Yu Chen, still dazed by his quick admission, watched quietly as the two cultivators argued over who would take responsibility for getting him settled into the sect.

It fell to Zhang Lie, as Li Ming argued that he had been the one to wake Elder Gu, which is how Yu Chen found himself following the man as he led him through the sect. They walked in silence for a while until Yu Chen worked up the courage to say something.

“Excuse me senior.”

“Yes?” Zhang Lie said, looking back at Yu Chen quizzically as they walked.

“Was there something wrong with my results?” Yu Chen asked a question that had been nagging at him since the elder’s abrupt departure.

“No, why?” The older cultivator asked, looking at Yu Chen in surprise.

“It was just that the elder… he looked disappointed or something.” Yu Chen said hesitantly.

“Oh.” Zhang Lie chuckled. “No, I'd say your results were fairly average. Perhaps even a touch better than average.” He said, shrugging his shoulders.

“Nothing to worry about. Honestly, I think he’s taken a liking to you.” Zhang Lie continued as he looked at the boy out of the corner of his eye. “Most likely the elder just had some unrealistic expectations after hearing that you’d run up the side of a mountain to get here. After all, you arrived here a day earlier than the rest.”

Yu Chen titled his head and began asking another question, but the cultivator cut him off before he could finish speaking.

“It’s late and there’ll be plenty of time for your questions tomorrow. There are a few things we will have to do to get you settled in and I’m not going to be the one to wake up any of the elders to do it.” Zhang Lie said with a laugh. “I’ll take you to your room for now. Get some rest and I’ll show you around in the morning.”

Yu Chen nodded and swallowed his questions, choosing instead to look around as they walked, intrigued by what the sect looked like. Unfortunately for him, it was difficult to make out anything in the dark, and he had to content himself with trailing behind Zhang Lie as the cultivator strode down a cobbled road.

They traveled for a time, and Yu Chen thought that if the amount of distance they’d crossed were any measure it appeared as though the sect was actually a massive place. The cultivator had led him on a winding path that crossed up and down the mountain, and past many buildings that loomed out of the shadows before eventually stopping in front of a low stone building that was so large it disappeared into the darkness.

“These are the dormitories, where the new recruits stay.” Zhang Lie said as they stood in front of the building. “Follow along, and don’t forget which room is yours.”

He started walking again, passing dozens of doors before the building turned at a sharp right angle, and continuing on until he finally halted in front of a small door near the middle of the U shaped building.

It wasn’t obvious, but Yu Chen could tell that the distance between the doors had gradually gotten smaller as they approached the center of the building, and he couldn’t help but feel as though this was one of the smallest rooms available.

“It’s nothing fancy and there’s not a lot of privacy,” Zhang Lie said, with his hand on the door. “But it is warm and dry.”

He pushed open the door and Yu Chen looked inside the small room, seeing that the only things within were a tattered rug and a bed that looked as though it was on its last legs.

“Nice!” Zhang Lie exclaimed. “My first room didn’t have a rug!”

“Don’t worry,” The cultivator said with a laugh when he saw the look on Yu Chen’s face. “If you work hard you won’t stay here forever, there are ways to improve your situation. For example, if you receive enough contribution points it’s possible to acquire private housing, or even a spiritual cave, but the quickest way to get better accommodations is to fight for them.”

Yu Chen looked at Zhang Lie and for the first time the jovial cultivator’s face turned serious.

“You are new here, but you will realize that within the sect, no, within the world of cultivation, strength is the only virtue. The strong are rewarded and the weak get the scraps, and while the sect does not condone theft, duels are encouraged. Anything and everything can be fought over, whether it is cultivation materials or housing.”

A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

“So don’t slack off and make sure to train hard.” Zhang Lie said with a laugh.

“Anyways, get some rest and I’ll see you in the morning.” The cultivator said before turning and walking away.

Yu Chen watched the cultivator disappear into the distance before turning around and entering his new room. The place was small enough that he could stretch his arms out and touch both walls, but that didn’t bother him. He used to share a room with his brother after all, and it hadn’t been much bigger than this.

Yu Chen sat on the bed and put his hands on his knees, and he was surprised for the first time to realize they were shaking. His whole world had changed and it was hard to imagine a week ago he’d been sitting in a pasture laughing with his brother. Somehow he’d managed to be accepted into a sect but he was quickly realizing that he had no idea what came next or where to go from here.

He hated feeling so uncertain, and he’d never before had any reason to have fears or concerns about the future. His life before had been nothing if not routine and stable. Now? He opened and closed his hands. Now he was realizing that he had no idea what tomorrow could hold.

He laid back on the bed and made himself as comfortable as he could on the lumpy mattress. Regardless of what it was that came next, he’d face it after a long night of uninterrupted sleep. His mind was whirling with thoughts as he lay down, but his body was tired and he fell asleep to dreams of qi running through his channels.

Yu Chen startled awake in the pitch blackness and looked around confused, trying to remember where he was.

