Liam’s first thoughts went toward weapons. That was what his experience as a hunter told him could shorten the gap between humans and animals’ innate gifts.
However, that was the thinking of a mortal. The Disciplinary Elder had implied that cultivators mainly relied on their Qi to shorten that gap, so Liam had to consider his fighting style and sheer physical prowess to answer that question.
Of course, Liam didn’t really know anything about martial arts, so he couldn’t imagine what kind of abilities they could provide. He had seen the Fiery Fists, so he guessed they fell in the realm of the magical, but his inexperienced mind struggled to picture anything.
Still, when replaying the battle, Liam’s weaknesses became obvious. He needed an attack that could have killed the magical beast without resorting to that risky play or a method to remain safe while wearing it down.
"Something with enough power to avoid limiting my targets to the neck," Liam responded, "Or something that could have brought me to the wolf’s neck without getting hurt."
The Disciplinary Elder had to hold back the additional praise that was about to escape his mouth. He had uttered enough of those, but Liam’s evaluation was indeed excellent, which was surprising for such a young and inexperienced cultivator.
"Quite pragmatic," The Disciplinary Elder commented, "But what if I told you that some martial arts can turn your skin into steel? What if you could spit poisonous clouds due to your core’s nature?"
Liam found it hard to hide his surprise. He already knew that his imagination would have failed him, but that still surpassed his expectations. Moreover, the Elder’s words had highlighted an unexpected, important detail.
"Are martial arts tailored to the core’s nature?" Liam questioned.
"Very few are," The Disciplinary Elder revealed, his expression retrieving its usual stern traits. "Most simply gain the same traits as the user’s Qi."
’So, the Fiery Fists would become Poisonous Fists if I used it?’ Liam considered. ’Or is that one tailored for fire cores?’
"Then there are those involving weapons," The Disciplinary Elder continued, "Also called weapon arts. However, they are harder to perform and often require special armaments, magical weapons, which are exceedingly rare and valuable."
At that point, Liam’s eyes lit up. He had just given up on the thought of relying on weapons, only to be proven wrong.
’Do magical bows exist?’ Liam wondered, his thoughts immediately going to his favorite weapon. ’Would they require magical arrows?’
"Cover yourself and follow me," The Disciplinary Elder ordered, interrupting Liam’s train of thought.
The Elder led Liam back to the Outer Hall, only to descend the stairs on the other side instead of going inside the mountain. There, another path stretched, rising while coiling around the slope, eventually uncovering another part of the Pale Moon Sect.
"Magical beasts, plants, and some minerals grow through the Heavens’ Qi," The Disciplinary Elder explained while walking. "That might happen over time or upon stumbling on special environments rich in Qi."
Liam listened while his gaze wandered over that new face of the Sect. He saw gardens with various plants expand diagonally across the slope. Tall, damaged trunks stood in orderly lines over plateaus carved into the mountain, and a vast, open cave with cauldrons neatly arranged on its floor occupied an even higher, distant spot.
’These must be the other Halls,’ Liam realized. He now knew outer disciples had to use contribution points to attend the lessons there, but he had just figured out where that was.
"As such," The Elder continued, leading Liam even closer to those distant Halls, "They evolve naturally, even gaining peculiar properties and abilities. You were lucky your wolf only had a tough hide."
The explanation was intended to expand Liam’s knowledge and add variables that he should consider when choosing his martial arts. It succeeded at that, partially distracting him from the spectacle that stretched far above the level appointed to the outer disciples.
"Cultivators can’t do that," The Disciplinary Elder pointed out. "We must actively harness nutrients tailored to our cores, but our arts are far superior, hence harder to master and with caveats."
The Disciplinary Elder suddenly stopped in his tracks, turning his stern face toward Liam to speak in a solemn tone. "The greater the effect, the more Qi it will demand, and the heavier it will be on the user. Stories of backlashes ruining cultivators are as plentiful as the stars in the sky, so choose wisely."
And Liam understood. The Qi was magical, but cultivators had limits. The body and core couldn’t endure endlessly. Power demanded mastery and care. The many branches Liam had slammed into during his reckless chase of the magical beast proved as much.
However, what the Elder did next claimed Liam’s complete attention. He slammed his fist on the rocky slope alongside the path, which rumbled and opened, revealing a previously invisible entrance into a narrow, dim chamber.
The chamber had the usual brazier, but shelves with furled scrolls expanded at its sides. There weren’t many. Liam only counted around twenty of those before additional explanations arrived.
"These are the Pale Moon Sect’s rank 1 martial arts," The Disciplinary Elder proudly announced. "Obviously, only partial copies are kept here."
The Elder didn’t explicitly say it, but Liam understood that he could browse around, which he didn’t hesitate to do. That was his chance to fill some of the massive gaps in his knowledge, so he planned to read everything extensively.
’Jade Skin,’ Liam read on the first scroll, grateful for the absence of any complicated word. ’Turns skin into a natural shield. Qi consumption: High. Training: Extreme.’
The scroll only had that general overview, delving slightly deeper into the training that mastering the martial art demanded. It sounded like a torturous conditioning routine, no different from what Liam had endured with the Divine Cult.
The small overview was already quite enlightening, so Liam didn’t hesitate to seize another scroll, finding something he had been curious about. ’Fiery Fists. Specific to fire dantians. Envelops hands in Qi-fueled flames. Qi consumption: Low to Extreme. Training: Easy.’
Liam immediately switched to a different scroll, promptly studying its contents. ’Ghost Step. Generates a sudden, silent acceleration. Qi consumption: Medium. Training: Difficult.’
Needless to say, another scroll swiftly fell under Liam’s gaze. ’Exalted Mind. Sharpens senses and increases sensitivity to Qi. Qi consumption: Extreme. Training: Easy.’
The more Liam read, the more he realized how vast that world truly was. However, something else also stood out.
"Are there no martial arts for poison cores?" Liam asked. The martial arts tailored for specific dantians actually looked non-existent, the only exception being the Fiery Fists.
"No, and for good reason," The Disciplinary Elder stated from the cave’s entrance. "Poison cores are quite rare, and creating martial arts around them is almost always a waste."
"But," Liam muttered, his blinding honesty spiking, "What about spitting poisonous clouds?"
"Why waste Qi when a pill can do that?" The Disciplinary Elder said. "Poison falls under alchemy, and alchemists can rely on their concoctions during a fight."
The reasoning made sense. It fit perfectly with Liam’s upbringing as a hunter, too. Yet, he also couldn’t help but find the matter a bit disappointing. He didn’t really want to wait to learn alchemy to obtain something perfect for him.
"Though I’ll admit," The Elder added, swayed by Liam’s innocent disappointment. "Poison masters are quite feared in the cultivation world. Their methods are secretive and deadly. Few are brave or stupid enough to challenge them."
The Elder had wanted to sound reassuring, and he partially succeeded at that. Still, Liam forced himself to remain pragmatic, suppressing his excitement to search for what he might benefit from immediately.
’All the cool poison stuff is behind alchemy,’ Liam concluded. ’The whole gaining the properties of my Qi probably isn’t as powerful as actual poisons, either, incredible affinity or not.’
The nature of Liam’s core promised great but late rewards, so he wanted something more immediate, something that already played to his strengths and would vastly improve his battle prowess.
And, after going through all the scrolls, Liam settled on something that would do exactly that.
"Disciplinary Elder," Liam called at that point. "I choose the rank 1 Seismic Palm."