Chapter 112: After Perfection

Four days after Montclair officially recognized Joe's first Internal Organ tempering, Serena Montclair arrived at Edwin's house carrying two document boxes and a revised schedule. She introduced herself as the person responsible for coordinating his affairs within the Montclair development program, then informed him that he had missed a physician's appointment.

"The physician examined me after my last cultivation session and confirmed that I'd recovered," Joe explained. "I didn't realize another examination was required so soon."

"That appointment was intended to confirm that your condition remained stable after the initial recovery period. Until the physician records his findings, your file remains incomplete, and the medical office may delay your next cultivation authorization." Serena opened a folder and placed the revised schedule before him. "I've arranged another examination for tomorrow morning. I've also reorganized your appointments so you won't have to visit the same facilities several times on different days."

Joe examined the schedule. His medical examinations, medicine collections, library permissions, and training-room reservations had been arranged for the following month, with the conflicting appointments corrected. She had also included the dates when his resource authorizations required renewal.

Serena appeared only a few years older than him. She wore a well-tailored coat with the Montclair crest near her collar, distinguished by a small branch marking that identified her as a member of a collateral line. Her manner suggested considerable familiarity with the administrative procedures that Joe had spent the past year navigating on his own.

"I wasn't informed that Montclair intended to assign someone to manage my schedule," Joe said. "Has the development office changed its arrangements for provisional candidates?"

"Your recent assessment qualified you for additional support, and that means more correspondence, applications, and appointments. My branch requested permission to handle those matters for you, and the main family's administrative office approved the assignment. I'll coordinate your official affairs, but decisions concerning your cultivation and private arrangements remain yours."

Joe glanced at the branch marking on her collar. "I understand why someone needs to handle the work, but why did your branch request the assignment?"

"Because establishing a relationship with a promising candidate can benefit us later. If your cultivation continues progressing, my branch will already have experience working with you. Even if you eventually reach your limits, I'll gain administrative experience and useful contacts through the development program. We consider that a reasonable investment."

Her explanation suited Joe. He had no objection to receiving assistance from someone whose interests were clear, particularly when the arrangement did not require him to surrender control over his cultivation.

"Then I'd appreciate your help. I've been handling the paperwork myself, and I'd rather spend that time training or studying. I only ask that you consult me before accepting anything that could create obligations beyond the ordinary cultivation arrangements."

"Of course. I'll handle routine applications and correspondence without troubling you, but any agreement involving sponsorship, service, or financial commitments will require your approval. The same applies to invitations you might wish to accept personally."

Serena opened her second box and produced two envelopes that had arrived through Montclair's administrative channels.

The first came from a wealthy household affiliated with the ruling family. Joe recognized the name but had never dealt with its members. The second carried a princely crest, although Serena explained that the invitation came from a household associated with the State Prince's administration rather than from the prince himself.

"The reception will include younger martial practitioners, merchants, and representatives of several affiliated families," she explained. "The organizers want to establish relationships with promising candidates before those candidates become more influential. There's nothing improper about the invitation, but I don't see much immediate value in attending."

"Would either household be able to help me obtain resources unavailable through the annex?"

"Neither has offered anything specific. You might meet people with useful connections, but you'd spend most of the evening making introductions without knowing whether those relationships would benefit you. Since you're already receiving Montclair support, I'd recommend waiting until someone approaches you with a proposal worth considering."

Joe returned the envelopes to her.

"Decline them politely. I'm willing to meet people who can help with cultivation or medicine, but I don't want to spend my evenings attending gatherings merely because someone has taken an interest in my progress."

Serena accepted the decision and made a note for the correspondence office. She spent a little longer discussing his preferred training hours and the amount of notice he needed before medical appointments, then gathered the documents requiring her attention.

With those arrangements settled, Joe returned to the research he had begun after receiving access to Montclair's advanced library collections.

He had mastered Static Foundation and Dynamic Foundation years earlier, but the methods available in Ashbourne differed considerably from those taught at Green Hollow's Talent Hall. Some developed breathing control to an unusual degree, while others emphasized structural coordination, Blood Energy circulation, or the body's ability to distribute medicinal nourishment.

Joe had initially examined the methods for principles that might improve his preparation for Acquired cultivation. The more he studied them, however, the more interested he became in the differences between techniques that had independently reached their recognized limits.

He found several well-established Foundation arts whose practitioners could achieve Perfection without developing the same abilities. A military inheritance offered exceptionally efficient transitions between movements, while a medicinal lineage's method encouraged more controlled circulation through the abdomen. Another technique maintained breathing stability under sustained physical exertion.

Their advantages were genuine, but Joe soon discovered that combining them was not straightforward.

An old commentary written by an Acquired elder examined three prestigious Foundation methods and compared their respective strengths. The author had attempted to incorporate useful principles from each, only to find that improvements in one aspect frequently interfered with the coordination established by another. After years of experimentation, he concluded that the modest benefits did not justify the effort required to obtain them.

He advised his descendants to master a reliable Foundation inheritance and continue advancing through the martial realms rather than spend their best years attempting to improve techniques that already served their purpose.

