The sun was beginning to rise as two children practiced their sword forms. The older had short black hair and wore a face of concentration as sweat dripped down his cheeks. The younger had waist length black hair tied up in a pony tail, but other than his expression of focus, he didn’t seem to be exerting himself at all.

Standing ahead of the two boys a middle aged man lead them through their forms.

“Zhihao, widen your stance.” The older man said without turning to look. Zhihao, the older boy, nodded and spaced his feet further apart.

This was a normal morning in the Fu clan. Every day before breakfast the qi gathering juniors would train under the head of their branch of the clan. Once they reached Foundation establishment, they would train under the Clan Head and other seniors in the main branch’s palace.

“Well done Zhihao and Yuxuan, grab some water and rest. When I come back, we’ll meditate.”

“Yes Grandfather.” The two boys said in unison.

With a smile and wave of his arm the older man vanished from the courtyard. As soon as the man was gone, Zhihao fell back and collapsed to the floor.

“Get up big brother!” Yuxuan stepped over and squatted down by Zhihao’s face. Zhihao kept playing dead until his brother slapped him on the face.

“It’s not cute anymore! Your slaps hurt now Yuxuan!” Zhihao rolled over to dodge another slap from his brother, but with a little hop, Yuxuan was beside him again with a slap on its way.

“They were always supposed to hurt big brother, I just wasn’t as strong as you before!” Laughing, Yuxuan kept hopping after his brother who continued to roll away. Laughter echoed through the small courtyard and the surround mansion as one boy rolled around and another squatted and hopped like a frog.

“Senior Fu Liu, the Patriarch has sent a message.”

A servant left a folded letter on his desk.

Two floors above the inner courtyard Fu Liu turned away from watching his grandchildren play and turned to retrieve the letter. After a moment he nodded to the servant and went back to watching the courtyard from his office’s window. The servant bowed, understand the nod as the dismissal it was, and left the office.

Fu Liu, I agree with your proposal. It matters not what the other branch heads say. Who will dare refuse me? Yuxuan’s potential should be nourished. Only 8 years old and already about to reach foundation establishment ? My old friend from the Starlit Sword sect will be here in a month’s time. Have Yuxuan ready, and if Zhihao has also reached foundation establishment, his brother’s good fortune may also be his.

Fu Liu crumpled the note and tossed it out the window. In a second the note was cut into dust.

Zhihao and Yuxuan were sitting in the shade drinking water when Fu Liu returned to the courtyard carrying a small box. He set the box down and motioned for the boys to come over.

“This box is full of sword aura. Today, we will cultivate while also meditating on how it interacts with the qi around us. If you cannot feel it, that is fine. Just meditate as usual.” Fu Liu gestured and the boys sat down and quickly entered the lotus pose.

Zhihao closed his eyes and cycled his qi around through his meridians. They began to glow with his breathing as he brought qi into his body with each breath and dim with each exhalation.

1 cycle.

5 cycles.

10 cycles.

Zhihao couldn’t help but make a face. He heard his grandfather laugh but ignored it.

I don’t feel the sword aura.

50 cycles.

100 cycles.

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

The sun was reaching high in the sky by now and Zhihao knew their morning practice would end soon for breakfast.

Why can’t I feel it?

Zhihao peeked at the box in front his grandfather. It was a simple box with six walls, the wall facing him opened like a door. Inside were thin stretched razors stuck into the box all facing toward the opening. His grandfather sat behind the box with one hand on top. He arched an eyebrow at Zhihao and tsked with a slight smile. Zhihao stuck his tongue out at him and closed his eyes again.

So grandfather is pouring his qi in there and aiming it towards us. How do I still not feel it?

150 cycles.

Zhihao cleared his mind and began to focus on cultivating. If I can’t feel it, I’ll just try again next time. I’m right on the cusp of foundation establishment, I’m sure I’ll feel it then!

200 cycles.

300 cycles.

365…

Zhihao felt a sharpness, for lack of a better word, rub against his qi. It felt like rubbing a razor against his skin. A fleeting feeling. When he tried to press his qi against the sharpness to examine it, the feeling had left him.

Then he felt the feeling again, all around him. Pressing in on him. He tried to examine it with his qi when the sharpness began to cut into him. He heard a scream of pain and the startled shout of his grandfather and tried to exit his meditation.

There was a flurry of movement and red everywhere. A flash of bright light. Zhihao tried to clear his vision and stand up but light flashed around him like a storm and thunder rumbled in the sky. More red splashed around him and he heard a whimpering cry off to the side as more thunder bellowed from the sky. Hands were on his arms grabbing him. Zhihao tried to see who was pulling him but his vision was still blurred by lines of light and  bright flashes.

People were yelling.

Something is wrong. Where’s Yuxuan? Why can’t I see or hear?

Then everything went black.

Zhihao awoke screaming. Every inch of him in pain and covered in bandages. I can’t see! It hurts! It hurts! He tried to sit up, his back laying on what he assumed to be a bed was agony. His hands pushing himself up brought on new waves of pain and he screamed again collapsing back into the bed.

A door opened and light entered the room. Cool hands touched his forehead and his dantian. A chilly, refreshing qi ran through his body. Something round entered his mouth and the hand on his forehead moved to massage his throat making him swallow the pill.

