Chapter 125: The Price of Success

Joe's Innate Transformation had reached 12.91%, but his latest experiments revealed a limitation in his method. Distributing the transformation had prevented serious imbalance, yet many altered regions remained separated by mortal tissues. He began selecting new targets according to how they supported existing transformations, concentrating on the structures connecting circulation, movement, and force transmission. The work required more preparation than transforming whichever region responded most readily. Several questions remained unanswered in the Greyspine manual, making Montclair's restricted research particularly valuable. Joe continued experimenting while Serena pursued his library application.

Several days later, Ferrow delivered the samples Joe had requested following their earlier investigation into the imitation medicine. He brought seven bottles purchased through different South Market merchants, together with the receipts and available supplier information.

"The merchants are still claiming their preparation uses the same principle as ours," Ferrow reported. "They're charging considerably less, and some customers have started questioning our prices. I've also collected complaints about inconsistent results, although nobody has reported serious lasting harm."

Joe examined the bottles beneath the workroom light. Their contents resembled his commercial tonic, but the differences in color and sediment suggested considerable variation between batches. He retained the samples and spent the following two days examining their medicinal properties. The producers had successfully recovered nourishment from damaged spiritual materials, but their treatment left traces of the materials' original attributes. Those characteristics differed between samples, explaining why some customers received satisfactory benefits while others experienced discomfort or little improvement.

When Serena visited the workroom, Joe showed her the findings. "Their preparation works, but they haven't neutralized the original attributes consistently. The remaining characteristics affect how practitioners respond, and the results vary between batches."

Serena examined the measurements before asking whether the competing producers could correct the problem. Joe considered that likely, since their current method already recovered useful nourishment. They lacked the consistency of his process, but nothing suggested their understanding would remain at its present level.

"Then we shouldn't build our business around the assumption that their medicine will always be inferior," Serena concluded. "We have established trials, reliable production records, and physicians who can confirm the effects of our preparation. I'd rather strengthen those advantages than begin arguing with merchants over whose medicine is better."

Joe agreed and established an additional inspection for residual attributed energy, which Maren could perform without learning his complete alchemical process. Serena introduced numbered seals linked to production records and standardized the observations collected from participating physicians. Ferrow then instructed his merchants to emphasize the documented reliability of their tonic rather than criticize the competing preparation. The imitation continued selling, particularly among customers who valued its lower price. Ferrow's regular buyers, however, had stronger reasons to trust an established supplier, and the business maintained its position without making unsupported accusations.

Joe added the findings to his medicinal records. The competing preparation demonstrated how incomplete processing could leave a medicine both useful and potentially harmful, depending on its composition and the practitioner's condition. Having identified the technical problem, he left the commercial response to Serena.

During his recovery periods, Joe continued practicing calligraphy. His brushwork had reached Perfection some time earlier, and additional repetition no longer improved its technical accuracy. He could reproduce complicated characters with consistent proportions and precise transitions, but his attempts to express personal feeling through the writing remained uneven.

Occasionally, a passage possessed a quality absent from his ordinary exercises. The characters were no more accurate, yet the finished work seemed to communicate something beyond their literal meaning. Whenever Joe tried to reproduce that effect deliberately, however, the result became artificial.

One afternoon, he visited Master Deren with several examples. The older Qi Refiner examined the pages carefully, comparing two versions of the same passage before returning them.

"Your control is already excellent, and I couldn't improve the construction of these characters without imposing my own preferences," Deren observed. "But you're adjusting the strokes because you want the writing to produce a particular impression. Those decisions are too apparent, and together they interfere with the natural expression of the work."

Joe examined the passages again. "I've noticed that the results sometimes improve when I stop concentrating on individual strokes, but I can't reproduce that quality consistently. I thought greater control would eventually solve the problem."

"Control brought you this far. Beyond technical perfection, you must understand what you want to express and allow the brush to follow that intention. If you continue arranging every stroke to achieve a predetermined effect, you'll produce technically excellent writing without necessarily reaching the next attainment."

Joe had suspected something similar, although Deren's explanation helped him identify why his recent practice had produced so little improvement. He asked whether the older man had reached Return to Nature himself.

