When He Yu arrived back at their shared home, Li Heng was already awake and waiting for him. He sat in the courtyard, his jian lying across his lap.
“There you are,” he said. “I’d half thought Senior Sister Zhang would have kept you longer. Did she have any lessons that you can share?”
“She scolded me for using an elixir to fuel my breakthrough. Said I should have waited until I reached the peak myself, and then used the elixir to push past it. Something about a false dragon.”
Li Heng gave a nod as if he’d known already. “She isn’t wrong, but I think her standards might be too high, especially in your circumstances. Advancing to the Foundation stage was the most important thing. You’ll have plenty of time to push the limits of the higher realms.”
“Did you reach Foundation that way?”
“Of course, but I had time,” Li Heng said. “I began cultivating as soon as I turned fifteen, and I wasn’t allowed to even consider joining a sect until I reached Foundation. Your situation is different, in case you hadn’t realized.
“If you were still at Qi Gathering, even at the peak, you’d be nothing more than prey for any Second Realms looking for some easy spoils to help catch them up to the talents of this year.”
“Like you,” He Yu said. By this point, he’d moved well past the need to keep the bitterness from his voice with Li Heng.
“Just so,” the noble replied. “But fear not, I have something for you.” He tossed a jade slip to He Yu.
Unrolling the slip, He Yu did feel some small measure of comfort. It contained the White Mountain Body Art. “My thanks,” he said, giving Li Heng a bow.
Li Heng waved the comment away. “Absorb the knowledge from the slip, and get your guandao. I want to see for myself what a Foundation He Yu is capable of.”
As it turned out, Zhang Lifen had spoken true. Ren Huang’s training had all been nothing more than preparation for this art. The cycling patterns of the first technique—the Eternal Mountain Root—were very similar to the exercises Ren Huang had been teaching him all these months. The technique contained in the full body art was more refined, much like the sect’s basic cultivation technique had been a superior version of the cultivation technique he’d been using before joining the sect.
Activating the technique, he hefted his guandao. From weeks of practice, he’d gained a familiarity with the weapon. A feel for its heft, and how to work with that weight. He was immediately thrown by how light it now seemed. While he didn’t feel any stronger, the massive polearm was like a feather in his grip.
“You’ll settle in faster than you’d think,” Li Heng called over his shoulder. “Just don’t think too much and it will fall into place.”
He Yu decided his housemate probably knew best and took the advice as he gave his weapon a few practice swings. It wasn’t quite right, but he saw what Li Heng had meant. Pushing away his thoughts about all the little differences, He Yu settled into a combat stance. Across the courtyard from him, Li Heng did the same.
In a flash, Li Heng crossed the distance and pressured him with a series of rapid thrusts. The sheer aggression from the noble wasn’t entirely new, but it was unexpected. Li Heng preferred to fight more defensively, letting his opponent’s attacks power up his Winter Moon Reflection. It seemed he had other tricks as well.
As Li Heng pressed the attack, He Yu couldn’t help but notice that despite the increased aggression, he could hold his own. Li Heng was certainly putting far more power behind his strikes than he had before, but He Yu found himself at least able to endure with just the additional strength and durability granted by his breakthrough. It wasn’t enough, though. He could see that Li Heng would break through his defense sooner rather than later.
He Yu activated the Eternal Mountain Root. Given that he’d only just learned the technique, it was clumsy, but months of preparation meant that he succeeded regardless. The qi that surged through his meridians took on a mountain aspect as it flooded his muscles, joints, and bones. Vital energy pulled from the very heart of an ancient and indomitable peak filled him and gave him strength he’d never before felt. He activated the Bracing Wind just as Li Heng launched into another series of attacks, and pushed the noble away.
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The flicker of a grin played across Li Heng’s lips as he slid back. He Yu advanced. Wind qi churned around his guandao’s blade as he brought it to bear. In that moment Li Heng’s sword seemed a flimsy and delicate thing in comparison. How could such a small weapon ever hope to stand against the might of a weapon as massive as the guandao? Especially when enforced with the Five Crescent Winds.
Metal clashed against metal, and a silver light flared around Li Heng’s blade. It was the first time Li Heng had ever used the Winter Moon Reflection in their sparring sessions, and He Yu was unprepared. His guandao rebounded off Li Heng’s Jian, and a burst of qi carrying an unfamiliar aspect shoved him back. He was off balance, and as a consequence had no defense for the kick Li Heng launched square at his chest.
