Back Door

Eager to tell her father the news about becoming Yan Ping's disciple, Anji bounced with every step as she held her mother's hand. They were walking towards the main courtyard where the martial arts exchange was happening. Yan Ping followed behind them and heard the sound of weapons clashing from a distance. Unlike her other students, teaching Anji requires a different method.

Save for a few exceptions, the journey of cultivation unfolds from a common genesis. It demands meticulous mastery over three aspects — strengthening the body, honing the mind, and purifying the spirit.

Starting from qi gathering, novice practitioners spend months to years learning to identify the meridians in their body and circulate qi internally to improve their affinity with energy. After which, they learn to store qi in their cores and assimilate that external energy with their bodies, creating the initial core. However, Anji did not need to do this. She was born with a functional Radiant Core with all her chakras aligned.

Yan Ping learned chakra very recently. By a stroke of fate, the pugilist saved a Buddhist monk who had travelled from a land beyond the seas to spread the teachings of his country. Through him, the prophet understood the secret of soul cultivation, which differed greatly from qi cultivation. It was the missing information she needed that most cultivators lacked understanding of to surpass that barrier separating the Divine Core and Supreme Core. Anji's existence further solidified her belief that soul art was the glue that held the Trinity of Cultivation together. Even if a cultivator could train all three aspects to its pinnacle, it would be impossible to transform into a true God without the ability to merge the mind, body, and spirit into a singular entity.

Going by this standard, Anji was like a God in a mortal's body. Her destiny was one fraught with only hardships with more curses than blessings. Hence, Yan Ping cannot teach Anji how to harness qi or attain new enlightenment. What worked for regular cultivators would only destroy Anji's fragile balance. Instead, Yan Ping decided to work on other aspects. To prevent a cup from overflowing, the cup has to increase in size, or the water has to stop pouring into it. However, if neither solution works in Anji's case, the cup must be periodically emptied to prevent spilling. Body strengthening and mind sharpening could come later.

"Anji," Yan Ping called before they arrived at the main courtyard.

Leaving her mother's side, Anji quickly walked to her teacher's side.

"Yes, shifu!"

Turning to face the young princess, Yan Ping instructed Anji to activate her Heavenly Eyes and hold her hand.

Obeying instructions, Anji activated her Heavenly Eyes. Her coal-coloured eyes melted into molten pools of gold as she viewed the world of colours.

Using threads of qi to seek out traces of qi within Anji as she used her soul arts, Yan Ping quickly confirmed that while her cultivation core was tightly sealed, her chakra channels were wide open. Although Anji could not harvest qi using her cultivation core, the young girl used her fully functional chakra channels to gather qi in a different form. It was like trying to prevent enemies from walking through the main gate but leaving the backdoor open.

After confirming the issue, Yan Ping told Anji to rest her eyes. She retrieved a handcrafted bracelet full of small crystals imbued with Yan Ping's seals and presented it to her student.

"I want you to wear this bracelet at all times, especially during the night when you sleep, to avoid getting spirited away again. The only times you are allowed to remove it is when you are training in my presence."

Zhao Wanting helped tie the bracelet around Anji's wrist. Because it had so many crystal beads, it was too loose, so she had to lengthen the string a little and loop it twice around Anji's left wrist.

With the precautionary measures in place, Yan Ping gave Anji her first assignment.

"This is a good opportunity for you to observe how qi can be used," the blind lady explained, resuming her walk. "I want you to identify the different natures of qi used during this martial arts exchange. You cannot ask anyone for hints. We will discuss your understanding after the event ends."

Determined not to let her teacher down, Anji nodded as they approached the main courtyard.