Chapter 14
Outside, somewhere beyond the courtyard, a night breeze shifted the fog.
Wei Zhi remained in the outer pavilion. Awake.
His mother had instructed her to remain.
Wuming closed his eyes briefly.
Let them believe I am training for honor.
Let them believe I am striving for the clan.
For now, the sword is practice.
Later, it will be the purpose.
He opened his eyes again.
Tomorrow, Elder Gu will increase pressure.
He wanted that.
His body may strain.
His mind would not.
The next morning, mist still lingered over the training grounds.
Wuming stood in position, wooden sword in hand. His grip had improved. Less stiffness in the wrist. Shoulders are more relaxed. Elder Gu had corrected that repeatedly.
Across from him stood a boy slightly older — broader shoulders, steadier stance.
Brown hair. Brown eyes. Alert but not arrogant.
Elder Gu spoke plainly.
"He will be your sword partner from today."
Wei Zhi stood beside Elder Gu, hands folded.
The boy stepped forward and bowed with his fist against his palm.
"Nice to meet you. I am Xiao Weiyang. Starting today, I am your sword partner."
Wuming did not bow back.
He observed instead.
Breathing steady. Feet grounded evenly. Weight distribution is correct. Calluses on the right thumb.
He has trained longer.
He thought:
Eight days.
Elder Gu moves quickly.
So this is pressure.
"Begin," Elder Gu said.
They moved immediately.
Wood struck wood.
The first clash was clean.
Weiyang did not hold back. Impressive.
Their footwork circled, testing range. Weiyang's strikes were measured — not reckless, not overly aggressive. He watched for openings rather than forcing them.
Wuming countered instinctively. His reaction time was sharper, but his muscle memory was still adjusting. When their arms collided mid-deflection, pain shot through his forearm.
He hissed lightly.
Weiyang pulled back half a step. "Sorry."
Wuming did not respond.
No need.
Apologies do not change the outcome.
They resumed.
Clash.
Step.
Slide.
Pivot.
The rhythm stabilized. Neither dominated. Weiyang had experience. Wuming had precision.
Elder Gu watched without interruption. Elder gu was watching tem like a hawk. He was both entertained and mesmerized by the young boy's, they were fine just like the dark coal, which needed both pressure and refinement.
Beside him, he spoke to Wei Zhi without looking at her.
"I heard you taught Wuming the basics." His eyes didn't wavered away from wuming ad weiyang.
"Yes, my lord."
"It is 'milord.' Low-born girls say 'milord,' not 'my lord.'"
Wei Zhi did not hesitate.
"My apologies. I am Wei Zhi, daughter of Wei Yin, royal doctor and personal attendant of Lady Yin Fu. I am not a low-born my lord."
Elder Gu glanced at her.
A small smile.
Sharp tongue. Controlled delivery.
"Differentiate Gu and Dao." he asked about of curiosity. But realy was it just curiously? He was testing her knowledge. After all setaught wuming the basics.
Wei Zhi answered calmly.
"Dao refines the self. It strengthens the vessel, builds foundation, and aligns one with law and principle. Gu refines tools and external mediums. It grants faster results but depends on maintenance and compatibility. Dao is slow and stable. Gu is fast and volatile."
Clear.
Elder Gu nodded.
"Good. Tell me — what will Wuming choose? Gu or Dao?"
Wei Zhi's eyes never left the sparring pair.
"I have no words for my master. He is exceptional. He will do whatever he wishes." Her voice is calm and soft.
"You are certain?" He inquired.
"Yes, milord." She responded.
"Why?" His questions were immediate and sharp, leaving no time for her to think.
"As I said. No words."
"Take a guess."
She paused.
"Both. But not equally. He will not belong to either. He will use both according to his will." She pondered.
Elder Gu looked at her properly this time.
Unexpected..
He chuckled once.
"That is an unexpected answer. I like it."
She bowed. "My pleasure."
They returned their gaze to the training ground.
On the field, the intensity increased.
Weiyang attempted a low sweep. Wuming lifted, rotated, countered with a diagonal strike that forced Weiyang to block overhead. Their wooden swords locked briefly.
