Rong curled around Rou as if she were molded to his body.
The fox's fangs were buried in her shoulder, his claws pierced her back as he held on as if Rong might escape.
Each thrust made her cry out in desire while he elicited an urgent grunt fueled with need.
Time passed in the temple, as darkness slowly turned to light, as the two joined over and over until neither could move.
Rong lay across Rou’s chest, trembling and exhausted.
Under her, Rou had reverted to the form her lover preferred, the one that looked similar to what she had seen the first time they met.
The two gods would visit her weekly.
They found a cycle they could both endure, but they had begun using too much essence. This schedule meant both parties benefited.
“Child,” Rou purred as they curled around one another like serpents, as both were inhumanly limber.
Rou’s fingers lightly touched the short, soft tail growing from Rong's tail bone.
Then she smiled at the small ears that were growing on her head.
“Do your tails have bone going through all of them, or is some of it magical projection?” Rong asked, curious.
Rou smiled, “You will learn as you cultivate your Lower Dantian,” she murmured, grasping her tail with a knowing look.
Rong shuddered as her breath came in ragged gasps, while simply holding on to Rou, knowing that saying anything would just restart their lovemaking.
“We will be away for a period of time; it is not something we can avoid,” Rou murmured, feeling Rong suddenly alarmed at their absence.
The fox smiled. This was not fear that they would not protect her; this was an alarm at the thought of not having them in her life.
Rou’s form changed as desire filled his veins.
“One more time.” He murmured.
To his delight, Rong nodded, her eyes adoring as her legs and hips shifted to take him, making his instincts flare and, in turn, forcing him to fight his own strength that could break or kill Rong.
The last joining made her powerful bones creak; her hip was dislocated.
Even in pain, her legs coiled tightly around him, as she wanted to be joined with Rou.
The thought drove away Rou’s sanity and fueled his bestial instincts.
Which ended with a primal roar from Rou as he let go of his restraint as Rong's feelings of desire flowed through him in a final release, leaving him a spent shell.
When Rou glided away from Rong in his fox form, she weakly grabbed at him, not wanting him to go.
Rou turned and looked at her, blood all over her where she had bitten or scratched during their lovemaking.
The scent he had left behind was proof of how tempting their mortal had become; his features softened as his size grew to her female shape.
Rou moved out of the cave that had her image crafted into the wall, where offerings were left with growing frequency.
She came to a stop when she looked at the people kneeling, their heads pressed to the stone floor in humility before her.
Several women, all her worshipers now and caregivers to Rong when their time ended.
“Be slow, she has endured much.” Rou’s thoughts touched them. Then she enjoyed a delightful idea. “You may clean her; it is safe for you to sample.”
The fox flew out of the cave and disappeared in the blink of an eye.
Na looked at Lin Su, who looked to Janice.
Rosha stood up and strode forward.
In the cave came murmurs, then a sharp gasp, then a sound they had learned meant Rong was overwhelmed in pleasure, then a pulse of red light as Rong was guided to heal.
Mira looked around, then slipped in as the other moved to help make Rong's voice more vocal.
When Jianrong woke in her bed, she was already cleaned, her wound bandaged, and her hair brushed. Lin Su lay next to her, the woman’s eyes watching as her hand reached out and touched her face.
“Rong’er,” she said, voice tight.
Jianrong touched her arm, concerned.
“Please don’t change back,” Lin Su said softly.
Jianrong blinked. “Back? You mean to a male?” she asked, confused.
Lin Su nodded, then, to Rong's surprise, she leaned forward and kissed her.
“We, all of us…love you like this. Love, a you that has patience and endurance for family.” Lin Su whispered.
Jianrong frowned. “I don’t think I am any different personality-wise.” The young woman replied in thought.
Lin Su laughed as she embraced her tightly. “To the village, it is night and day; you were always dependable to Ironwood. But even the matrons knew when you changed in the caravan, and that change has deepened.”
Jianrong opened her mouth only for Lin Su to kiss it once more.
“You miss what you had, we understand. Both eminences have gifted us a recipe, but.” Lin Su murmured.
