Clones can be made in a lot of ways. Bleeding a lot and using that blood to make a clone is a quick and dirty method, for example. I decided not to go that route, the clone will look like a flayed torture victim the first few weeks. I searched for other clone creation techniques, but they all need rare resources, live sacrifices or long rituals. I decided to make my own. Pumping enough qi into a figure of myself seems to work so far.
I’ve got the skin layer done and I’m now working on forming the skeleton. It is sitting beside me, slowly coalescing a face from its bumpy white surface. I can get started on individual cell modelling in a week or so. Making something from pure qi is energy intensive, but I got all the power I need right here.
A glance at both my cores tells me they’re doing fine and are slowly growing. The two crystals fill half the available space, the liquid qi around them forming new crystal over time.
In retrospect, this is the fastest I’ve ever cultivated. I’ve landed here not even a week ago and I’m halfway to the solid core stage already. Disciples usually spend a month in the qi gathering stage, learning to control their own powers. The qi condensing stage where they compress their qi into a single drop of liquid used to take years. Core forming - the stage in which a core filled with liquid is compressed into a small crystal - was rarely accomplished under the age of twenty. The solid core stage starts the moment when your core is filled with solid qi. That’s the first realm, and from then on, the true fun can start!
Each continent and region used to have their own stages after that. All agreed that the second realm is called the foundation realm though. The other stuff like spirit severing, Dao seeking, saint realm, and more made up terms like those are all nonsense in my opinion. Cultivators beyond those levels have so much power at their fingertips that they don’t need physical crutches like cores to contain their cultivation. Nor do they need to follow a pre-set path. They nearly all did though.
I experimented a lot and found out that everything past the foundation realm were just loose guidelines. They weren’t the god-written rules everyone made them out to be. You can, for example, increase the density of your core before building your foundation. Forcing solid qi to compress another level packs it in a tighter crystal lattice. I can manage up to four crunches, as I call them. Instead of using my first solid core to carve out my foundation, I pack it all tighter together to give me more to work with when I start my foundation.
I got both my cores at the first crunch now. I will have to ask my students for better names when they get to that level. My hatred for pompously long names stops me from coming up with good names myself.
My language process has run through all the voice recordings I made before, my greatly enhanced mental capacity burning through the task with speed. My local language data file is pretty much complete. I will keep a process running to add in any new words and phrases I come across. I found a few books when recording all that talk, and those will be my next project.
What else did I do? I stroked my bunny a lot…
Besides that, I fixed up my own Treehouse. I made a small stone castle using mountain rocks. It looks rough and medieval from the outside but is a cosy love-shack on the inside. The few pieces of furniture I still had, along with some rugs and paintings now adorn the inside. I even put a little moat around it, drawbridge and all.
And then there is the huge massive army coming this way, did I mention that already? They are little figures just on the horizon at the moment, but a few thousand marching people are making their way over to the dungeon city.
The tight formations and banners flapping from their spears are a pretty good hint that they are military. I check my map and try to cross reference some landmarks. They should have left the closest city a few days ago before this massive tower had a hissy fit and decided to collapse. Did something happen to the animal horde in the clearing? Maybe they think a beast wave is coming?
And I saw a dragon. Let me repeat that, I SAW A DRAGON! A proper western, four-legged and winged dragon! Not one of those overgrown snakes with legs from Asian mythology or the Cultivation World, no, a proper dragon!
I’m pretty stoked. I can withstand a nuclear barrage with this source of qi at my feet, so I’m not worried about some breath attacks, I’m just really pumped. I always wanted a dragon mount, letting the wind whip through my hair as I settle in between the scales; so awesome.
It left before I got a proper look though, even my enhanced eyesight couldn’t get a good look, just a silhouette against the sun. Likely it was on a scouting mission. I hope it will be back…
I thought this world would be boring with its dark mana and darker souls everywhere. Now we have exploding dungeon towers and real dragons, pretty nifty stuff.
⁂
A war is waging in a dimensional pocket. A war of the mind against the flesh. Bord especially is an avid fighter in this war, struggling non-stop to reach the heavenly smelling food just out of reach. Another figure is also mightily struggling in her bonds, Angeta joins Bord in the roaring and snarling struggle as they attempt to get free from their chairs and desks.
A gloomy guy with dark eyes is looking Bord in the eyes while slowly eating.
“LET MEE GO I’LL KILL YOOOUU, REEEEEEEE! KEEEEET!” Bord’s spittle flies everywhere as he stares at the eating boy with crazed eyes.
“Just hand him a piece, I can’t think like this,” asks a distressed looking girl. Glancing back at the paper only causes her to flinch back. Two answers have been written down and they are both very, very wrong.
“I’m worried about fuzz ball here.” Ket points at another cursing and fighting blur. “It’s not that hard.”
“HUUMAN SET ME FREEE SO I CAN KIIILLLL Y…” Ket waves his hand and a thin grey mist covers the furry and fatty both, muting any sounds. They keep trashing about in their bindings, unable to move towards the food even a single millimetre.
