Under the bright moonlight piercing through the cloudless skies, Baiyun walked along a stone path surrounded by fields of endless grass, the light spirit following him.

It was not a silent walk; the words exchanged seemed to have aggravated the spirit.

"Combat training?!" she said, her voice shaky.

At the smug words Baiyun had just said, she was stunned.

"What else?" Baiyun smiled.

The light of the spirit flickered for a moment, before she shot around the air, letting out a cry of frustration!

"Ahhhh! It must have been those violent novels you've been reading!"

Baiyun was rendered speechless. Why was this spirit being so overprotective?

"It's good to learn self defence, isn't it?" he put on his best pout. "What if a baddie decided to beat me up one day?"

"You? Baiyun, you're a servant, a mortal! If someone attacks you, what good will martial arts do? You're only wasting your time!"

The two stared at each other in silence for a second.

"...sorry. That was a little harsh." the spirit lowered her voice. "But if anything comes up, I'll still be here to protect you."

Baiyun felt a strange feeling for a moment, one he couldn't quite place his hands on.

"Hmph. Maybe. But that kind of thinking is what Yang Lao would look down upon!" he said proudly.

"Yang Lao? Who in the world is that?" the spirit paused its erratic movement. "Wait, you-"

"Haha! He's the protagonist of `Chronicles of the Phoenix Sect` indeed!" Baiyun laughed.

But beneath his facade, he wanted to bury himself. Of all the things he had to act in this life, a delusional child enamoured by fiction was the most embarrassing! He had to hold back a frown with all his might, but somehow, he managed to remain smiling.

The spirit let out a deep sigh, materialising hands to cover her non-existent face. Baiyun's eyes twitched.

"Baiyun... this is the real world." she said finally.

"I-I know." Baiyun said, his eyebrows creasing involuntarily.

He felt like he was about to lose it. Why didn't he think of a better method of getting her to enroll him?

"No matter how hard a servant trains, what could it amount to? And it won't be easy to convince an Elder to accept you..."

"Whatever!" Baiyun huffed as he ran off.

This was deviating from his original script, but if this went on any longer, his facade would crumble to ashes. No amount of training against inner demons could have prepared him for this!

"And even if you did have talent for combat, the sect would train you to be a Combat Servant, nothing but a disposable pawn!" the spirit cried out. "Baiyun! Isn't life here as a farmer good? You get a safe comfortable home free from dangers, a good meal every day and even time to read and rest! It's a life many mortals outside the sect would be envious of!"

"If you won't help me, I'll ask the Martial Elder myself!" Baiyun shouted, continuing to run.

"You can't even talk to an Elder without a spirit's recommendation! Stop being-"

At that moment, a tremor shook the earth beneath his feet, stunning them both. Baiyun yelped and jumped aside as a pillar of stone burst out of the ground, sending earth flying in every direction.

Atop the pillar was a crude throne, upon which an earth spirit rested upon proudly. Earthquake!

"Hahahahaha!" he laughed heartily. "Quite the interesting conversation you're having here!"

"You?" the light spirit said in disbelief.

"Bai Yu... no, Baiyun! That recommendation you need? I shall grant it to you!" he laughed once more.

Baiyun and the light spirit stared at it in confusion.

"How long have you been listening?" she said, anger in her voice.

"Hah! For a child of light, you sure are unattentive! Aren't shiny little bastards like you better at observation than us souls of earth?"

Earthquake let out a loud cackle.

Baiyun felt a chill down his spine. This... had the spirit witnessed his acts in the cave? No, he was certain he would have sensed it if qi sense or soulsense had been used on him.

Unlike spirit beasts, most spirits were truly limited to just qi sense and soulsense, with some exceptions like light spirits, who truly had sight. So the earth spirit must have followed his footsteps afterwards!

He cursed himself for being so careless. He really had to get his impulses under control.

The light spirit cursed and scolded the earth spirit, but was ignored. Earthquake laughed as he summoned an earthen hand from the pillar, snatching Baiyun into the air before he could react.

"In any case, I'll be taking the human with me!"

"You- What do you think you're doing?" the light spirit screamed.

But Baiyun was wrapped in earth and yanked away, Earthquake shooting off into the distance.

Even surrounded by a protective shroud of soft mud, Baiyun could feel the sheer speed they moved from the violent trembling. He could only clench his fists. This feeling of helplessness... he despised it.

...

Before he knew it, Earthquake came to an abrupt stop, the momentum flinging him face first into mud.

"We are here!" Earthquake announced triumphantly.

Baiyun was released from the earth shroud, heaving as he fell to the ground. He was glad he only had a light dinner today.

Before him were the massive doors of a temple, merely an arm's reach away from his face. Atop it were 10 sockets in a horizontal line, each adorned with a massive jewel. But under the shadow of the roof looming above, moonlight was unable to reach them, hiding the lustre of the gemstones.

