Chapter 749

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The Martial Path.

A widely accepted appellation used to denote a Warrior’s sacred calling to pursue the Dao, but one which failed to convey the grand scale of such an undertaking. While others bestowed upon him the title of ‘Great Teacher’, Min Gyu dared not claim he understood so much as a tenth of what the Dao offered, much less comprehended even a single facet of the Path in its entirety. How could one claim mastery over the infinite variations contained in even a single Movement of the Forms, or the boundless prospects of Chi? An impossible endeavour for a mere mortal, but just because a task was impossible did not mean there was no value in trying. That was what it meant to be a Martial Warrior, to strive against impossible odds in their quest to rise above all humanity and ascend to the next level of existence, for that was what True Divinity entailed.

This particular end goal never entered into Min Gyu’s sights however, not until learning how far his old friend-written-rival had progressed along his Path. Zhang Jun Bao, disappeared years before Min Gyu’s fated duel with the Butcher of Kun Lun only to re-emerge more than half a century later as Seneschal to Shen ZhenWu, and according to the boy, the Solitary Sword stood only a half-step from Divinity, assuming he hadn’t crossed over this latest hurdle since they last saw him. Upon learning this, Min Gyu’s craving for advancement rekindled and reignited his love for the Dao, which in recent years had become more of an academic pursuit than an actual goal to pursue and achieve. At some point, he’d accepted his fate as a crippled old grouch and gave up on being anything more, content to rest on his laurels and work to reclaim the fame and notoriety he’d enjoyed as the Sanguine Tempest rather than accept what he knew now was his true calling as a Teacher and Mentor.

These last few years however had done more to broaden his horizons than all the years before them combined, and Min Gyu had young Rain’s boundless curiosity to thank for it. His steadfast refusal to accept anything less than a full and complete answer seemed both ignorant and laughable at first, for the secrets of Heaven were transcendent and ineffable, else they would not be the secrets of Heaven. Such things were not for the likes of mere mortals to comprehend, yet Min Gyu could not help but be infected by the boy’s tireless quest for answers no one else could provide, an ailment that seized his heart and mind and refused to leave him be.

Nowhere was this drive more evident than in the boy’s rambling mess of a primer. If one read those notes in hopes of uncovering the secrets to his meteoric rise to power, then they would undoubtedly leave disappointed and defeated, for there was no sagely wisdom or ultimate training method revealed within young Rain’s Inspired writings. The boy’s primer did little more than lay out his own thoughts and methods in a way few could truly understand through reading alone, not in the way young Rain understood those same truths he revealed. No, the primer itself was nothing more than a reaffirmation of his personal Path, and utterly useless to anyone looking for hints on how to progress, but the true value in his writings was that they offered a rare glimpse at Falling Rain’s thought process and perspective, which in Min Gyu’s eyes was a priceless treasure worth killing for.

In the boy’s own words, “Insight is good and all, but comprehension better. While Insight will guide your steps further along the Path, proper comprehension can send you sprinting past your peers and headlong towards the Peak.” A fanciful turn of phrase from a man who did little else but push himself to sprint, though even if young Rain did nothing but walk, he would still surpass his peers through volume of hard work alone. It’d become something of a grim joke to pretend like the boy’s comas were the Mother’s way of forcing him to rest, because the boy would persist through anything short of absolute insensibility. In fact, if his account were to be believed, even a full on coma was not enough to render young Rain idle, for the last time this happened, he continued to work tirelessly within the Void to affect the world around him through severed Natal Souls and other, less obvious means, ones even the boy himself had yet to wholly pick up on.

That was likely happening again here, given how the animals took the time each day to quietly greet him, but Min Gyu was content to leave the boy be to work his miracles as needed. It almost felt wrong, moving ahead with the offensive without Falling Rain at the front, but time waits for no man as an army in the field was an arrow drawn and nocked. A shame, but reclaiming the Western Province would be a long and drawn-out affair, so there was still plenty of time for young Rain to recover and rejoin them. At the moment, he was resting safely in fortified Meng Sha with the Medical Saint to watch over him while Min Gyu accompanied Nian Zu and the bulk of Central’s forces in besieging Shi Bei. The rhythm of war was different from what he remembered, but not because he’d been away for so long. No, young Rain almost single-handedly composed a new tune for them to dance to, and the Enemy had yet to acclimate to the unfamiliar steps.

