Training with Tom intensified after my body reset. The grounder was nothing if not a perfectionist—at least in terms of body cultivation. A significant portion of the training focused on katas. He demanded that all of my motions be crisp, accurate, and purposeful.
Tom had me training all hours of the day. Even meals were part of the process, to which he spared no expense—using his rare herbs, roots, and aged beef. He had me drink water from the purest well… I was pretty confident it was water from the handful of springs in the Bloodwoods. At night, he tested my knowledge, making sure I didn't fall into the cultivation habit of 'get strong, get hurt, and survive.'
Training did involve similarities with the Alderi method, which was expected. But the extent of strengthening and endurance that Tom had me work through was on an entirely different level. I drained my mana and health potions just trying to stay alive.
"I don't get it…" I said to Tom between rounds of agility training. The sage had built a mile-long obstacle course full of challenges, traps, and a breaking path. To survive, I had to be faster than the gaping hole hot on my tail. It would have been easy with mana. Without it… Well, falling was one of the reasons I was out of health potions.
"What is there not to get?" Tom barely looked up from his meditation. He sat cross-legged on a patch of soft green grass. "You just have to run fast… and dodge the obstacles."
"No, not that." I took a sip of water from a pouch Tom had filled for the day. The spring water ran out five hours ago during the strengthening session… I didn't tell him I filled it up with my own supply. "Shouldn't I have made more progress by now? For having a perfect foundation, this seems to be taking a long time."
We were in the third cycle of training after my successful body reset. What I had thought would be a process of rebuilding my layers of body cultivation turned out to be a long, drawn-out process. I still hadn't completed a single layer.
"If we were building on a normal foundation, that would've been the case." Tom remained in his closed-off position. He placed his hand on the ground and took a deep breath. I was familiar enough with the process to sense the rock-like energy scanning my soul. "We are not working with a normal foundation, and since it's not normal, it shouldn't be treated as such, which means…"
"Progression won't be normal."
"Why'd ya want a basic body anyway?"
"Well, it won't be basic once it's reforged…"
"But where will that put you in terms of power? How will you fare against another golden body cultivator? One that has devoted himself only to body essence?"
"Doesn't gold put us at the same rank?" I knew the answer was wrong before I responded. I chalked it up to humoring the sage. He seemed to like it when I responded to his lobbed questions. I think it gave him a sense of control—or it was from his old habits of being an instructor years ago. Tom didn't like foolish answers, though, and I regretted my response. "To a degree," I tried to redeem my response.
"And what is that?" Tom opened his eyes and stared deep into mine. It was one part challenge and one part engagement.
"If two golden bodies fight, the one with more experience and talent will win. But I have my mind…"
"That isn't good enough… and that is precisely what's holding you back. You have one ace card, and you hold onto it like it will win you every advantage. Why undergo this entire process if you don't want your body essence to be just as good as that of the best body cultivator? What if they have their own ace? Or two aces? Your mind is sharp, but don't limit your growth."
"No shortcuts," I said. "I agree. But what is this path you have me walking down?"
"What do you know about mixed foundations?" Tom summoned some dirt and fashioned it into a round ball.
"Mixed foundations? You're not talking about the three primary essences, are you?"
Tom glared at me with squinting eyes full of judgment. A fair response.
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"You can mix essences in a layer… though it isn't recommended," I said, thinking through Tom's meaning. "A layer could be a mix of agility, strength, or endurance. There are even some cultivators who mix essences in one layer."
"That is a simplification of the process." Tom floated the orb and fashioned a second one. "It isn't wrong, but it leaves out important aspects of cultivation. Do you know what that is?"
I shook my head no. What my mentor hinted at was beyond my understanding and experience of cultivation.
Tom pushed his floating orb closer to me. With a twist of his fingers, it rotated. "Think of this as your primary core before you start cultivating. As you cultivated your essences, you built layers on your soul. Most consider these layers to be three segments since it takes three essences to build a layer." The orb condensed and radiated fern-colored energy as a thin layer stacked upon it. The outer layer was split into three segments.
