Over the course of the following month, Jintian's routine settled into a consistent schedule. When the last of the incense sticks burnt out, Jintian found that he'd only progressed about a fifth of the way towards the completion of his Third Circle. Now, he only cultivated in the morning, to allow the spiritual energy within the Immortal's cave to replenish.
The rest of his time was spent developing his newly learned Qi techniques, and continuing with his practice of Sword Qi and Qi manipulation. During this time, he became intimately familiar with the differences between the Blooming Frost Lotus, the Shimmering Veil, and the Heart Freezing Storm.
The Blooming Frost Lotus was the simplest of the three, while the Heart Freezing Storm was the most complex. The Shimmering Veil was an invisibility technique that involved controlling ice particles around himself to conceal his presence. The Heart Freezing Storm, on the other hand, would create an aura around him that would constantly drain and slow his opponents.
The Blooming Frost Lotus fell under the Affliction archetype, and its purpose was to drain his enemies' spiritual energy, using their own Qi as nourishment to grow an ice flower on their person, and then to explode and wound them. It was quite an insidious technique that, despite it only using four spell nodes, put quite a strain on his reserves of spiritual energy. Each time he cast it, his reserves were cut by nearly a fifth.
He realized why his teacher had waited to teach him the technique. If he had attempted it in his Second Circle, it would have used almost half of his previous reserves.
The Blooming Frost Lotus was actually broken down into three stages of mastery. Most Qi condensation disciples below the Eighth Circle disciples would only be able to effectively use the first stage, which was the Blooming Lotus, which was what his teacher had taught him.
The second stage was called the Flowering Fruit. Not only would it drain his opponents and make them slower, like the first stage, but it would do so with far more enhanced effects. It would also produce a fruit that contained a portion of the spiritual energy it drained, which would be returned to him and replenish his own spiritual energy. However, this stage of the technique had seven spell nodes, and was virtually impossible for anyone below the Eighth Circle of Qi Condensation to use due to the sheer amount of Qi it required.
And finally, there was… the Lotus Field! It was best used against groups. It produced the same result as the first and second stages, however, it had the additional effect of spreading to anyone hit by the ice shards! It would create a virtually endless cycle until the group he was facing either defended against it, or died. Its Qi cost though made it inaccessible to him until he reached Foundation Establishment.
The Shimmering Veil and Heart Freezing Storm both were broken into similar stages. However, he would only reach the qualifications to learn them once he entered the Great Circle of Qi Condensation.
Besides practicing his techniques, the rest of his time was spent learning spell theory. The different characters for various spell nodes, and the conduits that connected them together. The difference between a continuous technique, like the Shimmering Veil and the Heart Freezing Storm, and an instantaneous technique, like the Blooming Frost Lotus.
His teacher seemed to be lit with a fervor to impart this knowledge onto him, and he'd one day asked why. Kang Shanxi had paused in his lecture, a myriad of scrolls between them and their table filled with papers that had spell formations painted onto them.
"Well…" Kang Shanxi hummed, setting his ink brush down. Jintian did the same, listening attentively. "It is because you possess a shocking aptitude for it, young Jin. So much so in fact, that in just a week's time I'll have nothing left to teach you in this subject. It was never my specialty, after all, but my own master had been just as thorough in my training as I am with you."
Jintian nodded. He himself had felt that spell formula and theory had come far easier to him than his other subjects. Kang Shanxi then pulled out his bag of holding, laying it between them.
"Young Jin, cultivation is not just about fighting." He continued. "In fact, you will spend perhaps the majority of your life, not fighting. Just like we are doing now, and what you have been doing the past four months, you will be learning, contemplating, and cultivating. Living. Let me ask you, have you given thought to what you would do after you slay Wu Mingjie?"
The question rocked Shen Jintian, as he realized he hadn't thought that far ahead at all. The hatred in his heart had not lessened, only sharpened into murderous determination. But his teacher's question made him think about what he would do once that hatred had been vented, once his vengeance had been enacted.
