Calculating Cultivation

Chapter 23: Three Years Traveling

I was used to the various types of carriages. Some had springs, some didnt. I liked the ones with springs a lot more. Some had cushions, some didnt. I liked the one with cushions. I had been working on aligning motes while I traveled. I wasnt touching the secondary core or its channels. But there was nothing else for me to do in the long carriage rides.

Exploring the cities or the vistas might be interesting, but I wanted that Astral Soul Stabilizer as quickly as possible. Then I would trade the manual I had stolen in for access to the elders library to look at body cultivation techniques.

I had noted a section like that in the library. They probably didnt want disciples doing something like that and creating confusion. Also, it wouldnt give that much useful knowledge to what the sect was aiming for, earth and water soul cultivation.

It would be effectively opening up another branch of cultivation and limited their overall progression. That was why sects tended to focus on specific elements and one cultivation type. Only a high ranking sect that was assured of its position due to an immortal would have multiple paths for people to explore and train as disciples.

I didnt spend more than a single night in any city. Only getting my hair cut, a shower, and changing the occasional spirit stone for tael, which I easily made up for by killing the occasional spirit beast that attacked while I was being transported.

After a month of traveling and six cities after Five Claw City and a non-spring non-cushion carriage I had enough. I purchased a small well-made carriage in the next city for two occupants, lots of supplies on the back of the carriage, and four young horses.

I even hired a young driver, who wanted to see the world and get a lot of money and didnt mind leaving the city. Song was now my personal carriage driver. He was only sixteen years old, but I had agreed to pay him in Qi Pills. He had the dream of becoming a cultivator and I wanted someone who would travel quickly and not put up with bullshit.

Song was quite good. He would switch out the horses every city so that way we had fresh horses and could keep traveling as quickly as possible at high speeds. I was paying him an insane amount, but it was hard work driving a carriage at high speeds day in and day out, making sure we had food and water, dealing with the guards.

I also didnt want to deal with the hassle of riding in shitty carriages without springs or cushions. It made cultivating that much more annoying. That was why I was paying Song in Qi Pills so he would handle everything. Only one pill per city, but that averaged out to about one every six days.

In the three years it was estimated to get back to the sect, he would get about 20,000 motes from pills. I noted he would occasionally use a candle when we stopped to find motes and collect them as well. Being quite aggressive, going around rest areas to locate motes with a candle.

He had been saving up and had money from his father. I also suspected he was driving a hard bargain at whatever cultivation stores were located in the cities and possibly doing some trading on the side. Again, I only cared if we traveled quickly without interruption.

That was the good thing about this society and culture being around for so long. They had good roads between cities. While the distances were insane, at least we didnt have to travel through the wilderness.

We finally reached Boarder City, a city with a wall through the middle that separated the region controlled by the Imperial Sect and the region controlled by the Blazing Sun Sect. We got to the city late at night and got a room.

Master Yuan Zhou, I have news, Song said after he entered our shared room.

What is it? I asked.

The border has a checkpoint and inspection, even for cultivators. Everyone is searched without exception. I had told Song to let me know the instant he found out about anything that might cause delays or inconvenience us.

What is the inspection like? I asked.

We need to apply for a permit to enter. There is questioning and a sizable fee. I heard it was one spirit stone per person and per wagon or carriage, Song told me.

Highway robbery, I muttered. They were bandits, only official bandits. Well time to do something I didnt want to do. While my spatial ring would pass a cursory scan, a detailed inspection of my person would reveal it.

The elders at the Cloudy Moon Sect would not stael from a disciple. The shame, drama, and headache that would bring would be a nightmare. They would just squeeze the disciple legally as much as they could. I was thinking of Elder Li Fu and how he came out far ahead after I had helped catch that Demonic Cultivator in Half Moon City.

They would ask me to reveal the contents. I might get away with the sword, but the manual, metal claw, and human core would be highly suspicious. In addition, I had an astral shard. A senior from another sect would not be polite about confiscating something like that.

