I hadn't slept.
Well, technically I had slept for about three hours. Three hours for which my body had protested violently, especially after yesterday's training with Liling. Every muscle had its own registered complaint. My back ached. My legs ached. Even my neck ached; parts of my body I didn't think could hurt were hurting at this very moment.
But I had the manual finished.
I held it in front of me in the dim light of dawn. Twenty pages of rice paper covered in my increasingly messy handwriting. Qi flowcharts. Posture descriptions. Breathing notes. An analysis of Xiao Yue's fire constitution and how to best utilize it.
It was imperfect. Yet, it was my masterpiece in this world of cultivation.
I got up from the chair with a groan that would have embarrassed my past self. My reflection in the room's small bronze mirror showed someone who looked like they had been attacked by insomnia.
Deep dark circles. Messy hair. A wrinkled robe because I hadn't bothered to change.
Presentable. Definitely presentable.
I picked up the manual carefully, as if it were a corporate report worth millions, and in a sense, it was, and left my room.
The Pavilion of Silent Bamboo was quiet at this hour. The sun was just beginning to peek over the clan walls, painting the garden in shades of gold and pink. The fresh air hit my face and helped clear some of the sleep-deprived fog.
I found Liling in the kitchen, preparing tea. She looked at me and nearly dropped the teapot.
"Good heavens, Kenji! What happened to you?" she asked.
"Good morning to you too," I replied.
"No, seriously." She stepped closer and examined my face with concern. "You look like a corpse. Did you sleep at all?"
"Three hours."
"Three...?" She stopped when she saw the manual in my hands. Her expression shifted into one of tenderness. "I can't believe you stayed up all night for this."
"Quality work requires dedicated time."
"Quality work also requires a living worker." She snatched the manual from my hands and examined it. Her eyes widened as she flipped through the pages. "Kenji... this is incredible."
"It's functional. It probably needs revisions," I said.
"My Lady!" Liling shouted toward the garden. "Come here! Now!"
"Why are you yelling?" I protested. "It's early."
"Because this," she waved the manual, "is important. And because the young Lady Xiao Yue needs to see what you did before you faint."
"I'm not going to faint. That would be inefficient."
Xiao Yue appeared from the training garden. She wore her usual practice clothes, a gray and white robe that allowed for free movement, and her red hair was tied back in a high ponytail. She looked perfectly awake and alert, which irritated me slightly.
Some people are naturally early risers. It's unfair.
"What's going on?" Her voice had that tone of controlled calm she used in the mornings. Then she saw me and stopped. "Kenji, you look terrible."
"That seems to be the general consensus."
Liling handed her the manual.
"Our dedicated assistant decided that sleep was optional and spent the night finishing this for you."
Xiao Yue took the manual carefully. Her golden eyes scanned the first page. Then the second. Her fingers turned the pages with increasing speed and her eyes opened wider with every leaf.
The silence stretched on. I could feel my heart beating faster. The lack of sleep was probably amplifying my anxiety, but I genuinely cared about her opinion.
Finally, Xiao Yue looked up. Her expression was hard to read: something between shock, gratitude, and an emotion I couldn't identify.
And then, without any warning, she closed the distance between us and hugged me.
It was completely unexpected. The calm and controlled Xiao Yue who always maintained an appropriate distance simply... disappeared. Her arms wrapped around me tightly, the manual pressed between us, and her face against my shoulder.
My brain stopped completely. There is no procedure manual for this situation.
"I'm going to try it," she said against my shoulder, her voice full of contained emotion. "Right now."
She pulled away before my brain could restart and practically ran toward the training garden with the manual in her hands.
Behind me, I heard Liling laugh.
"I think she liked it."
"That... seems so."
Liling dragged me toward the garden before I could fully process what had just happened.
Xiao Yue was in the center of the stone courtyard with the manual open in her hands. She was reading it with an intensity I recognized from my own study sessions.
"Breathing first," she murmured, quoting directly from the manual. "Three deep inhalations..."
She closed her eyes and followed the instructions. I could see the immediate change. Her shoulders relaxed. The perpetual tension in her posture vanished.
"She already looks different," Liling whispered beside me.
She was right. There was something about the way Xiao Yue held her body that was fundamentally different. Less forced and more natural.
Xiao Yue opened her eyes and moved to the next section.
"Base posture..." She adjusted her feet, her knees, and her center of gravity, following every instruction with absolute precision.
She moved into the first form.
And it was beautiful.
Her Qi began to circulate and, for the first time since I had met her, there was no energy leaking out in stray sparks. Just a constant, perfect flow.
"Good heavens," Liling muttered.
I pulled out my notebook and began to write.
Note 1: Entrance into a state of reduced concentration from 5 minutes to 30 seconds. Significant efficiency.
Note 2: Qi flow visible even from a distance. Precise thermal control; ambient temperature increased by 2 to 3 degrees.
Liling leaned over my shoulder to see what I was writing.
"You're taking notes."
"Documentation of results. I need data for the next draft."
"You are incredibly weird."
I didn't respond. My attention was completely on Xiao Yue.
She had moved on to more complex forms. The manual lay forgotten on the ground; she had already memorized the instructions. Her movements flowed into one another without pause.
"This feels right," she said, more to herself than to us. "It finally feels right."
Note 3: Automatic breath-movement synchronization after the third form. Requires no conscious effort.
Note 4: Transitions between forms are 40% faster than with previous techniques, with no loss of control.
