Snow melted from Millstone City's streets like ink dissolving into water. Winter loosened its grip, and spring crept in with cautious warmth. The peach tree in Tianhai's courtyard finally blossomed—soft petals drifting like gentle pink sighs.
Wuya stood beneath the tree, staring at the petals in his palm. His expression was calm, but something inside him churned like a river beginning to thaw.
He felt… different.
More aware.
More connected.
More present in a way he had never experienced before.
Not stronger.
Not faster.
But awake.
The wind whispered against the branches, and he whispered back without thinking:
"…I can hear you."
The peach tree swayed faintly, as if acknowledging him.
Xueyi burst out of the house with a bowl of warm porridge, nearly tripping on the step.
"Wuya! Breakfast! And if you ignore it again, I'll pour it on your head!"
He blinked.
"I didn't ignore it."
"You did!" She shoved the bowl at him.
"You've been standing there since dawn. Dawn, Wuya!"
"It's not dawn anymore," he corrected.
"That's my point!"
From the kitchen, Tianhai cleared his throat loudly.
"Xueyi. Let him eat before you break something."
She stuck her tongue out but sat beside Wuya anyway.
He glanced at her.
"…Why are you sitting here?"
"To watch you eat."
"That makes no sense."
"It makes perfect sense. How do I know you won't wander off again?"
Wuya took a spoonful of porridge.
Xueyi nodded proudly.
"Good. Now keep going."
Tianhai watched them from the doorway.
His eyes lingered on Wuya.
Sixteen years…
All leading up to this moment.
The awakening had happened.
The watchers had stirred.
The city had nearly been invaded.
And Wuya had taken his first step—quiet, natural, and dangerous.
Tianhai set his jaw.
It was time.
---
The First Lesson
After they ate, Tianhai called Wuya to the courtyard. Xueyi followed immediately.
"You stay too," Tianhai said.
Xueyi blinked.
"…Really?"
"Yes. You will learn alongside him."
Her face lit up.
Wuya looked confused.
"Learn what?"
Tianhai folded his hands behind his back.
"The foundation of cultivation."
Wuya's gaze sharpened.
Xueyi gasped.
"You mean real cultivation?"
"No," Tianhai said.
"You will not cultivate yet."
Xueyi glared.
"Why tell us to learn it then?!"
Tianhai sighed.
"You will learn the path first. Only after understanding foundation can you step onto it."
Xueyi grumbled something about "old men and their roundabout words," but Tianhai ignored her.
He pointed to the ground.
"Sit."
Wuya sat cross-legged.
Xueyi sat with arms crossed.
Tianhai began.
---
The Mortal Realm's Path
"In this world," he said, voice steady, "cultivation begins with understanding your own body."
He tapped his chest.
"Strength. Breath. Essence. These three form the Mortal Foundation Realm."
Xueyi raised her hand.
"Do we have any of those?"
"Yes," Tianhai answered patiently.
"You breathe, don't you?"
Xueyi puffed her cheeks. "Obviously!"
"Then you can cultivate—one day," Tianhai said.
He turned to Wuya.
"You, especially, must understand these steps clearly."
Wuya nodded.
Tianhai continued:
"The first stage is Breath Awareness.
Feeling the world through your breath."
Xueyi pointed immediately.
"Wuya can already do that!"
Wuya blinked.
"Can I?"
"Yes! You keep staring at air like it's talking to you!"
Tianhai gave a long exhale.
"She isn't wrong," he admitted.
"I don't stare," Wuya said.
"You do," Tianhai insisted.
Wuya blinked.
"…I listen."
Tianhai massaged his forehead.
"Exactly."
Xueyi looked smug.
Tianhai continued:
"The next stage is Internal Circulation—guiding your breath along natural pathways in the body. Only then can you build a stable foundation."
He held up another finger.
"After that, you must open your meridians. There are three main ways people approach this."
Xueyi leaned closer.
"What ways?"
Tianhai explained:
"Method one: slow, natural training—perfect for mortals.
Method two: spiritual herbs and medicines—dangerous without guidance.
Method three: external force—violent, painful, usually fatal."
Xueyi shivered.
Wuya remained calm.
