Siyuan stared ahead at the collateral damage he had unknowingly caused.

  He stood within the field of sharpshooter flowers that he recently spent every day in, trying his best to snag a live one without effort. Large areas of it were charred, a result from the numerous fiery “Swords” that were thrown at him from his recently killed opponent.

  In front of him was said opponent. His unusually large blade, once wrapped in fierce, bright orange flames, now laid listlessly by his side, the flames now having disappeared completely. His brutish brown eyes were wide open in shock and blood spilled out of his mouth in thick streams.

  And right through his body…a large, gaping hole where Siyuan’s newly produced attack had created, large enough to see right through the other side. Behind him, the air sparkled with golden qi where Siyuan’s blast had once existed.

  The man coughed as Siyuan’s arm slowly dropped to his side, his purple sharpshooter flower pinched between his fingers. Siyuan set his gaze on him.

  “Heh…nice one…kid…” he said.

  Before promptly falling forward face first, his bulky body slamming into the ground and crushing a thicket of charred flowers. Siyuan just stared at him.

  Today…he had killed two people. The first time, inadvertently and the second time, because his survival was staked on it.

  He felt…colder than he preferred. Ironic considering the strong flames that he had to fight for his life against.

  “Don’t feel too bad. For people like him, who couldn’t breakthrough into the Foundation Establishment realm even at this age, this is his inevitable outcome. Even if it weren’t you, it would have been someone else.”

  Siyuan turned his head to see his blindfolded master walking towards him from the direction of the village. He stopped when he approached Siyuan’s side.

  “Yes, but still…”

  “Your first kill, I take it?”

  “...my second.”

  “Hmm? Oh, I guess that explains the other body I saw further down the patch,” the blindfolded man said. “Well, that’s just how the world works. Every cultivator runs into a situation where they must stake their life against another’s and choose which one to preserve. And there’s nothing wrong with choosing your own.”

  That hadn’t really comforted Siyuan’s conscience, but he did suspect as much. This was a basic concept that was beaten into every battle cultivator right after they were accepted as disciples of the Mystic River Sect: that killing was going to be an important part of their lives. The moment they became cultivators, they abandoned any chance of potentially carrying out a life of peace.

  Siyuan understood that, yet he couldn’t quite fully accept it. He was still too inexperienced as a cultivator, and taking a person’s life for the first time…it shook him.

  He was broken out of his thoughts by the voice of his new master, however.

  “But more importantly, it seems that you’ve managed to find out how to harvest those flowers,” he said, pointing to the purple flower in his hand with uncanny accuracy. “And it’s a good one, too.”

  “Um…yeah,” was all Siyuan replied with.

  He remembered his revelation, how it struck him like a lightning bolt in the midst of that fight.

  Even though he hadn’t been cultivating for long, he was, as some of his peers and teachers said, “unusually good” with his qi control. While it took a moderate amount of concentration for other students to simply move qi from their nascent soul to another part of their body, Siyuan could do it without even having to really think about it. He could simply willed it to happen, and it would. It was why he had seen so much success as a relic smith compared to his other classmates, so much that the sect had deemed it appropriate to put him in the Upper Reaches’ relic smithing class although he wasn’t yet even in the Foundation Establishment realm.

  But his principle, however, was what hindered the speed of his qi control. Qi was like a river flowing within a person’s meridians. It was difficult, counterproductive even, to force a river from its set path. No, if one wanted to change the direction of a river’s current…one had to redirect it, rather than force it.

  That was the realization Siyuan had come to during his fight. A spark of inspiration that his mind had conjured when he was backed up into a corner.

  In that way, he could gather qi towards a part of his body much more quickly. This would be at the cost of his extremely precise control, but it was still a suitable alternative to his slower, more controlled manipulation of qi.

  Perhaps that is what sensei wanted me to learn.

  “How much qi do you have left in your reserves?” his master asked him.

  “Um…”

  Siyuan closed his eyes and ran a quick check on himself.

  “...a bit,” he said.

  “I see. Well…how about this? Collect several more flowers for me before tonight, then we’ll call it a day.”

