It turned out to be rather simple once it was explained to him. All he had to do was hold the piece of jade up to his forehead and close his eyes, and it would then display a lifelike image of its contents within his mind's eye.
So, he did just that, settling down cross legged onto the rug in his room. He’d just finished putting it back into order after arriving home for the night. After he’d received the piece of jade there hadn’t been much else said, as it was clear that Zhang Lie was in a hurry to leave the manual pavilion. Yu Chen was still confused about the strange atmosphere between the cultivator and the elder, and Zhang Lie had done nothing to illuminate him, remaining mostly silent on their walk back to Yu Chen’s home.
Before he left, the elder had bid him to return again after he’d managed to condense his qi and achieve small success in both of the sect's martials arts. Once he’d done so, He’d be freely allowed to pick out one technique from the lower level to complement his training, and from what Elder Shu had told him, the options were nearly endless. After that, he could always return and exchange contribution points to study new techniques on the first floor.
However, those concerns were for the future. Yu Chen was brimming with barely contained excitement as he stared at the small piece of jade in his hand. Within this small piece of green rock lay his future, and it would form the foundation of the path he would now tread upon.
With a deep breath, Yu Chen closed his eyes and brought the piece of jade to his forehead.
He felt a slight tug, so imperceptible Yu Chen thought he imagined it, and then three books appeared, floating in his mind’s eye. The first and largest one was a thick bound tome; of a style he was unfamiliar with. As he examined it he felt a sense of threat and foreboding coming from the golden symbols stamped onto the front, forming the words Golden Mist Manual.
The one in the middle was the smallest book, really nothing more than a long curling piece of parchment, with the words Iron Mist Breathing Technique scrawled across the top. The final book appeared as a large ream of unbound papers, and the first page read Mist Condensing to Iron Martial Forms.
He focused on that one, and the book began to rapidly flick through its pages. An imposing man was inscribed on each page, his body smoothly flowing through various poses as the pages turned.
Yu Chen watched enamored, the other two books forgotten as he unconsciously rose, and, eyes still closed, began to follow the man in his mind as the movements repeated themselves.
At first, they were a bit difficult to follow, his body protesting slightly as he put it through the unnatural movements. It didn’t take long for him to warm up and loosen though, and any initial discomfort he’d felt was soon forgotten as he flowed through the movements alongside the man in his mind. After going through the motions for the tenth time, Yu Chen slowly came back to himself and opened his eyes, surprised at the change in his body.
There wasn’t anything physically different of course, not from such a short bout of exercise. Instead, it was more of a feeling, as though his body were resonating with the sensation one has after eating a fulfilling meal. It was as if the flexibility and strength required to go through those movements, movements that would have left anyone else a trembling mess, only served to sate a hunger he’d never known his body had felt.
Satisfied, he stretched and sat back down, resuming his cross-legged position and focusing on the first book in his mind. The Golden Mist Manual spread open, and Yu Chen found himself captivated once again at the story that unfolded, half history lesson and half indiscriminate boasting about how mighty the sect was.
It began with the tale of how the sect was founded by a martial master centuries ago. Patriarch Jinshui had come from upstream of the yellow river, chasing a murderous criminal who’d long escaped justice. It was in these very mountains that he’d finally caught the man, clashing in a fight that shook the mountains themselves and lit up the night sky. It was said the surrounding villages didn’t see darkness again for nearly a month.
During the fight the Patriarch had a spark of inspiration, creating a technique that won him a hard-fought victory, one that had been inspired by the deep mists surrounding the mountains he’d fought within. Afterwards he’d chosen to settle down in the area and formed the Golden Mist Sect, leading it to become a regional power in the time since then.
The book continued on, covering the time from then till now, measuring it in terms of the grandiose battles the sect had taken part in and won. The introduction seemed keen to impart certain morals to the reader, and at some points the text even outright stated that cultivators of the Golden Mist were expected to destroy evil and demonic forces wherever they might appear.
Yu Chen didn’t know what propaganda was, but even he felt it was laid on a bit thick at times. He did, however, enjoy reading the various battles described throughout the introduction.
After the introduction came a description of the sect itself, and the buildings and services available within it, but Yu Chen simply skimmed that section, having visited most of them already with Zhang Lie. He noted the few he hadn’t, including areas that were said to be good for cultivation, or ones that provided some other advantage.
