The Laws of Cultivation: Qi = MC^2

I reached for Harmony and found it descended upon me like a tide of power. I moved first, Stepping as I arrived in front of Yang Shen and let Qi and Gu collide with my strike, a miniature void bomb exploding in my palm. Yang Shen was shot backward, the entire castle shook but I knew that had not been even close to enough. I was still just testing things.

Yang Shen took the impact, skid backwards and then noted the damage. Whatever guide of friendliness had been there was lost now, he was calculating how to fight me, there would be no holding back. This was life or death.

“Let me teach you a few things. You don’t live as long as I have without learning a few tricks,” he said, as fire manifested around his hands. I saw the flames, golden red flames that burned with a divine power in then. And then I saw their color change, cycling from green to yellow to purple and then to black. I realized what he was doing, he mixing metal in it, directly into the aspect of the flame and changing it. And so the flames changed, eventually becoming a silver color, as metal and fire found a balance between the Gu and Qi, and Chi was, however briefly, formed within.

Yang Shen stepped, but he did not move through the world when he did, the world seemed to move around him instead. There was no delay, no pause as I was caught off guard when his strike landed, sending me flying, as pain wracked my body.

I recovered quickly though, harmony thrummed in my soul, the power of two divine beasts burned in my body, and I’d been changed, I was not damaged so easily. Whatever his flames had done had already been healed and as I fell off the wall I’d crashed onto, I landed on my feet.

Both of us had taken test shots, to see where our strength measured up and how we fought against each other. Now was the real fight.

I rushed in, stepping into the air, and Yang Shen came after me. Silver flames burned around me, as I used my palms to continue making void strikes. Void palm, I named it as I fought, realizing that would be a fitting name for the attack.

I continued to move, stepping through the world both of us traded blows. I could tell that Yang Shen was not holding back, but I knew that he was using this time to study me, and I was doing the same.

He was certainly more skilled than me. By an amount that was not possible for me to judge. I was not a fighter. I’d never been keen on fighting, but I understood how to do it, mostly out of necessity. Being in the body I was in, with the powers I had, fighting became something I could do at a really high level but there was a fluidity to movements that I did not naturally have. I had to correct little details, spend conscious thought on my movements.

To Yang Shen, fighting seemed as natural as breathing. He moved from one motion to the next with ease, his actions were seamless and flowed freely and there was a grace to it that I clearly lacked. I was not bad, I didn’t think so, but I was certainly not at his level.

And it began to show. As we continued to fight, I started taking more hits. He began to read my movements in our exchanged. As I struck a blow he’d dodge right before and exploit my weak points, he made feints, he’d rush in and strike at the opportune moment, exploiting my weakness.

The battle between us was a sliding scale and the more time went the better Yang Shen got at beating me, and the worse my position was. I continued to be pushed my desperation growing a little. I drew on my well of power, drew on the divine beasts and their strength. Winter and Sprint manifested. Lightning and Water coming together, I let them collide, let their guidance and power take over as I combined the two.

A tide of water flowed old, carrying burning electricity as it rushed towards Yang Shen. Flames rose, alongside metallic protrusions from the earth that directed the lightning away, while the flames turned the chilling water to steam.

I formed ice, shooting them towards Yang Shen, the demon simply burned them before they could touch him. I collected the water around me, realizing this wouldn’t be enough. And so I began to summon as much as I could. Immediately, a tidal wave of water formed around me but I didn’t simply just let it all flow out. I controlled it, manipulating it to flow around me. I sunk into those cold depths, forming more and more mass around me as lightning soaked the water all around me.

A giant, strange sort of spirit creature formed itself, rising high above. The castle around us was in shambles and I broke through the rook with the water golem, and moved towards the demon. He seemed inclined to simply follow along, as metal rose around his body, it expanded to morph itself into a golem with flames burning from the seams, glowing flame eyes and spikes now staring down at me.

There was a roar, the two creatures half alive, the power of four divine beasts now colliding.

The world itself shook as the four seasons clashed, their power sending a shockwave through the entire empire. Our fight became… simpler after that. I gathered power, lightning surging through the body of water as I punched the giant in front of me. The flaming titan roared, and then shot back by belching flames back at me that burned through the water. I channeled winter, water turning to ice as it blocked the flames better, I formed a shield out of the ice, smashing the giant flaming metal titan onto the ground.

I was aware of the city around me, and we were absolutely destroying all parts of it. This was much like the battle between Xuanwu and Qinglong, but only, worse. The world around me was cracking and fraying from the intensity of our fight and that only continued to grow.

Thankfully, most people were not anywhere nearby, so I did not have to worry too much but Azure city would not survive in one piece after the end of this battle, no matter what.

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But right now I could not care, I fought with the power of two titans on my shoulders, their will flooding me, their power moving my body and by proxy the giant creature I had formed and controlled.

The world crackled and storm clouds swirled in the sky, I punched Yang Shen’s titan in the face, before grabbing it and lifting it up, I felt the sweltering heat, the water in my body turning to steam and spreading outwards. The giant creature I manipulated roared as I threw the titan, chucking it hard enough that it flew outside the perimeter of the city.

