I own the Souljewel

They all turned to him, then they glanced at each other as if his being there in the room was odd than him asking.

"What's the use? It won't work on your disablement," Rong said looking at him without blinking.

"You don't know that.... maybe it'll help him somehow," Mei smiled at him.

Chun sneered, "how? What's broken is broken and no amount of qi energy will fix it, just face it."

Their mother picked up the Souljewel and looked him in the eyes, "it won't do much for you if you can't use the Souljewel in your head."

On her forehead was the cool blue Topaz Souljewel, gleaming in the low light of the room. She's one of the strongest in the province with that Souljewel on her head, "you don't have an affinity Shun, what will you even use your qi energy for? What technique?"

Shun shrugged, "All that might be true but I own the Souljewel and I went toe to toe with a qi tree sprite to get it. Me! This pain here proved it!" He pointed to his left shoulder.

"We can't deny that mother," Mei said.

"But he's not participating in the tournament! Every other eighteen years old his age would break him in two or just knock him out." Chun pointed out with a cruel twist of his mouth.

Shun flushed from shame, he had been knocked out during the last tournament and had slept the whole day in the healer's house, but he won't let that stop him, he won't let that be in the way of him getting what was his.

"I will be participating....the chief had agreed to let me fight with the sixteen years old," he lifted his head even when his cheek colored with shame and anger.

Silence before Chun started laughing, "you? Even though the sixteen years olds just awakened their affinity, you won't stand because they have the affinity. You don't have any."

Shun shrugged, not giving him any reply but instead look at his mother but could not read her.

It was Mei who broke the silence, "he owns the Souljewel." She said.

Rong scowled and grumped but he couldn't disapprove of the point while Chun sneered at his sister and then at him.

"It is settled then, Chun should have half while the rest share the remaining half," Rong said but Mei was already shaking her head.

"Why should Chun take half? He's already at initial Amber." Mei said.

*He needs it to get to exceptional Amber. He's close already and the qi Souljewel should do the rest while you are still far from initial and you might not even get there before the tournament." Their mother, Luo Jing said.

The difference in power between an initial Amber and an exceptional Amber is quite big because the initial could only access little qi energy but an exceptional could access much more, Shun could not believe Chun was there already, even though he hated Chun, Shun knew he had talent.

"I say we do as I said, Chun gets half and the rest get the other half." Rong insisted but Jing shook her head.

Shun beat her to speak, "you have to give me half, I can't disgrace this family and the bigger family in the tournament. The family elders are already looking at us like a hulk when mother lost last year."

Their mother had lost her tournament the last time it took place which was one year ago. The Family, Shun family is just another family in the pool of little families that made up the Luo Family and the elders had their eyes on them since last year.

"Very well. Let Shun have the half and Chun and Mei share the rest."

Chun looked shocked, "but father!"

"We can't have the boy disgracing us, give him the half, for all the good it'll do him," he stood up and walked out of the room.

His mother handed the Souljewel to him and he took it noticing that it was still cool to the touch It filled his hand.

He cleared his mind, trying to get the qi in his body to move with his heartbeat which circled the qi in his Souljewel then he put the Souljewel in his mouth and...suck it. That was what it looks like anyway but it was more of him just inhaling and the energy flowed from the jewel-like green smoke in his mouth. It tasted like old leaves and earth, like vines and herbs.

His Souljewel tingles, reacting to the flow of energy in his body, he tried regulating the energy flow, circling it in his body and through his Souljewel.

"Well? Do you feel any different?" Mei asked as he handed the tree Souljewel over, the Souljewel had dimmed in the glow.

Shun thought it over, "no, not unusual."

"Well, I better get to mine." She put the Souljewel close to her mouth and inhaler and when she stopped the Souljewel had lost almost all its glow as she also handed it over to Chun who did the same.

"I don't feel anything unusual either," Mei said, "maybe it'll take time."

Before anyone could reply a knock came at their door, Mei went to open it and In came a man from their Family.

"Good evening, Luo Jing," he greeted, "the senior Elder needed Luo Chun and Luo Shun."

Jing frowned, "can't it wait? He is wounded."'

The man shook his head, "The senior Elder said he wanted to talk about what happened today."

Shun looked at Chun who had frozen as if he had been caught doing something he shouldn't but Shun's heart had started pounding, what did the elder want? Is it about taking a Souljewel? Or had they found out about... what he was keeping secrets about? His secret training?

"I would be glad to appear before the senior Elder," Shun said.

The man nodded and turned to go with Shun and Chun following him.