“But?” Rong asked, unsure what the recipe was for or what their plans were.
“Rong’er, if I were like Eminence Lin Xian Ling, would you let me make love to you?” Lin Su asked in a serious tone.
“You mean, as I am now, as if you were a male?” Rong probed.
Lin Su nodded.
Jianrong relaxed her head and thought. “Yes, I love you. We have made love like this. If you were to change, I would still want you,” Rong admitted.
Lin Su smiled, then covered her face and wiped her eyes. “Promise?” she asked.
Rong smirked then laughed. “Yes, I promise that if you magically turn into a male, I will still welcome you in my bed…goofball,” she chuckled.
Lin Su was taller than Rong, but not by much. Her skin was dark, like Nadias's, and her hair was dark and coarse.
Deep inside Jianrong, where Solomon Fernandez's personality still existed like a stranger in a strange world, Lin Su reminded him of his past.
A passionate type of woman who was not afraid to speak her mind, the kind of partner who could one minute love you with the passion as hot as the sun and in the next moment turn that heat into a painful reminder of who was in charge of the house.
“We have asked your mother to be recognized.” Lin Su stated.
Jianrong blinked. “Recognized?” she asked again, confused.
Ai ran into the room and jumped on the bed, clambering to get to Jianrong.
The young woman laughed, holding the child like her own blood.
“Mother says you're gonna adopt us,” Ai confessed.
Rong blinked, then looked at the door where Na was pale white.
Jianrong looked at Lin Su, then murmured. ‘Recognized as my spouse?”
The woman nodded.
Jianrong felt as if so much was happening; she looked down at Ai.
“Would you want to be my child too, Ai?” Rong asked softly.
Ai hugged her tightly. “Brother says no one loves as much as you do, Aunty Rong. Mom is only happy with you.” Ai said innocently.
Rong held the child close in return, then looked at Na. “Your mother makes me happy, too.” She told Ai.
Na covered her mouth and looked to Lin Su, who smiled.
“What about me?” Lin Su asked gently.
Rong closed her eyes and reached out to her, taking her hand. “You know the situation I am in, as long as you can accept it. I will never leave you behind or neglect what we have.” Rong promised.
Na lay behind Jianrong, then ever gently moved her short tail. Everyone knew how tender it was as the bones and cartilage grew and took shape.
What none of them knew was how sensitive it would remain, given the Fox-kin's nature and the meridians that ran through its length.
Touching Rong's tail was touching her cultivation.
The non-stop visits had accelerated the timeline Ling had first expected.
Na reached over and squeezed Ai’s arm. “I told you Auty thought you were too cute.” The child laughed, then leapt from the bed and ran off, squealing for Shen.
“Brother, I have a secret!” she shouted.
Na reached up and took Rong's growing animal ear, rubbing it between her fingers, making Rong's eyes cross, and her features sag as her leg twitched.
“Oh gods, that is good,” Rong murmured as Lin Su reached up to the other and did the same thing.
Rong groaned. “Don’t…you know what that does.”
Na whispered in her tiny human ear, almost gone. “We know.”
The women helped her get dressed.
She wore her scarf like a hijab, much to Jang’s and Chang’s concern.
Neither knew about her ears and tail yet, but Gaila would tell Jang in secret.
Na gave her the long robes she had made that made her look like a conservative aunty.
Then she was off with a few kisses goodbye.
Jianrong met up with and let Shepard know what she was up to.
Then, while they were in private, she connected with the Bloom… then disappeared.
She opened her eyes to find herself in a long hallway.
She walked more slowly than she did the first time.
She noticed the texture with her Spirit Sense, memorizing everything as if it were a dream she might forget.
Finally, she touched the door with its raised mural and murmured to herself.
“It's not good to dwell on the departed.” A gentle voice came from behind her.
Jianrong nodded, then shook her head. “It isn’t healthy, but it is necessary to remember why we do what we do.” She replied.
“And what are we doing today?” Matron Bright asked sweetly.
“Learning the language of my enemy,” Rong admitted.