"And us?" Wuya asked.
"You two," Tianhai said slowly, "will follow none of those."
Both children stared.
"What?" Xueyi blurted.
Wuya tilted his head.
"Then how will we cultivate?"
Tianhai breathed in deeply.
"Wuya… your meridians are not normal."
Wuya blinked.
"Your body has potential for far more meridians than others. They are dormant now… but when awakened, they will not follow mortal standards."
Xueyi gasped.
"So he's special!"
Wuya blinked again.
"Am I?"
Tianhai ignored the interruption.
"Xueyi… your Moonveil Seal will guide your meridians. You are special too."
Xueyi puffed up like a proud bird.
Wuya studied his hands.
"If I don't open my meridians like mortals do… how will I begin?"
Tianhai gave him a long look.
"Your path is different.
Your steps will rise from instinct, not instruction."
Wuya nodded slowly.
He didn't fully understand, but his intuition accepted the truth.
Tianhai continued:
"For now, you must strengthen your body—not with Qi, but with discipline."
"How?" Wuya asked.
Tianhai pointed to the peach tree.
"You will start by listening to it."
Xueyi blinked rapidly.
"What?! How is that training?"
Tianhai smiled faintly.
"You will see."
---
Listening Training
Wuya sat beneath the tree again.
Snow had melted into soft soil around the roots. Peach blossoms drifted occasionally, falling on his shoulders and hair.
Xueyi sat nearby, arms crossed, suspicious.
"You're not meditating, right?" she warned.
"No."
"Promise?"
"I'm listening," he said simply.
"That means you are meditating!"
Wuya shook his head.
"I'm listening to the tree."
"That's even worse!"
He blinked.
Tianhai chuckled.
"Wuya. What does the tree sound like?"
The boy closed his eyes.
"…It breathes slowly."
"How slowly?" Tianhai asked.
"Every few minutes."
"And now?"
"…Every few seconds."
Tianhai stiffened slightly.
The awakening had amplified Wuya's perception.
Xueyi whispered, "What does MY breathing sound like?"
Wuya turned his head toward her.
"Loud."
"Wuya!"
"You asked."
Xueyi turned red.
Tianhai hid a smile behind his sleeve.
But while Wuya listened, Tianhai felt something else—deep, faint, and dangerous.
Wuya wasn't merely sensing the tree.
His awareness was beginning to reach beyond the courtyard.
He felt distant footsteps outside the gate.
He felt water flowing beneath the street stones.
He felt the soft vibration in the marketplace two blocks away.
He felt—
something faint but sharp in the sky.
A watcher.
But it was distant, passing by, unaware of the city.
Tianhai suppressed it quietly.
Wuya slowly opened his eyes.
"…Father."
Tianhai nodded.
"You felt it?"
Wuya nodded.
"It was small… but sharp."
Xueyi looked between them.
"Are you two talking about wind again?"
Wuya answered without looking away from the sky.
"No."
Tianhai placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Wuya. The more you see, the more careful you must be."
Wuya nodded.
"I know."
---
A Visitor Arrives
That afternoon, the peace of Millstone City broke.
A stranger arrived from the southern road.
Riding a weary horse, wrapped in travel-stained robes, and with a faint aura clinging to him—too faint for mortals to notice, but unmistakable to Wuya.
A cultivator.
Weak.
Wounded.
Hungry.
Desperate.
He stumbled into Tianhai's shop, leaning heavily against the counter.
"Is—" he gasped, "is there… water?"
Xueyi fetched water immediately, pushing the bowl into his hands.
Wuya stood behind the counter, expression unreadable.
Tianhai walked out from the back.
"Traveler. You're hurt."
The man nodded weakly.
"Bandits… chased me for days. I escaped the southern hills and—"
He froze suddenly, staring at Wuya.
Not aggressively.
Curiously.
Uneasily.
"You…"
Wuya stared back.
A silence fell.
The man swallowed hard.
"…Your presence feels strange."
Tianhai stepped between them instantly.
"Drink your water," he said.
The man blinked, looked down, and drank.
Xueyi whispered:
"He's strong?"
Wuya shook his head.
