Cultivation is Creation

As I approached Elder Chen Yong's quarters, I could already smell the distinctive aroma of his spiritual wine wafting through the air. No surprise there - I was pretty sure the elder's blood was at least 50% alcohol at this point. What did surprise me was the excited squealing sound that erupted as soon as I knocked on his door.

"Come in, come in!" Elder Chen's voice carried through the wooden panels, accompanied by what sounded like several bottles being hastily moved around. "I've made the most fascinating discoveries!"

I pushed open the door to find the elder practically bouncing in his seat, surrounded by an impressive collection of empty wine bottles. His eyes were slightly unfocused, but there was a manic gleam in them that made me take an instinctive step back.

"Ah, my favorite test subject!" He beamed at me, managing to somehow pour wine into a cup despite the way his hands were shaking with excitement. "You won't believe what I've found out about your energy!"

"Master," Azure's voice echoed in my mind, "his current blood-alcohol level suggests that even a cultivator should be unconscious. I believe his cultivation method is actively converting the alcohol into spiritual energy."

That explained a lot about how he managed to function while perpetually drunk.

"Remember our agreement," I said carefully, eyeing the way he was practically vibrating in his chair. "Lesson first, research second."

"But it's absolutely fascinating!" He waved his arms enthusiastically, nearly knocking over several bottles. "Your energy - it's only half of a system! There's supposed to be another part, a counterbalance!" He paused, hiccupped, then added, "Though I suppose you already knew that, didn't you?"

I kept my expression neutral even as my heart skipped a beat. The red sun and blue sun were indeed two halves of a whole, their energies complementing and strengthening each other. But that wasn't something I particularly wanted to discuss.

"What else did you find?" I asked, trying to redirect his enthusiasm.

"Oh! Oh!" He grabbed another bottle, somehow extracting it from thin air. "The way it generates life - it's almost artistic! Like... like watching a painter work, but with energy instead of brushstrokes!" He took a long drink, then continued, "Most healing energy is all boring and mechanical, just putting things back where they're supposed to be. But yours? Yours gets creative!"

That... was actually an interesting observation. I knew the Lightweavers used a different runic system when channeling the blue sun's energy but I had no idea what the differences were.

"You know what's really interesting? If you could fully control this energy..." He leaned forward, nearly falling out of his chair in the process. "You might actually be able to create life in your inner realm!" He waved his hands excitedly, illustrating his point with increasingly unsteady gestures. "Think about it - most cultivators can only achieve something like this in the Life Realm. But this energy of yours... it has the potential to accomplish it whilst in the Qi Condensation Realm!"

My eyes widened slightly at that, I knew the blue life energy had strong life properties, but I didn’t expect to have such power anytime soon.

“Master, I think I know where we’ll be going the next time we’re in the Two Sun’s World…” Azure whispered excitedly.

He was right, I had spent enough time at the Red Sun Academy. If I could begin creating lifeforms in my inner world at the Qi Condensation Realm, then that opportunity was too good to pass up.

I wonder how different our experience will be in the Blue Sun Academy...

"Show me the energy!" Elder Chen suddenly demanded, his eyes taking on that slightly desperate gleam that reminded me uncomfortably of a spiritual wine addict going through withdrawal. "Just a little taste! For research!"

I shook my head firmly. "Lesson first, remember? Otherwise, you'll get distracted and we'll never get to the formation training."

He deflated slightly, pouting in a way that no respectable elder should be capable of. "You're no fun. But..." he brightened suddenly, "you're right! Can't neglect proper teaching duties. So! What progress have you made since last week?"

I allowed myself a small smile. "I created my own formation."

"Oh?" He didn't seem particularly impressed. "Which level one formation did you modify?"

"Actually," I said slowly, enjoying the moment, "it's a level two formation."

The change in his expression was worth waiting for. His eyes widened slightly, the drunken haze clearing as he focused on me with sudden intensity. "Show me."

I pulled out my formation equipment and knelt on the floor, beginning to draw the Symphony Shield. I didn't bother explaining what it was - if he was half the formation master I suspected, he'd figure it out soon enough.

"Interesting foundation structure," he muttered as I drew the outer circle. "Oh! Detection spiral, very elegant. But those curves... are those energy distribution channels? Hmm, and those octagonal chambers... resonance amplification?"

I couldn't help but be impressed as he broke down each component of the formation while I drew it, identifying not just what each part did but how they worked together.

"Activate it," he commanded when I finished drawing.

The formation came to life, its lines glowing with a steady white light. Elder Chen circled it slowly, his eyes narrowed as he examined every detail.

Finally, he clapped his hands together. "Impressive! I was worried you might have tried to plagiarize someone else's work, but this..." he gestured at the formation, "this is genuinely original. The way you've integrated multiple dynamic responses while maintaining stability... very clever."

I nodded, accepting the praise while silently acknowledging that I couldn't have done it without Azure's help.

“What did you name it?” He asked.

“Symphony Shield, I thought it sounded…appropriate.”

“Good name.” The elder nodded but then he smiled that particular smile that made my survival instincts start screaming. "Of course, we'll need to test it properly."

"No, wait-" I started to protest, but reality was already twisting around us as he transported us back to the beast training grounds.

