Chapter 7: Tet Tries Cultivation (It Goes About How You'd Expect)
-Tet-
"Chi or Qi cultivation is not suitable for you, Tet."
The one and only Martial Founder, the Fenghuang Immortal, Fu Hua herself said to him with a straight face. That perfectly calm, no-nonsense tone that made it sound like she was talking about the weather and not crushing his dreams of becoming a cultivator.
Tet's face dropped. Not in the dramatic "my path has ended" kind of way, but more like how the cream part of an ice cream melts right off someone's cone and splatters across the floor right before they bite it.
It was heartbreaking. His expression went from a disciple ready to be enlightened to an abandoned stray dog in a heartbeat.
"…Not suitable, you say, Master Jingwei? As in—'You'll explode if you try,' or—'You're just too dumb to manage it?' Because I can work with the second one." The God of Play dramatically fell to his knees clasping Jingwei's hands with his own. "Please tell me it's the second one?"
Oblivious to the fact that his behaviour was all an act, Jingwei answered him seriously, "It's neither of those two reasons."
"Master Tet, Jingwei said you are unsuitable for Chi cultivation, not Martial Arts," Jianxin, his dear disciple who was controlling the horses of the carriage, chimed in as she overheard the conversation.
At her words, Tet visibly paused, realisation flickering across his face before he quickly deflated again, pouting. "Martial arts are cool and all, but physically, all Gods are almost equal in strength. Sure, it helps close the gap with technique, but that's only against Gods without War Domains. Those guys are basically walking battle manuals, skilled in tactics and both armed and unarmed combat."
Jingwei frowned, tilting her head slightly. "You want to fight Gods?"
"Fight is such a strong word for a peace-loving God like me. Self-defence, it's all self-defence!" Tet said with mock indignation, pitifully gesturing at his still bruised eye that, for some reason, was the last to heal. "Can't you see I'm pitiful? In Heaven, I'm known as the weakest God! I'm too easy to bully! How could you bear to see your disciple bullied, Jingwei? If I'm easily bullied, wouldn't your grand-disciple Jianxin face injustice too?!"
The God of Games spoke with righteous despair, as if he and his disciples' fate had already been written by the heavens.
This could not stand!
The Fenghuang Immortal's brows furrowed deeply at his words, her expression softening as she noticed the bruise Xi Wangmu had left. But just as she opened her mouth to respond, a giggle came from the front of the carriage.
"Is something funny?" the bluenette asked, clearly confused at why his disciple was laughing at her Master's plight.
"Apologies for laughing, Jingwei," Jianxin said apologetically. "But it seems like Master Tet might be teasing you. This Daoist feels it's only right I warn you about my Master's character."
Tet let out a gasp of mock betrayal. "How… how could you betray your Master, Jianxin~! Where did I go wrong in raising you?"
His disciple only giggled at his theatrics and helpfully added, "It was Master Shiling who raised me."
Jingwei, watching their exchange, had a dawning look of comprehension. A sigh escaped her lips, one that could only come from realising you were stuck dealing with a particularly troublesome child.
"I'm not that bad, Master Jingwei." With his high EQ, Tet instantly knew that sigh carried exasperation and regret. The knowing hum from the front of the carriage certainly didn't help his case.
But like the wise teacher she was, Jingwei didn't rub it in. Instead, she explained her earlier statement.
"Qi, or Chi, represents the mortal struggle against limitation," Jingwei said slowly, her eyes distant, as if pulling from something far yet paradoxically close. The rhythmic patter of rain against the carriage roof filled the silence between her words. "It's the path of becoming something more than human while still being human, and using the powers humanity was born with."
Her tone grew steadier slowly as if she was remembering something she once had forgotten. "Qi cultivation is an evolutionary ladder meant for mortals; a god is already at the top of that ladder." Her blue eyes met his mismatched ones, and Tet didn't miss the depth and wisdom that briefly flickered within them. "Every realm, breakthrough, and adversity is a step on that ladder for a mortal."
"But a god is already the culmination of that journey. They are the destination mortals strive toward, or rather, godhood is a consequence, not another step upon the path. So, even if your power is sealed, it doesn't mean your essence has reverted to that of a mortal. It's merely dormant."
"Cultivating Qi would be like an eagle trying to learn to crawl after its wings are broken," she continued, her voice soft but firm. "Possible, perhaps, but meaningless. The eagle's true nature was never meant for the dirt."
Tet nodded like a chick pecking at grains, a profound expression dawning on his face. "I see. I've understood it all. Qi cultivation was Heaven's mercy to mortals, a way for the weak to reach the strong. But I am not a creature of Heaven's mercy, but of its Will. Qi is the ladder for those below; I was forged as one who already stood above it."
Jingwei blinked, clearly surprised, but after a moment, she nodded and asked curiously, "Was that a joke, or is that truly the origin of Gods? Is there a Greater Will that created them?"
