“In the beginning you were using the Iron Forms. Have you ever practiced the Steel Forms, or seen them practiced?” Elder Gu demanded as Yu Chen’s movements came to a halt.

“The Steel Forms? No elder, I wasn’t really aware of them.” Yu Chen replied, thinking back. He thought Jin Hua had mentioned it before, but he couldn’t remember when.

“How did you learn to use the Condensing Fist with other parts of your body?” The elder asked, his eyes narrowing as he considered Yu Chen.

“My friend Jin Hua condensed qi in his elbows and knees while fighting a Blackscale Asp. I thought it was a very practical ability, and so I trained to use it against the spirit beasts I’ve fought as well.” Yu Chen said honestly. He wasn’t sure what the big deal was, or why the elder seemed to find it so important. It made sense to him.

Elder Gu stroked his chin, evaluating the young boy in front of him. He seemed to come to a decision, turning towards the other two disciples.

“Li Ming, do you have a copy of the Steel Forms on you?” The elder said, looking over at the older man.

Li Ming shook his head in reply, but the other cultivator in the room spoke up. “I do, elder.”

Elder Gu impatiently waved his hand and the other man rummaged through his pockets before pulling out a small slip of jade, which the elder tossed to Yu Chen.

“Study that. I’ll give you five minutes, and then I want to see you perform it.”

Yu Chen caught the piece of jade, examining it in curiosity before holding it up to head and closing his eyes. It didn’t take long until, like before, a sheaf of papers materialized in his mind’s eye.

He concentrated, and the pages began flipping one after another in his mind. The image of a man appeared on each, moving as he flowed through various poses. They were similar to the Iron Forms he was used to, but each movement seemed oddly truncated, ending in blows using a different part of his body. A punch would turn into a feint, leading with an elbow, what would be a kick transitioned into a knee, and more than once the man’s head became a weapon, attacking from a pose that was seemingly unbalanced.

Now that he saw the forms he recognized Jin Hua’s movements within them, and realized where the man had learned the techniques he’d used. It turned out they were the Steel Forms, a continuation of the Iron Forms that resulted in one condensing their qi in unexpected places.

Yu Chen stood there with his eyes closed as the movements repeated themselves, and gradually he began moving through the forms in tandem with his mental image, the only difference being that he filled his blows with condensed qi.

He repeated the movements a second time, and then a third, perfecting the forms, before slowly awakening from the meditative state he’d entered. He looked around and saw Elder Gu looked pleased, incredibly pleased, although the other two cultivators had an expression of shock.

“You have indeed chosen to carve your own path, as I imagined you would.”

“You!” Elder Gu suddenly barked, wheeling on the cultivator who had provided him with the jade slip. “Have you finished mastering the Steel Forms?”

“No elder.” The man said, looking chastened.

“And yet this boy has never even practiced the Steel Forms and is displaying a level of understanding close to the realm of large success.”

Yu Chen felt uncomfortable under the elder’s scrutiny, but he didn’t let it show, straightening his back as he stood there. Li Ming was looking at him as though seeing him for the first time, while the other cultivator stared at the floor, a hint of color appearing on cheeks.

“Remarkable. Come with me then.” The elder said, leaving through the door that led into the sect.

Yu Chen hurriedly followed after him, not wanting to keep the elder waiting. As he stepped outside he almost bumped into an outer disciple who was standing nearby, holding a bundle of clothing.

“You can take those back, he won’t be needing them.” The elder said.

Yu Chen wanted to protest, but thought better of it, and kept his mouth shut. He followed the elder as he led him through the sect, heading towards an area Yu Chen had never been before.

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They walked through the assembly hall and past the spiritual gardens, following the same path Zhang Lie had taken him back when he’d first arrived. They reached the outskirts of the sect and kept going, passing the Manual Pavilion and The Treasure hall as they followed a long trailing path that curved up and around the side of the mountain.

There were no buildings in this area, the road cutting through an empty stretch of wild mountain that would doubtlessly have been full of life and beauty in the warmer months, although the trees were currently barren, and the ground lifeless, covered beneath a serene layer of snow that crunched as they walked.

After a short while they arrived before a sizable house perched on the mountainside. Elder Gu strode into the courtyard, and a short, rotund man appeared, wearing embroidered robes that marked him as an inner sect disciple.

“Elder Gu, you’ve returned! Ah, who have you brought with you?” The man said, casting a doubtful look towards Yu Chen.