"He's weak. But his eyes see… too clearly."
The man's hands shook as he held the bowl.
"T-thank you. I won't stay long. I only need to… rest."
Tianhai nodded politely.
"You may rest here for a moment."
But inside, Tianhai's mind was racing.
This man sensed Wuya's presence.
Not deeply.
Not accurately.
But enough.
Which meant—
Wuya was becoming noticeable.
Even to weak cultivators.
Tianhai quietly sealed the man's memory with a subtle flick of his finger.
The man finished drinking, bowed, and left the shop dazed.
He would remember only the taste of warm water.
Not the boy whose dormant destiny brushed against him.
Wuya watched him leave.
"…I made him uncomfortable."
"You did nothing," Tianhai said.
"It was my existence."
Tianhai's breath caught.
The child was too perceptive.
Xueyi grabbed Wuya's sleeve firmly.
"You didn't do anything wrong! He was just rude."
Wuya smiled faintly.
"…Thank you."
But Tianhai's face grew serious.
"Wuya."
"Yes?"
"You must learn to hide what you sense. What you feel. What you see."
"Why?"
"Because the world is full of eyes sharper than his."
Wuya nodded slowly.
"I will try."
---
A Lesson in the Night
After dinner, Tianhai brought Wuya to the courtyard under the moonlight. Xueyi tried to follow, but Tianhai gently guided her back.
"Tonight is for him," he said.
Xueyi hesitated… but obeyed.
She quietly pressed herself against the paper wall, listening.
Tianhai stood beneath the peach tree.
"Wuya."
"Yes."
"From this night onward, you will learn your first discipline: Breath Control."
Wuya nodded.
"Close your eyes."
Wuya obeyed.
Tianhai continued.
"Breathe deeply. Slowly. Feel your ribs expand. Your chest rise."
Wuya inhaled.
"Now feel the breath travel everywhere."
He inhaled again.
Tianhai frowned.
"No. You're thinking too fast."
Wuya paused.
"You breathe too… consciously. Let it happen. Like the wind."
Wuya exhaled softly.
Then breathed again.
Tianhai watched.
The boy's breath slowed.
Deepened.
Evened out.
The air around him grew still.
Tianhai's eyes widened.
"…This is too fast."
Wuya's awareness sank into the space within him—
where the first awakened fragments pulsed faintly.
Not opening further.
Not glowing.
Just… present.
Like a quiet companion watching him.
His breath synchronized with his heartbeat.
His heartbeat synchronized with the night wind.
The night wind synchronized with the trees.
The peach blossoms trembled.
Tianhai whispered:
"…Wuya, you must stop."
Wuya opened his eyes immediately.
Tianhai sighed.
"You are progressing too quickly. At this rate, your soul might move ahead of your body."
Wuya nodded.
"I understand."
"No, you don't."
Tianhai placed a hand on his shoulder.
"You are walking a path where every step changes the world. You must not run."
Wuya's gaze softened.
"I will walk slowly then."
"Good."
Xueyi peeked around the corner.
"You two talk too much!"
Wuya blinked.
"Were you listening?"
"No!"
"You were."
"…Maybe."
Tianhai massaged his forehead.
"Go to sleep, Xueyi."
She dragged Wuya inside.
Tianhai stood alone in the courtyard, staring at the moon.
"Sixteen years," he murmured.
"And this is only the beginning."
---
A Sleepless Night
Wuya lay on his thin mattress, staring at the wooden ceiling.
His pulse was steady.
His breath calm.
But inside—
Something shifted.
The fragments Aotian left him pulsed faintly like stars behind a veil.
He whispered into the darkness:
"…What am I meant to become?"
No reply came.
But he felt something—
A warmth.
A presence.
A promise.
He closed his eyes.
Sleep came slowly.
Across the roof, Xueyi whispered through the thin wall:
"Wuya… don't go anywhere without me."
"I won't," he answered softly.
"Promise?"
"Promise."
He heard her breathe peacefully.
He closed his eyes again.
Tomorrow would bring change.
The world was already stirring.
Watchers were awakening.
Paths were forming.
Destiny was rising like a tide.
And Wuya…
quietly…
had taken his first step.