Chapter 4: Rivals
The rhythm returned.
Clang.
Clang.
Clang.
Yun Che's breathing settled into its familiar pace as another sword slowly took shape beneath his hammer.
The world disappeared.
There was only steel.
Heat.
Ki.
And the next strike.
"...Yun Che!"
He ignored it.
Clang.
"...Yun Che!"
The voice grew louder.
More familiar.
And significantly more irritating.
Yun Che sighed.
"...If I ignore him long enough, perhaps he'll leave."
"He won't."
Yun Ren didn't even look up from his own work.
"He enjoys annoying you too much."
"...Unfortunately true."
Yun Che rested the hammer on the anvil and turned toward the entrance.
Standing there with his hands behind his back was a boy his own age.
He wore dark crimson robes embroidered with silver clouds, the symbol of Mistforge's ruling family.
His black hair was tied neatly behind his head, and confident golden-brown eyes sparkled with mischief.
There was a smile on his face.
Not a friendly one.
The smile of someone who had already planned today's entertainment.
His name was Shen Tianyu.
Only son of the City Lord.
Yun Che looked at him.
"...What do you want?"
Shen Tianyu grinned.
"You sound disappointed."
"I was hoping you'd say 'welcome, honored guest.'"
"I considered it."
"And?"
"I decided honesty was kinder."
Yun Ren laughed so hard he nearly dropped his spear.
Shen Tianyu was...
Complicated.
On one hand...
He was undeniably talented.
At thirteen years old, he had already reached the Peak of the Mortal Realm.
Just like Yun Che.
Most cultivators didn't achieve that level until much later.
Yun Ren himself had only reached it at seventeen.
Ordinarily, Shen Tianyu's achievement would have made him the unquestioned genius of Mistforge.
Instead...
Another genius had appeared.
Yun Che.
The entire city constantly compared them.
Which was faster?
Which was stronger?
Which would enter Foundation Establishment first?
The rivalry had begun before either boy truly understood what rivalry meant.
The difference was...
Yun Che never believed the comparisons were fair.
He remembered another life.
He possessed an adult's mind.
A stronger soul.
Years of experience that no thirteen-year-old should have.
If anyone deserved to be called a genuine genius...
It was Shen Tianyu.
No advantages.
No mysterious memories.
Just talent.
Pure and simple.
And annoyingly...
He usually won.
Whenever the two sparred, Yun Che made life extremely difficult for him.
His wires.
His armor.
His careful planning.
Everything forced Shen Tianyu to fight seriously.
But...
By the end...
The City Lord's son always found a way.
It irritated Yun Che far less than it probably should have.
In fact...
It motivated him.
"What brings Your Young Lordship here?" Yun Che asked.
Shen Tianyu dramatically placed a hand over his heart.
"Must there always be a reason?"
"Yes."
"There is."
"I knew it."
The noble youth walked around the forge, pretending to inspect the finished weapons.
Finally, he stopped before Yun Che.
"I'd like you to make my next armor."
Yun Che nodded.
"That's reasonable."
"And my sword."
"Also reasonable."
"It must resemble a soaring phoenix."
Yun Che's expression became blank.
"The shoulder plates should look like wings."
"..."
"The helmet should have flames."
"..."
"The chest plate should inspire poetry."
"..."
"And the entire set should radiate unmatched artistic elegance."
Silence.
Then...
"You came here to mock me."
Shen Tianyu smiled brightly.
"I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about."
Yun Che rubbed his forehead.
Everyone in Mistforge knew one unfortunate truth.
Yun Che could forge magnificent weapons.
Perfectly balanced.
Exceptionally durable.
Beautiful...
Was another matter entirely.
If asked to decorate armor...
He somehow produced something that looked slightly crooked no matter how hard he tried.
His father claimed artistic talent had skipped an entire generation.
His mother insisted he simply lacked patience.
Yun Ren called every finished design "heroically ugly."
Shen Tianyu found the entire situation endlessly entertaining.
"I'll make it functional."
"I specifically requested beautiful."
"You'll receive functional."
"I knew you'd say that."
The noble boy folded his arms.
"You've become boring."
Yun Che blinked.
"What?"
"You don't react anymore."
"I spend half my time provoking you."
"You just stand there."
"You've become patient."
Yun Che shrugged.
"I'm a blacksmith."
"I spend hours hitting the same piece of metal."
"Patience comes with the profession."
Shen Tianyu frowned dramatically.
"I miss the days when you looked offended."
"I grew up."
"...How unfortunate."
For several moments...
Neither spoke.
Then, unexpectedly...
Shen Tianyu's teasing expression faded.
"I actually came to ask something."
Yun Che raised an eyebrow.