"No. I've practiced calligraphy for many years, but that attainment remains beyond me. Cultivating qi doesn't make someone a master of every art he studies, and there are accomplished Qi Refiners who spend their entire lives practicing calligraphy without reaching Return to Nature."

Deren selected an old reference volume from a nearby shelf and showed Joe a passage discussing exceptional calligraphic works.

"According to these records, those who achieve Return to Nature can preserve their intention within an inscription. Someone examining the writing may experience emotions that the words alone cannot explain. More remarkably, certain inscriptions gradually gather spirituality from their surroundings. The accumulation is slow, but preserving such a work for generations can make the surrounding environment more favorable for spiritual development."

Joe examined the passage with greater interest. Such an effect would make a genuine inscription valuable far beyond its artistic merit, particularly to families hoping to improve their descendants' cultivation opportunities.

Deren turned to another section before Joe could ask about the difficulty of producing one.

"There's a reason these works are rare even among those who have reached the attainment. Creating a genuine inscription consumes considerable soul strength, and that expenditure isn't easily replaced. The records describe masters who needed extended recovery after completing demanding works. Some produced only a handful of such inscriptions throughout their lives."

Joe asked whether the process required spiritual energy, since Deren had described effects associated with spirituality. The older man explained that these inscriptions differed from talismans. Their unusual properties arose from the calligrapher's artistic attainment and intention rather than the deliberate manipulation of spiritual qi.

"Don't concern yourself with producing one yet," Deren advised as he returned the volume to its shelf. "Your technical foundation is excellent, but you still need to approach writing without treating expression as another exercise in control. Choose something you genuinely care about and allow the work to develop from there."

Joe thanked him for the guidance. Before leaving, he purchased several sheets of suitable paper and a mounting scroll after mentioning that he wanted to prepare an inscription for his family's new house.

His parents had nearly completed the construction, and Joe had been considering a gift for the main room. He initially examined several conventional blessings associated with new houses, but none expressed quite what he wanted.

The family had spent years improving its circumstances through farming and careful spending. Their new home represented a considerable achievement, yet its importance extended beyond additional rooms and better furnishings.

Simon spent much of his time away on guard duties, while Joe had established his life in Ashbourne. Mary was also developing interests beyond Green Hollow. The family's circumstances had improved, but its members were gradually spending more time apart.

Joe eventually selected a simple inscription wishing safe returns to those who had left home.

He prepared the paper and wrote the characters carefully. The first attempt satisfied every technical requirement, but the finished inscription resembled another formal exercise. He tried again, adjusting the strokes to convey greater warmth, only to find that the deliberate changes made the work less convincing.

Joe put the sheets aside and returned to cultivation. During subsequent recovery periods, he reconsidered Deren's advice, gradually recognizing that he continued concentrating on how the characters should appear rather than what he wished to express.

He knew what he wanted his parents to understand. The new house would provide greater comfort, but more importantly, it would remain a place where their children could return regardless of where their lives took them.

Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.

One evening, after completing his cultivation records, Joe prepared another sheet. He wrote the same inscription without consulting his earlier attempts, allowing the brush to follow the meaning of the words rather than deciding in advance how each character should convey a particular feeling.

His hand moved naturally across the paper. The strokes retained their precision, but Joe no longer separated their execution from the intention guiding them. By the time he completed the final character, the inscription possessed a coherence absent from his previous attempts.

Joe set down the brush and examined the writing. As his attention settled on the characters, memories of Green Hollow returned with unusual clarity. He remembered the familiarity of home, the concern that accompanied long absences, and the reassurance of knowing his family would welcome him back.

The feeling remained even after he shifted his attention elsewhere. When he examined the characters again, the same emotions returned without requiring him to recall the memories deliberately. The inscription appeared to preserve something of the intention he had carried while writing it.

Joe opened his panel and found that Calligraphy had reached Return to Nature.

He had achieved the union of intention and technique that Deren described. The finished writing retained an emotional quality beyond its literal meaning, allowing someone who examined it to experience something of the feeling behind its creation.