Thanks Song, first light we will get that permit and cross the border, I told him, and he nodded.

Before dawn the next day he left to get everything ready, while I took a few deep breaths to steady myself. I had just used the bathroom and wasnt going to have breakfast. I unclipped my spatial ring from my silver chain and then shoved it up my butt.

I made sure to get it up in there, nice and snug. With my cultivation and number of motes I had, it would be very hard to see inside of me easily, unless an immortal took a look themselves or they laid hands on me, which would be too rude.

Walking with a slightly stiff gait out of the inn we had stayed in, I got in the carriage. Song didnt ask questions. That was another reason why he was getting paid a lot. He took off and we reached the permit office.

I exited the carriage and made my way inside. I was wearing my Cloudy Moon Sect robes which had been washed and cleaned. I didnt normally wear them, but this was important, so I had to look like a cultivator. I had grown a little bit, but not enough to make them hang poorly on my body.

Welcome Master Cultivator to the Boarder Permit Office, a smiling clerk said. I recalled the clerk from the Coinage Guild in Half Moon City. They could have been brothers with how similar their smiles and appearances were.

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Thank you, I replied, and he gestured to a seat across from a desk.

I will be conducting a preliminary interview. Afterwards a cultivator will inspect you and ask any follow up questions. But first the fee and any declarations of cultivation resources? the clerk asked.

Myself, my carriage driver, horses, and a pouch of spirit stones. I believe the fee would be three spirit stones? I asked.

The standard fee, but a cultivator can pay an expedited fee for twice the amount. Instead of waiting ten days, you can cross in one day. That does not include the fee and processing time from the other side of the boarder.

I will pay the expedited fee, I said and laid out six spirit stones. This was highway robbery. Complete and utter highway robbery.

Excellent, now which sect are you from and why are you traveling? the clerk asked me. I explained that I was from the Cloudy Moon Sect and was returning to the sect after getting lost in the astral plane and not getting the materials I needed.

The clerk wrote all this down and then I was taken to a room, where an elder looked me over for a couple of minutes and then paused.

Your cultivation, what did you do? they asked in surprise. I saw the emblem of the Blazing Sun Sect on their robe.

I have accumulated a large number of motes during the Qi Gathering stage, which is why I was trying to find an astral shard in the astral plane for an Astral Soul Stabilizer. Unfortunately, I failed but managed to find an exit. I had practiced this so many times I believed it myself.

A shame. What an interesting cultivation. He is clear, now to inspect the wagon and your driver, the cultivator said. Song was brought in, and he was cleared in few seconds. A team of people went over the wagon with a fine-tooth comb and found nothing.

After that we were given a fancy looking permit with the Blazing Sun Sect symbol stamped on it. I could present in the future at the border crossing as proof that I had passed a previous inspection. It would entitle me to expedited processing without the additional fee.

I thanked everyone, even if they were all robbers. I passed through the large wall dividing the city and then had to repeat the process with the Imperial Sect. But it was the same thing basically and I had to pay another six spirit stones as an expedited processing fee and got a second permit from the Imperial Sect.

I had also noted Song had loaded up with mortal goods from one side of the border to take over to the other side. He would probably hold onto them for a while until we got some distance so he could make more of a profit. I didnt care about such things as long as we kept going as quickly as possible, which Song ensured that we did. The amount he was earning from trade was another method I was using to keep us moving as quickly as possible.

With the border cleared, I breathed a sigh of relief and did not eat and only drank lightly for the next two days, before I was forced to expel the spatial ring. Just in case someone was observing me from a distance, I could afford to be extra careful. I figured two days was more than enough for anyone secretly watching to give up and return to Boarder City. I carefully cleaned the spatial off and put it back around my neck.

