Converting the 50 spirit stones into contribution points was almost too hard to bear. It was a significant portion of his wealth and the single largest amount he had spent at one time. Buying spirit seeds hurt less because he knew he had a decent chance to gain something. This time he would be throwing so much money at a manual that he had no idea would be useful or not.

  On the walk to the Hall of Scripture, in his mind, he went over the description that he had read and reread many times since he had first laid eyes on it. The Causality of Karma had simply stated,

  “All under the heavens are one. The world and the self. Karma is the thread that binds and the flame that burns. Action is rooted in cause.”

  While it sounded sufficiently mystical and vague, Ren had read many such descriptions as he sorted through the hundreds of techniques and manuals. Cultivators had an unfortunate tendency to be ostentatious and put on airs, and it was reflected in the cultivation methods and techniques they created.

  Normally Ren wouldn’t have paid it any attention but for the feeling that the jade slip gave him. When he held it, he could almost feel the weight of countless years pressing down on him. It could have crushed him but for the sense of patience that tempered it. Between that and what stood out in this description, the reference to karma, Ren had been intrigued.

  Karma was one of those esoteric forces nobody really understood with any clarity. Messing with such things left people unfortunately stuck in a bottleneck. Either unable to comprehend more or advance in any meaningful sense in their power. Or worse, you touched on something beyond your ability and died without even knowing why.

  Despite his trepidation, he had resolved to obtain it. He convinced himself that he didn’t need to practice it, only to read it. Yet, for his enlightenment to be triggered by it, he instinctually knew it was important. He greeted Elder Yun Peng, who habitually ignored him. Strangely, the constancy of the elder’s behavior settled him somewhat.

  When Ren brought back the jade slip and somberly set it down on the table alongside his identification jade, the elder made a copy without looking up. Ren accepted them both back and went to return the original to its place. Distractedly he wondered what pervy book the elder was reading today. With his head full of tumultuous thoughts, Ren didn’t notice the elder looking at him with a piercing gaze as he left.

  Back in his courtyard, Ren finished caring for the plants currently growing amidst the formations and fed the little tortoises. He didn’t want any distractions when he finally delved into his purchase. He meditated to center himself before he began. He carefully directed his qi into the jade slip and let the information within wash over him.

  The Causality of Karma was a mess of cultivation methods and techniques. It was also incomplete. As he absorbed more, Ren revised that. It wasn’t incomplete; it had parts of it ripped out and was left with gaping holes in sections. As he delved further into it, he understood why someone had butchered it so badly.

  It was a technique found on a deceased demonic monk. Little was known about the monk save that the corrupted monk had been involved in the destruction of the Bei Kingdom. The cultivators who had slain him had happened upon him when he had been gravely injured and even then lost a few companions before they finally took him down.

  It warned that the only reason the technique hadn’t been destroyed and instead had been added to the Hall of Scripture was that it had been approved by the elders. They had concluded that the technique hadn’t been demonic initially and had been changed by the monk, not the other way around. The revised version was worth adding to their collection.

  Ren was a little relieved that it wasn’t a forbidden text, yet he couldn’t deny his frustration that he only had bits and pieces left to work with. Moving past the history and the warnings, he started learning the method itself.

  Ren didn’t know how long had passed when he finally opened his eyes. He stretched to work out the kinks in his body from sitting so long and left his meditation platform to realize the sun was setting. Almost by habit, he started building a fire and preparing his dinner. The routine helped settle his thoughts.

  Slowly, from the depths of his mind, grew excitement. It was feasible. This could work in tandem with his path. There would still be a lot of problems, but he felt the challenges were worth it. If he overcame them, he could advance by leaps and bounds. He would be the carp that leaped over the dragon gate and transform his ordinary fate into something exceptional.

  He still had a lot to read through and ponder on, but from the little he had understood so far, the methods spoke of a Seed of Intention. By acting with intention, he could build strengthened connections of karma. It mentioned a lot about the threads of Karma and about flames and embers, but he concluded it to mean that these connections could either drag him down or pull him up.

  If the connections were positive and he earned karmic merit, then some of that power would be reflected back to him. There was no mention of how many bonds one could make, so it was easy to imagine that over time, his power could grow exponentially. Yet there was the flaw and, he suspected, the reason why the monk had been corrupted. If the effects of his intended actions earned him karmic sin, his power wouldn’t just be crippled; it may even facilitate a transformation into a devil.

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  Despite the terrifying consequences it hinted at, Ren was optimistic. He would have to study a lot more to understand what exactly created karmic merit or sin, but he felt his path of creating things to elevate the world he would eventually leave behind was surely a positive action. If he ensured the quality of bonds he created and the “Inheritors” he chose were of pure intent, the karmic debt the bonds reflected back to him would be positive.

  Overall he felt this method was worth way more than he had paid for since it fit him well. He felt extremely glad he had trusted his instincts against his reservations. Even the timing was fortuitous. The 5th or 6th layer of the qi gathering realm was when many cultivators changed their chosen cultivation methods.

