Molting the Mortal Coil

Sage dove wholeheartedly into the huge library of knowledge about the Soul and its properties. From what he knew, this sort of knowledge was very rare. The majority of Cultivators focused on techniques using Qi Power or those related to the body, what many called Physical Power. Those who used Spirit Power, which Sage thought of as Psychic abilities, were comparably very small. For the most part Spirit Power was used as a support, using spirit sense to search and scan areas or to guide Qi Power. For most professions Spirit Power was used to increase the control of Qi Power. Qi Power was like a raging river, most people would learn to control it by routing it through different meridians and out of specific Qi Pores to accomplish certain effects. It was like using dams and dykes to route the water where you wished it to go. Using Spirit Power on the other hand was like building an irrigation system to gain full and precise control over their Qi.

Those who truly used Spirit Power as their main techniques were already extremely rare, while those using the Soul were next to none. The main issue with both is the difficulty of training the Mind and Soul. Resistance and Endurance are the most common forms of training. It was easy to lift weights, run long distances or maintain a specific pose for a long time. Similar methods had been devised for Qi training, emitting Qi while underwater, smashing it repeatedly against objects, forcing it all out to exhaustion, and even training to recover it faster. Resistance and Endurance training the mind… that was far more mysterious. Merely memorizing things didn’t do anything, as that didn’t increase the power of a mind, it only filled it up. New and different ways of thinking had to be studied. Learning how to solve problems in different ways and training to apply knowledge and skill was one path. The other method was to build willpower, and determination; something that was often done by using torture. Few people were determined enough to build a will of iron, while at the same time learning to approach problems like a philosopher, psychologist, and a mathematician. It was no wonder that groups focusing their efforts on Spirit Power were so few.

Soul Power was even more mysterious. The power of the soul dealt with emotion, the consciousness, and even the subconscious. It was the driving force that controlled the mind, body, and qi. It was the foundation of every person and the difference between them and a mere automaton. The problem was that it was too hard to interact with. A Cultivator’s soul was basically trapped inside the body until they reached Rank 6. Even worse, training the soul was mysterious and obtuse. Most methods reminded Sage of all those mystics, psychics, and other nonsensical gurus from back on Earth. It seemed to involve drugs, special states of mind, controlled dreaming, and all sorts of strangeness. On Earth these practices were random and unsubstantiated, but on this world powerful Cultivators with the right skills could enter another person’s body and observe their soul. Sage learned that the right mentor would be able to find flaws in a person’s soul and guide them to correct them. It’s no wonder Soul Practitioners are nearly unheard of. It takes personal guidance from someone strong and isn’t even useful until the Disciple also becomes extremely strong.

Sage gave up on studying the books, instead just copying them down as quickly as possible. His intention now was to gather as many of them as he could while the expedition was in progress and he had free access. He would have plenty of time later to study at his leisure, while he was pretty sure that once all these books were brought back to the Sect they would have rental fees for him to view them. It was even likely that some of the more rare or special books would be kept in the parts of the Sect Library that had access requirements. Just like how they were banned from reading the History books currently, the Sect would ensure that no sensitive or valuable information was widely or easily distributed.

A few more months went by, with Sage copying down all the books on the Soul before moving on to a few areas that he figured would be useful. Heading over to the medical section, Sage copied down all the books on anatomy and the meridians. He wasn’t planning on becoming a Physician or Doctor, but he figured it would be helpful to his usage of the ‘Mutate’ technique if he were to learn more about how the body worked. Even better was the presence of a few books delving into the anatomy of many beasts, plants, and insects. The books were generalized and only covered a few major typings in detail but it was exactly what he was looking for.

The study of the Meridians also had its own section and quite a few books as there was thousands of them present within a Cultivator’s body. There was even more Qi Pores and the number of books studying the interactions between the two were even more numerous. Qi Cultivation Arts were based upon this complicated system and each was developed and refined by specific organizations. Sage learned that there seemed to be a few dozen major theories that were then derived into the many techniques that existed today, with each trying to improve the techniques in different ways.

With his major interests being covered, Sage set his time to browsing the Library. His goal was to check if there was any other areas of knowledge that could be valuable to him before he focused his attention on the Maps. Hunting for Treasure was still his next major goal, he just wanted to make sure there wasn’t any left in the Library. He stumbled onto many strange and obscure types of books that he copied down for later, especially when he found a small section entitled ‘Seals’.

Intrigued, he read further and learned that ‘Seals’ were related to the profession of ‘Seal Master’, one which he had never heard of before. Surprised, he found one of the most general knowledge books he could find and learned that Seals were similar to Formation and Talisman Masters. They had their own unique system of symbols that were different than those used by all the current professions. It was as if he’d suddenly learned of the existence of a whole new language. These Seals seemed to be marvelous in their function and quite different from Array Formations. Instead of drawing upon an external power source, Seals were focused on trapping something and then drawing on its power. Energy was input into an Array Formation in order to create an effect. Seals on the other hand were placed on things and they output energy.

This is astounding. The systems are almost the opposite of each other, yet so similar at the same time. Why have I never heard of ‘Sealing’ before?

Amazed, Sage quickly copied down the dozen books on Seals before he brought his question to one of the Elders. Elder Qing had no idea what Seals were either so Sage was eventually brought before Peak Master Zhen.

“I found a few books that referred to a profession called ‘Seal Master’ who are expert in Sealing and using Seals. Have you ever heard of such a thing, Peak Master?”

Sage was flabbergasted by her answer. The Peak Master waved her hand and an invisible bubble surrounded them, cutting off all sound from passing through.

“Have you told anyone else about this? Has anyone else noticed these books?”