Tet paused, caught off guard by the theological angle. "Hm~ if I'm being honest, I'm not entirely sure."
His answer didn't surprise the Fenghuang Immortal. Her unimpressed expression said as much.
"Hey! I'll have you know I have thought about how we Gods came to be," Tet protested. "You're not seriously expecting me to dwell on it for more than a minute, are you? I'm the God of Play, not the God of Truth or Revelation or Knowledge."
Jingwei nodded with an as expected look, and before Tet could salvage his image, she continued, "Even if Qi isn't suitable for you, it doesn't mean you can't use the abilities of Qi users."
Tet blinked, instantly reminded of what had happened in Xi Wangmu's palace—
""Will.""
He and his disciple echoed in unison.
Jingwei gently shook her head at their words, a faint smile tugging at her lips as she said, "Yes and no."
Before Tet could complain about her mysterious master act, the Martial Founder spoke again. "What do you think Will is? You too may answer, Jianxin."
"Think about it a little, Jianxin," Tet said, glancing toward the front. "I'll go first." He crossed his arms with mock solemnity. "Will is the First Move of an existence, the choice to play. Every game has rules. Every rule can be broken. Will is that breaking. It's what separates a move made by instinct from a move made by desire. Will is proof that the universe allows paradox… and without it, there'd be no fun."
It was a very Tet answer—fitting for a God whose Domain included Play and Games—but he wasn't done.
"But in a perfect universe, Will shouldn't exist."
The shift from lighthearted to detached caught both women off guard. The rain's rhythm softened, as if even the world wanted to listen.
"Master Tet, can you explain what you mean by that?" Jianxin's voice held hesitation, but she still asked, curiosity outweighing confusion. Jingwei's questioning look told him she wanted an answer too.
Tet didn't answer immediately. He considered if saying more would weigh on them. Then he realised one was a woman who founded an entire martial path, and the other, a girl with a soul far purer than most if not all adults'.
Now that I think about it, wouldn't both of their souls be unique enough that Freya would consider them her Odr? He idly mused for a moment, before returning to the main topic.
"Every cause has an effect. Every move has an outcome. Every rule defines order. But Will breaks that. It's an unpredictable element that shouldn't exist in a perfect universe. To have Will means to be free, you can choose. But to have Will also means you're bound by it, you cannot stop choosing. A person's Will gives them autonomy, yet enslaves them to their own purpose. Let me put it simply, from a martial perspective. The Way is natural flow; Will is directional and intentional. To have Will is to both follow the Dao/Tao, since you exist within it, and defy it, since you impose your own direction upon it."
Silence filled the carriage, broken only by the rhythmic clip-clop of hooves and the soft roll of wheels through the wet road. The rain tapped steadily on the roof.
"I'm not as smart as you, Master Tet," Jianxin finally said, her tone gentle, "and I barely grasped what you said. But I think I understand what Will is. I think… Will is doing, even when reason says stop. Sometimes, I don't even know why I stand back up, I just do. As long as I keep moving, that is Will."
Even though he couldn't see her face, Tet could feel the smile in her voice.
"Also," she added softly, "you really love the idea of Will, don't you, Master Tet?"
Tet's mismatched eyes drifted to Jingwei, who was looking at him thoughtfully—yet somehow also past him—and he smiled faintly.
"I love the concept of Will," he admitted. "Let me tell you something, my dear disciple. Without Will, the universe is just a perfect game board of logic, cause, and rule in my eyes. Every move predetermined, every path solved. But with Will, even a pawn might defy its nature. It might move not because it can… but because it wants to.
That unpredictability is paradoxical, irrational… and beautiful."
….
-Jingwei (Fu Hua)-
Ah, so this is the difference between a Celestial and a mortal, Jingwei thought as she watched the pure smile on her self-proclaimed disciples' face. Following him was indeed the correct choice.
A fog that had long lingered in her mind seemed to part. For a moment, everything went still, the rain, the wind, the very world outside the carriage seemed to hold its breath.
For that instant, Jingwei could no longer tell where her body ended and the world began. She was everything, yet also herself. Raindrops hung midair, the leaves stopped moving, and the cicadas stopped chirping.
"Before Qi flows, before Intent takes shape, there is Will," Jingwei said softly. "That transition from existence to purpose, that's Will. Will itself doesn't manifest; it's the source that allows Intent to manifest."
As she exhaled, the raindrops outside evaporated, the clouds parted, and a single ray of sunlight pierced through, casting its light upon the carriage.
"What we perceive—Aura, Killing Intent, Pressure—are expressions of Will, not Will itself."
The feeling of being one with Heaven and Earth faded, and Jingwei's gaze locked with Tet. "The answer to your problem is simple—"
She paused, and then uttered the name of the art that once made her comparable to the divine.
"Edge of Taixuan."
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A/N: Honestly, I have no idea where the philosophy came from. I just wanted to write about Tet being the cliche cripple cultivation protagonist.