Joe then considered the cost. During the writing, he had sensed a faint expenditure beyond ordinary concentration, followed by a brief reduction in his mental vitality. However, his soul activity had increased considerably, and the expenditure had barely disturbed him. He remained alert and could detect no significant impairment after resting.

Deren's account suggested that another calligrapher might have experienced considerable exhaustion from producing the same inscription. Joe could not determine the exact amount of soul strength he had consumed, but his increased soul activity appeared to have made the expenditure much easier to withstand.

He also remembered the records describing how such works gradually gathered spirituality from their surroundings. He could not detect any immediate accumulation, nor did he know how quickly the effect might develop. Nevertheless, his successful breakthrough gave him reason to believe the inscription possessed the potential Deren had described.

A household that preserved such a work might gradually benefit from a more favorable spiritual environment. The improvement would not guarantee that anyone developed a Spiritual Root, but it could provide better conditions for future generations.

Joe had intended to prepare a personal gift. The finished work now held greater value than he had anticipated, particularly because the family could preserve it long after the original occasion had passed.

He allowed the ink to dry and arranged for the inscription to be mounted. In the accompanying letter, he explained that he had written it for the new house and asked his parents to protect it from moisture and direct sunlight. He made no mention of Return to Nature or its unusual properties.

Joe entrusted the original to a reliable merchant traveling toward Blackwood, intending it to remain with his family as an heirloom. He did not inform Deren of his advancement or attempt to produce additional inscriptions. The older man's guidance had been useful, but announcing such a rare attainment would attract attention without helping Joe's immediate cultivation.

Meanwhile, his Innate Transformation progressed as he directed subsequent changes toward the structures connecting existing transformed regions. The improved arrangement allowed several regions to support one another through circulation and force transmission, although every successful transformation still required careful preparation and recovery.

By the time Serena returned with news about his library application, Joe's progress had passed eighteen percent.

She arrived carrying an administrative notice rather than the authorization Joe had expected. "Your application hasn't been rejected, but the committee can't approve it at present. The chairman responsible for authorizing access to the core collections traveled to the royal capital before your request arrived. The remaining members can process ordinary applications, but they lack the authority to approve the research notes you want."

Joe examined the notice before asking when the chairman would return. Serena explained that the committee secretary had not received a definite schedule, although the chairman was expected back once his business in the capital was complete.

Joe remembered the kingdom's geography from the maps he had studied years earlier. A common route to the royal capital crossed more than twenty states, many covering enormous territories. Traveling that distance by ordinary roads could consume many months, particularly through regions with limited infrastructure.

"If he's traveling by road, the journey alone could take most of a year," Joe observed. "Does the committee intend to leave those collections inaccessible throughout his absence?"

"He didn't travel by road," Serena explained. "The chairman accompanied an official delegation that received authorization to use one of the royal aircraft. The journey is considerably shorter that way, although his return depends on the business he's attending."

Joe had encountered motorcars and specialized industrial machinery since reaching Ashbourne, but he had never seen an aircraft operating in the state. He asked whether ordinary travelers could purchase passage.

"Not here. The royal family controls the aircraft available in this state, and ordinary travelers can't simply buy tickets. Some prosperous states have commercial services, though. Merchants and other private travelers can use them, provided they can afford the fares."

Joe considered the difference. He already knew the kingdom's regions varied enormously in wealth and infrastructure, but access to aircraft demonstrated how sharply those differences affected travel.

"Does the kingdom manufacture them?" he asked.

"Not as far as I know. Most advanced machines arrive through the capital, and the wealthier states receive more of them afterward. I've heard that some suppliers come from beyond our world, but I don't know who manages those arrangements or how the equipment reaches us."

Serena knew which officials could arrange passage and which families possessed expensive imported equipment, but the technology's origins lay outside her responsibilities.

Joe had already encountered historical evidence of travel beyond their planet, so the existence of imported machinery did not surprise him. The information helped explain the uneven development he had observed: prosperous regions could acquire advanced equipment and maintain the infrastructure necessary to use it, while remote states depended more heavily on older methods.

He returned to the pending application. "If the chairman traveled by aircraft, the distance isn't the problem. We'll have to wait until his business in the capital is finished."

