Path of the Eternal Dao

Lin Kai arrived at the training fields well before dawn, finding them already occupied. A bleary-eyed disciple was attempting to practice a basic qi circulation technique while clearly half-asleep. His energy flow was so erratic that he kept accidentally floating a few inches off the ground, then dropping unceremoniously.

"That's one way to wake yourself up," Lin Kai commented dryly as the disciple fell for the third time.

The student jerked upright, finally noticing him. "Senior Brother! I was just..." he looked around confused, "practicing advanced levitation techniques?"

"Clearly." Lin Kai's face remained impassive, but there was a hint of amusement in his voice. "Though most practitioners prefer to master staying on the ground before attempting flight."

The younger disciple - probably only a first-level Qi Gathering practitioner and an informal one- flushed red and quickly excused himself. Lin Kai watched him go, remembering his own early cultivation attempts years back. At least he'd had the sense to practice where no one could see his mistakes.

The academy slowly came to life as more disciples arrived for morning training. Combat basics would occupy the first session, held in the largest training field. Thirty students gathered, all within the first five levels of Qi Gathering. Their qi signatures varied widely in quality - some refined and steady, others fluctuating like disturbed pond water.

Senior Brother Wei, a ninth-level Qi Gathering disciple, strode onto the field. His cultivation level was impressive for his age, though Lin Kai noticed subtle flaws in his energy circulation. Like many talented disciples, he'd rushed his advancement slightly.

"Cultivation isn't just about gathering energy," Wei began, demonstrating a basic stance. His qi flow became visible, showing standard enhancement patterns. "It's about using what you have efficiently. At our realm, we can't reshape mountains or split lakes. But proper technique can multiply your effective power several times over."

A student raised his hand. "Senior Brother, is it true that Foundation Establishment experts can level mountains with a single technique?"

Wei's expression turned serious. "Let me demonstrate something." He pointed to a nearby training dummy. "This is what a ninth-level Qi Gathering technique can do." His palm strike shattered the dummy into pieces.

"Impressive," someone muttered.

"Now watch." Wei activated a recording crystal. The image showed a Foundation Establishment disciple throwing a casual punch during practice. The resulting energy wave didn't just destroy a dummy - it carved a hundred-meter trench through solid rock and collapsed part of a mountain face.

"That," Wei said dryly, "was him trying to be gentle. Still want to rush advancement?"

The class practiced fundamental movements, most disciples approaching cultivation like a brute force exercise. Lin Kai watched one particularly enthusiastic student attempt to force so much qi into a basic punch that his face turned an alarming shade of purple.

"You look like you're trying to lay an egg rather than throw a punch," Lin Kai commented quietly when the student nearly toppled over.

Several nearby disciples snickered, then quickly tried to hide their amusement when the purple-faced student glared at them.

"Oh? And I suppose you have a better method?" The student, Liu Wei according to his training badge, challenged.

Lin Kai demonstrated the same technique, his movements smooth and efficient. "Qi follows natural paths. Fighting against it is like swimming upstream when there's a perfectly good bridge."

"Stop," Senior Brother Wei called out, approaching. "Show that movement again."

Lin Kai repeated the basic palm strike. The senior disciple's eyes narrowed as he analyzed the qi flow.

"Your energy circulation is unusual," he commented. "Most beginners try to gather qi at the point of impact. You're creating a continuous circuit through your meridians instead."

"Breaking the flow of energy is like stopping a river with your body," Lin Kai explained. "Possible, but unnecessarily difficult and likely to get you wet."

Wei's lips twitched slightly at the analogy and jab of sarcasm. He tested the theory with his own technique, achieving noticeably better results. "Where did you learn this?"

"I watch leaves fall and water flow," Lin Kai replied. "Nature doesn't waste energy trying to look impressive."

The last part was aimed subtly at Liu Wei, who had finally returned to a normal color and was now attempting to mimic Lin Kai's technique with considerably less success.

The morning continued with more basic exercises. Yu Mei joined their practice group, her movements precise if somewhat textbook. "You know," she said during a break, "most people who claim to learn from nature don't actually understand what they're seeing."

"Most people also think cultivation is about who can shine the brightest," Lin Kai responded, watching another disciple practically burst a blood vessel trying to generate a more impressive qi aura. "Few consider that stars only seem bright because everything around them is dark."

Yu Mei paused, considering this. "That's... actually quite profound."

"I have my moments."

Midday brought Formation Basics with Master Rong. The classroom setup was more elaborate than standard teaching halls, with formation arrays built into the very structure. Lin Kai could sense how they interlinked, creating a comprehensive system for both teaching and safety.

A student in the front row was boasting about his family's formation heritage when Master Rong entered. She took one look at his improperly drawn practice array and said, "Congratulations. You've just created a formation that would turn your qi into cheese. Very impressive family techniques indeed."

The class fell silent, then burst into poorly suppressed laughter. Even Lin Kai's lips twitched slightly. There was something refreshing about Master Rong's direct approach.

"Formation theory," Master Rong began, drawing a complex array on the teaching board, "underlies all advanced cultivation. Even the simplest qi technique follows formation principles, whether you realize it or not. It's like learning to walk before attempting interpretive dance."

