The first month of dual cultivation was an exercise in patience.
Jin sat in his courtyard under a sky heavy with autumn clouds, the Flowing Foundation Method circulating through his meridians alongside the ever-present Azure Harmonization. The two techniques operated in parallel—one automatic and perfected, the other conscious and crude—creating currents within his spiritual system that sometimes complemented and sometimes conflicted with each other.
[Azure Harmonization Method - Current Efficiency: 100%][Flowing Foundation Method - Current Efficiency: 17%]
Progress came in increments so small they seemed almost insignificant. A percentage point here, a fraction there, each improvement representing hours of careful practice and subtle adjustment. Jin had grown accustomed to rapid advancement in his earlier cultivation—the efficiency tracker had always shown him the path, and he had simply walked it. Now, for the first time, he was genuinely struggling.
But struggle brought its own lessons.
The Flowing Foundation Method was doing something to his qi that Azure Harmonization never had. Each cultivation session left a portion of his spiritual energy slightly… different. Denser. More cohesive. Like water beginning the slow transition toward ice, his previously gaseous qi was condensing toward a liquid state.
Jin examined this phenomenon with the analytical attention he had developed over fifteen years of cultivation. The condensed qi gathered in his dantian, forming a small pool at its center that grew incrementally with each practice session. The rest of his spiritual energy remained in its familiar refined state, but this new liquid core exerted a subtle influence—a gravitational pull that seemed to draw the surrounding qi toward greater density.
"This is the first stage of foundation building," Master Ma had explained when Jin consulted him about the change. "The transformation from gathered qi to established foundation occurs through gradual condensation. Your spiritual energy must become liquid, then settle into stable patterns that can support higher cultivation. Most disciples take years to complete this process."
"How long did it take you?" Jin had asked.
Master Ma's clouded eyes had crinkled with ancient amusement. "I don't recall. It was a very long time ago."
—————
The second month brought unexpected developments.
Jin was practicing in the early morning, his family still asleep, when he noticed something strange about his qi circulation. The energy moving through his meridians felt more… responsive than before. More willing to follow his conscious direction, rather than simply flowing along established patterns.
He experimented, attempting to guide a stream of qi toward his palm with deliberate intention. Previously, such manipulation had required considerable effort—the spiritual energy of Qi Gathering cultivators was inherently resistant to fine control, preferring to circulate along practiced routes rather than venture into unfamiliar territory.
Now, the qi flowed to his hand with surprising ease. Jin held it there, feeling the warmth of concentrated spiritual energy pooling in his palm. Then, with careful focus, he pushed it further—beyond the boundary of his skin, into the open air.
A faint shimmer appeared above his hand. Visible spiritual energy, manifesting outside his body, responding to his will.
Jin stared at the phenomenon with wonder. External qi manipulation was supposedly a Foundation Establishment capability—one of the abilities that distinguished true cultivators from those still trapped in the gathering stages. Yet here he was, peak Qi Gathering, already developing this skill.
The condensation process was changing more than just his energy's density. It was transforming his fundamental relationship with his own cultivation.
He practiced external manipulation for the remainder of the session, learning the limits and possibilities of this new capability. The qi dissipated quickly once it left his body—within seconds, it scattered into the ambient spiritual energy of the environment. But while he maintained active focus, he could shape it, move it, even form it into simple constructs.
An ember sphere formed from external qi, for instance, burned with greater intensity than one generated through traditional technique channels. The energy was more concentrated, more responsive, more powerful per unit of volume.
Jin filed this discovery away for future exploration. For now, he had training to attend.
—————
The third development was the most disorienting.
Jin was walking through the Alchemy Peak's outer cultivation grounds, on his way to Master Lu's instruction hall, when he suddenly became aware of something he had never perceived before.
Spiritual energy. Not his own—but others'.
The sensation was subtle at first, like a whisper at the edge of hearing. But as he focused on it, the perception sharpened into something distinct. He could sense the cultivation signatures of the disciples around him—their relative strength, their elemental affinities, even hints of their emotional states encoded in the flow of their qi.
A young woman passing to his left registered as mid-level Qi Gathering, fire-aspected, her spiritual energy agitated with what might have been anxiety or excitement. An older man working in a nearby garden was early Foundation Establishment, wood-aspected, his presence calm and settled like deep roots in rich soil.
Jin stopped walking, overwhelmed by the flood of new information. Within ten feet of his position, he could detect perhaps a dozen distinct spiritual signatures, each one broadcasting details he had never been able to perceive before.
"First time sensing qi fields?"
Jin turned to find Chen Mei watching him with knowing amusement. The young alchemist who had guided him on his first day had become something approaching a friend over the past weeks—checking on his progress, sharing gossip about the division's politics, offering advice about navigating the complex social dynamics of inner sect life.