"Oh?"
"I received confirmation."
"Confirmation?"
"I've been accepted."
Yun Che already knew the answer before the words came.
"The Heavenly Flame Sect."
Even speaking the name carried weight.
The Heavenly Flame Sect stood among the greatest cultivation sects within the Land of Heavenly Flames, itself one of the strongest empires on the continent.
Countless geniuses dreamed of entering its gates.
Most failed.
Only the truly exceptional succeeded.
For Shen Tianyu...
It wasn't surprising.
"I leave next spring."
The forge became unusually quiet.
Then Shen Tianyu looked directly at Yun Che.
"Come with me."
Yun Che stared.
"...What?"
"Apply."
"You'll probably get in."
"We'll keep fighting."
His grin returned.
"It would be terribly inconvenient if my rival stayed in Mistforge forever."
Yun Che chuckled despite himself.
Of course.
That sounded exactly like Shen Tianyu.
But behind his smile...
A familiar unease surfaced.
A sect.
Not just any sect.
One filled with powerful cultivators.
Elders.
Masters.
Perhaps even...
Sages.
He still knew very little about the higher realms.
The Spirit Transformation Realm already seemed incredible.
Beyond that lay the Sage Realm.
Beings whispered about in stories.
Cultivators said to perceive truths hidden from ordinary eyes.
What if...
They could see souls?
What if they noticed something strange about his reincarnation?
What if they somehow discovered he wasn't truly born into this world?
Yun Che had no answers.
And uncertainty...
Made him cautious.
Perhaps overly cautious.
But alive.
He met Shen Tianyu's gaze.
"I want to travel."
The noble boy waited.
"I want to see ruins."
"Unknown kingdoms."
"Ancient forests."
"The oceans."
"The deserts."
"The mountains."
"I want to explore."
He smiled quietly.
"I think..."
"I'd rather become an adventurer."
Shen Tianyu frowned.
"Instead of joining the greatest sect in the empire?"
"For now."
Yun Che nodded.
"A sect will still exist when I'm older."
"The world won't wait forever."
That wasn't the whole truth.
Not even close.
But it wasn't a lie either.
He genuinely wanted to explore.
To wander.
To discover.
He simply wasn't ready to place himself beneath the eyes of beings whose power he couldn't even begin to comprehend.
Shen Tianyu sighed.
"You always choose the strange path."
"So I've been told."
The noble youth turned toward the door.
Without looking back, he waved lazily.
"Don't fall behind."
"That would make defeating you far less satisfying."
Yun Che smiled.
"I was about to say the same thing."
Shen Tianyu laughed.
"Good."
"It would be lonely without a rival."
As the City Lord's son disappeared into the bustling streets of Mistforge, Yun Che stood quietly beside the cooling forge.
Yun Che watched until the crimson robes vanished among the crowd.
Then he sighed.
"...What a troublesome person."
The words were spoken with a smile.
Because the truth was...
He really did want to accept.
Joining the Heavenly Flame Sect was, by every logical measure, the correct decision.
The sect possessed better teachers.
Better cultivation techniques.
Better resources.
Better opportunities.
From everything Yun Che had learned, it wasn't even the sort of sect that locked its disciples behind mountain gates.
Quite the opposite.
Its disciples were encouraged to travel.
To hunt.
To explore forgotten ruins.
To discover treasures.
The sect rewarded exploration because experience created stronger cultivators than comfort ever could.
It was almost the perfect place for him.
Almost.
Yun Che lowered his gaze.
The problem...
Was himself.
No.
More accurately...
The life he had lived before this one.
He still remembered Earth.
Its cities.
Its machines.
Its history.
Its people.
His family.
If powerful cultivators truly possessed techniques that could search memories...
Then what?
He had heard stories.
Cultivators who could invade another's mind.
Techniques that bent the will.
Arts that enslaved souls.
Most were probably exaggerated.
But exaggerated stories usually began with a grain of truth.
And beyond the Spirit Transformation Realm...
Lay the Sage Realm.
A realm spoken of with awe.
Communion with nature itself.
Understanding the world.
The laws that governed existence.
Time.
Space.
Elements.
Life.
Death.
Yun Che didn't know where rumor ended and truth began.
That uncertainty frightened him.
What if...
...they can see my memories?
What if they discover another world?
His thoughts turned toward Earth.
A peaceful world compared to this one.
A world without cultivators.
Without monsters.
Without people who could split mountains apart.
If someone from this world discovered Earth...
Would they leave it alone?
Yun Che honestly didn't know.
That answer alone was enough to keep him cautious.
"...What a waste."
He murmured to himself.
If not for that fear...
He would already be preparing to enter the Heavenly Flame Sect.
