Three days after the assembly, tensions remained high. Disciples trained harder, guards patrolled longer shifts, and the elders held closed-door meetings that lasted until dawn.
Raon kept his head down, focusing on his guard duties. But the System had other plans.
**New Quest: Train Five Disciples.**
"No," Raon said immediately.
**Reward: Technique Upgrade.**
"Still no."
**Penalty for Refusal: I'll start singing.**
Raon froze mid-step. "You wouldn't."
**🎵 Never gonna give you up, never gonna let you do...**
"FINE! Fine. I'll do it. Just stop."
**Quest Accepted. Good choice.**
That afternoon, Raon found himself near the outer courtyard where new disciples practiced basic forms. Most were young, barely out of childhood, struggling with stances and breathing.
One girl in particular caught his attention, a small figure with messy black hair, moving through the forms with determination but terrible execution. Her Qi circulation was chaotic.
**That's Han Jiwoo. According to the records, she has high water affinity but low confidence. Perfect candidate.**
Raon watched for a moment longer, then sighed. "Hey, kid."
The girl jumped, nearly dropping her practice sword. "Y-Yes, sir?"
"Your stance is wrong."
Her face fell. "I... I know. I'm sorry. I'm trying..."
"Don't apologize," Raon interrupted. "Just adjust. Move your back foot three inches to the left, lower your center of gravity, and stop holding your breath."
She blinked at him, confused, then slowly made the adjustments.
"Now try the form again."
She moved through it and this time, it was smoother. Not perfect, but significantly better. Her eyes widened in surprise.
"How... how did you know?"
Raon shrugged. "Basic observation. Try it again, but this time exhale when you strike."
She did. The movement became even cleaner.
**Look at you, accidentally becoming a mentor. Character development in progress.**
"Shut up," Raon muttered.
"Sir?"
"Nothing. Practice that adjustment for the rest of the hour."
As Raon turned to leave, he noticed four other disciples watching three boys and another girl, all with similar expressions, curious yet frustrated
**Looks like word travels fast. You've got an audience.**
One of the boys, stocky with a determined expression, stepped forward. "Sir, could you... could you check my form too?"
**That's Nam Hyunwoo. Chances of high water affinity, zero patience, thinks he's the main character of his own story.**
Every cultivator is born with a Qi Affinity, the natural alignment of their internal energy with one of the world's fundamental elements.
This determines what techniques they can learn most easily and how their strength manifests.
A person's Qi Affinity is decided at birth it is reshaped by the Qi surrounding the terrain.
There are other variants elements and special cases.
"Great, a Naruto type," Raon muttered.
"What's a Naruto?" the boy asked.
"Nothing. Show me your stance."