From behind, the catapults unleashed their deadly payloads overhead as Min Gyu sipped his tea in plain sight, seated beneath a temporary awning put together by his students to shelter him from the sweltering sun as he overlooked the city below. Most Peak Experts under Nian Zu’s command were Concealed and hidden away, which was generally good practice given how the Enemy’s favoured tactics of ambush and assassination, but Min Gyu wanted to be seen. The greatest weapon in war was not the sword, sabre, spear, or even one of Rain’s Runic Cannons, for all else was irrelevant without morale. Even the greatest army in the world would crumble without a fight if the soldiers wholeheartedly believed there was no chance of victory in sight, so while Nian Zu and Liu Xuande busied themselves setting traps, arranging formations, and devising stratagems, Min Gyu took it upon himself to bolster the flagging morale of the troops.

With all the rush and excitement to get here, one mustn’t forget that most of the soldiers present had found themselves thrust into new and unfamiliar roles in a setting so foreign it might as well be outside the Empire. The Imperial Army was not in the habit of besieging its own cities, to say nothing of fighting the Enemy out in the field rather than from behind sturdy stone walls, so many soldiers were understandably nervous here on the first day of the Imperial offensive. The fact that they were massively outnumbered didn’t help matters one whit, as every soldier knew that taking a fortified position was a hard and bloody affair, with the attackers’ usual advantages being time and weight of numbers, but the Imperials had neither of those here. The Defiled forces were so numerous they couldn’t even all fit behind the walls of Shi Bei, with massive tribal encampments sprawling out on both sides of the city and stretching back as far as the eye could see.

Then again, the Enemy didn’t seem all that tightly packed in their camps or behind the city walls either, walls which had seen better days before Nian Zu blew a hole through one and let his catapults have free reign at the others. A countermeasure against the artillery no doubt, dispersing the Defiled forces to limit the damage done with each volley with the knowledge that their ammunition was finite given the Western Province’s lacking supply of natural stone. That being said, the Enemy seemed content to sit out the storm rather than march out on the Imperial camp, as doing so would make them prime targets for the Runic Cannons which had yet to take the field. If the Defiled were to set out in great numbers, they would quickly be bombarded by cannon-fire and whittled down to size, but the average soldier did not think so far ahead. All they would know is what they saw before them, the walls of Shi Bei still standing tall with the Defiled Chosen ready to defend them, as well as a near endless horde of crazed tribesmen eager to cut them down.

There was nothing wrong with fear, but if left unchecked, a plague of panic could easily take root in the hearts of Imperial soldiers and send them running for fairer pastures east at the first sign of adversity. If young Rain were here, he could easily fill the troops with vim and vigour with a rousing speech and spirited Oration, but Min Gyu was never one for speeches or spectacles. Instead, he preferred to let his actions do the talking, which was why he chose to take his tea out on the forward ridge, where the bulk of their ranged weapons of war were situated. Almost every other Peak Expert under Nian Zu’s command was currently hidden away under cloaks of Concealment, which was both prudent and necessary considering the Enemy now had commando Wraiths equipped with deadly crossbows and poisoned bolts to better assassinate high-value targets, but Min Gyu was confident they were no threat to him. Between his Blessing bestowing him with the ability to detect all but the craftiest of Wraiths and his ability to call up a wall of wind with little more than a thought to block any and all bolts and arrows, he was well protected from assassination and believed his presence could be put to good use out here on the front lines.

Hence one reason why he picked this location from which to enjoy his tea, seated high up on an unassailable ridge in front of the catapults and Irregulars. That was not the only reason however, for he considered it an honour to stand alongside these brave commoners as they carried out their duties, bereft of the satisfaction of seeing their enemies die with their own two eyes. From this distance, the only commoners to bear witness to the carnage below were the spotters with their looking glasses that helped them measure distance with a single glance, but the men and women worked tirelessly without complaint despite the threat of death and destruction looming so closely overhead. Were they soldiers, this would be a feat hardly worthy of note, but the Irregulars were commoners through and through. Martial Warriors were trained from a young age to take the fight against the Enemy, and while Imperial soldiers were not always drawn from the cream of the crop, training, camaraderie, and experience went a long way when it came to matters of morale. Soldiers were meant to fight in war, trained to fight in war, and most had been through a battle or three by now, but Irregulars? These were farmers and artisans, labourers and scholars, simple commoners who answered their Legate’s call to arms out of an innate sense of duty and love for their Empire, which made their courage and dedication that much more impressive. It was all good and well to wax poetic about fighting the good fight while running drills and training exercises, but another altogether to muster the courage to stand fast when faced with an army of Defiled. There were millions of the Father’s foul minions gathered about the city below, so Min Gyu would not have faulted anyone if their courage wavered here and now, but to their credit, the Irregulars handled it as well as any other group of soldiers. A testament to their grit and determination, for if they were lacking in either quality, they would never have passed young Rain’s stringent requirements or Liu Xuande’s training.

