"..."
I stare at the stone in my hands in confusion.
"I thought this would be easy."
While listening to Li Chen's explanation, I thought it would be extremely simple—especially since, according to them, my talent is considered good—yet I can do nothing but sense something vague around the spirit stone without being able to control it or move it…
"Damn it, this is boring."
I feel my legs starting to go numb and my back aching after ten minutes of sitting in the lotus position.
"Why am I even sitting in this stupid position anyway?"
I sigh tiredly as I change my posture from the lotus position to leaning against the wall.
"Tsk, even the floor and the wall are uncomfortable."
I feel a headache coming as I look at the rough wooden floor.
"Damn it, stop indulging in unimportant thoughts and focus. All of this will be solved once I become strong."
Clearing my mind of wandering thoughts, I return to focusing on the spirit stone.
"..."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"Damn it, this is unbearable. I'm doing nothing but staring at the spirit stone."
I grit my teeth, feeling nothing except my back, which has begun to hurt.
"Ah, how I miss a comfortable medical chair."
*Sigh* "I suppose I'll just go look for Li Chen and ask him whether my training method is wrong."
Having found an excuse to stop staring at the spirit stone, I stand up and stretch my body a little.
*Sigh* "Who would have expected that standing could be more comfortable than sitting?"
I leave the damn room and head off to look for Li Chen.
---
After some time searching the sect building without success—I forgot to ask Li Chen where I could find him—I finally find Li Chen sitting in the sect courtyard, seated in the lotus position while contemplating the sunset.
"Is he training?"
I decide not to disturb Li Chen and sit beside him, waiting for him to finish his meditation.
I had a strange intuition that he would finish when the sunset ended.
"Well, the sect's name is the Sunset Sect, so their training methods must be related to the sunset."
Feeling bored from waiting for Li Chen, I begin to contemplate the sunset.
"Beautiful."
As someone from the twentieth century, I rarely ever set aside time to gaze at the sky.
And even if I did make time to watch the sunset, finding a view like the one before me in a city filled with skyscrapers would be nearly impossible.
The sunset didn't last long, as the light of the sun was completely extinguished and replaced by the darkness of night.
"It seems like a moonless night—no, wait, what's that?"
As I look toward the west, I notice something strange. About a minute after the sunlight disappears, a faint silvery light begins to rise from the west.
"Is that the moon?"
"...!"
And indeed, the moon was rising from the west shortly after sunset.
"I'm no astronomy expert, but this is definitely unnatural."
But after thinking about it a little, I was in another world, so of course it would be different from Earth.
"In fact, it wouldn't even be strange if there were multiple moons in the sky. After all, this isn't Earth."
"But wait—should I call it a moonrise like a sunrise, or a moonset since it's rising from the west?"
While I ponder the philosophical questions that came to my mind upon seeing the moonrise—I'll call it moonrise for now—I don't notice that Li Chen has finished his training.
"Oh, isn't this junior brother? I didn't notice your arrival. Do you need something?"
Upon seeing Li Chen's bright smile, I return an awkward smile and begin explaining my problem to him.
"Hm, this is actually very normal. The fact that you noticed a special feeling around the spirit stone so quickly indicates your speed. Now all you need to do is focus on that feeling and try to control it."
"Hmmm, but how do I control it?"
"Well, it's hard to explain that. Just focus on that feeling more, and you'll understand on your own."
"If I were to approximate it, it's almost like suddenly gaining the ability to control the wind."
I sigh tiredly as I watch Li Chen, who is trying to explain the method of controlling spiritual energy in an awkward way.
"Thank you for your time, senior brother. I'll return to training now."
Before I leave, I feel Li Chen's hand grab my shoulder.
"Wait, before you go, why don't you help me prepare dinner? Master and Elder Yi don't need food, so it'll only be you and me eating."
"Dinner."
Suddenly, I remember that I haven't eaten anything since my transfer.
---
And just like that, a week passed since I joined the Sunset Sect.