NOVEL FROG Xi Fu Interlude 2: Unfortunately, my Spear Comprehension was too high... again!
Xi Fu Interlude 2: Unfortunately, my Spear Comprehension was too high... again!
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Xi Fu sat in an ash-laden cave, inhaling and exhaling. A vortex of Qi surged into his meridian channels, reinforcing the Steel-clad soldier that was his Dao-Platform. His cultivation had been smoothly progressing over the weeks, rising from the fourth to the seventh stage of Foundation Establishment. He knew he would reach the eighth stage sooner rather than later.
His Spear Comprehension was beyond most in Core Formation at this point, and he'd likely be able to smoothly advance his cultivation without any bottlenecks until then.
He cultivated the Armada Commander's Steel Marching Song, the basic Metal Qi Condensation Art of the Sky Swallowing Gulper Armada. He had received it, alongside the basics of Spear Cultivation, from a retired lieutenant of the Armada who he'd badgered into teaching him. The man had been his master and teacher until he'd had been expelled when he was caught sleeping with the man's married daughter.
"Xi Fu! Boss wants you!" he heard Li Ji call from the mouth of the cave.
The Spear Cultivator shivered. Ever since that day weeks ago, he'd been living in fear, waiting for Bing Meilu to call him for some insane, incredibly painful training. He'd managed so far to carefully avoid her with the excuse of focusing on the advancement of his cultivation base, but it seemed time had finally run out!
Xi Fu shakily stood, looking very much like a convicted criminal walking to the gallows as he made his way through the camp. Bing Meilu's home was a large two-story palace of ice. He pushed his way through the doors, circulating his Qi to keep warm in the chilly air.
"Greetings, Boss," he bowed his head.
What he saw was not exactly what he expected. Laying upon a wooden table was Private Ji, who was shivering as Bing Meilu stared down at him, hands clasped behind her back. Xi Fu raised an eyebrow questioningly.
"What happened?" he asked.
"Ji Hui advanced to Foundation Establishment. Somehow, he managed to draw Tribulation Lighting into his meridians and I need you to cleanse it with your Heaven-Defying Spear Intent."
Xi Fu blinked. Had he heard that correctly?
"He what?!"
"Don't ask me how," Bing Meilu shrugged. "But I can't start healing his shattered Meridians until the Heavenly Law infecting his wounds is removed."
"Alright..."
Xi Fu wasn't much of a doctor by any means, but when it came to purifying Heaven Qi, he'd already done it a few times. He would just have to be very careful to cause any more damage to the now Lieutenant Ji Hui.
The Spear Cultivator placed his hands on the unconscious man's arm and closed his eyes in focus, drawing on the Spear Intent within himself. It followed his Qi, piercing through Ji Hui's skin and flowing into his Meridian System. Instantly a powerful Heaven Qi assaulted it from all sides.
This was the Heavenly 'Law' that filled Tribulation Lighting, a rampaging and dominant Heaven Qi that manifested the domineering desire of Heaven to force one to submit to it. Naturally, it would not allow a wound created by it to heal normally.
Xi Fu grit his teeth, the natural defiant rage of his Spear Intent flaring, determined to exterminate the energy that had the gall to challenge him. Keeping it carefully controlled, he weaved more and more Spear Intent into Brother Ji. With every thread, a piece of the Heaven Qi was destroyed.
Sweat began to soak him as his energy ran low. Bing Meilu handed him a pill, which he swallowed. A cool energy flooded through his meridians, restoring his Qi. Rejuvenated, he doubled down, fighting the Heavenly Will.
The young girl intently stared at him, her own Spiritual Sense lightly washing over the two of them, yet careful not to disturb his delicate work. Soon, the remnant of Heavenly Law began to dissipate entirely, leaving behind Ji Hui's cleansed but still fractured meridians.
"I think I'm done... Huh? Wait a second..."
Just as Xi Fu was about to call it a finished job, he began to just barely sense something strange, deep within the Meridian System of Ji Hui. An echo of Heaven Qi? It must have been more of the lingering Tribulation energy that had gotten much further into Ji Hui.
Xi Fu sent his Spear Intent deeper, intent on finishing the job. Then he paused, eyes furrowed in confusion. There was indeed no more Heavenly Law rampaging through the patient's meridians... Instead what he had sensed was an innate law. It was weaved into the substructure of the Meridians themselves, just like he had found in the Dragon scales.
To most, it would be completely unnoticeable, a tiny fragment of background radiation and waste amongst trillions of other bits of random muddled Qi. But Xi Fu had a particular resonance with Heaven Qi, given the nature of his Spear Intent. He was sure that what he was feeling was not usual.
He continually probed at the tingling energy, trying to gain a deeper understanding of it. It wasn't quite like the Heaven Qi of a Tribulation... It was something else? As he examined the energy, a stronger and clearer picture began to emerge in his mind.
'Is this... Heaven Defying Spear Intent? Someone else's?'
He was completely confused. Where would that have come from? Then his eyes widened.
'It is Heaven Defying Intent, but not from a Spear... It's Sword Intent?! This is specifically Heaven Defying Sword Intent!?'