How much could he learn there?
How much stronger could he become?
The thought lingered like an old regret.
"You're still standing there?"
Yun Jian's voice pulled him back.
His father had apparently overheard enough of the conversation to understand what had happened.
"You should go."
Yun Che looked over.
"I've already made my decision."
His father folded his arms.
"You can still change it."
"I don't want to."
"You're stubborn."
"I learned from you."
"...Don't use my own words against me."
Yun Ren walked over, wiping soot from his hands.
"I actually agree with Father this time."
Yun Che raised an eyebrow.
"Oh?"
"You'd love that place."
"There are probably thousands of people to challenge."
"And if you're lucky..."
"They'll beat some sense into you."
"I already have you for that."
"I know."
"I'm getting tired."
Yun Ren grinned.
"You need stronger opponents."
For a brief moment...
Yun Che almost gave in.
Almost.
Then the familiar fear returned.
"I'll go."
His father and brother looked hopeful.
"...Just not now."
"When?"
"When I'm around twenty."
Silence.
Yun Jian stared at him.
Then pinched the bridge of his nose.
"Twenty?"
"Yes."
"By then you'll have wasted years."
"I don't think they'll be wasted."
His father let out a long, slow breath.
"I don't understand you."
"I know."
"I truly don't."
He shook his head.
"Go."
"...Father?"
"I said go."
Yun Jian pointed toward the street.
"Leave the forge."
"Your face is annoying me."
Yun Ren coughed to hide a laugh.
Yun Che smiled helplessly.
"...You're angry."
"I'm disappointed."
"There's a difference."
Yun Che bowed respectfully.
"I'm sorry."
He truly was.
He knew what this opportunity meant.
He knew his father wanted the best for him.
If he entered the Heavenly Flame Sect, the entire Yun family would be honored.
Their little forge would become known throughout the region.
His parents deserved that.
His brother deserved that.
Instead...
His own secret prevented it.
The guilt weighed heavier than the ten-ton armor he wore every day.
Still...
He couldn't risk it.
Not yet.
Perhaps someday.
When he understood more about this world's highest cultivators.
When he could protect himself.
Until then...
He would remain cautious.
Before his father decided to express his frustration with a hammer—as had happened once when Yun Che was ten and had attempted to build a steam boiler inside the forge—he wisely retreated.
Experience had taught him that tactical withdrawals were perfectly respectable.
The afternoon air felt pleasantly cool.
Without any particular destination, Yun Che wandered toward Mistforge's western wall.
The streets remained lively.
Children chased footballs through open squares.
Merchants argued cheerfully.
The smell of fresh bread drifted from a nearby bakery.
"...Yun Che?"
He turned.
A girl about his age stood outside a modest clothing shop.
She wore a simple blue dress with a white measuring ribbon hanging around her neck.
Long chestnut hair was tied into a practical ponytail, while bright brown eyes sparkled with excitement.
Her name was Lin Xia.
His childhood friend.
If Yun Che forged steel...
Lin Xia shaped cloth.
Her family had owned the city's tailor shop for generations.
Years ago, after discovering that robes in this world came in only a handful of traditional styles, Yun Che had casually sketched ideas from memory.
Shirts with fitted sleeves.
Travel jackets.
Long coats.
Layered winter clothing.
Practical trousers.
Pocket designs.
Buttoned vests.
Even hooded cloaks inspired by Earth's fashion.
Lin Xia had stared at the drawings as though someone had handed her a treasure map.
Then she'd made them.
To everyone's surprise...
People loved them.
Merchants appreciated the extra pockets.
Hunters preferred clothing that didn't snag on branches.
Young people thought the new designs looked stylish.
Within only a few years, her family's shop had become known throughout nearby towns for its unusual fashions.
Yun Che benefited as well.
As much as he respected traditional robes...
Sometimes he simply wanted to wear comfortable clothes.
"Perfect timing!" Lin Xia said, hurrying over.
"I was looking for you."
"Were you?"
She nodded eagerly.
"I finished the new designs."
"I need your opinion."
Yun Che smiled.
"My opinion?"
"You're the one who keeps giving me impossible ideas."
She folded her arms with exaggerated seriousness.
"So you have to inspect the results."
He glanced toward the city wall.
Then back toward her shop.
He didn't have anywhere urgent to be.
Besides...
Seeing old ideas transformed into something uniquely suited to this world was always enjoyable.
"All right."
He nodded.
"Lead the way."
Lin Xia beamed.
"I knew you'd say yes."
With that, the two childhood friends stepped into the little tailor shop, where bolts of colorful cloth, half-finished garments, and yet another piece of Earth—woven quietly into the Land of Clouds—waited to be judged.