Chapter 214
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Chapter 214
Over time, patterns began to emerge in relation to the attacks. Suspicions became confirmations as information was sorted, unrelated attacks being filtered out as much as they could. Weaker cultivators were being targeted. Not just that, but younger cultivators. Those with potential. Though those who hadnt been promising students were rarely kept track of in fine detail. This chapter was first shared on the Ñøv€lß1n platform.
There were more incidents than the one Anton was a part of where the attackers were defeated. Strangely enough, they seemed mostly unconcerned with preserving their own lives, and fought to the death rather than allowing themselves to be captured. Few cultivators had such fanatic loyalty to a cause, though if they thought there might be a worse fate in store for them if they were captured, choosing to die would make sense. In that case, though, they would likely be cautious about engaging in the attacks in the first place.
While capturing cultivators who were unwilling could be quite difficult, especially when they were always the attackers and thus thought they had the advantage, it did happen in a few incidents. Along with the bodies, it was confirmed that at least some of the attackers practiced the same type of cultivation as those in Black Soul Valley.
Yet none of them had so far been discovered in a city, going about their daily business. That meant they had to have some way to conceal their cultivation from others, or possibly allies. While cultivators might survive in the wilderness if they were strong enough, they would never obtain suitable weapons and equipment. Since there werent frequent enough robberies or unresolved incidents for such a large group to have raised up cultivators who were often in Spirit Building and sometimes Essence Collection, it was logical to assume they interacted with other cultivators without them knowing.
Tensions between sects were on the rise. Nobody liked their disciples being targeted, and those with grudges against each other were suspicious of reports that their rivals were also being attacked. Some groups took the opportunity to have their own conflicts, as any excuse was enough to push things over the tipping point in some cases.
-----
Time continued to flow, no matter how much it would be convenient if it would wait. Anton was not concerned about it from the perspective of his own mortality. Even if he hadnt come to terms with it long before, at the current moment he was still gaining lifespan faster than it was passing him by, though he couldnt say by how much.
It took a year for him to go from the twenty-fifth star to the twenty-eighth, and now he stood at the precipice of Essence Collection. He felt as if he could step into it at any time, but there were dangers associated with certain increases in cultivation. In early Body Tempering, a cultivator was not necessarily skilled enough to control the energy they brought into themselves, making it one of the riskiest times. Yet crossing the borders between the stages had its own danger as well.
Each step represented an increase in quantity and quality of energy, and with that came more stringent requirements to control it. Anton had gone smoothly from Body Tempering to Spirit Building in a moment of crisis, but it was not usually the best way. Of course there were always the stories of ancient cultivator geniuses who always broke through when their lives were in danger, surpassing stage after stage. They might even be true- but just because someone accomplished something didnt mean it was the best for them.
If stepping into a new stage was the difference between life and death, of course those cultivators who succeeded would be heard about. Yet all of those who failed would be forgotten to time.
Anton found the thoughts that most concerned him werent whether or not he could step into Essence Collection and control the energy there. They werent thoughts about his training with Ksenya, which continually pushed him further than he thought he could go. They were about people. Friends and family and those he didnt really have a category for. Everyone he taught how to cultivate, some learning more quickly than others.
He also thought about those from different sects, and people he didnt even know who were attacked and killed. What little information came to them from passing ships didnt change anything. His mind was so focused on what he couldnt do anything about, and all of his training in Emotion and Voice did little to settle his heart.
He almost envied those who cared nothing for the world like the Frostmirror Sect, but it was also his feelings for everything that inspired him to continue. And even the Frostmirror Sect was not entirely made up of heartless individuals. Despite what they liked to think, Anton was aware more than a few of them never truly completely severed their emotions. In fact, if they truly completed the task to the greatest degree they might end up doing nothing at all. It might seem purely logical to grow stronger and cultivate even without feelings being involved, but Anton didnt think that would be the case. Logic on its own never gave reason to do anything, but simply guided one on what might be the most efficient way to do so. But different minds could disagree even on what might seem like clear points.
I wanted to consult with Infinite Wisdom Forest on a certain matter. Oh, and before we progress further I should note that I am not technically an elder in the Order. There are a limited number of seats, thought I might hold one of them some day.
Titles matter not, compared to the cultivation and understanding of a person. What matter do you wish to speak on? Im sure you could find someone interested in nearly any topic you wished to broach.
Its something of a personal quest of mine, Anton admitted. It concerns the separation between those who cultivate, and those who do not.
Do go on, Elder Atwood said with interest.