The situation strongly reminded him of encountering Heaven Overwriting Intent in the Dragon Scales. It had been tied deep in the substructure of the scales by a scrap of Ancient Will and provided a state of invulnerability to them.
What the hell was something like that doing in Ji Hui's Meridians?
He began to look for a similar such fragment of will tying the Heaven Defying Sword Intent into Hui's meridians. His Qi sifted through the countless tiny fragments of meaningless background Qi that suffused the world.
'There!'
Indeed he had been correct. Metaphysically in the same place as the Dantian, was a scrap of Ancient Will tying Sword Intent to Ji Hui's Meridians. His energy touched the will...
A single man stood atop a mountain, dressed in pure white robes, a sword in his hand, flowing through the air and leaving behind characters. It was as if the sky was his canvas, and he was the painter. Even more shocking,
the man happened to look almost exactly like the 'Dao-Father of the Sword' from the parable Bing Meilu had shown him.
"Henceforth, Tian will no longer strike down the Meridians of my kind," he spoke, voice sharp and supremely authoritative. "Henceforth, all of humanity shall be born with the right to steal the Natural Energy of Tian."
With each word spoken, a character appeared in the Heavens, entombing his decree. Each was sharp and jagged as if carved by a brutal sword.
"This is... the source of human cultivation?"
As Xi Fu stared at the man in the vision in complete shock, he almost thought he saw the swordsman wink in his direction. Suddenly the Ancient Will flared and Xi Fu screamed, leaping backwards, hand pressed to his throat. A phantom pain, as if thousands of swords had erupted from inside of him, filled his body. He gasped for air, sweat pouring down his brow as waves of pain flooded him.
"Heaven Defying Sword Intent but also not? It's an evolution! He's not just defying Heaven, but even carving his will into it. It's like the Heaven Overwriting Intent only far more profound!" he gasped in shock.
Did that mean... The Meridian System was also not natural! Just like the invulnerability of Dragon Scales. Instead... it was a Law! Something that had been grafted onto the human race in defiance of the Dao of Heaven. At that moment, all Xi Fu could think was a single thought.
'If the Meridian System is a Law- Than my Spear can destroy it!'
It wasn't quite like Heaven Overwriting Will, which could be pierced to reveal the true, overridden laws of Heaven below. This was a Law truly carved onto the Dao of Heaven, grafted into humans. It couldn't just be pierced- It needed to be erased. A new spear art began to form in his head.
Overhead, Xi Fu heard the sky begins to rumble chaotically, and his face paled. A Heavenly Tribulation? He hadn't even reached Core Formation yet?
'Shit, it must have something to do with my Spear Comprehension... Quickly, think about something else!'
His mind filled with random thoughts as he tried to distract himself. Bing Meilu in a clown outfit, Ji Hui actually saying something smart, Jiang Hu dancing like a ballerina...
An invisible pressure filled the air as the 'Heavenly Law' that marked a Tribulation descending. Despite it all, he still did not feel his cultivation base advancing.
"You'll need to give it your all if you want to survive the Tribulation of Art," Bing Meilu commented. "Whatever new Spear technique you've begun to comprehend, I recommend you finish it before the Eight-coloured lightning descends."
Tribulations descended when beings stepped beyond the bounds defined for them by Natural Law. The most common was when human beings ascended a realm of cultivation. But they could also descend for other infringements. The creation of incredible pills, techniques, magical treasures, formations and more could all summon tribulations of their own.
But the Heavenly Laws had to be fair to a degree. Anything technique capable of calling down a Tribulation of Art had to be sufficient to potentially overcome said tribulation. Of course, that meant nothing at all if the art had not even been finished.
Xi Fu turned to look at her, face pale with horror.
"You knew this would happen!"
She shrugged, smiling.
"After what you comprehended from the Dragon Scales...I suspected, I did not know. In the end, this is the result of your own talent. I can't take too much credit."
"Credit? Credit! Don't you mean blame!" he shouted angrily, wracking his mind.
Had he really just wasted all those seconds trying to not think about spears? A profound wave of regret filled him. His mind immediately returned to his inspiration, and he began to think.
'Erase- Not to destroy, but to make blank. Blankness is the original state of all things. A paper must be blank before it can be written upon. Don't waste energy defying the world, but guide it! Borrow the world's own power to regress to a state of blankness.'
He felt a profound technique begin to condense in his mind. He smiled lightly. It looked like he would make it in time.
Then his Spear Intent roared, and he felt the technique dissipate. Co-operation with the existent Laws was not compatible with Defying Heaven. His smile slipped away and he wracked his mind.
'Fuck, think harder!'
Bing Meilu's ice palace completely melted away as burning Heaven Qi filled the air. She took Ji Hui and retreated a safe distance. Above, huge lines of black clouds rotated, forming eight streaks that spiralled toward the center. Thunber boomed threateningly. He didn't have much time left.
'One can carve characters into a tablet, leaving them behind. That's the core of the Heaven Carving Sword Intent I saw... but how does one erase it? Defying Heaven can become carving Heaven- but if one can carve a single symbol into something, they can also chisel away the whole face.'
