"Third Elder Cix," Tarrah said greeting the man, bowing deeply and motioning for me to do the same. I had no idea who he was or where this Elder stood in the Sect hierarchy, Third Elder seemed like a title, it would make sense for him to hold the position after the Sect Patriarch and Sect Head. Regardless of his rank, the title had little real meaning to me. But he was an Elder and deserved my respect no matter how highly placed he might be. Deciding it was better to err on the side of caution when offering my obeisance, I performed the bow reserved for those most esteemed people.

Elder Cix chuckled at my actions forcing me to maintain control, I wanted to peek at his face, hard to do when your body is bent in half and your head is touching your knees, thankfully he moved to the side behind a desk that had been positioned to greet those that entered the building so he didn't seem to notice my curiosity or my head briefly raise as I tried to measure his reaction.

"Tarrah," Third Elder chided her gently, "I have repeatedly reminded you that bowing is not only unnecessary it is unseemly, a display for those that have not moved beyond worldly pursuits. I hope you don't plan on teaching your mentee such bad habits."

"No, Third Elder," Tarrah replied not in the least embarrassed, and obviously not in the least planning to follow the prohibitions Third Elder had endlessly reminded her about. I wasn't sure why she insisted on showing almost filial respect to the Elder, but I would take my cue from her. I thought it possible that his authority reached far past the walls of the libraries he considered his domain, or he really was the persona he projected, the image of the benevolent saintly Elder.

"Introduce us," the Third Elder said, realizing he was not going to win this battle of wills. Holding my bow for the amount of time it took to take three breaths, I was finally able to rise and face the Elder.

"Third Elder, I present Outer Sect novice Jai Myche. She has awakened Platinum level spirit roots. Her elemental alignment includes dual affinities, both water, and air. And she had internalized a crystal matrix patterned after a flawless Ruby. Her choice of secondary profession has been accepted; she wishes to focus on Pill formation. Master Tye has given approval and will consider accepting her as a Core disciple if she displays any talent both with cauldron skills and pill formation."

The introduction was much more formal than I'd expected. I thought the simple sharing of names would be suitable, but she wasn't just introducing me as an acquaintance, she was presenting me, and a cultivator was known by their talents. I wasn't just Jay; I was the sum parts of my Qi talents. Presented in this manner, the Third Elder would have enough knowledge about me to guide our selection.

His knowledge concerning the contents of the library was supernatural, he was intimately familiar with every scroll, technique, and jade slip that had entered this building. Because his memory was eidetic, he didn't need to use a soul tool to search library indexes or browse synopsis.

Once the Third Elder was appraised of my specific foundation, he became reflective, his mind turned inward as he began sifting through the vast store of information contained within his soul realm. Every book, scroll, paper, or jade talisman that had entered his domain was included within that soul realm, it was how he made use of his prodigious memory.

"Bear with me for a moment," Elder Cix asked. "I believe there are a few possibilities that you might consider. Cultivation techniques that should merge nicely with your specific Spirit roots and affinities."

I watched as he closed his eyes and turned his attention inward, searching for a technique that he remembered storing. He hadn't read them all, even for him that was an impossibility, but he was able to categorize them and sort them by type based on the synopsis that had been included with titles.

His eyes moved rapidly behind his closed lids as he began examining and searching the different combinations and permutations of cultivation manuals that the library had collected, looking for something that was tailored toward my unique constitution.

"There are two Cultivation manuals that seem most suited for you," the Third Elder said after ten moments of self-reflection.

"The first may appear a strange fit because you are interested in Pill creation, and this method has little to recommend for advances in Dharmic abilities in the beginning stages. Instead, it focuses more on body tempering than soul stabilization. Cascading Porpoise Tribulation is a heavenly ranked cultivation technique. It allows you to build an exceptional foundation and meshes shamelessly with almost all movement techniques and martial Qi you will decide to concentrate on. But it relies heavily on your water element, barely touching on air.

"The second technique has a more balanced approach but leans more heavily on techniques that enhance Dharmic spells and soul energy. Transcend the Heavenly Footpath has a much smoother progression, the leveling curve incremental and stable. It also has the benefit of being a celestial ranked cultivation technique, which means that there would never be a need to find a supplemental technique in the future to progress past the Immortal realm.

"Both techniques are suited for you, both will blend with your air and water affinities, and your Platinum spirit root will allow you to withstand the pressures your soul will be forced to endure in order to absorb and circulate either technique," Third Elder explained. "You just need to decide if you would prefer to focus on martial techniques or Dharmic spells."

My immediate instinct was to go with the second technique. It seemed to be more suited to my long-range plans, especially if I factored in Pill creation. But there had to be a reason Third Elder had listed that technique as the second choice. I wondered what the downside or trade-off was if I began cultivating it. And I wondered if I would be breaking some sort of Sect social restriction if I questioned the Third Elder to get more information.

I was lost in thought, trying to apply logic to the unknown. The conundrum was too similar to the Schrodinger cat theory. The celestial technique was both safe and unsafe until I selected and began practicing. It was only at that point that the truth would be revealed.

My mind began spinning out of control, deductive reasoning did not apply or help me find an answer, I didn't have enough information or evidence to arrive at an opinion. Inductive reasoning wasn't the solution either, I didn't have enough understanding to construct a solution. Finally, I realized that if logic was not going to help me solve my quandary, then instinct and gut feeling were what I had to go by.

I had decided that the only thing I could do unless Third Elder was willing to supply more information was to go with my initial gut response and to choose, Transcend the Heavenly Footpath method.

Third Elder had been observing my internal debate, noticing my concern his question dispelled any doubts I had about Sect social norms and questioning the Third Elder for more information.

"You have a question?" He guessed. "Ask."

"Transcend the Heavenly Footpath seems the obvious choice. It is a balanced technique, that would mesh well for me, and requires no adaption or supplementary technique at the higher realms to continue advancing and breaking through. Yet, you presented it as a second choice. I wonder if Third Elder can share his thoughts on why this technique might be rated lower than Cascading Porpoise Tribulation despite the disparity in rank?" I asked after a bit of hemming and hawing before finally getting to the point.

"Interesting," he said, looking at Tarrah to confirm that she was aware of my question and his opinion that he was delighted that I'd had the fortitude to ask it.

"Heavenly Footpath is the better technique and I would have suggested it as your first choice if not for one variable. The impact on your body if you make a mistake. In the event that you vary the Qi cycle by even the smallest tangent, there are severe consequences. Qi circulation for this method is unforgiving and exacting.

If you lose focus while channeling, you can severely damage your meridian network requiring weeks if not months of rest to restore those channels to health.

"With Cascading Porpoise, if you are tired or make a mistake in circulating your Qi you may, at most, need to take a Qi soothing pill to heal bruised meridian channels. There would be no break in cultivation required like Heavenly Footpath.

"If you are organized, methodical, and detail-oriented, I would recommend Heavenly Footpath. If your mind tends to wander or you are easily distracted, Cascading Porpoise is the safer choice."

"Be honest. Most people have an inflated sense of self. That would not serve you well here. If you don't have the type of personality that enjoys order, then admit it and select the safer cultivation technique."