Morning sunlight trickled into Shen's room, warm and gentle… completely failing to prepare him for the humiliation that awaited him.
Shen, age five, opened his eyes with determination blazing inside him.
Today… I will start my path as a true cultivator.
Today… the elders will see my hidden potential.
Today… I will show everyone I'm not trash—
He tried to sit up dramatically.
He got tangled in his blanket and rolled straight off the bed.
THUD.
"...Ow."
The door slid open.
There stood Hoshikawa Xue, his graceful, smug, clearly-too-good older sister, age nine. Her long black hair tied in a ribbon, posture perfect, already dressed for training.
She stared at her brother on the floor, limbs tangled like a defeated dumpling.
"…What exactly are you doing?"
Shen avoided eye contact.
"Training," he muttered.
Xue crossed her arms and nodded solemnly.
"Yes, I can see. Perhaps today you are practicing the legendary Worm Spirit Technique?"
Shen's eyebrow twitched. "Shut up…"
She ruffled his hair and walked out, laughing, leaving him glaring at the ceiling.
---
Training Begins… and So Does the Disaster
Shen walked into the courtyard where his father, Hiroto, waited with arms folded behind him. Xue stood next to him, posture straight, aura calm and collected.
"Today," Hiroto said, "you will begin your first formal cultivation lesson."
Shen puffed his chest. Yes. This was his moment.
Xue stepped forward first.
She closed her eyes, inhaled slowly—
—and her palms glowed with pure white Starstream Qi, swirling around her fingers in little constellations.
Hiroto nodded in approval. "Excellent control, Xue."
Shen clapped lightly. "Nice."
Xue flicked her hair smugly. "Of course. Watch and learn, little brother."
Shen stepped forward.
He inhaled like she did.
He closed his eyes.
He focused.
Alright… focus… Qi… breathing… calm heart…
He circulated his energy, drawing on the little spark inside him.
A faint glow appeared—
Then—
BAM!
He slapped himself across the face.
Everyone froze.
Shen staggered back, eyes watering. "Wh—why did my hand move on its own?!"
Xue tried not to laugh. She failed.
Hiroto pressed two fingers to his forehead.
"Again."
---
Shen frowned and tried again.
Deep breath.
Calm heart.
Inner focus—
Electric tingles ran up his arms.
Lanterns flickered.
Leaves rustled.
Xue's hair floated slightly, lifting like static electricity.
"Huh?" she blinked. "Why is my hair…?"
Shen opened one eye.
"Did… did I do that?"
Then everything fizzled.
The lanterns dimmed.
The leaf dropped.
Xue's hair fell flat.
The moment ended as quickly as it came.
Elders watching from the hall whispered among themselves:
"Strange…"
"Unstable?"
"Or perhaps… no, impossible."
Shen stood there confused.
What did I just do?
---
After training, Shen walked next to Xue, who was smugly twirling her ribbon.
"I will admit," she said, "that was… an interesting display. Though mostly pathetic."
Shen glared. "I made your hair float!"
Xue shrugged. "Yes, truly, the most intimidating of techniques. I was terrified."
He tried to kick her ankle.
He missed.
He kicked a tree instead.
"OW!"
Xue burst into laughter so loud that servants peeked out to see what chaos had unfolded this time.
Shen sat on the ground clutching his foot, plotting seventeen different forms of revenge.
One day… when I unlock my true power… I'll get her back.
---
The Afternoon Lesson: Three Paths of Cultivation
That afternoon, Hiroto called both children over.
"There are three major cultivation paths in our world," he lectured.
Shen tried to listen.
He really did.
But his attention drifted the moment a butterfly landed on his knee.
Still, he heard fragments:
1. Qi Circulation — Chinese style
Focus on meridians, dantian, breathing technique.
2. Spirit Pulse Training — Japanese style
Focus on inner balance, sword-spirit harmony.
3. Soul Thread Awakening — Korean style
Focus on emotional resonance and soul purity.
The Hoshikawa clan, he explained, uses a rare Starstream Qi, blending all three.
Shen nodded wisely, pretending to understand.
Xue leaned in and whispered,
"You don't get any of this, do you?"
"…No."
Hiroto glanced at Shen, amused. "Mental age may be irrelevant. Some things are learned only with the body."
Shen sighed. Figures.
---
Evening Mishap: The Water Style Technique
That evening, Shen sat alone in the courtyard.
"Alright… Shen," he muttered, "you can do this… You're nineteen mentally. This world's children are probably dumb. You got this."
He sat cross-legged.
He closed his eyes.
He inhaled deeply.
Meditated.
Focused.
One breath…
Two breaths…
Three breaths…
Ten seconds passed.
His eyes snapped open.
"…This is boring."
Then he saw a butterfly.
"…OOOH."
He chased it across the yard, giggling, then tripped over a rock—
—and fell straight into the pond with a huge SPLASH.
He emerged soaked from head to toe, dripping like a sad seaweed monster.
Xue, who happened to be passing by, froze.
"…What technique is this?"
She gasped dramatically.
"Water Style: Humiliation Splash?"
"Go away," Shen groaned.
She laughed the entire walk back to the house.
---
Late Night Wonder
Later that night, Shen sat alone again, wrapped in a towel, staring at the sky.
He watched the stars scattered above.
One shot across the sky—a falling streak of light.
Something tugged inside his chest.
The air around him trembled softly.
The grass rustled even though there was no wind.
A faint glow circled him again… brighter this time.
Shen blinked.
"…What is this…?"
The ground beneath him vibrated slightly—
The stars overhead shimmered—
The glow became a thin ribbon of silver starlight—
He felt it brush against him.
Warm. Gentle. Pulsating.
Almost… calling him.
Shen opened his mouth to speak, but no words came.
His small chest swelled with an unfamiliar energy.
His tiny hands tingled.
And for the first time, he felt… powerful.
—Then his vision blurred white.
END OF CHAPTER 2