"What did you want to discuss, Master?" Kai asked, keeping his voice level and his face neutral.

The Sect Master's gaze seemed to bore into Kai. "As part of our process for accepting new disciples, we conduct thorough background checks. It's standard procedure, you understand."

Kai nodded, his heart rate picking up slightly. He'd been expecting this, but it still made him nervous. "Of course, Master. That makes sense."

"However," the Sect Master continued, his brow furrowing slightly, "in your case, we encountered some... difficulties. Our investigations found nothing about your past, except that you suddenly appeared in the Misty Waterfall Village one day. No records, no family, no history. It's as if you simply materialized out of thin air."

Oh boy, here we go, Kai thought. Time to play the amnesia card. It's cliché, but it's the best I've got but quite effective…probably why it’s so common with isekai protagonists.

Kai took a deep breath, putting on a look of confusion. "I... I'm afraid I can't explain that, Master. The truth is, I have no memory of my life before I found myself in the forest near Misty Waterfall Village. It's all just... blank."

He watched the Sect Master's face carefully, looking for any sign that the cultivator could detect his lie. Please don't have some kind of truth-sensing ability, Kai silently pleaded. That would be so unfair.

The Sect Master's expression remained unreadable as he studied Kai. After a moment that felt like an eternity, he spoke. "I see. Amnesia is a rare condition, but not unheard of. Especially in our world, where cultivators sometimes encounter... unusual phenomena."

Kai nodded. "Yes, exactly! I've been trying to remember, but nothing comes back to me. It's very frustrating."

"I can imagine," the Sect Master murmured. "If you do happen to remember anything about your past, no matter how small or insignificant it might seem, I want you to come to me immediately. Understood?"

"Of course, Master," Kai replied, bowing his head slightly. "I'll tell you right away if I remember anything."

Fat chance of that. I'm not telling anyone in this world about my true origins. Not now, not ever. Trust is a luxury I can't afford here.

The Sect Master leaned back slightly. "Now, there's another matter I'd like to discuss. During the trials, I noticed you possess a rather... unique ability. The power to condense qi into physical forms. It's quite remarkable."

Kai shifted uncomfortably. He'd known this topic would come up eventually, it wasn’t something he was trying to hide, but he still wasn't sure how to handle it. "Ah, yes. That ability. I've had it since I found myself in the forest. I'm not sure where it came from or why I have it."

"I see," the Sect Master said, his eyes narrowing slightly. "And it's related to a mark on your body, correct? Elder Feng mentioned something about it in his report."

Kai nodded, knowing there was no point in denying it. The Sect Master clearly already knew. "Yes, Master. There's a strange mark on my wrist. I don't know what it means or how I got it."

"May I see it?" the Sect Master asked, though his tone made it clear it wasn't really a request.

Not like I have much choice here, Kai thought. Refusing would just make me look suspicious.

"Of course, Master," Kai said aloud. He rolled up the sleeve of his robe, exposing his right wrist.

The Sect Master leaned forward, his eyes fixed on the mark. It resembled a stylized trident. What caught the Sect Master's attention, however, were the colors. Two of the prongs glowed blood red, while the third was a deep, inky black.

The old cultivator reached out, his fingers hovering just above Kai's skin. "May I?" he asked.

Kai nodded, knowing again that it wasn’t a request.

"Fascinating," the Sect Master murmured as his fingers gently traced the mark. "I've never seen anything quite like this. The two red prongs and one black... does this coloration have any significance that you're aware of?"

Kai shook his head. "No, Master. I don't know what it means or why it's colored that way.”

“Has it changed at all?”

Kai hesitated for a moment, then decided to share a bit more information, it’s not like it was something he could hide. "The colors do change sometimes. Occasionally, the prongs turn black or turn red, sometimes all of them or just one or two of them. But I've never seen any other colors."

This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

The Sect Master's eyebrows rose slightly. "Interesting. And do these color changes correspond to anything? Any changes in your abilities or how you feel?"

Kai shook his head. "Not that I've noticed. The changes seem random."

The Sect Master's eyes flicked up to meet Kai's. "And you're certain there are no other techniques or abilities you've gained from this mark? Nothing at all beyond the qi condensation?"

Well, there's the whole respawning thing, Kai thought. But I'm taking that secret to my grave. All of my graves, actually.

"No, Master," Kai said aloud. "Just the qi condensation, as far as I know."

The Sect Master held Kai's gaze for a long moment, and Kai had the distinct impression that the old man didn't entirely believe him. But after a moment, the Sect Master nodded.

"Very well," he said. "I'm going to channel some of my qi into the mark. It may feel strange, but it shouldn't hurt. Let me know if you experience any unusual sensations."

