The Magistrate: Chapter 56

Chapter 56

A Weapon of War

In the middle of Autumn, during the second year of the civil war, Tobias sat alone in his dojo, exploring the changes that gathering spiritual energy in his lower, middle, and upper dantian had brought about. The amount of chi he had access to had not increased, but the control over that chi had. It flowed from him, appearing as three small balls of flames above each palm. They rotated in intricate patterns, chasing one another endlessly. Creating two such balls would have been a struggle only a few months ago, but now he could manage six like they were only one.

Tobias's medical manuscripts all agreed that the lower, middle, and upper dantian were the three energy centres of the body and were responsible for the production and storage of spiritual energy. They also agreed that everyone possessed spiritual energy, which was what their spirit was made of. However, for cultivators, spiritual energy had a second purpose. It influenced how much control their spirit could exert over chi. Allowing it to be both manipulated and compressed.

To progress through the foundation realm, Tobias needed to cycle chi through each dantian. This caused them to generate more spiritual energy, which could then be compressed into spiritual energy droplets. Tobias would use pills to do that, but cycling chi would be entirely his responsibility.

Tobias dismissed the balls of flames and picked up the exercise manuals for the foundation realm. He'd progressed through the mortal and initiate exercises with little trouble, but many of the foundation realm exercises had been beyond his abilities.

It was time to see if that had changed.

Majordomo Wo opened the door to the dojo as the sun was setting and bowed, waiting for Tobias to finish his exercise.

Tobias found the exercise challenging, but it was not the impossible hurdle he had once faced. Most would consider his progress impressive for just one day, but only if they hadn't seen him master multiple exercises in an afternoon. He was struggling nearly as much as Lingling had when she began practising his exercises.

Tobias eventually lost control of his chi and slowed the flow moving through his body before looking up. "I asked not to be disturbed."

"My apologies, Patriarch, but the matter was urgent. Xu Feng has returned from his wanderings and wishes to speak with you."

Tobias had known Xu Feng for years, so he knew Xu Ling's father would not come to visit him like this without first spending a few days with her. He'd seen Xu Ling only that morning, and she would have told her he had returned, so the matter had to be important. If the matter had been important and time-sensitive, he would have come and found him, but he'd gone through the proper channels, so it was important but not time-sensitive. It meant he was likely acting on someone else's behalf.

Tobias rose to his feet and stretched. "Inform him I'll be with him shortly. If he's here on behalf of who I think he is, then I need to make myself presentable."

"The servants are preparing your bath as we speak."

Majordomo Wo had them do that every time Tobias had guests. It didn't matter whether or not he used the bath or the robes they left out. They were there if he needed them.

A few minutes later, Tobias climbed out of the steaming bathtub and evaporated the water on his skin, creating a cloud, before cooling it back down and directing it into the tub. His control over fire was much greater than his control over water, and it was easier to dry himself this way than try to remove the water directly.

Tobias used another application of chi to arrange his hair and then walked over to his senior magistrate's robes and dressed. Magistrates were still recognised throughout The Three Kingdoms, so the robe was still the highest honour he could claim. That would change once his family gained a core realm cultivator and the ability to create pills that would allow them to reach the foundation realm, but until then, he was stuck with the appearance of a common bureaucrat. 

Xu Feng looked over and rose to his feet as Tobias entered the garden and offered him a friendly smile as he crossed the space between them. Tobias took a seat at the table and invited Xu Feng to join him.

He then motioned to his servants with his fan, and they came forward with everything he needed to host his guest. The next few hours passed in quiet conversation as they drank tea and ate, as if they were host and guest rather than friends. Xu Feng never brought up the reason for his visit, and neither did Tobias, both waiting until long after the sun had set.

As Tobias's servants left with remnants of their meal, Xu Feng leaned forward. "Koba Kahn secretly kidnapped the 3rd Emperor's ambassador while he was travelling and tortured him for information. The khans are now aware that the 2nd Emperor is dead and not in seclusion like the 3rd Emperor claimed. They're going to meet for a war council at the beginning of next Winter."

That was worrying news. "Why not this Winter?"

Xu Feng smirked. "They don't have enough time. The khans recently discovered that many of the city-states that pay them tribute to remain independent are not paying what they should. They've taken their armies to remind them of their place and cannot possibly return in time for a war council this Winter."

"Will they vote to go to war?"