Two years to get to Boarder City and then another year from here at the speed I was traveling. I was averaging 30 miles or 48 kilometers per day. The Earth was about 40,000 kilometers around. By the time I was done traveling I would have crossed over 58,000 kilometers. The continent was massive.

I had considered alternate routes, but the coast would take too long to reach, and sea travel was unreliable. This was the absolute shortest route that could be taken in the quickest amount of time to return to the Cloudy Moon Sect. A caravan would have taken 10 years covering the same distance.

With a proper carriage of my own along the way and Song to handle everything for our day to day needs, I focused entirely on my cultivation. The only exception had been the very rare beast attack and Boarder City.

Song explained that if a carriage had a cultivator, they would hang little flags near the drivers seat to let guards know not to cause problems. Sometimes the occasional guard would ask a few questions, but we kept passing through, rushing towards our destination and paid the small city entrance fees of a few bronze coins.

Only when we reached Boarder City did I need to get personally involved with the fees to get through. After two years of focusing on my cultivation I had hit a solid rhythm at the age of twenty-two and a half. I cultivated 4 motes at a time over a one-hour period. There was no pain when I did it at that speed. I would cultivate for 20 hours per day. Which meant 80 motes per day and 60,000 motes over two years.

It was too slow. That was a mote aligned every 15 minutes. At this rate it would take me about 58 more years to complete the second stage. An average cultivator should reach the second stage in 40 years. A focused and skilled cultivator that had a chance of making the fifth stage would only take 20 years. Being able to triple my speed or more would drastically cut down on that time.

The climate got a bit warmer and wetter. It was probably my imagination to some extent since I was rarely focused on the outside. I had been over mountains, through deserts, and seen countless cities. I occasionally left the side window open to look outside, but that was rare.

It was far more important to focus on my cultivation during this time. Also, once you see a sight once, there wasnt much more to see. Song only paused twice on our trip to ask if I wanted to look. The first time was for the Endless Waterfall, which rushed off a mountain and disappeared into a giant pit. It was one of the wonders of the continent. Only saw it from a distance, since the area had high beast activity.

The other time had been when we could see the great Primordial Ziggurat built in the first age by unknown people and used as a meeting point for the desert tribes. It was tall, shiny, and not that interesting after I had taken one look at it. Just a lot of shiny black stone in the desert sticking upwards.

Anything less than a wonder of the continent, I didnt care too much about. Scenic vistas became all the same and the night camps tended to be built at points like this. There were some nice ones like seeing a forest with the leaves all changing with the seasons.

Thankfully we had avoided the snows with the timing of the journey, being in lowlands and warmer areas during the winter months. If we got delayed because of a snowed in mountain pass, I would have been pissed. Thankfully Song did a good job in checking for news about the road ahead.

About three years after I had left on my quest to get an astral shard, we approached Half Moon City. I had removed the carrying case, claw, and manual from my spatial ring so questions wouldnt be asked. We entered the city no problem and it was just like I remembered, but I had us get a new set of horses right away and push onwards to the sect. Returning to the sect was more important that visiting my family.

Three days later, I arrived at the foot of the Cloudy Moon Sect. The carriage was stored at the bottom of the sect and Song given some regular letters to deliver and a spirit stone as payment. He was quite happy and promised to come back at the next intake.

I approached the base of the steps and there was an outer sect disciple, guarding the bottom of the stairs and watching the mortal village at the base of the sect mountain. I had seen these poor souls occasionally while sweeping. At least I got exercise going up and down the stairs. Junior greets senior, he replied and bowed.

Announce my return to Elder Li Fu and Elder Healer Meihui. Inner Sect Disciple Yuan Zhou returns triumphant! I declared forcefully. The poor outer sect disciple looked at me in shock. What I was doing was quite brazen, but after being sent to my death and returning alive with an astral shard, I felt I was allowed to be a bit brazen.

Are you sure senior, if I declare such a thing, there will be punishments, he said nervously.

