Kai sat cross-legged in his room, frustration etched across his face. For the past three days, he'd been attempting to open the third meridian, the Meridian of Rolling Thunder. Despite his efforts, he had yet to make any real progress.

He unrolled the cultivation scroll once more, eyes scanning the text that he had already memorised:

Meridian of the Rolling Thunder

* Location: Throat

* Method to Open: "Voice of the Storm" - The cultivator chants an incantation that mimics the sound of rolling thunder. The vibrations of the chant gradually open the throat meridian.

Kai sighed, running a hand through his hair. This is like trying to unlock a new skill tree without meeting the prerequisites. There must be something I'm missing.

He took a deep breath, preparing to attempt the incantation again. The strange syllables rolled off his tongue, a rhythmic chant that was supposed to mimic rolling thunder.

"Grum-bul-lum-bum, kra-ka-thoom..."

As he chanted, Kai focused on his throat, trying to direct his qi to that area. He imagined storm clouds gathering, electricity crackling in the air. But no matter how hard he concentrated, he couldn't feel the telltale signs of a meridian opening.

After several minutes, Kai stopped, letting out a frustrated groan. This is getting nowhere. Maybe I need to grind some more basic skills before tackling this advanced technique.

"Senior Brother?" Chen Wei's voice called from outside the room. "The Sect Master has summoned you for your first lesson."

Kai stood up, stretching his stiff muscles. Perfect timing. Maybe I can get some answers from the Sect Master.

He opened the door to find Chen Wei waiting patiently. "Thanks, Chen Wei. Has Shen Yu been informed as well?"

Chen Wei nodded. "Yes, Senior Brother. One of the elders went to his pavilion to inform him."

"I see," Kai mused. "Does Shen Yu have a servant?"

Chen Wei shook his head. "No, Senior Brother. It's only me and Senior Brother Wang Lin’s disciple in the servants' quarters for the Legacy Disciples."

Interesting. Shen Yu with all his secrets probably can't afford to have any servants around.

As they made their way to the Sect Master's quarters, Kai's mind raced. I need to pay attention to everything, especially how Shen Yu interacts with the Sect Master. There might be clues about his true nature.

They arrived at the building, Chen Wei bowed and stepped back, leaving Kai to enter alone.

Inside, Kai found the Sect Master sat on a raised platform, his expression unreadable. To Kai's right, Shen Yu knelt on a cushion, his posture perfect and his face calm.

It's like facing the final boss with an NPC whose allegiance is unclear, Kai thought as he took his place opposite Shen Yu.

The Sect Master's gaze swept over them both, a slight nod the only acknowledgment of their presence. Then, to Kai's surprise, he turned to Shen Yu with a smile.

"Congratulations, Shen Yu, on awakening the seventh meridian using the Heavenly Thunderstorm cultivation method. Your progress is truly remarkable."

Kai's eyes widened slightly. Seventh meridian? In just one week? Here I am, stuck on the third, and this guy's already more than doubled my progress.

Shen Yu merely inclined his head slightly, his expression unchanged.

The Sect Master then turned to Kai, his smile a bit less enthusiastic. "You've made good progress as well, Kai. Two meridians isn't too bad for a beginner."

Isn't too bad? Kai repeated in his head, trying to keep his face neutral. I thought I was making decent progress with natural cultivation. Guess I need to step up my game.

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He forced himself to nod respectfully. "Thank you, Master. I'll continue to work hard."

I need to stop comparing myself to Shen Yu, Kai reminded himself. For all I know, he could have been close to the Immortal Realm in his previous life. This is like competing against a max-level player who's started a new character.

The Sect Master clasped his hands together. "Now, before we begin your lesson, I'd like to test your elemental affinities. This will help guide your future cultivation."

Probably would have been a good idea to do this before we starting cultivating using the new method…Kai thought.

He produced a multifaceted crystal, holding it up for them to see. "This is an Elemental Affinity Crystal. When you channel qi into it, it displays colors corresponding to your elemental alignments."

The Sect Master proceeded to explain what each colour indicated:

* Fire: Red

* Water: Blue

* Wind: Green

* Earth: Brown

* Lightning: Yellow

* Darkness: Purple

* Light: White

To demonstrate, he channeled his own qi into the crystal. It glowed with a mixture of yellow and green light.

