Chapter 10: Arc 1: Chapter 9

On one hand, Bianca wanted to push things further, to try and go beyond the brief series of kisses they had shared that first time. She wanted it a great deal, as did her body – if she was to separate herself in such a manner – but the closer she got to it, the more she began to worry about the incoming arrival of the Calm Skies Sect.

She didn’t care much for their approval, as she had no clue what these sects were about even after all she’d heard. They didn’t seem to have much of a purpose, so even if she grew especially attached to the Planar Continents, it would be difficult to passionately align with any of them.

What she wanted was a chance at cultivation. It seemed like it could grant her a number of conveniences and benefits that would otherwise be lost in a place like this, and there was no reason not to make herself healthier and more lively if there was no significant investment needed to obtain a decent result. From her brief observation of Song Ming, it seemed that smooth progress could be made with no monetary spending whatsoever, and since it could apparently reduce the time one needed to spend on sleep, she could even count it as swapping one activity for another.

In addition, cultivation might be the way out, the way to return to Orbis and maybe even bring Song Ming with her. It shouldn’t be too difficult if she seemed to just fall into the Planar Continents for no obvious reason, but the peak realms were described and spoken about with such reverence that she was sure that it let her do something so insignificant.

Either way, Bianca saw this as something similar to her college exam, which would make or break her life in this world. If she succeeded in getting something out of it, that would be ideal, and it should open up her options in the future, and if she didn’t, she would be severely limited and in a bad place.

After all, Orbis and, more precisely, Antania, had benefits, job seeking websites, plenty of places looking for employees, and a relatively simple way of renting a place to live in, as well as purchasing groceries and what not. The Planar Continents did not have any of these, as far as she or the people of Xi Village knew, so the only thing she could do in the event of failing to obtain a cultivation would be to venture out, down the mountain, in search of another place where she could do… something. It was hard to imagine what that something could be.

‘I’m not sure what cultivation would be like, but I know for a fact that getting distracted by thoughts about Song Ming and whatever relationship we could enter in would not help,’ Bianca used somewhat similar reasoning in asking the young woman to give her some time, stalling until the day the slow procession of the Calm Skies Sect neared, ‘We could treat the next step as a sort of reward for me, if I succeed… I hope I do.’

 

In that manner, seven days passed, and in the morning of the first day of the seventh month – a mouthful of a sentence produced by the lack of names for weekdays and months in the Planar Continents – of what was apparently the year 982,854, the people of the village gathered.

Both young and old came to the open space near Kong Xi’s hunting shack and Xi Wu Lin’s library, a triangle formed by the village on the southern sides, and the edge of the mountain terrace on the northern side. There, the group from the sect was already visible with decent clarity, and it seemed that everyone present was anticipating their inevitable arrival. The younger ones, amongst whom one could count Bianca, obviously wished to take the first step in cultivation, guided by the people of the Calm Skies Sect. Meanwhile, the older men and women either wished for the success of their children or relatives, or were perhaps just excited by the prospect of seeing proper cultivators.

Fortunately, none of them were quite as excited as people on Orbis could be about celebrities, or else Bianca would be concerned for her safety, and that of Song Ming, who stood among the older folk.

The bridge of light connected to the cliff edge after a few minutes, and then the members of the Calm Skies Sect got closer and closer, until they were suddenly at the very edge. With one more step, they were on the territory of Xi Village.

There were seven disciples, seven members of this mystical sect, and they had a fantastical bearing, as if they were stepping off the pages of myth. Even if they wore ordinary or bland clothing, like Bianca had been lately, they would likely stand out, but it just so happened that the women – the four of them – were also on the higher end of the attractiveness range.

‘Is every cultivator just gorgeous by default? Well… Maybe I’ll be able to become prettier as well if I cultivate,’ Bianca thought, ‘Are they wearing makeup? Seems rather subtle, if there even is something…’

At the front was a woman, followed by two men standing behind her, and by four others, one man and three women, standing behind those two. If that wasn’t enough to imply their status relative to one another, their garb was also tiered, with the woman at the front wearing something akin to an overly fancy fantasy dress in a movie. The two men behind her were wearing a similar style of robe, but it lacked many of the smaller details and flourishes, and the four behind them were garbed even more simply.

