Chapter 9: Cultivating the Four Heavens
It seemed to Jemman, that evening, that she had made a crazy choice. Four methods to cultivate. Would they clash? Would she be able to find the time to do this? If her goal was perfection how could she do so much? If it wasn't perfection, why not just pick one?
Then a settling thought hit her. "If I was the Prime Minister or an empress I'd always have to work around the clock. But, I wouldn't gain real power, only borrowed power. But this power will be real."
After all the decisions had been made Jardin had given her the four cultivation methods. She was stoked that they were actually contained on jade slips. "Yeah, the webnovels actually got something completely right!"
White Tiger cultivation was an interesting balance of spiritual harmonisation with the yang in nature. Her spirit was to release and absorb yang energy, particularly as she fought. It was, at least to her novice mind, a brash form of using energy. Her breathing had to be strong, her spirit restless and her soul determined and adventurous. She would absorb and release energy or qi as she maintained and fought with such a mindset. Her tousles with Kraem would help her cultivate the White Tiger if she kept the right vision.
As she fought her body to exhaustion Jemman would then cultivate using Phoenix-based techniques. Here, her spirit and soul needed to be resolute. She was to purposefully regenerate her soul strength with slow, meditative breathing, especially when her body had no strength to endure. It was not a form of resting but a proactive spiritual reactivating. This cultivation method would enable her to regain both her health and her qi. At the same time there was potential for true explosive power.
The Azure Dragon technique was powerful and water based. It maximised flow and continuity. She would need to develop a deep understanding of nature from a dragon's perspective. Azure Dragon was a complete reframing of her worldview. Rather than being primarily physical this method was to reinvisage life from a heavenly perspective.
Surprisingly, this was the most physically demanding of the four methods. She needed to build power in her body while not allowing her power to be contained by her body. Azure Dragon was heaven through earth, spirit through body. Of all the cultivation methods this was the one that made her most excited. Primarily it was because her favourite eastern fantasies all had dragon bloodlines and dragon cultivation methods. She wondered if it would become strongly defensive later.
Her black turtle cultivation was simplicity personified. True martial arts. Graceful flow, efficient power. Learning to move her qi perfectly to achieve precision. This was pure fighting spirit. It has always seemed to her that not enough respect was given to the turtle. But, the attitude of doing what ever it takes to achieve your goal was something Susie, and now Jemman, had always admired.
Funnily enough simplicity didn't mean easy.
The Black Turtle method was going to require significant amounts of repetitive skill learning.
She would continue her present fighting regime but add into it a number of sword katas and other weapon-free martial arts.
Being quite western Susie has never had a deep sense of her place in the world. She just lived. Now she was going to have to get in touch with reality. It was both daunting and exhilarating. She didn't really understand the four methods perfectly but she said to herself, "you have to start somewhere."
That evening Jemman focused herself on preparing for the next day. It was thirty percent planning, thirty percent pep talk and sixty percent insecurity. Yep, the insecurity bled over into the other facets of her preparation.
"I will conquer the heavens!" was her last thought before resting her weary head.
Weekly Power Status
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