Musing

I had never been to Healer Hall before so I should have been lost as soon as I exited the building. But the Jade token that I had been given, the one that identified me as a member of the Sect, came with perks that resolved any confusion. The Qi that I had injected into the Jade had allowed my soul realm to absorb common knowledge that had been stored in the jade's matrix.

A basic map of the Sect. My housing assignment would be enabled once I had completed the initiation process and paperwork. Contribution points. Qi level. Hierarchy of the Sect. And any skills, spells, or equipment I had accumulated were also tracked.

There was also a job's listing that synced with the Sect's message board and tracked those that I accepted and their status. The token didn't completely replace the AI I had come to depend on, but it was an intriguing bit of technology. Dharmic spells and arrays carved into the Jade make it versatile and mimicked some of the functionality of my old Earth cellphone.

As I began my trek back to the testing hall, I forced myself to confront what I had been ignoring. The people I had been speaking with were Elves. I had glossed over the Homo Luriens versus Homo Sapiens etymology earlier. But I had to face the big glowing neon sign at some point. Wherever I was, one thing was certain, I wasn't the Jayden Mitchell that had been born a daughter of Earth.

What the difference between the two species meant, I wasn't sure yet. I knew that Elves had the ability to cultivate, to absorb the World's energies and utilize skills and methods to transform those energies into action. But that didn't have anything to do with racial abilities. That was more a mechanic of the World that I found myself in.

But what it meant to be an Elf? Did we live longer? Only eat fruits and vegetables? Were we slow to breed? And were we the only intelligent species on the planet? I had most of the answers to those questions. My memories easily supplying answers as I made a concerted attempt to know.

The melding of the Jay that lived and grew up in this world knew the answers to those questions and supplied those answers to the Jay that had recently transitioned. We did seem to be merging, the two becoming one, as 'her' memories were able to supply the knowledge that was part and parcel of growing up, something that every child learned at the knees of the parents and teachers.

Elves did live longer, but that was more a reward for cultivation than a genetic trait of the species. All things being equal, an Elf and a Human would have about the same lifespan. Genetic engineering had allowed humans to live at the outside of 500 years, life-enhancing technologies had extended beyond.

Elves could expect the same longevity, even without the ability to advance cultivation levels and realms. The natural process of breathing the air, eating, and drinking introduced enough World energy to sustain a lifespan of 500 years easily.

Those who managed to cultivate and pass to the highest realm were for all practical purposes, immortal. Their ability to harness World energies allowed them to repair cellular damage and maintain their youth and vitality. These individuals would only die if they were slain in combat or killed by beast-tides of immense complexity. Even mortal wounds and horrific damage could be cured and healed if an appropriate alchemical pill was ingested in time.

None of the benefits of my race mattered I was too busy fangirling over the Elf thing. I'd always played one in any game that offered this racial option. There was something about them; their elegance, intelligence, gift for magic, and harmony with nature that had always resonated with me.

This might not be how I envisioned Elves. The entire cultivation thing was more an Asian system than RPG. In my mindset, Elves were druids and rangers. But when I considered that World energy and cultivation were tangible aspects of living in harmony with nature, I was able to concede that it made a certain sense.

As to the rest of my questions? I did enjoy my fruits and vegetables, but Elves were practical people if you were killing beasts, it made sense to utilize and harvest the meat and skin. The meat had more Qi stored in the meat and fat then could be found in cultivated crops. The bones, teeth, and beast core could be used in alchemical, array, and blacksmithing formulas to create items like the Jade token I had been given.

The jade I was using had been bathed in an alchemical formula that used the brain and viscera from level two beasts. Ground beast cores were used to etch the arrays into the jade after the bathing process had softened and made more porous the gem's matric and structure. This softened surface area allowed an array circuitry to be inlaid. The circuit that was partnered with a central jade core, capable of updating and refreshing information stored in the token using sound and harmonics that traveled the currents of World Qi.

The intricacies of breeding and propagation weren't something I was familiar with. I was still considered a child, and my parents hadn't discussed reproduction with me yet. Long-life meant most Elves were slow to mature. Still, family units remained the social construct that tied society together. Children, parents, grandparents, great-grandparents often lived in family groups, sharing multi-dwelling courtyards that could be expanded when needed.

The Elves were numerous, long lives meant a breeding pair could continue to produce offspring for hundreds of years if they were so inclined. Most Elf partners produced a sibling pair once every hundred years.

And there were no other bi-pedal intelligent species on the planet. There was a species similar to dolphins that were as intelligent as the Elves, the Delphina. Confined to the World's oceans, we had no reason to enter into conflict with them. Our interactions were few, more in the nature of trade than anything else.

As cultivators, once we had reached a high enough realm, we could survive even in the deepest trenches of the World's oceans. But there were too few who became that powerful, and there was no real need to war considering the abundance of resources available on the planet's landmasses.

Treaties of peace and cooperation between the Elves and Delphina had existed almost from the moment the two species had encountered each other. Trade was slanted heavily towards the Elves as the Delphina were able to supply fish, pearls, coral, and raw ores and minerals. Elves were able to shape and refine those minerals and ores into usable items for the Delphina. A one-sided trade imbalance, but one neither side was much concerned with.

My feet had been on autopilot as my mind worked to sort memories that were now mine. So, my arrival at the Testing Hall was abrupt, forcing me to abandon my integration of memories. No one had bothered me as I'd walked back to the Hall, it was only when I was about to enter that I was challenged. I had been ignored by others, unaware of their passage, while I had been lost in new memories.

"Hold," I was ordered as a pair of door guards blocked the entrance, "Testing is ongoing, only applicants who have applied to the Sect are allowed entrance."

Bowing respectfully, I offered my token as I explained, "The Elder at Healing Hall informed me that I should make my way to Testing Hall. Testing Elder had left instructions for me to return and complete the examination."

The ease with which they injected Qi to verify my token was impressive. Granted I was newly awakened to my Qi and Dharmic powers, but they didn't appear to be much older.

"The Elder is still in the large pavilion. Testing is about to complete for the first stage, so you haven't missed much. When you enter, please find an area where you can wait without disrupting the final prospective member's awakening.

"You can meditate if you know how. It will help you when you are finally given a Cultivation technique.

"If you aren't able to meditate, simply reflect on the gains that you have made today. The Elder will inform you when and what to do next," the guard stepped aside allowing my entrance as he finished giving me instructions and returning my token to me.

"One thing," he said, watching as I paused to listen to his parting words, "never hand your token over. Contribution points can be transferred between tokens, it is an easy way to be robbed.

"It is best to always keep your token firmly within your grasp. Tokens only need intent and proximity to ascertain identity. Any guard or person who tells you otherwise should be treated with skepticism and reported immediately."