The book finished by detailing exactly what cultivators were in the eyes of the sect, expounding on the nature of qi, and what was expected of him as an outer disciple. Which, as it turned out, wasn’t much.
According to the book, there were no formal classes he was expected to attend, no strict curriculum, and no teachers to guide him.
Instead, everything in the sect was entirely based on contribution. He’d been provided a few techniques for free, and there was martial training twice weekly in the training grounds, but beyond that, everything else had to be exchanged for.
It appeared as though Yu Chen would have to find something to do. Then he could accumulate contribution points and exchange them for all the things that might be useful for his cultivation, including lectures, techniques, pills and elixirs.
To cultivators, cultivation was the only thing that mattered, and no expense would be spared in its pursuit. After all, cultivation was a journey that lasted a lifetime, one of constant improvement, seeking one’s true nature, and striving to step into the heavens themselves.
And that journey began with manifesting a single drop of qi, which was where the final book, the single page almost too short to be termed such, came in. According to the manual, mastering the breathing technique was the first step in connecting with the natural energies that surrounded him.
Yu Chen settled in as he read through the page, and decided it wasn’t too late to attempt it. He sat quietly, trying to clear his mind and enter a state of meditation. It was difficult at first, as intrusive thoughts kept distracting him, thoughts of his family and fears edging at his mind. Gradually, he began to tune them out, regulating his breathing and moving it through the patterns outlined on the page. He lost track of the time as he sat there, slowly repeating the rhythm until it was ingrained, at which point he began working on timing the proper intervals between his breaths.
It was a more taxing process than Yu Chen would have ever believed breathing could be. However, he kept at it, until all of a sudden, he realized he’d unconsciously become aware of a strange energy filling the room. He was unsure when exactly it happened, but once he noticed it, he felt suitably awed, and understood instantly why the manual had termed it the power of heaven and earth.
He didn’t try to absorb it yet, content instead to simply sit there and examine it, mesmerized by the energy that he’d been unknowingly immersed in his entire life. It was as if he’d been gifted a brand-new sense, allowing an entirely new facet of reality to make itself known to him.
The sensation slowly faded away and Yu Chen felt himself coming out of his trance. He sat there for a time, not at all in a hurry to get up right away. He’d taken in a lot of information for one day, but strangely enough he didn’t feel overwhelmed.
Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
In fact, he felt good. Even though he’d only practiced the martial forms for a short time, they’d left his body feeling satisfied, as if a pent up need he’d been unaware of had been released, and the recent meditation had clarified a lot of his thoughts, leaving his mind clear and orderly.
Despite the rough introduction in the morning, he found himself looking forward to his future. Yu Chen stood up and stretched, looking around in contentment before crawling into his bed and falling into a dreamless sleep.
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The next few weeks flew by as Yu Chen slowly became acclimated to his life in the sect. After he’d awoken the next day, he’d had the misfortune to run into the third boy who’d been with the Feng brothers. It turned out his name was Xu Wei, and he was one of Yu Chen’s neighbors.
Which made him one of the weakest in the sect, doubtless the reason he’d been playing lackey to the two stronger boys. Xu Wei had introduced himself when Yu Chen left his room in the morning, apologizing for the trouble of the day before, and claiming he had simply told the older boys a new disciple had arrived, not expecting any trouble to come of it.
Yu Chen hadn’t replied, and just stared at the boy coldly as he fumbled around asking him questions. His attempts at duplicity were amateurish, and Yu Chen abruptly informed the boy that Zhang Lie had taken the pills, calling it a “service” for showing him around. Xu Wei looked like he’d swallowed a sour plum at the news, but in the days that followed Yu Chen never received a visit from the Feng brothers, so he assumed they’d accepted his answer.
Forgetting about them, he soon found himself falling into a routine, one that began with going to the training grounds in the morning, where he would spend the earliest hours of his day flowing through the forms of the Condensing Fist, reveling in his body’s joy at going through the movements. He didn’t neglect his physical training either of course, joining other disciples as they ran the lengths of the grounds, and performed various other exercises in the yard.
He also made sure to attend the free martial courses during the week. To his surprise, it turned out the instructor was none other than Li Ming. Apparently, the martial classes fell under Elder Gu’s purview, seeing as he was in charge of the Sect’s defenses, and as an inner disciple underneath the elder, the responsibility had fallen on Li Ming to lead them.