To this end, Min Gyu specifically requested to be stationed with the Irregulars, for he was proud to serve alongside the Irregulars and become the pillar who would hold up the Heavens above them. Let these brave commoners all see that Du Min Gyu feared no foe, not the deadly Wraiths with their insidious poison nor the tribesmen and Chosen down below, and if the Enemy should so choose to dispatch their Chieftains, Demons, Half-Demons, or worse, well... the Sanguine Tempest had made his name cutting down Experts like cabbages, and Du Min Gyu had only grown more powerful with age.

Alas, the Enemy seemed in no rush to silence the Imperial war machines just yet, not even after a solid hour of bombardment. This left Min Gyu in something of a pickle after he finished his first, second, and third pots of tea in plain sight, as he could hardly step away without good reason. It would be undignified for a man of his status to go relieve his bladder with everyone watching his every move, nor could he simply retire to his tent for a nap as he so earnestly desired. What’s more, even though he put on a show of looking relaxed and laid-back, this was still a battlefield which meant only a fool would let down his guard, and Min Gyu was no fool. Or at least not much of one, as he’d expected to be thick in the fighting by now as the Enemy commander assaulted the Imperial position in a desperate bid to silence the counter-weight catapults. Whoever was in charge across from them had clearly decided on another direction, ignoring Nian Zu’s blatant provocation and invitation to come out from behind their walls before the catapults rendered them into nothing but rubble and dust.

Min Gyu’s prickly predicament was in no way helped when the newly-promoted Exarch Gam decided to take a seat by his side, the contentious old curmudgeon unwilling to be outdone. Ruining Min Gyu’s efforts to appear calm and collected, the half-fox sat with arms crossed and leg bouncing as if possessed by the mother of all itches. Clearly running low on patience and spoiling for a fight, Gam watched the barrage of stones land on the Enemy below with a sour grimace that never softened except when uttering a grunt of admiration for a particularly memorable shot. “I could bring those walls down with a wave of my hand, ye know?” Gam grumbled, and not for the first time. “Sturdy stone stacked on shifting sand; one good shift and it’ll all crumbling apart.” Min Gyu said nothing in response for he did not want to encourage the man, but regardless of the engagement, Gam continued, “I hate the sand. What’s that, you ask? It’s just dried dirt, ain’t it, and I love me some dirt, don’t I? Well, you’re wrong, and lemme tell ye why.”

Stifling a sigh and resisting the urge to massage his temples, Min Gyu considered loudly announcing his need to piss just to get away, but knowing Gam, the man would follow him to the privy without a care in the world for privacy or consideration. “No one gives dirt the proper respect it deserves,” the half-fox began, speaking loudly enough to be heard over the commotion. “The earth is one thing, but the dirt? Who cares right? I care. For some stupid reason, the first thing everyone thinks of when they hear ‘Blessing of Earth’ is stone. Rock solid stone, so strong and durable, that’s surely the greatest part of the Blessing, right? Wrong again. It’s dirt. That’s where we truly draw our strength from, the dirt, because solid ground is nothing more than loose dirt that’s come together over time.”

Two weeks ago, Min Gyu would have shut his ears to the half-fox’s ramblings and let him drone on until he ran out of things to say, but that was before he found Insight in Chen Hongji’s notes on his Martial Path. Initially, they all desired his notes in hopes of uncovering his secrets regarding Domain Plating, but the humble Brigadier presented them with an even more valuable gift instead. At some point or another, every Martial Warrior in the Empire would be asked a single, simple question, the answer to which would define their Path: Why do you seek strength? There were many reasons for posing this question, and not just simply to uncover a Warrior’s underlying motivations. Beasts were content to fill their bellies and find a safe place to rest their heads, but humans were cursed with wisdom and required more than the bare necessities of life in order to find fulfillment. They needed a cause, a purpose, a motivating force, a reason or justification for existence, because why else would the Mother have given them the ability to question existence itself? Perhaps this was why the Dao came so naturally to most animals, because they were unburdened by these existential doubts, but regardless of the reasons, Martial Warriors who were unable to answer this most basic of questions would eventually find the way forward barred to them. The answer was something of an affirmation of one’s Dao, a reason not just for pursuing the Martial Path, but for life itself, and in answering this question, one laid bare the truth of one’s self for all to see, themselves included, so that they might better come to understand their own personal Dao.