Nevertheless, they shared the same sky-like blue colours, covering most of their clothing, with white ornaments and highlights that were reminiscent of clouds. If nothing else, it showed their commitment to the theme of a calm sky.

In addition to their clothing, each one had a weapon fastened to their waist, attached to a belt that held their disciple robes together. They were all swords of some kind, the scabbards curving slightly by the end, but with her limited knowledge, Bianca could never guess their proper name or nature, but they seemed like normal weapons from her perspective.

 

Song Ming recognised the weapons at the hips of these sect disciples right away – dao, or sabres, depending on what one wished to call them. They were single-edged weapons with a slight curve. Typically, the term dao was used less, as it was akin to the term Dao, or Path, Way and so on.

One was a simple weapon, the other was an aspect of the Great Dao, the very nature of the world and all things, a thing that could permit a single person to dominate the world with ease if they understood a small aspect of it. Some had uncovered aspects of Dao and placed them into Hearts of Dao, unusually powerful techniques that had such great potential and risk that they were called forbidden techniques over in the west.

Anyway, sabres were the signature weapon of the Calm Skies Sect, much like the Sacred Rivers Sect used jian, or the Cold Peak Sect employed mighty axes. Most disciples of the sect preferred to use them, and would have some skill in them even if they found a different weapon that suited them more during their training and cultivation.

Although she had never come into contact with such a weapon herself, Song Ming had heard plenty about it from her dad, who had seen the Calm Skies Sect arrive before, and had some understanding of the weapon. In the right hands, it could be fierce and mighty, and in others, it could be a graceful weapon, though that was true of the majority of weaponry, save for rare exceptions like overly large pieces of metal pretending to be some other weapon that could not be used as anything more than hammers, bashing foes without much technique or grace.

‘Maybe… maybe I should follow the advice of my seniors from the Sacred Rivers Sect and ask to spar with one of them. The ones at the back seem to be in the same realm as I am, so…’ Song Ming gulped, ‘But they’re from a sect, and likely far older than I am… Could I even win?’

 

“I see there are as many waiting for us as there were last time. My fellow disciples were happy to describe the crowds eager to learn, full of young people wishing to see the world,” the woman at the front gave a warm smile, her appearance making her look like a ruler giving a kind address to her subjects, “Since I cannot disregard such eagerness, I will begin right away.”

She spoke slowly and clearly, giving Bianca the opportunity to examine her appearance closely. This woman radiated a mature aura despite her youthful visage, looking as though it was sculpted by a master.

A sharp jaw, thin lips with slightly raised corners, grey eyes that were bright and deep, light pristine skin and gorgeous dark blue hair that seemed to flow from her head, ceasing near her hips. Perhaps some of this was achieved by some effect of planar energy that Bianca had no chance to understand, but that did nothing to prevent this woman from surpassing most models that she had seen back on Orbis, even when most of those models passed through some digital editing before ending up on any websites she chose to browse.

It was amazing, but unfortunately Bianca needed to limit her staring so that her brain had the time to process what the woman was actually saying.

“Naturally, you lot wish to cultivate, so let me guide you. As you should know from your elders, those who were taught by the… Sacred Rivers Sect?” she glanced to the older group and saw a few people nodding, “The typical position for cultivation is to sit on a comfortable surface with legs crossed, hands placed near the knees. Some cultivation techniques prescribe a different stance, but those are rare, and should not be taken as recommendations for most other techniques.”

She looked around, the slightest of frowns appearing on her face.

“It’s interesting that this place has yet to construct some platform for this purpose, but the grassy ground will do. Sit down, space yourselves apart, and take your time to find a comfortable position for yourselves.”

Most of the younger people present sat down on the grass happily, Bianca following them after a moment of hesitation. Since she’d been away from urban civilization for some time, she was adjusting to being so close to nature, but she still disliked sitting on the grass in the middle of nowhere, amidst the bugs and worms and insects of the natural world.

Luckily, the woman in charge didn’t seem to mind, if she even noticed her delay at all.

