Heaven's Laws - Lifestone - Chapter 12

Huifen held on tightly to Chao’s hand. Sage Li Hao-Yu was a legendary figure even in the eyes of the ice fairies of the Ice Phoenix Sect, as was Master Li Jing who was in charge of daily affairs of the Li family. The sage had been a visiting lecturer for the last millennium and Sect Master Quinyuan had traded pointers with him many times. The Li family was involved in the politics of the empire more than the joint sect, so their relationship had never moved beyond mutual respect. But that respect was deep.

They stepped through the shield-like doorway into a chamber no bigger than one of the smaller rooms in the Ice Phoenix Palace and round instead of square. There was little light, but it was enough to see hundreds of jian swords hanging from the ceiling and walls. Those above were pointing down as if they could fall at any moment. It was an oppressive environment. She immediately felt threatened and found Placid Sunder, her long dagger like weapon made from the silver scale of a colossal dire beast, was in her hand.

Sage Li Hao-Yu saw the weapon and nodded in approval. “Only someone with the will of a sage could draw their weapon so easily under this chamber’s domineering aura.”

The sage then glanced at her husband and looked slightly disappointed. She looked to see him staring at the blades above as hi eyes moved rapidly among them.

“It took many years for Jing to gain confidence in here even after he’d reached the sky realm. I should’ve realized…”

Chao eyes shot to the closest wall, then he examined it closely, looking past everyone present like they weren’t even there.

She let go of his hand. He was like a researcher following a trail. Suddenly he was spinning while tiptoeing slowly toward the center of the room. Everyone stepped back as he neared.

“This pattern,” Chao mumbled.

Huifen turned to the walls to grasp his meaning. Jian were lined up side to side hanging vertically. Their blades weren’t flat against it but slanted out at a forty-five-degree angle and all facing in the same direction. She spun as well to take it in.

He reached out his hand and she hurried forward to take it.

“Do you feel them?” He asked.

“I’m… I’m not sure,” she replied. “It feels like there is an overbearing threat.”

“Mmm. That must be the natural reaction to these concepts. You probably feel them, but your body is telling you to fight of flee.” He shook his head like he was trying to rouse himself from a stupor. “Great Elder, this place is incredible. The concepts themselves aren’t moving, but because of the blades pattern, its almost like if forces all the qi in this room to move in that direction, even if it’s not.”

“It seems I spoke to soon,” the sage replied. “You are correct. The layout of the jian is this chamber’s first secret. The second is that qi isn’t funneled into this room directly, but into the swords. They act as a filter.”

“That means…” Chao approached the wall in front of him. He then started to follow the wall. “Sword qi… sword laws… You cultivate this sword filtered qi. But does this qi carry these concepts? They very distinctly exist in the jian. The qi in the air doesn’t hold the same concentration. But they are there though, like small fragments.”

A sudden clapping pulled Huifen’s attention. Sage Li Hao-Yu was applauding. “Brilliant,” he said. “To discern so much after just seeing it. Tell me, you feel these concepts?”

Her husband stopped to give it some thought. “I think everyone can feel them to a certain degree whether they realize they are doing it or not,” he replied. “I’ve studied the laws for so long that the concepts they are based on are just more obvious to me than they are to most. They are as my Huifen explained of her reaction. Another example is the heat of a flame. Fire isn’t the concept itself. But to burn, to combust… Both can be considered separate concepts but closely related. They are the rules of the heavens. The laws played out.”

“And what concepts are these?”

With his knuckles to his lips, Chao pondered. “Even though there’s a distinction between them,” he replied, pointing from the swords hanging above and those on the wall. “The concept is the same. If I had to name it, I’d say sharpness. It can’t be slashing or piercing for the jian would have to be in motion. And as far as I know, concepts don’t exist in a potential state. There are also concepts from the flat of the blade and the earthy material they are made from, but those don’t hold the same threat. The room’s sword pattern also emphasizes the edges of the blades and their points.”

“Exactly right,” the great elder said. “See Little Jing. This is why sometimes exceptions to the rules must be made.” He walked over to stand next to her husband.

She watched as a faint blade of qi formed on the side of his upheld finger.

“Sharpness is the foundation of our Heart of Jian Sect,” the elder said. “To the untrained eye, this is considered sword qi, but you’ve already unraveled this mystery. It is actually the laws of sharpness that we cultivate. There are other more advanced ones like thrusting and slashing like you mentioned.”

With a flick of his wrist, the elder’s qi covered finger left an evident sword arc in the air that pushed out from the motion and expanded. With a second motion, his finger shot forward in a thrust. The small, but vicious qi of both motions disappeared before hitting the wall.

“That doesn’t mean that sword qi doesn’t exist, but it’s simply qi rich in sword concepts. Now, what of the qi itself. Have you discerned the elements here?”