"Your name. Was it Bai Yu?" Earthquake asked.

"It's Baiyun."

Baiyun stared at the earth spirit with a blank face.

Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

"Right! How do I keep forgetting?" Earthquake laughed. "Baiyun. You're pretty gutsy aren't you? I half expected you to scream and cry, perhaps even soil yourself, hahaha!"

A vein bulged on Baiyun's head.

"It's not like I can do anything about it. What will being afraid accomplish?" he grumbled.

Unbeknownst to himself, now that he was away from the light spirit, his childish facade weakened slightly.

"Hahaha! I like that attitude!" Earthquake laughed, summoning a hand to slap his back. "Now, go! Knock on the elder's door!"

Baiyun stared at the door in apprehension for a moment before taking a step forward. He gave it a few hard knocks.

...

Not a sound could be heard. The only thing he felt was a slight numbing pain from his knuckles.

"Go on. Kick it if you must!" Earthquake encouraged.

Baiyun wasn't sure if he liked that tone. If the spirit had a face, he was certain it would be grinning or perhaps even sneering at him.

"I already know it won't make a sound. My hands hurt..."

"Tsk. You're no fun. Just kick it!"

Baiyun sighed and gave the door a useless kick. Unsurprisingly, there was not a sound this time either. Seeing the boy staring at the door silently, Earthquake laughed.

"It seems like you have a long way to go, huh? Martial Elder Guan Qiang says if anyone wants to knock on his door, they would first need to be qualified!"

Earthquake floated high into the air, letting its amber light illuminate the gemstones atop the door.

"See these jewels? They light up based on the strength of your attack, the more of them light up, the louder the sound! You can't cheat with spells either, since there's a magic dissipation formation! Not that you have to worry about that, haha!"

Baiyun rubbed his chin with a frown. It seemed he was faced with the eccentric nonsense of a bored elder, something he was more than used to in his past life. He wondered if it was actually an effective way to encourage disciples. This project couldn't have been cheap.

"Then what would a kick from me do? It's not like I'm a cultivator, so it's useless even if I kick it a million times!"

"Hmph." Earthquake let out a displeased grunt. "I'm trying to get you to kick it, precisely to show you the difficulty of the test! At least show a little appreciation. A boy your age should be excited to see something like this!"

Baiyun: ...

"Anyway, I'll train you until you can light up the first gem!"

Baiyun nodded, but he had his doubts. Somehow, he didn't get the impression the spirit would be a capable teacher.

Earthquake hummed something to himself, blissfully unaware of the boy's disrespectful thoughts. He summoned a figure of earth from the ground, a golem about Baiyun's size.

"First, I'll teach you the Whirlwind Kick, so follow its movements closely!"

The figure spaced its feet apart and lowered its arms, pausing as it entered a stance. Then with a swift motion, it spun its body and kicked the air forcefully, sending out a blast of air!

Baiyun's frown deepened with every move he watched. That was not a Martial Art for a mortal like him; it would only be possible with body cultivation. As he had thought, this earth spirit was an incompetent teacher!

But even as he complained to himself, he paid close attention and memorised those moves. Earthquake might not be a good teacher, but those moves might prove useful in the future.

At the same time, he moved his body and imitated the punches and kicks as the spirit instructed.

"You call that a punch? There is no spirit in your movement!”

Baiyun could only endure the useless remarks of Earthquake as the hours passed, more and more sweat soaking his robes.

But a loud grinding sound interrupted them as the temple doors swung open, the very floor trembling slightly.

Five jewels atop the door lit up as a burly man marched out, a scowl etched onto his face. He was 2 metres tall and wore a black robe far too tight for him; they conformed to his muscles tightly, seemingly on the verge of bursting.

His tiger-like eyes stared at the two of them with disdain.

"What are you two clowns doing outside my door all night?" he boomed.

"Master, that servant wishes to enroll in your combat training! I am giving him my recommendation."

Earthquake's voice was suddenly polite and respectful, and it lowered itself in imitation of a kowtow.

"A servant?"

The elder put a hand to his chin and mused to himself, seemingly intrigued. Baiyun was suddenly conscious of the fact he did the same earlier.

"You, the servant. Stand outside while we discuss." the elder said as he turned away.

Baiyun nodded and distanced himself from the door. He was slightly miffed, but it made sense an elder would have little interest in the words of a servant. In his past life, he would not have paid heed either.

The elder and spirit entered the temple. Behind them, the door slammed shut with a bang that echoed far into the distance, gusts of wind swaying Baiyun's hair.

He stared at it in silence. Peace and quiet.

Baiyun stared at the moon above for a moment. Then he steadied himself, punching the air. It was past midnight, but it wasn't as if he could sleep here of all places. The elder might even kill him for such a disrespectful act.