“Ah, I am Liu Min. I’m used to everyone knowing my name in the sect…” she smiled shyly, glancing at the six behind her, “Now, it is best if you are able to absorb the first particle of planar energy without a technique or excessive guidance. It will ensure you are familiar with the process, and will minimize the chance of failure once you do begin to cultivate a proper technique. At least, that is the teaching of our elders, and it proved to be good advice in my experience.”

Some of the youngsters from the village shared confused glances, and one of the Calm Skies Sect members behind Liu Min also indicated something to her, prompting her to sigh.

“Ah, yes, I should probably explain this as well… It has been too long since I’ve had to teach another. Apologies, everyone,” she said, though her words caused the six behind her to shiver visibly for some reason, “There is no easy way to explain this to someone who hasn’t already absorbed any energy, but those with a dantian ought to have some innate notion of it. Try to feel the world around you without your eyes, nose or ears, try to sense something that none of those can pick up. You might perceive a whole cloud, or individual particles, maybe wisps – whatever it is, try to pull it in.”

‘That… doesn’t help at all,’ Bianca had been prepared to accept any advice, but this was as vague as it could be, ‘I mean, I’ve seen planar energy before… I think… but I have no idea how to sense it… Wasn’t there-’

“Senior Liu, the planar shards that we’ve brought-”

“Junior Rong, I understand that this is your first time on a mission like this, but do not distract me or the youngsters,” Liu Min’s pleasant tone suddenly became harsh as she turned to the man to her left, one of the two in the middle, “It is possible to use a planar shard, but it will deprive the cultivator of a precious experience. There is a reason the westerners are believed to be more talented than us.”

“Ah, my apologies…”

“Um…” Bianca bit her lip and mustered the courage to speak up, “Could you explain what you mean?”

“Of course. I’m glad to see you being so proactive – the others here ought to learn from you,” the warmth returned completely, as if her previous harshness was just a dream, “You see, when you absorb energy from a planar shard first, you will lack experience in absorbing it from the air. In the future, you will likely be unable to afford using planar shards to advance stage by stage, so you will need to learn something that is now… less pressing, more difficult than before.”

She held out her hand and, with no obvious physical movement, manifested a solid sphere of energy of soft blue light, akin to the shade of the sky. It hovered above her hand, bobbing up and down.

“It is vital to work your way up to this, not to skip any steps, whenever you can. So, if you are able to find your sense of planar energy on your own, it will greatly aid you in the future, especially if you then find the right technique to cultivate and use that sense to progress with it.”

“So, if I – well, anyone here – can find this planar sense on our own, all future progress will be more… natural?”

“That’s a way to put it, sure. I’m sorry that I cannot be of greater help to the lot of you, but the only way for me to transfer my knowledge would be with jade slips,” Liu Min sighed, “Unfortunately, they are not so plentiful as to be used so casually, and for such simple things. If we were back in the golden age, this might have been different.”

She still had no clue how to perceive energy for the first time, but at least she understood that it was valuable to do this if she could. It was the exact kind of motivation she had wanted in the first place, so Bianca nodded and glanced to those around her, hoping that some of them would ask questions that she couldn’t even think of. There were likely to be many such inquiries, since she had barely grasped the basic concepts of cultivation while the people of this world were far more familiar with them.

In a way, she was like someone seeing a series of books for the first time amidst hardcore fans.

“Senior Liu Min, maybe you should explain what will happen if they are given planar shards?” Song Ming helpfully suggested.

“I suppose I should. We have, as my junior Rong Shenmu implied, brought with us planar shards to assist those who cannot find their natural planar sense on their own. It isn’t shameful, just a bit of a shame for you. Since a planar shard contains so much more energy than you there is in the air, you will need to absorb it using a technique which we will provide to you,” she suddenly showed a wide smile and reached in between her boobs.

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‘Very fine boob- I mean, what is she doing?’ Bianca’s eyes widened as she received her answer.

From that tight space appeared a whole book, a thin brown manual that had no right being there, and not just because she would have preferred to get in there instead.