Xiao Yue extended her hands and small, perfectly controlled flames appeared over her palms. They weren't the erratic fireballs from before. These were flames that danced with her movements, responding instantly to her will.
"Liling," I said softly, "was her control always like this?"
"Never." Liling's voice sounded awestruck. "I've never seen her this precise."
Note 5: Qi manifestation estimated at 40% less energy expenditure. Greater potential duration.
Xiao Yue continued for nearly an hour. Every technique in the manual, every adjustment, every detail I had written. And with every minute, she became more fluid.
And then it happened.
She was executing a particularly complex form when her entire body lit up with a steady golden light emanating from her chest.
The air thickened. I could feel it pressing against my skin.
"Liling, what...?"
"She's advancing," she whispered. "She's going to break through to the next level."
Xiao Yue's eyes snapped open, glowing with pure golden light. Her Qi roared like a river, but she maintained absolute control. The flames on her palms expanded, growing without losing definition.
And then something inside her was released.
A wave of energy exploded from her body. The air moved in all directions, kicking up dust and stirring leaves.
My hair was blown back. Liling's danced wildly. We both covered our eyes.
When the wave passed, Xiao Yue was still standing. The light had faded, but something about her was different.
"Seventh level," Liling said in awe. "She broke through to the seventh level of Foundation Establishment."
Xiao Yue stared at her hands with an expression of total shock.
"I... I did it..."
Her legs buckled. I ran and caught her before she fell.
"I've got you."
"Kenji..." Her voice was weak but radiant. "It worked. Your manual worked."
"You did the work. The manual only showed you the way."
Liling arrived with water. Xiao Yue drank with trembling hands.
"Stuck for a year," she said after catching her breath. "And in one hour..."
"Because now you're working with your nature, not against it."
She looked at me with an intensity that made my heart skip.
"How did you know?"
"Observation and paying attention. Besides, the books you took from the library were a huge help, along with the ones you lent me."
Liling smiled.
"Alright, you two are adorable, but Kenji is literally about to faint."
"I'm perfectly..." A massive yawn interrupted me.
"Yes, perfectly fine," Liling said. "To your room. Now."
"I need to document..."
"It can wait." Xiao Yue stood up, still unsteady. "That's an order."
"Technically, you can't give me orders," I countered.
"You want to bet?" There was a playful spark in her eyes that I had never seen before.
Liling took my arm.
"Come on, before you pass out here."
I let myself be dragged away. I looked back: Xiao Yue was still in the garden, looking at her hands with wonder.
"You did something good today," Liling said softly.
"I only applied basic principles."
"Sure." She pushed me affectionately toward my room. "Now sleep. That's an order from both of us."
I woke up when the sun was already low on the horizon. My body protested as I sat up, but less violently than before.
How long did I sleep? Six hours? Seven?
I left my room and found Liling waiting in the corridor.
"Finally. I thought you'd sleep until tomorrow."
"What time is it?"
"Almost six. Come, the young lady wants to see you."
Xiao Yue was in her study, surrounded by open books and the manual I had given her. She looked completely recovered. Better than that, she looked radiant.
"Kenji." She smiled upon seeing me. "Did you rest?"
"Yes. And you?"
"I practiced for the rest of the day. Every technique works perfectly." She touched the manual with reverence. "This changed everything."
Liling came in with tea for the three of us.
"Now that both of you are awake and functional, we need to talk about the next step."
"Next step?" I asked.
"Your cultivation," Xiao Yue said. "If you could do this for me, we can find a way to help you."
"It's different. I don't have much talent," I said.
"Yet," Liling interrupted. "But that doesn't mean you never will."
"Traditional methods don't work," Xiao Yue added. "But you aren't traditional. Perhaps you need a different approach."
It was logical. I had applied unconventional analysis to Xiao Yue's problem and it worked. Why not do the same for myself?
"Tomorrow," I said, making a decision, "I'm going to use my salary to look for cultivation resources."
"In the clan?" Liling asked.
"No. Clan resources are for disciples. And the alchemist guilds," I made a face, "their prices are probably absurd. I need to find more economical options."
"The Lower District," Liling suggested. "There are informal vendors. Variable quality, but reasonable prices."
"Exactly. I earn sixty copper coins a week now. It's not much, but it should be enough to start."
Xiao Yue frowned.
"Kenji, I can help you. I don't mind spending my allowance if it's for you."
"No."
"Why not?"
"Because this is something I want to do myself." I held her gaze. "You have your path. This is mine. And I need to walk it with my own resources."
"But..."
"It's important to me," I said firmly. "I need to know that I can do this without depending on the generosity of others. Do you understand?"
Xiao Yue studied me for a long moment. Finally, she nodded.
"I understand. But if you need help..."
"If I need it, I'll ask you. I promise."
Liling smiled.
"Good. Then tomorrow we're going shopping in the Lower District."
"We?" I asked.
"Did you think I was going to let you go alone? Kenji, you don't know the city. You'll get scammed at the first stall you find."
I couldn't argue with that logic.
"Alright. Tomorrow, after morning training."
"Perfect," Liling said. "And who knows, maybe we'll find something interesting."
Xiao Yue took my hand briefly.
"Be careful tomorrow. And Kenji..."
"Yes?"
"Thank you."
"You're welcome."
That night, in my room, I looked at my small pouch of coins. Sixty copper coins. It wasn't much in the grand scheme of things, but it was mine.
And tomorrow, I would begin my own path.
Xiao Yue had broken her stalemate. Now it was my turn to break mine.
The Lower District was waiting for me. And with it, possibly, the answers I needed.
*****
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