Cultivators tend to remove themselves from the rest of society, either through physical distance or other methods. In many cases, it is a sensible approach. Cultivators must seek out places with high concentrations of natural energy so that they might grow stronger, and many such locations are too harsh for those who dont cultivate to endure. Anton paused to organize his thoughts. Yet those who do not cultivate, even if that is because of poor talent, might still benefit from some minimal amount of interaction with cultivation. To most of those who do not cultivate themselves, those of us who do are mysterious and strange and even terrifying in our power.
Fear of the unknown and greater powers are not uncommon, nor entirely irrational, Elder Atwood commented. But it is better to not cause such unnecessarily. Like your Order, we of the Forest try to grow connections to those around us so they feel like both of us belong.
I am pleased to hear that, Anton said, Yet I would wish for more. Many of those who do not cultivate, either because they have low talent or because they fear the danger, still might benefit from cultivating to a small degree. A stronger body allows one to be more productive in many arenas, and even a slightly extended lifespan could greatly affect some individuals.
I would tend to agree, Elder Atwood said. But I do not gather that you are purely speaking in hypotheticals.
Indeed you are right. In Graotan, I have been guiding a number of individuals through the early stages of cultivation. I have seen the changes that can make, even if most remain in early Body Tempering.
It must be a significant effort, to guide so many.
It can be, Anton said, Though in time I would hope that my personal involvement wasn't required. If every community had several who learned everything most people needed to know about cultivation, they could continue to maintain a certain level on their own.
Interesting. But how would this be different from turning everything into a cultivation sect? Elder Atwood smiled widely as they talked.
Let me explain my thoughts, Anton began. He had quite a few things to cover, and though he wasnt sure if Elder Atwood or anyone from Infinite Wisdom Forest would actually do anything with those thoughts, at least someone was listening. If he failed here, at least he would learn something about how other cultivation groups thought.
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Chapter 214
Over time, patterns began to emerge in relation to the attacks. Suspicions became confirmations as information was sorted, unrelated attacks being filtered out as much as they could. Weaker cultivators were being targeted. Not just that, but younger cultivators. Those with potential. Though those who hadnt been promising students were rarely kept track of in fine detail. This chapter was first shared on the Ñøv€lß1n platform.
There were more incidents than the one Anton was a part of where the attackers were defeated. Strangely enough, they seemed mostly unconcerned with preserving their own lives, and fought to the death rather than allowing themselves to be captured. Few cultivators had such fanatic loyalty to a cause, though if they thought there might be a worse fate in store for them if they were captured, choosing to die would make sense. In that case, though, they would likely be cautious about engaging in the attacks in the first place.
While capturing cultivators who were unwilling could be quite difficult, especially when they were always the attackers and thus thought they had the advantage, it did happen in a few incidents. Along with the bodies, it was confirmed that at least some of the attackers practiced the same type of cultivation as those in Black Soul Valley.
Yet none of them had so far been discovered in a city, going about their daily business. That meant they had to have some way to conceal their cultivation from others, or possibly allies. While cultivators might survive in the wilderness if they were strong enough, they would never obtain suitable weapons and equipment. Since there werent frequent enough robberies or unresolved incidents for such a large group to have raised up cultivators who were often in Spirit Building and sometimes Essence Collection, it was logical to assume they interacted with other cultivators without them knowing.
Tensions between sects were on the rise. Nobody liked their disciples being targeted, and those with grudges against each other were suspicious of reports that their rivals were also being attacked. Some groups took the opportunity to have their own conflicts, as any excuse was enough to push things over the tipping point in some cases.
-----
Time continued to flow, no matter how much it would be convenient if it would wait. Anton was not concerned about it from the perspective of his own mortality. Even if he hadnt come to terms with it long before, at the current moment he was still gaining lifespan faster than it was passing him by, though he couldnt say by how much.
It took a year for him to go from the twenty-fifth star to the twenty-eighth, and now he stood at the precipice of Essence Collection. He felt as if he could step into it at any time, but there were dangers associated with certain increases in cultivation. In early Body Tempering, a cultivator was not necessarily skilled enough to control the energy they brought into themselves, making it one of the riskiest times. Yet crossing the borders between the stages had its own danger as well.
Each step represented an increase in quantity and quality of energy, and with that came more stringent requirements to control it. Anton had gone smoothly from Body Tempering to Spirit Building in a moment of crisis, but it was not usually the best way. Of course there were always the stories of ancient cultivator geniuses who always broke through when their lives were in danger, surpassing stage after stage. They might even be true- but just because someone accomplished something didnt mean it was the best for them.
If stepping into a new stage was the difference between life and death, of course those cultivators who succeeded would be heard about. Yet all of those who failed would be forgotten to time.
Anton found the thoughts that most concerned him werent whether or not he could step into Essence Collection and control the energy there. They werent thoughts about his training with Ksenya, which continually pushed him further than he thought he could go. They were about people. Friends and family and those he didnt really have a category for. Everyone he taught how to cultivate, some learning more quickly than others.