  “Yes, I’ll get it done,” Siyuan quickly said.

  “Alright then, come see me back at the village once you’re done,” his master said before turning his back and walking back towards the village.

  Siyuan just watched him for a moment before turning back to the flower patch.

  It was, to put it lightly, heavily damaged. Siyuan’s fight with the bandit had led to large portions of it being trampled under or charred to a crisp. There were, fortunately for him, still a lot to go for, however.

  Okay, repeat what I did during the fight. Except, don’t let my qi just shoot out like that. That worked in that one situation, but is otherwise extremely wasteful of my qi. So…combine a facet of my control while utilizing my newfound speed. That’s what I need to do.

  He approached a live flower and crouched closer towards it, its red petals fluttering in the slight breeze.

  Alright, here we go.

  It was late at night. The sun had long since set, the moon and stars taking its place.

  The blindfolded master sat within the small house he had taken as residence at the moment. Outside, in the village center, the other villagers were celebrating their miraculous survival and the elimination of the rogue cultivator group that had been plaguing them for almost half a decade. They enthusiastically offered him gifts, little trinkets that they saw as invaluable, but he saw as completely worthless. And when they saw that he wouldn’t take anything, they sacrificed a healthy, young lamb in his name, as if he were some god.

  That was ridiculous. Cultivators weren’t gods, nor could they ever reach that level. Even to cultivators…perfection was just simply out of reach.

  He always found mortals to be funny. They always celebrated over the small, trivial things such as this. Though, he guessed this was innate for them, who could be so easily killed. A stroke of bad luck, unusually terrible weather, a bad harvest…it really was sad how fragile mortals were. Having not been mortal for almost a century, he had completely forgotten about what that felt like.

  But then again, without that, how could mortals ever gather the motivation to begin down the path of cultivation?

  His thoughts strayed away from the villagers and towards his most recent student, who had yet to return to the house.

  His new student was already making out to be pretty amazing. The boy had an amazing knack for qi control, which wouldn’t be unusual for a relic smithing student if he wasn’t so…good at it. For a Qi Manifestation cultivator, the boy moved his qi around his body so fluidly that it was as if he had been doing it for years. Then there was the boy’s unusually strong affinity to the iron element. He wondered if that had something to do with the boy’s unusual control, but that was impossible. One’s elemental affinity and one’s qi control were entirely unrelated with each other. He had seen that time and time again throughout his long life. Such as with his only other student, who had strong affinities with multiple elements yet still had abhorrent control over her qi…

  And the fact that he was able to find a way, or at least somewhat of a way, to actually harvest sharpshooter flowers despite that, it shows that he’s not just a rigid genius. He has potential, and he’s flexible enough to accept new concepts and develop himself.

  It really is immensely fortunate that I’ve been able to find such a perfect potential weapon.

  A familiar sensation of qi nears the small house. He turns to the door before he hears it open.

  This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author's work.

  “Took you long enough, kid,” he greeted with his signature smile.

  “Come on, I’m tuckered out,” came Siyuan’s young voice. “I got the flowers you asked for, though.”

  He knew that already. He could sense the flowers’ distinctly potent qi before his disciple had even stepped foot into the house, its earthy feel barely masked by Siyuan’s own metallic qi.

  “Hmm, only four of them though.”

  “Sorry, I almost ran out of qi,” Siyuan said. There was a thwack from the wood chair, a sound like a weight falling onto it. Or like a person plopping onto it. “I’ve got the principle, but…”

  “No worries,” he said with a wave of his hand. “I honestly wasn’t expecting you to pick out any today. It was mainly a test to see if you’ve really grasped the concept or not. I’m pleasantly surprised to see that you did.”

  Well, that was half true. The other thing he wanted to see was whether Siyuan snagging that flower was a calculated movement or something that he had been able to accomplish spontaneously in the heat of battle, under the influence of adrenaline. The fact that Siyuan had been able to return with quite a few proved that it wasn’t just some mindless reach. He had, in fact, been able to grasp the necessary concept of harvesting those flowers in such a short time.

  He’s got the making to be somebody very big in the future.

  He inwardly sighed.