I followed behind, jumping into the skies as I flew up towards the clouds and then crashed right on top. I slammed my fist, punching and punching. There was no elegance to this battle, no grace, I was simply fighting almost as children would, except with each strike I send a pulse into the world that seemed to crack reality itself.

Yang Shen did not just keep taking my hits, Flame shot forward, his titan’s arms grabbing mine as he held me back. The tables turned as he twisted, pushing me down and began pelting down. I formed ice blocks, to hold back his strikes, but they continued to break under the force, forcing me to make more. I dug into the earth and then roared and twisted as we rolled together, through the fields, razing the earth.

Pushing myself up I stumbled back and Yang Shen followed. I took the moment to steady myself, gathering a ball of water. I brought all the water I could, letting lightning flood around it. Yang Shen formed a flaming ball, metal spikes swirling all around it menacingly and then we both shot them towards each other.

A part of me found the entire thing silly, the battle, this fight, it was like two cosmic toddlers duking it out to decide who was better.

But the world begged to differ. I could sense the chaos, sense the astronomical amount of power we both wielded. Anything and everything that even came nearby would simply get evaporated by the sheer force of the power of everything.

As the two balls of four forces collided, a powerful shudder ran and I saw a rip in reality open up as the world cracked for a moment. That gave us both pause, as reality itself crumbled, large enough that it sustained itself.

I reached out with my will and then gave it a single command.

“Close.”

Yang Shen, seemed to be of a similar mind as he gave the exact same command. The world, under the weight of the two of us, the weight of four divine beasts, closed the gap in reality instantly, healing the crack.

The two of us stopped there, realizing what the continuation of this battle would mean. I looked at Yang Shen, and he seemed to agree as steam erupted from his titan the entire thing starting to shrink and collapse.

I was tempted to take advantage for just a moment but it’d be meaningless, and so I followed right after, my own titan fading out of existence as the two of us flew in the air, looking at one another.

“I have a solution,” Yang Shen said.

“Yeah, and what’s that?” I asked, I wanted to make a quip but for some reason I didn’t. I hadn’t felt it, but I was a little tired now. I still had other of energy left, but the exhaustion was within my soul. Using this much power was wearing me out.

We fight with nothing. Just our fists. No powers, no nothing.

That… was ridiculous. Fighting just with our fists? That had to be the stupidest idea ever.

“Alright,” I agreed, and then I let go of Harmony, descending to the ground.

Yang Shen followed, and he reverted back to his human form.

We both looked at each other, standing in the aftermath of the battle of titans, and for a moment, I felt like I was looking at Shen Yuan, at the boy who had once lived. And then, the moment was gone, and we charged at each other.

I screamed. I screamed as I charged him, simply running. I was still fast, inhumanely so, just my raw body was quite powerful now, but it was nothing compared to what I was used to.

I struck him, and he struck me back. I punched and was punched back. A hit to my gut made me split blood, he took the chance and kneed me to sink it even further. I didn’t just take it, I kicked at his legs, he dodged, but then I swiped at his eyes throwing him off balance for just a little, I leapt at him, trying to grasp his throat but he grabbed my arm and slammed me down.

We continued to fight, it was bloody, and dirty, and I screamed and shouted till my throat felt raw.

I said a lot of things. Tears were running down my eyes. He shouted many things too. My ears were ringing, I barely heard most of it, but I felt it in his fists, in the strikes he landed on me. They carried his intent and my own fists carried mine.

Ultimately, the outcome had always seemed forgone. But especially without any powers, even more so.

I got my ass kicked. It was as simple as that.

I lay there on the ground, my face swollen, my body aching from every part of it, reminding me of the time I got beaten up in spars in the sect as I simply watched the sky drifting above.

If anyone was watching, they’d be ashamed to think I was supposed to be their emperor.

I simply lay there on the ground and Yang Shen laid down next to me, and for a moment, we were both just two kids who’d beaten the shit out of each other. But the moment would not last, could not last, and with pain I got up and let my Chi cycle as my injures all faded immediately.

Yang Shen followed, doing the same.

“Stalled enough?” He asked me.

“Just about,” I replied.

There was an understanding, though I did not truly want to understand this demon. I did not want to understand his cruelty, his actions, but a part of me empathized nonetheless.

“I want you to promise me something. Promise me that everyone who remains will not suffer if you win.”

Yang Shen looked at me, and then he put a hand on his heart. “I promise on my soul.”

I suppose that’d have to do.

And so, I reached out, to the heavens, to the thing I’d held back from happening, and I stopped nature from imposing its will. The weight of divinity descended upon me. That intangible piece of it all that had wanted to be freed from its shackles, that part of me that connected me to everyone else. People in the city, no the entire empire now. Their faith, their feelings, their hopes. I felt it all rush into it, form something tangent and concrete. But it wasn’t just them, it was also the souls, I felt the souls of everybody who had lived, who had found a path flooded my being.

I let it flow, let it form, and then I let it out into the world.

The fourth law, my domain, it had always been there, I had simply been blind to it. But not that I saw, I could no longer unsee, and so I let it manifest, as I reached out to the very heavens and changed them, once and for all.

“The Fourth Law: Domain of Chi.”