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"I already tested it this morning," I tried explaining quickly. "Against a swarm of Voidneedle Wasps."

"Oh?" He raised an eyebrow. "What stage?"

"Stages three and four, mostly," I admitted.

He laughed, the sound echoing through the trees. "A formation like this should be able to handle any attack below stage six if done properly. Even a few stage six strikes shouldn't break it." His smile widened. "Hong Yue! Come say hello to our young formation master!"

The ground trembled as something massive moved through the trees. I sighed and knelt down to begin drawing, resigning myself to another encounter with the world's most theatrical bear.

"You know," I muttered as I worked on the outer circle, "most sects test their formations against normal spiritual beasts. Or maybe formation-breaking arrays if they're feeling fancy. But no, we have to use the bear."

"To be fair," Azure commented, "Hong Yue does seem uniquely qualified to test defensive formations. Her combination of raw power and tactical creativity provides an excellent challenge."

"You're just saying that because you enjoy watching me suffer."

Before Azure could deny this obvious truth, Hong Yue emerged from the trees. The massive bear was already grinning, which really shouldn't be possible for an ursine face but somehow she managed it.

As I finished drawing the formation, I looked up at her towering form. "Stage six attacks only," I said firmly. "No cheating this time."

Hong Yue placed one massive paw against her chest, her expression a picture of wounded innocence. She then proceeded to act out an elaborate pantomime of someone being falsely accused, complete with dramatic gestures and what appeared to be fake crying.

Through our soul bond, I felt Yggy stirring restlessly. The vine conveyed a series of impressions that roughly translated to: "If big furry cheats, I'll show her what real power looks like."

"I appreciate the thought," I sent back mentally, "but maybe let's not pick a fight with the bear who could probably use us as toothpicks."

"Begin!" Elder Chen called out.

Hong Yue didn't waste any time. One moment she was standing there, the next she was charging straight at the barrier like a furry avalanche. Her massive paw struck with enough force to shake the ground, but the Symphony Shield held firm.

I felt the detection spiral register the impact, watched as the curved channels redirected power to the threatened area, sensed the resonance chambers amplifying the defensive energy exactly as designed.

The massive bear's eyes narrowed. She began circling the barrier, testing it with quick jabs from different angles. Each time, the formation adapted, reinforcing wherever she struck while maintaining minimal power everywhere else.

"Energy efficiency is good," Elder Chen commented from somewhere behind me. "No wastage on areas that aren't being attacked."

Hong Yue seemed to take this as a challenge. She reared up on her hind legs, towering over the barrier, and brought both front paws down in an overhead smash that would have flattened a small house. The impact made the formation's lines flare blindingly bright, but the Symphony Shield held.

I couldn't help but grin as frustration started showing on Hong Yue's face. The massive bear backed up several paces, her expression shifting from annoyed to calculating in a way that made my smile fade slightly.

Then she opened her mouth and roared.

The sound was more than just noise - it was a concentrated blast of spiritual energy that slammed into the barrier like a physical force.

For a moment, I felt the formation strain as it tried to handle an attack that was definitely above stage six, but the resonance chambers actually turned out to be perfect for dealing with sound-based attacks. They caught the sonic energy and redirected it, creating a harmonic loop that actually strengthened the barrier.

When Hong Yue finally ran out of breath, the formation collapsed - but only because I'd stopped channeling qi to power it.

"Excellent!" Elder Chen clapped. "Congratulations, you are now a Level Two Formation Practitioner!"

Hong Yue made a grudging gesture of congratulation, though her attention quickly shifted as Elder Chen pulled out a familiar jar of golden liquid. When he threw it at her, I snatched it from the air.

The look on Hong Yue's face was priceless. Her eyes locked onto the jar of spiritual honey in my hands with an intensity that would have been terrifying if it wasn't so funny. She made a series of increasingly dramatic gestures that seemed to be telling a story about a poor, hardworking bear being cruelly denied her just rewards.

"Oh, I'm sorry," I said, pretending to examine the jar. "Did you want this? I thought maybe I'd earned it, what with successfully defending against your attacks and all..."

Hong Yue's expression shifted through several emotions in rapid succession - disbelief, outrage, consideration of violence, and finally something that looked suspiciously like respect for my audacity.

She then proceeded to act out an elaborate scene of a bear dying of honey deprivation, complete with tragic last words and a death scene that would have put professional actors to shame.

"Well, when you put it that way..." I tossed her the jar.

The sight of a ninth-stage spiritual beast making happy humming noises while licking honey from her claws was something I'd probably never get used to.

Before I could fully appreciate the surreal scene, Elder Chen was already raising his hand to transport us back to his quarters. Reality twisted, and suddenly we were standing back among his impressive collection of wine bottles.

But instead of settling back into his chair, the elder headed straight for the door.

"Wait, where are you going?" I hurried after him as he strode through the corridors.

He glanced back at me with a grin that made me seriously consider running in the opposite direction. "Why, to get your formation practitioner token, of course! It's time you officially joined the guild."

"The guild?"

"Oh yes!" His smile widened. "You didn't think formation masters just worked independently, did you? We have an entire organization! With rankings, and challenges, and politics, and..." he hiccupped slightly, "absolutely terrible meetings that I try to sleep through whenever possible."

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