Tian Wen stood outside the dormitory after the awakening, breathing the crisp mountain air as if it were medicine.
His expression was calmer—
not peaceful,
not healed,
but steadier.
Ruolan hovered nervously beside him. "D-Do you feel better?"
Tian Wen nodded. "Yes. I can sense… something. A thread. A path."
Feng Xiao crossed her arms. "About time. You looked like you were held together by angry spit."
Tian Wen blinked at her. "…Is that supposed to help?"
"It means you're tougher than you look."
Lin Xuanji wiped sweat from his forehead. "Alright, alright, enough bullying him. We need to talk about what comes next."
(Host. Serious conversation recommended.)
For once, I AGREE.
Ling Xueyin stepped forward, her presence settling the tension.
"Tian Wen's qi has begun forming a seed. Once nurtured, it will grow into a unique cultivation foundation."
Tian Wen looked down at his hands.
"…Can I become strong? Truly strong?"
Lin Xuanji met his gaze.
"Yes. But strength isn't something that appears in a single night. You'll train. You'll struggle. You'll curse me. You'll fall over a lot. But you will grow."
For a moment, Tian Wen's eyes softened—
the gaze of someone who had forgotten what it felt like to hope.
But then that hope sharpened into something else.
Resolve.
"There is something I must do before anything else," he said quietly. "I need to know… if the one who stole my root still lives."
Ruolan flinched.
Feng Xiao tensed.
Lin Xuanji slowly rubbed his temples.
Please say no. Please don't.
(Host. She is alive.)
WHY. WHY DO YOU SAY THESE THINGS.
(Because you asked.)
Tian Wen clenched his fists.
"Her name is Lin Yue. My stepmother. She stole my spiritual root… and gave it to her son."
The courtyard fell silent.
Even Wei Tian, patrolling a short distance away, stopped mid-step.
Ruolan whispered, "That's… horrible."
Feng Xiao's flames flared. "That's beyond horrible."
Lin Xuanji exhaled slowly. "Tian Wen… I know you want answers. And revenge. But you can't leave the peak yet."
Tian Wen's eyes went cold.
"Why?"
"Because you don't have a cultivation level," Lin Xuanji replied bluntly. "She'll kill you before you finish a single insult."
Ruolan nodded frantically.
Feng Xiao added, "You'd die so fast it wouldn't even be dramatic."
Tian Wen's jaw tightened. "I know. But I can't ignore her."
Ling Xueyin spoke softly.
"You won't. But you must live first."
He turned toward her.
"Your rage keeps you alive," she said, "but it also blinds you. Let the seed within you grow. It will not betray you like the root that was taken."
Tian Wen lowered his head.
"…I understand."
Lin Xuanji clapped his hands together.
"Good. Now, training."
(Host. Initiating first cultivation guidance mission.)
Lin Xuanji froze.
No. Don't say it.
(Mission: Teach Tian Wen basic breathing technique.)
Lin Xuanji let out a long, exhausted groan.
"I JUST FINISHED AWAKENING HIM."
Feng Xiao tapped his shoulder. "Sect Master… your face is doing the twitch again."
Ruolan added, "The… overwhelmed twitch."
Wei Tian marched over.
"I will guard the outer perimeter during training."
Lin Xuanji sighed. "Fine. Let's begin."
He sat down cross-legged in the courtyard.
Tian Wen sat across from him.
Ruolan and Feng Xiao sat to the side, watching intently.
Ling Xueyin stood quietly behind them, observing.
Lin Xuanji inhaled deeply.
"Alright. Tian Wen. First lesson. Breathing."
Tian Wen frowned. "…I know how to breathe."
"Not like this, you don't."
Ruolan whispered, "Sect Master is very strict when teaching."
Feng Xiao poked him. "Let them focus."
Lin Xuanji guided Tian Wen through the initial pattern—
slow inhale, controlled exhale, steady rhythm.
Tian Wen followed perfectly at first—
—then his qi stirred wildly, like a beast snarling inside his chest.
The boy gasped. "It's… moving too fast—"
Lin Xuanji instantly reached forward—
hand landing on his back—
letting his strange, subconscious instincts guide him.
"Calm," he said softly. "Let it flow. Don't force it."
Feng Xiao watched with wide eyes. "The qi is… responding."
Ruolan held his breath.
Ling Xueyin murmured, "He truly is compatible."
Tian Wen shut his eyes, jaw clenched as he endured the turbulence.
Then—
Slowly…
painfully…
the qi settled.
He exhaled shakily.
"…I did it?"
Lin Xuanji nodded. "Good. Again."
Tian Wen continued.
And with each cycle, the qi-thread inside him brightened—
a faint glow forming around his chest.
Ling Xueyin tilted her head slightly. "The seed is taking shape."
Ruolan whispered, "Already?"
Feng Xiao smirked. "He's stubborn. Of course it grows fast."
Lin Xuanji stretched his legs and stood up.
"That's enough for today. You need rest."
Tian Wen opened his mouth to argue—
but Ling Xueyin placed a gentle hand on his shoulder and said:
"Listen to him."
Tian Wen deflated. "…Okay."
As he stood, Ruolan shyly approached him.
"I-I can show you the kitchen later… if you're hungry…"
Tian Wen blinked.
"…Thank you."
Feng Xiao walked past him with a grin.
"And if anyone bullies you, tell me. I'll set them on fire."
Tian Wen stared. "…That's… oddly comforting."
Lin Xuanji stretched his back. "Alright. Everyone, go rest. Tomorrow we begin actual cultivation."
The disciples left the courtyard.
Wei Tian resumed his patrol.
Ling Xueyin lingered a moment longer, watching Lin Xuanji.
"You did well," she said softly.
Lin Xuanji sighed. "I feel like I'm just stumbling forward."
"That," she said, "is how most paths begin."
She walked away.
Lin Xuanji looked up at the sky.
"…Great. Now I'm teaching breathing."
(Host. Good work.)
Shut up.
Far below the mountain, in a distant estate lit by torches, a woman with cold jade eyes paused as she felt a faint ripple of qi in the distance.
"…Impossible," she whispered.
Her fingers tightened around a jade pendant.
"Tian Wen… didn't die?"
The air chilled around her.
And somewhere deep in Heavenly Peak, the mountain hummed—
—as if laughing quietly.