I will take full responsibility. After the journey and battles I have endured, it is no joke to say, that this Yuan Zhou has battled astral beasts, enemy cultivators, and traveled the length of the continent to stand here today! The disciples eyes got wider. He then raced up the stairs.

I ascended the stairs, carrying case for the astral shard in hand. It felt good to be back. I arrived at the top of the stairs I had swept countless times. I reached the top a few minutes after the disciple had gotten up there. Elder Li Fu suddenly appeared and a moment later Elder Healer Meihui showed up as well.

Junior Yuan Zhou greets Elder Li Fu and Elder Healer Meihui, I said and inclined my head. Two other elders who I didnt know then showed up as well. Junior greets elders, I said, inclining my head towards them as well.

You were successful? Elder Li Fu asked me. I could hear the excitement in his voice.

Yes, elder. It was a great journey filled with hardships, but I have returned successful, I replied. Elder Healer Meihui marched over and I gave her a nod. She put a hand on my forehead and chest.

Well, your astral soul is shaky, but it isnt fraying. At least you listened to my advice, she said and removed her hands. How exciting, I have only heard about this, she said with a smile as she backed away.

Indeed, we must meet with the Sect Leader at once and hear your story. Come with me Disciple Yuan Zhou. I followed Elder Li Fu as the other elders disappeared. I needed to learn that trick. We made our way to the Sect Leaders home and entered. I got looks from the core disciples at the doors, but none of them dared stop Elder Li Fu or me since I was in his wake.

He then paused at a set of ornate doors carved with the symbol of the sect and knocked three times and waited. After a minute I heard the Sect Leader call out, Enter. We entered a large hall. I noted 27 total elders sitting on either side of the room including Elder Healer Meihui. I also noted some other elders I knew like Elder Zedong, Elder Sun Ru, Elder Yi Meifeng, and Elder Ping.

At the back of the room on a raised dais sat the Sect Leader. In front of him sat the two elders I saw from before along with an empty cushion. Elder Li Fu greets Sect Leader Jiang Fengge. His eyes darted towards me, and I bowed deeply and introduced myself as well. Now wasnt the time for insolence.

Inner Disciple Yuan Zhou greets Sect Leader Jiang Fengge, I said.

Take your place Li Fu. Disciple you may sit in the center of the room on the cushion provided. Your return has provided a welcome break from our current discussion, the Sect Leader said. I didnt ask what they had been discussing and took a seiza seat on the cushion with my legs under me. I carefully set the items I had been carrying in front of me.

Many of you might have heard rumors or talk of this tale but let us listen to our wayward inner disciple that has gone to the astral plane itself and the reasons behind it. You may speak Disciple Yuan Zhou, Sect Leader Jiang Fengge said.

Thank you, Sect Leader. My cultivation method treads the path of defiance. With the support of Elder Li Fu and Elder Healer Meihui, I ventured to the astral plane for an astral shard to be constructed into an Astral Soul Stabilizer. I then detailed my experiences inside the astral plane, all the elders listening intently.

The Sect Leader nodded slightly as I described how I had lured the astral beast to chase me and then used spirit stones to distract it from continuing its pursuit. There were approving nods at this. I had my sword on my back since it was too big part of the story to leave out. I hadnt had it out when I left, and I knew Elder Li Fu and Elder Healer Meihui wouldnt miss that detail.

I only had a day left before I suffered permanent damage. I decided to take a gamble. I went into a black zone inside the astral plane. Inside I encountered a being. I only ever saw its eye. It was my height yellow and silted like a cats eye, I said.

It wanted to talk a bit saying it was bored and I was not worth bothering getting worked up to crush or beat. I explained to the being my history. Afterwards it granted me two boons. Since it was unfamiliar with human cultivation, I dared not ask for something of that nature or ask about the being itself in case it was offended. I also needed a boon to escape the astral plane as well.

I asked for knowledge of the astral shard and its origin. Once the being had explained it, it cast me from-

The knowledge! What was the knowledge- an elder began to ask.