Matron nodded, then pressed her head into Jianrong’s, the two standing still as Matron smiled.
“You are growing scent markers.” She smiled warmly.
Rong chucked. “Because of course I am.” She laughed at the absurdity of it.
Matron lingered, her head still pressed to Jianrong’s. “I found a place for you to work and to learn.”
Rong grasped her hands and smiled. “Your memory is returning?” she asked, delighted tears flowing with a joy she didn’t expect.
Matron shook her head gently. “Not yet, but I know you will need tools and means to measure. I have found one of the staff's workshops.”
Rong grinned. “Show me.”
The two of them appeared near a stadium.
Jianrong looked shocked, then remembered people had lived here; it was not meant to be a prison.
“Come.” She said, leading Rong to a plain structure.
“Place your hand on the metal array.” She directed Rong.
Jianrong hesitated long enough for Matron to reach out her hand.
Rong looked at her long, delicate fingers that ended in sharp nails.
Matron lifted her hand, which resembled the same shape but with a thin layer of orange-red fur beside her.
Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.
Their fingers entwined. “Give me time, sister.” Rong offered quietly.
Matron's head pressed into hers, “You have come so far, don’t be ashamed. You are touching divinity.”
Rong nodded but said nothing.
Jianrong’s hand came to rest on the array plate.
Matrons did something, and the door opened.
“Run along, I have more work to do,” Matron said gently, then disappeared.
Jianrong felt Matron did not fully trust her, and she could respect that.
Walking inside, she realized this was a repair node.
There were heavy metal tables with scratches and wear. Whoever had been here prior had worked for a living.
She moved to the wall with the familiar screen.
“Trainee, Jianrong present. Need tutorial.” Rong stated.
The Bloom verified what Matron had put in place and activated her clearance.
Whoever got in didn’t do it by hiding in a box and slipping through the door.
“Nature of duties?” a lifeless voice asked.
“Several. System assessment, Facility assessment, Structural assessment.” Rong stated.
A similar plate on the wall lit up, and she placed her hand on it.
There was a long moment, as if she were asking someone if she REALLY was allowed to do what she was doing.
Then the screen began listing areas in red.
Dozens of locations showed problems.
“Inquiry, power reserves current reading,” Rong asked.
Another screen popped up listing power at 74% of maximum.
“Inquiry, are damaged areas drawing power?” she continued.
There was a processing time, then it responded with a simple green check mark.
Jianrong moved to a chair and sat down. She wanted to ask, but was afraid of the answer.
“How is everything not rotted to dust?” she thought better not to ask Matron why she wasn’t falling apart.
The black block of metal read her hand.
Matron had shown her this in the lobby, an adaptive work surface that used light and force to provide feedback.
“READY,” it lit up across the surface like a hologram.
“Worker interface. Please provide a manual input surface for manual data input, so I do not have to use the voice prompt.” Rong explained.
A complex keyboard appeared, using letters she didn’t understand.
“Language being used?” Rong asked.
“Heaven script.” Lit up the new screen.
Rong chuckled. It seemed she would need to learn the language to do her job anyway.
“Trainee has not learned this language, please pull up the beginner training module,” Rong asked.
The screen in front of her grew larger.
A male Cat-Kin appeared smiling. “Greetings, I am Jolin Carr, a language and culture instructor. Today, we will learn about the universal language often called ‘Heaven script.’ You can pause at any time and continue from where you last stopped.”
Jianrong lowered her head and offered thanks to Jolin Carr, hoping she would prove a worthy student.
Meanwhile, Matron Bright sat in a room of light. She was doing nothing beyond watching four screens.
Each screen was a Dar, their life happening in real time.
“Speculate, likelihood Solomon Fernandez will work to support Bloom's return to operational status.” Matron asked while watching Jianrong work the keyboard as directed by the learning program, while her eyes sparkled with a violet light.”
“PROCESSING.”
Two chimes passed.
“PROCESSING COMPLETE.”
Matron waved her hand, and the analytical data appeared.
From his birth to the current data, all of it was turned into numerical data.
