Hardcore: Qi Worlds Chapter 54: Dawnharbour 7

 Benzhi had a dilemma. Help them, or leave them to rot and get out of Dodge. Now the smart thing to do would be to get out of Dodge. Some, no, a lot of the students were a part of the body that created the mess, that was QWP and Dawnharbour. Even if it was their benefactors or they played a minor role themselves, they were still a part of the regime. If you could call it that.

 But so was Benzhi. He may have gone native. He may want to become a member or leader even, of a newly combined tribe in the Alpine Forest, but he was also a member of the race and organisation which had created this mess in Dawnharbour. Benzhi was torn, he wanted nothing to do with QWP and if he had the required knowledge to protect himself and his people, he would escape the organisation in a heartbeat.

 In the last couple of days, Benzhi went from being afraid of the QWP to a feeling of superiority. He had yet to meet a qi manipulator or master that surpassed him. He was amazed at how crap they were. He had expected to be the beginner amongst an abundance of masters. In those moments, standing in front of the three hundred strong members of the Academy of Dawnharbour, Benzhi had made up his mind.

 The crowd was dead quiet, waiting for him to speak.

 "I cannot teach you qi healing," Benzhi barked. The crowd looked on in stunned silence. Benzhi waited patiently looking at the ground with his head bowed. After three minutes there were a few murmurs, the students and teachers whispered amongst themselves wondering what was happening.

 "Didn't he come here to teach us?" "I dunno, I thought so," or variations with similar meaning was whispered over and over amongst clusters of students.

   After five full minutes passed, Benzhi stood stock still, looking at the ground, not making eye contact.

 Benzhi had a terrible thought. Ever since he had left the Alpine Forest he had done exactly what the QWP had wanted. All their goals were being met, under the guidance of Huineng. But as soon as it looked like he would stray from that path Huineng had advised against it, warning him of the danger. Benzhi liked the old man, but he had fooled him once and after that Benzhi had assumed he was on his side, why? Because he healed the old man and the old man said he would help him.

 But the old man was healed. What was stopping him continue to steer Benzhi in the direction he wanted while maintaining a pretence of an ally, confident and advisor. Benzhi sighed. He had no idea which was true.

 Ten minutes had passed. Benzhi stood stock still in front of the ever more restless crowd, a few students had already stood and left. 

 The Chancellor stood and addressed Benzhi loudly, for all to hear, "you," he said scathingly pointing at Benzhi, "will do as instructed or your superiors will hear about this and today!"

 Benzhi ignored him.

 The Chancellor approached Benzhi, standing right in front of him, opened his mouth to speak.

 Benzhi moved, engaging qi body speed and qi struck, just above the Chancellors shoulder, wind passing his left ear. There was an audible crack although Benzhi had hit nothing except air. The Chancellor put his hand to his ear, his eardrum was damaged, bleeding from the loud sound, it was like a gun was fired next to his ear. He stared at Benzhi in fear, he had not even seen the blow, it just happened.

 "You have been found wanting Chancellor. I suggest you leave. Run, go make your reports." Benzhi informed the Chancellor loud enough for everyone to hear.

 The Chancellor opened his mouth to make a retort and then closed it. Considering his proximity to Benzhi, he turned tail and strode from the Arena in haste. 

 Only when he was a hundred paces away did the coward turn and exclaim, "do not think those white robes will protect you." The Chancellor mumbled more under his breath and left the arena hastily.

 Benzhi waited another five minutes. Then announced.

 "There will be no new skills, there will be no advancement, just hard work, those who are willing to abandon all aids, all schools and start from scratch come down to the floor of the arena."

 Benzhi waited for another ten minutes while a few students came down to the floor of the arena and most of the students left in dribs and drabs. Some students remained, in various states of confusion or just waited in the stands to see what would happen next. They chatted, predicting that Enlightened meant that you were crazy or thought yourself above everyone. Some sat still saying nothing. Some watched Anastasia, she staid quietly by herself waiting patiently.  

 Benzhi engaged qi sight and viewed the students who came down to the floor of the arena. Twenty-four had joined. Takeo, Deng and Keiko were present, determined to see it through no matter the cost. The qi cores of nearly every student willing to abandon everything were average to adept, Benzhi surveyed each and everyone. Of all the students Anastasia was the most talented, in terms of the size of her qi core, followed by Keiko.

 Benzhi considered waiting another four or so hours but gauged it had been sufficient time to weed.

 "Are you stubborn? Are you patient? Are you capable of thinking for yourself? We shall see, " Benzhi addressed the students who come to the arena floor. "If you are not willing to throw away everything you have learnt, up until now, you had best leave, otherwise the training will be impossible." 

