The Azure Cloud Sect looked majestic from a distance — towering peaks, jade bridges, cascading waterfalls — like something painted by the heavens themselves. But after spending just one day inside, I realized one thing: beauty didn't make it easier to live here.
Outer disciples were basically… unpaid labourers with fancy uniforms.
Every morning before sunrise, we were required to draw water from the mountain springs, chop wood, sweep the training grounds, and meditate until our legs went numb. I thought martial training would involve epic sword fights and glowing energy blasts.
Turns out, it's mostly chores.
At least, that's what I told myself as I carried two buckets of icy water up a long, winding trail. My arms burned, my shoulders ached, and my soul questioned every life decision that led me here.
A fellow disciple trudged beside me. His name was Mingyu — a chubby boy with honest eyes and an impressive ability to complain.
"This is unfair," he groaned. "We came to cultivate, not become lumberjacks!"
"Think of it as body tempering," I said. "Carrying water builds foundation, sweeping teaches patience, chopping wood trains the arms. Everything has purpose."
He looked at me, blinking in awe. "Brother Li… you sound wise."
"Really?" I tried not to laugh. "I was mostly just trying to convince myself."
---
After morning chores came Qi Foundation Meditation. We sat in the training courtyard while a gray-haired instructor explained how to draw spiritual energy into the body.
"The key," he said, "is calmness. Only by stilling your mind can you feel the world's breath within you."
Calmness, huh? I tried. I really did. But my thoughts kept wandering.
What if I breathe too hard and explode?
Is qi flammable?
If the world has breath, does it also snore?
When I opened my eyes again, several disciples were already glowing faintly — traces of qi entering their meridians. I stared at them in disbelief. "Wait, they can actually do it?"
Mingyu leaned over, whispering, "Don't worry. Most people take weeks to sense qi for the first time."
"Ah. Weeks." I nodded solemnly, pretending that didn't crush my confidence.
Still, something inside me refused to accept defeat. I closed my eyes again, forcing my breathing into rhythm. Inhale. Exhale. The world pulsed faintly around me — distant, yet familiar.
Then it happened.
Like a spark igniting dry leaves, warmth flared in my chest. It spread through my veins, light but powerful, blending with my breath. It was… intoxicating.
I didn't even realize my body was faintly glowing until Mingyu gasped beside me.
"Brother Li! You— you entered Qi Sensing already?!"
The instructor looked up sharply, eyes narrowing. "Impossible. That usually takes—"
He stopped mid-sentence when he saw the faint shimmer of light around me. The courtyard fell silent.
I opened one eye. "Uh… was something supposed to happen?"
The instructor exhaled slowly. "Li Tianlan, was it? You… may continue meditating."
I could almost hear him mutter under his breath: Another freak of nature.
---
That night, lying in the small wooden dormitory, I stared at the ceiling. My body buzzed faintly with energy. It felt like holding lightning in my veins.
"So this is cultivation," I whispered. "The path to power."
I clenched my fist. For the first time, I felt the world wasn't just something to survive—it was something I could grasp.
Still, I knew better than to draw attention. If people discovered how fast I adapted, they'd start asking questions I couldn't answer. So I kept my head down and acted dumb.
"Better they think I'm lucky than suspicious," I muttered.
Mingyu rolled over in the bunk beside me. "What was that, Brother Li?"
"Nothing. Just thinking about how tomorrow's chores will 'temper' my soul."
He groaned. "You're insane."
"Probably."
But as I closed my eyes, that same warmth pulsed quietly within me — like a heart beating in harmony with the world.
It whispered of potential, of strength, of something far greater than the life I once knew.
And deep down, I smiled.
Because for the first time in this strange world, I didn't feel lost.
I felt alive.