Sun's Closed Cultivation

Sitting on the ground of the spacious cave, Sun was studying two Dao Arts, one a supportive Dao Art, the other an offensive Dao Art.

Currently, he was practising the former.

Light Green Qi danced on the skin of his hands, Sun focused them into the tips of his fingers and began drawing in the air. 

First, drawing a circle the size of a bowl, then drawing the complex image of one hundred pills. Symbols were written around the circle. Finally, small inscriptions were written in each pill--Flesh, Bone, Blood, Organs, or Mind.

The process was meticulous, Sun was writing and drawing in the air with Qi. If something disturbed it, it would cause the image to wash away in a plume of wisps, demanding Sun to start over again.

He also had to constantly instil Qi into the Dao Art to retain the image.

Fortunately, there was no disturbance, but the whole process took thirty minutes to complete the Dao Art.

Next, Sun prepared a bowl to sit under the image and began instilling more Qi into the image.

Dao Arts start initially as images, such as the one Sun created, and Qi is instilled to manifest the effects. 

As more and more Qi was instilled into the image, Sun felt his Qi Core's reserves dropping, but as he did, pills started to form within the Dao Art.

Soon, pitapat sounds echoed within the cave as pills began to drop into the bowl at discordant intervals. The drawings of pills within the Dao Art started to deplete, but not at an equal rate as the creation of pills.

Due to Sun's lack of skill, he was unable to achieve the full power of this Dao Art. 

Soon, all the pills in the Dao Art were depleted, but only thirty-four pills filled the bowl. There were red ones, green and orange ones; pale blue pills and white pills.

This Dao Art was the Hundred Pill Healing Dao Art, created by a wandering doctor who offered pills in exchange for water.

The Hundred Pill Healing Dao Art focused on the mending of flesh, bone, blood, organs, and the mind. However, this Dao Art simply allows such a variety of healing, and not a collective effect.

One hundred pills represent the full effect of the Dao Art's healing, but each pill individually carries one percent of the whole. Sun's thirty-four pills only amount to thirty-four percent of the Hundred Pill Healing Dao Art's full potential, but the effects were further divided between the types of pills.

The type of pill created is reliant on the inscription the cultivator writes on the pill's image.

'Five Flesh Pills, ten Bone Pills, four Blood Pills, seven Organ Pills, and eight Mind Pills'

He divided the initial pills one hundred equally, twenty pills each inscription. Thirty-four pills were successfully created out of the hundred, and the results of each type of pills were not equal. 

Sun sighed as he stood up and neared the silver pool in the centre of this cave.

Dipping his hands into the cool and thick silvery waters, a flood of Qi surged into Sun's hands. 

It only took ten minutes for Sun's Qi to be fully replenished. He sat back down next to his bowl. Unsurprisingly, the pills dissipated, as did the image.

All Dao Arts' effects are temporary, reliant on the Qi instilled into them upon activation to sustain themselves. The image of the Dao Art was drawn with Qi, the pills were constructs created by the Qi instilled into the Dao Art.

"The amount of Pills I am creating is too little compared to the Qi I am expending. If I develop my proficiency, I should be able to overcome this drawback, or I could try and practice a different Dao Art."

"No... at least, I'll continue to practice this Dao Art and learn all the small details. The rate of the Qi consumption needs to be shortened, I should practice on creating the Dao Art more efficiently; twenty-five minutes will be my goal."

"However, I shouldn't focus too much on this supportive Dao Art, I also need to practice this offensive Dao Art. My Qi is replenished, should I continue with this Hundred Pill Healing Dao Art or practice this Golden Arc and Ribbon Dao Art... ahh..."

Sun massaged his temples, feeling 'confusion' and fatigue poking into his mind, he had been practicing this Dao Art for hours now. Most of that time was spent drawing the Dao Art Image to perfection.

He contemplated which to cultivate; Sun knew he needed to practice both in moderation, but with what little time they had, it didn't feel like there was enough time to practice sufficiently.

Immortal Union recruited Dawn and Sun to help defend Union Settlement's subsidiary Mortal Settlements, although the exact time they would be sent wasn't specified; it was likely the same time Selene was supposed to meet Immortal Adamant.

