Stalks of firegrass curled and uncurled as John watched. It was something he could watch over and over just for fun, but implementing cultivation brought it to an even greater level of interest. That was the thing about cultivation. When it was going well, it was something like an obsession. Who would want to stop learning the mysteries of the universe?
John was brought out of his reverie by a soft voice. “Is it alright if I join you?”
He raised his head to see Astrid, her hair flickering just like the firegrass. “Feel free. I’m just studying the movements here.”
She sat facing the same patch he was working on, seated at a slight angle. Notably, her shadow wouldn’t block the patch John was observing. “Thank you. What are you studying?”
“Just the way the firegrass coils.” John demonstrated, though he imagined she was already well aware of the details. “The twisted blades all contract when it is in shadow. But when it is in sunlight, the stalk twists and turns in sequence, the three blades receiving relatively equal sunlight. As close as it can get without full rotation, though that would require something like loose roots or complex systems. They probably wouldn’t be durable enough to be walked upon.”
Astrid nodded. “I’ve thought much the same. It might seem a bit excessive at first. Most plants share the energy throughout them just fine without doing more than a slow twist of their leaves or flowers to catch the sunlight. However, it appears that firegrass has energy in excess. Perhaps it is trying to avoid overheating, in fact.”
John hadn’t considered that yet. “It seems to me that it thrives in the sunlight. Perhaps the line between that and being harmed is thinner than it seems. Would it be unreasonable to experiment on a few stalks?”
“I don’t know…” Astrid said slowly. “We barely have any firegrass.” Her grin spread from ear to ear as she looked around the fields that encompassed the majority of the Summer Sun Sect’s domain.
“I can see that,” John said. He still presumed that they didn’t want people destroying things wantonly, though. Having received permission of a sort, he considered the optimal way to hold the stalks still while minimizing the side effects. Just grasping it wouldn’t do much to stop the twisting. Most spiritual elements would interfere with its functionality.
Going on the assumption that he was already going to kill some stalks of firegrass, he supposed he could use some slightly harsher methods. He pulled out a few throwing daggers and pierced them through the stalk in several different points. More direct physical interference, less spiritual energy influence. He then held those throwing daggers in place and allowed light to fall on the stalk.
It rippled in between the static points, straining against the daggers, but not hard enough to twist apart its own fibers. It sort of wobbled and flopped as it burned until finally it burned out in a very unspectacular manner. “I was kind of hoping for something more impressive,” John admitted.
Astrid shrugged. “Such is life. Sometimes, things are unspectacular.”
John placed the remains in shadow, extracting the daggers. It seemed a bit much to separate the thin stalks, but he couldn’t just grab it with his hands. Well, maybe he could. That would be his next attempt, he supposed.
He held his hands at about two thirds up and one third along the stalk respectively. That left room to move at the top, but the majority was relatively stable. Flames erupted as he allowed sunlight to fall on it. Firegrass didn’t really burn that hot, so even if it was fire element the amount was insufficient to overcome Diamond Defense. And because that was a passive effect, John managed to avoid causing too much physical harm to the stalk or interfere with his spiritual energy. The second stalk flared more brightly for a few moments much like the first, though it took a bit longer to sputter out.
Neither was actually particularly charred, but close inspection indicated that whatever it was that made them gain energy had indeed been overloaded. “Well that’s one theory confirmed, at least. Did you already know?”
Astrid slid slightly closer. “I hadn’t tried it quite like that. We were aware that it heated and cooled as it moved, however.” She looked from the latest stalk to John’s hands. “You are unhurt. I didn’t sense any energy defenses, however.”
“It’s a body tempering method,” John explained.
“Truly? That is… not common. But I do believe I heard such things mentioned with regards to yourself.” It didn’t surprise John that people talked about his cultivation. He was rather famous. “Can I ask about it?”
“It’s called Diamond Defense. The original method required some expensive materials. Well, expensive for the time at least. My daughter and I have expanded upon it, lowering the required costs in the early stages.”
“That would be… Ursel?” Astrid asked. “Assuming it is an earth element technique.”
“Yes, that’s right,” John nodded. He smiled fondly as he remembered the past. “She was a little rascal, you know? She snuck in and stole some of the materials for Diamond Defense before the age most people began cultivating.”
“Really? That’s… surprising. Though I did hear about your children being geniuses.”
“The triplets were born elementally infused,” John explained. “It would have been more difficult to get them to not use the spiritual energy within them than it was to teach them to use it responsibly. Semi-responsibly.”
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“I have heard only great things about them as of late,” Astrid said. “Leaders of two clans, and a valiant warrior that defeated Abritt while only in the early Ascending Soul Phase. It seems they turned out quite well.”
John didn’t correct her about Ursel. Technically, she’d been at the peak of the Consolidated Soul Phase. That was what made her victory so particularly astounding. Of course, every factor that led to her victory had been necessary. Her tenacity, her particular totems, the extremely durable armor she had, and even her body tempering. And probably a healthy dose of Abritt underestimating her, or she would never have gotten a grip on the woman.
