The next morning, Li Shen could barely stand. Every muscle in his body ached, and even the simplest movement sent waves of pain through him. Yesterday's training had stripped him of any illusion and now he knows without the armor, he was nothing he was weak.
Lian Yue was already waiting in the courtyard. She stood still, her presence calm yet oppressive.
"Sit," she said.
Li Shen lowered himself onto the stone floor and crossed his legs. The cold seeped into his body, but he ignored it.
"Today," Lian Yue said, "you will learn to sense Qi."
Li Shen frowned slightly. "You said I don't have Qi."
"You don't," she replied. "But Qi exists everywhere."
She stepped behind him.
"Close your eyes."
Li Shen did.
"Breathe slowly," Lian Yue said. "Do not force anything, do not think of power. Simply breathe."
"Inhale… hold… exhale…"
---
Li Shen followed her instructions. At first, nothing changed. It was just breathing, slow, steady, meaningless.
Time passed.
His legs grew numb, his back stiffened, and his mind began to wander.
This is pointless…
---
"Focus."
Lian Yue's voice cut through his thoughts.
"Your mind is unstable."
Li Shen steadied himself again. He slowed his breathing, forcing his thoughts to quiet down.
Inhale.Hold.Exhale.
---
"Do not search for Qi," Lian Yue continued. "Feel the world around you, listen."
---
Li Shen stilled.
Gradually, the silence around him deepened.
Then slowly, faint sounds began to emerge.
The rustling of leaves, the gentle movement of air, the distant flow of water.
His breathing became lighter, calmer and his thoughts faded.
Then he felt something.
It was faint. Subtle. Almost nonexistent like a thin thread brushing against his senses.
Li Shen's eyes opened slightly. "I felt something."
"Describe it," Lian Yue said.
"Like… something moving," Li Shen said slowly. "Not wind, not touch. Just… there."
---
A brief silence followed.
"Good," Lian Yue said.
Li Shen frowned. "That's it?"
"For your first attempt, that is enough," she replied. "Most take days to sense Qi."
Her gaze lingered on him.
"You did it in hours."
Li Shen was silent for a moment. "…Is it because of the armor?"
Lian Yue did not answer. Instead, she said, "Again."
Li Shen closed his eyes once more. This time, the sensation returned faster, the faint thread appeared again.
Then another.
Then another.
This was Qi.
It flowed quietly through the air, unseen yet present.
Li Shen focused on it, trying to understand it. Then he heard Lian Yue
"Now, try to guide it."
Li Shen concentrated. He reached out with his mind, trying to pull one of the threads closer.
For a moment, nothing happened.
Then
A slight movement, the thread trembled.
Li Shen's breathing became uneven and the sensation disappeared instantly.
He opened his eyes, slightly frustrated. "It's gone."
"Of course," Lian Yue said. "You forced it."
Then she continued
"Qi is not something you control at this stage, It is something you attract."
Li Shen exhaled slowly. "…Again."
---
Time passed.
Attempt after attempt ended in failure.
each time he sensed Qi, it slipped away the moment he tried to grasp it.
But gradually, something changed his breathing had become steadier, his thoughts quieter while his intent had become softer.
Then
It happened, a single strand of Qi drifted toward him.
Slowly and gently until It touched his skin.
---
Li Shen held his breath, he did not move and for a brief moment It remained.
Lian Yue's eyes narrowed slightly.
"…Not bad."
At that moment, a voice sounded from the entrance.
"So this is the outsider?"
Li Shen opened his eyes.
Several disciples stood there, watching.
At their front was a tall young man, his gaze cold and filled with disdain.
"He doesn't even have Qi," the man said. "And yet he's allowed here?"
Lian Yue did not turn. "Leave."
The man ignored her. His eyes locked onto Li Shen.
"…Let's see if he can withstand a single move."
The air grew tense.
Li Shen slowly stood up. His body still ached, his strength barely recovered.
But his eyes remained steady.