The dark-eyed fellow smiles a manic grin at his hands, he seems to whisper things like “cool” and “truly awesome” under his breath. He focuses on Tess and walks over to the strapped down girl.
“Focus your eyes, command your qi.” Tess looks down again. “Maybe shove some in your head?” Ket asks while turning to walk away.
Just as Tess is about to respond, a single coughing sound booms throughout the entire place, making Tree sway and disrupting any techniques. The white bands stay in place.
“Ahum, look at this!”
A vortex appears in the clearing, made up of white energy with a glowing point in its centre. After swirling around for half a minute, it disappears. Next, a glowing haze appears, shrinking back into a ball at great speed. A blinding light causes everyone present to close their eyes the moment all the energy is compressed to a point. The two distinctly different displays of white light leave the majority puzzled and scratching their head.
“That was all,” rumbles the voice. Silence reigns supreme again.
“Wha…”
“FUUUUUU…”
“YOU FIIILTHYYY HUUU…”
Ket sighs and waves his hand again, muting the two loudmouths. He seems to understand something. If there are two ways of doing the same thing, there must be more.
He walks away while talking to himself again. Tess sighs in exasperation and rolls her eyes. Looking to the sides she sees the redhead snoring loudly, while Selis’ head hovers a few centimetres over the paper. Tess just sighs, trying to find that smile she never could go without. With a shrug, she pours some qi in her head and looks at the paper again. A minute later the sound of her pen scratching against the paper can be heard, the slight green tint on Tess’s face a clear sign that she really wants to be free.
Chapter twenty-six
Association
Irub my forehead. I have this massive knowledge database in my head made up of all the information I listened to during my day and night stalking session. The problem is I don’t like working through the data. I have to mentally and manually sieve through massive
loads of data in order to find any answers.
Let’s say I want to find the total number of puppies in the city. What could go wrong with that? I know how my brain database works, so it’s probably right next to the number of dead puppies and the number of drowned kittens. I roughly know where all the information is stored, it’s just that I have to look at all the surrounding data to find something specific.
But no more! I can simply ask my disciples! If I truly knew how much shit is going on in the city below me, the power given me by the massive amount of qi around me is just too tempting. Sodom and Gomorrah will be summer holidays when compared to the righteous smiting power an unlimited amount of qi gives me.
Live and let live, though. I will give all the puppy murdering people below a chance at something better. Though the revenge slaughter committed by the last semi-disciple I had has led me to look for other hobbies. The only hobby I have dabbled in that hasn’t caused unintended catastrophes so far is gardening.
I close my eyes and sink into the qi clone beside me. I leave only my scanning, danger sense and qi gathering process running. I use the rest of my mental capacity to intercept my senses, linking them to the near-solid body of qi. I feel quite blurry despite how much qi is packed inside of this form. Its bones and skin are represented, and internal organs are vaguely outlined now. It will reach full immersion when every cell has been perfectly copied, so I will have to look at the world through a hazy white filter until then.
I take a few steps, getting used to the different levels of feedback. I then jump through Tree’s portal, appearing in the little clearing. I look around for a bit, appreciating the changes that have been happening. Deep grooves are carved in the topsoil and shredded leaves are still fluttering around. A big clump of roots is wriggling around, lashing out with thin secondary roots. That should be Angeta’s place. I will let her cool off a bit inside of her self-made prison. But it’s nice to know that she has started using her affinity in a useful manner.
The grass has grown in nicely, the bare patches no longer showing. The forest surrounding the clearing went from a few large trees and a lot of saplings to a few large trees and a lot of slightly smaller trees. The amount of damage done to the environment is rather substantial though.
Looking further, I see the rest of my new students. The fat kid is just sleeping. Selis is still stuck at her desk, peering at the paper on her desk from five centimetres away. The redhead… Vox is looking around with sleepy eyes. Ket and Tess are gone but I sense them running around inside the forest.
I walk over to Selis and place my hand on her short blue fuzz. Huh, it tickles. I force some qi through her eyes, barging through her underdeveloped qi defences, and check the focal points of her lenses. She is as farsighted as they get, any light coming into her eyes focuses on a point far behind her retina’s, almost inside of her brain. Blind as a bat, this one.
I tap a finger on my cheek as I think. Do I still have that glasses fetish, and do I want to unleash this look upon this world? I didn’t see anyone wearing glasses so far. Why not?
There are no libraries here, so if I want some innocent looking eye-candy I will have to make it myself. I pull some pieces of glass and some metal wire out of my ring. The next five minutes are spent wringing said materials into a wearable shape.
“Here, this should help.”
She takes the glasses from my hands, looking around confused. Blind as a bat, yeah. I put the glasses on her face, and she starts screaming like a madman.
“Just a qi clone, don’t get your knickers in a twist about some missing facial features, tsk.”
Confusion flashes across her face as she quiets down but I move on. I help her and as thanks, she screams next to my ears.
