Before the Seclusion
The days that followed passed in an oddly quiet rhythm within the academy.
Jin spent most of his time with Li Fan and Yuan—not in public training grounds, but in the dormitories, secluded courtyards, and forgotten hours no one paid attention to.
He did not teach them techniques.
He did not explain martial arts.
Instead, he refined their foundations.
Li Fan was the one who changed the most.
At first, he merely followed—watching, imitating with caution.
But something slowly began to take shape within him.
During one of their late-night training sessions, when the three of them practiced in silence, Li Fan suddenly stopped.
Sweat beaded on his forehead. He bent forward slightly, his breathing uneven.
"I feel it…" he said hesitantly.
"The energy… it isn't dispersing this time."
Jin looked at him calmly, then gestured for him to sit.
"Don't try to grasp it," Jin said.
"Let it find its own path."
Yuan, silent as always, slowly opened his eyes.
"Your body is starting to understand now," he said. "Isn't it?"
Li Fan didn't fully understand the words—but he felt them.
Something deep inside him was no longer as fragile as before.
That night, for the first time, his internal circulation did not collapse.
He succeeded.
Yuan's Talent Awakens
Only two days later, it was Yuan's turn.
During a simple drill of the basic sword style, his strike deviated slightly—
then stopped in midair.
It didn't disperse.
It didn't explode.
It remained.
The sword's edge, filled with energy, held together as if it required no effort at all—
as though it were nothing more than an extension of himself.
Li Fan stared, stunned.
"That… that's impossible."
Jin didn't smile.
He only said:
"Now you're starting to see."
That night, Jin took out four energy pills.
He placed two in front of Li Fan, and two in front of Yuan.
"I won't be taking them with me."
Li Fan gasped.
"Jin… these aren't things you give away so easily."
Jin replied calmly:
"If you don't break through now, you never will.
And besides… I have more than enough."
He did not interfere with their absorption.
He did not guide them.
He let them rely on their shared flow of energy.
When it was over, Li Fan had taken his first true step toward forming his dantian, aided by Yuan's energy, which wrapped around him in an unexpected harmony.
After a long silence, Yuan spoke.
"This… isn't normal."
Jin answered simply:
"That's because neither of you is walking alone."
Only weeks ago, the two boys knew nothing of martial combat.
Now—
One had begun forming his energy core.
The other had mastered control over his aura.
And this…
was only the beginning.