According to his notes however, Hongji took matters one step further and bundled his answer up into a singular concept which he then used to anchor his Natal Palace in mind and soul, but while his notes helped Yan do the same, this was not the only thing a concept was good for. Young Rain’s concept was tied to his inquisitive ways and his burning desire to understand the mysteries of Heaven, because he believed that given enough time and effort, mankind would one day unlock the secrets to controlling the universe itself. Not only did he believe this, he’d made it his sole mission in life to convince others of the same, because while others lived and died by the mantra of ‘might makes right’, young Rain had faith not in strength or power, but the intelligence of humanity as a whole. Time and time again, he insisted that discussing the Dao and his Path could only be beneficial in the long term for many minds make light work, which was contrary to widely accepted beliefs, but rather than accept things as they were, he set out to convince the world that he was right and they were wrong.

Not by sharing the secrets of his Martial Path, for he had yet to truly comprehend them and lacked the confidence to convince others to his cause. Instead, he proved to everyone what the collective minds of humanity could accomplish by releasing a book detailing all manner of inventions and ideas, and in doing so, set the world hurtling down a new course of progress and innovation.

It wasn’t until Akanai pointed it out that Min Gyu came to realize just how far-sighted young Rain truly was, for he too preferred to let his actions speak for him. When the boy first gifted Shen ZhenWu his book of inventions, people all around the Empire dismissed it out of hand and only saw value in the Runic Shields he’d presented alongside it, but now, more than two years later, the world was finally beginning to understand just how valuable a gift that book truly was. Cast iron, pulp paper, clear glass, resilient rubber, durable concrete, and so much more, the world was changing at a rapid pace and fast leaving the entrenched nobility behind. A vast number of fortunes had been made and lost since the inaugural Imperial Grand Conference, by Rain and so many others, but now, there were new ideas and creations coming out of the woodwork that had nothing to do with the boy’s book and everything to do with the concept that drove him to create the book in the first place.

And in doing so, young Rain convinced Akanai, Min Gyu, and so many others that perhaps he was right after all. Ever the leader, Akanai was the first to share her Insights on the Dao, and many others soon followed suit, Min Gyu included. After Chen Hongji became the newest member to join their little Dao collective, his notes proved to be a great benefit to all, and Min Gyu sought permission to share a snippet of those notes with little Yan, which enabled her to overcome the hurdle that had denied her for so long, Natal Palace Formation. When the dust settled and he’d had some time to think, Min Gyu came to realize that a Martial Warrior’s concept, or more specifically a Dao Concept, was key to understanding not just their motivations for pursuing the Dao, but their unique perspective as well. All this time, the world believed that each must walk their own Path, but only because as a collective whole, they lacked the ability to see things from the perspective of another Warrior and discern what Insights were unique to them and what could be applied universally. Only now, Min Gyu believed that understanding a Martial Warrior’s Dao Concept was like being given a glimpse of the world from their perspective. By no means was this a perfect impression of the world through someone else’s eyes, nor was it useful in any direct manner, but any Warrior would understand the value of understanding the Dao from a different perspective. By identifying one’s Concept and sharing it with the world at large, they could create an index of Concepts for struggling Martial Warriors to compare and contrast against, so that they might take inspiration from another Concept or see where their own Concepts were lacking. This was similar to how the Imperial Army encouraged its Officers to share their experiences along the Martial Path, but with a renewed focus on the parts that actually mattered.

And now, the eccentric, elderly Gam was sharing his Dao Concept with Min Gyu, and he would be a fool not to listen.

Despite the clear gains to be harvested, his conscience would not allow him to take advantage of his friends, so Min Gyu cleared his throat to create an opening for himself to Send, “Are you sure you wish to speak of this out loud? Or at all? Your observations regarding your Blessing and Dao are invaluable indeed, but you might end up divulging more than you intend to and revealing some critical flaw or weakness for your enemies and rivals to exploit.”