“Yu Chen, this is Ji Rong.” Elder Gu said. “Ji Rong is my assistant, and he is in charge when I’m not around. Ji Rong, Yu Chen here is my newest disciple, take care of him and get him situated into the inner sect.” Yu Chen’s jaw dropped at the elder’s words.

The elder paused for a second, thinking quickly before speaking again.

“Oh, and provide him with a copy of the Steel and Diamond Forms.”

Yu Chen wanted to say something but the elder was already walking away. He saw a hint of surprise flicker across Ji Rong’s face, but whatever the man was thinking he didn’t say.

“As you say Elder.” Ji Rong spoke, bowing low towards the older man’s back. “Let's get you situated then. Come, come, the elder has important things to attend to.” Ji Rong said as he walked up to Yu Chen, leading him away from the house.

Yu Chen cast a glance towards the large house the elder has disappeared into, shocked at the sudden turn of events. He hesitated for half a second, filled with questions and wanting to demand answers, but instead he turned, following the other man as he strolled down the mountain.

Elder Gu’s disciple? He didn’t know what to think. He’d found himself in an unexpected situation, and he had no choice but to go with the flow, seeing where this would take him, and he hurried to catch up with the older man.

It turned out Ji Ron was quite the talkative fellow, and he spent most of the walk explaining what changes he could expect now that he was the Elder’s disciple. The elder would now provide him with a monthly stipend to cover his cultivation needs, so Yu Chen no longer had to work, but he was still more than welcome to take on missions. In fact, it was encouraged, as they provided a valuable service to the sect while also providing a form of training for the disciples.

He’d be provided with a new residence as well, this time in an area of the sect where the spiritual energy was denser, and if he had the contribution points, he could rent a spiritual cave at a significant discount. Not that he would do that of course. Yu Chen already had a cave he could use if he needed to.

They stopped by the Treasure Pavilion on their way back down, where Ji Rong procured for him a few sets of the embroidered robes the inner disciples wore, another set of qi gathering pills, as well as a few other odds and ends. Yu Chen took the opportunity to trade in his bundle of spirit beast skins, unburdening himself and collecting some much needed contribution points.

They then crossed the street, entering the Manual Pavillion, where Yu Chen received a copy of the Mist Condensing to Steel, as well as the Mist Condensing to Diamond Martial Forms. Ling Xia was present, and her eyes went wide as she noticed the robes Yu Chen was carrying in his arms. Yu Chen exchanged a bit of small talk with her, but Ji Rong was waiting and he had to leave.

Afterwards they made their way towards the area of the sect that had been set aside for the inner disciples. It was a smaller area and more quiet than the parts of the sect the outer disciples resided within, which were much more populated and filled with a variety of dormitories.

The path they walked down contained small houses every couple hundred feet, some of them were decorated but many of them seemed plain, and all were clearly lived in.

Inner Sect disciples resided in private homes, and they even contained a small courtyard to practice within. There weren’t very many Inner sect disciples after all, perhaps a hundred all together, and they formed a small community of their own within the sect.

Ji Rong stopped before an empty house.

“This one hasn’t been occupied for some time, so do your best to make yourself comfortable. I’ll return when the elder has orders for you. Do you have any questions?”

Of course Yu Chen had questions, many of them practically bursting to be answered, but he asked the one that was most important in his mind.

“I wasn’t prepared for this, and the elder didn’t mention anything to me, what exactly does he expect from me?”

Ji Rong snorted.

“That is the elder’s way. If he chose you then it is for no other reason than he thought you were talented.”

A distant look entered Ji Rong’s eye as he looked off of the mountain and into the distance.

“In some ways the heavens are fair and in others they are not. You will find that within the Inner Sect you will have more benefits and greater opportunities. He has only placed you here to give you the opportunity to maximize your potential.”

Ji Rong fixed him with a serious stare.

“The elder expects the best, so you must do your best so as not to disappoint him. You have been given a rare chance, so be sure to make the most of it.”

Yu Chen bowed his head in acceptance at the older man’s words.

“Good.” Ji Rong said, as he flashed him a smile. “I’ll be expecting great things from you as well! We will meet again soon, so be sure to train your hardest!” Finished, Ji Rong turned around, making his way down the snowy path that led to Yu Chen’s new home.

Yu Chen took a deep breath, before turning around and getting to work cleaning up his new home.