For the coming days Vera stayed at Rena's house. The intensity of his injuries mostly receded.
He figured he would be able to use qi within a few more days. Unknowingly so, the end of his time at the village of the chimps was coming to an end.
While he spent most of his time with the family, he trained with Bao, the mountain god, during the evenings.
The training wasn't too excessive, mostly on stances and theory with regard to qi.
At the southern end of the village, the two trained in an empty field behind Bao's house.
The field ensconced by trees blocked any prying eyes.
"When it comes to manifesting, the bounds of what can be done are vague. You could manifest elemental effects, actions, and even semi-tangible objects. The limits of what anyone can manifest are impinged on by two things: understanding and the right." Bao spoke, dusk forming a halo around his body.
"What do you mean by the right? And semi-tangible?"
"Well, you are familiar with how humans grade beasts, correct?"
"Yes."
"So the thing is, for the most part, the human grading is right. But their grading falters after the second grade. Under the purview of the heavens, there is no difference between the first and peak grades of demon beasts."
"What?!" The idea that a grading that had been in use for many millennia was false left Vera shaken. His eyes widened as he stared at Bao.
"While there is a significant strength difference between beasts of the first and peak grade, there are no qualitative changes in these states. The real change only occurs after the evolution of a threshold. Beasts like the Rakshasa, the Abyssal Naga, and the Kijin are what come after the first grade."
"But first grades evolve into the peak grade, don't they?"
"Yes, they do. But this is where 'The Right' comes into play. Only when evolution nears that of a divine bloodline do beasts truly evolve and attain the right."
"Wait, what does the right even do?"
"This is where semi-tangibles come into play. Semi-tangibles are outcomes that arise when qi directly manipulates tangible objects. Things like void stepping, intangible blades, and intangible shields are constituents of semi-tangibles. And to create semi-tangibles, one needs 'The Right'.
Scenes of battle with the blue ogre came to mind. His final blow called upon the heavens itself.
Was that the border of 'The Right'?
Even the variant naga Danho had defeated came to mind. Its ability to obscure light could have been an act of semi-tangibility.
"It seems like you have the right idea. Now the idea of ranks that apply for demon beasts also applies for humans."
"?" This was a whole new concept. While there were soft ranks for human warriors, there was no concept of hard ranks.
"Unlike demon beasts, humans are born with spiritual intelligence; to that extent, they are born as second-rank beasts."
"Beasts?"
"Pipe down, Vera. Humans are also beasts."
"..." Vera's eyes were stuck to the ground.
"There are three notable ranks within the bounds of the lesser heavens, according to the ascender. The first rank, mind and qi unity, refers to the melding of intent and qi into one, colloquially known as 'manifestations'. This is where you are."
"Huh?... But I'm one of, if not the, strongest on the plains." Vera asked, the perplexion in his eyes exceeding physical representation.
"Why do you think the ascender and his disciple care about you so much?"
"..."
"Even with demon beasts in mind, excluding the Jiao himself, there is no one with a greater talent than you in the five plains."
"Moving on. After the first rank comes transmutation, the second rank: the ability to mimic the essence of tangible things, like fire, ice, or poison. This rank significantly raises qi stores and bodily capacity. The creations don't have to be complex; they just have to mimic an essence."
"But aren't there demon beasts that mimic essences as well? Why is it not a stage for them?"
"Well, like humans have inherent intelligence. By blood, demons are inherently capable of using transmutations. And for the final stage, as you know, semi-tangibles are also referred to as manipulation."
"That makes sense, I guess... Wait!"
"What?"
"You never told me what the requirements were for the stages."
"Oh..." Bao murmured sheepishly, trying to play it off.
Vera stared at Bao; his expression turned dumbfounded.
"For demons the requirement is getting closer to divinity, but humans aren't descendants of divine beasts. According to old man Tian, the requirement is a bit ethereal in nature. Mostly dependent on the level of acknowledgement."
"When qi reaches your respective limit and mastery reaches the boundary, you will know that something is changing. As far as I can tell, you have the qi; you just don't have the knowledge."
The light of dusk soon bled into night. Vera's and Bao's conversation was still going on, unaware of the fact that dinner had already started. But as the end came, Vera realised his mistake.
"Mountain lord..."
"Yes? And call me Bao."
"Bao... Would you like to come with me for dinner?" His hands shivered as he spoke.
"Vera... When was dinner supposed to start?"
"Twenty minutes ago..."
"Vera, do you want me, the lord of these lands, to die at Linda's hands today?"
"..."
The dark of night felt overwhelming. Vera ran as fast as he could, layers of shattered air trailing behind him.
***
Vera and the Zhuyan stood within an empty dark room. A single lamp shone in the corner. Its light covered only the corner at which it stood.
Within this plain and unassuming room stood a grand chest. A grand chest that held the possessions of an immortal.
"Mountain god, did Vast Heavens tell you what was inside the chest?" Vera asked, his eyebrows creased as he glanced at the chest.
"Not really, he just asked for me to hold onto it. And call me Bao; 'Mountain God' is a bit excessive for conversation."
"Okay. Well then, I guess I'll open the chest."
Vera walked up to the chest, slowly undoing its latch. The wavering light of the lamp mirroring his current emotions.
Within the confines of the chest stood a halberd and a book.
The halberd was of the Ji variant.
Its sides were adorned by crescent blades, made of a lustrous dark ore, with marble-like patterns of Damascus running through its edges. Its head was fitted with a sharp spearhead with golden engravings that ran down to its base.
The book bore a mythical majesty. Not comparable to that of the Inverted Heavens, but regal nonetheless.
Vera's thumb hovered over its title.
"Canon of the Taowu".
Vera had heard of the Taowu from Leng before; his grip tightened over the book's ridges.
"Taowu, one of the four perils. An embankment that collapsed upon itself. The symbol of stubbornness and cruelty."
"An antithesis on the Taowu. A vessel that can bear its own load."
Vera glanced at Bao, his expression darkening.
"How did he know that I'd need this?"
"Vera... I've said it once and I'll say it again. Don't dwell on the actions of the immortals. For your own good."
"..."
"Do you have any further questions?"
"No..."
The empty room stood tense. The implications of an invisible hand bore heavily on Vera.