Kang Lin knew that Sect Leader Chao Su—the man who’d somehow just become her master—was having a bit of fun at her expense in the way he so cavalierly told her that the cultivation method had been specifically tuned to her qi aspect, but she couldn’t help her reaction. For that claim to be true was not possible. Literally. There was no way imaginable for him to have achieved such a feat.

If she were an expert on creating cultivation methods and was already in the Golden Core realm and had spent literal decades studying her own qi aspect, it might be conceivable for her to make such a thing. For herself. Because she would know her own qi aspect that well.

For him to say he just happened to have one to give her made no sense. But what made even less sense was the feeling she had that he somehow created it on the spot.

Madness. Absolute madness.

She dove her consciousness into the jade slip again, trying to determine the veracity of his statement, seeking the method’s resonance with her qi aspect.

Obviously, it was Lightning aspected, a fact that was determined in an instant. But that trait meant nothing.

The problem was that, the farther she delved into the scripture, the more it clicked into place, slotted itself into her very soul. Either the technique had some unknown quality that made it very, very good at imitating a cultivator’s qi aspect, or it was exactly what he said it was.

Strongly suspecting the latter, she met Yang Xiu’s eyes. The girl, who she was starting to think of as a friend if not a best friend if not a potential sister, winked at her.

That was not the time for a wink.

Kang Lin literally could not even process what was happening.

“Don’t worry about it, Sister,” Yang Xiu said. “He does stuff like this all the time. Besides our basic weapon techniques, every cultivation method and technique Yang Ru and I use are specifically attuned to our qi aspects. You’ll get used to it.”

“Used to it! Used to it! It’s insane. How can I get used to it?”

“It’s okay,” Master said. “I can whip you up a different method if that one is simply too unfathomable for you.”

Kang Lin clutched the jade slip with both hands and held it against her body. There was no way anyone was taking that cultivation method away from her. As unimaginable of the possibility of such a thing existing was, the advantages offered by it were even more absurd.

It would be exactly matched to her, meaning that the cultivation method would eliminate any chance of troubles like those she experienced at the peak of Qi Gathering. A discord between the method and her aspect simply could not occur. And that was just the beginning of the wonders it presented. Each time she cycled qi through her pathways would be just a bit easier than if she used a less personal method, made less difficult by the attunement. Each benefit would be just a bit more pronounced, enhancing the physical enhancements of breaking through to each minor realm and giving her access to more qi than she would have otherwise had.

And the foundation she would build. Reaching Golden Core would become much more likely.

Few in her family besides Grandfather had achieved such a high realm. She would be feted as a success, her cousins made to kowtow to her.

No, if the method had any chance of being what she thought it to be, it was a true treasure. She would not give it up unless it was pried from her cold, dead hands.

“It’s okay, Master. I’ll … be okay. Really. Gratitude.” After Kang Lin secured the jade slip in her storage ring, she cupped her hands.

“If you’re sure…”

“I am, Master. Gratitude.”

“Good. Uh… Before we move on to the next step, would it completely freak you out if I just happened to give you techniques that were also uniquely attuned to your qi aspect?”

Yes. Yes, it would.

“No, Master. This lowly one has regained control over her emotions. Apologies for that ugly display.”

She realized she’d been talking back to him, to her new master. Such disrespect required amends. She kowtowed to him, getting on her knees and touching her forehead to the dirt.

He waited until she had risen and said, “Great. Just one more question…”

“Yes, Master?”

“Would it totally freak you out if you were allowed to pick anything you wanted the technique to do and I were to then somehow supply you with a technique that did exactly that thing you requested and it turned out that the technique was attuned specifically to you?”

She opened her mouth to tell him that she would be perfectly fine with that, but she couldn’t seem to force the words out.

Yang Xiu laughed. And laughed. And laughed.

And still, Kang Lin wasn’t able to speak.

Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

“Perhaps you can give us a few minutes, Master?” Yang Xiu said.

“Yeah, that might be for the best. I don’t detect any more spirit beasts nearby, so you two should be safe. I’ll return in ten to fifteen minutes.”

The girl, Kang Lin’s friend, simply waved to the unfathomable godlike being before he disappeared with a step.

“How do you not find him terrifying?” Kang Lin said once she finally found her voice.

“Why would I find him terrifying?”

“Because I have never met anyone who can so casually display such absurd amounts of power. What he can do is not normal.”

“So?”

“What do you mean, so?” Kang Lin said, more than a little flabbergasted at the other girl’s attitude.

“Right now, either of us could kill Zou Tian without even thinking about it, right?”

“Of course. He’s just a mid-realm Qi Gathering cultivator. He’d have no defense against either of us from a purely physical standpoint, not even counting external qi use.”

“Should he be scared of us?” Yang Xiu said.

Oh.

“You’re that sure of Master?”

“Of course. I owe him my life. I owe him everything. But it’s more than that. I’ve seen his heart. He cares about me. About Yang Ru. About all of us. Even about you who he’s just getting to know. He sees all of us as his grandkids.” Yang Xiu sighed. “One day, one of us is going to be killed. It’s inevitable; we live in a dangerous world. I fear what that will do to him.”

The two girls sat next to each other with their backs against a tree.

“I wish I could tell my grandfather about all that just happened,” Kang Lin said. “He’d be apoplectic about that cultivation method. I don’t even know what to think about this anymore.”