Silence! the Sect Leader boomed out. I too am curious. I am guessing our inner disciple wishes to trade such knowledge for a favor? the Sect Leader asked.

Yes, Sect Leader, I will give you the beings answer, but I would humbly ask for access to the elders library. There was silence at that, and I bowed my head. It was a bold request.

The pursuit of knowledge. But one could argue that you owe Elder Healer Meihui for paying the cost into the astral plane. What do you say Elder Healer Meihui? the sect leader asked.

I am happy studying the effects of his cultivation long term and would consider that significant reimbursement. Already it has improved my Dao of healing, she said. The Sect Leader nodded at this.

And library access is simple enough for such knowledge. Very well, it is granted, now let us learn what this Ancient said, the Sect Leader declared.

Yes Sect Leader, it called astral shards remnants of seeds of a being called a Great Devourer. It specifically said it was a thought made manifest. I also explained how the astral shard whispered to me and the words it had said. I was asked to repeat my explanation two more times. After that I was told to continue.

I explained my arrival at Five Claw City and my quick departure and the ambush, also killing the cultivator from the Clawed Hand Sect. The Sect Leader held up a hand and I closed my mouth and he nodded to an elder. An elder who wasnt wearing a shirt got up and came over. His muscles had muscles and he was built like a brick factory that bench pressed other brick factories.

He picked up the metal claw. Rank two, well made, but a common design. Clearly given to a low ranked disciple to train early on in their martial art. He then set it back down in front of me and picked up the manual. He flipped through it quickly and then set it back down as well. Basic body cultivation instructions, nothing special. He then made his way back to his seat.

Thank you, Martial Elder Lei. Since the Clawed Hand Sect is under the purview of the Blazing Sun Sect and there has been no pursuit, and no one has come forward, I believe this matter can rest, unless there is a disagreement? No one spoke up. Continue Disciple Yuan Zhou, the Sect Leader said.

There wasnt much after that, as I explained how I had raced back to the sect. I paused for a moment at the end and decided to not say anything. This wasnt the right environment to ask what I had in mind.

Impressive Disciple Yuan Zhou. Elder Li Fu, do you wish to add anything? The elder nodded while sitting in front of the Sect Leader.

Yes Sect Leader. I will use my favor to ask you to construct an Astral Soul Stabilizer and give it to this disciple, Elder Li Fu said.

The favor I owe you is too much for something like that and I am indeed curious as well. His cultivation is a mess, but if he advances, there could be many answers we had not looked for but would be quite illuminating. I will construct the Astral Soul Stabilizer and will help install it. But I am interested in what further thing you have on your mind Disciple, I see you had a question. Do not be afraid, I am curious what you wanted to ask, the Sect Leader said, and I gulped but spoke up regardless.

Sect Leader, I was thinking of altering my cultivation plan to create a physical secondary core, using the explosions of my main cores to assist in the implosion process, since the Astral Soul Stabilizer should allow for the contradiction between cultivation processes, I said.

Foolishness!

Insanity!

How intriguing.

Oh hoho, now this was worth coming out for.

He seeks even more!

How bold!

There were several exclamations from the surrounding elders. Elder Li Fu brought his hands up and lowered his face into them. The Sect Leader looked at me in surprise as the elders chatted for a minute before finally calming down.

Thatis that even possible? The Sect Elder asked and looked to the side at an older man.

The astral side yes, but on the physical side no. His body would not be able to handle the strain. He would need something equal to the Astral Soul Stabilizer to firm up his body. I would say the best option would be a drop of refined beast essence of the sixth rank turned into a pill. The Sect Leader nodded at this.

A sixth rank beast is no simple task even for an Elder or a Sect Leader, but I suspect you will want to get one? The Sect Leader asked me.

Yes, Sect Leader, this disciple seeks your guidance, I said and bowed my head.