"Is it that obvious?" he asked.
"You looked like you'd just discovered a sixth sense. Which, in a way, you have." Chen Mei fell into step beside him as he resumed walking. "External qi perception usually develops during Foundation Establishment, but some disciples get early glimpses during the condensation phase. It's a good sign—means your transition is progressing properly."
"It's… overwhelming."
"It gets easier. Your mind learns to filter the input, prioritize what's important, ignore what's not. Right now, you're experiencing everything at maximum intensity. In a few weeks, you'll barely notice most of it."
Jin nodded, trying to adjust to the constant stream of spiritual information flowing into his awareness. Ten feet wasn't a large radius—he could still function normally within it—but every time someone passed nearby, their presence registered with disorienting clarity.
"How far can Foundation Establishment cultivators sense?" he asked.
"Depends on the individual. Early Foundation, maybe fifty feet. Peak Foundation, several hundred. Core Formation…" Chen Mei shrugged. "I've heard stories of elders who can sense everything within a mile radius. But I can't verify that personally."
A mile. Jin tried to imagine perceiving thousands of spiritual signatures simultaneously, each one a distinct point of information requiring processing and interpretation. The thought was staggering.
"You'll get there," Chen Mei said, reading his expression. "One step at a time. Speaking of which—you're going to be late for Master Lu's session if you don't hurry."
Jin quickened his pace, the new sense continuing to feed him data about every disciple he passed.
—————
[Flowing Foundation Method - Current Efficiency: 29%]
Three months.
Jin sat in his cultivation position, tracking his progress through the now-familiar metrics of the efficiency tracker. Twenty-nine percent—nearly triple where he had started, though still far below what he had achieved with Azure Harmonization. The improvement had come steadily, each percentage point representing insights gained and adjustments made.
But tonight felt different.
The condensation in his dantian had reached a critical threshold. What had begun as a small pool of liquid qi now filled nearly half the space, pressing against the remaining gaseous energy with increasing pressure. The boundary between the two states had grown unstable, fluctuating with each circulation of his cultivation techniques.
Jin focused inward, observing the phenomenon with the detached attention he had developed over years of practice. Something was building. Something was about to change.
The Azure Harmonization Method continued its automatic operation, drawing in ambient spiritual energy with perfect efficiency. The Flowing Foundation Method circulated consciously, each breath and circulation adding to the pressure in his dantian. The two techniques worked in tandem, one gathering, one condensing, both pushing toward a threshold that Jin could feel approaching.
And then it happened.
The boundary between liquid and gaseous qi simply… dissolved. The remaining refined energy collapsed inward, condensing in a cascade that transformed his entire cultivation base in a matter of seconds. What had been a collection of gathered spiritual energy became something new—a unified foundation of liquid qi, dense and controlled and fundamentally different from anything he had possessed before.
Power surged through Jin's meridians. Not new energy, but the same qi he had always possessed, now operating at a level of compression and efficiency that dwarfed his previous capabilities. His spiritual senses exploded outward, the ten-foot radius of perception suddenly extending to fifty feet, then a hundred, before settling at approximately seventy feet of clear detection.
The breakthrough had occurred.
Jin opened his eyes, his body humming with transformed power, his mind struggling to process the magnitude of what had just happened.
Foundation Establishment. Early stage. The threshold that had blocked him for over a year, finally crossed.
[Azure Harmonization Method - Current Efficiency: 100%][Flowing Foundation Method - Current Efficiency: 29%]
The tracker confirmed his advancement, the two methods still operating in parallel. But something about their interaction felt different now. More harmonious. More unified.
Jin spent the remainder of the night exploring his new capabilities, learning the limits and possibilities of Foundation Establishment cultivation. Everything was enhanced—his physical strength, his spiritual perception, his technique execution. The gap between Qi Gathering and Foundation Establishment was not merely quantitative but qualitative, a fundamental transformation in what cultivation meant and what it could accomplish.
By dawn, he felt he had at least a basic understanding of his new state. But true mastery would take time—perhaps years—to develop.
He didn't mind. The path was open again. That was what mattered.
—————
The merger occurred one week after his breakthrough.
Jin was deep in meditation, refining his control over his newly established foundation, when he noticed something strange about the efficiency tracker. The two methods—Azure Harmonization and Flowing Foundation—had always displayed as separate lines, separate metrics, separate techniques operating in parallel.
Now they were converging.
He watched with fascination as the boundaries between the two methods blurred and dissolved. The breathing patterns synchronized. The circulation routes merged into unified pathways. The fundamental philosophies that had distinguished the techniques melted together into something new—something that was neither one nor the other but a synthesis of both.
When Jin emerged from meditation, a single line greeted him:
[Azure Flowing Foundation Method - Current Efficiency: 35%]
One method. One measurement. One path forward.
