The morning sun spilled across the courtyard, gilding the dew-laden bamboo with sharp, golden light. My chest still pulsed with warmth from yesterday's training, and the faint hum of the jade stone at my waist reminded me that guidance, subtle but real, was never far away.
I knelt at the edge of the bamboo grove, eyes closed, focusing on the strands of energy weaving through my body. Every point of Luck I had gathered so far felt alive, an invisible reservoir that strengthened my movements, sharpened my reflexes, and honed my senses. Each pulse of energy seemed to whisper: push further, reach higher, break the limits.
[Luck Points +2]
I could feel the Mortal Root inside me stirring. The small surge from the orb had opened a door, and now it was up to me to step through it. My body, already lighter and more responsive than before, began to vibrate subtly with potential, the golden threads inside twisting, coiling, and stretching as though trying to expand beyond their current confines.
"Focus," I whispered under my breath, letting my hands hover over the air in front of me. Energy flowed from my chest, coiling around my arms like serpents of light, waiting to strike. I imagined every strike, every movement, every pulse of my body-tempered energy reaching its peak potential. I pushed harder, letting instinct, memory, and subtle guidance from the jade stone work in harmony.
[Luck Points +3]
A surge of warmth rippled through me, starting in my chest and exploding outward like liquid fire. My vision blurred, then sharpened as the energy inside me shifted, coalescing into something purer, stronger. My body shuddered involuntarily, and I realized, with a thrill that sent shivers down my spine, that I was breaking through.
The golden threads inside me vibrated in harmony with my heartbeat, tightening and solidifying, as though my body itself had decided to embrace the change. I inhaled sharply, and with a final push of intent, the pressure inside me snapped outward.
[Luck Points +5]
I opened my eyes to the courtyard around me, feeling lighter, faster, sharper. My body trembled slightly from the intensity of the breakthrough, but it was a tremor of exhilaration, not pain. I could feel the energy inside me settling into a new rhythm, stronger and more refined than before. The first stage of Body Tempering had been surpassed—I had reached Body Tempering Stage 2, and the strength coursing through me was intoxicating.
Before I could process it fully, a sharp voice called out from the training grounds.
"Wen Chen…"
I turned, and one of the fellow disciples, a boy from my age group who had been practicing nearby, stared at me with wide eyes, disbelief and awe mixed in his expression.
"Y-you… you broke through?" he stammered, his gaze flicking nervously to my chest, which still radiated faint golden energy. "Stage 2… already?"
I allowed a small smile, letting the faint warmth in my chest spread naturally. "Seems so," I said calmly, though my mind raced. I could feel his astonishment, his recognition of my growth, and it was thrilling.
The disciple stepped closer, lowering his voice. "I've never seen anyone move from Body Tempering Stage 1 to 2 this fast, not even among the senior disciples… How?"
I shrugged subtly, careful not to reveal too much. "Luck points," I said simply, letting my fingers brush the jade stone at my waist. "A little focus, a little insight, and a lot of work. That's all."
He hesitated, clearly not believing the simplicity of the explanation, but his eyes betrayed him—he knew I had changed. I could feel it too, the subtle shift in my energy that even he could sense, though he didn't understand it.
[Luck Points +1]
After a moment, he stepped back, his awe replaced with respect and caution. "I… I'll be watching," he muttered, almost reverently, before retreating to continue his own training. I could feel his gaze lingering, a mixture of curiosity and wariness. Good, I thought. Let them watch. Let them measure me. None of them knew what I was truly capable of yet.
I knelt once more, closing my eyes, letting the surge of breakthrough energy settle and integrate. The jade stone pulsed faintly, as if approving, as if acknowledging the shift. Its guidance remained subtle, a quiet whisper in my mind nudging me to refine control, to temper my growing strength, and to push toward even greater heights.
[Luck Points +2]
The courtyard seemed to vibrate with energy, every blade of grass, every leaf on the bamboo resonating faintly with the pulse radiating from my body. I could sense potential everywhere, invisible threads of cultivation weaving through the estate, waiting to be grasped. Every strike, every breath, every movement I made now carried the rhythm of a boy reborn, a strategist who had already seen the limits of one life and refused to accept them again.
The breakthrough had not just changed my body—it had shifted my perception. I could sense energy flows with greater clarity, anticipate movements more instinctively, and feel the ebb and pull of the spiritual energy surrounding me. Each point of Luck I had accumulated seemed to amplify these senses, giving me an advantage even my peers could not comprehend.
[Luck Points +3]
I rose slowly, letting the energy settle fully into my bones and muscles. Sweat dampened my robes, but I no longer felt fatigue. Only exhilaration, clarity, and the faint thrill of unseen power brushing against the edges of my perception. Somewhere, perhaps even far beyond the estate, someone powerful was sensing the shift. Someone aware, someone observing.
I smiled, pressing a hand gently over the jade stone at my waist. "Step by step, point by point, strike by strike," I whispered, the words grounding me, reminding me of the path ahead. The observers could watch, they could doubt, but they could never know the true depth of my advantage. Luck Points, memory, subtle guidance, and a body strengthened through focus—these were my hidden weapons.
And as the courtyard returned to its usual rhythm, with fellow disciples training and servants moving about, I understood something vital. This was only the beginning. The first breakthrough was mine, and every step from here would build upon it, each point of Luck a brick in a tower of power that no one else could see.
Today, I had crossed a threshold, but tomorrow, and the days after, I would push further, deeper, and faster than anyone could imagine. The jade stone pulsed again, a quiet heartbeat in harmony with mine, a reminder that guidance, even in secret, was always with me.
I was no longer just a boy of the Wen Clan. I was a boy reborn, a cultivator in motion, and the first real challenge of my life had just begun.