The martial training began with them running multiple laps around the training yard, after which Li Ming had them spread out and begin weight training, lifting and swinging great iron bells that were spread throughout the yard. He pushed them hard, and although the routine would only leave Yu Chen feeling refreshed, most of the other students would end it gasping, drenched in sweat.
After training they would begin to practice the martial forms. All the outer disciples in attendance would line up before Li Ming, copying him as he flowed through the forms of the Condensing Fist. Yu Chen always found a spot close to the front, ensuring he didn’t miss the smallest movement as he watched the cultivator move through the forms with a level of grace that was envious.
He didn’t only learn martial arts from Li Ming, however. It turned out the man was also a notorious gossip.
“You’re asking about Elder Shu?” Li Ming said conspiratorially, fixing Yu Chen’s elbow as he glanced around. “Quite beautiful, isn’t she? She’s the youngest in recent memory to assume the post.” Li Ming cackled under his breath.
“Is there a reason Zhang Lie doesn’t like her very much?” Yu Chen asked quizzically, as he flowed to the next stance.
“Zhang Lie doesn’t like her?” Li Ming said in amusement, as he rolled his eyes at the dense headed boy. “Everyone likes her. Not only is she gorgeous, but she’s also the most talented cultivator of our generation. She managed to form her Golden Core two years ago, when she was still in her twenties.” Li Ming snorted. “Do you know how many cultivators form a Golden Core in their twenties?”
Yu Chen shook his head, thinking about it as he moved through his forms. He understood a bit of what Li Ming was speaking about, as the various realms of cultivation had been laid out in the sect’s manual. The first level of cultivation was called Qi Condensation, and the people at this rank were typically outer disciples, forming the main body of the sect.
The second level was termed Foundation Establishment. While you would find a few supremely talented individuals at the realm of Qi Condensation within the inner sect, most of them personally apprenticed to an elder, the majority of inner sect disciples were those who had entered Foundation Establishment. It was these disciples that formed the backbone of the sect and its main fighting force.
Only the most powerful of these inner sect disciples would form their Golden Core. Any who did so would immediately earn the designation of elder within the sect, becoming people of great import and renown in the region. They would have no choice but to take their place as the heart and brains of the sect, determining its future.
If there were further heights beyond that he wasn’t aware of them, beyond a vague statement in the book that the road of cultivation was unending.
Yu Chen pondered it as Li Ming walked away to berate another cultivator who had fumbled his forms. If Elder Shu had only become an elder a couple years ago, wouldn’t that mean her and Zhang Lie had once been peers? He wondered if they had been friends or rivals, and asked Li Ming as much the next time he came by.
“Friends?” Li Ming replied, before laughing lecherously. “Oh yes, they were friends. Very close friends in fact. I think Zhang Lie was only a few days away from working up the courage to make things official with his friend.” Li Ming shook his head sadly, although Yu Chen only saw mirth in his eyes.
“But that was before she broke through. He hasn’t spoken to her since then of course.” Li Ming said, and this time there was a touch of sympathy in his voice.
“What? But why?” Yu Chen asked, so surprised he almost dropped his stance.
Li Ming shrugged his shoulders. “Pride I suppose. After all, Zhang Lie is very talented himself. Within the inner sect he’s currently ranked within the top three, and it’s not clear that he’s ranked number three among them.” Li Ming stroked his face before continuing to speak. “Elder Shu doesn’t care one whit, but Zhang Lie isn’t willing to enter an imbalanced relationship. He refuses to court her again until he forms a Golden Core of his own.”
Yu Chen nodded his head. This was something he could understand. After all he’d lived the life of a mortal, in a world where men were naturally stronger than women. However, when it came to channeling inner power the heavens hadn’t chosen to discriminate between the sexes.
It was an irrational feeling for a cultivator, but a man still had his mortal nature, and it insisted that he be strong enough to protect the ones he loved. How must Zhang Lie feel knowing he was destined to be the weaker one in the relationship? That if it came down to it, she’d be the one protecting him?
“You’re quite good at this.” Li Ming observed offhandedly, changing the subject and interrupting Yu Chen’s thoughts as he practiced the martial forms. “You’ve only been here slightly over a week and your movements already appear natural. I believe you’ll achieve small success soon.”
Yu Chen smiled, a hint of pride filling his chest at the cultivator's words, and he redoubled his efforts as Li Ming went back to strolling among the others.
