Rae's POV

"Wow, it has only been about three weeks since you broke through to the foundation establishment stage but your cultivation base is already at this level? I am impressed. It also feels like you are just about to break past the transcendent realm and enter the core formation stage. Your progress is nothing short of amazing Rae."

"Amazing? Not really, when you understand the mechanics behind Qi cultivation everything just falls into place."

"Really?"

"Yes."

"Okay then, what are these mechanics you are talking about."

"Ok, to begin with, there are subtle fluctuations in the body and the soul's overall energies throughout qi cultivation. This happens when the frequencies and wavelengths of the soul constantly shift during its vibrations. While at first, these fluctuations seem to happen at random, when you observe them for long enough, patterns start emerging."

"Alright and how does this boost your qi cultivation?"

"Simple, these shifts in the soul's frequencies and wavelengths govern the very nature of the soul itself."

"Yes I know that is why there is always a shift between Yin and yang energies within the soul but you still have not explained how this fastened your pace at such an exponential rate."

"I think I just have."

"No you haven't, please just tell me how this works or are you those types of geniuses that can only do, not teach."

"Alright let me try to elaborate further... Where to begin? Oh, do you know the reason why breathing and meditating progresses your qi cultivation so much?"

"Yes... No... I don't know maybe because breathing techniques and meditation promote relaxation and energy flow in the body?"

"Yes but why?"

"I don't know maybe because deep controlled breathing supplies the body with oxygen which in turn calms the body's nervous system and stimulates the body's energy pathways while meditating has calming effects that help you have hyper-focused awareness steering clear of mental distractions that aid facilitate the balance and circulation of qi better supporting it's cultivation."

"Okay, anything else?"

"Is there anything else?"

"Yes."

"Like what?"

"I don't know maybe the energies involved or the state of the body itself during these meditations or the state of the soul during these practices."

"What do you mean?"

"You have spoken about Yin yang energies shifting as you practise the breathing and meditation techniques but did you also notice what happens to those energies as you do this."

"No what happens? Tell me."

"If you observe closely you will realize that when the body is full of yin energy then it gets rid of the excess yin energy by breathing it out and introducing yang energy by breathing it in same to when it is yang dominant, yang energy is breathed out then yin energy is breathed in."

"Oh right, I know that much."

"When you realise this is when you start to understand the mechanics."

"Ok then tell me."

"When the body is either Yang dominant or yin dominant it vibrates with certain frequencies having different wavelengths depending on what energy is currently flowing so in actuality doesn't that mean that these energies determine how your soul reacts?"

"Right?"

"Wrong!! At first, it might seem that the shift between Yang energy and yin energy is what drives qi cultivation by guiding how your essences grow but that is not the actual case."

"What do you mean?"

"What I mean is that while this shift of Yin and yang energy helps you grow and seemingly guides your cultivation it is also guided by the soul."

"So what you mean to tell me is that the soul guides the soul through cultivation?"

"Yes."

"Ok, How?"

"By playing a cosmic symphony of course."

"What does that mean!"

"Exactly as it sounds, you see when you begin cultivating, your soul's cosmic strings provide you with a small number of tones and overtones that you must then use to compose a symphony with. This process of composition is what you call cultivation. During breathing and meditation, your body naturally syncs with the tones and overtones ultimately composing this symphonic piece for you but as this is done unconsciously it is done slowly and very inefficiently. Coupling the unconscious nature of the composition and the introduction of more and more tones and overtones the composition of the symphony is forced to be a diverging harmonic series where the more you cultivate the more you gain access to even more cosmic strings which roughly translates to more power but also makes growth get slower and slower."

"Uhh, can you slow down or express it another way because I still do not understand any of what you said."

"Okay let me give you an example let us say there was a big tree with a number of mesmerizing fruits growing on it and you wished to get the fruits you would obviously climb it but seeing as it is high like let's say 100 metres and you can only climb about 10 metres per day. That might pose a problem right?"

"Yeah."

