The bamboo forest thinned as Lin Feng made his way back to the outer disciples' residence area of the Azure Cloud Sect. Morning mist still clung to the valley below, shrouding the numerous wooden pavilions and stone structures in a dreamlike haze. The sun had fully risen now, casting long shadows across the training grounds where early-rising disciples had already begun their daily sword practice.
Lin Feng walked with measured steps, acutely aware of the small white fox trotting beside him. Though their spirit pact had only just been formed, he could feel Yue Lian's presence like a warm ember nestled beside his own spiritual core. It was both comforting and disconcerting—a constant reminder of the momentous decision he had made in the bamboo grove.
"We need to be careful," he whispered, glancing down at his new companion. "Pets aren't forbidden in the outer disciples' quarters, but a fox is unusual enough to draw attention."
Yue Lian's mental voice carried a hint of indignation. "First, I am not a pet. Second, most humans are remarkably unobservant. As long as I behave like an ordinary fox, few will look twice."
"And if they do?"
"Then they will see exactly what they expect to see—a young cultivator who has befriended a forest creature. Nothing more."
Lin Feng wasn't entirely convinced, but he had little choice now. The spirit pact was formed; their fates were intertwined. He would simply have to trust in Yue Lian's eight centuries of experience in avoiding human detection.
The outer disciples' residence was a collection of modest wooden structures arranged in concentric circles around a central courtyard. As a third-level Qi Condensation disciple with five years of seniority, Lin Feng had earned the right to a small private dwelling at the edge of the complex—a single room with a bed, a meditation mat, and a simple desk. It wasn't luxurious by any means, but it offered privacy that many newer disciples lacked.
Lin Feng slid open the wooden door to his quarters, checking quickly to ensure no one was watching before ushering Yue Lian inside. The fox immediately leapt onto his narrow bed and began inspecting the room with obvious curiosity.
"Modest accommodations," she commented, sniffing at the collection of medicinal herbs hanging from the ceiling rafters. "Though I sense you've done what you can to optimize the spiritual energy flow. Those formation markings beneath your meditation mat—your own work?"
Lin Feng nodded, surprised by her observation. "A simple energy circulation array. Nothing impressive, just something I pieced together from texts in the sect library."
"Hmm. Not terrible for a self-taught effort. Though you've mistaken the Flowing Water sigil for the Gentle Current. A common error, but it reduces efficiency by about thirty percent."
Lin Feng stared at her. "How could you possibly know that? Those formation texts are restricted to inner disciples. I had to trade three months' worth of spirit stones just to borrow them for a single night."
Yue Lian's tail swished with what Lin Feng was beginning to recognize as amusement. "Young cultivator, I was studying spiritual formations when your sect's founding ancestor was still learning to walk. Now, do you have any food? Our binding ceremony has left me famished, and I believe I mentioned something about fish."
Lin Feng sighed and retrieved a cloth-wrapped package from a small storage chest. "No fish, but I have some dried venison from yesterday's dinner." He unwrapped the package and placed several strips of the meat on a wooden plate, setting it on the floor.
Yue Lian sniffed at the offering, then began eating with surprisingly delicate bites. "Acceptable. Tomorrow, however, I expect fish as promised."
While the fox ate, Lin Feng took the opportunity to examine the spirit pact's visible effects on himself. The glowing band around his wrist had faded from sight, but he could still feel its presence like a thread of warmth encircling his skin. More noticeable was the change in his spiritual perception. The world seemed... sharper somehow, with subtle energy currents becoming visible when he focused his attention in certain ways.
"You said you would teach me to see," he said quietly. "I think it's already beginning."
Yue Lian finished her meal and licked her paws clean before responding. "What you're experiencing now is merely the passive effect of our pact. Your spiritual senses are becoming attuned to my own. The real training begins after you've rested."
"Rested? It's barely mid-morning. I have sect duties to attend to—herb gathering for the alchemy pavilion and combat practice this afternoon."
"Cancel them," Yue Lian said bluntly. "Or at the very least, perform them with minimal effort. Today, your spiritual core is particularly malleable due to the pact formation. It's the perfect time to begin reshaping your cultivation foundation."
Lin Feng frowned. "I can't just skip duties. That would draw exactly the kind of attention we're trying to avoid."
"Fine," Yue Lian conceded. "Complete your obligations, but reserve your spiritual energy. And return immediately afterward. We have much to do before sunset."
The herb gathering duty proved uneventful. Lin Feng joined a group of fellow outer disciples in combing the lower mountain slopes for spiritual herbs used in the sect's pill refinement. It was menial work, typically assigned to the newest recruits, but Lin Feng had never complained. Every excursion was an opportunity to familiarize himself with the mountain's flora and the spiritual properties of various plants—knowledge that often proved useful outside the formal lessons.