Li Fu, I know why this Disciple stresses you out. But he will either succeed and become an immortal or die a most gruesome and horrible death like countless geniuses before him. Searching for solutions for his cultivation deviations and crippling. The Sect Leader paused. But he did succeed in returning from the astral plane successfully. For a disciple barely in the second stage to do so is not a sign of heavens favor to be taken lightly. I will take this burden upon myself.

Yuan Zhou! I straightened up even more at that and even the rustle of clothing from the occasional movement of the elders stilled. I felt a pressure on me as the Sect Leader looked down upon me. Do you swear to the heavens and the earth and on your cultivation to protect the Cloudy Moon Sect until the end of your life?

I swear by the heavens and the earth and by my cultivation Sect Leader that I will protect the sect until the end of my life, I said without hesitation.

Very well. Then I name you my personal disciple Yuan Zhou. Take the items with you. Escort him to my office, I will speak with him after, the Sect Leader said.

Thank you, Master, I replied and was then escorted out of the meeting room by a servant. They were wearing member robes. None of the elders said anything. I was led to an office and sat down. I looked around but didnt dare touch any of the objects or books.

Several hours later the Sect Leader entered, and I quickly stood up. Disciple greets master, I said.

Sit, I quickly sat back down, and the Sect Leader took a seat behind his desk.

Consider being named my disciple a reward for helping me find a way out of the impasse in the meeting room. Each faction has wanted me to name a successor or take up a personal disciple from their faction. I nodded at this but didnt say anything.

Now you are my disciple, the Sect Disciple. But you will get no handouts from me. We are a poor sect, Yuan Zhou. While we are a mid-rank sect, we are not a battle sect. We produce spirit wine to sell to other sects and maintain this province, but we are the lowest of the low compared to other mid-rank sects in terms of cultivation resources. While our knowledge is extensive, that means nothing in the face of power and the ability to kill beasts.

Mid-rank sects are looked at for battle power and special resources. Your capture of the demonic cultivator years ago helped a bit. But we are looked down on for good reason. We have nothing of value beyond knowledge. But now you come, walking the path of defiance. You being named my personal disciple means that even the Imperial Sect will dare not recruit you or target you lightly. Even more so other sects.

He had cut off my path in that direction, making it clear I was now committed to the Cloudy Moon Sect. But your cultivation plan is a never-ending hole that will consume countless resources and time. An Astral Soul Stabilizer is a great treasure, that even elders would look at. While its use is very limited at the later stages, it still has value which is rare.

But you need that, and refined beast essence made into a pill from a sixth rank beast! The Sect Leader raised his voice, and I cowered a bit. Just for the second stage. Rare treasures, priceless ingredients, will be consumed by you. We could afford one, maybe two before we go bankrupt.

And before you bring up that there are elders to gather resources for your pig self, only myself, Martial Elder Lei, and two others are qualified to fight. Elder Li Fu is a manager. He would not dare hunt a sixth level beast or go into the astral plane. That is why our sect is weak and why I am annoyed, the Sect Leader said. He wasnt mad so much at me, just at the situation. At least I hoped that was the case.

You will have to get the materials by yourself. We can process them, since the heavens know all the elders do is study and study some more. That was the problem with being in the mad scientist sect, you still needed people to go out there to get materials to experiment with. We have been trying to position ourselves as the sect to handle such requests outside the high ranking sects, but it is slow, and the requests are few.

So, you will need to get your own resources for your cultivation, and I will use my authority to have them turned into cultivation resources. Also with your new status, you should be able to get past any bullshit you encounter much more easily. While an inner disciple can be overlooked, the personal disciple of a sect leader of a mid-rank sect will not be.

As you travel about to gather resources, you will be our sect mascot and advertisement for unique cultivation paths and processing of rare ingredients. I wasnt sure if this was a promotion or demotion. I hoped I didnt have to wear an outfit like a mascot at a sports game back on Earth.