“Bah.” Patting his chest with a confidence Min Gyu envied, Gam smiled and declared, “I have no flaws, for I had the greatest Mentor anyone could ask for.” Namely his mother, whom he clearly loved and idolized despite her... cool reception to his filial affection. Then again, most Ancestral Beasts were quick to strangle their demi-human children in the crib, so the fact that Mama Gam raised not one, but five of her children without assistance was telling indeed. Or was it six children? Min Gyu still wasn’t sure if the Gam beside him counted as Gam the First or Gam Prime, and he didn’t know how to ask.

Ignorant to these somewhat rude thoughts, Gam grinned and clapped Min Gyu’s shoulder so hard it left a bruise. “Besides, even if there is a flaw, you’ll point it out soon enough, and then I can get on fixing it right quick, so why shouldn’t I share my thoughts with you? I’m not one for writing or thinking my words through, so just sit there and try not to piss your pants before I’ve said my piece in full. Now where was I before you so rudely interrupted? Right, dirt coming together.” Reaching down to pick up a handful of sand, he let the loose grains flow out of his hand where it was promptly brought away by the breeze. “That’s where the earth’s true strength comes from, not being hard and solid like stone, but from unity, like dirt. These loose grains of sand are nothing on their own, easily scattered across the province by wind and boots alike, but dirt? Get enough of it together in one place and it becomes more than just dirt. It becomes a mountain, firm and immovable, durable and unshakable, and that’s before accounting for other forces in play like ground shifts and gravity and what not.”

“Strength not through sturdiness and durability, but unity and cohesion.” Min Gyu could see how it made sense from a certain perspective, for even if one had the strength to blow apart a mountain of dirt, what remained would still be a mound at the very least, unless one had enough strength to destroy it entirely. “What are these... ground shifts?”

“The earth beneath your feet ain’t as stable as you think,” Gam replied, stamping his boot hard before glowering at the offending sand beneath his feet. “Well, solid earth at least. It shifts back and forth, expands and contracts, usually so slowly and steadily most never take notice.” Waving a hand, Gam continued, “Look, everything I know on the subject, I learned from Mama or the earth itself though, so you’ll have to look elsewhere for a more thorough explanation, but long story short, even the biggest landmass is still an island in the ocean, so try and think of the earth like a giant ship on the sea. Calm most of the time, except when it isn’t. Course there are other things, like mountains connected to the sea floor, and if you dig deep enough, you’ll eventually hit molten lava, but that’s neither here nor there.”

“Fair enough.” Which was to say Min Gyu sort of understood, but didn’t really, and acknowledged that understanding this particular facet of Gam’s Dao was unnecessary for now. That was one area young Rain needed to improve on, his ability to let things lie and come back to them later. Give the boy a mystery and he’d pick at it for days and weeks without end, like a child with an itchy scab.

“If it wasn’t for the unity of dirt,” Gam continued, kicking at the sand once again as if it personally offended him, “We’d have nothing but ocean to live on, you know? Aside from the odd mountain or sand pile, which isn’t much at all in the grand scheme of things. That’s why I hate sand. It’s nothing like dirt, loose, divided, and incapable of sustaining life.” Gesturing at the walls below, Gam added, “Or supporting structures all that well. They would’ve had to dig deep to set a foundation for those heavy stone walls, and I can tell from here they didn’t dig nowhere deep enough. The right force in the right place and those stones’ll come crumbling down and then some, to say nothing of the shoddy buildings inside that sorry excuse for a city. Could have it done right quick, if the Colonel General’d only let me off his leash.”

It irked Min Gyu to hear Gam refer to Nian Zu by rank, because there were precious few others who warranted the same. Akanai for one, yet despite holding the same rank as her, Min Gyu never rated more than a lowly ‘you’, which was one of Gam’s more flattering terms of endearment. “For good reason,” Min Gyu said, spouting some nonsense about conserving strength out loud while Sending, “If we bring down the walls and buildings both, the Defiled won’t have any reason to stand still while we bombard them. It’s slow going and boring, but every Defiled we kill with the catapults is one less we have to meet with spear and sword.”