The khans were all nascent soul realm cultivators, but they had been a minor faction before the Great Plague. Little better than rogue cultivators. However, their mobility helped those who were immune stay safe during the Great Plague, and the destruction of city-states allowed them to ride in and claim what was left. Their understanding of cultivation had grown along with their resources, and now they were the dominant powers outside The Three Kingdoms, keeping everyone else from rising to their former power.

The eleven khans had more core realm cultivators under their command than The Three Kingdoms did, but barely any of them were allowed to progress further. The resources were gobbled up by the khans' direct heirs.

"This may be their only opportunity to bring us under their heel, so they will vote to go to war once they meet."

Tobias had expected as much. "This information isn't something I urgently needed to know, so I must assume there is another purpose behind your visit."

Xu Feng sighed. "My daughter is a beautiful woman. Women with her beauty do not remain free without protection. Protection she has here. But should The Three Kingdoms fall, I do not wish to imagine her fate, so I must implore you to encourage her to give up on walking her dao path and urge her to step into the core realm. Only then will she be safe without others to watch over her."

Core realm cultivators could detonate their core, and if they were close enough when they did so, they could even take a nascent soul realm cultivator with them. While it wasn't a foolproof method for protecting you from unwanted attention, it did protect you from the worst forms of abuse.

Tobias sighed.

He agreed with Xu Feng's statements, but the man didn't understand what he was asking him to do. Without a body cultivation method to enhance her body, Xu Ling would not survive the core realm tribulation. And she was as set on walking her own dao path as he was. If he told her to step into the core realm, she would try, but she would never accept walking another dao path, so she would try to do so with her current foundation, not the one she needed to succeed.

Tobias did not speak for nearly a minute. "I fear what will happen to Xu Ling if I do as you ask. Her path is not the path most cultivators will take, and I am not ready to lead her there." Tobias took a deep breath. "However, if you give me until the end of Spring, I can make myself ready."

Years ago, Patriarch Lee had offered to introduce Tobias to Peace Master So when he visited. The sage's understanding of dao was deeper than anyone else Patriarch Lee knew, and he thought the two of them would enjoy a conversation. Tobias had been happy to study and wait for the man to appear, but Xu Feng had come to him with a father's concern for his daughter. As her master, Tobias's only option was to respond to the best of his ability. And that would require a dangerous journey.

Xu Feng cupped his hands, understanding his intentions. "I cannot refuse your request."

***

Peace Master So's monastery was located in the Forgotten Valley. The valley was in a mountain range on the Southeastern edge of the Golden Plains, a territory claimed by no kingdom, but grazed by the khan's and their hordes. Tobias couldn't set out immediately, even though he wanted to. Turning up at a nascent soul realm cultivator's door without a letter of introduction was the height of foolishness, so he had to wait for Patriarch Lee to provide him with one.

Tobias also contacted Magistrate Chi, the brother of Peace Master So's first disciple, and told him he wished to speak with him in person. Over the years, Tobias had sent Magistrate Chi the cultivation pills he needed to reach the initiate realm and open and cleanse his first three energy meridians. The assistance the old magistrate had given him on their journey across the kingdom when he was a new magistrate and the insights his brother offered about cultivation had made Tobias decide to treat him as a distant relative with access to the same resources his family had. He'd treated Magistrate Park the same way for the same reason.

The two men may not have been with him long, but Tobias never would have accomplished a fraction of what he had without them. The time they had taken to teach him had set him on the road to prosperity, and they would share in that prosperity.

Three days after his conversation with Xu Feng, Tobias went to visit Cloud Sect's lower training ground at Elder Xi's request. The sun was barely over the horizon as Tobias walked through the gate and found the training ground empty. The once bustling area now saw few visitors. Everyone with martial skills had left.

Elder Xi sat at a table near the edge of the training grounds, sipping tea while three foundation realm cultivators standing behind him waited patiently.

Tobias made his way over and bowed. "Magistrate Finch greets Elder Xi."

Elder Xi inclined his head. "Elder Xi greets Magistrate Finch."

"How can I be of service?"

"I wish you would reconsider your journey."

Tobias bowed again. "I have approached Cloud Sect's leader and the Wei family's patriarch here in Cloud City. Neither is willing to answer my questions about the nature of dao, for it would reveal too many of their secrets. You have not been willing to do so either. The only one who might speak to me freely is Peace Master So, and in order to speak with him, I must leave The Three Kingdoms, so I cannot reconsider my journey."

"It would be wise to wait."