There was nothing to do but practice. He recalled the movements of the Whirlwind Martial Arts, performing the punching and kicking routines. Perhaps the two in the temple were even watching him in secret with sight formations.

But after a few minutes, he changed his movements. No longer were they the fanciful moves Earthquake had taught earlier, merely simple punches and kicks a hoodlum might use.

Baiyun knew almost nothing about Martial Arts, but if there was one thing he knew, in any field, one had to start with the basics.

While he was shown the Whirlwind Arts previously, Baiyun had noticed a certain pattern. The poses it demanded he made, how it imbued the weight of his body into his attacks. That was what he was focused on. It was unrefined, but he felt like practising what little basics he had glimpsed would be a better use of his time.

The night was quiet, save for the sound of flowing wind and the slight whoosh of punches and kicks.

Half an hour had passed. Baiyun wiped the sweat off his face as he heaved slightly, massaging his sore arms and legs. His body might have been sturdy from daily work, but he was still young.

At that moment, the door swung open once more, 3 jewels lighting above it. The Martial Elder walked out, an unsettling grin on his face.

"You. Baiyun, is it?" he said.

"Yes-"

"You pass." the elder interrupted him. "Tomorrow, come to the training grounds at 6 in the morning."

Just like that?

Baiyun nodded in a hurry as the elder shooed him away. That grin... exactly what did Earthquake tell him? He wasn't sure if he should be relieved he made it into a martial program or worried.

"Oh, I almost forgot. Take this before you go." the elder said.

Baiyun turned around and saw a vial flying towards him. He widened his eyes and spun around with bent knees, barely catching it before it struck the ground.

He had done it entirely out of reflex, before he could think it through. Baiyun felt a little unsettled. Perhaps his soul hadn’t fully assimilated with his body yet.

"Good reflexes."

And with those scant words, the elder shut the doors with a loud slam.

Baiyun stared at the vial in his hands and infused a small amount of divine sense into it. This application was known as "Divine Touch". With it, not even spirits could sense his meddling, but it required direct contact.

The structure of the elixir immediately entered his mind. This was a body strengthening elixir, but not one he had seen before. It was full of impurities, likely a failed elixir worth next to nothing; but it was good enough for a servant.

But thinking back about the spider core full of poisonous impurities he forced himself to eat, this was nothing. Even if he was forced to absorb them, there was nothing life threatening about the filth within, unlike the core.

"You!" Earthquake suddenly phased through the temple door with a shout. "The training grounds are over there!"

It summoned an earth figure to point somewhere in the distance.

"And remember to come early tomorrow!"

With those words, Earthquake left, rushing away just as quickly as he had brought Baiyun here.

That spirit called the Martial Elder "Master", didn't it? Baiyun shook his head, thinking to himself that both master and subordinate were equally irresponsible.

He put the elixir away into his bag. Right now, he had no plans to use it. He would save it for later, when he reached the Foundational stage. He had a certain art he planned to use when the time came.

But for now, the elixir would serve as a convenient alibi for his strength, letting him use some of the might the 3rd stage of Qi Gathering granted him.

That said, it wasn't as if he could hide the vial at his accommodations nor leave it in his bag brazenly. Baiyun decided he would ask the light spirit to hold onto it for him later, since they were on good terms.

Since Earthquake carelessly forgot to bring him home, Baiyun decided he would simply find a spot to sleep nearby. If he was willing to waste hours on a trip back and forth, he wouldn't even have the time to sleep a wink.

He looked around and managed to spot a random wooden chair. It was old and creaky, weathered by the elements outside and covered in a little mold. Well, how convenient. It seemed he wouldn't need to sleep on the floor tonight.

He picked it up and took it a good distance from the temple, before plopping his body down and allowing it to enter the realms of slumber.

Morning soon came.

Baiyun heard the soft footsteps of someone running over and opened his eyes. His soul did not need sleep and was always attentive.

It was a young boy around his age with a haughty look on his face, dressed neatly in training attire.

"Hey! You stupid servant! What are you doing sleeping on the great martial elder's chair!" he yelled.

Martial elder's chair? Baiyun turned over to look at it in disbelief. But it was an ordinary chair, not even made of spirit wood!

"I'm telling the master! You are going to be punished!"

Baiyun frowned.

The kid stared intently at him, the two facing each other in awkward silence for a moment.

"You're not scared?" the other boy asked.

Ridiculous.

If the Martial Elder cared that much about this ordinary chair, would he leave it lying around here? He could have tucked it away in his storage artefact easily. Children really came up with the most ridiculous nonsense.

Baiyun got off the chair and began to walk away.

"If you don't want me to tell the elder, you need to beat me in a fight!"

"Feel free to tell him then." Baiyun scoffed.

Children were so annoying sometimes...