“Master has a saying that helps me.” Yang Xiu deepened her tone in a poor imitation of the man. “We live in a cultivation world. Anything can and will happen. Best just roll with the punches.”

“I grew up in a sect. The kinds of things that happen around Master are not normal. Trust me.”

By the time he returned, Kang Lin had calmed down enough to think straight.

“Feeling better?” he said.

More than anything, she was deeply embarrassed by her overly emotional display. Grandfather would be disappointed.

“Much.” She cupped her hands. “Gratitude, Master.”

“Okay, ready for the next step, right?” He turned his body and positioned his arms and legs like he was ready to run away at the slightest hint of trouble.

“I think I’ll be fine, Master.” She put just a little bit of bite into her words, which shocked her almost as much as he had earlier.

Master really was a jokester, which was way beyond her experience with elders. Grandfather was … grandfather. It made sense for him to treat her in a very familiar manner. Having a sect leader be so casual took some getting used to. At the same time, it was difficult not to respond in kind.

“Good. Techniques. Each Foundation Establishment disciple gets two free of charge. What are your thoughts?”

Attack, shield, and movement. She could only choose two.

Kang Lin already had Lightning Dash, her Qi Gathering realm movement technique, mastered. It enhanced her muscles to give her an extreme burst of speed over a short distance, which was quite useful in a fight. The only downside was that she had to use it sparingly because it was so inefficient, though that problem was somewhat resolved due to the much larger qi pool she’d unlocked upon advancing.

Her other mastered Qi Gathering technique was Shocking Spear, her weapon technique. It was the foundation of her combat style.

“Attack and shield, Master.”

“Good choices, of course. Did you have something in mind for the attack technique?”

Just as she was about to answer, he spoke over her. “Actually, wait a second. I have something I’ve been dying to show off that I think you’ll appreciate. Let’s take a little field trip.”

Kang Lin was starting to get used to holding the man’s hand, and she and Yang Xiu quickly grabbed hold. A step later, and they were on top of a rock outcrop.

Master pointed to a stream running through the middle of a small valley that the rock overlooked. “See the two eyes on top of the water?”

“What is that, Master?” Yang Xiu said.

“A hippo. A rank six hippo.”

Kang Lin had never even met anyone who had seen a rank six spirit beast, and she found herself a few hundred yards from one. Life with Master certainly wasn’t boring.

Short, maybe. Boring, no.

“Ready?” he said.

Yang Xiu nodded vigorously.

How could she find such a terrifying experience exciting?

“Check it out!” A blacksmith’s hammer appeared from his ring and popped into Master’s hand. He made a very extravagant gesture with it like he was striking the sky. “Lightning, heed my call!”

The world went white as the brightest, thickest bolt of lightning Kang Lin had ever seen split the sky and crashed into the hippopotamus. Deafening thunder roared an instant later.

“What do you think?” he said like a child excited over a new toy.

“Impressive, Master,” Yang Xiu said. “Did you kill the beast?”

“Yep. One shot, one kill, right?”

“Right, Master!”

Wait. Master used Lightning qi. Since when?

Kang Lin had already seen him use one type of qi to teleport them with what he called his Quicksteps and another type that seemed to disintegrate anything it touched into nothingness. Now he had Lightning, too? She’d never been so confused.

“Kang Lin? What did you think? Cool, huh?”

“Yes, Master,” she said numbly. “Very … cool.”

“I think that was a good visual for your qi aspect to use for your attack,” he said. “Lightning ripping the sky asunder. That was pretty darn asunder as far as I could tell.”

“Yes, Master. Asunder.”

“I think I might have broken her again, Yang Xiu.”

“She’ll be fine, Master. She’s already coming around.”

He Quickstepped them down to the water’s edge so he could retrieve the charred spirit beast corpse before Quickstepping them back to the Wood.

“So,” he said as he released their hands. “I’m assuming you prefer something that works with your spear?”

Kang Lin nodded.

“Basically, I’m thinking something like the technique your grandfather gave you, but one that actually works?”

She nodded again.

His eyes started making weird movements, and a short time later, he tossed her a jade slip. She didn’t think she was mentally ready to examine the technique, so she stored it in her ring.

He frowned. That was worrying. If she had upset the powerful sect leader, she might not survive much longer.

“What wrong, Master?” Yang Xiu said.

“Speaking of spears, I was just thinking that Kang Lin’s is nice but not as nice as this.” A spear made from reddish wood with blue tinted metal appeared in his hand. “I was reserving these to give to sect members when they reached Foundation Establishment, but she is my personal disciple. Gifting one to her would be appropriate, right?”

“Definitely, Master,” Yang Xiu said.

Thus, Kang Lin found herself the owner of one of the nicest weapons she’d ever seen. She was pretty sure that the spear her grandfather had bought for her had been purchased for less than five hundred taels. The one Master gave her had to be worth at least a couple thousand.

Overwhelmed, she stowed her old spear in her ring.

“Okay, now the pièce de résistance, the shield technique. What did you have in mind, Kang Lin?”

Before she could answer, Yang Xiu said. “Can you give her one that automatically triggers like mine, Master?”

A shield that automatically triggered? Such a thing was possible?

That was the last surprise her mind could take. She sunk to the ground and tried to meditate. It was either that or run away screaming.