Li Wei staggered to his feet.
The wind no longer whispered—it sang. The world felt different. Sharper. The rustling leaves, the distant waterfall, even the pulse of the earth beneath his feet—he could sense them. Not with his eyes, but with something deeper.
He had opened his first meridian.
But the victory was short-lived.
The jade pendant at his chest trembled violently. A symbol glowed faintly on its surface: a three-petaled lotus, flickering like a dying ember.
Li Wei clutched it in confusion. "What now?"
The symbol pulsed once—then vanished.
Before he could ponder further, a sharp sound tore through the forest.
Whoosh!
A blade of spiritual energy slashed through a nearby tree trunk, felling it in one clean strike.
Li Wei leapt back instinctively, heart racing.
From the underbrush emerged a boy about his age, clad in dark blue robes, his sleeves embroidered with the symbol of a rising cloud. His sword was already drawn, humming faintly with qi.
"You broke a meridian without a guide," the boy said, eyeing him warily. "Impressive. Or foolish."
Li Wei narrowed his eyes. "Who are you?"
"I should ask you the same," the boy replied. "This mountain is under the watch of the Azure Wind Sect. And uninvited cultivators are not welcomed."
Azure Wind Sect… The name stirred something in Li Wei's memory. One of the lower-tier sects in the Northern Territories—but known for aggressive recruitment and ruthless tests.
"I'm not here to cause trouble," Li Wei said, slowly lowering his stance. "I'm just—learning."
The boy raised an eyebrow. "You awakened your qi on your own? Without a sect? Without a master?"
Li Wei nodded. "Yes."
A long silence.
Then the boy sheathed his sword. "My name is Yan Rui. Inner disciple. You're either lying—or a natural talent. Either way, Elder Mo will want to see you."
Before Li Wei could answer, a shriek echoed from deeper within the forest.
A monstrous sound.
Both boys froze.
Out from the fog came a crashing noise—trees toppling, birds scattering. A surge of hostile qi swept over them like a wave.
Something was coming.
Yan Rui's expression darkened. "Damn it. A Spirit Beast this deep in training grounds?"
Li Wei's eyes widened as the creature emerged—a Crimson-Striped Shadow Wolf, twice the size of a horse, its fur bristling with blood qi, eyes glowing red.
It spotted them—and roared.
"Run?" Li Wei asked.
"Too late," Yan Rui growled, drawing his blade. "You said you could cultivate? Then prove it."
Li Wei hesitated.
His meridian still burned, his body not yet adapted. But he nodded.
He touched the pendant. Closed his eyes.
And let the qi flow.
⸻
Elsewhere, high in the mountains, Master Shen sat before a candlelit scroll, eyes half-closed.
"It begins, child," he murmured. "Let the world see what it has forgotten."