"I've asked the secretary to inform us when she receives a definite schedule," Serena replied. "I've also inquired whether another official could authorize supervised access to part of the collection. She couldn't promise anything, but she'll raise the request with the committee."

"Keep the application active. I don't need unrestricted access if they can arrange permission to examine the research notes. A smaller collection would be sufficient, provided it contains material relevant to Innate transformation."

Serena agreed to pursue the alternative. Joe had hoped to obtain the research sooner, but he could continue his experiments while the committee considered its options.

Over the following weeks, he refined the order in which he transformed neighboring structures. Some attempts failed because the surrounding tissues could not support the intended change, while others succeeded after he adjusted the circulation and prepared the relevant regions together.

His transformed tissues gradually developed more effective connections, reducing some of the strain caused by their different responses. The process continued consuming substantial energy, but better coordination improved the results of successful sessions.

Several weeks later, Serena returned with another letter from Montclair. This time, the main-family office had reviewed his sponsorship arrangements after her request for alternative library authorization reached officials responsible for restricted cultivation resources.

"They've examined whether our current arrangement provides enough authority for your future needs," she explained. "The main family believes your development now requires someone who can deal directly with senior officials rather than submitting requests through my branch."

Joe opened the letter and read the recommendation. Montclair's main family proposed assigning Marcus Montclair, a main-line member experienced in managing cultivation projects, to replace Serena as his principal representative. The document acknowledged her successful administration but argued that Joe's increasing requirements justified appointing someone with broader authority.

"Have they already decided to replace you?" Joe asked.

"No. They want your response before formalizing the appointment. Marcus can arrange access to senior physicians, specialized facilities, and restricted cultivation resources more efficiently than I can. He also has direct channels to officials who handle applications such as yours."

Joe examined the responsibilities listed in the letter. The additional authority would be useful, particularly while his library application remained delayed. However, replacing Serena would also disrupt the arrangements she had established over the previous two years.

"Have they identified any problem with your management?" he asked.

"None. They've reviewed my reports and the business accounts, and they appear satisfied with the results. Their concern is that your future requests may require decisions my branch cannot authorize." Serena placed her copy of the letter on the table. "I understand why they want someone from the main line involved, but I don't agree that replacing me is the only solution."

Joe considered the responsibilities involved. Serena coordinated his cultivation schedule, physician appointments, business correspondence, Ferrow's supply arrangements, and the administrative procedures required to obtain ordinary resources. Marcus possessed authority she lacked, but assigning him those responsibilities would require him to learn an established operation before producing any improvement.

"Do you want to continue managing my affairs?" Joe asked.

"Yes. I've spent considerable time establishing these arrangements, and they're functioning well. But Marcus has advantages I can't provide. If your cultivation requires direct access to senior family officials, he can accomplish certain things much more efficiently than I can."

Joe appreciated her willingness to acknowledge those limitations. The letter described a problem of authority rather than competence, and replacing Serena would address only part of it.

"Then I'd like to meet Marcus before responding," he said. "The family wants someone with greater authority involved in my development, which may be reasonable. But I don't see why obtaining that authority requires removing the person already handling everything else."

Serena considered the possibility. "A division of responsibilities could work, provided Marcus accepts it and the main family approves. He could handle matters requiring senior authorization while I continue managing your ordinary affairs. We'd need clear responsibilities to prevent conflicting instructions."

"That's something we can discuss with him. I want to understand what he intends to contribute before approving or rejecting the proposal."

The letter allowed ten days for a response. Serena agreed to arrange a meeting and prepare an outline of her current responsibilities, together with the requests that exceeded her authority.

After she left, Joe returned to his cultivation records. His public Acquired realm advancement had given him grounds to request Montclair's restricted research, but gaining access required more than meeting the cultivation requirements. The proposed appointment might provide a solution, depending on what Marcus could offer.

That evening, Joe completed another transformation session and examined his panel. Innate Transformation had reached 23.64%. Several transformed regions now supported one another more effectively, allowing him to identify further changes that could improve the body's overall coordination. He recorded the results, selected his next targets, and continued preparing for the following session while Serena arranged the meeting with Marcus.