Jin examined the unified technique with careful attention, comparing its structure to his memories of both parent methods. The Azure Flowing Foundation Method was indeed a synthesis—it retained the gathering efficiency of Azure Harmonization, the transformative principles of Flowing Foundation, and added something new that emerged from their combination.
It was, he realized, perfectly suited to his specific cultivation path. A technique that had evolved through his practice, shaped by his unique approach to advancement, optimized through the mysterious efficiency tracker that had guided him since his earliest days as a cultivator.
Thirty-five percent efficiency. Far below what he had achieved with Azure Harmonization alone. But the technique was also far more complex, with far more variables to optimize. Given time and practice, he was confident he could push it much higher.
The path forward was clear.
—————
Foundation Establishment opened doors that had been closed to Jin throughout his time in the agricultural division.
As a newly established cultivator, he now had access to resources reserved for inner sect members—advanced libraries, specialized training facilities, cultivation materials of higher quality than anything available to outer disciples. Master Lu's instruction intensified as well, moving from basic identification and preparation to actual alchemical practice.
"You are now capable of genuine pill refinement," Master Lu announced on his first day of advanced training. "Your foundation provides the spiritual density required to fuel refinement arrays, and your control should be sufficient for basic formulas. We will begin with simple healing pills—low risk, immediate feedback, essential for developing proper technique."
The pill refinement chamber was a circular room dominated by a furnace of black iron inscribed with countless formation arrays. The furnace stood perhaps four feet tall, its surface glowing with the contained heat of spiritual fire. Workstations surrounded it in a semicircle, each equipped with tools for material preparation and pill extraction.
Three other disciples already occupied stations when Jin arrived. Master Lu gestured for him to take the remaining position.
"You will be working alongside my senior students for the foreseeable future. I suggest you learn from them." Master Lu's stern features held their customary severity. "Introduce yourselves."
The first to speak was a young man perhaps a year or two older than Jin, with a round face, quick eyes, and the restless energy of someone who found stillness difficult. His robes were stained with various substances that spoke to either extensive practice or chronic carelessness.
"Zhao Ping," he said, offering a friendly smile that revealed slightly crooked teeth. "Fourth-year alchemy student, early Foundation Establishment. I specialize in cultivation enhancement pills—anything that boosts spiritual energy absorption or meridian flexibility. My refinement success rate is about seventy percent, which is acceptable but not impressive." He shrugged cheerfully. "I'm working on it."
The second student was a woman who appeared to be in her mid-twenties, with sharp features, calculating eyes, and an aura of focused intensity that reminded Jin of Overseer Huang. Her robes were immaculate, her workstation organized with military precision, and her expression suggested she evaluated everyone she met according to criteria only she understood.
"Feng Yue," she said, her voice cool and measured. "Sixth-year student, mid Foundation Establishment. I focus on combat enhancement formulas—strength augmentation, reflex acceleration, spiritual armor reinforcement. Success rate of eighty-seven percent." Her eyes met Jin's with frank assessment. "You're the agricultural anomaly. The one who reached peak Qi Gathering faster than anyone expected."
"I prefer to think of myself as persistent rather than anomalous," Jin replied.
"Persistence doesn't explain your advancement speed. Something else does." Feng Yue's gaze sharpened. "I intend to figure out what."
The third student was older than the others—perhaps thirty, with a weathered face, scarred hands, and the quiet patience of someone who had learned through long experience. His robes were plain but well-maintained, his workstation functional rather than elaborate, and his manner suggested competence born of genuine skill rather than natural talent.
"Han Wei," he said, his voice soft but carrying. "Eighth-year student, peak Foundation Establishment. I specialize in healing and restoration—medicines that repair damage, restore depleted cultivation, address injuries that normal treatment cannot touch." He inclined his head respectfully. "Master Lu speaks highly of your potential. I look forward to seeing it demonstrated."
Jin bowed to each of them in turn. "I am Wei Jin. Agricultural Division background, newly established at early Foundation. I have much to learn and appreciate any guidance you can offer."
"Agricultural Division." Zhao Ping's round face lit up with interest. "So you know spirit plants? Really know them—not just what the books say, but how they actually grow and behave?"
"I spent fifteen years cultivating spirit rice and other crops. I've handled most common medicinal ingredients in their living state."
"That's excellent. Book knowledge only takes you so far—understanding how plants actually develop gives crucial insight into how their properties can be extracted and refined." Zhao Ping's enthusiasm was infectious. "We should compare notes sometime. I've always felt my material understanding was my weakest area."
Feng Yue made a dismissive sound. "Material understanding is merely foundation. Refinement technique is what determines success or failure."
