It took five trips to return each of the wounded hunters to Xiwang. I had fed them each an anti-venom and healing pill capable of stabilizing them, but I wasn’t a healer. They would need to be seen by someone more experienced. The pills would be enough to make sure they lived until they could see that person, but they were a stopgap at best.

I needed to see about having a device commissioned that I could strap to Storm, something that could be used as a carrier. She was the size of a bus now and powerful enough that she could have carried the five people in one trip, especially with her control over wind, but there had been no way to secure them safely. As it was, I’d used the silk I stored in pouches to fight with.

I thought I’d check out Dharmic spells in the Sect Library while I was at it. There should be a way for me to surround them in a bubble of Qi or Dharmic energy to transport them. I realized that I had been too focused on techniques that were suited to me individually. As a Baroness, I needed to look for methods that served a more practical purpose.

Once I had returned the last of the missing people to the Hunter’s Lodge and made sure they would be taken care of, I went looking for Siam. I wanted to see if there was a way to farm the spiders for silk. I knew I would need a place to house them, at the minimum, and keep them contained. Housing them in the torc was not an option, and if they couldn’t be farmed and controlled, I would destroy the egg sacs I had harvested.

I found him quickly enough. He was at the Dojo teaching the new Beast Tamer cultivators. He was surrounded by a couple of dozen attentive disciples sitting before him in the lotus position. Their attention was absolute, none of them noticing my arrival.

I didn’t try to hide my presence, but I didn’t want to interrupt him either. I was content to wait and listen to his lecture. I had been so invested in learning pill creation and martial techniques when I joined the Flowing Water Sect that I had never taken the time to attend any of the free and open lectures the Sect offered.

It was interesting to see that the Dojo was already beginning to conform to those practices the Sects used and used effectively. Even before construction was complete and there were gardens and classrooms set aside for that purpose, cultivation lessons were being offered.

“What is cultivation?” I heard him ask as I approached.

“Nong,” he said, drawing the attention of his students to a young woman when no one was volunteered to answer his question.

The young woman stood fluidly once her name had been called before bowing student to teacher. She had blushed in embarrassment at being singled out, but any hint of nervousness was suppressed, her voice lilting and musical when she replied. “Cultivation is the process where one gathers the world energy and converts it into Qi, Sensei,” she answered.

“That is how one cultivates, but what is the purpose of cultivation?” He said, clarifying the question he was really asking.

There were a few whispered exchanges amongst the people attending. I didn’t hear anything remarkable, which wasn’t surprising. Delph Island was not focused on cultivation and advancement. Not like the Empire.

That would have to change, and I had plans to address this problem in my Fief when I had the time to focus on the education supplied to all students. Even if a person would never become a cultivator, they should still understand enough to minimize any offense their ignorance might make.

It was sad that non-cultivators must learn lessons that only worked to create a divide between those who could cultivate and those who couldn’t. But there were too many ‘young masters’ willing to lash out for the slightest grievance. I wouldn’t be able to stop every attack from an entitled young idiot, but I would do what I could to make sure my people were educated enough not to give insult by mistake.

“Cultivation is change,” Siam finally said, answering his own question when the whispering had died down. None of the students had been brave enough or confident enough that they understood what he was asking to take a risk and make a fool of themselves by attempting to answer his question.

That would have to change.

It was better for their growth to make mistakes here where it was safe than sit in ignorance and wait until they explored the world. There were times when not speaking made sense, but those times did not apply to the safety of lessons, training, and classroom.

At least they didn’t apply if the teacher was even halfway competent. And courage would be needed if they wanted to survive the tribulations they would face in their long lives.

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“You have taken the first step on a path that will reforge you, will change you for the rest of your life. You have become more. As you absorb the world’s energy, as your ability to cultivate Qi and Dharmic energy grow, you will change and evolve.

“As you advance, there will be a myriad of changes that affect your body, mind, and soul. Those changes have already started. The matrix that was created by using a gem to protect your Dantian was one of the first changes. And the most significant until you begin honing your body.”

“Sensei Siam,” a young man said, standing and bowing to gain his attention.

“Yes, Yie?” Siam said, permitting him to ask his question.

“What is a matrix, and how does a gem help create one?” Yie asked.

“You haven’t formed your matrix yet?” Siam asked in surprise.