"But you can still eventually get to them as long as the tree remains 100 metres but what if as you moved the ten metres a day the height of the tree also grows by 100 metres and with this growth there is also an increase in the number of fruits?"

"Yeah, that now seems much more difficult almost impossible for normal humans at least but for me I can always fly up to the top which will be much faster."

"Yes, I suppose so. So using that logic you can now see what we are dealing with as cultivators."

"Yeah as we think we are getting closer and closer the tree keeps growing taller and taller."

"Don't be too disheartened though, Although this is the problem qi cultivators face there are a number of ways to solve this and this is by converging the series."

"How?"

"Simple by either doubling your efforts in climbing or reversing the growth of the tree or both. I would prefer you to do both."

"Doubling efforts I understand but how are you supposed to reverse the growth of a tree."

"I don't mean it literally. Although if you could find some way to reverse its growth I would welcome it. Maybe making the ground slowly swallow the whole tree? Anyway, what I mean is that you should think out of the box like maybe climbing a shorter tree with a faster growth rate, or maybe finding a way to attach a rope to the top of the tree or use a pulley system by using one of its top branches, it is all up to you."

"Okay, how do I do this with the symphony thing to be able to develop faster?"

"Simple learn how to compose multiple symphonies at once."

"At once what do you mean."

"As in music, symphonies grow from simple tones where a few groups of notes played together carry simple ideas which can be melodic or rhythmic. These ideas are then expounded on using various techniques. Have you ever heard of Theme and Variation?"

"No, I haven't."

"Oh, then allow me to..."

"Hey, what does all this have to do with anything."

"I am getting to that. As I was saying a theme is the central idea from which a musical piece is built around while variation is just that a variation in other words a technique where the theme is altered in different ways to bring about new ideas."

"Okay, what does this have to do with the multiple symphonies."

"You still don't get it?"

"I sort of do but is that really all you do to quicken your pace?"

"Yes, by applying the theme and variation technique on a larger scale like to your whole symphony you will quickly find yourself progressing faster than you can even imagine."

"Really is that all?"

"Yeah."

"Okay then. I suppose I will try it."

"I will help you."

"Wait, If you are right about the symphony thing then will I be starting my symphonies afresh?"

"I don't think so. I mean I am pretty sure the medley of your symphonies is following the rule."

"Wait what rule?"

"The golden rule of course."

"What do you mean?"

"Have you ever heard of the Fibonacci sequence?"

"Fibo what sequence?"

"Of course you haven't, what about the golden ratio?"

"I don't know what you are talking about."

"You see the Fibonacci sequence is a series of numbers from which the next number in the series is the summation of the two numbers before it."

"Okay and what does that have to do with any of this?"

"Everything!!! You see the interesting thing about the Fibonacci sequence is when you keep dividing the numbers deeper in the sequence the more you move towards the golden ratio."

"Ok let me guess this golden ratio thing is important."

"Very, it is the perfect number. The number for the universe itself."

"And why does this matter?"

"Because the Fibonacci sequence is what you are supposed to follow as you do your theme and variation."

"...Ok"

"Yeah as you do this you will find yourself nearing your most perfect form in the universe. Which in a way is what qi cultivation is all about."

"Yeah, I suppose so."

"So how about we do this?"

"For now Rae I think it would be better for me to teach you about formations and arrays."

"Formations and arrays?"

"Yes."

"What about the thing we just talked about."

"We will try it out once we are done with this."

"Okay."

"So let's begin with what is an array."

"Okay then."

"An array is the configuration of qi energy in a certain pattern with the aim of producing certain outcomes. I think for you this would be the same as chants or spells."

"Okay."

"Let me show you an example of a fire-based array."

"Alright."

"This is called the ember weave lattice array."

"Wow, that is beautiful."

"Yeah, it might look small but the amount of precision you need to produce this is a lot."

"I can only imagine. Can I try?"

"Already? I don't think you heard me."

"No, I get it. It might be hard for me as a beginner but I would still like to try."

"Okay then as you wish. To begin with, arrays are formed by creating a configuration using pure qi. To form fire arrays you will need to channel your yang energy as fire is a yang element."