"Both are necessary," Han Wei said quietly. "A master chef understands both ingredients and cooking methods. Neglecting either leads to inferior results."
"Enough discussion," Master Lu interrupted. "Wei Jin—your first assignment is observing. Watch how each of your seniors approaches refinement. Note the differences in their techniques, the variations in their methods, the distinct styles they have developed. Learn from all of them. Next week, you will begin practical work."
Jin settled into his station and began watching, his newly enhanced spiritual senses tracking every detail of the refinement processes occurring around him.
—————
The week of observation proved invaluable.
Each of his senior colleagues had developed distinctive approaches to alchemy that reflected their personalities and specializations. Watching them work gave Jin insights that no amount of theoretical study could have provided.
Zhao Ping worked with enthusiastic energy that sometimes bordered on recklessness. His hands moved quickly, his attention jumping between multiple aspects of the refinement process, his technique relying on intuition and rapid adjustment rather than careful planning. He made mistakes frequently—minor ones, usually, quickly corrected—but his willingness to experiment led to occasional innovations that surprised even Master Lu.
"The key is staying flexible," Zhao Ping explained during a break between refinement sessions. "Pills are living processes, in a way. The ingredients interact, the spiritual energies merge, and unexpected things happen. If you're too rigid in your approach, you can't adapt when something goes differently than planned."
Feng Yue was Zhao Ping's opposite in almost every way. Her refinement was precise, methodical, almost mechanical in its consistency. She followed established procedures exactly, measuring every ingredient to precise specifications, monitoring every stage of the process with unwavering attention. Her success rate was remarkable, but her pills rarely exceeded expected quality—she achieved reliability at the cost of excellence.
"Consistency is more valuable than occasional brilliance," she told Jin when he asked about her approach. "A cultivator who needs a healing pill doesn't want occasional excellence—they want reliable effectiveness. My pills may not be exceptional, but they are always exactly what they claim to be."
Han Wei represented a middle path—the balanced integration of intuition and precision that came from long experience. He adapted his approach to each refinement, sometimes following Feng Yue's methodical precision, sometimes embracing Zhao Ping's flexible experimentation, always reading the specific circumstances and responding accordingly.
"Mastery is knowing when each approach is appropriate," Han Wei said during one of their conversations. "Some formulas require strict adherence to procedure. Others benefit from creative interpretation. The skill is recognizing which situation you face and responding appropriately."
Jin absorbed everything, his analytical mind cataloging techniques and principles, his efficiency tracker quietly evaluating approaches that might improve his own eventual practice.
[Azure Flowing Foundation Method - Current Efficiency: 36%]
Slow progress. But progress nonetheless.
—————
His first practical refinement came at the end of the observation week.
Master Lu provided the materials—common herbs for a basic healing pill, nothing rare or expensive, chosen specifically for their forgiving nature. Failed refinement would mean wasted resources, but not catastrophic loss.
"The Gentle Recovery Pill," Master Lu explained, setting out the ingredients before Jin's station. "Accelerates the body's natural healing processes. Useful for minor injuries, cultivation strain, everyday wear that accumulates over time. The refinement is straightforward—proper temperature control, appropriate timing, clean energy infusion. Success should be within your capabilities."
Jin examined the materials with senses sharpened by years of agricultural experience and months of alchemical study. Silver Morning Grass, harvested at optimal maturity. Cloud-Stepping Vine, properly dried and preserved. A base of refined spirit honey that would bind the other ingredients together.
He began the process, following the established procedure he had memorized while adding subtle adjustments based on his understanding of the materials' properties. The furnace responded to his Foundation Establishment spiritual energy, the refinement array activating with a hum of contained power.
Temperature control. Timing. Energy infusion.
Jin worked with the careful precision he had developed over fifteen years of cultivation, his efficiency-focused mind automatically seeking optimal approaches to each stage of the process. The herbs melted, merged, transformed under his direction. Spiritual energy flowed through the array, guided by his will, shaping the raw materials into something new.
When he extracted the finished pills—three small spheres of pale green medicine—Master Lu examined them with critical attention.
"Acceptable quality," she pronounced finally. "Proper composition, appropriate potency, no significant flaws. Your success rate for first attempts is now one hundred percent." The faintest hint of approval touched her stern features. "Continue practicing. We will see if you can maintain this consistency."
Jin bowed, satisfaction warming his chest despite the modest nature of the achievement.
One pill formula mastered. Thousands more to learn. But every journey began with a single step.
He looked at his senior colleagues—Zhao Ping's encouraging grin, Feng Yue's calculating assessment, Han Wei's quiet approval—and felt, for the first time since entering the Alchemy Peak, that he truly belonged here.
The path of medicine and poison stretched before him, full of dangers and possibilities.
He was ready to walk it.
—————
End of Chapter Two, Book Two