The Science of Cultivation [Xianxia]

Normally, Brushweavers focused on the movement of their Qi, adjusting it as they inscribed to ensure the runes and the entire talisman were in harmony. It was like pill-refining, where the alchemist monitored the situation within the furnace the entire time, but without the physical aspect of it.

For seasoned masters, it was fine once they got used to it. They made adjustments to ensure the runes were properly aligned. However, they neglected the effects a consistent stroke could have. It was just like prepping ingredients for Li Lang’s mass-production method. It kept variables low, but this time, the drawbacks were minimal.

Li Lang suspected the only reason typical Brushweavers hadn’t realized this yet was because it required precision down to the millimeter. They didn’t have a habit of taking precise measurements of their work, and it was hard to observe with the naked eye. Their tradition had always focused on the Qi techniques, as they mistakenly thought the physical aspects were only used to carry the Qi.

It was only after analyzing his own talisman within Ruby multiple times that Li Lang began to notice the pattern. If one were able to masterfully control their brush strokes, it would lower the difficulty of balancing the different Qi energies of varying runes. It was like setting up lanes so the traffic wouldn’t collide.

With that theory explained to Li Lang’s two pupils, he moved on to the next step.

“Now I know it isn’t proper for me to examine your techniques, but I would like to examine the properties of your Qi itself. With permission from each of you, of course.”

“Sure.”

Sima Xue quickly affirmed while Tang Yulian stared silently at Li Lang for a few moments. She only nodded when Sima Xue pulled on her sleeve.

She wasn’t too stringent on it, as analyzing Qi wasn’t something that intrusive. Numerous cultivators left traces of their energy as they interacted with the world. In fact, the blood divination that Tai Xilin wanted to use was a type of Qi analysis. It allowed one to read the trace amounts of energy left in biological tissue for various purposes.

It wasn’t hard to obtain if the cultivators didn’t have special techniques that eliminated all their traces.

With their consent, Li Lang drew closer to the two girls. Sima Xue immediately reached out a hand to him, but Li Lang simply ignored her gesture. He went straight for their inkstones and dipped a finger into the pool of ink.

Li Lang’s Qi sense swiftly examined the samples in question. He was able to get a feel for what he was dealing with right away. Tang Yulian’s Qi was especially hard to manipulate. It was dense and brimming with energy. In comparison, Sima Xue’s was a lot more malleable.

Not only was the level of energy different, but the way they reacted to his Qi sense varied as well. This observation gave credence to Li Lang’s theory that Qi had different states. Once it reached a particular point in density, it qualitatively changed.

The Qi also allowed him to get a glimpse into how the owner was doing, cultivation-wise. From Sima Xue’s Qi, he could find characteristics that were similar to Tang Yulian before her breakthrough. Her body had reached the apex of what an Energy Gatherer could do. However, Li Lang wasn’t knowledgeable enough to gauge how far away the breakthrough was.

Once he got a chance to examine Tang Yulian as well, Li Lang began giving them assignments. In reality, they weren’t needed. The two girls could simply practice layered runes right away, with more focus on their brush strokes.

The reason why he created new exercises for them was because he wanted them to carry out various tests for him. Killing two birds with one stone.

Nevertheless, Li Lang showed restraint. If he had it entirely his way, he would be poking and prodding them by now. He had done so before during the tests for the creation of the Cleansing Drug. Now that he had a chance to interact with someone in the next major realm, he was definitely eager to examine the difference in physiology.

Instead, what he wanted them to test out was the ink.

As he figured out that brush strokes were what laid the pathways for the flow of Qi, Li Lang became more aware of the role of the ink. It was mainly a carrier of Qi, but that didn’t mean that was all there was to it. As much as he would like to experiment with it, he never had a chance to stock up on various inks.

His mentor, Yi Lin, had warned him not to mess with the ink while he was still new. It highlighted the depth and complexity of the topic.