“Fair enough.” This time it was Gam’s turn to utter the conciliatory statement, and he blissfully fell silent after, leaving Min Gyu free to enjoy the satisfying creaks and thumps of the catapults while musing over what the half-fox had shared. Again, young Rain’s wisdom proved true as it was not the similarities which proved to be of use, but rather the differences, for they stood out like a sore thumb and showed Min Gyu exactly where the distinction lay between his Dao and Gam’s. If the Blessing of Earth was all about unity and cohesion, then the Blessing of Air was almost the complete opposite. Air did not conduct itself to gather and coalesce, but rather rushed away to be as far as physically possible from any other air in the vicinity. What was a vacuum but more room for Air to stretch and expand? Though he’d known this all along, he’d never truly been able to put it into words until after hearing Gam’s experiences, a truth that he was always aware of, but never truly identified until now, and it gave him a fresh perspective of a problem that had plagued him for so long.

It all started with young Rain and pervasive ideas, but to be fair, the boy did warn Min Gyu before sharing. It seemed so simple at first, to take the power of a howling gale and compress it down into the palm of his hand, so that the full force of his fury could be unleashed against his foes without wasting any effort whatsoever. The sheer destructive possibilities had him instantly captivated, as this was a skill he could easily adjust the strength of to match his opponents. A common Warrior? Then not much power was needed at all, for they lacked a Domain to blunt his Elemental attack, but against a sizable Demon of considerable defence? Why, Min Gyu could empty his Core into one attack to guarantee a kill against so dangerous a foe.

Only it turned out that things were easier said than done, for all of his efforts to Visualize his Intent and contain the howling gale fell far short of the mark, resulting in lacklustre explosions that were little more than sudden, harmless puffs of wind rather than the unstoppable tempests he’d envisioned. Air did not take well to compression, and the more pressure he exerted on the Air itself, the more it resisted his efforts. Now though... Now, Gam’s explanation regarding earth, dirt, and sand had opened up new avenues of thought to consider, ones Min Gyu never even knew existed much less thought to explore. Bending over in his chair, he reached down and took a fistful of sand before righting himself once more. Letting the sand trickle out just like Gam had earlier, Min Gyu watched it flow and blow away while Insight drifted on the outer edges of his perception, teasing him with its tantalizing closeness. He was on the right track, this much he knew, the answer so close he could taste it, but he had no words to put to this feeling because that was all it was. A feeling. Intuition. A gut instinct.

Young Rain placed much emphasis on Visualization and Intent as a means to control Chi, eventually condensing the subject down to a simple matter of Will, but what about less... substantial inklings? Min Gyu himself used Visualization and Intent to direct his Wind Blades, but he also relied much on instinct and intuition to accomplish feats he could not wholly explain, such as his ability to detect Concealed individuals using sweeping gusts of wind. His efforts did not paint a picture of the surroundings in his mind, for he was unable to track the wind so precisely. Instead, he relied on the properties of Chi and his unique, unnamed talent that allowed him to retain control of Chi as it passed through another living creature’s Domain to alert him to any unseen presences. That was the what, but he had no words to explain the how, and yet it worked all the same. An effort of Will, which meant Will was not solely comprised of Visualization and Intent, for human beings had other senses to perceive by. Yan herself rarely utilized Visualization, if ever at all, and instead learned quickest when she was allowed to perceive the Wind itself, primarily through the movements of her battle-fan. This truth became all the more apparent when Min Gyu reviewed Gam’s explanation of dirt and realized that the half-fox favoured using tactile descriptions to express his view. Did this mean that one could use palpable, physical sensations to direct Chi? Most certainly, as Min Gyu himself did so on almost a daily basis in the form of Lightening, not by visualizing himself lighter, but conceiving himself as such through the sensation of lightness.

The boy of course did Lightening differently, imagining it as currents of Chi buoying him up into the air, which was more of an External use of Chi than Internal. Perhaps his difficulties understanding the Dao in it’s entirety stemmed from his over-reliance on Visualization and his inability to utilize other forms of Will. More proof of this lay in how Hongji eschewed Visualization altogether. When utilizing his Ethereal Palm, he did not envision his Chi and Domain forming a palm, he simply attacked with his body, and his Chi carried the force beyond his physical frame. Hence the name, for there was no palm of Chi, because it was ethereal, wholly lacking in form and substance. It was more similar to an intangible ripple of force than a straightforward attack of Chi, like one of Sarnai’s deadly shards of Chi or Min Gyu’s Wind Blades, which came as a great surprise to everyone involved. That being said, the Ethereal Palm was largely based on principles of Reverberation, and while it required some measure of Domain Plating to make use of, it was not as much as they all suspected before reading Hongji’s notes, which was disappointing to say the least.

