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''If you don't call me 'Eldest brother' five times, I'll break your spear in half!"
A cry for mercy came a short while later. - Overheard by the cultivator Bei Luo.
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The children stood together in a group beneath the afternoon sun, the wind brushing through the shadowjade bamboo and its leaves. Xiao Chi's face twisted with pure indignation. He pointed a finger toward the rest of them, his voice breaking through the calm valley. Song Ming sat nearby, watching with amusement.
"NO! I refuse to be the little brother!" he screamed, hair flying sideways as he shook his head furiously. His long black strands whipped in the wind like the white banner of a soldier who had lost the war.
He glared at Long Tianyu, whose smug grin only deepened the wound. The realization hit him like a blade — he, Xiao Chi, was older than Long Tianyu by a full year, yet Long Tianyu had started cultivating before him. And now, as if fate wanted to humiliate him further, he was younger than all his new "big brothers."
Across from him, Chen Jie and Zang Liu, both twelve and both grinning like fools, flexed their oversized muscles. Chen Jie said in a mockingly high-pitched tone "Call me big sister" Zang Liu fluttered his eyelashes. "Yes, little brother~ call me big sister."
The sound that escaped their mouths could only be described as a giggle born from madness. Xiao Chi nearly fainted on the spot. The others burst out laughing. Hua Qingqing covering her mouth, Long Tianyu falling back onto the grass and Nong Xuanfeng clutching his stomach.
Their laughter echoed in Xiao Chi's ears like the toll of a funeral bell. He turned away, arms crossed, snorting loud enough for all to hear. "Hmph. I refuse to recognize it! I will never say it!"
Of course, that didn't matter. From that moment onward, every single one of them called him little brother anyway — except Wang Mei, who smugly reminded him that since they were the same age, he would still have to call her "sister" and not ''little sister''.
If he could've cultivated rage into qi, he would've broken through to the Profound Qi Stage right then and there, maybe even going further than that.
Usually, the children called each other simply by name. There was no true hierarchy between them — no masters or servants, no older or younger — until Long Tianyu had decided otherwise a week ago.
He had been the first to successfully gather qi into his body, and for that single accomplishment, he had announced, hands behind his back, voice full of self-importance,"From now on, as the first to cultivate qi, I shall be the eldest brother."
No one had taken him seriously at first. But then Hua Qingqing, unable to resist teasing him, smirked and said, "Then I'll be eldest sister." And somehow, that one comment changed everything.
By the end of the day, the hierarchy was set — though Xiao Chi still refused to acknowledge it.
Eldest Brother: Long Tianyu – 9 years old
Second Brother: Nong Xuanfeng – 12 years old
Third Brother: Chen Jie – 12 years old
Fourth Brother: Zang Liu – 12 years old
Fifth / Little Brother: Xiao Chi – 10 years old
Eldest Sister: Hua Qingqing – 9 years old
Second Sister: Song Xue – 11 years old
Third Sister: Lin Yue – 10 years old
Fourth Sister: Wang Mei – 10 years old
In the end, Xiao Chi accepted his place — or rather, he refused to accept it while being forced to anyway. He snorted so much that by evening, his nose hurt.
That afternoon, after their chaotic "meeting," the children returned to cultivating. The wind had softened, and the valley glowed with the warm hues of sunset.
Nine children beneath the towering bamboos, their breaths syncing like the rhythm of a slow tide.
They followed the same simple breathing method Song Ming had taught them, again and again, but for most, nothing happened. No flash of light, no warmth in their dantian, no sense of energy moving. Only the rustle of bamboo and the sound of their soft breaths.
Hua Qingqing was the first to notice a difference.
Her brow furrowed slightly. She inhaled deeply, drawing air and intent together, focusing on her skin — her sense of touch, the outer layer of her being. She imagined the qi coursing through it like water weaving through silk threads.
Then, something shifted. It wasn't loud or dramatic. It was subtle — like the sound of a lock turning after years of rust.A faint warmth spread across her body, and the world seemed to breathe with her.
The flow of qi within her body suddenly felt natural, smooth, alive. Her eyes opened, and a faint shimmer seemed to dance along her skin before fading. It was soft, luminous — the mark of the first stage of Body Refinement.
Her skin had become clearer, softer, almost luminous under the sunlight. Even her hair seemed to shine faintly.