“I love doing this trick,” Liu Min giggled, giving a small bow to the older folk surrounding the aspiring cultivators, “It’s just a shrinking bag that I keep on me. Within are manuals for our Glimpse of Sky, a technique based on our signature Calm Sky Mantra. It is simplified and should allow anyone with a dantian to absorb energy from the planar shard, kick-starting their cultivation and letting them attain the first stage of the first realm right away. We have brought a limited quantity of planar shards, and we will be giving them to the younger ones amongst you who are unable to find their natural sense within a few days.”

“Why the younger ones?” another villager, a man that looked to be around twenty or twenty-one years old, inquired in a concerned tone.

“Because the younger you are, the more potential you have, and the longer you have to cultivate. It would be a waste to provide it to the elderly, as they will have missed their prime time. Their meridians will have decayed, their dantian might have become impure, and their bodies will have become weaker… In short, there are many possibilities, and even with my spiritual perception, there is only so much that I can perceive. As such, we have to use our resources sensibly.”

Bianca found herself gritting her teeth. She was among the oldest in the aspiring cultivator group, and she had no clue how many planar shards they actually brought nor how many among the younger ones would have the ability to find their planar sense right away.

So, she might not have the chance to use a planar shard if she couldn’t figure things out on her own.

‘I… I hope that I pull it off. With how helpful all of this seems to be, to miss out on it…’ she found herself biting her lip again, her heart feeling constricted all of a sudden.

It hadn’t occurred to her at first, but she was growing more and more interested in cultivation, or at least what it offered. She didn’t want to be left in a village without other options, without a chance to see her family or friends again, to never make use of modern amenities again… she wanted the opportunity for eventual success, and she could see no other chance but this one.

As such, she shut her eyes and focused, trying to figure out what it was that the cultivators of this world did. She tried to feel the world around her, to reach out with her mind, to sense the invisible planar energy that supposedly filled the world.

It felt a little silly, and the various thoughts bouncing around her head made it difficult to concentrate, but she persisted.

 

“- impressive! Very impressive! Just three hours, and you’ve found it!” an excited voice broke Bianca out of the concentrated state she had somehow sunk into, and prompted her to open her eyes.

She saw a boy to her left that was the centre of attention for all the others, as well, with a sparkle of violet at his centre, shining through his skin. At once, it was fascinating and somewhat demoralising, as it showed quite clearly that she lacked the fortune of some type of abnormal talent. It didn’t rule out the possibility of her having something – at least the minimal ability to cultivate, if nothing else – but she was concerned that it wouldn’t be sufficient.

Her heart beat faster than before, and she felt rather restless.

“It’s not the fastest time we have recorded, but you have a good innate sense of planar energy. That should permit you a smooth journey through the first realm,” Liu Min explained, “Don’t let it make you overly proud, of course. This does not guarantee success in the future, but it should make for a good start.”

‘So it’s not a world record either… I guess I’ll have to wait until I or someone else achieves it next, and see what Lin Min says…’

 

“… yes, that’s correct. You’ve succeeded as well, though it’s naturally far less impressive than your young friend over there,” Liu Min said gently, “Do remember my words, however. Success here is already more impressive than the usual in the Eastern Continent, and it does not guarantee anything.”

“Yes, Senior Sister!”

“You don’t get to call me that yet, kid. We will need to assess your general capabilities before we can accept you into the sect, but you two have a good chance of getting in.”

‘And I… still haven’t felt a single thing, never mind absorbing that energy… Fuck,’ Bianca could clearly tell that this achievement was far less impressive than the last, meaning that she was falling behind a relatively ordinary high achiever, not some genius. The amount of time she had to succeed was rapidly falling.

 

‘Fuck! Can I even sense it? Does my body even have this dantian? Why did I presume that I could…’ she held back the negative thoughts and tried to concentrate, but it was difficult for a multitude of reasons.

For one, she had been sitting in place for a very long time, and her legs were not happy about it. They were starting to ache, tempting her to get up and move around a bit. Her mood was also going downhill with every hour that passed, and given that the sun was beginning to set, quite a few of those must have passed since she began.