Throughout the task, Lin Feng maintained a constant awareness of Yue Lian's presence in his spiritual perception. The fox had remained in his quarters, promising to rest and recover her strength. Even at a distance, he could sense her calm, steady energy, like moonlight reflected on still water.
"Lin Feng! Over here!"
The call came from Liu Mei, a fellow outer disciple who had joined the sect a year after Lin Feng. She was gesturing excitedly at a small cluster of blue-tinged mushrooms growing in the shadow of a boulder.
"Azure Spirit Mushrooms," she said proudly as Lin Feng approached. "Elder Chen mentioned they were in season. That's worth at least three merit points!"
Lin Feng smiled at her enthusiasm. "Good eye. Make sure you take the mycelium too, not just the caps."
As he helped Liu Mei carefully extract the mushrooms, Lin Feng suddenly noticed something he had never perceived before—a faint web of blue energy connecting the mushrooms to the boulder beside them, and from there extending deep into the earth below.
"Wait," he said, placing a hand on Liu Mei's wrist. "There's a pattern here."
Following an instinct he couldn't fully explain, Lin Feng traced the energy flow to a point three paces to the left of the mushroom cluster. He brushed aside a layer of fallen leaves to reveal a much larger Azure Spirit Mushroom, nearly the size of his palm, its cap a deep, vibrant blue that almost seemed to pulse with inner light.
Liu Mei gasped. "That's... that's at least a third-grade spiritual mushroom! How did you know it was there?"
Lin Feng hesitated, uncertain how to explain. "Just... a feeling," he said finally. "Sometimes the smaller ones grow in a pattern around the parent mushroom."
It wasn't entirely a lie, but Lin Feng knew the truth—he had seen the energy flow, a perception that would have been impossible for him just hours ago, before forming the pact with Yue Lian.
Liu Mei beamed at him. "Well, your 'feeling' just earned us both extra merit points. Elder Chen will be pleased."
The rest of the herb gathering passed without incident, though Lin Feng found himself increasingly distracted by the newfound perceptions that kept drawing his attention. Streams of spiritual energy that had previously been invisible to him now appeared as subtle currents in his awareness—flowing up from the earth, spiraling around certain trees, pooling in unexpected hollows and crevices.
By the time he returned to the sect grounds for afternoon combat practice, Lin Feng's mind was buzzing with questions and observations he was eager to share with Yue Lian.
Combat practice took place in the outer disciples' training yard—a broad, dusty space encircled by stone monuments engraved with the sect's principles and fighting techniques. Fifty or so disciples had gathered, arranged by cultivation level and seniority. As a third-level Qi Condensation disciple, Lin Feng took his place in the third row, ready to receive instruction from Elder Wei, a gruff, one-armed former combat specialist who supervised the outer disciples' martial training.
"Today's focus: defense against superior opponents," Elder Wei announced, his voice carrying easily across the training yard without the aid of spiritual energy. "In real combat, you will often face enemies who outmatch you in raw power. Survival depends not on matching strength with strength, but on turning your opponent's power against them."
The elder demonstrated a series of defensive movements, showing how to redirect an opponent's attack using minimal spiritual energy. The disciples were then paired off to practice, with each pair taking turns attacking and defending.
Lin Feng was matched with Huang Tao, a stocky youth who had advanced to the fourth level of Qi Condensation earlier that month and had been insufferably proud of it ever since.
"Try not to get hurt, Lin Feng," Huang Tao said with a smirk as they took their positions. "I've been working on a new technique."
Lin Feng merely nodded, focusing on maintaining his stance and remembering Elder Wei's instructions. As Yue Lian had advised, he was conserving his spiritual energy, using only the minimum necessary for the exercises.
Huang Tao charged forward with a shout, his fist wreathed in a visible aura of blue energy. It was a straightforward attack, powerful but predictable—exactly the type of assault the defensive technique was designed to counter.
Lin Feng prepared to execute the redirection move as demonstrated, but as Huang Tao's attack neared, something strange happened. Time seemed to slow, and Lin Feng could suddenly see the flow of spiritual energy within and around his opponent's body with startling clarity. He could trace the path of power from Huang Tao's dantian, through his meridians, and into his strike—and more importantly, he could see the imbalances and inefficiencies in that flow.
Acting on instinct rather than training, Lin Feng shifted slightly to the left—just enough that Huang Tao's fist passed by his ear—while simultaneously brushing his palm against the other disciple's extended arm. With the lightest touch, Lin Feng nudged a specific point where Huang Tao's spiritual energy was already unstable.
