Chapter 12: Roots and Sparks
Elder Yun He closed the jade slip between his fingers, his expression unreadable. "That is enough for today. You have the Codex-study, but do not rush. Brilliance burns fast when it is too eager."
Lin Tian bowed quickly, clutching the Codex and jade slips to his chest. "Yes, Elder."
"Return tomorrow," Yun He said, already turning back toward the cauldron. "I will test you further. And boy-" His gaze flicked once more to the faintly glowing crystal before sliding away. "Do not squander what I've given."
Lin Tian bowed again, so low his forehead brushed the floor, before backing out of the hut. The brazier's glow faded behind him, replaced by the cool breath of night air.
By the time he reached the small quarters he shared with Grandpa Chen, the moon was high. The old man was already asleep, his faint snores rattling in rhythm with the cicadas outside. Lin Tian crept to his own mat, set the Codex carefully aside, and drew the two jade slips from his sleeve.
His heart pounded. Manuals. His very first.
The Fire Vein Foundational Manual gleamed faintly with warmth; Ember Spark Control shimmered like a candle flame trapped in crystal. Yun He's words echoed in his head: "You are still in the Body Realm. Keep them for reference until your Qi begins to flow
naturally."
But then, the Map's voice curled slyly into his thoughts.
"Reference? Hah. With me, you are not bound by their rules. You already walk with Primordial Qi. Their sheep wait until ten. You, boy-you can begin now."
Lin Tian's breath caught. "Begin... cultivation?" he whispered, clutching the slips tighter.
"Choose," the Map said. "Which one first? Foundation or flame?"
His fingers trembled. Slowly, he set Ember Spark Control aside and raised the Fire Vein Manual. "Foundation," he whispered. "If I'm to walk this path... I should start with roots."
The jade slip pulsed faintly, and at the Map's command, golden threads flickered across its surface. The patterns unraveled, weaving into new shapes before sinking into Lin Tian's mind like glowing brands.
"Done," the Map said. "Their Fire Vein method is crude, flawed. I've stripped and reforged it for you. What you hold now is no longer theirs-it is yours: Primordial Flame Circulation."
Lin Tian swallowed, closed his eyes, and drew a slow breath. The instructions-the new method-unfolded inside his mind like ink spreading through water. He nudged the faint Primordial Qi within his body, guiding it along the new circulation path.
At once, warmth surged through him. His veins tingled, his chest tightened, but instead of burning, the current flowed smoothly, naturally-as though his body had always been waiting for this. The loop completed, and with it came a faint red-gold flicker at his palm, weak but undeniable.
His eyes flew open. "So this is... cultivation?" he whispered, wonder filling his voice. He flexed his fingers, staring at the faint spark. "It's... easy."
The Map's laugh was sharp, mocking. "Easy? Hah. Boy, you speak as though all cultivators walk the same road. What you felt just now was because I tailored their crude method to suit your Primordial Qi. Without me, that same flame would have scalded you, left your channels blistered."
Lin Tian froze. "So... others-?"
"Others struggle," the Map cut in. "They must coax their qi, force it into fragile channels, endure fire and ice until their veins harden. They stumble for years where you step in moments. Do you think every disciple has a method carved for them alone? No. They must hammer their bodies into shape. You, boy... you are walking a path forged only for you."
Lin Tian's breath quickened, half in awe, half in fear. The spark in his hand flickered, then faded, but the warmth in his chest lingered. For the first time, he was no longer a servant looking in through cracks. He had stepped on the path-different, dangerous, but his.
---
The week passed in a rhythm as steady as breath.
By night, Lin Tian cultivated in secret, cycling the Primordial Flame Circulation, feeling the golden-red glow in his veins grow warmer with every turn. By day, he sat in Yun He's hut, Codex Volume I open before him, reciting herbs at the old man's
command.
"Name its neutralizer."
"Stoneleaf."
"And its season?"
"Late spring, before flowering."
