Night of Practice, Heart of Resolve
The sect slept under a calm moon.
Moonlight blanketed the Azure Sky Cloud Sect like a silvery veil. The lanterns had long dimmed, the wind had softened to a whisper, and only the insects dared chatter in the quiet.
Only one figure moved under the stars.
Lan Wu.
Barefoot, his feet pressed against the cool mountain stone, he stepped slowly, breathing with focused rhythm. In his hand, no sword—just the flow of Qi, drawn into his core and then carefully, delicately, exhaled through the spirals of the Wind Spiral Art.
Spirals formed around his arms, soft whirls of pale windlight dancing around his body.
Again…
He pivoted his heel and spun.
And again…
He lifted his hands, shaped the wind into a forward arc, and drew a faint breath as the wind spiraled around his spine and rolled down his arms.
One day… I'll be able to protect everyone here. Even if I don't remember who I was… I'll decide who I'll become.
From the shadows above, Mei Lian leaned against a carved stone pillar, arms folded, robes faintly fluttering.
She watched him.
"Still practicing," she murmured. "Even after mastering the art."
She said nothing more. Her face was unreadable, but the corner of her mouth pulled ever so slightly—between pride and a pang of something more difficult to name.
Mission of Merit
A week later, the mountains breathed with spring dew, and the forest below danced with morning light.
The Grand Elder had called forth several groups of outer disciples for a regular mission: to descend to the Verdant Hollow Forest and gather low-grade beast cores, scout the terrain, and note any Qi abnormalities.
Lan Wu was assigned to go alone.
It was not out of disregard—rather, a test. One Mei Lian endorsed after much silent contemplation.
"There will be no one to guard you," she said. "Not every battle is won by strength. Some are won by your steps. Some by your heart."
"Yes, Instructor Mei," Lan Wu said, bowing respectfully. "I'll do my best."
"Don't do your best. Do it right."
He nodded, smiling with that gentle spark in his chest.
And so—off he went.
Forest of Breaths and Battle
The Verdant Hollow was a place of color and whispering light. Trees stood tall like ancient sentinels, and spirit beasts roamed its heart. Most were harmless, curious, or territorial at best.
Lan Wu moved through the underbrush like a stream through stone. His light steps left no trace. His senses were open. His Qi flowed carefully.
He encountered a few spirit beasts: a pair of Ironback Talonhares, which he subdued with precise strikes, and a Whistling Root Lizard, which gave him a playful chase before yielding its core.
Each time he drew his blade, he did so with quiet resolve.
And each time, he used his Wind Affinity—just slightly—to test how it responded to real combat.
He found it flowed differently when he fought—quicker, more eager. It sharpened his steps, gave grace to his dodges, made his slashes swifter than his muscles alone could manage.
"It's like the wind wants me to survive," he murmured.
When the Wind Goes Silent
It was mid-afternoon.
Lan Wu had gathered several beast cores and was nearly done when it happened.
The birds stopped singing.
The wind halted.
The trees stilled.
Lan Wu stood still, blade halfway sheathed.
Something's wrong…
His heartbeat slowed.
Then—he felt it.
A presence.
Thick. Dreadful. Heavy as a mountain falling through the sky.
His breath caught. His legs froze.
Then he saw it.
It emerged between two great stone-barked trees, its massive paws sinking the soil, claws scraping stone like glass.
The creature's size was monstrous—easily twenty zhang from tail to head. Muscles rippled with every step like stormclouds. Three heads snarled in unison—two of bone-white fur crackling with violet arcs of thunder, and the central one burning with a dim, corrupted light.
A Three headed Thunderhand Tiger.
But not a normal one.
No—Lan Wu had read of them in the sect's bestiaries.
This one should be a Stage 4 Elemental Beast.
But what stood before him…
...was far more than that.
Dark, foul Qi seeped from its every pore. The trees around it rotted in its wake. The soil darkened to grey. Its once-symmetrical stripes were now chaotic, like warped runes etched in madness.
Its eyes fixed on him.
Lan Wu couldn't move.
The Boy Who Stood
I… I can't run…
He wanted to.
His knees trembled.
But his feet remained planted.
"No… if I turn now… I'll die. It'll chase me. I have to hold it off. I must."
He drew his blade.
He activated the Wind Spiral Art—his spirals flickered into existence.
"Wind, guide me," he whispered. "If this is the test you give me… let me answer."
The tiger moved.
Fast.
In a flash of violet thunder, one of its paws tore toward him. Lan Wu jumped back—barely escaping. A tree behind him exploded in splinters.
He spun midair, breathed, and sent a spiraling blade of wind forward.
The tiger deflected it with a snarl.
It's too fast…
Another charge.
This time, Lan Wu rolled low, channeling wind to his legs and propelling himself off a nearby rock. He circled the beast and struck at its side.
A clean hit.
But it barely bled.
"This… isn't working."
He darted away.
The tiger roared, and all three heads surged with lightning, forming a storm dome that shattered boulders nearby. One bolt grazed Lan Wu's arm—he gritted his teeth and held his ground.
Blood trickled down his sleeve.
He steadied himself. His stance changed.
His eyes focused.
>"Its middle head… the Qi pools there…"
He adjusted his sword grip. Waited for the tiger to charge again.
It did.
And just as the central maw opened to unleash another blast, Lan Wu stepped into the spiral. Wind carried him between the arcs. He dodged right, rolled left, and thrust his blade into the central head's eye.
The tiger howled.
Its roar shook the ground.
It staggered back—shaking its heads. Thunder rolled around its body like a tempest falling apart.
Lan Wu fell to his knees. Blood now on his lips.
His chest ached.
His eyes blurred.
I… I did it… I—
His vision darkened.
His body collapsed.
But he was still awake , just resting
But the beast didn't move.
Not immediately.
The wound had slowed it.
But its hate… burned.
And it was not done.
It went back into the forest for now but what Lan Wu thought was victory was only a mere grace to recover, for this beast isn't done fighting with the wind ....and it may soon learn what dangers lie below it.