After the night of the feast Bei Xing decides to head out into the forest once more in order to begin practicing the immortal-level skills his teacher promised him.

Bei Xing kneels down to gather water in a container from the nearby stream and his master floats up behind him.

“Boo!”

Siwang successfully scares Bei Xing causing him to scream and fall forward into the water.

“What a baby! You act like you saw a ghost.”

Bei Xing shakes off his upper body while walking back onto land.

“In a way you are a ghost you evil spirit.”

Bei Xing now stands on shore and shakes out his legs to try and dry off some more.

“Do not act like that disciple you will hurt your master’s feelings.”

Siwang imitates a baby to mess with Bei Xing.

“Whatever you say master. Now that I have my water container filled up can we start training with those two immortal-level skills?”

“Yes we can, but before we do so we will need to do some demon beast hunting in order to truly get the most out of your training.”

“Master I would love to practice against demon beasts, but the entirety of Heping Valley has almost none above 1-Star. We don’t even bother hunting the 1-Star demon beasts because their cores are practically useless and their yield is quite low.”

“I was wondering why your training here in the forest was so peaceful. Talk about a truly odd place. As you know demon beasts are ranked based off their strength from 1 to 10 stars, and 10-Star demon beasts have power just below that of the Gods. My goal was to have you train against at least 3-Star demon beasts using these immortal-skills I want to give you.”

Siwang crosses his arms and then uses one hand to stroke his chin in an effort to think up a new training strategy.

“If there are no demon beasts in Heping Valley then what about the surrounding areas?”

“Well Luse Village is the only village inside the entirety of the valley so I do not know much about the outside. All I know is from my father’s teachings or chatter from merchants and traders.”

“Fighting demon beasts is absolutely necessary in your efforts to become stronger. Hence I think it best to travel outside the valley to continue your training.”

Bei Xing’s eyes begin glowing with the desire to step foot outside the valley, something he had never done before.

“You really think it’s time?”

“How will a young bird begin to grow if it does not leave the nest? Of course it is time to begin your adventure. For the time being though you should focus on meditating and practicing your fighting forms while you wait for the admittance letter to the academy. Spending time with your family would not hurt either. Once we know when it is time to go off to the academy we will leave early in order to train on the way there.”

“That’d be great master!”

Bei Xing bows and then rises.

“Should we head back to the village now then?”

“Actually I want to show you a new qi technique that will help you in the long run. It is something that you can practice non-stop that will slowly but surely help your cultivation in all of the mystic arts.”

“What might this technique be master?”

“The technique is called ‘qi body refinement’ and it is broken up into two stages. Stage 1 is about you taking control of the qi flow within your meridians and getting better at manipulating that flow. Once you are able to freely control the qi in your body you can practice stage 2 which is the actual qi body. A qi body is an aura of qi that surrounds you and protects you from extreme conditions and various attacks. Once you learn the qi body in stage 2 you will be able to use it constantly, allowing you to train your qi control and expand your energy reserves.”

“This sounds cool and all master but I want to learn some cool skills too. Maybe like a giant ice palm or a flaming fist!”

“Practicing qi body refinement is one of the best ways for young cultivators of any mystic arts to become stronger. Remember that power and moves are not everything in battle; by having a strong control of the qi within your body you will not only progress faster but also increase your overall potential in battle.”

“Really? I want to try it now then! How do I start?”

“Right here by this stream actually is not a bad place to begin. Go ahead and sit down then begin meditating.”

Bei Xing follows his master’s instructions and sits down cross legged next to the river to begin his meditation.

“Now you must reach deep within yourself and feel the qi that flows through you. Only by understanding your own energy will you be able to manipulate it. Is it dense? Thin? Blue or red? Does it flow fast or slow? These are all questions you must answer to understand your qi.”

Bei Xing nods to acknowledge his master’s words and begins focusing hard on his meditation.

“It feels...warm.”

“That is good - my godly qi flows in you so I originally worried whether or not your body would reject it. However, it appears that not only are you able to maintain my qi, but the qi itself seems to have become one with you.”

“Master I’m confused though.”

“Why are you confused?”

“Is my qi supposed to be one specific color?”

“Yes, the color of your qi shows the nature of it. Those with red qi excel in fire skills and blacksmithing, those with green do well with nature skills and healing, and so on so forth. Everybody has a speciality based off the type of qi their body naturally produces.”

“But master my qi does not hold one solid color.”

“Wait...what? Explain what you see.”

“My qi itself is warm but that’s the only stable thing about it. The color of my qi is more like a radiating rainbow surrounded in a white aura. I see blue, red, green, black, orange, pink, purple, and more. The colors just don’t stop.”

“This is amazing! I have only ever seen Gods with multiple qi colors, but none of them even had qi like you just described! Your qi is quite similar to mine in that sense. My qi is a pure white because it is the yang energy that balances out the universe alongside Qing Shen’s yin energy. Due to its white color I have been able to practice any skills I want and have no drawbacks due to a lack of compatibility. Perhaps you had multiple qi colors due to your own qi nature, but thanks to the qi which I forced into you it has now grown even further and blended into one.”