At the bottom, she read the summary of why the results were chosen, then she looked at the number.
“92%”
She did not smile but gave a slight nod.
“Allow Tier 4 access, block all personnel records and policies as per approval to me,” Matron ordered.
She watched and then frowned.
“What is happening with her training program?” Matron asked.
“Trainee Jianrong is using Qi to expedite her training through cognitive acceleration. Training material has been sped up by fifty percent to account for mental processing.” The voice system stated.
“Estimate time to retention,” Matron asked.
“Using local time scale, 96 chimes or nine-day rotations if using previous time inside the Bloom as baseline to study time.” The system replied.
Matron was thoughtful as she watched the four siblings.
“Viability match for Jianrong to birth a Cat-kin,” Matron asked softly.
“PROCESSING.”
The room was silent, except for a soft hum coming from somewhere.
“Calculation processing complete, 97%,” the system stated.
Matron took a deep breath, then let it out.
She was one male Cat-kin away from restarting her species if need be.
After the fifth chime, Jianrong shut down the program and did a walk around.
She found tools for measuring, tools for tightening and loosening their versions of nuts and bolts: hand tools and other types of tooling.
Jianrong stood still in thought; her primary concern was secrecy.
“Inquiry, does Bloom actively have systems in place to conceal its position?” she asked.
“CLEARANCE INSUFFICIENT”
Rong nodded.
“Inquiry, before deployment, was the Bloom field tested?” Rong asked.
“FILES CORRUPTED.”
Rong considered. “Inquiry, if given time and opportunity, would Cat-kin nature require field testing of Bloom?”
“PROCESSING”
“Inquiry processed, Bloom of Returning would under the standards in place been tested extensively.” The system stated.
“Inquiry, would producing a closed-loop communication with Bloom meet security requirements if encryption were used?” Rong asked with a smile as she began to sidestep what she sensed were barriers.
“Inquiry processed. Systems are already in place to communicate externally; an external communication array would be required to synchronize with system parameters.
“Inquiry, does the Bloom of Returning measuring system use Heaven as a generator of base lines?”
“Inquiry processed. Trainee Jianrong is correct. Language, Archival retention systems, mathematics, and measurement are all standardized across all realms.” The system stated.
Jianrong froze. “Please clarify, does this mean the math and measurement of this world would align with another world?” Rong asked.
“Correct,” Bloom responded.
“That…should be impossible. Wait, did you say all languages are standardized? Are you saying the language we are speaking now is the common, standard language of all realms that Heaven oversees?!” she asked, flabbergasted.
“Correct Trainee,” Bloom replied.
Jianrong leaned back in thought for long enough that the lights in the room extinguished.
“New Inquiry, Cat-kin and human cultivation. Please clarify if Cat-kin uses a similar Soul Sea location to Fox-kin? It is at the center line of the hips, meridians from the tail surrounding it.”
“Inquiry processed. Soul Architecture: Matches Fox-kin topology. Soul Sea location: Low hip / sacral region. Meridian Pattern: Tail-adjacent conduits encircling the basin; bilateral symmetry is common. Developmental Note: Basin forms after physical transformation milestones; depth accrues gradually.” The Bloom stated.
Jianrong let out a slow breath.
“Inquiry…if I had a Cat-kin child, how would I teach them to strengthen their cultivation? I have one tail, my spouse has eight. Will my child be stunted because of my lack of knowledge?” Rong asked to work around any barriers, but she also wondered what would happen if Rou or Ling disappeared after she gave birth to their child.
Then she gritted her jaw.
“FUCK” she thought, realizing she HAD changed.
“Inquiry processed for Cat-kin matron, changing protocols. Subsystem active.” The screen blinked, its harsh colors softened, and turned to a salmon red. The voice that spoke was feminine now.
“All children born in the Bloom will receive dedicated and specialized training to grow strong to enter the world in which the Bloom is currently residing. To be concerned as adoptive parents is natural.” The Bloom stated.
Rong stood suddenly, her hand going to her chest where a sharp pain had erupted.