Frowning, he looked towards Xiyun. She was currently sitting by one of the windows, watching the swirling snow fall outside. "I suppose… I thought I'd come back here. Take care of Xiyun. And when she eventually grows up, then… maybe marry and have a family of my own?" He ventured, and his teacher sighed sadly. Jintian looked back at him, and saw that a particularly melancholic expression had settled onto his features.
"Jintian… I perhaps should have told you this earlier. But we cultivators are known as Immortals for a reason." He said quietly. "The average mortal lives for a mere fifty to sixty years. Longer, sometimes, but that is all. But by even entering the First Circle, a person's lifespan is extended by ten years, and is further increased by another ten years for every Circle they reach after that. This means that, even by only reaching the Great Circle, your lifespan will easily be near two hundred years long, if you can repair your heart meridians. And if you reach Foundation Establishment… your lifespan is increased by another five hundred years, with an additional one hundred years for each Fiord you achieve. Past that, even I don't know, but it will be an unfathomably long time."
His words shook Jintian, whose face grew more and more pale as he contemplated it further. They both looked towards Xiyun, who glanced back at them, smiling and pointing at the snow.
"Abow!" She said excitedly, returning her gaze to the window.
"I'll outlive Xiyun?" Jintian whispered, almost horrified by the thought, and his teacher nodded.
"And her children. And her children's children." He answered softly, and tears sprang to Jintian's eyes. He looked at Kang Shanxi, who returned his gaze solemnly. "Jintian, the only way you'll be able to live is with other cultivators. The further along the path of cultivation you walk, the more and more mortals' lives will become like snow, for you. Beautiful, delicate. Temporary. Only by being among others like you will you have any form of permanence, any attachment to the world. I have failed Foundation Establishment, but I will still live another forty years or so. And even with only that, I have lived here long enough to watch an entire generation be born, then grow old and pass away. I cannot imagine what it will be like for you, if you live centuries among those who you know will leave far before you do. You may very well go mad."
Jintian placed his hands on the table, head bowed as he blinked away the tears in his eyes. Kang Shanxi allowed him his personal grief for the future that had been changed forever for him.
However, Kang Shanxi's eyes widened, as he looked towards Xiyun. "Jin." He whispered. "Jin!"
Shen Jintian looked up listlessly, before following his teacher's gaze. He then saw something that took his breath away, life filling him once more.
Xiyun had climbed down from her seat at the window, standing on her feet with a look of determination on her face. She then clenched her tiny fists… and took a wobbling step forward!
Triumphant, she then took another step. However, her balance seemed to leave her, and she collapsed onto the floor, a smile on her face. Jintian laughed brightly, and the two men immediately swarmed around Xiyun, heaping endless praise upon her.
She looked between the two of them, and snorted, before crawling away to play with her toys. Shen Jintian looked at her, warmth blooming in his chest.
So what if he lived on and on? At the very least, once his mission had been completed… he could be with his sister, until her very last day. He would remember her life, and cherish it. Every small moment, like her taking her first steps, and every big moment in her future.
Teacher and student once again settled at the table to resume their discussion. "Well, regardless of anything else, you will need something to fill your life besides vengeance and meditation." Kang Shanxi said. "Most cultivators take up something in their spare time, be it painting, or music, or other such flights of fancy. However, most choose a profession."
Jintian thought this over for a few moments, and Kang Shanxi reached into his bag of holding, and withdrew a tea kettle. However, it was obvious at a glance that this tea kettle was not ordinary. It was made of sparkling jade, and what looked like a golden signature was inlaid atop of the lid.
Inspecting it with his spiritual sense, Jintian realized that there was spiritual energy that lay dormant inside of it. Mist drifted lazily from its spout, curling atop the table before disappearing along the floor. He looked at his teacher, waiting for an explanation.
"This is a magical item." Kang Shanxi said, and Jintian nodded. He had figured as much. "Magical items are special, in that they already have a spell formation woven into their very foundation. They are like portable Qi techniques that require only a bit of Qi imbued into them, to be cast. Their only downside is that while you will grow stronger, and thus your techniques will as well, the strength of magical items are fixed. Furthermore, while very hard to break, they can be broken, and you will thus lose it forever. However, they can bolster your own power, and sometimes be the difference between life or death. Thus, they are inconceivably precious."