  To choose to be a relic smith instead with all his capabilities…what a waste.

  For the two, another day ended as the village’s festivities continued outside.

  Siyuan was deep in concentration as he redirected all the qi in his body towards his nascent soul, refining it to its utmost limit.

  Every cultivator’s breakthrough was something akin to a baby bird emerging from the egg that held it. Through their own effort, they “broke the shell” that limited the growth of their nascent soul once they’ve gathered enough qi to do so over a long period of time. That was the fundamental basis behind the breakthrough from the Qi Manifestation stage.

  An ambient, golden yellow glow flooded the room as Siyuan meditated, his eyes closed tightly with concentration. Near the door of the house he was meditating in, his master leaned casually against the wall, one foot propped against it with his arms folded across his chest.

  It had been two hours since Siyuan began his cultivation for the night. However, this wasn’t the usual cultivation session.

  It was on this night that he was going to be attempting his breakthrough.

  “Attempting” was not the best word for it. After all, both he and his master expected that he’d nail it pretty much on the first try. In fact, basically every one who cultivated did, no matter how dire their circumstances or how poor their talent, basically 99% of all cultivators at least managed to get past the first breakthrough. There were more people who died as Qi Manifestation cultivators than people who failed their breakthrough.

  As such, for Siyuan, the breakthrough was going along smoothly.

  In his mind’s eye, he looked down upon his nascent soul, filled to the brim with bright, golden, metallic qi. Not much unlike a cup filled to the point of overflowing with wine.

  Alright, that’s enough qi, he thought. Now…time to break the shell.

  His figurative self spread his arms.

  In the room, the blindfolded master just smiled. He didn’t need to have senses as advanced as his in order to feel the rich, thick qi that filled the room. The impure residual that was forced out of his body as his disciple’s nascent soul was continuously filled, no longer needed for the body.

  To think that just the residuals of his qi is this potent…I can only imagine what his actual qi reserve will be like when he finally breaks through to the Aura Manifestation stage, he thought. I really did come across a great one this time.

  Just as that thought crossed his mind, Siyuan’s body began to glow slightly.

  Alright, here it comes.

  Just as it began glowing however, something unusual happened.

  Qi suddenly shot out of his body and began running along the floor, walls, and ceiling of the house.

  However, their pattern wasn’t haphazard. He acutely followed the trails of each and every little bit of qi, that shot out of his student’s body, visualizing the patterns that they drew out. His surprise only grew as he recognized what exactly it was that they were drawing out.

  “What…what is this?”

  He wasn’t the only one, however.

  Within his mind’s eye, Siyuan also saw something surprising. Surprising enough to make him almost break his concentration.

  All around his nascent soul, glowing marks of qi had etched themselves into it, forming a very, very familiar inscription.

  A…relic smithing array?

  The familiar shapes and symbols of a relic smithing array had carved themselves into his nascent soul, the lines glowing with the immensely strong iron-affinity qi that he had possessed. He was confused at first. After all, something like this was in none of the many books that he had to read about breakthroughs back when he was still a disciple of the Mystic River Sect during his preliminary courses.

  Then it hit him.

  He didn’t know how something like this didn’t occur to him when he spent months upon months locked in his room a very long time ago as he poured upon every book and scroll he could get his hands on, as he looked for even the slightest possible hint that allowed him to safely turn his body and soul into a cultivator-grade relic. At the moment, he had been too absorbed by the how of the method. And he had looked into any possible long-term effects that the process could have on him, but, well, there was basically nothing on that matter.

  He honestly didn’t think too much about it. After all, people altered their nascent souls all the time. It wasn’t exactly a common occurrence, but it wasn’t like people haven’t done it before. These alterations were very broad in variety and effect, but as long as somebody was careful enough, which Siyuan made sure to be, there were very few who actually experienced any serious defect or damage to their nascent soul.

  However, at the same time, he felt that he really, really should have accounted for this. Or at least expected it.

  Those markings etched all across the surface of his nascent soul identically resembled that of a relic smithing array. And not just any relic smithing array, a very specific one Siyuan doesn’t think he’d be able to ever forget for the rest of his life.