Before Kai could respond, the Sect Master's fingers pressed more firmly against the mark, and Kai felt a surge of foreign qi entering his body. It was like a cool stream flowing into him, probing and searching.

The mark tingled more intensely, but otherwise remained unchanged. After a minute or so, the Sect Master withdrew his hand, a look of disappointment flashing across his face before he schooled his features back to neutrality.

"Interesting," the Sect Master murmured. "It seems resistant to external qi. Another mystery to add to the list."

Kai let out a small sigh of relief. He hadn't been sure what would happen if the Sect Master probed the mark, but he was glad it hadn't revealed anything.

The Sect Master sat back, his eyes still fixed on Kai. "Now then, I'd like you to demonstrate this qi condensation ability for me. Show me exactly what you can do."

"Certainly, Master," Kai said. He held out his hand, palm up, and concentrated. Qi flowed from his core, down his arm, and into his palm. As it gathered there, Kai shaped it with his mind, condensing it into a solid form.

A moment later, a hammer made of pure, condensed qi appeared in Kai's hand. It glowed with a soft blue light, looking both solid and ethereal at the same time.

The Sect Master leaned forward, his eyes wide with fascination. He reached out to touch the hammer.

"This is... extraordinary," the Sect Master said, turning the hammer over in his hands. "It's completely solid, with real weight to it. And you can create this at will?"

Kai nodded. "Yes, Master. Though the constructs only last for a short time, but with practice it is slowly increasing."

As if on cue, the hammer flickered and then vanished after about six seconds. The Sect Master's hand closed on empty air, a look of fascination on his face.

"Remarkable," he murmured. "Truly remarkable. And you say you've always been able to do this?"

He's way too interested in this. I need to be careful not to reveal too much.

Kai nodded. "Yes, Master. Since I first became aware of my ability to manipulate qi."

The Sect Master nodded. "Excellent, excellent. Now, I'd like you to create another construct. This time, explain the process to me as you do it. I want to understand exactly how this ability works."

Kai considered the Sect Master's request for a moment. I don't mind explaining it. It's a simple process, and without this mark, no one else could do it anyway. Might as well be straightforward.

"Of course, Master," Kai replied. He held out his hand, focusing on creating a simple dagger.

"The process is actually quite straightforward," Kai began. "First, I gather qi from my core and direct it to my palm. As it gathers, I visualize the shape I want to create – in this case, a dagger."

The qi in Kai's palm began to glow and take shape.

"Next, I concentrate on condensing the qi," Kai continued. "I compress it, making it denser and more solid. It's similar to how water becomes ice under pressure. The more I compress it, the more solid and durable the construct becomes."

The glowing shape in Kai's hand solidified into a sleek dagger made of pure qi. It looked completely solid, with a sharp edge that caught the light.

"Finally, I maintain my focus to keep the construct intact," Kai finished. "The duration of the construct depends on how long I can maintain my concentration."

The Sect Master watched intently, his eyes never leaving the solid qi dagger. As Kai explained, the old man's expression shifted from curiosity to growing frustration.

"I see," the Sect Master said, his tone tight. "And this process... it truly comes naturally to you? No special techniques or methods?"

Kai shook his head. "No, Master. It's as simple as I've described. I think about what I want to create, and my qi responds."

The Sect Master's brow furrowed deeply, his frustration now plainly visible. He opened his mouth as if to ask another question, then closed it abruptly.

Kai could almost see the wheels turning in the old man's head as he struggled to understand how such a simple process could be impossible for him to replicate.

After a long moment, the Sect Master spoke, his voice carefully controlled. "Very well. Thank you for the demonstration, Kai. You may go now. We'll begin your formal training soon."

"Thank you, Master,” Kai bowed. “I look forward to learning from you."

As Kai turned to leave, he could feel the Sect Master's eyes boring into his back.

He's not satisfied with my explanations; he realizes it's a simple method. But that's fine. He understands without the mark, it’s impossible for him to replicate it.

Kai reached the door and paused, looking back at the Sect Master, who was still sitting there, his face a mask of deep thought.

"Is there anything else you need, Master?" Kai asked.

The Sect Master seemed to snap back to focus. "No, no. You're dismissed. Go and rest. You'll need your energy for the training to come."

Kai nodded and slipped out of the room, closing the door behind him. As soon as he was in the hallway, he let out a long, quiet breath.

Well, that was intense. But I think I managed to get through it without revealing too much. Now I just need to keep my guard up and stay alert. In this world, you never know who might be a friend or an enemy.

But I need to get stronger. Fast. The Sect Master is too interested in my abilities. If I'm not careful, I might end up as some kind of research subject rather than a disciple.