It was a favorite combo of Li Heng’s—He Yu had seen it more than enough times. That didn’t make it any easier to take. He spared a brief moment of wonder at the fact his ribs didn’t shatter before he crashed into one of the formation-reinforced pillars lining the inner courtyard of their home. He Yu groaned as he picked himself up.
Li Heng sent his sword back to his storage treasure and gave a nod. “Acceptable.”
“I’m glad I met your standards, Heir of the Western Passage,” He Yu said. Although he wanted to feel at least a bit stung at how badly he’d just been beaten, he couldn’t help but marvel at just how much stronger he’d become. Li Heng had shown more of his strength in that duel than he ever had before. Even though he’d lost, it had not been nearly as one-sided as he would have expected. Not only had it shown him clearly just how much stronger he’d become, but it also demonstrated how much further he needed to go. Pressing his fist into his palm, he said, “This one thanks you for your instruction.”
“Enough of that,” Li Heng said. “We’re friends, and you’ve finally taken your first real step on the journey of cultivation. Everything before was mere child’s play. Why do you think the sect expels anyone who fails to reach Foundation after six months?”
He Yu hadn’t given much thought to the advancement requirements since that first day. A worry lodged in his heart at the reminder. “What if I can’t reach Body Refining in a year’s time?”
“I wouldn’t worry about it,” Li Heng said with a dismissive flick of his sleeve. “Now that you’ve advanced you’ll receive a larger stipend, and you’ll have access to better-paying sect jobs. That will go a long way to providing for your increased cultivation needs. You can make up any shortfall with spoils.”
He Yu shifted at the mention of spoils but said nothing. He still wasn’t comfortable with the idea of beating up other disciples and taking their resources, but Li Heng treated it as a given. None of the advice Li Heng had given him so far had led him astray, so why should he question now?
“Seems fair,” he muttered.
“So, ready to go earn some advancement resources?”
“I think I’ll hold off,” He Yu said. “Senior Sister Zhang told me I should begin cultivating the Cloud Emperor’s Heavenly Palace. I should probably listen to her.”
Li Heng stroked his chin thoughtfully. “I suppose you’re right. I wouldn’t spend too much time in seclusion, though. If we wait, all the easy pickings will dry up. A hard-fought victory is sweeter, but you have a lot of catching up to do still.”
After excusing himself, He Yu retrieved the jade slip containing the Cloud Emperor’s Heavenly Palace and closed himself in his cultivation chamber. He sent a trickle of qi into the slip, and the knowledge of the art filled his thoughts. The foundation of the art was the Cloud Emperor’s Peerless Judgment. It was primarily a cultivation technique, and even with his limited expertise he could see it was vastly superior to the one he’d been using. It was also considerably more difficult. The technique required him to cycle his qi in far more complex patterns, while also holding insights he’d gained from his experiences in life. Doing so would grow his cultivation base, and give him tremendous insight into both himself and others.
The second technique the art contained was called the Sky Dragon’s Flight. It was a complicated and potent movement technique that harnessed wind-aspected qi. Immediately he saw why Elder Cai had said the Cloud Emperor’s Heavenly Palace would suit him well. The weeks he’d spent cultivating the Five Crescent Winds had given a slight wind aspect to his qi.
According to Elder Wen’s cultivation lectures, the aspect of the arts and techniques a cultivator used would impress themselves on their spirit and cause their qi to take on those aspects. It was the source of the strong presence that powerful cultivators had on the world around them when their qi was unrestrained.
He’d also learned from those same lessons that each cultivator’s nature would be more strongly aligned with certain aspects than others. He Yu could only assume that’s what Zhang Lifen had meant when she said that she was unsuited to cultivate the Cloud Emperor’s Heavenly Palace. It was most likely why Elder Cai had given He Yu the art in the first place.
The remaining techniques were sealed. They would become available to him once he’d advanced his cultivation of the art’s foundational technique far enough. Then he would have to suffer a tribulation. The slip didn’t specify precisely what kind of tribulation it would be, but based on the stories it was nothing that he’d want to look forward to.
With the path forward as clear as it could be for the time being, He Yu settled into the lotus position and began to cultivate according to the Cloud Emperor’s Peerless Judgment.