“No, Sensei Siam,” Yie answered with embarrassment.

“Have any of you?” Siam asked, turning to the rest of the students gathered.

I knew the answer, of course. None of the new cultivators had been enhanced—a failing on my part. I had forgotten that gems were required, and matrices needed to be formed. I should have had the Healers perform the procedure long ago, but I had been so invested in finding new disciples I had forgotten this step was necessary.

I would need to repair my mistake quickly. My responsibility was to ensure that the cultivators who had joined me had the resources required to protect their Dantian from shattering.

I sent a quick missive off to Elder Arthit at Four Element Sect, asking him to coordinate with Healer Hall and hire a couple of healers capable of performing matrix melding. I had enough gems stored to offer each cultivator a choice. A few gems had been collected from the jade mine, the rest from the treasure I had confiscated from Chon and his sycophants.

I sent another missive to Na, one of the cultivators I had recruited from the Four Element Sect, asking her about her proficiency with matrix melding. She was a talented young healer that had been happy to join me when I promised her that I would make every effort to find her the resources and healing techniques she would need to advance.

“I’m sure the Baroness has made plans to have your Dantian matrix crystallized,” Siam said, knowing that I was nearby listening. It was nice that he covered my mistake, but he shouldn’t have had to.

I acknowledged that I was going to make mistakes as I set up a new House, Fief, and Dojo. Things would get missed; important events overlooked. I would get better as I gained experience and maturity, but these first few years would be one of growth. And the growing pains that follow that growth. I was only nineteen and had been thrust into a new leadership role; I would hopefully learn with no one paying too high a cost.

“To answer your question, let’s first discuss the crystallization that occurs when forming a matrix and why this is considered the first body refinement you will undergo—the first change of many on your path of cultivation.

“Each of you will be presented with a variety of gems you might bond with. The planet creates these gems, each formed by linking molecules together to form a matrix that is crystalline in composition. The bonds between molecules are compressed and slotted into geometric configurations that can be copied and assimilated.

“A healer will help you absorb the gem you select to rebuild that crystallized matrix within your bodies by destroying the gem and transporting and rebuilding it as a physical shield within your body. This shield will protect your Dantian from shattering, protecting you from losing your ability to cultivate and the ability to store Qi.

“It will be incumbent upon you to trust your instincts when examining the gems the Baroness will offer. Don’t attempt to select the one you think is the most powerful or the most expensive. That can only be harmful to you and how far you progress in the long run.

“Extend your Qi when you are presented with a selection. ‘Taste’ the gems that you can select from and find one that seems to resonate with you. It is an instinctive response, one your Spirit roots and Dantian have evolved to make. Those organs will help you choose. Once you notice them beginning to vibrate in harmony with a gem it finds suitable, you will know the type you should concentrate on.

“After that, it is just a matter of testing every gem of that type you can and selecting the one that seems to most strongly resonate with you.

“Trust your body and your Dantian to know what is best for you. That trust, that intuitive awareness of what you need your body, Dantian, and soul need to progress will remain constant. Depending on those instincts as you walk your path of cultivation will separate the mediocre cultivator from the talented.

“You may be born with the best spirit roots. You may have great elemental affinities. Form a matrix with the most expensive and strongest gem, but if you ignore your body and the flashes of insight you will gain by listening to your body, you will reach a bottleneck that you will never be able to pass,” he warned.

“Too many cultivators that have started out with the best of circumstances have relied on hubris and expectations. They fail to succeed because they believe their heritage is a guarantee. They become lazy, thinking that the gifts they were born with were a promise made. They believe they are blessed and that they are better than anyone else. That mindset will doom them to failure and mediocrity.

“Someone with a Tin Spirit Root, an elemental affinity that seems worthless, and a simple aqua-marine crystalline matrix has the same chance to ascend the Heavens as someone that has been blessed with a better starting point. They will have to put in more time and effort and listen to the demands of their body as they walk their path, but progress is possible.

“Your future really is in your hands. That isn’t a trite expression. You really can reach the highest Realms.

“It won’t be as easy or fast as someone like the Baroness that was blessed with a strong Spirit Root and multiple affinities. But even she will only progress as fast and as far as she does by how much time and effort she puts into cultivating and honing her Dharmic spirit.”