Eight orbs of light appeared in the tribulation above, each swelling in size as huge streams of energy filled them. A pressure slammed into him, forcing him to his knees. The Tribulation was already exponentially stronger than his Foundation Establishment one had been.
"When I Defy Heaven, I refuse to submit to any law and shatter the Heavenly Dao. Controlled, one can change brute shattering into graceful carving. What about the opposite? Take shattering to its natural conclusion, and it becomes erasure. Destroy every Law that seeks to impede me and birth a blank slate?"
He could sense a technique on the verge of birthing but immediately dismissed it. It was the opposite of the first idea, which had not been domineering enough. This art was too raw, uncontrolled and chaotic. It had to be a balance of power and control, elegance and chaos. He refused to accept a subpar method.
'Don't guide, dominate. Don't teach, order. The nature of Heaven Qi and Heaven-Defying has always been about the controlling nature of Yang. Take control of the Law and order its destruction. Like my Teacher ordering me, the student to erase his blackboard of chalk!'
'Sky-Erasing Spear!'
A technique to erase the cultivation of those before his spear, returning them to the natural state of mortality. Not just mortals, but completely erasing the meridian system. They would not only lose their cultivation, but they and their descendants would never again be able to cultivate Qi. it was the supreme anti-cultivator spear technique.
Xi Fu's whole body shuddered as his Heaven-Defying Intent swirled madly, growing deeper and more profound. He felt a huge vortex of Qi form, forcefully forming another three layers of armour around the General in his Dantian. Just like that, he had reached the Peak of the Foundation Establishment.
He forcefully shut off the vortex. If he absorbed even a little more Qi, his Third Realm tribulation would immediately begin, and if he took two tribulations at the same time, he was even more fucked!
'Dammnit and I had just figured out how to somewhat control my Spear Intent- It's gotten even stronger now!'
Above him, the eight coloured orbs had finally finished their swelling. They began to revolve, the pressure of tribulation raising in the air. Xi Fu sighed, pointing a finger upwards.
His cultivation base shuddered, qi gathering in his fingertip. His own aura exploded, filled with uncompromising rage, a promise to defy heaven and slaughter the gods.
"Sky-Erasing Spear."
A thin stream of white light shot forth from his finger. It was tiny, yet incredibly bright. Before it, the entire world, even the radiant eight-coloured orbs, seemed to become monochrome, as if only this light deserved the right to color and splendour.
The thin light made contact with the tribulations clouds. For a moment, all that could be felt was the eruption of an indescribably fierce Yang energy. Then the world seemed to blink, and the Tribulation of Art flickered out of existence as if it had never been there.
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Xi Fu collapsed to the ground, utterly exhausted. His body was drenched in sweat and his meridians were nearly empty of Qi. Within the man, Heaven-Defying Spear Intent swirled in profound spirals, seemingly mimicking the clouds of a tribulation.
At the center of his Dantian was his foundation, a Dao-Platform, in the form of an endlessly marching soldier clad in steel. Without warning, Spear Intent surged, slamming into the foundation. It began to shatter and crumble from the assault, breaking away.
From within it, a pure, crystalline light emerged, spreading outwards rapidly, eagerly devouring all the shattered fragments of his Dao-Platform. Xi Fu's body shook, in the center of his Dantian, a tiny crystalline seed appeared, almost imperceptible. This was the nascent embryo of a Spear Heart.
In accordance with Spear Cultivation, one first created Spear Qi within themselves, converting their original Qi into it. Then, they cultivated Spear Intent, combining their will and weapon. Finally was Spear Heart, where the foundation of one's entire cultivation was replaced with nothing but the Spear.
Its emergence was why Spear Cultivators cared little for the quality of their cultivation manuals. Eventually, they would birth a Spear-Heart, a new, wholly individual cultivation centred around their own comprehension and understanding of the Dao of the Spear.
Just, it was virtually unheard of for anyone to begin to condense a Spear Heart before the Nascent Soul Realm. The Bird Talon's Continent's most renowned Spear Expert had been Spearmaster Nine Palace, who had famously begun to condense a Spear Heart at the peak of Core Formation.
There was also the Innate Spear Heart Physique, in which one was born with an embryonic Spear-Heart, but it was believed to be the result of the reincarnation of experts of the spear. When it came to condensing one's own new spear heart, doing it in Foundation Establishment was out of the question. At least, it was until Xi Fu did it.
One normally replaced their Nascent Soul with an Embryonic Spear Heart. A great genius could replace their Inner Core with the Spear Heart. What would happen if one replaced their Dao Platform with it? An incomparably strong foundation of Spear Cultivation awaited him.
That was, of course, if he could survive. Above the empty skies shuddered again, as the Embryonic Spear Heart Tribulation began. Xi Fu began to cry and laugh in disbelief. He only laughed harder, as he felt the Spear Heart shudder and condense more, pressing forward to Core Formation. His Spear Comprehension was simply far too high to remain in the Second Realm any longer.
Above a second tribulation materialized, merging with the first, preparing to utterly exterminate him. At that moment, only one thought occurred to him.
'If only my Spear Comprehension wasn't so damn high!'