Joe understood the recommendation. Even talented practitioners had limited time, and someone preparing for Acquired cultivation could accomplish considerably more by directing several years of effort toward the next realm. Those with Spiritual Roots also had to consider the age restrictions associated with Root Kindling.

His own circumstances allowed him to approach the problem differently. One Effort Equals a Hundred dramatically reduced the amount of practice required to develop an unfamiliar skill, and he could investigate Foundation methods without interrupting the cultivation he had already completed.

Joe selected several principles from the methods he had studied and began testing them individually.

He first replaced part of Static Foundation's breathing pattern with a sequence from an Ashbourne military art. The adjustment improved his control during one transition, but the altered rhythm disrupted the coordination of his posture and Blood Energy circulation. Repeating the exercise confirmed that the improvement came at the expense of the complete technique.

A medicinal lineage's circulation pattern produced better results around his abdomen, although the advantage weakened once he began moving. Another method distributed force more evenly through his legs but interfered with the timing required by Dynamic Foundation.

Joe recorded the results and abandoned the unsuccessful combinations. He could understand why their developers had chosen different arrangements, but the experiments also suggested that the limitations arose from the way the techniques coordinated their individual principles rather than from any absolute incompatibility.

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That distinction led him to examine the relationship between his own perfected Foundations.

Static Foundation maintained precise bodily coordination while he held a relatively stable posture. Dynamic Foundation extended that control through movement, allowing the body to adjust its balance and distribution of force as its position changed.

Joe had practiced both for years, but he had always treated them as separate methods. Even after reaching Perfection, he still made subtle adjustments to his breathing and Blood Energy circulation when moving from one technique into the other.

He began by establishing Static Foundation in its perfected form. Once his breathing and circulation had settled, he moved through the opening steps of Dynamic Foundation without deliberately abandoning the control maintained by the first technique.

The two patterns interfered almost immediately.

His breathing adjusted after his weight had already begun shifting, while the circulation established through Static Foundation resisted the new movement. Joe stopped, restored the original posture, and examined the point where his coordination had become unstable.

On his next attempt, he altered his breathing before transferring his weight. The adjustment allowed him to complete several steps without losing the combined state, although stopping created another disruption when his circulation continued responding to movement that had already ended.

He then approached the transition from the opposite direction, beginning with Dynamic Foundation and gradually reducing his movement while attempting to preserve its internal coordination.

The result was more promising, but the technique remained unstable.

Joe devoted the evening to examining those transitions. He adjusted the timing of his breathing, changed how Blood Energy responded to shifts in weight, and tested whether the resulting control could remain consistent through ordinary movements.

Several combinations proved unsuitable. A change that improved his ability to stop sometimes weakened his control when accelerating, while other adjustments required more conscious attention than he could maintain during continuous movement.

He discarded those variations and concentrated on the arrangements that allowed his breathing and circulation to respond before the corresponding physical transition occurred.

Gradually, the disruption diminished.

Joe could now move from a stationary posture into Dynamic Foundation without completely reorganizing his internal circulation. Bringing his body to rest remained more difficult, but he eventually discovered that adjusting his breathing before the final weight transfer allowed the established coordination to continue after he stopped.

He tested the improvement by crossing the room, turning, lowering his center of gravity, and rising again. The combined state failed during the turn, forcing him to repeat the sequence with a smaller adjustment.

By midnight, he could preserve the coordination through several continuous movements and changes of posture. His longest attempt lasted slightly less than half a minute.

The duration was modest, but the experience differed from alternating between the two completed techniques. Static and Dynamic Foundation were beginning to operate as parts of the same system, with breathing, posture, and Blood Energy circulation responding to changes in movement without requiring him to abandon one method before entering the other.

Joe summoned his talent panel to examine whether the development had affected either Foundation.

Static Foundation — Lv.5 / Perfection

Dynamic Foundation — Lv.5 / Perfection

Both entries remained unchanged.

He had mastered the original methods long ago, and his new coordination had not yet developed into a complete technique. Rather than continue practicing without a clear objective, Joe decided to determine whether the combined state offered any measurable advantage.

His first experiment involved a familiar nourishing concentrate.

Joe had used the preparation throughout his martial cultivation and knew its ordinary effects. After consumption, it produced warmth around his abdomen before gradually spreading through the rest of his body.

He measured a small portion and consumed it under his usual conditions, then entered the combined Foundation state.

As he maintained the coordination, Joe regulated his breathing and Blood Energy circulation while changing posture gradually. The medicinal warmth began spreading beyond his abdomen sooner than he normally experienced, reaching his limbs while the effect remained relatively strong.

He ended the exercise when the combined state became unstable and recorded the timing.

The difference was noticeable, but one observation could not establish whether the technique had influenced the medicine or merely altered his perception of its effects. Joe repeated the experiment on subsequent days, using comparable portions of the same preparation.

The results varied slightly, but the warmth consistently dispersed more evenly while he maintained the combined state. A further test using a somewhat different concentration produced a similar response.

Joe compared the observations with his previous experience.

