At Cyan Cloud Academy, the bell signaling the end of classes rang as scheduled.
Following the long, drawn-out chimes, the youths in the Outer Sect lecture hall poured out like a tide. Some were laughing and roughhousing, while others rushed home to help with farm work.
Chu Bai sat on his cushion, unmoving.
He reached into his robe, pressing gently on a cloth pouch through his coarse garments.
It contained the blood and sweat of his entire family—his ticket to knock on the Immortal Gate.
After most of the students had left, Chu Bai stood up, straightened his clothes, and walked against the flow of people toward the lecture platform.
"Master."
Master Liu, who was about to pack his teaching materials and leave, paused. He looked up at Chu Bai, his gaze lingering for a moment on the boy’s tense face, as if he had been expecting this.
"You’ve decided?"
"I have." Chu Bai’s voice was quiet, yet it carried an unshakable resolve. "I’ve gathered the tuition fee. I implore you for an introduction, Master."
A flicker of admiration showed in Master Liu’s eyes. He nodded. "Since you are so determined, follow me."
With that, Master Liu clasped his hands behind his back and began to walk, not toward the academy’s main gate, but turning instead toward a stone door behind the lecture hall that was normally kept shut.
Passing through the door was like stepping into another world.
The clamor of the outside world vanished instantly. Before him lay a serene and elegant garden. Water trickled over rockeries, and several ancient, unfamiliar trees towered into the sky. The air itself seemed filled with a refreshing fragrance that uplifted the spirit.
Chu Bai took a deep breath, feeling his spirits lift slightly.
’The air here seems much fresher than outside.’
"The academy is divided into inner and outer sections," Master Liu said calmly as they walked. "The Outer Sect costs 365 wen a year—a grace bestowed by the Court upon the world’s humble families. It teaches literacy and reason. The Inner Sect, however, teaches the true path to advancement."
As they spoke, the two arrived before a small courtyard named Calm Heart Hall.
Inside the courtyard, a middle-aged Daoist in a cyan Daoist robe sat cross-legged under a tree, meditating with his eyes closed.
On a small table beside him, a cup of clear tea sent up gentle wisps of steam.
The Daoist appeared ordinary, but a single glance sent a chill through Chu Bai’s heart.
The man’s chest and abdomen barely moved as he breathed, and his respiration was astonishingly long and steady, as if he had merged completely with his surroundings.
"This is Daoist Zhang, a cultivation Instructor from the County Daoist School. He has been hired by our academy to personally instruct the Inner Sect Disciples," Master Liu explained with a slight bow.
Not daring to be disrespectful, Chu Bai quickly took two steps forward and bowed. "Student Chu Bai greets Master Zhang."
Daoist Zhang slowly opened his eyes. His gaze was as gentle as jade, yet it seemed to pierce right through to one’s heart. He scanned Chu Bai from head to toe and gave a slight nod. "Acceptable constitution. You look like someone who can endure hardship."
Chu Bai straightened up and solemnly took the patched cloth pouch from his robe, presenting it with both hands.
"This is my tuition fee."
Daoist Zhang remained impassive. He accepted the pouch casually, placing it on the small table beside him without even opening it to check the contents.
"Once you enter the gate, a bond is formed," Master Liu chimed in from the side. "Chu Bai, if you achieve great things in the future, don’t forget the debt you owe Master Zhang for his teachings today."
"I will remember, and I will not forget." Chu Bai bowed once more.
With the simple induction ceremony complete, Master Liu took his leave.
Daoist Zhang pointed to some cushions in the courtyard, gesturing for Chu Bai to sit, and then said:
"My Inner Sect Study has few rules. Every day, after the Outer Sect classes are dismissed, you may come here to practice for one double-hour. I will impart the Heart Method and offer guidance. How much you grasp, however, is entirely up to you."
As he spoke, Daoist Zhang’s gaze swept across the courtyard.
Only then did Chu Bai realize he was not alone in Calm Heart Hall. On the other side of the shaded area under the tree, three other youths were already sitting cross-legged.
One of them was lavishly dressed, a Jade Pendant hanging from his waist. Another had a cold and severe expression, his simple clothes starched and impeccably clean. The last had a clever look about him and was sizing Chu Bai up with curiosity.
"The Inner Sect only accepts students with exceptional talent and temperament," Daoist Zhang said mildly. "Since you have all practiced the Small Qi Gathering Technique to its bottleneck and were willing to pay such a high price to continue your studies, I presume you are all prepared to endure hardship."
Chu Bai nodded silently, found an empty cushion, and sat down cross-legged.
"Very well. Enough idle talk."
Daoist Zhang’s expression turned solemn, and his gentle aura instantly sharpened.
"The Small Qi Gathering Technique is divided into dynamic and static skills. The Breathing Technique taught in the Outer Sect is the dynamic skill, mainly for Body Refinement. Today, I will teach you the static skill’s Heart Method: the Energy-Introducing Technique."
"Qi is the Essence of heaven and earth. To achieve Qi Introduction, you must first open the Mysterious Pass and focus your mind on your Dantian..."
As the lines of Daoist Zhang’s chant entered his ears, Chu Bai felt the previously obscure and incomprehensible parts of the technique suddenly become crystal clear.
’This Energy Introduction chant is like a key, fitting perfectly into the lock on the great, sealed door inside my body.’
"Form the Hand Seal, focus your spirit, calm your Qi, and follow my guidance!"
Not daring to let his mind wander, Chu Bai immediately followed Daoist Zhang’s guidance, forming a strange Hand Seal with his hands. His breathing pattern changed along with it.
’This time, it feels completely different.’
’If the previous Breathing Technique was like grinding an empty millstone, then this time, it was as if there was finally grain to be ground.’
As the Heart Method circulated, Chu Bai gradually entered a profound state. In a trance, he sensed that the air around him was no longer empty but filled with innumerable, microscopic points of light.
’That’s... Spiritual Qi!’
Guided by the chant, a wisp of cool energy, faint and as thin as a single hair, drilled into his body through his pores, bringing with it a deep, refreshing comfort.
This cool current traveled slowly through his meridians, eventually gathering in his Dantian Qi Sea.
HUMM—
An imperceptible hum seemed to resonate in his mind.
’This is Qi Sensitivity!’
Chu Bai was shaken to his core. The thrill of finally touching the threshold of the supernatural nearly broke his meditative state, but he gritted his teeth, steadied his mind, and greedily absorbed the hard-won Spiritual Qi.
「An unknown amount of time passed.」
When Chu Bai slowly opened his eyes, he felt utterly refreshed. His hearing was sharper, his vision clearer—even the fallen leaves in the courtyard looked more distinct.
’Is this the difference between an immortal and a mortal?’
With a subconscious thought, he summoned his panel.
On the pale blue screen that appeared, the data had undergone a world-shaking transformation:
[Name: Chu Bai]
[Acquired Fate Chart: Non-stop Rushing, Unceasing Labor]
[Skill:]
[Small Qi Gathering Technique: skilled (1/200)]
The "limit reached" notification that had been on his panel was finally gone without a trace.
In its place was a new progress bar.
Chu Bai let out a long, turbid breath, the corners of his mouth curving into an irrepressible smile.
’The path is open.’
’As long as I’m no longer restricted by the Cultivation Technique, with my Fate Chart, there will be no more bottlenecks for my future breakthroughs!’

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