"The choice of weapons and martial techniques are unique to each person, choices made based on individual interests and abilities," Elder Shadow said as he continued lecturing me. We had walked to Training Hall after my purchase, but instead of the open training arenas, he'd led me to a private workroom. A door that opened into a space much larger on the inside than that out.

"But the secret and difference between a good martial technique and an outstanding one is more than a rating. It doesn't matter that you've chosen a rare Tessen art if you aren't going to put the time in to master that art, to reach the perfection stage of each form. You need these forms to become a part of you, to link the movements to your meridian channels," he explained.

I wasn't sure what he meant by that. I'd never heard of the meridian channels being used for anything other than cultivation. But I wasn't going to interrupt him to have him expand on his explanation.

"Have you wondered why we rank Spirit Roots? Why your Platinum ranking and dual affinities afforded you an instant scholarship and an offer of admission to the Sect?" He asked me suddenly.

I had to admit I hadn't. My parent's hopes and dreams for me had been for me to join Flowing Water, and although this wasn't my real life, Genesis had done an amazing job of integrating me into this life. I remembered growing up, my parent's excitement, the secret discussions, and plans they made when they thought I wasn't listening.

The detailed and exigency plans they had in place, in the event I wasn't recruited by Flowing Waters and had to seek out another sect, were convoluted and were predicated on what elemental affinity I woke. They had been willing to uproot and move the family.

For me.

But even if none of this was real, I remembered a love so fierce, theirs for me, and mine for them, that gave substance to the virtual. Genesis had implanted those memories about my life, and the lives of these people when I'd entered this world. But the technical aspects of virtual reality were superfluous now. I remembered loving them, and those memories had translated. That love was no longer a memory, they were my family.

Period.

"The Sect spends time and effort grooming those members that have higher-ranked Spirit Roots, because of an accidental discovery. Your meridian channels can be programmed, something like what we do with jade slips and tokens. They can be conditioned to follow a set pattern and will react instantly to the triggers you create for them to follow those patterns," he said.

"A Platinum Spirit root opens 78 meridian channels, the number of electrons for that metal," he continued to explain. "But if the only use for those channels was to increase the amount of Qi that you could harness and control, Sects wouldn't be that concerned with recruiting members that had higher-rated roots. With enough training and dedication, it doesn't matter what rank the Spirit root you have, you would be able to train the channels you possess to allow for parity between all ranks.

"What the extra meridian channels allow, are two-fold. You have chosen techniques that will require you to master lightning and ice. Although those elements are closely aligned with the affinities you control, they will never come as naturally to you as cultivators that are aligned with those elements.

"Instead, you can condition your meridian channels, create a bridge that will allow you to cluster together, and train your meridians to automatically form the conditions that allow you to harness these additional elements.

"Instead of trying to create lightning every time you plan on using [Lightning's Rush], you will have formed a nexus of meridians that automatically and continuously use your air affinity to ionize your water affinity and create the lightning you need. Or exert your control over the air to decrease the temperature of water to form a nexus of ice that will continuously allow you to control that affinity.

"This ability to merge affinities, to create and train your meridian channels, is the reason dual elementals with a high tier Spirit Root are so feared and in demand by Sects. You have 78 meridians that you can control. With your dual affinities, you can train them so that you can control lightning, ice, fog, water, and air.

"One other advantage is that you will be able to chain together different elements and infuse them in your martial techniques," he said.

"Do you mean I could use lightning and ice together in an attack?" I asked confused.

"That and so much more," he said.

"I'll give you an example using one of your Tessen forms. [Dragon Sweeps the Tail]. The kata has you leaping into the air and plunging down toward your opponent stabbing him with your weapon in the process. Now imagine this. You use your air affinity when you leap, empowering that part of the form so that you soar higher. Once you reach the apex, you create an ice platform to stand on and give yourself a purchase to make another leap, down this time toward your target. Instead of using air, this time you use lightning to increase speed. Finally, you add an element to your weapon so that when you strike, you do both piercing damage and elemental."

I managed to picture the events as he described them. Realizing for the first time, that my understanding of the Cultivation world had been limited. I had been extremely lucky with both the ranking of my spirit root and gaining affinities with two elements. That happenstance was going to allow me to train in ways that so many other cultivators could only dream of.

I did wonder how someone with only one affinity would be able to train their meridian clusters to mimic what I was going to be able to do. The disparity in strength between two people, both with the same rated spirit root, but one with a dual affinity seemed insurmountable.

But there had to be a way to make up the difference.

"Today, we will begin training your meridians to merge into the configurations that will give you command over lightning, ice, and fog," he said. "You will gain control of all 78 channels and harness the power of lightning, ice, and fog."

I searched the area after his instruction, not finding anywhere that had been set up for cultivation, I decided I might as well sit and take the lotus position where I stood. Once comfortable, I looked up to Elder Shadow waiting for further instruction.

"What are you doing?" He asked me brows furrowed in confusion.

"Aren't we going to be working with my meridian channels?" I asked, my confusion mirroring his.

"Silly child," he scoffed, "do you think you will have time to sit and meditate during a fight? No. We don't use meditation and cultivation to forge your channels into the clusters that will give you control of these new elements. You learn this lesson by doing it!

"Stand up. Arm yourself with your Bow. We will begin with [Water Pierce]. Although this technique will become more complex, for this first step, an application of ice is all that is required.

"The elements of water and air have saturated your body. As you've absorbed Qi and cultivated those aspects have guided the absorption process without conscious thought. Because of where the Sect is located, the Qi that accumulates is high in Water and Air elements. You will be able to cultivate more effectively in this type of environment, keep that in mind when you travel, always be mindful of the environment.

"Elemental affinities mean exactly that. Your body instinctively knows how to gather and use those elements you are aligned with. When you gained alignment with water and air, you became in essence an elemental. A spirit that is able to harness the power of the elements, and bend that power to your will," he explained.

"To create ice, you exert control over both elements, harnessing those affinities that you resonate with, that are part of the fabric of your being. As you exert your will, command, and refine both elements using you Qi to shape and guide. Ice is nothing more than water that is frozen solid. Freezing is nothing more than removing the heat from the air.

"This first time, I will allow you to look inward, to monitor your meridian body. Chose a spot where channels are close, where they pool together into a nexus, and exert your will. Control the Qi that is coursing down those channels try to separate the elements so that only water or air is pulsing with the Qi. Visualize the process of those channels gathering together, of air influencing water. And once you have succeeded, imprint that sequence of events, burn that process into your channels, and make it a permanent part of your meridian body," he finished.

If he was going to let me close my eyes and use my inner sight to do this, why not just let me sit in lotus and enter meditation, I thought? I soon found out. I had enough control and experience by now to look inside and begin the process, given a few moments I would have accomplished the feat. But Elder Shadow had other plans.

As soon as I got close to accomplishing what he'd described, he attacked. Nothing serious. A push. A hip toss that left me sprawled on the ground. Each time my concentration was shattered. Each time he made me begin again.

Over and over for hours. Each bruise, each humiliation seeing me edge closer to success. His training methods were brutal, and I had no choice but to endure. I had long since given up closing my eyes to concentrate; I had been a fool to trust that offer. It was a trap that he had set, a trap that only led to pain. So, in order to succeed, I split my mind into two parts, one part watching and defending myself against his tricks and attacks, the other part slowly making progress.

Until finally, the bow that I had been clenching the entire time, rose in one smooth motion. Naturally, fluidly, and I created my first ice arrow. My first [Water Pierce] was a work of art. But more importantly, it was so very satisfying, as I drew back on the bowstring, equipped with an ice arrow that I had formed, I shot Elder Shadow in the chest.