The technique appeared to improve the distribution of medicinal nourishment, although he could not establish whether his body absorbed a greater quantity. Its limited duration also prevented him from maintaining the effect throughout the complete period of medicinal processing.

Nevertheless, the discovery gave his Foundation research a practical direction.

His pharmaceutical experiments had already produced altered residues from damaged spiritual herbs. Although those substances no longer behaved exactly like intact spiritual materials, Joe still lacked evidence that his body could retain or use whatever valuable properties remained.

Improved circulation might eventually help distribute a suitable preparation, but he would first need to determine what the altered material contained and whether it could be absorbed safely.

For the moment, he concentrated on developing the combined technique and studying the relationship between Blood Energy circulation and medicinal absorption.

Several days later, Joe returned to Edwin's house after spending much of the afternoon in the annex library.

Serena had arrived before him and was reviewing a collection of documents at the dining table. Edwin was elsewhere in the house, leaving her to work without interruption.

"Your pharmaceutical purchase limit has been increased," she told Joe as he approached. "The annex approved larger orders within the existing categories, so you won't need separate authorization every time you purchase damaged herbs or ordinary processing materials. I've also checked the conditions on two outside offers."

She handed him the revised purchasing authorization, followed by an invitation from a private training establishment.

The facility offered complimentary access to its equipment in the hope of developing a relationship with candidates receiving Montclair support. Serena had already examined the terms and found no obligations beyond its ordinary rules.

Joe recognized the establishment but had no immediate need for another training location.

"Keep the offer available. I may want to inspect their equipment later, particularly if the annex can't accommodate some of my experiments."

"I'll ask them to leave it open. There's also another request from the household that previously invited you to dinner. They now want a private meeting, although they still haven't explained what they intend to discuss."

"Ask them for details before arranging anything. If they're offering access to medicines or useful commercial contacts, I'll consider it. Otherwise, there's no reason to interrupt my schedule."

Serena agreed and returned the correspondence to her folder. The administrative work proceeded quickly, and Joe was reviewing the new purchasing limits when Edwin entered carrying a letter.

Joe looked up as Edwin stopped beside the dining table.

Unlike the correspondence Serena handled, the envelope was made from inexpensive paper and carried no official markings. Edwin held it carefully, and his expression suggested that he had already read its contents.

"Is that from Blackwood?" Joe asked.

Edwin glanced toward Serena before answering.

She noticed the exchange and began gathering her documents.

"I've finished everything requiring your approval today. I'll leave the revised schedule here and contact you when the remaining applications receive a response."

Joe thanked her, and she excused herself.

Once they were alone, Edwin sat opposite him and placed the letter on the table.

"It's from Simon. He's asking whether Mira can come to Ashbourne and stay with me for a while."

Joe had expected ordinary news from Blackwood, perhaps something concerning the workshop or his family in Green Hollow. A request involving Mira's accommodation was unusual, particularly when Simon had not mentioned any plans to travel.

"Is he coming with her?"

"No. He says he wants to remain close to Green Hollow because your parents, Joseph, Pam, and Mary are still there. Apparently, Mira has been talking about visiting Ashbourne, and he thinks this would be a good opportunity."

"Then why write to you instead of discussing it with me? I'd have helped arrange the journey if they wanted to visit."

Edwin hesitated before turning the letter toward him.

"There's another part of the request. Simon asked me not to tell you about the arrangement until matters in Blackwood have settled. He believes you'll return if you think something is wrong."

Joe examined the final lines of the letter. Simon had written little beyond the proposed visit and his intention to remain near Green Hollow, but his request for secrecy was unmistakable.

His brother had never been particularly careful about expressing dissatisfaction. He often complained about minor troubles and preferred to settle disagreements directly, even when doing so made matters more difficult for himself.

Joe could understand Simon wanting Mira to spend time with her father. He could not understand why his brother would deliberately keep the arrangement from him.

"Has he said that Mira is in danger?"

"No. He hasn't described any threat or reported that someone has been harmed. But I'm concerned about the timing, especially with what's been happening in Blackwood."

"What has been happening?"

"There have been problems involving the Black and Francis families. I've heard about commercial disputes and increasing pressure between their associates, although I don't know whether Simon is involved. His letter makes me wonder whether there's more to the situation than I've been told."

Edwin had maintained contacts in Blackwood through merchants and former business associates, but the reports reaching him were incomplete. He knew that the dispute had worsened without possessing a reliable account of the decisions being made within either family.

Joe glanced at Simon's letter again.

"If he doesn't want me to return, he must be worried about something. I'd rather know what it is before Mira begins a journey that could take several weeks."

"I agree. I'll write to Simon and ask him directly, but I don't know whether he'll explain everything. He was careful enough to keep the reason out of this letter."

Edwin drew his chair closer and gathered the recent correspondence he had received from Blackwood. He explained what his contacts had reported about the growing dispute, separating what they had witnessed from what they merely suspected.

Joe listened without interrupting. None of the reports established that Simon or Mira had been threatened, but Edwin's information did little to explain why his brother wanted Mira away from Blackwood while he remained behind.

When Edwin finished, he left Simon's letter on the table between them.