But all this was relevant now, this much Min Gyu knew in his heart, pieces of a puzzle coming together to form a complete picture, but of what, he was not yet sure. Still watching the sand fall from his fingers, he let his mind drift where it would while remaining wholly rooted on the task at hand, focusing on nothing in hopes of finding an answer to the questions that plagued him.

Gam’s rant about the differences between dirt and sand brought up a good point, for Min Gyu had never understood why the Blessing by Earth and Air was considered Sand. In his eyes, sand was just loose dirt, but now that Gam had pointed out the distinctions, Min Gyu was able to pinpoint the influence of Air in the combination at hand. Sand was not cohesive, and while nowhere near as free as Air, it too sought to find freedom wherever it could. Sand was not stable, because it resisted against any and all constraints, shifting aside from pressure and going wherever the wind could carry it. That was why Earth and Air was Sand, and while he still harboured some doubts, at least now it all somewhat fit together.

So if sand flowed like... well, sand, and air flowed like the wind, how could he contain it under pressure?

No, no, this was the wrong Path to take, for Chi was neither sand nor air, even if it was Sand Chi or Air Chi. Chi was simply Chi, regardless of the properties it took on, so the real question was, how could he contain Chi?

The answer was simple, a feat every Martial Warrior was capable of, for they gathered and collected Chi in their Cores.

And just like that, Min Gyu knew exactly what to do. Brushing the last of the sand from his hands, he extended his hand and placed it palm up in front of him with fingers together and slightly curled as if to hold water. Then, he Visualized not the wind, but his Wind Chi congealing in the palm of his hand, a task so familiar he could do it in his sleep. The air stirred as his Chi carried out his Will, and Min Gyu licked his lips before continuing. Here was the tricky part, the step he was not entirely sure of, but he had a feeling he knew enough to succeed. Taking a deep breath, he deployed his Domain, but only around the palm of his hand. He could see it in his mind’s eye, a layer of Chi and something else adhered to his skin, something young Rain theorized was either manifested emotion or soul, but the specifics did not matter here. Focusing his Intent with deliberate care, he Visualized his invisible Domain lifting itself away from his curled fingers to fold over the palm of his hand, while simultaneously conceptualizing the sensation of closing his hand, without actually closing his hand.

This was Hongji’s secret trick to Domain Plating, to treat the Domain as part of one’s physical body, but Min Gyu’s first attempt fell apart before his eyes. Why? A lack of familiarity with the process, that was the issue, as it introduced a hint of doubt into the mix which unravelled his focused Will.

But he learned from this failure, and all that was left to do was try again.

And again. And again, and again.

Annoyed with his repeated lack of success, he asked Gam to keep an eye on the surroundings, but the request was not needed as the half-fox had already taken vigil around him, standing with staff in hand beneath the burning sun so that anyone aiming to get to Min Gyu would have to move through him first. Though they didn’t always get along, this more than anything showed that they were true comrades in arms, and Min Gyu was warmed by his friend’s consideration. With his safety well assured, he devoted his full attention to the task at hand and eliminated all other distractions. The thumping catapults, the screaming stones, the wailing Defiled, the cheering Imperials, the heat, the thirst, the pressing bladder and more, all of it disappeared until only Min Gyu’s palm, Wind Chi, and Domain remained.

On his one-hundredth and eighteenth try, he succeeded in creating an enclosed ‘bubble’ of Domain in the palm of his hand, one which held for less than a heartbeat before the forces of his moving Wind Chi tore it apart. Grinning at his success, temporary as it was, Min Gyu continued with his trial and error for he still had plenty of Chi to spare.

Fifty-seven failures later, Min Gyu discovered that more power was not the answer, for he lacked the fine control to put more power into his Domain without affecting the Wind Chi. Instead, he drew from Gam’s parable regarding dirt and mountains to conceive the idea of compressing a single layer of Wind Chi inside a wrapped Domain serving as a pseudo Core, then placing another layer of compressed Wind Chi over it, a multi step process which would allow him to incrementally increase the power bit by bit without causing the whole thing to collapse in on itself.

His first attempt at this new technique ended in failure, but seventy-eight tries later, he finally had a three layered bubble of contained Wind Chi. When it popped, it did so with an audible sound which made Gam turn to regard him with one raised brow, but Min Gyu only spared him a passing grin, one filled with glee at his success, but he was not yet done for today.

