"Interesting. You might develop gills after enough of this. Hard to tell for sure, depends on the exact potency of your line... and this batch looks strong. About a ten percent increase from last time. Congratulations, you're a cultivator."

"That would be... Strange. Great fun especially if I can learn a spell to see clearly underwater, of course. Hmm. I understand that Senior Eight Tails is, what was the phrase, an ascended fox?"

"Kumiho, originally - korean murderous fox spirit. She's chilled out over a few hundred years and is pretty nice. She's one of the founders of the chat group along with Senior Red."

"Huh. If she managed to grow human, I might be able to do - fishy things if I try. Long way off though, right?"

"Most likely to show up in the third rank when you form your Battle Queen Body, yes. It'll be years. Don't worry too much about it."

"Hard not to get excited. Thank you for having me over - I think I'm about ready to get out of your hair but please keep me in mind if you need errands more than what Black Cross can do."

"That's fine. Make sure to ask in the chat about starting your Hundred Days' Foundation Building - and I have a stock of a hundred qi and blood pills for you to take home with you."

"-Thank you! I'll definitely do that, and pay you back some day. Not that I'm rushing to leave, either, I just figured you have work to do and I'm underfoot."

"Don't mention it, it's standard for seniors to give new juniors gifts to help with their initial cultivation. This is small potatoes for me."

She's polite all the way out the door and carefully puts the bottle of qi and blood pills away.

Then, she posts:

Took Winter Rose's body tempering elixir and didn't die!

Congratulations on not dying! @Starlight, think this is an occasion for Canadian Fist?

Sounds like it. Abyssal Bride, check your DMs.

There's a file. Looks like a Powerpoint presentation?

Phone can't read that, I'll check it out when I get my laptop open. Canadian fist?

It's a radical new foundation-building technique put together by the seniors of the group. Primarily me. It's based on a variety of international sources to supplement the original Chinese path, ranging from Hermeticism to Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. It's a thoroughly modern cultivation path, and while that means it's untested it also means it could be a lot better than traditional methods. Black Cross was our first test case.

I could give you Precise Fist if you wanted a less radical alternative. That wouldn't come free though.

:thinking:

This sounds like a very important decision. What exactly is a foundation building technique?

Actually how does foundation building even work? I know I have to open my sense apertures...

You're getting a little ahead of yourself.

Foundation building techniques are the cornerstone of your style going forwards. So yes, this is important. They are ways you refine Qi and Blood through physical and mental training - martial arts and focus meditation, most commonly. 

First you must make about three hundred strands of qi and blood and fuse them into your Heart Aperture in order to open it. That's the Hundred Days' Foundation Building. After that you proceed to your remaining sense apertures - Eyes, Nose, Ears, and Mouth, Heart does touch - and then you perform Fish Leaping Through The Dragon Gate to complete the rank. Is that fairly clear?

I think so. Thank you for clarifying.

I'm going to think on it but my gut is leaning towards using Canadian Fist since I'm already in everyone's trust, and I am not exactly a traditional cultivator.

It does have the advantage of being cheaper.

Oh hush, Heiress. You know I've put a century into this. Let me have my trials.

It just hasn't worked out for Black Cross so far.

Hard to judge since she doesn't have amniotic qi. Given that her progress is strong.

As you say, Senior.