Weiyang pushed forward.
Strength advantage.
Wuming shifted sideways instead of resisting. Redirected force.
Elder Gu's eyes narrowed slightly.
He adapts quickly.
Without turning, Elder Gu asked Wei Zhi:
"Do you know swordsmanship?"
"Yes."
"Who taught you?" The old man was fascinated by wei zhi's way of answering and i might say he was bewitched too. He was asking her to teach martial arts.
"I am not perfect. Nor good like my master, who had the opportunity to refine his skills. I am rusty. My abilities are similar to other maids."
A small pause.
"But my wisdom is not."
Elder Gu let out a quiet laugh.
"HoHo. Very good."
Then, more serious:
"Do you want to learn?"
"If possible, yes."
"And if not?"
"Then I will learn by myself. God and time are enough. They are the greatest teachers."
Elder Gu studied her expression.
No arrogance.
No pleading.
Just a statement.
Interesting.
On the ground, Wuming disengaged, stepped back, and repositioned.
He had measured enough.
Weiyang's strength — superior.
Endurance — higher.
Technique — stable.
Reaction — slower under unexpected redirection.
Useful.
If he pushes aggressively, he leaves his right flank half-open.
The bout continued.
Neither winning.
Neither losing.
Balanced.
Wuming thought:
Good.
A partner who does not break in five strikes.
He adjusted his breathing.
Elder Gu wants to see whether I suppress or reveal.
For now —
He maintained equilibrium.
Let them believe we are equal.
Foundation first.
Always foundation. Wuming felt it before he consciously looked.
Wei Zhi and Elder Gu were still speaking.
Her posture is straight. Hands folded. Calm.
But her eyes — they were on him.
Not distracted. Not wavering.
Holding.
His golden gaze met her green one across the training ground.
Steady.
Unblinking.
Her eyes were clear — not soft, not worshipping — simply aware.
Like untouched forest after rain.
He registered it without allowing it to linger.
Weiyang noticed.
A faint grin tugged at his lips as their swords met again.
"Never remove your eyes from your opponent," he said lightly, pressing harder.
The clash intensified.
Wood struck wood with force.
Wuming adjusted instantly. Instead of resisting the added pressure, he shifted his wrist angle half a fraction and redirected Weiyang's strength downward.
A crack.
Weiyang's wooden sword split near the center.
The broken half dropped to the ground.
Silence followed for a second.
Then Weiyang blinked — and laughed.
"Wow. You're really good, little brother."
Wuming lowered his blade.
"My name is Xuan Yin Wuming," he said evenly. "Not your little brother."
No irritation in his tone. Just a correction.
He turned and walked toward Elder Gu.
Wei Zhi stepped forward at once, already holding a towel. She began wiping the sweat from his forearms and neck without hesitation.
The spar lasted forty minutes.
Longer than most beginners could endure.
Elder Gu studied him carefully.
"How's your hand?"
Wuming flexed his fingers once.
"Thanks to your pressure, it is healing slowly."
Elder Gu gave a rough laugh.
"Well. Opening an eye domain requires pressure. It evolves around emotion. The more you feel, the more it responds."
Wuming's expression did not change.
Emotion.
He considered that.
Pressure strengthens.
Emotion fuels.
But emotion also destabilizes.
If the eye domain depends on feeling…
Then it must be mastered, not indulged.
He thought:
If it feeds on emotion, then I will choose which emotions it receives.
Not rage uncontrolled.
Not pride.
Not attachment.
Controlled stimulus.
Refined pressure.
Elder Gu continued, more serious now.
"You cannot open it through talent alone. You must experience conflict. Doubt. Fear. Desire. The eye reacts to internal turbulence." he sighed, "After all they say, eyes are the window to soul's. "
Wuming met his gaze calmly.
"I understand."
But internally he evaluated:
Conflict — I have known.
Doubt — irrelevant.
Fear — inefficient.
Desire — selective.
If the domain requires emotion…
Then emotion will become another tool.
But a hassle and pain in my ass.
Nothing more.
Wei Zhi finished wiping his sweat and stepped back.