“If that’s the case then does that mean I am able to use any skills I want too?”

“Right now it is too early to tell, but by learning this technique and expanding your skillset we will be able to see whether or not you can.”

“Awesome, this is great master!”

“Yes disciple it is, now get back to focusing on your energy.”

Bei Xing again nods his head and stops talking in order to focus on his meditation. He continues cultivating for nearly 5 hours and stops at around mid-day.

Bei Xing finally opens his eyes and an explosive wave of qi generates from around him. His eyes are glowing and have a red flare on their edges. He has finally advanced to the Apprentice Realm 4th Layer and made progress toward the 5th.

“Master I’ve reached the 4th Layer of the Apprentice Realm in one go thanks to yesterday’s fight with Duan Xing!”

Siwang was napping moments ago but the burst of energy Bei Xing released woke him up. Now he rubs his eyes and yawns at his disciple before responding.

“That growth of yours is truly frightening. Most martial artists do not reach this level of cultivation until they are 16-18 years old, meaning you are ahead of schedule.”

Bei Xing shrugs and smiles.

“What can I say other than I’m a young genius.”

“I would argue that but it is true. Remember not to become arrogant due to your strength and growth though, otherwise it will lead to your downfall.”

Bei Xing stands and bows.

“Yes master, I’ve already promised my father to live a fair and just life in the name of the Xing family. With you training me I do not fear of overstepping.”

“It is nice to have a level-headed apprentice such as yourself.”

“Almost as nice as having a level-headed master, especially when that master is the God of Gods. You’re getting used to being with me and around mortals aren’t you?”

“Do not be silly, you are the only person who has even seen me since I was awakened. Although it would be nice to have other conversation partners.”

The master and disciple duo laugh at each others' remarks and then Bei Xing packs up his stuff to return home.

“Alright let’s get back to the village and see how things are progressing at the town center. If I remember correctly then there should be a meeting going on about how to handle the current situation with the mines.”

Bei Xing crouches down and uses his explosive leap skill to jump all the way home in less than 10 minutes. Before his training started it took him hours to arrive to the clearing in the forest where he trained, but now his progress was obvious.

Before entering the town center Bei Xing stops at his favorite bakery called the ‘White Loaf’ to get a snack.

As he walks in a young girl around the age of 8 greets him at the door. She’s wearing a red cooking hat with the bakery’s logo on it as well as some common clothes which are covered by an apron that’s much too big for her. The girl’s hair is jet black and rests on her shoulders while her eyes meet Bei Xing’s with a great bit of enthusiasm.

“Bei Xing you’re back! Coming to order some of papa’s bread bites again?”

Bread bites are the White Load's signature menu item. They are small, bite-sized rolls that are steamed to perfection.

“You know me too well Wu Fan. I can never get enough of those bite-sized delicacies they’re just too good.”

Bei Xing begins drooling at the thought of eating the baker’s bread bites which are his favorite snack. In the midst of his little daydream Wu Fan yanks him on his robe.

“Papa isn’t here right now. He told me to watch the store for him while he goes to talk with the other grown ups.”

Bei Xing’s daydream is cut short by a crash and burn as he realizes he won’t be able to eat the snack of his dreams.

“All I wanted was some of Papa Fan’s bread bites but no, of course he has to attend the meeting at town hall. Are there any premade batches?”

“Nope I finished the last one all on my own!”

Bei Xing’s spirit is crushed and he falls to his knees.

“Little Wu all that bread isn’t good for you, instead you should’ve saved some for me…”

“Silly Bei I love them too and with papa gone I needed to eat!”

“How long has he been talking with the other grown ups?"

“Papa Fan left this morning and hasn’t come back yet. He told me he’d teach me how to make his famous white bread rolls today but he hasn’t had the chance to because of the other adults!”

Wu Fan is obviously annoyed by Papa Fan’s attendance at the meeting and Bei Xing comforts her.

“Don’t worry little Wu I’ll go see why all the grown ups have been busy today. You just stay here and keep watching the place alright?”

Wu Fan does a military style salute toward Bei Xing.

“Yes big brother Bei!”

“Thanks silly girl, and remember not to eat all the food while you wait.”

“Hmph!”

Wu Fan stomps her foot on the ground.

“No fair I’m hungry!”

“Just wait a little longer until Papa Fan comes back, then you can eat all the bread you want.”

Bei Xing pats Wu Fan on the shoulder and she begins twirling around in excitement.

“I can’t wait for papa to come back and make me bread! Yay!”

“Ha ha, okay little Wu goodbye for now. I’ll be back later after papa returns to get some bread bites.”

Bei Xing then heads back outside and begins walking to the town center. As he approaches he can hear the shouts and cries within the building, signalling that something’s wrong. He rushes inside and finds most of the village’s adults arguing back and forth across the room. On the far back wall sits his father Lao Xing and the 3 village elders, all of which are obviously tired from all the arguing that has taken place.

“What did I walk in on this time!?”

Chapter End.