Morning light filtered through the thin curtains of the inn, washing the room in pale gold. Lei Wei sat cross-legged on the floor, his breath steady, the Silverflame pup curled beside him. A faint mist of qi swirled around his chest—not strong, but sharp, pure, and unnaturally refined.
Spirit Seed Stage — Early.
A stage he should never have reached so soon.
A stage he stepped into not through effort, but through the pulse of a mysterious fragment sleeping inside his soul.
Elder Yun stood before him, arms folded, observing like a sculptor examining raw stone.
"Most cultivators," the elder began, "spend years awakening their bodies in the Mortal Stage. You… bypassed it entirely."
Lei Wei opened his eyes. "Is that bad?"
"It is rare," Elder Yun replied, leaning closer. "Dangerously rare. Your foundation is unstable but incredibly potent. Spirit Seed Stage is meant to be planted on a refined mortal body."
He tapped Lei Wei's chest.
"But yours was forced open by something ancient."
THUM.
The fragment inside him beat once—slow, heavy, filled with a chilling authority that did not belong to mortals.
The Silverflame pup raised its head and whimpered softly, sensing the pulse too.
"Whatever sleeps within you," Elder Yun said, "it is not human… and not kind."
Lei Wei swallowed but nodded. "Teach me how to control it."
---
EARLY TRAINING — THE GATHERING OF QI
Elder Yun sat opposite him.
"Spirit Seed Stage begins with stabilization. Not power, not attacks—control. Close your eyes."
Lei Wei obeyed.
"Now feel inside. Not the fragment. Not the chaos. Just the seed of your own qi."
Lei Wei reached inward…
Past the warmth of his breath…
Past the faint flow of blood…
Past the trembling fear from yesterday's memories…
There.
A small point of light flickered.
Weak.
Shy.
But pure—like a candle in a storm.
His own Spirit Seed.
"Good," Elder Yun whispered. "Strengthen that, not the thing that forced it open. Learn to separate the two."
But as Lei Wei focused—
THUM.
The fragment pulsed again.
A tidal wave of pressure flooded his chest, threatening to swallow his consciousness. His breath hitched. His pulse spiked. The world trembled for a heartbeat—
A cold nose touched his hand.
The Silverflame pup.
Its presence pushed back the chaotic surge with a soft warmth, stabilizing him.
Lei Wei exhaled shakily. "Thank you…"
The pup yipped softly, tail flicking, its ancient bloodline instinctively suppressing the fragment's pressure.
Elder Yun's brows rose.
"It seems even suppressed… the Silverflame still holds traces of its primordial lineage."
---
A SECRET BETWEEN FATES
After stabilizing, they stepped out into the quiet courtyard behind the inn. The city was waking—roosters crowing, merchants lifting wooden shutters, the scent of dew and steamed buns drifting through the air.
Lei Wei stretched his fingers, feeling faint qi respond to his movements—like air shifting around invisible threads.
"Today's goal," Elder Yun said, "is to teach you the Spirit Seed Stage's three foundational steps:
1. Qi Recognition
2. Qi Circulation
3. Qi Rejection — the hardest part."
"Rejection?" Lei Wei frowned.
Elder Yun nodded. "If foreign qi enters your body—during a fight, poison, or spiritual pressure—you must learn to force it out. Otherwise, you die."
Lei Wei's heart tightened.
"But I sensed something…" Elder Yun continued, eyes narrowing. "When the fragment stirred, your body instinctively rejected its force. Not because you controlled it… but because something else pushed back."
His eyes fell on the Silverflame pup.
"You two… are bound deeper than a simple companionship."
The pup tilted its head innocently.
Lei Wei gently lifted it, holding it against his chest.
"It saved me once. Maybe it's saving me again."
Elder Yun sighed. "The Silverflame race is believed to be extinct. For one to survive… and bond with you… fate is weaving a dangerous path."
---
AN UNSEEN PRESENCE
As Lei Wei practiced circulating qi through his meridians—slow, uneven, but improving—a sudden cold prickle crawled up his spine.
He froze.
Someone was watching them.
Not with eyes… but with spiritual intent.
Elder Yun's expression hardened instantly.
"Don't look around. Don't react."
Lei Wei swallowed and kept focusing on his breath.
"A cultivator?" he whispered.
"No," Elder Yun replied softly. "Worse. Someone who knows how to hide better than most cultivators at Coreglow."
Lei Wei's pulse quickened.
"Are we in danger?"
"Not today," Elder Yun muttered, scanning the surroundings with the corner of his eye. "But remember this, Lei Wei… Greenleaf City is small. The moment others sense your abnormal cultivation path or the pup's bloodline…"
His voice dropped to a whisper.
"Hunters will come."
Lei Wei exhaled, focusing again on his Spirit Seed, determined to strengthen it, stabilize it, make it his own—not the fragment's, not fate's.
The Silverflame pup curled around his feet, sharing warmth.
Elder Yun watched the horizon, his grip tightening around his staff.
The real cultivation path had begun.
And shadows were already gathering.