"Xu Feng has a father's concern for my first disciple. As her master, I cannot ignore this concern. Should she step into the core realm before she is ready, she will not reach her potential."

Elder Xi stared at Tobias. "Travelling through the Khan's territories is dangerous without being able to protect yourself. They are unlikely to harm a magistrate, but there are spirit beasts and rogue cultivators throughout the Golden Plains."

"I believe I can defend myself."

"We will see." Elder Xi motioned with his hand. "Disciple Quan, step forward and spar with Magistrate Finch."

Tobias watched the disciple step forward and bowed again. "Elder Xi, my spell is a killing spell. I mean no disrespect to Disciple Quan, but his foundation is no stronger than my own, and I fear I may kill him should we spar."

"Have no fear, I will be shielding both of you to reduce the destruction of your spells so that no harm is caused."

Tobias relaxed. "Thank you, Elder Xi."

Tobias followed Disciple Quan to the raised combat ring. Disciple Quan was one of the disciples who had achieved enlightenment through his manuscripts and had recently broken into the foundation realm. He was a gatherer, but he had some combat experience due to being a disciple of Cloud Sect.

Tobias reached the starting spot and felt a rush of chi flow over his skin, forming a barrier. The barrier wasn't as strong as the one he could form. Tobias knew that shielding others in this way was difficult, but the barrier was flimsy. It was far too weak to prevent serious injuries.

He turned to Elder Xi. "Can you make the barrier stronger?"

Elder Xi nodded, and the barrier around them grew firmer, but not firm enough.

"A little more."

Elder Xi increased the density, but Tobias began to feel his friend's control wavering. Elder Xi was at the edge of his ability. Tobias wisely didn't ask him to strengthen it again.

Tobias turned to Disciple Quan. "Please do not hold back offensively or defensively. My spells prevent me from using restraint, so everything I do is designed to kill you."

Tobias had spent years studying cultivation techniques and spells only to conclude that cultivators didn't know how to kill people.

Cultivation techniques were designed to align with one's dao path, and, as a result, they lacked creativity. Cultivators who practised fire techniques preferred large fires to hotter ones because large fires were easier to control. This helped them progress their cultivation, but rarely made them more lethal. They also completely ignored physics, which meant most techniques and spells had a fraction of the lethality they should have.

Disciple Quan paused. "This one thanks you for the warning, Magistrate Finch."

Elder Xi raised his hand.

Tobias and Disciple Quan bowed to one another and rose again.

Elder Xi waited a moment and then dropped his hand, signalling the start of the bout.

Tobias dropped into a wide stance and yanked his right hand back in one smooth motion, forming a tiger's paw to direct his chi through his palm to create a spell form he called a chi grenade. The ball of chi took shape in a fraction of a second, creating a rigid outer shell with pressurised chi within. It was only the size of a large marble, but it was far more destructive than it appeared.

Through his understanding of cultivation and science, Tobias had taken a basic spell and turned it into something with the destructive power of a hand grenade. He'd stripped everything that wasn't necessary, allowing him to form the spell faster. The only downside to this was that the spell had no means of moving on its own.

Tobias threw his right hand forward, touching the small ball of destruction, physically hurling the chi grenade at his opponent. His strike primed the chi grenade to explode on its next impact.

In less time than it took a mortal to blink, Tobias had unleashed his spell.

Disciple Quan abandoned the technique he was trying to form at the last moment and crossed his forearms in front of his chest, redirecting his chi to shield him.

It wasn't enough.

Tobias's chi blast exploded against Elder Xi's barrier with a thunderous crack, shattering the barrier and the chi defence Disciple Quan had cobbled together. The concussive force shattered the disciple's arm as hardened chi went through his flesh like shrapnel.

Tobias had already pulled his left hand back and was in the process of repeating the spell when he realised it would be fatal. He twisted his wrist as he threw his hand forward a second time, sending the spell into the training ground wall, leaving a noticeable hole.

His correction wasn't necessary. Elder Xi had appeared in front of the disciple right as the chi grenade left Tobias's hand, ready to intercept the following attack.

Tobias lowered his hands.

Elder Xi turned to Disciple Quan. "Can you walk?"

Disciple Quan was gritting his teeth and hissing in pain, holding his shredded forearm as blood trickled from the shrapnel wounds in his chest. He'd taken a shard to the face, and a chunk of his left ear was missing, but it was the arm that was concerning. A third of the muscle was gone, exposing bone and tendons. Healing it wouldn't be a minor matter, and he might have permanently lost several lesser body meridians.