"I want you to discard the notion of segments," Tom said. "Rather, think of each base of cultivation to be a strand." The layer with three segments split into three strands that wrapped around the stone. "Let's say the cultivator acquired two body essences and one mind essence." Two strands turned a hue of orange; the other was an off-white. "By all accounts, a full layer has been formed, and this core is considered to be the rank of page. This is true, but watch as the core gains new strands."
Another strand of body essence was added to the core. The new strand extended the mind essence to the outer rim and merged with the other two strands of the body. Unlike the soft layer that had formed before, the new layer of all body essence had a completeness to it. It was solid and whole.
The process repeated itself with all three of the essences. Body stuck with body. Mind to mind. Spirit to spirit. The information, although not entirely new, made the process of reforging that much clearer. A layer could only be complete when it was formed by strands of the same essence.
"So what does this have to do with my soul? I don't see how my foundation makes the process any different."
"Ah…" Tom grinned. "Watch this." He floated his second orb into the air. This time, as the orange strands representing body essence wrapped around the core, they twisted together, forming a thicker, tighter strand.
"Three essences only became one strand?" I watched in astonishment; surely my mouth gaped open. "How? Why?"
"Because of your new foundation, your soul can withstand more strain. Normally, when a soul gains a new layer, the core practically bursts to expand." Tom demonstrated the fact with the core above his right palm. "Your body essence will have nine layers just like any other cultivator, but unlike any other cultivator—or most other cultivators—your nine layers will have twenty-seven strands of body essence."
"It would be like I was a full-fledged body cultivator…"
"Gold will be inevitable."
Cal, are you keeping track of all this? I asked the flayen. I wasn't sure if my mind worm was listening or tinkering with the system.
Of course! This will make a huge difference. Imagine if your body were as fast as your mind…
Do you think it's possible?
Who cares? Let's make it happen.
"So we're thinking it will take three times the effort to pull this off?"
"Something like that… but my time with you is coming to an end. By the end of your next loop, you will have a completed layer. Your nine-stranded layer will be enough to get you through the gates of the Silvers… from there, it is up to you to qualify for membership." Tom chuckled. "I have a feeling that won't be a problem for you, though."
Just as Tom predicted, it took me another cycle to gain my first layer of body essence. Nine ranks of essence were woven into the new layer. Three ranks of agility, strength, and endurance. My body was already more cultivated than it was before the reset… In fact, I could've started the process of reforging if I had been on the old path. As it was, I was much further from the end than I was before—but better than I'd ever been. I could already feel my body catching up to my mind.
I was excited for the future—to be moving on and growing. More importantly, closing the gap between the mages and me. It would take a little longer, but I was going to keep my promise. My friends were going to live.
I expressed my gratitude to Tom, thanking him for all that he did. He asked that I return when I became a true sage. I told him I would, and we exchanged goodbyes. That night was the end of my loop. Three months of extensive training and a new layer to show for it. The end came for me while I trained in my mindscape.
You Died.
Memory loss incurred: .017%
Death Count: 181
Memory Lost: 3.02%
Loop has increased to six months.
I woke up to the sound of feet trampling through the forest. A mana-enriched breeze stirred the forest, unmasking wild energy to the north. The rustling noises rapidly moved away from me toward the chaotic energy.
It was good to be back at the start of all things. My next goal was to seek out the Silvers. To do that, I'd have to travel across the continent and an ocean. Then I'd have to find the secret base of the mercenary band and convince them that I was a worthy candidate to be allowed into their gates. I didn't necessarily want to join the Silvers—or any training academy, for that matter. Preferably, I could find another mentor like I had with Tom. The likelihood of finding a mage-ranked mentor outside of an academy was slim to none. I had the money, but not the connection.
So joining an exclusive body cult was my path forward. At their gates, I'd flash them my strands and impress them with my layer. They wouldn't be able to keep their hands off me.
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