Guan Hei peered down at the shattered rock in amazement. Although the sword-ki itself wasn't too condensed, nor powerful, Sai had formed it remarkably brisk. It normally required weeks to achieve even a hint of progress, let alone a few hours. Even he, himself, could not hope to produce results nearly as fast.

Noticing his awe, Sai smiled coolly; it was the first time he had achieved something by himself, without the aid of fortuitous encounters. It took a long while for him to complete his first rotation, but after condensing the purple strand, he grasped the hang of it.

"You've done well, " Guan Hei praised. The boy in front of him did not possess the same talents that he did, but he excelled in other areas. Even though Guan Hei was prideful, he was beginning to soften up toward Sai. Although the kid was an arrogant noble, it was a pleasant domineering; fit for the military.

Sai relished in his first success and followed behind Guan Hei, toward his residence. He temporarily forgot about the need of food and quickly returned to his room.

Once Sai entered, he disregarded his roommate and sauntered directly to his bed. His initial excitement for developing a glimmer of sword-ki had still not yet dissipated. Instead of relaxing and reveling in happiness, he decided to continue his cultivation. He once again developed another strand of sword-ki, condensing it hundreds of times, even more than before. It was a strenuous process, but Sai was a patient man.

Like this, he spent his time either holed up in his room, or at the training grounds. Guan Hei instructed him on a few things every now and then, but nothing too drastic. Rather, the tough man decided that it was best to let Sai focus and evolve by himself. If he ran into any trouble, then Sai would immediately ask Guan Hei for pointers. But, if not, then he would continue refining his sword-ki.

Months passed in relative silence and Sai's eighteenth birthday was just right around the corner. He sat atop his wooden-framed bed with relaxed brows and a placid expression. to his side, multiple strands of Ki intertwined with each other and surrounded his sitting body. His roommate had long vacated the room in fear of being attacked, so Sai was free to do as he pleased. In comparison the first strand, each subsequent rotation has increased their purity.

Sudden, his eyes flashed open and the intermixing threads began to absorb one another, forming one solid piece. It was about as thick as a piece of bamboo and as long as a chopstick. It swiveled around Sai's wrists and strutted a shocking amount of destructive power. With this, Sai was finally pleased.

He concealed his sword-ki and once again stashed it inside of his dantian. Then, he hopped off of the bed and headed into the bathroom, to wash the muck off his body. Once there, he gazed into the mirror and thoroughly scrutinized the changes in his physical appearance.

Although he appeared nearly identical a month ago, his body emanated a sharpness that could not have been found prior. Not to mention the dangerous glint within his yellow eyes, seemingly looking down on everything in sight.

Seeing this, Sai nodded with satisfaction and walked out of his room, heading toward the training grounds. It had been a few months since he had arrived, so it was about time they had completed their coming-of-age ceremony. In fact, the operation was set to occur tonight, at nightfall. Him and the others were tasked with destroying some rations and providing cover support during the skirmish.

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Strangely enough, their target was a small training grounds, on the border of Tibet. It was moderately concealed within the plateau, but Rahvin Kingdom spies had supposedly discovered a secret path up the plateau. If everything went according to plan, then not many mishaps would occur, or so the trainees were told.

With this in mind, Sai traveled down the corridors layered with sconces and soon arrived at the training grounds. Incompatible with the busy morning drills, not many warriors were present. Only Guan Hei and a handful of elites attended, alongside the other five male recruits. To the side, a group of downcast women were also present. 

Among them, Rui Qiu lifted her chin and observed Sai from afar. Her expression was filled with annoyance and unwillingness. A layer of frost exuded from her body as she shifted her chin away, releasing a snort.

Confused, Sai tilted his head in novelty. Thinking back, he hadn't left his room for a while, nor had he come across the ladies since the strange accident. Upon some deliberation, he couldn't understand why she appeared to be angry, so he walked toward Guan Hei, forgetting about the matter entirely. It didn't occur to him that his lack of interest in her, his "friend", is what caused her so much frustration.

Nonetheless, such minor trivialities were unimportant to the current situation. Once Sai had arrived, the last participating member appeared. Thus, Guan Hei whistled toward the nearby stallions and roared out a string of commands.

"Wrap some cloth around the hooves of your horses and silently follow us!"

Sai and the others nodded their heads in acknowledgment, soon wrapping soft linen and other fluffy material around the hooves. Their goal was to sneak up on the Tibetans, not to rile up a huge commotion. Destroying the entire camp had never been feasible, only a few assassinations and the burning of their granaries were optimal.

Soon, they departed from the Gao Protectorate, heading north, toward Tibet. It was around a five-day journey, including ample rest and preparations. One could not invade the plateau without first getting used to the height, lest they wanted to become sick. Regulating your body and slowly adapting to the new geography and atmosphere was critical to the strategy.

Thus, they traveled in a rather simple formation, with Guan Hei and the other seasoned warriors at the forefront. At the back, Sai and the other five boys were trodding along, staring at the group of women in front of them. Each man and woman strapped a weapon to the sides of their belts and dressed somewhat lightly. Even the armored warriors wore leather to generate less sound.

While on the back of the horse, Sai contained his wildly fluttering hair and focused on his dantian. In the last month, he had concentrated primarily on building up his personal strength. The sword-ki inside his body was a testament to this fact. It was capable of slashing a thick tree trunk in two pieces and cracking a boulder. The only thing that he needed was practice… real battles.

Especially now that he was so close to the first step of cultivation, the bone-refining stage. It had to be understood that a very pure source of sword-ki would potentially speed up the process of refining his bones. Rendering him one step closer to achieving an even higher state.

With this in mind, Sai ignored his surroundings and began to condense more strands of sword-ki.

***

Inside of Rahvin Kingdom, at the center of the Central Plains, a different kind of storm was brewing. A group of multiple military officials, including the Minister of War, had presented a few memorials requesting five martial arts institutes to be established. Each training camp will incorporate a different type of civilian, such as nobles, women, commoners and other basic young cultivators.

The five institutes were referred to as the Jade claw, Vermilion peak, qilin grounds, tiger camp, and bronze stronghold. Each one possessed an entirely different selection of mantras and martial arts, some catering to various nobles, while others to commoners.

The wealthy families scrambled around and vied for the better position. Momentarily, all eyes were away from the upcoming battle in Tibet. That is, except for one particular man.

His starry gaze peered at the large map, a small smile playing on his lips. "So, it has begun!'