"Is... is this body transformation?" he spoke, his voice resonating with the wind; it didn't even sound like his own anymore. He moved closer to the river, inspecting his reflection on the water.
"Huuuuu."
He closed his eyes and began inspecting his core.
"Yes!! The wall has cracks!" he shouted, placing his hand on his stomach.
Then suddenly, on his palm, inscriptions began to form the same inscriptions that were on his jade; they were black as ink, they burned like hot iron as they inscribed themselves there.
Mmmmm, so this means I have somehow fused with it?
Crack!
A loud sound tore through the air as Qi came rushing towards him, filling his dantain. The nearby grass got uprooted, and finally, the energy subsided.
...
"I did it, I broke through after so long," Tianyu roared, falling to the ground. "After all this time, I can now feel my Qi flowing through my body."
He closed his eyes, sat in the lotus position and began circulating his newfound energy.
"The path of the Lotus is for both the Heavens and the Earth...." he found himself repeating the poem instinctually.
And his Qi moved, flowing through all his meridians from his head to his feet.
"Huuuuuu," he exhhaled deeply.
When he opened his eyes, he found it was already daybreak.
"I can feel it now, all the blockade that made it hard for me to cultivate, it's all gone now. I feel a great strength in my body," he stood up and walked toward a great pum tree just next to the river. He clenched his fist and struck it, and threw a punch.
Thud!
The impact was great; his hand went straight through the trunk and tore through to the other side of the tree. The leaves shook wildly, and a single plum fell, hitting him on the head.
"Ouch...hahahah..." He laughed aloud. "Amazing... But this is crazy! My body has this much strength without me using any of my Qi? I couldn't even make the tree shake before."
"I wonder what would happen if I tried channelling Qi into my attack now"
Tianyu closed his eyes and focused all his Qi into his fist.
Clap!!!!!!
The tree was desemated, it creaked and fell over into the river, covering it up.
"Nice... I can feel it, I have grown in strength!" he yelled, surprised by his own power.
"Mmmm...mmmm" his nostrils flared.
"Ah... there's a foul smell here. Where is it coming from? I thought I washed all the pig dung from before?" His eyes darted around.
"It's me again!" he caught a whiff of himself and, without hesitation, he dove back into the water.
After a quick wash, he put on his garments, which were now a little too small for his body.
Tch, I should go change and start doing my chores before I get in trouble.
He stood up and began running. Each step left a small dent in the earth as he breezed by like an uncontrollable wind. He dashed until he reached his family compound, escaping the guards' gaze by using a secret tunnel at the back.
He reached his small bamboo house and began looking for a new change of clothes. He searched and searched but couldn't find any. He then turned to a wooden box where his father's old garments were kept.
There he found them: grand garments of black and white. The robe had a drawing of a golden dragon that stretched across it in the style of Guó huà"
He threw them on, and they hung neatly. They were his size. After that, he pulled back his wild hair and tied it into a neat ponytail.
His appearance was dashing, like some prince of a great dynasty.
It took Tianyu one-tenth of his usual time to finish all the chores of the compound, and then he rushed towards the main pavilion.
"I don't think I have to tell you the family rules, but only people who have broken through the third stage of the human layer are allowed here."
"Yes, I know, Elder," Tianyu replied. "But I have broken through..."
"What? You? Stop wasting my time and go back to doing your chores!"
"But Elder...I-"
He was cut off by the suffocating pressure of the Elder's Martial Intent, which slammed into him. He staggered and fell onto one knee.
"Tchhh, it hurts..."
He thought, trying to stand up, just then a fiery warmth washed over him, it was the residual energy of the Jade, flared in his core, absorbing the impact.
He forced himself up and finally managed to stand; he met the Elder's surprised eyes with a chilling, dead stare.
"I told you," the Elder roared. "This pavilion is no place for trash like you!"
Tianyu stood still, dusting himself off, one hand open-palmed and the other clenched into a fist. He then took a respectful bow, a detail that caused the Elder to flinch slightly.
"I understand now, Elder," Tianyu said, his voice quiet. "Despite all my efforts in this family, I will always be a failure. I have learned my lesson." Tianyu turned and began walking away.
The Elder watched him, a flicker of fear crossing his face.
'He stood up too quickly. I pressured him with the strength of a half-step Human Layer, but he stood up as if nothing had happened... and those eyes of his... Mmm... I may have messed up here.'
'Destipe everything that happens, the child does put an effort, mmm.' The Elder thought as he watched Tianyu walk away, a heavy silence falling over the pavilion.
"Tsk, now where am I going to find martial arts to learn?" Tianyu thought, walking away from the Pavilion.
As Lian walked, he felt a cool, surging power wash over him. He had broken through the Fourth layer of the Human stage.
'Ohhhh, even though I couldn't get any martial arts books, I got an unexpected gain. Seems like the Elder's martial intent helped me break through.'