Tears welled in her eyes as she realized that people here had helped raise those children she had seen, and that they had worried enough to build a whole system to ease their hearts.
Her body curled inward as she screamed with agony at their loss. She felt a burning hatred blossom toward that cultivator, for the system he represented.
“Matron, please calm down. Feelings of concern are natural.” The Bloom soothed her.
“Matron.” She thought, painfully amused.
Then, as if a powerful magnet was moved into place and snapped into alignment, she stopped crying about it.
She could protect, feed, and eventually produce life.
It was time to suck it the fuck up.
Did her mom give up?
No.
She endured.
Jianrong wiped her face and sat back down.
“Status change, Trainee Jianrong has a viable womb. Adjust personal settings to account for biological alignment with Cat-kin birth. Adjust training to allow the trainee to support the Cat-kin child autonomously, should unforeseen enemy action be enacted, limiting Bloom's access.”
“PROCESSING.” The screen froze.
Enough time passed that the lights shut off once more.
“Processing complete, Matron Jianrong's security clearance updated to Tier 2. All training will align with emergency evacuation protocols for autonomous survival.”
Jianrong lowered her head and gave a soft sigh.
When her eyes lifted, there was a violet light within.
“Continue inquiry, flag, and save all conditions hazardous to cat-kin child development that do not align with human life. Give me a brief overview, Bloomy.” Rong said her mind was fixed on what needed to be done, not what was beyond her control.
“Yes, Matron.” The Bloom acknowledged.
Over the course of many chimes, she learned that Cat-kin and, by extension, herself inherit lineage potential.
This was not a technique a parent handed down.
“I made fun of my Clan…come to find out their rules apply to my child.” Rong sighed, disgusted.
“Animal-kin have no formal cultivation instruction requirement.” The Bloom explained.
“Providing adequate nutrition of the follo-“ it was cut off by Jianrong pulling out a notebook.
“Adjust to provide all detailed dietary and other essentials in a personal folder, provide essential data and a sub-folder for recommendations and recipes,” Rong said, writing down notes.
“Processing complete, Bloom-approved files have been added to your opening menu.” The system explained.
Rong moved her hand to verify and then nodded.
“Matron.” The system spoke.
“Go ahead, Bloomy.” Rong touched her desk as if it were the system.
“Would you like prenatal information forwarded, along with dietary guidelines?” the system asked.
Jianrong licked her lips, then looked around.
After clearing her throat, she spoke. “Uh, go ahead and do that, please.”
“Yes, Matron.” The system opened the file for her. It almost felt like the system was delighted.
She began writing down the information.
The system spoke without prompting.
“Matron, as a new mother, it is understandable that you do not know this due to the lack of other Cat-kin present. Animal-kin cultivation growth is resilient to caregiver absence.
Lineage systems include adaptive self-correction mechanisms.
Loss of primary caregiver during early development may delay—but does not prevent—Soul Sea maturation.” The system reassured her.
Rong had a vision of the children in the Bloom reaching their age cap, when they knew what they needed to know to survive in the world. Then, just as she entered the treasure… they exited and moved away, as if it were public transportation dropping them off at their stop.
“I refuse to drop my child off at some street corner to live on their own,” Rong said so coldly. The system softened its colors and fonts.
“Matron, be at peace. That was not the intent of our information. Only to clarify that once reaching an age where they can sustain themselves, they will continue to grow.” The woman's voice soothed.
Jianrong was silent for a moment. “Thank you for that information.”
Jianrong took a breath. “Besides food and emotional support, how do animal-kin cultivation grow?”
“Please see the screen for a detailed breakdown, Matron.” The system's screen showed the details.
Physical Maturation (Non-Negotiable)
Animal-kin cultivation increases as the body reaches required thresholds:
- Skeletal density
- Musculature coordination
- Spine and hip reinforcement
- Tail balance and load tolerance
- Respiratory and circulatory efficiency
These processes proceed regardless of supervision, provided nutrition is sufficient.
Cultivation growth pauses only if the body is damaged beyond recovery.
