How should you move.
When should you move.
How can you move?
Why should you move?
Spiritual Qi was naturally attracted to a cultivator's body such that it only needed a small signal to know 'here was the location seek no further' for it to rush in. .
Some attracted more Qi then others due to the size and purity of the spiritual roots within the body but the same attraction force stayed true.
How then should one try to control the Qi already inside of them when the Qi prefers to stick together close to the roots of ones spirit? Yes - the Qi was technically inside of them much like how blood was inside a person, yet they could not control the flow of blood.
For this one needed intent or will to tell the spiritual Qi this is 'My body' and these are 'My rules' for it flow the direction or location you wanted it.
This didn't imply ownership over Qi, simply the establishment of a sort of contract between both parties, without the ability to control the Qi inside of the body it could simply rampage within the body leading to many unwelcome side effects.
Qi was free to roam existence as it pleased but a sentient body does not need unruly tenants, hence cultivation was in a way the taming of Qi using the mind.
Aakriti paced back and forth on the stone platform watching the kids struggle to preform this task.
"Just remember the feeling of that first day, how did it feel when the stone's Qi entered your body? Where did that feeling lead? What path did it follow?"
'How it felt?... Like the warmth of the sun had closed around me, like being... underwater' Bran Ai recalled the feeling back then.
It was not the first time he felt such warmth, it was the way 'that' warmth pushed its way into his body that felt new.
'It... Moved in my body, like a... A what?'
He couldn't describe the words with his current understanding, he did not know of tides, rivers or even about flowing water.
From a very young age he had been taught the value of water, it was not something he was simply allowed to play with.
The feeling of drinking warm water as it traveled down his throat it gave him ideas as to the feeling of Qi but it wasn't quite right.
The Qi was under his skin yet warmed his surroundings as if any minor inconvenience could make it disperse.
Trying to understand Qi without having anything to compare too was a fools errand but not impossible.
Bran Ai had to find a way to envision the flow of Qi with no other guidance then to remember how it entered his body.
If you stepped on a nail having it pierce into your foot could you remove it without touching it? One would need some sort of force to remove the nail. A kick against a wall, a stone pressing against the nail, a stick to push it out, or the help of another could all get the job done.
The force to move Qi was simple.
It was not some physical activity like swinging his arms around or screaming, it was a mental activity.
If your thoughts are random with no real direction then the Qi will follow along, if your thoughts are calm and collected following some sort of plan then the Qi will follow along, if you lose concentration mid task then the Qi flow will break just as suddenly.
Spiritual Qi chooses it's host - it is not subservient to any being but sentient life likewise has its own will.
This is the great compromise of spiritual Qi, it will move according to the host's will as a tradeoff for having a place to stay.
As long as one willed the Qi to move, it will.
With the minor negative of having to constantly know the path the Qi must travel throughout the body, it won't simply know to move to your fist simply because you know what a fist is.
You are simply another object in a great universe filled with locations to be, your fist is simply another location while everything in-between your lower abdomen and fist is the road needed to he traveled.
In the case of Bran Ai, he though of spiritual Qi as something warm or hot coursing through his body so when you envisioned Qi his body turned slightly hot.
With the stone pressed to his head Bran Ai thought of the that warmth and moved it slowly up his chest, upto the shoulder and flowing down his arm straight into the tips of his fingers.
A slight glow came from the stone with two numbers appearing in his mind.
Fifty-three and Sixteen.
He who had no understanding of numbers before this moment suddenly had an epiphany.
'I see, so that's what these are' his understanding of the concept of quantity had somewhat formed, as to the meaning or application of these numbers in this case he was still trying to figure out.
It represented his worth, his future, his limits, yet at the same time it was assurance that something beyond what he currently was - was possible.
Elder Qez had no interest in watching this any longer he had come for another reason today.
"Wha-?" She looked in the elders direction only to regret it instantly.
The elder had privately sent her a message to not attract attention, had Aakriti been more mindful she shouldn't have shown any expression and simply found some sort of excuse to send those fifty kids off early.
It was for newly initiated cultivators to find a master and for the older sect members to find inheritors, what would an elder need of fifty complete novices?
If one wanted to find a cultivator for assistance then just post it on the sect board, many eager hands would jump at the opportunity to work for an elder.