Now that Li Lang couldn’t bear to wait until he exited the pocket realm, he foisted his latest experiments on the two young girls. They both were from reputable organizations and were important members within them. It wasn’t surprising they would be well-stocked in various materials.

They may not be talented brushweavers yet. It was hard to read what they had in store for the future. The big organizations didn’t mind investing these low-level resources in the young talents.

“Here are the ratios I want you to try out. Based on my examination, I assigned an ink for each of you. You should find it more compatible with your Qi.”

After reading over their list of materials, Li Lang made some assumptions based on previous knowledge he had. Having selected the material for his Moon Brush, Li Lang had a general idea of the characteristics of various materials. From examining their Qi and their finished products, he could tell their preference.

He then assigned materials that had similar elemental affinity as the runes they were inscribing, but at different ratios for them to test out.

The Vein Flow Calculation Method he earned from the alchemy already showed its worth. Using it gave him much more information than a simple Qi sense. It not only worked on alchemy materials, but with brushweaving materials. Still, it didn’t result in any detailed reports like the auto-analyzer. It did, however, give more thorough information regarding the Qi affinity of the materials.

He then requested small samples of these materials to be further analyzed by Ruby.

The day ended as Li Lang had planned. The two girls got to practice, and he got to test out their materials.

The two talented individuals swiftly completed their tasks. They created their own customized ink from materials sourced from Qi beasts and heavenly plants.

“How was it?” Li Lang asked as he examined the talismans.

“It was…different.” Sima Xue said with a thoughtful look. “The ink I made was made from a Qi beast rich in the fire elemental, so I think the fire runes became easier to manage. The other parts of it, though, are another story. It’s hard to tell if the end results differed after all that work.”

“I’ll analyze the talismans overnight and let you know. Good job.”

After verifying he had collected all the data he observed, the makeshift tutoring session ended.

Everyone was working hard to make the best use of their time in the pocket realm.

It wasn’t just Li Lang who had several things on his plate. However, he was one who had the most varied topics among them.

Having progressed to another round of the alchemy trials, Li Lang knew the next round wouldn’t be that easy. It was the same for brushweaving, so he finally began to set his sights on the martial trials.

He had already somewhat explored the outside world, so he knew what to expect. The only thing left to deliberate on was what kind of performance he should put on. The pocket realm gave out tailored rewards based on his performance. He wanted to game it and control the reward he got.

What kind of techniques do I most urgently need…?

It didn’t take long for Li Lang to settle on something with more combat power. Specifically, poisons. He had carried out some basic tests between mundane poisons and Qi before. The results were telling. A cultivator could sweep their body with a wave of Qi and eliminate all mundane poisons.

It made Li Lang want to ‘invite’ several cultivators for some more experiments, but he had been too weak at the time. He didn’t have any incentives to entice lofty cultivators. If the pocket realm could provide some knowledge on the topic, it would be a shortcut and a boon to his research.

I have heard of cultivators that use poisons before, so it should exist. The problem is how I should get started to get the pocket realm to reward me with poison-related manuals.

While he brainstormed, he took a look at every alchemy material he had ever recorded inside Ruby. Pill-refining materials were inseparable from medicinal herbs. That also meant it was inseparable from poisons. They were two sides of the same coin and often only differed due to the dosage.

Before he dove into coming up with his own version of Qi poison, Li Lang first contemplated the method of administering the poison. For combat situations, needles were the obvious ones. Oral administration or ointments were unlikely to be as effective. The only other one he really considered was gases.

It fit the new Veiling Shroud he learned that emitted smokescreen. However, gases were known for being indiscriminate. He would rather not accidentally poison himself or his companions.

To him, violence was always one of the final resorts. He preferred to do his research in peace.

That was why he glanced back over to the needles in the lab. They were a more controllable method, and easier to implement as well.

As he examined the needles of varying lengths, Li Lang suddenly had a thought. It was a thought that made him race out of the artifact space. He then began to grab and examine his trusty weapon that had accompanied him so far.

The spear.

If you think about it, this is just like a giant needle, isn’t it?