 No one moved.

 "I am warning you now. I will be very strict. If I catch you using an aid I will either throw you out of the class or beat you and then throw you out. Leave now if you are not willing to throw everything you have learned and earned away. There will be no more Tigers, no more Bears, Deer or Monkeys or any other school. You are all novices. Worse, you are worse than novices because you have to unlearn what you have learnt." 

 He stared intensely at the small crowd of twenty-four. None moved.

 Benzhi pointed at a Tiger emblem, "remove it and if you can't, get new robes," he said sternly.

 "Everyone, come to the centre and complete the Crane form. If you do not know it, watch," he ordered.

 Fifteen students completed the Crane form, all of them poorly. The Crane was not popular because its Aids were not great. Students who selected Tiger had mastered the Tiger form, but no others, and so forth for each school.

 Benzhi did not yell or scream he merely said, "that was not good. You will all need to practice the full Crane form, you do not even know the full form. When it is mastered we will move on to another form until they are all mastered." Benzhi noticed that they did not complete the full form as Mother had taught him. It was an abridged version.

 He demonstrated the full form. Even though he had not practised them in many days, it came back to him as natural as breathing as he had drummed them in so hard. With experience, trials and enhanced qi techniques, he had improved his performance to a whole new level.

 Deng was crying. Takeo slapped his shoulder, "keep it together."

 "It was so beautiful, I will never be able to do that," Deng said.

 Hearing the exchange Benzhi swooped on him, "you idiot. Nothing good comes easy," Benzhi continued to circle Deng and said, "I was worse than you when I started," Benzhi started conversationally, "you cannot think that you will never be able to do it. You need to practice harder than everyone else more talented than you. Talent is merely a headstart. Hard work makes the master, not talent."

 "Rule number one, no aids, no huds, no stats pages," Benzhi stated and continued, "while you are performing the Crane you will imagine your qi circulating until you can feel it until you can sense it. When you complete these moves," he demonstrated the punches and kicks, "you will push your qi, out of your hand and foot."

 The class began to complete the crane form with various levels of success, attempting to replicate what their teacher had instructed. Benzhi continued to perform the Crane, to give them a point of reference. He closed his eyes and engaged qi sight, he could also sense, through Anastasia and Huineng his surroundings and the students' movements.

  Out of all the students only, Anastasia was pushing qi out of her hands and no one out of their feet.

  Benzhi had them practice the Crane form until sundown. The students gawking in the stands left in during the practice, the monotonous training of one form was boring.

  "Tonight you will meditate on the form, you will run it over and over in your mind, tomorrow you will continue at dawn in the fields outside the arena. You will perfect the Crane form until I arrive and then we will assess your progress," Benzhi ordered his new students.

 He was attempting to mimic the training Mother had given him coupled with his own insight during the process.

 Benzhi went to eat with the old man and Anastasia followed.

 Huineng merely nodded.

 After their meal Benzhi spoke with Anastasia, "you will go back to your dorm tonight. You will act like all the other students."

 He wasn't asking. Benzhi had had enough of pussyfooting around. It was strange, he didn't like the system, but the fact he was given the rank of Enlightened which no other person had attained, had given him the confidence to take charge.

  He had given too much ground to the QWP, running scared of them, no more. No more.

 "I do not have time for your dilly-dallying anymore old man. You will show me everything you know about portals tonight or we will part ways," Benzhi stated.

 Huineng nodded, "what has gotten into you today?"

 "I have new white robes," Benzhi answered, "and a clear purpose."

 Huineng told Benzhi everything he knew of portals that night and showed him what he had learnt in terms of opening a new portal to a new plane. Most of it involved searching for a connection to a Land Core or an anchor of some kind, like their antechamber and wishing a portal into existence. Similar to what Benzhi and Mother had done all those months ago. Huineng had spent years searching before he opened his first portal.

Benzhi studied Huineng under qi sight while he searched for a portal route to his own antechamber from their dormitory, he would have to practice and make an attempt on his own at another time. He needed rest and it was getting late.

  The next morning Benzhi waited for the Seneschal in the Land Core room, out of habit. The Grandmaster never left him unattended when in the room and Benzhi suspected that it had more to do with paranoia about being found out rather than actual responsibility for the Land Core itself.

 After waiting an hour the Seneschal showed.

 "The healing was successful, you were successful," the Seneschal shook Benzhi's hand smiling.

 Benzhi nodded.

 "I heard when you attained the rank of Enlightened. Most unexpected," the Seneschal's eyes narrowed. "I offered a favour if you were successful and I keep my word. Do you have a request or do you wish to save it for a time of need?"

Chapter end