Each answer came crisp, precise, and Yun He's eyes narrowed with every passing day. He said little, but his fingers would drum against the cauldron rim longer than usual, as though measuring the boy's pace.
By the seventh day, the brazier burned low, the Codex heavy in Lin Tian's lap. He closed it slowly, palms resting against the cover. His heart beat steady, not with nerves but with certainty.
He stood, bowed. "Elder... I have finished the Codex."
Yun He's hand froze above the cauldron. He looked up, eyes sharp as cold iron.
"...Finished?"
"Yes, Elder. Every page. Every herb."
For a long breath, silence fille hut. Then, Yun He gave a low chuckle, shaking his head. "Hah. As I thought. Your pace left little room for doubt. At this rate, today would be the day you claimed completion."
His gaze sharpened, boring into Lin Tian. "But knowing it would happen... and hearing it spoken aloud are different matters. Even for me."
The Map chuckled low in Lin Tian's mind. "See? He was waiting for this, boy. Anticipation, calculation... but shock still lingers beneath. You've made yourself unforgettable now."
Yun He's expression hardened into focus. He set the cauldron aside, his sleeve brushing over the jade table. "Then today will be your last test. Sit."
Lin Tian obeyed at once, pulse quickening.
Yun He leaned forward, his eyes like torches. "I will not call pages this time. I will speak herbs at random, and you will give me not only their nature, but their balances and poisons. Fail even one, and you will reread the volume."
"Yes, Elder," Lin Tian said, bowing.
"Fine." Yun He's voice cracked like a whip. "Frost Petal."
Lin Tian's mouth moved instantly. "A blossom of pale blue found on high ridges. Its qi is cold and invasive. Used to soothe inner fire or fevers, but in excess, it chills marrow and stunts growth. Balanced with Emberroot, its danger is tamed."
"...Correct. Next. Ironleaf."
"A rigid, metallic-veined leaf, mistaken for common grass.
It hardens flesh when brewea, in strengthening salves.Toxic if boiled too long-leaches the marrow. Balanced by Silverdew Grass."
"...Correct again." Yun He's tone remained even, but his fingers had stilled.
The test continued-herb after herb, each spat like a spear, each answered like flowing water.
At last, Yun He leaned back, silence stretching long. His hand tapped the cauldron once, then stopped altogether.
"...You truly finished it." His voice was quiet, though his eyes burned like a furnace. "Seven days to complete what takes my best apprentices half a year. You... are either monstrous, or destined."
The Map's whisper slithered in Lin Tian's skull. "Both, perhaps."
---
"The Codex teaches names, balances, and preparations," he said. "It shows you how to wash root from soil, slice stems with the grain, grind seed to powder, weigh leaves by thread. But words on paper are not the same as hands on stalk and blade."
His gaze sharpened. "Now, we see if your memory is more than a scholar's trick."
Lin Tian's heart thudded. He stepped forward, kneeling before the bundles. The herbs lay waiting-Scorchroot, Bitterleaf, Dewgrass-all common, all necessary for the simplest pills supplied to the outer disciples.
Elder Yun He's tone was light, but the weight of it pressed like iron. "The sect has requested another batch of Body Tempering Pills. I would refine them tonight. Your task is to prepare the ingredients."
Lin Tian's fingers trembled as he reached for the first stalk. The Codex unfolded in his mind like a scroll of gold:
Scorchroot-wash in cool water, slice diagonally, three parts root discarded, tip preserved.
He steadied his breath. The Map whispered slyly, Now we see if you cut your fingers or your fate.
---
Yun He's eyes narrowed faintly as he looked up from the cauldron.
"Your marrow feels... firmer. The flow of your breath, steadier. That is not something a servant's body achieves in a mere week."
Lin Tian froze, pulse quickening. He bowed his head quickly. "Elder, I-"
Yun He cut him off with a single raised hand. "Did you take the Scarlet Marrow Pill I gave you?"