She demonstrated by gathering qi into a visible sphere. "Observe the natural patterns energy creates. These same patterns appear in everything from falling leaves to flowing rivers. Though," she glanced pointedly at the boastful student, "some of us might need to start with watching paint dry."

The class practiced basic formation drawing, using qi-infused ink on special papers. Most struggled with maintaining consistent energy flow through their brushstrokes, their qi sputtering like a candle in the wind. One student's attempt at a basic gathering formation somehow managed to repel everything within a three-foot radius, including his own robes.

"Congratulations," Master Rong said to the now half-naked student. "You've invented the world's first cultivation-based method for changing clothes. Perhaps not quite what we were aiming for, but points for innovation."

Lin Kai kept his own work deliberately imperfect, though watching others struggle with basic principles was like seeing someone try to fill a cup by throwing water at it from across the room. Possible, perhaps, but needlessly complicated.

Yu Mei, working nearby, noticed anyway. "Your brush technique," she whispered. "You're not just drawing lines - you're creating actual qi channels, aren't you? It's like... like you're writing with water instead of forcing the ink to flow."

Before Lin Kai could respond, Master Rong appeared beside them. "Quite right, Miss Yu. Young Master Lin's brushstrokes aren't just carrying qi - they're establishing proper flow patterns." She picked up one of Lin Kai's practice sheets. "This level of control usually requires years of practice. Unless, of course, you've discovered some revolutionary method involving falling leaves and flowing water?"

The subtle humor in her tone suggested she'd overheard his earlier conversation. Lin Kai met her knowing look with his usual calm expression. "Nature is an excellent teacher, as long as you don't try to argue with its lessons."

"Indeed," Master Rong agreed. "Though some of our students seem to think they can negotiate with gravity."

The afternoon brought his evaluation for Advanced Formations. Master Rong led him to a separate chamber, its walls covered in complex arrays that made the classroom's formations look like children's drawings. The air hummed with contained power, and Lin Kai could sense how each array interconnected in a vast, complex web.

"Show me what you really can do," she said simply, activating a basic testing array. "And please, no philosophical observations about leaves unless they're actually relevant."

Lin Kai studied the formation before him. Unlike the practice exercises, this array contained subtle flaws - deliberate imperfections meant to test understanding rather than just skill. It was like looking at a painting where someone had deliberately drawn eyes slightly misaligned; not immediately obvious, but jarring once noticed.

He began drawing, letting his understanding guide his brush. The formation took shape, not just correcting the flaws but improving the original design. Qi flowed through his creation like... well, not like water this time. More like honey finding its way through a complex maze - slow, deliberate, but ultimately unavoidable.

Master Rong watched silently until he finished. Then she did something unexpected - she laughed.

"You know," she said, examining his work, "in thirty years of teaching, you're the first student who's ever spotted the trap in the secondary array."

"Trap?"

"The flaws weren't the real test," she explained. "The obvious imperfections were meant to distract from a deeper issue - the formation's core structure was fundamentally unstable. Most students rush to fix what they can see, missing the actual problem."

"Like treating a nosebleed while ignoring the fact that someone dropped an anvil on your head," Lin Kai observed.

Master Rong's eyebrows shot up. "Was that actually humor from our stoic prodigy? Perhaps there's hope for you yet." Her expression turned serious. "Though I wonder... how did you spot it?"

Lin Kai considered his answer carefully. The azure pendant felt warm against his chest, suggesting caution. "The obvious flaws created a pattern. Too obvious. Like someone deliberately leaving a trail of breadcrumbs away from what they're really hiding."

"Hmm." Master Rong produced a jade slip containing advanced formation manuals. "You'll join the third-year formation classes starting tomorrow. Their current project involves analyzing ancient formation structures. Try not to completely destroy their self-confidence on your first day."

As evening approached, Lin Kai returned to his room to find Chen Feng waiting outside, practically bouncing with excitement.

"Is it true?" he burst out. "Did you really make Senior Brother Wei change his basic combat teachings? Half the first-years are trying to copy your circulation method. Though..." he grimaced, "Liu Wei somehow managed to tie his qi in an actual knot. The medical pavilion says they've never seen anything quite like it."

Lin Kai suppressed a sigh. This was exactly the kind of attention he'd hoped to avoid. "Trying to copy a technique without understanding its principles is like trying to fly by strapping birds to your arms."

"That... is oddly specific. Please tell me there isn't a story behind that analogy."

"Ask Liu Wei in a few days. I suspect he'll try it once his qi unknots itself."

Chen Feng laughed, then produced several formation manuals. "Senior Brother Wei asked me to deliver these. He's been testing your qi circulation method. Also, Yu Mei is organizing a study group for tomorrow's formation class. She said, and I quote, 'Tell him if he doesn't come, I'll replace all his formation ink with soup.'"

Lin Kai accepted the manuals, noting how quickly his combat observation had spread. Information itself was a form of currency here, it seemed. Every technique shared or principle demonstrated created ripples through the academy's complex social structure.

The azure pendant pulsed once, perhaps in agreement. Or maybe it just enjoyed watching cultivation students accidentally invent new ways to embarrass themselves.