It was clear to Aakriti that the elder did not come seeking for a disciple today.
Should anything go wrong wouldn't she be blamed?
Fifty balls of Qi flew out covering those he deemed to be 'underperformers'.
With a single swing of his hand these fifty kids started levitating then suddenly pulled in the elders direction.
The spectators reacted quickly.
"What is the meaning of this!?" One stood with a roar.
"Who dares interrupt the ceremony!?" One grabbed at his waist.
"Who!? Elder Qez what are you doing?" One pointed at the culprit.
"!" Others froze in shock.
None had the power to stop him.
"Excuse my interruptions everyone, I am in a bit of a rush so I will be taking my leave now. If you have any complaints feel free to lodge a complaint about me to the punishment hall elder" Elder Qez did not wait for anyone to speak flying up and zooming into the distance along with fifty balls of light.
Bran Ai had his eyes closed, his mind looking into the contents of the information jade.
It explained about what the numbers he had been given meant, each explanation directly entering his mind whether he understood it or not.
'So does this mean I am not doing good? It say's here that I have just entered the first stage of 'Qi gathering'? What does that mean for me exactly?' he hadn't fully read the books he had been given as of yet that delved into the significance of the rank Qi gathering.
Bran Ai kept reading trying to grasp his situation.
'Sixteen strands of Qi means my body is higly impure... What does impure mean? The more impure my body the slower the Qi gathering rate will be and the harder it becomes to achive breakthroughs' Bran Ai did not have a clear understanding of the topics being presented to him, he felt there was a lack of knowledge that stopped him from fully grasping the finer details.
'A breakthrough? Break what? I get that I can't acquire Qi very quick but what does that have to do with this breakthrough?' He did not stop here and simply moved on with the contents inside the jade.
'Fifty-three grains of sand is equivalent to one fifth of a lower quality spiritual stone, it is enough to cast three low ranking spells and can enhance the bodies strength for three minutes beyond mortal means'
Bran Ai sighed inwardly, he doesn't get quite understand what any of this is.
What was a spell?
What was low ranking about them?
What was a spiritual stone?
Enhance the body for three minutes, what does it mean?
Bran Ai opened his eyes with some struggle, his mind pulled itself back from the jade stone while the Qi slowly dissipated into the air.
Trees zoomed past below him, the ice walls surrounding the sect and above the sect twisted left and right, he could hear no sound as the wind made way arround him.
The spectators were gone, the stone platform no longer before him, his surroundings had changed and only teal blue balls of light could be seen clearly carrying other children inside them.
Bran Ais mouth opened slightly drawing a breath.
He looked down only to see the ground that should have been below his was now suddenly gone, he was flying in the air without wings and even the air seemed to avoid him.
Bran Ai was unusually calm right now, he had wanted to scream out in shock but just couldn't find the energy to do it.
'What is it now, Where are we going? I can still move just fine so at least I know I'm not being kidnapped or something right? Who would want to kidnap me anyway?' Bran Ai at least had his reasoning intact still, he knew he was not someone that would be considered 'valuable' or important so he had no reason to think it was something of the sort.
Bran Ai remembeed what happened at the start of the gathering 'It must be like when Aakriti used the stone to summon everyone that was late, was I too slow to read the information? Kinda like how I was slow to take in the Qi inside the stone? That must be it'
He looked at the other balls of light, the children inside those balls all had their separate reactions.
Calm, panic, shock, fear and the worst had passed out unable to keep their mind stable.
Bran Ai felt he should be in a similar situation as them but he just couldn't find the energy for it.
He had to walk till his feet bled the first day, nearly died from some glowing light in his room the second, newrly been digested alive by some carnivorous plant just yesterday having slept through it all for six days straight, he just couldn't keep up with what was going on right now.
'As long as I am alive, I can keep trying to have a good life' thinking so, he simply relaxed his body and fell asleep.
Elder Qez had rushed out from the disciple acceptance ceremony so fast that the onlookers simply looked at each other not knowing what to do.
"Ah- Um... So the elder has informed me that he will take the fifty bottom ranked children with him so..." Aakriti could not find the words right now.
"Since the elder has already started let us continue - Dear spectators we will now officially start the disciple acceptance ceremony!" Aakriti moved with speed trying to not allow anyone to speak lest she be blamed for his actions.