At this, Jintian finally realized what his teacher was saying. "And these magical items are created by cultivators." He mused, and Kang Shanxi nodded approvingly.
"Yes. Like I said, most cultivators choose a profession. The most highly acclaimed profession is alchemy. Alchemists produce pills and other medicines like the incense you consumed previously. Only just behind it in prestige, are spirit forgers. Spirit forgers, as you may have guessed, specialize in the creation of magical items. While anyone can pursue either profession, the ones who make it far all have various special talents. For alchemy, this talent is typically found in those that have Qi that aligns with fire or wood elements. For spirit forgers, however, that talent is having a unique level of control over their Qi."
Jintian looked over the various scrolls and paper parchments that were filled with spell formulas and theory, while Kang Shanxi once more stored the teapot inside of his bag of holding, slipping it into his robe. "I would not even know how to begin to teach you spirit forging. As I said previously, it was never my specialty. However…" He looked outside of the window. "I believe I may be able to help place you where you might learn."
The young man looked towards his sister, and then back to Kang Shanxi. "This has to do with me leaving in the spring?" He asked, and his teacher nodded.
"Yes. Although there are still three months left before then, I will begin preparations for it soon. To do that, I'll need to leave the mortal realm in a few weeks." He stated, and Jintian was shocked. In all of the years that he had known his teacher, even as a mortal, he had never heard of Kang Shanxi leaving.
Slightly anxious, Jintian looked at his master. "The Wu Clan controls entry into the mortal realm, right? Will you have any troubles returning?" He asked, and Kang Shanxi laughed.
"Please." He snorted dismissively. "Even if they wish to deny me entry, I will not be halted so easily. Even if they do wish to cause trouble, I have my own means of returning here. A mere Wu clan cannot bar me from my home."
Jintian looked at his teacher with admiration, causing Kang Shanxi to hide an embarrassed cough with his sleeve. "Anyways. When our Sect was dissolved, many of our fellow Sect members were absorbed into other Sects that had previously been on good terms with our own. While they did not aid in our war, they also did not turn their backs on us either.
"My younger cousin in fact, Kang Zhiyi, was one such disciple who was taken in by the Iron Breaking Mountain Sect. It is one of the auxiliary Sects of a Great Sect, the Heavenly Mountain Flame Sect. Although I have not spoken to him in many years, we were quite close when we were younger. I will send word to him, and see if he will be willing to if not take you in as a disciple, then to at least vouch for your permittance into the Sect. Even if he does not, there are other ways for you to establish a foothold in the continent."
"If you can become a spirit forger, then your path will be far easier. You will have a profession that will earn you enough to live well, sow good karma by aiding others, and most importantly, become a valued member of any Sect or Clan you join." Kang Shanxi said, his smile gentle and warm.
Jintian took a steadying breath, once again struck by how lucky he was to have Kang Shanxi as a teacher. He thought for a few moments, and then pushed himself away from the table.
Kang Shanxi looked startled, while Jintian lowered his head to the floor. "Elder Kang Shanxi… if you would permit it, I would like to formally recognize you as my Master. Even if I someday become a disciple of another, you will always be my first Master, and will never be replaced in my heart for as long as I live."
Kang Shanxi gazed at him emotionally for a few moments, before also bowing deeply to Jintian. "It would be my greatest privilege and honor to accept you as my disciple. In the future, your pride shall be my pride, your sorrows shall be my sorrows, and… your enemies shall be my enemies!"
They both smiled as they slowly rose from their bows, looking at each other warmly. Xiyun watched them both curiously, her head tilting.
"Masser?" She said, and both Shen Jintian and Kang Shanxi whipped their heads around to look at her. Feeling their gazes, Xiyun then raised her nose into the air, excited. "Masser!" She called once more, and Kang Shanxi's eyes alighted with a triumphant glow, while Jintian scowled deeply.
"Damn old man! I take it back, I don't want to be your disciple!" He snarled, leaping towards Kang Shanxi with a wild cry. Kang Shanxi laughed brightly, dancing around Jintian's clutches.
Although a somewhat strange ritual, the house was soon filled with the sound of an infant's bubbling giggle, as master and disciple chased each other.