The morning wind was chillier than usual.
Thin veils of mist clung to the grass as Lu Shen descended the stone steps toward the lower courtyard. The quiet of dawn still held sway—no clatter of training weapons, no shouting disciples. Only the soft rustle of plum blossoms in the breeze, brittle and dry even in bloom.
He paused at the edge of the training field.
A few outer disciples were already there—two practicing spear forms in the far corner, one meditating beneath a crooked willow. Lu Shen didn't speak to them. They didn't speak to him. He preferred it that way.
Each carries their own weight. Let mine remain invisible for now.
He drew his sword.
No crowd watched him. No elder corrected his posture. Yet the system did not sleep.
[Technique: Formless Blade Style – Progress: 213/1000 EXP]
Observation: Motion smoother. Footwork stable. Left shoulder too tense in transition from Third to Fourth Form. Breathing—improved.
The blade cut air with a faint hum.
He moved slowly at first. Step. Pivot. Draw. Strike.
One breath.
Then faster. Transition. Elbow low. Pivot again. Reverse grip.
Second breath.
The rhythm carried him like a tide.
And in the silence, there came something new.
A feeling—not of Qi surging or power awakening—but of precision. As if his limbs were finally beginning to obey his intent, not just the form.
He ended in a low crouch, blade outstretched.
Stillness.
A single drop of sweat fell to the stone.
And in his mind, the system chimed:
[Formless Blade Style – Mastery increased]
You have entered the First Gate: Movement without Error. New effect unlocked: +5% efficiency in stamina use when practicing this style.
Lu Shen exhaled slowly.
It was not much. But it was his.
...
Later, after washing and changing, he returned to the withered plum tree.
The Breath of the Hollow Wind scroll was already committed to memory. Now, he practiced without it. Eyes closed. Posture upright. The cool bark at his back grounding him.
His breath was smooth.
Inhale for four. Hold. Exhale for six.
He counted silently, following the thread of breath as it passed through his chest, his ribs, his belly. He pictured it like mist—subtle, ephemeral—moving through channels that only now began to respond.
And then it happened.
A flicker.
Like the faint ripple of a pebble dropped into a still pond.
His heart skipped once. The breath caught. And in that space—between inhale and exhale—he felt it:
A strand of Qi.
So light he might have missed it.
Threading through his lower dantian.
And staying.
He opened his eyes.
The system responded.
[Qi Circulation: Initiated (Basic)]
Qi retention improved: 16% → 21%
You have achieved minimal internal flow. Breath-based techniques are now 10% more effective.
A strange emotion stirred in his chest.
Not joy. Not pride. Something smaller, quieter.
Hope.
...
He didn't move for a long while.
He simply sat beneath the plum tree, hands resting on his knees, eyes half-lidded. Listening to the wind. Watching the pale pink petals fall like soft snow around him.
He thought of his former world.
Where steel towers rose into poisoned skies, and breath came filtered through masks. Where every step was forward, fast, endless—and every moment of stillness felt like drowning.
Is this what peace feels like?
The answer came not in words, but in silence.
...
That afternoon, Xiao Fan returned.
This time, with a strange expression.
"Lu Shen," he said, hesitant. "An elder asked for you."
Lu Shen frowned. "Which one?"
"Elder Yan."
That name stirred something unpleasant.
The Discipline Hall's second master.
Lu Shen rose slowly. "Did he say why?"
Xiao Fan shook his head. "Only that you're to come before sunset. Alone."
The boy hesitated again, then added in a whisper, "Be careful. Someone's been talking. I think… someone mentioned your system."
...
Lu Shen stood a long time after the boy left.
The petals of the plum tree circled around his feet like a quiet warning.
He looked to the sky, then to the system screen still lingering faintly in the air before him.
[System Alert: Flagged Observation]
Unusual Qi resonance detected by external source. Risk of exposure increased.
Recommendation: Conceal system traces during public appearance.
His fists clenched.
I moved too fast. Drew too much attention. Even now... something watches.
He looked back at the tree once more.
Then he turned toward the courtyard, where shadow gathered under the weight of unseen eyes.