In that time, there had been no other cultivator accomplishing the sensing of planar energy besides the first two, until the moment she had just considered trying to settle back into her attempts.

Her eyes had blinked open just as the right time to see a faint violet light spark within the body of another, prompting a cheerful clap from Liu Min.

“Ah, well done! With how few people there are, to see three manage this on the first day is impressive enough,” she said, looking around to find a sea of dejected faces, “Don’t be concerned if you haven’t succeeded. A good night’s sleep might grant you the inspiration you need. I’d seen one of our disciples figure it out at midnight, causing quite the commotion in the sect. There’s nothing that prevents one of you from repeating the feat.”

 

Nobody repeated that feat on the first night, nor on the second. By the third day, only one more person had managed to employ their planar sense, and Bianca, as she expected, was not on the list, despite how much she had wished to be.

She hadn’t expected to get quite so worked up about when she first began, but now it felt as if failing to attain a cultivation would be a literal death sentence. It was an absolutely horrible feeling, and she could not stand it. So, in the morning, when she and the other youngsters that were still hoping to succeed proceeded onto the open field, Bianca took the lead and headed straight for Liu Min.

“Excuse me, I… I would like to ask for a planar shard,” she said, holding out her hand, “And the technique to use it, of course.”

“Oho? I wasn’t expecting this at all,” the woman tilted her head but kept her kind, charming smile on her face, “You know what I will say to you, no? You’re among the older ones here, so if I was to give one of the shards to someone, it would certainly not be you, not by our usual standards. Explain why I should.”

‘I… I actually suggested it, but… Okay, Bianca, you can do this,’ she pulled her hand back and took a deep breath, “You said it yourself. You are unable to perceive talent, and being able to use this planar sense guarantees nothing. Someone could have the greatest talent in the world, and yet lack the ability to perceive energy until they realise how to do it. Also, age might cause issues, but it does not guarantee a thing.”

“And? By that logic, giving a planar shard to a younger kid would offer me a greater chance of striking immortal gold, so to speak,” Liu Min replied gently, her tone sounding just a little like she was talking down to a young child – and given the potential age of cultivators, she might well see it that way.

“There… there are two reasons I can provide.”

“I am very eager to hear them,” her smile widened slightly, but it suddenly seemed rather sinister, “I’m all ears.”

“F-First of all, I am not from the village. There’s a chance that I have some attribute that the people here do not. There is some hereditary influence on cultivation ability, right?” Bianca recalled Song Ming mentioning something of the sort, so she hoped that she had not misunderstood it in some absolutely disastrous manner.

“Indeed. If you are the child of two eighth realm masters, you will have an easier time in your path, and you will be able to absorb energy more easily… Are you?”

“… I don’t know.”

“Flimsy reason then, no?”

“However, being an older individual also means that I will have an easier time comprehending any complexities in those cultivation manuals of yours. A younger girl – or boy, I guess – could struggle, wasting precious cultivation time, whereas I could jump straight into it and progress quickly,” she replied, feeling her palms getting sweaty, moisture gathering on her forehead and in other places, “Ultimately, I think that my… bravery, I guess, is also worth something.”

Liu Min chuckled, “My, you truly are a brave one… You are not wrong, um…”

“Bianca.”

“Bianca, you do have a point. Note, however, that you are giving up the opportunity to step into cultivation on your own. Even if you succeed, you may be at a major disadvantage for the rest of your life, whether it is brief or not.”

“I’ll take that chance. At least I’ll have a foot in the door.”

“… Alright. Children, please remember that persuading me is also an option – if you dare,” Liu Min addressed the small crowd gathering behind Bianca as she reached into the shrinking bag apparently between her breasts, pulling out a small violet shard and the manual she had previously displayed, “Here you are, Bianca. Follow the instructions in the manual, and if you have a sufficiently pure dantian, you will succeed. If not… you wasted that bravery of yours.”

She nodded, “I will keep that in mind.”

Bianca promptly took the items and withdrew from the situation, as she felt her legs going weak and her vision getting blurry from a combination of exhaustion and stress. She hadn’t expected this to be quite as challenging as it was, but at least she managed to grab the chance she wished for.

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