In other words, there was roughly a week until they were drafted to a Mortal Settlement. 

Sun's main concern was divided between his ability to heal and his ability to fight.

He was strong, but he was only a First Foundation Cultivator; most of his methods were 'mundane' applications of Qi. The Dao Arts of a Second Foundation Cultivator were profound and more powerful.

Sun's ability to fight was mundane, as was his ability to heal.

Right now, he has the option to develop his healing methods or offensive methods. However, if he were to develop both, Sun could not tell whether his methods would become proficient enough to aid in their expedition.

He was trying to decide on one.

'I need to be able to heal the injured... I do not want to lose any more people...'

'But if I need to fight, how will I defend my people without combat strength?'

'...'

Sun was still deep in thought, he considered everything that happened prior; fleeing Star Gazing Settlement, losing the people by the river, and being unable to save the people in the mist.

His gaze fell to the floor, his hands holding up his head.

'At the end of the day... I could train my hands to stain blood red, but if people still get injured around me, will those bloody hands save anyone?'

'If I only fight, could I save anyone? But if I were strong, wouldn't I be able to save everyone?'

'I can balance both equally, but if I am lacking in one regard when it is most needed... what can I do?'

'...'

Sun eventually sat up straight and sighed, calmly reaching for one of the books, the offensive Dao Art--Golden Arc and Ribbon Dao Art. He decided to experience this Dao Art first, before creating his priorities.

This particular Dao Art relied on a weapon as a medium. Sun had already prepared a long silver halberd as his weapon.

He inscribed the image of flame onto the halberd's blade and an image of coal and wood on the shaft; this allowed him to feed Qi and sustain both Dao Arts without direct contact with the one on the blade.

Sun assumed a grounded stance, channelling his light green Qi into the shaft, which transferred into the Dao Art on the blade. The silver blade shone a pale beige gold.

Raising the halberd, he brought it down in one clean swing, the blade drawing a clean arc with a golden trail. Light flickered and waned, Sun continued to cut and stab the air with the halberd, dancing with lethal choreography, but also elegance.

This Dao Art was created by a warrior inspired by his wife's elegant ribbon dancing. It required one to carry their body with lethal power but also flexibility.

Meaningless movements wasted energy, and the lack of power rendered it pointless. It was a beautiful blend of art and war.

Golden arcs were drawn in succession, the waning light like a moving ribbon. Each strike could shatter stone, but also seemed to wave like a flag in the wind.

Twisting one's body, propelling the blade successively after swinging it, was tiresome.

After twenty minutes, Sun stopped his dance and sat down. His body wasn't used to these elegant moves, he wasn't very flexible, it felt like the 'dance' was twisting his body beyond its limits.

This was only the initial stage, too.

Each Dao Art has levels of 'Clarity'; Sun's practice would only be at a low level of Clarity.

'The consumption of Qi isn't significant, but the bodily limits--my limits--are very restrictive. Am I that out of shape...?'

Sun placed the halberd down and picked up the Golden Arc and Ribbons Dao Art book, quickly flicking through the pages.

'One of the supplementary Dao Arts modifies the body to become more flexible, I should utilise that in the meantime.'

'Currently, the amount of Qi I am expending allows for the lowest application of this Golden Arc and Ribbon Dao Art. Initially, the light that builds within the blade is expelled as heat, but can solidify into a ribbon-like construct.'

'This ribbon can retain itself as long as the Cultivator supplies an ample amount of Qi. This newly formed ribbon is supposed to be the primary weapon, and not a complement to the halberd.'

He stared at the halberd, watching as the Dao Art images on the blade and shaft dissipated.

'If I ask Lord Immortal Union for a weapon, will he give me one? Dawn has a mystical weapon, If I had one like that, then my combat power would soar!'

'I will continue to practice this Dao Art; most of my time will be given to my offensive and supplementary methods, but I will still commit time to this Hundred Pill Healing Dao Art.'

'Falling Hour should begin at this time, the night has already passed by so quickly...'

Sun stood up. He decided that his time is best spent efficiently. 

Moving to the silver pool again, Sun dunked his hands into the water and replenished his Qi,

preparing to practice his Dao Arts.

...