for use during the trial. Now, he realized it was much more similar to the bow that Yixin was using.

It was made with intention ahead of time, not something fancy but something meaningful. When dawn finally broke, the two packed up their makeshift campsite and headed up toward the sect compound. They'd have to face it at some point. Besides, Guan Li had physical cultivation lessons to attend. As they walked through the streets, one in every three buildings was destroyed, and the ones that weren't were damaged.

Most of the people running around in the early morning seemed nervous, constantly looking over their shoulders. Paike didn't see any major duels going on, and those running around appeared to be lower-ranked cultivators. It seemed that most of the powerful cultivators had worn themselves out or had settled all the grudges they wanted. Guan Li headed off, leaving Paike to his own devices. He made his way down to the market, using the staff as a walking stick. It was time for him to look into selling it.

Of course, maybe he would just find out what it was, but one of his concerns was whether the cultivator who owned it might come to try and take it back. Certainly, Paike could likely hold onto it, but was it worth the effort when he could get something else? There was no reason to paint a target on his back using a weapon he wasn't sure he actually wanted. Maybe the staff was changing to fit him, but if it could change to fit him, why wouldn't it change to fit someone else? That would make it even more valuable.

Besides, he could use the resources. It might be better to take some pills to advance his cultivation rather than keep a new weapon, especially since he would need to learn how to train with it. After speaking with a few people at the market, Paike found himself talking to a store owner of a shop dealing with qi-infused weapons. The lady running the shop ran her hands along the stave, murmuring to herself with her eyes closed. Paike could feel her qi flowing over and around the staff but carefully did not touch it.

He watched, interested, as she worked. She opened her eyes and smiled.

"This is an interesting weapon. I'm surprised you managed to acquire it."

"Really? Tell me more," Paike replied, not wanting to give away too much about his intentions with the staff, but he was sure the inscrutable merchant had noticed. Any information about it would be good and hopefully help him get a better price. However, he might have to take it somewhere else for sale, as clearly he hadn't known what it was worth. This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

"Yes. The weapon's appearance does not match its age. This has been infused with qi for many years. Almost a century, maybe another few decades of heavy use, and the staff might awaken as a spiritual artifact." Paike blinked. Spiritual artifacts were rare and oftentimes legendary weapons of myth—swords were given to heroes by their parents and carried through most of a cultivator's journey, oftentimes awakening in the fourth or later realm after sustained use and qi infusion.

That wasn't to say the weapons would weaken in that realm. Rather, the cultivators usually took that long to awaken them. Of course, it sped up when they were using higher quality qi, but still.

"So that must be pretty valuable," Paike asked. The merchant shrugged one shoulder.

"You would think so. However, certain limitations of this weapon make it less so. First of all, the aspect of qi used in it is rather specific, and you'll have a hard time finding someone who matches it entirely. A close enough match would be acceptable, as the weapon will change to match it, but..." The merchant trailed off.

"Also, staves are not unpopular but are not considered one of the four noble weapons. They are oftentimes a training aid for young cultivators to learn about armed combat before they advance to a more dangerous weapon like a spear or sword." Paike nodded along, though this was nothing he didn't already know. Cultivators were expected to know at least one of the noble weapons as some sort of Dao blade to be formed with their qi, either a spear, sword, bow, or axe—though each had its downsides and prejudices.

But that usually wasn't until a cultivator entered higher society, and very few made it that far. So, focusing on it was usually reserved until it was needed or unless someone wanted to base their entire path on that weapon, as many sword cultivators did.

"I did notice the aspect was changing during the short time I had it in my possession. Can you tell me anything about that?" He asked. She bent down and carefully examined the staff for a few moments.

"I'm not saying that didn't happen, but I can't see anything that would cause it change so fast. It should take years for you to see the effects."

"So, how much would you ask for this?" Paike said with a sigh. He wasn't going to get real value from this then. So maybe it wouldn't be worth selling after all.

"Hmm. If I could find the perfect buyer, I think maybe two and a half emerald stones." Paike blinked. That was 1, 500 times his weekly allowance from the sect. Even with the meager support his family sent along after he had proven himself, it would be a hefty sum.

"But," the merchant said, dashing his hopes, "That would be contingent on finding the right buyer." That was a lot more than Paike had expected. What was such a young cultivator doing with such a powerful weapon? Or... well, an idea struck him.

"If you look at it longer, do you think you could tell me anything about the staff and its aspect?" he asked the merchant. She looked at him cautiously.

"Why?"

"Well, as it changed recently, and I want to know what that change really was." Interest sparked in her eyes. Was it that he was sticking with that story? Had she not believed him before? This dance with words about a price was just too complicated.

"Can you tell me the nature of the change?" The merchant asked with genuine interest. Paike thought, deciding if he should trust her. Was this a secret he wanted to keep? Was there any real harm in telling her? Eventually, he decided no, he could tell her.

"I recently acquired it. The qi has been shifting steadily. I haven't been able to tell how or what, but there's been significant change. The attunement is shifting... or something else," Paike explained.

"Interesting. Do you have any hint of what the catalyst of this change might be?" she asked. Paike shook his head. He had his suspicions, but that was not something he'd want to share.

"No." She looked at the staff more carefully.

"Hmm. Well, I'm afraid I can't really tell you what changed recently. But if it continues to change, feel free to bring it back, and I may be able to tell you something." Paike retrieved his weapon and handed her a Topaz cultivation stone for her appraisal. She smiled, and it disappeared into her sleeve.

"Do bring it back if anything changes with it. It would be very interesting, and perhaps we can do more significant business in the future." Paike gave her a noncommittal smile, bowed, and left. Could the odd aspect that he had picked up from the ancient spirit have been affecting it? Or maybe it was the ponderous nature of his qi that made it stick around longer?

Or was it something that had already been there, and the change was just a shifting of the attunement and the nascent spark of a spiritual weapon that he or the previous owner had missed? He was still thinking about the staff when he found Liming. She was sitting under the central tree of the plaza, looking out over the archway leading down to the trial of stairs. Her hair was slightly mussed, but her robes were otherwise impeccable. Her face was serene. Paike felt the qi around her shifting and smiled.

"Congratulations, sister. I had no idea you were so close to breaking through."