He also thought about those from different sects, and people he didnt even know who were attacked and killed. What little information came to them from passing ships didnt change anything. His mind was so focused on what he couldnt do anything about, and all of his training in Emotion and Voice did little to settle his heart.
He almost envied those who cared nothing for the world like the Frostmirror Sect, but it was also his feelings for everything that inspired him to continue. And even the Frostmirror Sect was not entirely made up of heartless individuals. Despite what they liked to think, Anton was aware more than a few of them never truly completely severed their emotions. In fact, if they truly completed the task to the greatest degree they might end up doing nothing at all. It might seem purely logical to grow stronger and cultivate even without feelings being involved, but Anton didnt think that would be the case. Logic on its own never gave reason to do anything, but simply guided one on what might be the most efficient way to do so. But different minds could disagree even on what might seem like clear points.
I wanted to consult with Infinite Wisdom Forest on a certain matter. Oh, and before we progress further I should note that I am not technically an elder in the Order. There are a limited number of seats, thought I might hold one of them some day.
Titles matter not, compared to the cultivation and understanding of a person. What matter do you wish to speak on? Im sure you could find someone interested in nearly any topic you wished to broach.
Its something of a personal quest of mine, Anton admitted. It concerns the separation between those who cultivate, and those who do not.
Do go on, Elder Atwood said with interest.
Cultivators tend to remove themselves from the rest of society, either through physical distance or other methods. In many cases, it is a sensible approach. Cultivators must seek out places with high concentrations of natural energy so that they might grow stronger, and many such locations are too harsh for those who dont cultivate to endure. Anton paused to organize his thoughts. Yet those who do not cultivate, even if that is because of poor talent, might still benefit from some minimal amount of interaction with cultivation. To most of those who do not cultivate themselves, those of us who do are mysterious and strange and even terrifying in our power.
Fear of the unknown and greater powers are not uncommon, nor entirely irrational, Elder Atwood commented. But it is better to not cause such unnecessarily. Like your Order, we of the Forest try to grow connections to those around us so they feel like both of us belong.
I am pleased to hear that, Anton said, Yet I would wish for more. Many of those who do not cultivate, either because they have low talent or because they fear the danger, still might benefit from cultivating to a small degree. A stronger body allows one to be more productive in many arenas, and even a slightly extended lifespan could greatly affect some individuals.
I would tend to agree, Elder Atwood said. But I do not gather that you are purely speaking in hypotheticals.
Indeed you are right. In Graotan, I have been guiding a number of individuals through the early stages of cultivation. I have seen the changes that can make, even if most remain in early Body Tempering.
It must be a significant effort, to guide so many.
It can be, Anton said, Though in time I would hope that my personal involvement wasn't required. If every community had several who learned everything most people needed to know about cultivation, they could continue to maintain a certain level on their own.
Interesting. But how would this be different from turning everything into a cultivation sect? Elder Atwood smiled widely as they talked.
Let me explain my thoughts, Anton began. He had quite a few things to cover, and though he wasnt sure if Elder Atwood or anyone from Infinite Wisdom Forest would actually do anything with those thoughts, at least someone was listening. If he failed here, at least he would learn something about how other cultivation groups thought.
Chapter 214Over time, patterns began to emerge in relation to the attacks. Suspicions became confirmations as information was sorted, unrelated attacks being filtered out as much as they could. Weaker cultivators were being targeted. Not just that, but younger cultivators. Those with potential. Though those who hadnt been promising students were rarely kept track of in fine detail. This chapter was first shared on the Nvl1n platform.There were more incidents than the one Anton was a part of where the attackers were defeated. Strangely enough, they seemed mostly unconcerned with preserving their own lives, and fought to the death rather than allowing themselves to be captured. Few cultivators had such fanatic loyalty to a cause, though if they thought there might be a worse fate in store for them if they were captured, choosing to die would make sense. In that case, though, they would likely be cautious about engaging in the attacks in the first place.While capturing cultivators who were unwilling could be quite difficult, especially when they were always the attackers and thus thought they had the advantage, it did happen in a few incidents. Along with the bodies, it was confirmed that at least some of the attackers practiced the same type of cultivation as those in Black Soul Valley.Yet none of them had so far been discovered in a city, going about their daily business. That meant they had to have some way to conceal their cultivation from others, or possibly allies. While cultivators might survive in the wilderness if they were strong enough, they would never obtain suitable weapons and equipment. Since there werent frequent enough robberies or unresolved incidents for such a large group to have raised up cultivators who were often in Spirit Building and sometimes Essence Collection, it was logical to assume they interacted with other cultivators without them knowing. Tensions between sects were on the rise. Nobody liked their disciples being targeted, and those with grudges against each other were suspicious of reports that their rivals were also being attacked. Some groups took the opportunity to have their own conflicts, as any excuse was enough to push things over the tipping point in some cases.