"Oh, you mean like this?"

"How... How did you do that? I haven't even shown you how to do that. Wait it looks a bit different from mine but yes that is definitely a fire-based array. It even looks like my ember weave lattice array."

"That is because arrays work in a similar way magic circles do. So I just implemented my knowledge of magic circles with the arrays."

"Oh magic circles? Never heard of those."

"That is because I invented them."

"That explains it. You truly are gifted."

"So what of formation? What are those?"

"Well, formations are just like larger forms of arrays. They usually require more than one person to form."

"Oh so these are very many arrays working together in harmony yes I suppose so. Hmmm, I wonder? This is interesting stuff. So do arrays work with all the four elements."

"Four elements what are you talking about?"

"Like water, fire, earth and air."

"Oh you mean your four elements. Well yes and no it works with the first three but never tried to use it with air. Maybe it can work with all of them."

"Then does that mean that you have no air element in qi cultivation?"

"No we don't in qi cultivation we have the five elements which are wood, fire, earth, metal and water."

"What! How?"

"As you know qi cultivation is all about balance with nature and these five elements represent the phases of nature."

"What do you mean?"

"If you heard me as I was listing them the first time I listed them in a certain order. Starting with wood, do you know what wood represents in nature?"

"Uh, growth?"

"Yes exactly, Wood represents birth and the beginning of life and as such it is dominant during the spring season. Wood is a yang element and promotes the next element which is fire but controls another element which is earth."

"Fire?"

"Yes, what do you think it represents in nature?"

"I don't know heat, maybe energy."

"Yes, that's exactly what represents. It also represents enthusiasm and the warmth of relationships."

"Oh, that is interesting."

"Yes, Fire is also a yang element and is usually dominant during the summer season. Fire promotes Earth but controls metal."

"Earth, what does that represent in nature."

"Stability and being anchored."

"Oh so is it a yang or a yin element?"

"It is actually both a yang and yin element."

"What so elements can be both?"

"Yes, and earth is the only one."

"Ok, so what season is Earth."

"It doesn't have one."

"Wait what?"

"Yeah."

"Then earth is a unique one."

"I suppose so."

"So what about the others."

"Ok, there is metal which is promoted by earth and water which is promoted by metal."

"Wait metal is an element?"

"Yeah."

"Why is metal not under earth? I mean I would assume metal is under earth as an element."

"That is because metal represents a totally different thing in nature than earth which is strength, precision and focus. Metal is also a yin element and represents the fall season. It also controls wood."

"But what..."

"I understand it can be weird to shift your perspective from the four natural elements you know of but this is the natural elements from my side."

"Ok, so I guess water is a yin element representing winter."

"Yeah, now you get it. And what does it represent?"

"I don't know, fluidity or flow maybe."

"Exactly. You are pretty good at this. It also controls fire"

"I still feel like metal shouldn't be on that list. Air should be in its position."

"I know it's hard for you to let go but that is just the way it is."

"Then what about air what part of nature is it."

"Air is all around us and is what drives qi cultivation so that being the case, we take air not as an element to be present only once in the cycle, but a fundamental energy that flows throughout nature."

"Okay."

"So do you also have arrays for all the other elements?"

"Of course but I mainly have water and fire arrays as those are what I am most attuned to. "

"Oh ok."

"Would you like me to show some of the arrays I can do?"

"Yes."

"Okay get ready for a sparring session. I will also teach you some of our zhanqishu to get you well adjusted with your qi manipulation."

"Ok."

"Can I read your qi for a little bit? I need to know how much I need to adjust my strength."

"Yes."

"Whoa, I have never seen this before. Your three dantians are already forming before even reaching the core formation stage. With the pace you are moving at, I will be forced to open up your mind's eye sooner than I had expected."

"Mind's eye? What is that?"

"It's just that an eye that helps us access your inner Innate domain."

"What does that mean?"

"Nothing much, for now, let's spar we will deal with all those things in the future."

"Okay, I am ready for you now, come at me."

"Okay, I am coming prepare yourself, Rae."