Instinct Fulfillment (Self-Correcting)
Animal-kin possess innate drives that:
- Seek challenge
- Seek territory or role
- Seek motion, conflict, or mastery
- Avoid stagnation
Failure to fulfill instinct delays growth.
Fulfillment restores it.
Instinct does not require parental guidance to spring to life.
Environmental Resistance (Adaptive Pressure)
Cultivation deepens in response to:
- Threat
- Scarcity
- Competition
- Injury and recovery
- Survival decision-making
This process is automatic.
Animal-kin do not require structured adversity.
They will encounter it naturally once independent.
Identity Consolidation (Internal, Not Taught)
A defining internal moment occurs when the child:
- Accepts their nature
- Claims responsibility for their survival
- Stops seeking permission to exist
This event cannot be instructed or accelerated.
Once completed, cultivation growth stabilizes permanently.
Soul Sea Maturation (Delayed, Guaranteed)
Animal-kin Soul Seas:
- Do not require cultivation input
- Do not collapse due to abandonment
- Mature once body and identity align
Absence of caregivers may delay maturation.
It does not prevent it.
Jianrong read the information repeatedly, then felt a light switch click on when communicating with Ling and Rou.
This was why they were driven, this was why they sought her out like an addiction.
“Inquiry, speculation, theoretical. Animal-kin had the Crown Chakra blocked. Spirit has remained unseated until later in life when the meridian was repaired. Speculate on the time frame needed to seat Spirit if all conditions listed are met and the person is in viable relationships with other Animal-kin.” Rong asked softly.
The screen came to life.
"PROCESSING." The system called out.
The screen flickered with symbols for several breaths.
"Speculation processed. Parameters recognized: adult-stage embodiment complete, Crown meridian recently unblocked, Lower Soul Sea basin under active construction, tail-adjacent meridian network forming, viable bonded relationships with multiple animal-kin, including two divine-tier entities."
A pause.
"Standard projection for blocked-Crown animal-kin with late meridian repair and stable bonds: five to twelve years post-repair for Spirit seating."
Another pause. The salmon-red screen flickered.
"Adjusting for anomalous factors. Divine essence cycling is accelerating the milestones of physical transformation. Bond intensity with divine-tier kin exceeds baseline parameters. Emotional anchoring through mortal kin provides secondary stabilization. Transformation trajectory currently compressed."
The system's feminine voice softened.
"Revised speculation for Matron Jianrong's specific configuration: Spirit seating may occur within eighteen months to four years following Crown repair, assuming current bond structures remain intact and divine cycling continues at present frequency."
Jianrong read it and found it reasonable, then blinked.
“Please show me, if you have the data, how humans seat their Spirit,” Rong said, remembering she was still technically human.
Animals, and Animal-kin by extension, overcame adversity through knowledge that was in their very DNA…
She wasn’t limited by that, well, not yet or not in a way she understood it.
She recalled that Spirit animals needed a great deal of time to become sentient, then grow more powerful like a cultivator.
Animal-kin took a shortcut by already being evolved, but they still used the same system.
“Inquiry processed. The primary difference between humans and animal-kin, beyond their lower birth standards, mental limitations, short lives, and poorer cognitive processing, is that humans, Spirit-seating, are time-driven—age and training matter. Doctrine replaces instinct. Relationships stabilize but do not trigger. A human's Spirit does not wait for the body or the heart to be ready. It arrives because the system forces it to arrive.”
Jianrong read then covered her mouth. “God damn girl, tell me how you really feel.” She thought.
“Humans seat Spirit very early, often before understanding what it is. This happens during Foundation Establishment, early Qi refinement, and the first formal cultivation training. The Spirit arrives as pressure, awareness, discomfort, and emotional volatility. Most humans mistake this for enlightenment. It is not. It is exposure.”
Jianrong nodded. This made sense, they snatch kids up like Ai and Shen and start feeding them their beliefs right or wrong, and sometimes it works, and other times it doesn’t.