-----Time continued to flow, no matter how much it would be convenient if it would wait. Anton was not concerned about it from the perspective of his own mortality. Even if he hadnt come to terms with it long before, at the current moment he was still gaining lifespan faster than it was passing him by, though he couldnt say by how much.It took a year for him to go from the twenty-fifth star to the twenty-eighth, and now he stood at the precipice of Essence Collection. He felt as if he could step into it at any time, but there were dangers associated with certain increases in cultivation. In early Body Tempering, a cultivator was not necessarily skilled enough to control the energy they brought into themselves, making it one of the riskiest times. Yet crossing the borders between the stages had its own danger as well. Each step represented an increase in quantity and quality of energy, and with that came more stringent requirements to control it. Anton had gone smoothly from Body Tempering to Spirit Building in a moment of crisis, but it was not usually the best way. Of course there were always the stories of ancient cultivator geniuses who always broke through when their lives were in danger, surpassing stage after stage. They might even be true- but just because someone accomplished something didnt mean it was the best for them.If stepping into a new stage was the difference between life and death, of course those cultivators who succeeded would be heard about. Yet all of those who failed would be forgotten to time. Anton found the thoughts that most concerned him werent whether or not he could step into Essence Collection and control the energy there. They werent thoughts about his training with Ksenya, which continually pushed him further than he thought he could go. They were about people. Friends and family and those he didnt really have a category for. Everyone he taught how to cultivate, some learning more quickly than others. He also thought about those from different sects, and people he didnt even know who were attacked and killed. What little information came to them from passing ships didnt change anything. His mind was so focused on what he couldnt do anything about, and all of his training in Emotion and Voice did little to settle his heart.He almost envied those who cared nothing for the world like the Frostmirror Sect, but it was also his feelings for everything that inspired him to continue. And even the Frostmirror Sect was not entirely made up of heartless individuals. Despite what they liked to think, Anton was aware more than a few of them never truly completely severed their emotions. In fact, if they truly completed the task to the greatest degree they might end up doing nothing at all. It might seem purely logical to grow stronger and cultivate even without feelings being involved, but Anton didnt think that would be the case. Logic on its own never gave reason to do anything, but simply guided one on what might be the most efficient way to do so. But different minds could disagree even on what might seem like clear points.I wanted to consult with Infinite Wisdom Forest on a certain matter. Oh, and before we progress further I should note that I am not technically an elder in the Order. There are a limited number of seats, thought I might hold one of them some day.Titles matter not, compared to the cultivation and understanding of a person. What matter do you wish to speak on? Im sure you could find someone interested in nearly any topic you wished to broach.Its something of a personal quest of mine, Anton admitted. It concerns the separation between those who cultivate, and those who do not.Do go on, Elder Atwood said with interest.Cultivators tend to remove themselves from the rest of society, either through physical distance or other methods. In many cases, it is a sensible approach. Cultivators must seek out places with high concentrations of natural energy so that they might grow stronger, and many such locations are too harsh for those who dont cultivate to endure. Anton paused to organize his thoughts. Yet those who do not cultivate, even if that is because of poor talent, might still benefit from some minimal amount of interaction with cultivation. To most of those who do not cultivate themselves, those of us who do are mysterious and strange and even terrifying in our power.Fear of the unknown and greater powers are not uncommon, nor entirely irrational, Elder Atwood commented. But it is better to not cause such unnecessarily. Like your Order, we of the Forest try to grow connections to those around us so they feel like both of us belong.I am pleased to hear that, Anton said, Yet I would wish for more. Many of those who do not cultivate, either because they have low talent or because they fear the danger, still might benefit from cultivating to a small degree. A stronger body allows one to be more productive in many arenas, and even a slightly extended lifespan could greatly affect some individuals.I would tend to agree, Elder Atwood said. But I do not gather that you are purely speaking in hypotheticals.Indeed you are right. In Graotan, I have been guiding a number of individuals through the early stages of cultivation. I have seen the changes that can make, even if most remain in early Body Tempering.It must be a significant effort, to guide so many.It can be, Anton said, Though in time I would hope that my personal involvement wasn't required. If every community had several who learned everything most people needed to know about cultivation, they could continue to maintain a certain level on their own.Interesting. But how would this be different from turning everything into a cultivation sect? Elder Atwood smiled widely as they talked.Let me explain my thoughts, Anton began. He had quite a few things to cover, and though he wasnt sure if Elder Atwood or anyone from Infinite Wisdom Forest would actually do anything with those thoughts, at least someone was listening. If he failed here, at least he would learn something about how other cultivation groups thought.