The effect was immediate and dramatic. Huang Tao's own power backfired, sending a jarring surge through his meridians. He stumbled forward with a yelp of surprise, his attack completely nullified, and nearly fell face-first into the dirt before regaining his balance.
"What did you do?" Huang Tao demanded, shaking his arm as if to dispel a lingering numbness.
Before Lin Feng could respond, Elder Wei was beside them, his shrewd eyes narrowed in assessment.
"Interesting counter," the elder said, studying Lin Feng with newfound interest. "That wasn't the technique I demonstrated."
Lin Feng bowed respectfully, heart pounding. "I apologize, Elder Wei. I reacted instinctively."
"No need for apology," Elder Wei replied, stroking his short beard. "Effective combat isn't about perfectly mimicking forms—it's about understanding principles. You disrupted his spiritual energy flow with minimal contact." The elder turned to address the other disciples, who had stopped their own practice to watch. "Observe! Lin Feng didn't oppose force with force. He identified a weakness and exploited it with precision. That is the essence of today's lesson."
As the elder walked away to supervise other pairs, Huang Tao glared at Lin Feng. "Lucky move," he muttered. "Don't get used to the praise."
Lin Feng didn't argue. He was too preoccupied with understanding what had just happened. He hadn't planned that counter; he had simply seen the energy flow and responded to it, as if reading a book whose language had suddenly become clear to him.
The rest of the practice session passed without incident, though Lin Feng noticed Elder Wei watching him more closely than usual. He was careful to execute the standard techniques for the remainder of the class, avoiding any further displays that might draw unwanted attention.
When Lin Feng finally returned to his quarters as the sun began its descent toward the western mountains, he found Yue Lian waiting exactly where he had left her—curled on his bed, though now apparently awake and alert.
"You're later than expected," she observed as he closed the door behind him.
"Elder Wei kept me after practice to ask about the counter-technique I used," Lin Feng explained, sinking onto the meditation mat with a sigh. "I didn't know how to explain it without raising suspicions."
Yue Lian's ears perked up with interest. "Oh? And what technique was this?"
Lin Feng described the encounter with Huang Tao and how he had somehow perceived the flow of spiritual energy in a way that allowed him to disrupt it with minimal effort.
"Already your perceptions are sharpening," Yue Lian said, sounding pleased. "This is exactly why I chose you, Lin Feng. Your spiritual sensitivity is exceptional, merely untrained."
"But I've never been able to see energy flows like that before," Lin Feng pointed out.
"Because you've been taught to cultivate like a farmer digging a well—brute effort to reach the water table. I will teach you to cultivate like a dowser who feels the underground streams and knows precisely where to dig." Yue Lian jumped down from the bed and approached Lin Feng's meditation mat. "Move aside that poorly designed formation of yours. We begin now."
For the next two hours, as evening shadows lengthened across the small room, Yue Lian guided Lin Feng through a series of mental exercises unlike anything taught at the Azure Cloud Sect. Rather than forcing spiritual energy to circulate through prescribed pathways, she taught him to first observe the natural flow of energy within his body.
"Most cultivators treat spiritual energy as something to be conquered and controlled," she explained as Lin Feng sat in deep meditation. "But energy, like water, flows most powerfully when it follows its natural course. Your meridians aren't rigid pipes; they're dynamic channels that respond to your cultivation method. Force energy where it doesn't wish to go, and you waste half your potential."
Under Yue Lian's guidance, Lin Feng began to map the unique spiritual landscape of his own body. He discovered areas where energy flowed effortlessly and others where it seemed to stagnate or resist movement. Gradually, with subtle mental adjustments, he learned to ease these blockages without forcing them—coaxing rather than commanding the spiritual energy.
"Good," Yue Lian said after Lin Feng successfully cleared a significant blockage near his left shoulder. "Now, extend your awareness outward. The boundary between your body and the world is more permeable than your sect teachings suggest."
Lin Feng expanded his perception, attempting to sense the energy flows in the room around him. This proved more difficult; his concentration wavered, and the subtle currents kept slipping from his awareness.
"Don't try to grasp the entire pattern at once," Yue Lian advised. "Begin with a single point and let your awareness unfold naturally from there."
Following her instruction, Lin Feng focused on a spot directly in front of him, where a shaft of fading sunlight fell through the window onto the wooden floor. To his surprise, he could perceive a gentle upward spiral of energy where the light touched the wood—subtle, but definitely present.
"I can see it," he whispered, afraid that speaking too loudly might break his concentration.
"Good. Now trace its path without trying to control it. Simply observe."
Lin Feng followed the spiral as it rose from the floor, noting how it widened and interacted with other, previously invisible currents in the room. The experience was captivating; he felt as if he had spent his life looking at the world through a dirty window and someone had finally cleaned the glass.