She gasped, touching her cheek. "I… I think I broke through…"
The others immediately opened their eyes, eyes wide. Long Tianyu blinked. "What do you mean broke through?"
Instead of answering, Hua Qingqing focused again and guided her qi as before. She described the sensation to them — how she had let it flow through her skin instead of forcing it inside. Her words, though simple, carried clarity, and one by one, the others followed.
Minutes passed.
Then, as if a gentle bell had rung through the valley, faint ripples of energy pulsed from each child. The air shimmered softly as qi wove itself into their skin..
Nine small breakthroughs.
The children laughed in disbelief. "We did it! We really did it!"
Then, without warning, a loud grumble broke the rhythm — not from the Shadowjade Mountain, but from their stomachs.
Long Tianyu looked around in alarm. "Was that thunder?"
Nong Xuanfeng shook his head. "That was you, idiot."
One by one, all of them realized the same thing: cultivation made them hungry. Very hungry.
Lin Yue, who prided herself on elegance and beauty, gasped in horror. "Wait! Don't tell me we'll have to eat like pigs every day now!"
Song Ming chuckled softly from his spot. "During body refinement, your body consumes energy to rebuild itself. You'll eat much more than usual. But don't worry — once you reach higher stages, qi will sustain you, and you'll need far less food."
Lin Yue's face drained of color. "E-Eat… more?" she whispered, trembling. "Then I'll become fat! I'll turn into a mountain!"
Wang Mei smirked. "A pretty mountain, at least."
Lin Yue almost fainted, just like Xiao Chi had done before. She sat with her head in her hands, mumbling to herself about herbs and medicine that could 'cure fatness'. Her mother, Lin Fengyu, knew a little about medicine, and now her daughter was already planning to beg her for weight-loss tonics.
The boys found this hilarious, though Song Ming had to cough loudly to bring the group back to order.
When silence finally returned, Song Ming gestured toward the open book beside him. His voice grew more serious.
"Now that your bodies have begun refinement, we can look at the next stage."
He pointed to the next section — the ink on the old page slightly faded but still readable.
Elementary Qi Stage: You can sense the qi around you and gather a small amount within in your spiritual core.
Qi Infusion Stage: You can safely draw qi into your body and begin tempering your meridians.
Qi Exertion Stage: You can project qi outward to strengthen your strikes or movement.
Profound Qi Stage: You can absorb the world's qi without limit, amplifying it through your spiritual core.
''Maybe what you did before was just to store the qi temporarily inside you, I am not sure'' Song Ming said. Wrinkling his eyebrows in confusion.
Song Ming paused, letting the words sink in. "You must understand, this is not play. The path ahead is long, and dangerous.
His gaze swept over them, his tone calm but heavy. "I spent years trying to guide you as best I could, without knowing the truth. I let you experiment foolishly. For that, I'm sorry. But now… now we have a real path. This method is the true beginning. If you follow it carefully, respect your bodies, and endure, you will not only grow stronger — you may change your own, not bound by this village and this mountain."
His hands trembled slightly, eyes glinting with quiet emotion.
"I've given everything I could. All I ask… is that you give it your best"
For a moment, no one spoke. The wind moved gently through the bamboo.
Then Long Tianyu stood, his small fists clenched. "Then we'll do it. No matter how hard it gets, we'll endure."
The others nodded, eyes burning with resolve.
Song Ming's smile was faint, but proud. "Good. Remember this — strength doesn't belong to power alone. It belongs to purpose. Use yours to protect, not to destroy." Song Ming's eyes glinted dangerously, something the children had never seen before. ''However, never show mercy to anyone if you know that you, or others could be in danger in the future, for your choice can be someone's death''.
The valley fell quiet again. The setting sun bled through the bamboo leaves, turning them golden. Shadows danced across the clearing like spirits watching over the young cultivators.
The black book resting on Song Ming's lap. He looked at the children — his students, his hope — and thought of the coins he and their parents had spent, and their surprise that will arrive soon when the children go down the mountain.
He sighed softly. "Three years…" he murmured. "We have three years to prepare."
The children didn't hear him, but they felt the weight of the moment. They could sense that something had begun, something real.
Each closed their eyes again and began to breathe in rhythm, gathering the qi of heaven and earth.
The bamboo swayed in harmony with them as their nine spiritual cores glistened.
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End of chapter 13 - The Little Brother's Fate