Jianrong wondered if this was just humans picking up a bone as a tool. Cultivation could become fire or steel or a steam engine for someone with a body that aligned with what was being taught, while others floundered because they didn’t align.
“After Spirit is seated, humans must learn to survive it. This phase is long and unstable. It demands emotional suppression, doctrine reliance, meditation and repetition, sect discipline to prevent collapse. Many fail here. Some fracture their Spirit. Some become rigid, dogmatic, or hollow. Some turn cruel because control feels safer than understanding. This phase can last decades.”
Jianrong gave a low whistle. “Is this why those people seem emotionally limited?” She thought of how Yue had been to Dar, how Ning couldn’t accept change.
“Only some humans ever reach true maturation. Here, Spirit stops pressing inward and begins supporting outward. This happens when identity stabilizes, fear of loss lessens, the cultivator accepts limitation, and when Dao understanding becomes lived rather than recited. Many never arrive. Humans can advance in power without advancing in Spirit maturity.”
“Uncle Ning says following the Dao is critical; to go against it will slow cultivation growth. Growth is dependent on Spirit, I assume, and Spirit is being held up with balsa wood and baby tears by these crutches.” Rong thought.
“Under ideal conditions—early sect access, no catastrophic trauma, stable environment, reasonable emotional grounding—Spirit seats in childhood through early teens. Functional control develops from late teens through the thirties. True integration, if it comes at all, arrives between the forties and the first century of life.”
Rong read that and laughed. She thought of the conditions of the Clan and imagined many Sects where the preyed on the disciples was in fact the absolute worst place to seat one's Spirit.
Unlike animal-kin, delay harms humans. A human who does not sit with Spirit early often stagnates, loses resonance, and cannot advance past certain realms.
Rong nodded. “If they couldn’t directly actuate their body and cultivation like the Dars, it was a wrap. The Spirit was their only portal into the Soul, and even then, it seemed there was a level of distortion from what the person wanted to do, and what actually happened.” She thought.
“Relationships do not cause human Spirit seating. They only determine whether the Spirit breaks or hardens. Healthy bonds reduce deviation, prevent obsession, and soften Dao rigidity. But they do not accelerate cultivation mechanically. A human can become powerful in total isolation. They just tend to become wrong.”
“Humans invert the natural order. They seat Spirit before the body is ready, force Qi through undeveloped identity, use doctrine to replace instinct, and learn to control before they learned to live. This produces faster early results, higher failure rates, and more extreme outcomes.”
Jianrong read in silence.
She had a feeling the four of them were fighting a door that a cultivator pried open, and Animal-kin let it open as they grew into themselves.
The Dars could manipulate the Soul.
Neither humans nor animal-kin could do that.
She wanted to bypass the door altogether.
Animal-kin risk ferality. Humans risk emptiness.
Animal-kin cultivation assumes parents may disappear and builds resilience into the soul. Human cultivation assumes that institutions will replace the family and embed dependence within the system. That is why animal-kin survive loss while humans are shaped by it.
Rong closed her eyes.
Ning said that as he gained resonance through Spirit, he would be able to perform ever more powerful actions.
He mentioned the Domain…the ability to affect laws of the world.
The same way a Nascent Soul could fly, as their Spirit enforced their will on the world through understanding and desire.
The same desire that had allowed Dar Luso to ignite the Qi into flame without air pressure.
Weak Spirit meant a weak connection to the Soul and to one's Cultivation. The same way a weak connection to a power relay meant there was a load limit, and an increase in cost to transfer that power along with heat…or meridian strain.
Ning described using the Spirit Sense to feel the Spirit…because they just cut and paste a seed…any seed in place and have no idea what the spirit will grow into.
“Blob.” She muttered, then smiled.
“But what if I am planting it as I go along, since I don’t need to trim it, I need to simply guide it?” she murmured.
Rong stood and bowed to the screen.
“Thank you for your help. I will be heading out.” Jianrong disappeared.
The screen remained lit for a short time.
In the darkness that led downward, the sound of people talking animatedly and a child's laugh echoed.
Then the screen closed, and darkness reigned.
The voices grew silent.
Expectant.