The last thing he recalled was falling asleep in his bed at the sect.

Except… where was his bed?

The world around him was pitch black and he was unable to see anything. In fact he couldn’t even feel anything. Not the bed or even a floor beneath his feet. It felt as though he were floating in an infinite, inky black void.

Yu Chen started to panic.

Something moved in the darkness. He couldn’t see it but he could hear it shifting around, the raspy sound of something sliding over something, and then a wave of dry heat rolled over him as the incomprehensibly vast thing in the darkness breathed out.

“What do we have here?” A voice rumbled out of the darkness, filled with a bass so thick it set his bones to vibrating. “What is your name?”

Yu Chen felt a primal sort of fear at the sound of that voice, the sort that caused a little voice in the back of your head to repeat, “I’m dead, I’m dead, I’m dead,” over and over again.

“Speak boy!” The voice roared as Yu Chen remained silent, and this time he could feel the darkness itself vibrate from the words.

Yu Chen hastily prayed to all of the gods he could recall as he slapped his fists together and bowed towards the darkness.

“This one is named Yu Chen, senior,” He managed to croak out.

“Hmm..” The voice rumbled, and Yu Chen could feel the thing in the darkness watching him. It reminded Yu Chen of how he’d felt the time he’d seen a wolf in the distance while guarding his sheep.

Like prey.

“I take it that you’ve made it to the sect then? I felt the presence of qi enter your body earlier.” The voice rumbled out of the darkness.

“I have.” Yu Chen hastily replied, perplexed at the line of questioning but too terrified to do anything other than answer. “They’ve accepted me in, senior.”

“Hmm…” The voice rumbled out of the darkness again, and this time there was a definite note of satisfaction. It reminded Yu Chen of something, of the day he’d left home. He’d heard a voice in his head the night before he’d left hadn’t he? He’d thought he’d imagined it but…

“You told me to go to the sect.” Yu Chen said, half asking and half stating.

“Of course.” The voice rumbled in assent. “Now that was a lucky chance, I only awoke because of the scent of qi in the air.”

Qi in the air? Yu Chen fell into thought before he recalled that was the day he’d seen a cultivator fly by, raising his hand towards the two young boys in a pasture. Was it possible that that chance encounter had awoken something?

Something dangerous by the sound of it.

“W-who are you?” Yu Chen marshaled his remaining willpower to ask the thing a question.

Another wave of dry heat washed over Yu Chen as the thing in the darkness snorted arrogantly.

“I am Huanghe Shenlong, Sovereign of the Yellow River.” The voice declared pridefully, before launching into a list of its great deeds and exploits.

“Among all the creatures who’ve graced the branches of the world tree I am first, the one that rules the world! It was I who overturned the Dragon’s Palace and caused the oceans to run red with blood, and I am the one who delivered Chang’e to the moon and brought fire to man, raising the wretched creatures out of the mud.”

“I am known as the tyrant of the west, the one who commands the wind to dance and the rain to fall! Mountains have melted and bled beneath my molten fury! I’ve carved valleys with a sweep of my tail, and canyons and gorges are the result of a flick of my claws.”

The voice paused and Yu Chen almost thought it was over before it launched into another list of exploits.

“I am the first under heaven, the ruler of all that is seen and unseen. To this day I am unbroken, unbeaten and unmatched. I am the one who turns the wheel of fate, and my deeds are nothing less than the stories that have shaped this world.”

The voice rumbled out that last part in pride, its voice rumbling with a faint vibrato like a cat.

Yu Chen nodded his head. Well that answered that, however there was still another important question.

“Why are you in my head?” Yu Chen asked.

A light cough came out of the darkness.

“Do not question the Will of Heaven boy.” The voice snapped, “Of all the things that walk and crawl upon the earth, you are the one who has been blessed with a drop of blood infused with my divine will. Rejoice!”

Yu Chen swallowed before replying.

“As you say, senior.”

The darkness rumbled with satisfaction before the voice spoke again.

“As my blood flows through your veins I will consider you as a descendant. You may refer to me as Shizu, Huanghe Shizu.”

Yu Chen perked up at this, feeling a little hopeful at this sudden twist of fate. If Huanghe Shizu was as amazing as he’d stated he was, then didn’t this mean that Yu Chen’s future was bright?

“Yes Shizu!” Yu Chen said earnestly as he bowed towards the darkness. “I’m grateful for your help.”

The voice in the darkness snorted before replying.

“Yes, well, there isn’t much I can do for you now. If you wish for me to assist you, you must work hard to become a qi condensator and step into the realm of cultivation as soon as possible.”

Yu Chen opened his mouth to say something more but the words wouldn’t come out. He felt as though something was pulling him, tugging right behind his navel as the darkness around him became hazy.

“Time runs short.” The voice came again from the darkness. “Cultivate, Yu Chen, and become stronger. We will meet again.”

The world around Yu Chen faded away as the voice finished speaking.