Weiyang had picked up the broken halves of his sword, still smiling.
Wuming glanced once more at the training field.
Good partner. Stable foundation.
Pressure increases gradually.
Acceptable.
Elder Gu watched him carefully.
That child…
He does not flare with excitement.
He does not show frustration.
Even after breaking his opponent's sword, there is no pride.
Only calculation.
Interesting.
Very interesting.Wuming sat down without being told to.
His breathing had already steadied.
"I have read all twelve volumes on the Xuan Clan," he said calmly.
Elder Gu paused.
"You did?"
"Yes."
No arrogance. No emphasis. Just a fact.
Wuming's thoughts remained private:
And I memorized the thousand mantras as well.
But he did not say that.
Information revealed too early becomes leverage in someone else's hand.
Elder Gu studied him for a long second before nodding slowly.
"Reading is not practice," he said. "Understanding structure and executing it through flesh are different matters. The Xuan stances will take months before your body stops resisting them."
"I know," Wuming replied.
He leaned slightly forward.
"I wanted to ask about sealing techniques. And domain expansion."
That caught Elder Gu's full attention.
Wei Zhi remained silent, listening.
Elder Gu's tone shifted — less casual now.
"Sealing techniques are not decorative arts," he began. "They concern binding power within oneself. The Xuan Clan walks two main paths — sword and beast. Some clans focus only on blades. Others on poisons. Others tame beasts. We combine sword and beast."
Wuming's eyes sharpened slightly.
Elder Gu continued:
"When you seal a beast — whether a Heavenly Fox, a serpent, or another spirit creature — you do not merely control it. You merge contracts. Your qi must withstand it. Your mind must dominate it. Otherwise, it devours you from within."
Wuming processed.
Seal = coexistence under hierarchy.
If the mind is weak → internal collapse.
Elder Gu went on.
"As for domain expansion of the Eye… that is far more difficult. The Xuan Eye does not merely see. It projects well. When expanded, your sword intent manifests within a defined space. Fog, illusion, pressure — it becomes yours to control."
Wei Zhi glanced at Wuming.
Elder Gu's voice lowered.
"It takes at least a year to properly comprehend the foundations. And longer to control it without backlash. If you force it, your meridians will tear."
Wuming nodded once.
A year…
He did not react outwardly.
Internally he calculated:
Sealing a beast requires dominance.
Eye domain requires emotional trigger + structured control.
Time estimate: one year for an ordinary cultivator.
But I am not ordinary.
Still — rushing invites observation.
Measured progress. Controlled growth.
He lifted his gaze to Elder Gu.
"What determines the size of the domain?" he asked.
"Willpower," Elder Gu replied immediately. "And the clarity of Dao. If your intent is unstable, the domain collapses. If your heart wavers, it fractures."
Clarity of Dao.
Wuming remained quiet.
Revenge is not Dao.
Revenge is the motive.
Dao must be something colder.
More enduring.
He stood after a moment.
"I understand."
Elder Gu watched him carefully again.
That child does not ask questions idly.
He asks like someone mapping a battlefield.
Wei Zhi stepped beside Wuming silently.
The morning sun had fully risen now.
Light touched his silver hair.
He looked calm.
Too calm for a boy discussing beasts, domains, and sealed power.
Inside, however, a single thought settled firmly:
If domain expansion requires will…
Then mine will not break.
Not again.Wuming did not answer immediately.
He looked at Elder Gu, then slightly passed him — as if organizing the knowledge in his mind before speaking.
"Excusatio," he said calmly.
Elder Gu's brows shifted almost imperceptibly.
Wuming continued:
"It is described as a strange ocular awakening that manifests within sentient beings of the mortal realm. The method of acquisition remains unclear, though bloodline compatibility appears to influence it."
Wei Zhi listened quietly.
Wuming's tone remained analytical.
"Historical references suggest that extreme emotional states — stress, loss, rage, desperation — often trigger the first awakening phase. But most documentation remains fragmented."
Elder Gu did not interrupt.
Wuming added,
"When activated, the iris shifts — red base, with black formations arranging themselves around the pupil. These formations are called Inevta."
End of 14