Quantum Cultivation Jace Kang (cool books to read TXT) 📖

probably ever done at one time, and she might be exhausted for days.  She turned, and nearly ran into the Purebred.

“Do you need help?” he asked.

“No. Thank you.”

“What is that?” His eyes looked like those of the virtual puppy her parents had let her raise as a child.

She was dressed as a Peacekeeper, necessitating a Peacekeeper answer. “Evidence.”

His eyes searched hers, or rather they would have done if not for her visor. With a nod, he went back to his work.

Shielding the robes from the cameras, she folded them up and tucked them under her arm. Then, she headed to Kujo Ward.

Chapter 10:

The Purebred

 

K en’s back hurt from trying to walk with his spine straight, but he did so without question as he led Master Ryu towards the Kujo Ward in streets that were abnormally dark.  Perhaps Bodhi had hacked the street lights to keep them hidden from anyone happening to look out a window?

“What can you tell me about Captain Keiko?” Master Ryu asked as he took in the area.

An uncomfortable feeling tangled in Ken’s gut. “She’s kind.” And beautiful. The way she threw her hair over her shoulder…

The master paused and looked at him. “Just kind?  What are you not telling me?”

Ken scuffed his foot in a circle on the pavement. “Well, most of the XHumans don’t even see Purebreds. We’re like furniture. But she knows my name.”

Master Ryu studied him. “I see.” He resumed his stride.

If the master took a fancy to Captain Keiko, Ken would never have a chance with her. Not that he really would’ve had a chance with her whether the master had come into his life or not.

They arrived in Kujo without issues, and despite Ken’s embarrassment at how old and squat everything in the district was, the master didn’t seem to mind.

“It’s the best-looking slum I ever remember seeing,” he’d said. “By the standards of my youth, this would be considered upscale.”

How times had changed. Thankfully, Master Ryu had asked to visit a place with trees instead of going to Ken’s home.

He took the master to South Karasuma Park, under the canopy of an ancient cedar tree. The rain had stopped, leaving the air misty.

“Now, practice the stance I showed you at Peacekeeper Headquarters.”

With a nod, Ken tucked his tailbone forward and bent his knees slightly. He extended his arms out, though he left a curve in his arms as before.  Within minutes, his body ached.

Master Ryu adjusted Ken’s stance again, pressing on his stomach and pushing on his butt. “Straighter! Our spine naturally curves in at the neck, out in the upper to mid back, then in again at the lower back.”

So why were they going against nature? Arms about to sag, Ken redoubled his efforts.

“Why, you are wondering.” Ryu circled. “Because our natural posture is lazy and causes the weakening of some muscles while strengthening others. You end up imbalanced. You’re young, so you can compensate for that, but after thirty years, it will be harder and harder to rectify. Go ahead, ask your next question.”

“So Cultivation is about strengthening muscles?”

“Basically, yes.” The master drew a line from Ken’s forehead down to below his naval. “But you are also opening your Governing and Conception vessels, and allowing Qi to gather and flow. Now, we need to do something about your Fire.”

Fire? There’d been mention of that before. “What does that mean?”

Master Ryu tapped his chin. “We all have five aspects to our body: Fire, Earth, Metal, Water, and Wood. For you, Fire is predominant. You’re creative and motivated. You’re fidgety and restless. I would guess you sleep restlessly and have wild dreams.”

Wow, that was an accurate description. Ken could only nod.

“This is your first step on your path to Cultivating,” the master said. “Without Wood to nourish your Fire and Water to constrain it, you will burn out. This exercise, which the ancient Chinese called Zhan Zhuang, fortifies both Wood and Water. As you grip your feet into the Earth, you root like a tree.  As you hold your arms at a gentle angle, you let fluids pool, ready for you to move.”

For someone interested in science and engineering, this sounded bizarre. Still, the master had done things that had defied scientific explanation.

“Remove your ear dot for a moment, and don’t touch it,” Master Ryu said.

How was Ken supposed to understand?  Still, he removed the translator from his ear and set it on the ground by his foot.

Master Ryu circled again, making small adjustments to Ken’s posture. Then he set his palm on Ken’s chest and took a deep breath.

A warm sensation emanated from Ryu’s palm and flooded through Ken. His legs buckled, and his arms went limp.  Then he collapsed.

Head spinning, he looked up. “What was that?”

The master spoke again, but this time, his words came out as gibberish.

Ken reattached the translator. “Can you say that again?”

“What I just did is similar to what I did to the Peacekeepers back at the police station.”

Police station? Ken cocked his head.

“Bodhi said you needed an electrical field to short out your identity chip.  I just sent a surge of Qi through your surprisingly clean meridians, which should do that.”

Bodhi. Mention of the mysterious hologram was more disconcerting than the fact that having no identity nanochip would mean he couldn’t acquire anything from the stores.

Master Ryu beckoned him back to his feet. “Focus! You’re letting your thoughts wander.”

Ken’s arms and legs felt like uranium; not in the radioactive way, but in their weight. How he wanted to lower his arms. “You emphasized this is my first step. Is it different for other people?”

“Yes. If our friend Bodhi truly has cystic fibrosis, then I will start him