Lin Tian blinked. The pill was still wrapped carefully under his bedding at home. "N-no, Elder. I still have it. I did not dare use it without your permission."
The elder's eyes sharpened, his core sweeping out like a silent tide, probing marrow and meridians. "Then... you used the Pavilion's compensation."
Lin Tian's throat worked. He bowed deeply, voice low. "Yes, Elder. Three pills. I thought... it might help me catch up."
For a long moment, silence pressed heavy. Then Yun He exhaled through his nose, a faint sound like smoldering embers. "Reckless. Three in a week? Even core disciples would not dare such haste. Too many at once should have shattered your marrow instead of tempering it. Yet you..." His gaze lingered, puzzled. "You show no signs of strain. Hmm."
---
The Map chuckled in his mind, low and smug. "He wonders why you live. The answer is simple. The Primordial Flame Circulation burns away dregs as they pass. What chokes others, you refine. To them, a pill is half poison, half medicine. To you, it is pure fire, leaving no ash."
Lin Tian's chest loosened slightly, a faint smile tugging at his lips. So that's why I advanced without backlash...
The Map's tone hardened, sharp as steel.
"Yes. But don't mistake safety for infinity. The flame devours impurities, but each cycle still drains strength. Push too hard, too fast, and even you will shatter."
---
The cauldron's belly pulsed faintly with heat, its bronze surface glowing as Elder Yun He pressed a strand of qi into it. He didn't glance up when Lin Tian finished laying out the herbs, but his voice cut sharp and steady.
"Good. Today, you will not read. You will prepare."
Lin Tian stiffened. "Prepare… Elder means the herbs?"
Yun He's sleeve flicked, and bundles of stalks, roots, and flowers spilled across the jade table. Scorchroot. Bitterleaf. Dewgrass. More than a dozen varieties, all common, yet all vital for the simplest of pills.
"The Codex speaks of roots and stems. Now we see if your memory has hands." Yun He's gaze narrowed. "Wash. Slice. Grind. Separate by threadweight. If your fingers are clumsy, the cauldron will betray you more harshly than I will."
Lin Tian bowed quickly, forcing his nerves down. He reached for the first stalk of Scorchroot, its red veins pulsing faintly like threads of ember. In his mind, the Codex unfolded: Immerse in cool water. Slice diagonal. Discard three parts, preserve the tip.
He steadied his breath, hand firm. The knife hissed against the root. Smooth. Clean. No splintering.
The Map's dry chuckle filled his skull. "Not bad, boy. You're cutting like you've done it for years. Keep that wrist straight — hesitation leaves fibers, fibers leave ash, and ash ruins pills."
Sweat pricked Lin Tian's brow, but his hands moved without pause. Bitterleaf came next — its wide green surface had to be shaved thin, each slice uniform as silk. Then Dewgrass, its strands so fine they clung to his skin, demanding separation one by one.
The hut was silent save for the rasp of blade and the faint bubbling from Yun He's cauldron. The elder's gaze never wavered, sharp as a hawk's, his qi sweeping over every motion.
At last, Lin Tian placed the final measure of powdered seed into a jade dish. His breath came shallow, but the arrangement on the table was precise, neat — roots trimmed evenly, leaves measured by thread, powders ground without clumps.
Yun He's fingers tapped once against the cauldron. A faint spark of approval lit his eyes, though his voice remained calm. "Acceptable. For a first attempt, even… commendable."
Lin Tian's chest loosened, a flicker of pride warming him.
But then Yun He's gaze sharpened like a blade. "Do not mistake this for mastery. Herb preparation is the spine of alchemy — break it, and the body collapses. Tonight, you will prepare again. Tomorrow, again. Until your hands are as steady as your tongue."
Lin Tian bowed low, the ache in his fingers forgotten. "Yes, Elder."
The Map chuckled low in his mind. "Hah. A test of skill, not fire. Good. Flame waits for the bold, but herbs wait for the patient. Show him both, boy, and you will have a place at his cauldron sooner than you think."