Disciple Quan sucked in a breath. "This one can, Elder Xi."

Elder Xi took his elder's mark off his belt. "Take this and go to the healer pavilion. You will have access to any medical treatment you need. A reward for your service today will be waiting for you when you have recovered."

Disciple Quan took the mark gratefully and then ran from the training grounds despite his injuries. He didn't use any techniques, though, choosing to move under physical strength alone, which suggested he was aware he had been crippled.

Elder Xi turned to Tobias. "How many times can you use that spell that quickly?"

Tobias thought about it. "I've never tested it, but I would guess no less than twenty times."

Elder Xi turned to the strongest of the two remaining disciples. "Disciple Yung, how many of those spells could you stop?"

Disciple Yung looked pale. "This one would be able to stop six. This one would have to be ready in advance to block so many. In a similar situation to Disciple Quan, this one would survive three such attacks before they would prove fatal."

"Are you claiming that a peak foundation realm disciple of Cloud Step cannot stand against the spell of a barely established foundation realm cultivator with no true cultivation method?"

Disciple Yung cupped his hands and dropped into a deep bow. "This one apologises for his inadequacy, but this one would not survive against Magistrate Finch. His spell is as destructive as this one's greatest technique and yet requires a fraction of the effort. This one does not understand what he has seen. This one is but a frog in a well before the magistrate."

Tobias would have said the disciple was exaggerating, but his spell had been even more destructive than he imagined. He'd never actually fully tested it because he couldn't justify the property damage or the risk of others seeing what he was capable of.

"Good. You understand your limitations. The spell Magistrate Finch displayed would even irritate core realm cultivators. If you had claimed that you could stand against it, I would have taken you for a fool."

Elder Xi turned to Tobias. "I assume that spell was one you developed."

Tobias nodded.

"It seemed simplistic."

"I designed the variation you saw for initiate realm cultivators, but it can be enhanced for foundation and even core realm cultivators. Its power depends on how much chi you have access to, and the speed at which you perform the spell is dependent on talent and your ability to manipulate chi. However, once you understand the principles of the spell, it is easily countered."

Tobias's spell had a fundamental flaw, and that was that he had no control over his chi grenade once he threw them away. If they hit an object mid-flight, they would explode just the same as if they hit someone.

Elder Xi paused to ponder Tobias's statement, then nodded. "It's a powerful spell, but only so long as it is not understood. Let's move on to your defensive technique. Does it pose a similar risk to my disciples?"

Tobias shook his head.

Elder Xi walked back to his chair. "Disciple Yung, step forward."

Tobias swallowed as the peak foundation realm cultivator stopped in front of him. "I'm going to need extra protection."

Elder Xi's chi barrier surrounded him as he raised his hand.

Tobias bowed to Disciple Yung.

Elder Xi dropped his hand.

Tobias stepped forward, turning his body so his right foot was in front of him, facing Disciple Yung. He bent his knees and kept his feet wide apart as he raised his hands one in front and one behind. He began channelling chi in both directions to form a hardened shell of chi shaped like a bubble. The moment the barrier formed, he forced it to rotate a hundred times a second.

This was Tobias's Hundred Breath Barrier Spell.

Disciple Yung drew his sword and launched a series of chi blades at him. Each one was stronger than the last, but Tobias's rotating barrier deflected them to the right instead of blocking them. In a battle between cultivators, who had the greatest chi reserves or strongest techniques usually decided who won, so Tobias had created his barrier spell with that in mind. Blocking a technique was extremely chi-intensive, deflecting not so much.

It took Disciple Yung less than a minute to locate the spell's weakness. A spinning barrier was excellent at defending from the sides, but not as good at defending from the top. The small surface area of the rotations didn't throw the techniques aside; it only weakened them.

The moment Disciple Yung found the weakness, Tobias redirected a small amount of chi from his barrier. He rose into the air, reshaping the barrier into a sphere and changing its rotation to remove the weakness.

What followed was a contest of chi reserves, which Tobias lost ten minutes later. "I yield," he said, barely maintaining the barrier.

Disciple Yung immediately lowered his sword.

Elder Xi frowned. "There is an offensive aspect to your defensive spell, correct?"

Tobias nodded as he lowered the barrier and floated to the ground. "I can shatter the barrier from within and send the shards flying in all directions. It's not life-threatening to foundation realm cultivators, but it will injure, so it gives me an opening to begin my attack."