Of course, training only took up his time in the morning, and he still had the rest of the day to fill. His evenings were spent meditating and practicing the breathing technique, and he’d become quite proficient at sensing the heavenly energies around him. It was becoming easier and easier to slip into the meditative state, but despite becoming increasingly familiar with the energy that flowed through the world, he’d yet to have any luck drawing it into his dantian.
However, the majority of his day was spent at his new job. It had taken him some time to find one, as unfortunately, the majority of the mission board was off limits to him. He had to at least become a qi condensator before he’d be allowed to take on any of the missions that required him to leave the sect. Because of that he couldn’t take many of the more profitable avenues of work, such as gathering wild herbs and rare materials from the surrounding mountain.
He’d also been turned away from the Medicinal Pavilion, the Spiritual Gardens, and the Refineries, where being able to channel qi was considered the most basic requirement, and he was expected to display talents in more skills beyond that.
Dispirited, he’d raised the topic with Li Ming, hopeful that perhaps he could find work under Elder Gu, but the older cultivator had laughed so hard that Yu Chen had felt his ears turn red. It turned out the absolute last place a mortal could find work within the sect was the defense department.
In the end there were really only two jobs he was qualified for. The first was janitorial. A not insignificant portion of the outer sect disciples did nothing more all day than sweep and clean the sect, scouring, polishing and scrubbing on their hands and knees until the entire place shined.
Which is how Yu Chen found himself making deliveries.
It didn’t offer much in the way of contribution points, but neither did cleaning, and at the end of the day he felt he’d rather be a pack mule than a sweeper. He found it more entertaining to run around the sect all day delivering letters from one cultivator to another and taking loads of materials from one place to the next.
Not only did running around carrying the heavy deliveries help to train his body, but the job also had the unintended perk of allowing him to network, and he felt himself becoming more integrated into the sect as he met people through his job. At first, he’d simply bow as he dropped off the goods, but soon enough he found himself greeting people by name and exchanging friendly remarks with them.
“Jin Hua! How are things today?” Yu Chen asked as he greeted one of the desk attendants at the ever-busy mission hall.
“So-so.” The tall man behind the desk said as he waggled his hand back and forth. “You’ll get some practice holding your breath with this one.” Jin Hua said with a laugh as he unlatched the counter and waved the boy behind it.
Yu Chen had met Jin Hua the first time he’d been tasked with going to the mission hall, and he’d felt an instant connection with the other boy. He was a talented outer sect member who’d already reached the fourth stage of the Qi Condensation realm, and he wasn’t far away from establishing his foundation.
The two chatted casually as Yu Chen followed him to the storage rooms in the back of the mission hall.
The other boy had a warrior’s spirit, confiding in Yu Chen that he planned to contribute to the sect’s defense once he became an inner disciple, and was only working at the mission hall temporarily.
Yu Chen nodded his head at the sensible notion, but his face twisted into an expression of disgust once Jin Hua opened the storage room door.
“Yea, the smell is pretty disgusting.” Jin Hua confirmed, waving his hand in front of his face. “Some hunters got lucky and ran into a herd of spirit beasts. Nearly a dozen twilight dappled deer skins.” He said, gesturing towards the pile that lay on the floor.
Despite the smell, Yu Chen knelt and touched the skin in fascination. It was soft beneath his fingertips, and the hair upon it shimmered and shifted at his touch.
“It’s beautiful,” Yu Chen said breathily.
“Very.” Jin Hua agreed. “These ones won’t be going directly to the Treasure Pavilion like the other orders you’ve taken, as they’ll need to be processed first. You’re to deliver them to the Refineries, here’s the mission slip.” he finished speaking, tossing a jade slip to Yu Chen.
Yu Chen nodded, before saying, “See you in the morning?”
The things they had in common included a penchant for physical activity, and after they’d seen each other at the training grounds they’d begun working out together.
“Of course.” Jin Hua flashed him a smile before continuing to speak. “I’ll see you there, but for now I’ve got to get back up to the front.”
Yu Chen gave him a wave as he left, and then bent down and lifted the heaping pile of deerskins, which were much heavier than they looked. It wasn’t quite enough to make his arms tremble yet, but it was still a long walk to the refineries. With a grunt of determination, Yu Chen started moving, placing one foot in front of the next.