Murim Recurve

Chapter 101 - Transforming Into A Bisheen

The comprehension session involving an element was simply understanding the workings of the said element. When comprehending the water element, Re'Kha grasped its functions, trying to understand its nature.

The way water existed, interacted with different substances, changed and travelled, the way it allowed fishes to live within, and finally, the way it interacted with the other elements. Only when she understood it would her comprehension of the water element increase level by level.

The moment a Harmoniser was initiated by a cultivation technique, they would naturally gain comprehension of the elements brought about by the cultivation technique to the first level. Therefore, when they consumed a Prana Stone after that, they would obtain one unit of Elemental Qi.

In her case, when she was initiated by her Clan's cultivation technique, Grappling Water, she had comprehended one unit of the water element. After that, when Re'Kha consumed a Prana Stone, one unit of Water Qi started to circulate within her meridians.

That was why, once she was initiated into the cultivation technique created by her master, Mist Banyan, she immediately obtained comprehension worth a unit of wood and wind element.

Typically speaking, it was better to comprehend an element in its natural habitat. So, for comprehending the water element, the best option was to comprehend it by sitting in contact with a river, followed by a brook and a pond.

But, in such cases, the efficiency wouldn't be high. For, there would be other elements affecting their comprehension. The air would have Wind Qi, the ground would be filled with Earth Qi, and any trees beside would be filled with Wood Qi. They would affect the Water Qi within the flowing water.

The best way to comprehend an element was through the Elemental Qi perception. This was the only way available to perceive the profundities of an Elemental Qi. Therefore, when someone tried to perceive Water Qi, they would see a lot of blank spaces. This meant they weren't fully seeing the extent of Water Qi they were capable of perceiving.

It was a reduction in efficiency, with the maximum efficiency being in an environment filled with Water Qi all around. Something like this was only possible underwater, but none of them could survive there for more than a few breaths.

Moreover, being underwater alone wasn't enough. The concentration of Water Qi within the water was also of prime importance. This was why every water element Harmoniser looked forward to the Peak Water month. Similarly, the Harmonisers from other elements looked forward to their respective months.

There were 12 months in total, divided into four seasons: Water, Fire, Lightning, and Metal. Each season had three months, with the conditions of the respective Elemental Qi growing in the Early month, achieving its peak concentration in the Peak month, and waning after in the Late month.

Every month had 30 days while the Peak Elemental months had 31 days each. Finally, between Late Fire month and Early Lightning month existed a day where all four elements were in harmony, labelled the Day of Equity. It was a festive day.

Currently, Re'Kha felt as if she was climbing up the bark of a great tree as she sensed the tremendous vitality flowing within it. She experienced its sturdiness and its unrelenting growth in the face of adversity.

She saw a fruit fall to the ground; the pair of leaves on it acted as its wings that reduced its momentum during fall. Even then, when it fell on the ground, the pulp within slowly dried up as it was covered by the dirt.

Soon, a sapling grew from within, sprouting out of the ground as it began to grow. Re'Kha passively experienced everything, feeling as if she had become one with nature. It was like she had become the sapling that grew out of the ground, slowly growing into a great tree.

She was getting immersed into the comprehension session further and further when Re'Kha felt intense pain emanate from her heart, disrupting her focus as she returned to her senses in reality, feeling something odd about her.

She felt intense power ripping through her body while her stature had grown taller and bulkier. Covering her skin was a smoothened-out tree bark while her head had become pointy. All the hair on her body had fallen out while a thin tendril grew out of her elbows. It was like a tree's sapling, possessing similar structural rigidity and elasticity.

The bed she was on creaked as Re'Kha shifted her weight. Her bulked-up size was struggling to stay within her clothes that had shrunk now. The seams were ripping off as the size of her body continued to increase.

'This appearance!' Re'Kha was shocked for a moment, for she was twice her previous height now. Just by comparing herself to the items in the room, Re'Kha calculated the growth spurt. There was a pain in her heart at the start that had subsided now.

But, upon every breath she took, Re'Kha felt something closing in, something dangerous that would permanently change her with no scope of reversal. She clenched her fist, surprised at the sheer physical power brimming within, "So, this is how a Bisheen looks."

She returned to the base state in her cultivation technique, sensing her surroundings turn dark, no longer able to see. She felt her body shrink as the clothes loosened, now loosely covering her like a blanket. They had been stretched out considerably before.

Re'Kha felt her heart thump slower and slower until it returned to normal, feeling like she had fought an intense battle. Fortunately, there wasn't any pain accompanying the transformation. Returning to her original appearance, Re'Kha took in a deep breath, "Thankfully, I can revert to my original appearance."

She then entered the excited state of her cultivation technique, using the concentrated Wood Qi around her to perceive the changes to her body, noticing that all the hair on her body had fallen off, collecting on the bed. She spent some time scooping them all up and tied them into a bundle, wrapping them in a piece of cloth as she placed them within her storage space, planning to burn them later.

Other than that, she looked perfectly normal.