Morning mist still clung to the forest, dew soaking the hems of their clothes.
Lin Yaochen sat beneath a tree, yawning. In front of him was a small clearing swept clean of fallen leaves. Mozi crouched beside him, tail swaying lazily.
"Close your eyes. Sink your breath. Slow it down. You look like you're about to fall asleep," Mozi said casually.
Yaochen did as told, sitting cross-legged and taking a deep breath—then—
"Achoo!"
He opened his eyes and rubbed his nose. "This place smells way too grassy. I can't concentrate."
"You can't even handle this much hardship?" Mozi shot him a sideways glance. "So all that brave talk last night meant nothing?"
Yaochen lowered his head, embarrassed, and sat back down. This time he really tried to calm himself.
Qing Sha's words from last night, the screams, the crying children, Mozi's warning that the Yao Raiders might return…
Thoughts buzzed in his head like flies.
"This is training? It feels more like torture," he muttered.
"You want to feel Yao energy on your first day?" Mozi snorted. "You think you're your father? It took him a full month just to get his Yao flowing through his elbows. You sit down for ten seconds and expect an explosion?"
"But I had Yao power last night!" Yaochen protested. "Why can't I feel anything now?"
Mozi studied him for a moment before speaking more calmly.
"That was because you felt your life was in danger. The Yao surged out as a reflex. That wasn't control—it was instinct."
"So I need to get chased every day for it to work?" Yaochen frowned.
"Yao isn't scared out of you," Mozi rolled his eyes. "It's cultivated."
He continued, "Your Yao veins have awakened, but they're unstable. You have to make them listen to you, not let them run wild."
Yaochen looked at his palms. Last night there had been light—now they were just ordinary, dirty hands.
"So… what do I do?"
"Calm your breathing. Calm your mind. When your mind is steady, Yao will be steady. If not, you'll explode like last night—empty in one burst, useless in a real fight."
Yaochen rubbed his face. "I never signed up to be a hero… now it feels like I'm training to become some immortal sage…"
Mozi didn't answer, only tossed him a line over his shoulder.
"So what do you want to be then? A cripple?"
The words struck him like a nail.
Yaochen took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and followed Mozi's instructions—letting his breathing sink, forcing his thoughts to quiet.
He imagined himself as solid as stone, flowing like water with each breath. He didn't know if he was doing it right, but he tried.
Time passed.
Then—a faint warmth, like sunlight brushing the surface of water, rose slowly from his abdomen, crept through his chest, into his shoulders, trembling gently.
His heart jumped.
That wasn't imagination. Something was moving inside him.
"I… I feel it!" he opened his eyes.
A thin thread of pale Yao light shimmered at his fingertips, barely visible, trembling like it might vanish—but it was there.
"Mozi! Look—!"
Before he could finish, the light flickered out, as if shy. His hand jerked and the Yao disappeared.
Mozi walked over, unexpectedly gentle.
"Not bad. Reaching this point on your first day is faster than your father."
He flicked his tail. "But don't get cocky. This is only the Qi Awakening stage. You're still far from true Yao Control."
Yaochen, however, was beaming. He had never thought he could really feel that power, even for a moment.
"Can I try again?"
Mozi grinned. "The fact that you want to—that's what matters."
After the battle, smoke rose once more from the scorched land.
The villagers had no time to mourn; they were used to rebuilding. At dawn, several strong men carried broken beams out of the village. The women took out precious herbs to tend the wounded.
Yaochen watched children under ten picking up shattered bowls, laughing as they worked—as if last night's flames and screams belonged to another world. His throat tightened.
The village chief arranged a small but intact house for them, and villagers brought meals in turns. Each was simple but warm. When Yaochen tried to refuse, the chief only said:
"Debts can be repaid. Lives cannot."
That night, Yaochen practiced guiding his Yao. Mozi stayed beside him, less sharp-tongued than usual.
"This place has decent spirit energy. Your Yao will stabilize faster here. Don't rush—stability is what matters."
After a while, a faint glow appeared in Yaochen's palm. He said nothing, only smiled.
From then on, every morning he meditated beneath the trees, learning to calm his mind in the breeze. During the day he practiced Mozi's movements, clumsy at first, then smoother.
"Don't think only about bursting out power," Mozi taught. "That's not control—that's going berserk. You have to let Yao walk through your body."
It sounded silly—but he found it was true. Sometimes, the Yao really did "take wrong turns."
At night, villagers gathered around a fire. Yaochen listened to their stories of former Yao warriors and old border battles, realizing these ordinary people all had extraordinary pasts.
He looked at the Yao Disc in his hand. It no longer felt so alien.
Maybe… he really could do something.
The wind was strong that night. Yaochen wrapped himself tight and stared at the faint glow of the Disc.
"Mozi… what exactly are the Five Yao Ones?"
"They are people who naturally resonate with the five fundamental Yao energies of this world."
"But anyone can train Yao, right? Why are they special?"
"Training is learned. Resonance is born.
Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth—each represents a balance of power. The Five Yao Ones are those who can gather those forces."
"When they appear, the world begins to destabilize."
"So they cause the chaos?"
"No," Mozi said softly. "They are the only ones who can restore balance."
Yaochen stared at the fading fire. "So… I have to find them?"
Mozi nodded. "The Disc will react when you're near them. That's why only a Seeker can carry it."
Yaochen's grip tightened.
"Five people, scattered across the world… some of them probably don't even want to be found…"
"Many don't," Mozi replied. "Being special means being hunted."
Yaochen fell silent.
"I'm just a normal guy… How am I supposed to protect them?"
Mozi looked back at him.
"You can't right now. That doesn't mean you never will."
And with that, he walked into the night.
Yaochen watched his back and let out a long breath.
This journey… was far heavier than he had ever imagined.