"As you can see, I have strong affinities for both lightning and wind," the Sect Master explained. He then handed the crystal to Shen Yu. "Your turn, young disciple."

Shen Yu took the crystal without a word, channeling his qi into it. The crystal glowed a bright, pure red.

The Sect Master's eyebrows rose fractionally before his expression smoothed out. "Interesting. You have a strong fire affinity, Shen Yu, but no others. Most cultivators struggle with techniques outside their elemental alignment. It's quite…unusual for someone with no lightning affinity to progress so quickly in the Heavenly Thunderstorm method."

Shen Yu remained silent, his face betraying nothing.

No lightning affinity? Kai thought, his mind racing. Then how... Suddenly, he remembered seeing Shen Yu at the Celestial Herb Pavilion, examining some basic lightning and wind herbs. Could those have something to do with his rapid progress?

The Sect Master shook his head slightly, then turned to Kai with a wry smile. "Well, Kai, it's your turn. Perhaps you'll surprise us as well."

Kai took the crystal from Shen Yu, their eyes meeting briefly. He thought he saw a flicker of... something in Shen Yu's gaze, but it was gone too quickly to interpret.

As he channeled qi into the crystal, Kai wondered what his results would show. I know I have a 25% lightning affinity from my stats, but do I have any others?

The crystal in his hands began to glow. Yellow light suffused most of it, confirming his lightning affinity. But to Kai's surprise, portions of the crystal turned completely black.

The Sect Master's eyes widened, a mix of shock and perhaps a hint of fear crossing his face before he regained his composure. Kai glanced at Shen Yu, expecting to see surprise, but instead found what looked like recognition or even anticipation in the other disciple's eyes.

"What... what does black mean?" Kai asked.

The Sect Master cleared his throat. "Black indicates a rare element — the chaos element."

Kai's eyes widened. No Wind element but instead a Chaos element? Could this have something to do with my isekai situation? In most stories, the world is surrounded by chaos qi. Maybe being transported here gave me this affinity?

"I've never heard of a chaos affinity," Kai said carefully. "Do we have any techniques in the sect that could help me develop it?"

The Sect Master laughed, but it sounded forced. "Only the largest sects would have such techniques, and even they might only possess one or two. It's an exceedingly rare and difficult element to cultivate. For now, I suggest we focus on your lightning affinity."

Kai nodded, but filed the information away for later. There has to be a way to develop this. If it's tied to my arrival in this world, it could be key to understanding why I'm here...and if there were others like me here.

"Sect Master," Kai ventured, "what determines a person's elemental affinities? Is it something we're born with, or can it change?"

"That's a matter of much debate among cultivators," the Sect Master replied. "We believe affinities are influenced by a range of factors: personality, life experiences, bloodline, and even the circumstances of one's birth or significant life events. Some say that profound spiritual experiences can awaken new affinities."

Like being transported to another world? Kai thought wryly.

The Sect Master's expression grew serious. "Kai, you need to keep your chaos affinity a secret for now. Such rare abilities can attract... unwanted attention."

Kai nodded, understanding the implication. In game terms, I've just discovered I have a super rare class. Best not to advertise it until I level up enough to defend myself. Though, I would feel better if the Sect Master didn’t know…

"Now," the Sect Master continued, "let's begin our lesson. Shen Yu, what aspect of your cultivation do you need guidance with?"

Shen Yu spoke for the first time, his voice calm. "I don't require assistance with the Heavenly Thunderstorm method at present. However, I would like to begin learning the Azure Sky Sect’s Legacy Wind cultivation method."

The Sect Master's brow furrowed as he considered this request. After a moment, he shook his head. "Not yet, Shen Yu. Complete the first layer of the Heavenly Thunderstorm method and open the final two meridians. That will be the optimal time to introduce the wind cultivation method."

Shen Yu nodded once, accepting the decision without argument.

"If that's all, you're dismissed," the Sect Master said to Shen Yu. "I'll work with young Kai on his cultivation now."

As Shen Yu stood to leave, Kai caught another brief, unreadable glance from the other disciple. Then Shen Yu was gone, leaving Kai alone with the Sect Master.