  It was one that was near-identical in shape and complexity to the smithing array he used to upgrade the relic he made for Luo Han from a three-fold enhanced relic to a four-fold enhanced one.

  For a moment, he didn’t know what to do. He simply stood before his nascent soul, not sure of how to proceed further. The usual move was to use his qi control to have it break free from its shell from the inside and emerge, larger and more powerful than ever. However, something like this happening wasn’t in anything he had ever heard or read from.

  Outside of his body, his master kept an attentive eye on his disciple, his hand held out and gently pressed against his disciple’s back. His qi surged, gathering into the palm of his outstretched hand just in case there was any sign of internal disturbance within his disciple’s body.

  However, no such thing occurred. What did, however, was that the strength of the environmental qi the young man produced was starting to weaken.

  He’s starting to leak the qi he’s stored in his nascent soul, he thought. Not good. Looks like he won’t be succeeding his breakthrough. I gotta stop him now before he accidentally ruptures his dantians.

  Just as he was about to push his hand forward and press it onto Siyuan’s back…

  All of the symbols scattered around the room that his qi had errantly traced across the walls, ceiling, and floor suddenly got sucked into his body. All of that ambient qi that floated around in the air, potent enough to give the room a subtle, golden glow, also disappeared along with it, surging back into his body.

  Of course, the master couldn’t quite see that. What he did manage to perceive, however…was all of that qi suddenly disappearing in the blink of an eye.

  “What the-...” he muttered. “What in the world is-?”

  Then Siyuan’s body all of a sudden began to glow once again. His qi suddenly surged all around the room once again.

  In his mind’s eye, he carefully examined the intricate traces of the smithing array that encapsulated his nascent soul. He raised his hand, lightly tracing them with his fingers.

  How…nostalgic, he thought, closing his eyes. He didn’t need his sight to trace the intricate design of the array. After all, this was his magnum opus, something he knew by heart. An array that allowed a Qi Manifestation cultivator like him to accomplish something that even Foundation Establishment relic smiths struggled with.

  In turn, that then reminded him of Luo Han. The person that he had spent countless hours designing this very array for.

  Luo Han…I hope you’re doing okay.

  He took a last few precious moments to admire his own work, still not sure why something like this had appeared here now out of all times, but long past the point of questioning it. Then, he took a (metaphorical) deep breath.

  He had wasted enough time. Now, what he had to do next was obvious.

  Now that he had turned his body and nascent soul into a relic, it only made sense that instead of breaking through into the next realm like other cultivators in order to get stronger…he had to enhance the core of the relic that is him: his own nascent soul.

  Now…it’s time to get smithing.

  He balled his right hand into a fist, and slammed it into a circle on the array.

  The last thing he saw before being ejected from his subconscious was his nascent soul exploding with bright, golden qi.

  Sunlight filtered in through an open window, shining right onto the shut eyes of a slumbering Siyuan. The young man groaned as he slowly opened his eyes, raising an arm to block the sunlight.

  It wasn’t until then that everything that had happened the previous night had finally caught up to him.

  He quickly sat up. He held up a hand, admiring it through the sunlight, although it didn’t look any different physically.

  However, the internal changes were noticeable enough.

  My qi is…purer somehow. The flow is more powerful now. I’ve definitely gotten stronger.

  “The breakthrough succeeded!” he said, a large grin breaking out across his face.

  “No, not quite.”

  He almost jumped out of his bed just as he heard his sensei’s voice from right beside him.

  “Ahhh, stars!” he exclaimed. “Stop scaring me like that!”

  “You didn’t actually breakthrough,” his sensei continued, unfazed. “You did something rather similar, yet, I guess I should say…unconventional.”

  It took a moment for Siyuan to register his words. But when he finally did, his eyes widened.

  If his master was in the little house with him, then there’s no way he wouldn’t know that something was wrong with Siyuan’s breakthrough. And if he managed to find out just what exactly was wrong with said breakthrough…

  “I’ve always had a lot of questions when it came to you, but after last night…” his master trailed off, tapping his chin thoughtfully. “You have a lot to tell me, boy.”