Upon reaching seven layers, Min Gyu reached the conceivable limits of what he could accomplish for now, yet the power contained within the pseudo-Core was barely enough to kill a normal Peak Expert. Or so he assumed at least, for he had yet to test it, but the Chi expenditure was comparable to a single Wind Blade in total since the difficulty lay in striking a balance between the Wind Chi and the strength of the Domain. Too much Wind Chi and the whole thing ruptured, while too strong of a Domain made the pseudo Core too rigid to easily compress the trapped Wind Chi inside. Control is what he lacked, and he was reminded of how young Rain once compared the Medical Saint’s Healing process to weaving an intricate tapestry with ten-thousand needles at a time. In comparison, this was more akin to embroidering a sock in Min Gyu’s eyes, not that he’d ever held a needle and thread himself, and still his abilities fell short of what he hoped to accomplish.

Well, at least there was something to be gained from all this, for his success with creating a pseudo-Core meant he was one step closer to understanding Domain Plating. That was good enough for today, for he could hardly expend all his mental efforts on experimentation. Separating the pseudo-Core from the palm of his hand with little more than a thought, he took a moment to extend his Spiritual Senses to familiarize himself with their use and appreciate what he’d wrought today. Another thing he didn’t entirely understand, but he knew there were senses beyond the physical. One step at a time, walk before you can run, all things Min Gyu knew well enough, but he had precious few years left to him now, perhaps even less considering he was lost in his thoughts while sitting outside of Concealment at the forefront of battle. Huffing a small sigh of regret, Min Gyu flicked his hand and ‘tossed’ the pseudo Core towards the Enemy lines, the same way he would cast out a Scrying. Even though today’s efforts ended in failure once again, he’d learned much from his attempts and would build on these lessons in the morning when -

The skies shook and thunder roared as Min Gyu leapt to his feet, for if the cannons were already in play, then something must have gone disastrously wrong. Instead, he was greeted with more or less the same sight he last remembered, with the Enemy forces still milling about the city walls while the Imperial soldiers held the high ground and loosed stones from afar. There were no Peak Experts or Runic Cannons to be seen, so Min Gyu turned to ask Gam what the noise was all about and found the half-fox staring at him in open disbelief. “What in the High Heavens was that?” Gam asked, and Min Gyu could only raise an eyebrow in turn, for he had no idea what the man was on about. “Your little... orb of Wind Chi! It just shot out and exploded.” As Gam pointed at the Enemy lines, Min Gyu spotted a handful of shocked Defiled atop the wall who were getting back up on their feet, looking as confused and bewildered as he felt. Upon closer inspection, he spotted a fairly sizable gouge in the stone wall just in front of them, perhaps fifty centimetres across, and maybe a fist deep. Nowhere near as impressive as what Nian Zu displayed with his opening strike, but if that had hit a person instead...

Unable to hold it in any longer, Min Gyu’s laughter echoed out across the battlefield as he gaze upon the damage he’d wrought. While this fell short of the massive scale of destruction he’d envisioned, he could easily loose hundreds of those pseudo-Core Wind bombs in a single day. In fact, as his current speed of creation, there was a good chance he could passively refill his Core faster than he could expend it, which was more because the creation process was agonizingly slow. That would improve with practice and familiarity, as would his lacklustre Chi compression abilities, for in truth, he still had a long ways to go. That being said, unlike young Rain, Min Gyu knew when to celebrate the small successes, and he could not wait to share this with his friends.

Luckily, he had one on hand to listen to him boast standing right here. “Oh that?” he exclaimed, after far too long a pause to get his laughter under control. “Just a new skill I’ve been working on, hardly anything to make a commotion about.” Throwing his arm around Gam’s shoulder, he excitedly described the whole process from start to finish in Sending and took in his friend’s jealous glares with pride and satisfaction.

It was good to have a friend-written-rival once again, but that didn’t meant Min Gyu had forgotten all about his old ones. Through Solitary Sword Zhang Jun Bao had taken the lead to become a half-step Divinity, Min Gyu was confident that he would soon be hot on his heels with a little help from his friends and talented Grandson-in-Law. After fifty years of struggling to reclaim his lost glory, Min Gyu was finally poised to go beyond and rise above his former staggering heights, a sensation he never thought he could enjoy again.

And damn if it didn’t feel good...

Chapter Meme