  Most new disciples chose their initial methods without a good understanding of their needs. This slowed down their rate of gathering qi by a striking degree. While this first realm of cultivation was one that was least affected permanently by the manual, it could lead to one wasting the best years for starting cultivation. By the time they reached the 5th layer, they had a much better knowledge of themselves and their cultivation requirements. More importantly, they had gathered enough spirit stones or contribution points to buy the better manuals, which could cost around 500 merit points.

  On the other hand, Ren had chosen well his first method. The Grass Blade Manual was a good fit for his three spirit roots and could still be used until even the peak of the qi gathering realm. He still didn’t intend to swap it out for this new partial method, especially given the glaring holes. However, he could try merging them or using the Causality of Karma as the chosen method for when he entered the foundation establishment realm. Either way, he needed to make sure he completely comprehended it. He could still use the techniques mentioned before then but not be cultivated by them.

  It was very cloudy that night as he lay to sleep, with the moon only occasionally peeking out, but Ren felt his path had never been clearer. Reassured, he felt he could give his all when he went to create his first challenge formation.

  Ren had already long prepared for this trip. He had researched and found the most suitable metals and inscriptions to create his formation flags. His new forge was to be inaugurated by the forging of the 36 metallic rods. The method he used required him to send out his qi into the metal with each strike and fix internal weaknesses and stress points. The next step was carving out formation inscriptions on its surface. He lit the fire early on and once the bed of coals was blazing hot he began. Curiously, he had an audience. All his adorable little tortoise companions had clustered around the forge as if to soak in the warmth.

  As a beginner smith, his qi was ephemeral, and he couldn’t carve deep grooves nor fix all the problems of the metal. Since he didn’t intend to keep them for his personal use, he hadn’t bought the best ingredients. It was still very good practice.

  While he had pounded the metal, he had pondered on his newly acquired manual. Every spare minute he had was devoted to understanding the Causality of Karma. The first usable technique he had learned was the seed of intent, and only because it was so easy. Easy but not simple. It was the profound beginning of an even more complicated step of which he had only begun to scratch the surface.

  He needed to infuse his actions with his intended actions and their outcomes. If he did this with every step of his action, it would be reinforced and the karmic threads would be stronger. So as he had forged the formation flags, he imagined the challenge he would create. He had already picked out a place and a prize to award the conqueror.

  Was there a lesson he wanted to impart? Just a little 6th layer disciple, who was he to impart wisdom to others? Then did he want to leave a record of himself? No, he had decided to be anonymous. In the end he decided this would be best to keep it a simple introduction.

  “Here is a challenge for those who seek. May fortune favor you.”

  In the future, Ren could consider asking them to leave something behind for the next seeker. His thoughts drifted often as he struggled to focus between the forging and the intent. The flow of qi was often interrupted, but his attentive care made the final results usable. These flags were already much better than the wooden ones he had started with. He was ready.

  Zhao Ren set down his pack with a huff. He had hiked for half a day towards the northern mountains. With all the activity in the southern mountains, most disciples would head there. His chosen location saw very little foot traffic at the moment. He had found records that mentioned a certain cliff that had the perfect conditions for his prize. He had found the seed while exploring the market one day. He had identified it as the seed of a wind leopard flower. It was known to grow on windy cliffs and disperse its seeds over vast areas.

  With that as his inspiration, Ren had found a modified attack formation called the wind razor strike, for which he needed to pay a disciple a few spirit stones. With the prize and formation in hand, he had scouted out the location and found the cliff he was standing on now. The prizes around made it suitable for those below the 7th layer qi gathering cultivators, so no one too powerful would show up.

  First he set up a small warning so the challenger wasn’t ambushed. His chosen message was embedded using a sound formation. Then the wind razor strike formation. It would feel like a storm of thin blades. Weak individually but could build up damage through sheer numbers. It could either be powered through with brute force or solved like a puzzle by a formation master. The difficulty was relatively the same.

  He planted the seed, and then around it, he laid down qi gathering formations and one generic plant cultivating formation. wasn’t very good, but for a low cost of qi, it could keep away pests and nourish the plant. He placed a few spirit stones to power it all, but most of the formation would be powered by stored ambient qi.

  A flat rock was placed so that the victory may leave behind a sign of their prowess if they so choose. Ren knew how important glory was to many cultivators. He also left behind a recording formation. He couldn’t get images or anything of the sort, but it would give him an impression of the power of the one who solved it, when and how they did it, and some other small details. After all, he needed feedback if he wanted to improve.

  Throughout it all, he tried to focus on his intent. Not just on what each formation was meant to do but also on what it meant to him. When he was finally done, he took pride in the result. It had been a long way, but he had set up his first challenge. Hopefully the first of many. Now to wait and see how the heavens would respond to his intent.