This time her husband didn’t have to put much thought into it. “Earth is the main element, but there’s something unique about it. I’d say there’s a focus on a high realm steel of some sort, however, the jian in this rooms are made of many different types of materials. Since the earth element contains thousands of variations, my guess is that you gather energy from material only good for making weapons. There is also a touch of wind and an even smaller amount of the water element in the room. That might just be because the air carries moisture.”

“So that’s how it is…”

When it was evident not even the great elder had known the qi’s element make up in such detail, Huifen could no longer stay silent. “Sage Li Hao-Yu, you didn’t know?”

The man’s harsh edge seemed to have dulled the longer the conversation when on. It was a grandfatherly look he gave her. “That I cultivated earth? Of course, but I’ve only theorized that there was something special about the filtering process that gives this qi its unique characteristics. It’s the kind of information that my own sect doesn’t full grasp. Our lineage is ancient, but regrettably some of its teachings has been lost. Further investigation is beyond me. I’ll pass this word to some of my sect’s elders, and it will help those already pursuing this matter.”

“To add to your inquisitiveness, let me remind you if it isn’t already obvious, a sword cultivator isn’t limited by element. My family cultivates earth to be closer to the jian we practice, but the Hearth of Jian Sect also commonly cultivates others. Even if I’m forbidden from sharing our cultivation methods with you, encouraging you to pursue the concepts we cherish is the least I can do. Is there anything else you can tell me about the materials used in this sword formation and the qi that they’re filtering. Any observations would be of great help.”

Huifen almost stopped her husband from helping without asking for something in return, but she knew that just the introduction of these concepts and seeing this place was enough. He’d likely surpass the Heart of Jian Sect’s understanding of them in just a few years’ time if he put in some effort. Possibly less.

As Chao began to make his more in-depth observations, it wasn’t just a feeling of unfairness at the deal of their exchange that bothered her. Her husband didn’t just break down differences he noticed in the sword’s filtered qi, but the patterns he noticed in how it circulated in the room and blended. She felt like she was being outdone.

Her competitive side was prodding her to look for something she could add to the conversation. It was as her mother had warned her. As a talented, well trained ice fairy, her natural reaction to Chao’s competence was to compete against him instead of encouraging and supporting him. It was something Sya had done herself early in her marriage to father Tu. All it did was undermine him, and by extension, herself. The worst part was that Chao didn’t have the same inclination to compete with her. She’d seen that enamored way he looked at her too many times. Sure, sometimes they competed for fun, but he never seemed to feel like his role was being threatened when she did well. Instead of saying something, she took the time to mediate on why she’d feel threatened by her own husband’s success.

It was an hour before they left the chamber.

Sage Li Hao-Yu had his attention on the card jade he’d been recording Chao’s observations in as they walked. She wouldn’t have been surprised if the great elder flew north toward his sect hundred if not thousands of kilometers away without saying another word. The original idea was for them to take turns showing off their techniques, but the great elder was engrossed in what he’d just learned, and her husband wasn’t far off. When the two of them agreed to part ways, she said her farewells and Master Li Jing led them out.

It was only when they were alone in the street with their Humility Sashes back in place that she asked. “Do you want to find a place to reflect on everything we just learned?”

The questioned seemed to pull his attention out of his own musing. He spun to face her and held both of her hands in his. “There’s no need. Those concepts are as simple as they are profound. Creating the right environment to develop their laws shouldn’t be difficult. What I’m really curious about is if these types of laws are on the same level of the elements, beneath them, or of a higher plane like sound. I’m thinking they’re lower, but when fully developed I doubt down their offensive power is just as high if not higher.”

“Husband, what am I going to do with you?”

He gave her a quizzical look.

“Let’s go. You will accompany me to the Golden Bell, then we will head to the inn. If you’re interest in the city has waned, we can leave sooner than we planned. Just don’t forget we still need to refine the first drop of Esh Vine Nectar.”

“We don’t have to leave sooner. I want my Huifen to get her full of the capital.”

“I’m sure you do. Just talk as we walk since you don’t want to find a place to gather your thoughts. I’ll shop.”

It was plain he felt bad that his attention was elsewhere, but within a few minutes of walking he’d forgotten it and was chatting her ear off. Anyone listening carefully would’ve either thought he was a madman, or if they dared to believe his words, then they certainly wouldn’t believe his disguise as earth realm cultivator. It’s not that it mattered. She smirked to herself and tried to follow the conversation while considering the purchases they still needed to make.

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Since sword cultivation is probably one of the most universal ones in the genre, I've been looking forward to this chapter to explain how it works in the Heaven's Laws universe.

Now, they're pretty much ready to refine the Esh Vine Nectar and hit the road. :D

Cheers!