"The sect masters teach that spiritual energy must be gathered and compressed like... like filling a jar," Lin Feng said, still maintaining his perceptive state. "But that's not how it works at all, is it?"
"A useful beginning metaphor for novices," Yue Lian conceded, "but ultimately limiting. Spiritual energy isn't static; it's dynamic. The true master doesn't simply accumulate energy—they become a conduit for it, a living nexus within the greater flows of heaven and earth."
As darkness fell completely, Lin Feng continued his practice, now attempting to harmonize his breathing and heartbeat with the natural energy currents he could perceive. It was delicate work, requiring constant adjustments and a level of bodily awareness he had never before achieved.
"Enough for today," Yue Lian finally announced. "Your spiritual senses are newly awakened and need time to adjust. Too much stretching too quickly can cause damage."
Lin Feng reluctantly ended his meditation. As he opened his eyes, he was startled to find the room completely dark—he had been so absorbed in the practice that he hadn't noticed the sun setting. More surprising was how refreshed he felt. Despite the hours of intense concentration, he wasn't mentally exhausted as he usually was after cultivation practice. Instead, he felt energized, as if he had tapped into a wellspring of vitality that had always been present but previously inaccessible.
"Is it always like this?" he asked, lighting a small oil lamp beside his bed. "This sense of... of connection?"
Yue Lian jumped back onto the bed, settling herself comfortably. "This is merely the beginning. As your perceptions develop and your technique refines, the experience becomes even more profound. But be warned—such sensitivity is both a gift and a burden. You will perceive beauties others cannot imagine, but also disharmonies they blissfully ignore."
Lin Feng nodded, already understanding what she meant. Even in this brief session, he had noticed how certain commonly used items in his room—particularly his iron sword and a talisman given to him by Elder Wei—seemed to create disturbances in the natural energy flow. They were subtle disruptions, but now that he could see them, they were impossible to ignore.
"What's our next step?" he asked, already eager to continue this new form of training.
"Tomorrow, we begin adapting your cultivation technique to work with these perceptions rather than against them," Yue Lian replied. "It will require unlearning some of what your sect has taught you—are you prepared for that challenge?"
"Yes," Lin Feng answered without hesitation. After experiencing this new perspective, returning to the old methods seemed as unappealing as returning to blindness after gaining sight. "But I'll need to maintain appearances. If my cultivation suddenly changes too dramatically, the elders will notice."
"A valid concern. We'll advance gradually in ways that won't attract undue attention. Your demonstration today in combat practice was actually quite subtle—impressive in result but not obviously divergent from sect techniques. We'll continue in that vein."
Lin Feng nodded, relieved. The last thing he needed was to be called before the sect masters to explain a sudden shift in his cultivation approach—especially when that explanation involved a spirit pact with a fox he'd met just that morning.
As if reading his thoughts, Yue Lian added, "Remember, Lin Feng, our pact binds us not just energetically but in fate as well. Your success is my success; your peril is my peril. I have no interest in placing you at risk among your sect. Trust that my guidance will account for your circumstances."
Lin Feng smiled, feeling a strange comfort in those words despite their short acquaintance. "I do trust you," he realized aloud. "Though I'm not entirely sure why."
"The spirit pact reveals true natures to both participants," Yue Lian explained. "You sense my intentions just as I sense yours. It is why such pacts cannot be formed through coercion—they require genuine compatibility and mutual trust."
Lin Feng considered this as he prepared for sleep, laying out a small cushion beside his bed for Yue Lian, who eyed it with obvious disdain before jumping back onto the bed itself.
"I spent three centuries sleeping on stone floors in that Crimson Fang prison," she declared. "I believe I've earned the right to comfort."
Too tired to argue, Lin Feng carefully made space for the fox on the narrow bed. As he drifted toward sleep, one last question formed in his mind.
"Yue Lian," he murmured, "you said you watched me for three days before approaching. What did you see that made you choose me?"
The fox was quiet for so long that Lin Feng thought she might already be asleep. Finally, her voice whispered in his mind, softer than before.
"I watched many disciples before finding you. The others... they cultivated for power, for status, for revenge, for their families, for their sects. Valid motivations, perhaps, but limiting. You alone seemed to cultivate for understanding—not just to advance, but to truly comprehend the path you walk. Such curiosity is rare, especially in one so young."
Lin Feng pondered this as consciousness began to fade. "And that's important for what you'll teach me?"
"It's essential," came the quiet reply. "One cannot truly master what one does not seek to understand."
With those words echoing in his mind, Lin Feng slipped into sleep, while outside his window, the moon rose over the Azure Cloud Sect, bathing the mountains in silvery light reminiscent of a certain fox's missing tails.