Lamenting this ungrateful world, I look at the sleeping fatty. He is physically exhausted, not a single shred of energy left in his muscles. He must have burned thousands of calories to get to this state but he looks as jolly and big boned as ever. He is unconscious though and won’t be answering any questions today. Not a single mark is made on his paper, I will need to work on his work ethic later.
Muffled screams come from the bundle of roots, let’s skip that ball of fuzzy fury for now.
“Vox, right?”
Sleep addled eyes swerve their way over to me.
“What’s the dungeon city called?”
“Hubuwa?”
Why did I even pick these guys up? A permanently PMS-ing fur ball, a spoiled little fat shit, a uselessly flamboyant redheaded lizard fellow, a blue-haired airhead, a walking pile of anxiety and depression and a suicidal dungeon diver. I want to cry for a bit but I haven’t made this clone’s tear ducts yet, so I can’t.
⁂
A certain king of a certain country is getting worried. Looking over the reports scattered over his desk he rubs his forehead and softly curses.
“Goddamn sky starts having a party, then the mages come running while shitting their pants. God fucking damn mana fluctuations can all go screw themselves. What the fuck are you guys talking about, permanent changes in the flow of mana? Can I eat that? Can my family or subjects eat that? Those goddamn cunt munching eastern hairy shits won’t be sitting still while we figure this clusterfuck out.”
More words flow from his mouth, every third one a colourful curse.
“Then this hanging pile of shit monkeys start screaming about the balance, balance this, balance that, balance my foot up their asses, I’d say.”
Pure prose comes flowing out of the king’s mouth again, even the basest farmers and sailors would not recognise some of those curses.
“Sure, send half the cunt fucked army to the fucking area where the weird fucking shit is happening, all while those shit stained mage supported pirates come looking to do some light raiding ON MY FUCKING DOORSTEP! And that’s just the external threats, when will I finally be able to wring those scheming, dumbfuck nobles’ necks?”
His mutterings slowly rising in volume and bouncing off the walls of his office shake the king out of his daze. He drags a hand across his lined, bearded face. “Purest fucking black, this beard was. Now it’s whiter than that pus infested hairy p… it’s pretty white, despite not even ten ass munching years having passed.”
Before this poor sap of a king can lament his fate further he suddenly stiffens. A sharp feeling is in the air as if a single movement will rip him to shreds. A shiver runs up the king’s spine while beads of perspiration instantly cover his forehead. He drops his head in his hands and mutters some more. “And of course this poop lizard comes knocking.”
A small thump shuts him up and he sits up instantly, his face settling into a grim mask as he speaks. “Welcome.”
The single word echoes across the lavishly decorated study, bouncing off the ornamental paintings of his forefathers.
“Hssssyessh, hmmh, interessting thingss are happening, noo?”
The voice seems to cut through the air, arriving immediately inside of the king’s head. He visibly suppresses another shudder as he looks up to the figure towering over him.
“The First Defender greets the Flight.”
“No time for thessse pleassantries, what information do you possesss?”
The king is silent for a long while. The two beings study each other, one stately and filled with authority despite his slightly slouching posture, the other lithe and long, curves made from sinew.
The seated man breaks eye contact first and slowly reaches down. Pulling a piece of paper from his desk he hands it over. The taller figure glances over the contents, its face a blank mask.
“Thiss will do for now.”
Another soft thump allows the king to slump down, settling deeper into his soft chair.
“God frigging damn scalers giving me the creeps.”
Some more curses are mumbled while the king shakily starts to collect the papers on his desk.
⁂
I can’t help but smile as my poor disciples reel back from the gesture. My qi clone is well
and truly in the uncanny valley now, too realistic to not be human, not realistic enough to be wholly convincing. I gathered everyone and we are now sitting in a little circle just in front of the Tree.
“I’m using a qi clone at the moment, I have some stuff to do up top. Anyways, let’s not bother with those types of small details.”
I smile wider, it should get them nicely unsettled. People are less likely to accept things outside of their scope when they are comfortable, so it stands to reason that creeping them out will make them remember my teachings!
“So… What have we learned today?”
I look at Ket first. He had those math exercises done in under half a minute, not that impressive for a braincore cultivator, to be honest.
“I can…” He stops speaking and thinks for a moment. “Think more?”
He is not one for small talk, only saying what is necessary at the moment.
“That’s not wrong. Tess?”
“Uuuhm, the numbers stopped dancing when I put some qi inside my head. It was pretty easy to solve them afterwards, but the shadows started becoming annoying and I got a headache, so I stopped. How big is this forest?”
I beautifully ignore her question and focus on Vox. He looks me in the eyes, blinks for a bit and then decides to yawn loudly.
“Just smelling the food was enough for me, hun.”
I stop my eye from twitching. I will need to find some proper motivation for him later. I look at Selis, now wearing her glasses with wide eyes, looking everywhere.
“…”
She continues to look around everywhere but at me, lost in her own little world.
“Selis.”
No reaction.
“SELIIIIIIS!”
It is hard to keep this language flowing when you scream, my ragged voice not a good instrument to denote tone change. I think I’m getting better at it, though. I have plenty of practice these days.
The DAO of Magic Page 21