“The triplets were a serious surprise,” John commented. “Both in how they turned out and just… them. Matayal and I were trying for a child, of course, but we were planning to stop at two. One to take over leadership of each clan when the time came. Less potential for conflict.”
“A reasonable plan,” Astrid agreed. “Internal conflicts are the greatest causes of instability. I sometimes worry about what the future generations of the Summer Sun Sect might have to face. Though I do have competent elders, and I believe they would properly follow a designated successor.”
“I wouldn’t expect that to be necessary for a very long time,” John pointed out. “Unless you’re worried about the Ascending Soul Phase?”
Astrid shrugged. “It is impossible to shake some worries. I have just myself to rely on, with no predecessors or contemporaries I expect to go ahead of me. But there are also other factors to consider. If I married, I might end up leaving the sect behind.”
“Surely a husband could join you, could he not?” John suggested.
“Possibly. That would depend on our relative cultivation styles. Perhaps I would do better in another region than he would here.”
“A fair enough assessment,” John said. “I also wouldn’t suggest trying to manage a long distance relationship. It might seem reasonable for a few years, journeying back and forth. But if you both have responsibilities, that means neglecting said responsibilities for longer, or separation from your spouse.”
Astrid nodded slowly. “I had considered that.” Astrid turned to look off towards another part of the sect. “Your disciples, of the Six Elements Crossroads. They have learned to train energies together in dual cultivation.”
“Well, yes. Though actual dual cultivation is not performed casually. The conversion of elements is the base form of everything,” John explained. “There is no sharing of energy for normal training. Though once someone picks out a long term partner, they can take the next step. It is very important to be aware of elemental compatibilities. Not all of them work out.”
“Really?” Astrid asked. “Because I had heard that even light and darkness were compatible. I believe you even have family from such a union.”
Astrid had really done her research. Though, it was a rather significant circumstance so it made sense to be aware of it. “Nik and Melanthina are a rare exception. Were they not so compatible in other ways, their elements would never match. The troubles weren’t just delayed cultivation, either. Ereli… was not in a good state as a child.”
“I am sorry to hear that,” Astrid replied. “But it sounds like she is alright now? A solution was achieved?”
“Once she finally got her first totem, yes,” John said. “Before that, it wasn’t known if she would survive.”
“At least it all ended well. It shows you and those around you have great promise.” Astrid stood. “I’m afraid I have duties to attend to now, but I would love to continue our conversation later. Perhaps over dinner?”
“That sounds lovely.”
-----
Though he might prefer to avoid such situations, John was not socially incapable. At some point it became quite obvious what Astrid’s intentions were. Friendly intentions, some might say more than friendly.
But just because he understood didn’t mean he knew how to react. When John returned to his room after a lovely dinner, he had some serious considerations to undertake. Though he really just wanted to figure out how to reject Astrid in a gentle manner.
There was nothing wrong with her, really. She was kind and intelligent. Talented in cultivation, and while John didn’t want to consider that humans only had value as cultivators it certainly helped tip the balance of things.
The only real issue that John could think of was that she was too young. She was probably younger than his own children! Except… that wasn’t as relevant of a factor as it might have seemed. Because while he was probably a good thirty or more years older than her, it wasn’t as weird as it seemed. She wasn’t a young adult- she was probably between fifty and sixty years old herself. And based on their cultivations, they were still both considered ‘young’. A few decades previously their relative ages might have been awkward, but at a certain point it just didn’t matter.
Perhaps the largest problem John saw was that he was thinking about it. No matter what happened it wasn’t something he would jump into easily- considering all the political and personal factors it was quite a serious decision. That was why John wanted to cut things off early, so as to not unintentionally lead her on. It would have been fairly simple, if he knew for certain that he truly didn’t want it. But because he thought about it, the idea wasn’t easily leaving his head.
It was an issue more troublesome than cultivation. The matters of the soul were relatively straightforward compared to matters of the heart. And it would have to be a matter of the heart. John wasn’t interested in any of the political benefits. If he was, with no offense to Astrid, she probably wouldn’t be his first pick. The Summer Sun Sect was nothing spectacular, and her personal power wasn’t yet anything unique. That said, the potential in both wasn’t to be underestimated.
But none of that mattered, because John had no intention of political marriage. It would just be too complicated. Not that love would be much better. John didn’t believe that he loved Astrid after just a couple days, of course. That would be a bit much. It was just that he was a woman he could see himself growing closer to in the ways that would eventually lead to love. Like Matayal… except the two of them started with the premise that they were getting married.
Her elemental cultivation might be a problem. Maybe that would be the easiest way to end things. But of course, she hadn’t brought up light and darkness just for fun. It could work. And if it did, it might be good for his theoretical try for the Exalted Soul Phase. Using someone for his own cultivation advancement wasn’t something he wanted, but if it was mutually beneficial it had to at least be considered.
It would have been so much easier if she seemed like a terrible person. He wouldn’t have had to think about it at all. He just hoped he wouldn’t lose too much sleep.