“Go back to sleep Zhihao. You will feel better in the morning.” A soft female voice soothed him. His body began to feel heavy.

A whimper was his only reply. He opened his eyes and saw a face like his mother’s creased in worry.

I can see…

Zhihao fell back asleep.

“My father thinks he had entered enlightenment when the tribulation lightning struck.”

“That would explain the disoriented state he was brought here in.”

Zhihao awoke to two voices speaking beside him. One he recognized to be his mother and the other sounded like the soft voice he’d heard the night before. He started to sit up when he flinched, remembering the pain he had been in last night. When the pain didn’t come, he pushed himself up.

“Greetings mother and senior.” Zhihao half bowed from where he sat on the bed.

Fu Ying, Zhihao’s mother, was a tall woman with an oval face and a freckle just beneath her left eye and shoulder length black hair just like his. The woman beside her looked like she could be his mother’s sister. She floated over and kneeled just beside his bed and grasped his hand.

“Zhihao how do you feel? Does anything still hurt?”

The other woman stepped beside Fu Ying but didn’t speak. She made a gesture with her hand and an esoteric symbol formed out of her palm and floated above Zhihao’s head.

“This is your aunt, Fu Yaling, from the second branch. She is the one looking after you and Yuxuan.”

Fu Yaling nodded. She was shorter than Fu Ying by a few centimeters. Where Fu Ying kept her hair short,  Fu Yaling kept hers up in a bun. She had soft eyes but sharp features. Light flashed through her eyes as the symbol pulsed over Zhihao’s head.

“There are no more signs of sword qi in his body, and the damage to his flesh seems to have healed nicely.” Fu Yaling nodded to herself then looked down at Fu Ying. “I recommend letting him get more rest, but I don’t see anything else amiss cousin. If something comes up, please let me know. I must check on Yuxuan.”

Fu Ying nodded, and Fu Yaling left the room. Fu Ying placed a hand on Zhihao’s cheek.

“Sweetie, say something. Your mother is worried.”

Zhihao looked down at himself covered in bandages.

“Can I take these off?”

“Of course, let me help you.”

Fu Ying lifted a finger and let it drift gently down. Where her finger passed the bandages severed. She stopped just above Zhihao’s stomach and brought him a clean robe.

“What happened?” Were the only words Zhihao could think to ask.

“We aren’t entirely sure. Father says you two were meditating when he felt the pressure of heavenly tribulation begin to build. After scattering it he saw Yuxuan gaining enlightenment and surrounded by a whirlwind of sword qi. As he tried to suppress your brother’s strange advancement the tribulation built back up and descended on Yuxuan. He says that’s when you also entered enlightenment and the sword qi your grandfather was trying to suppress began attacking you. Do you remember anything Zhihao?”

“I remember the sword qi scraping against me. After that I just remember seeing bright lines and light surrounding me. Then splashes of red…”

Zhihao looked at his now bandage free hands. Pale white scars crisscrossed every centimeter of his flesh. Even his nails bore deep scratches.

Ah. The red was my blood.

“How’s Yuxuan?”

“He’s recovered. Your grandfather is watching over him as his dao protector. Yuxuan has been in enlightenment for the past three days.”

“Three days?”

“Yes. We’ve kept you asleep while Yaling healed you. You’re lucky you reached foundation establishment during the tribulation. Yaling thought the damage would be more severe.”

Zhihao made a face and his mother nodded and pointed at his dantian as if asking him to see for himself. Zhihao entered the lotus position and circulated his qi. It moved sluggishly at first, but as it passed each meridian his qi began to pick up speed. After a full cycle Zhihao felt it. His dantian was full to bursting with qi. Where before it had been a spring gently pulsing qi through him, now it was as vast as an ocean within him.

Zhihao snapped open his eyes and hugged his mother in excitement. Fu Ying laughed, picked him up, and spun him around.

“Can we go see Yuxuan now?” Zhihao asked.

Fu Ying set him back down on the bed.

“Rest first. I’ll come get you tomorrow.”

“Please mother, can I go see him?”

“Do you promise to rest after?”

Zhihao nodded. Fu Ying sighed and took his hand. Zhihao hopped off the bed and followed Fu Ying out of the room. 

They stepped into a white hallway with stone floors and doors lining both sides. Zhihao followed his mother as she lead him to a room three doors down. Before opening the door, she kneeled to look Zhihao in the eye.

”Remember, he’s in enlightenment right now and he was in a worse condition than you when he was brought here. Zhihao, please, his situation is strange and could be dangerous, do not get too close to him.”

Zhihao gulped and nodded at Fu Ying. She stood up and opened the door. The room was the same white Zhihao’s had been, the same white of the hallway. His grandfather sat in the lotus position beside the bed. Sword qi occasionally sparked off the surfaces of the room but would crash into a barrier that would flicker into existence that seemed to surround the bed. Zhihao leaned to look around his grandfather and saw Yuxuan’s face. His eyes were rolled back into his head and his tongue hung out of his mouth. A small puddle of drool soaked the pillow under Yuxuan’s head. 

Is Yuxuan dead!?