"Do you have a mobility technique?"

"Not in a traditional sense. Mobility techniques are designed for close-quarters combat to move in and out of battle. I've never bothered to learn how to fight, so using such a technique or spell would be a waste of my time. However, I have developed a way to move more quickly across great distances, but the spell is more of a retreating and travel spell. It allows me to move up to five times faster than I can run."

Tobias had enjoyed skateboarding as a child in his past life, and though he didn't have the chi to power a flying sword, he did have the chi to make a sword hover, which was practically the same thing as skateboarding. With his cultivation-enhanced body, he could make that sword move as quickly as the slowest core realm cultivator could fly. It wasn't nearly as dignified, but it was a great substitute.

Elder Xi nodded. "It would appear my estimations of your ability to protect yourself were based on a history that no longer applies, Magistrate Finch. You have put my concerns to rest. May I suggest that you go into seclusion before you begin your journey and gather additional spiritual energy in your lower dantian? Your spells will benefit from the additional chi concentration this provides."

Tobias was already planning to do so. "I will do as you suggest, Elder Xi."

Elder Xi motioned with his fan. "Leave us."

Both disciples bowed and then raced off using mobility techniques.

While they left, Tobias walked over to the empty seat and sat. "I take it, you want me to teach Cloud Sect my chi grenade spell."

"It would be of great benefit to us in the war."

"I don't disagree, but I think that would be short-sighted."

Elder Xi frowned. "You've considered this matter."

"No. I never truly tested the spell before today, so I was as surprised as you were with how destructive it was."

"Then how am I being short-sighted?"

"The spell's flaw means that it is useless once understood, so it can only be used effectively once. As such, it is a spell that should be taught to all the Great Clans and sects and then used for a single coordinated offensive, before news of the spell can circulate." Tobias raised his hand and summoned the manual from his storage ring. "Should I not return, teach it to them in my place. However, I would prefer that my disciples teach it. It's the perfect opportunity for them to show their value to the cultivation world and build the reputation of my academy."

Elder Xi took the manual and made it vanish into his storage ring. "Your barrier spell was also impressive."

"Not impressive enough to jump a realm."

"Few techniques or spells are, but it did allow you to survive against someone in the peak of your realm. If you had fought back, you would have easily won."

"There's a copy in my library that you can purchase from my family if I die. It's not a simple spell like my other one, and most cultivators won't be able to perform it until they're at the peak of the foundation realm, and by then, there are better options."

Elder Xi shook his head. "All of those options require unique cultivation methods. Yours is the most effective neutral chi barrier I've seen. Disciple Yung would have had to use his most powerful technique to penetrate it."

Tobias shrugged and shifted the conversation. "Did you ask me here because you had another premonition I wouldn't return?"

Elder Xi shook his head. "This is not like last time. This is merely a concern for your well-being. Travelling across the Golden Plains is dangerous, even for foundation realm cultivators. I feared you weren't ready, but you are more ready than I imagined. May I ask why you are going alone?"

"There is no one to take. Majordomo Wo is needed to run my household. Lingling is too young to progress her cultivation. Xu Feng is needed to gather information among the khan's hordes. Everyone affiliated with a clan or sect would be recognised immediately. And Xu Ling is too pretty to travel beyond The Three Kingdom's borders alone."

"Many would consider you too pretty to travel beyond the kingdom's borders alone. You are as likely to be taken captive as she is."

Tobias was aware of that. "Xu Feng has taken precautions."

Elder Xi held out his hand, and two bottles appeared, one black, one white. The white one was bigger. "The black bottle contains a delayed suicide pill. You will die within a day of taking it, but you won't feel any negative effects for the first half of the day. The white bottle contains the antidote. You have to take the antidote within half a day of consuming the suicide pill to not experience any negative effects. If you take it after the period, consume all of the pills, or you will die. Even if you do consume all of them, it will not be a pleasant experience, and your cultivation might be permanently damaged. If you need to accelerate your death, simply cycle your chi, and your life will be over in moments."

Tobias took the pill bottles and examined the white bottle. "This has a formation on it."

Elder Xi nodded. "If anyone other than you or I tries to open the bottle, the formation will destroy the contents."

If someone was strong enough to overpower Tobias, they would be able to break into his storage ring, so it made sense to take the extra precautions.

"Thank you for your thoughtfulness."

"Thank me by not having to use them."