The morning was bright and refreshing for Han Ye, but for the rest of the disciples, it was just another day of suffering.

  For an entire week, they had been relentlessly trained by their so-called "instructor," Han Ye, instead of Elder Jian, who was still nowhere to be found. Whether he was actually looking for money or just avoiding responsibility, nobody knew. The only fortunate thing was that their schedule had changed.

  This week, instead of physical training, they would be cultivating their Qi under the guidance of Elder Ji.

  Elder Ji, the notoriously zy elder, stretched his arms with a sigh before addressing the gathered disciples. “Alright, hmm… today, I’ll be teaching you your Qi absorption technique…” His voice carried no sense of urgency, just sheer rexation.

  Before he could continue, one of the disciples raised a hand. “Elder, what about those of us who already have a Qi absorption technique from our cn?”

  Elder Ji yawned, scratching his head. “Yeah, yeah. Just change it. What’s the problem?”

  A commotion broke out as some disciples protested, arguing about how changing techniques could disrupt their cultivation. Meanwhile, away from the heated discussion, Lan Ji, Han Ye, and Xue Lian whispered among themselves.

  “I thought he was just a id-back elder during the sect meetings,” Lan Ji muttered. “But he’s actually kind of—”

  “—irritating,” Xue Lian finished, watching as Elder Ji dismissed the disciples’ concerns with a wave of his hand.

  Han Ye smirked. “Don’t judge a book by its cover.”

  Xue Lian raised an eyebrow. “What does that mean?”

  “Uh… it means you shouldn’t judge something just by how it looks on the outside. You never know what’s inside.”

  Before their conversation could continue, Elder Ji cleared his throat—an exaggerated, obviously fake cough.

  “Ahem. Are you three done gossiping?”

  The three of them quickly straightened up. “Apologies, Elder,” they said in unison.

  “Hah… whatever.” Elder Ji leaned back against a nearby tree and gestured zily. “Anyway, listen up. I’m going to expin Shadow Gale Breathing—the Qi absorption technique you lot will be learning.”

  He stretched his legs out, making himself even more comfortable before he began his expnation.

  He yawned, then finally sat up, rubbing his eyes. "Alright. What we use in the Archer Sect is called Shadow Gale Breathing. It’s a technique specifically for those with Wind and Darkness affinity."

  He zily pointed to the sky. "Wind is always moving—swift, invisible, untouchable. It slips through gaps, bends around obstacles, and never stops flowing. That’s the kind of Qi you’ll be absorbing. But the tricky part is the Darkness aspect."

  Elder Ji smirked slightly. "Darkness isn’t like Wind. It doesn’t move—it waits. It hides, conceals, and swallows everything around it. So, when you combine Wind and Darkness, what do you get?"

  The disciples exchanged confused gnces.

  Elder Ji rolled his eyes. "Tch. You get stealth."

  He raised a single finger. "By using Shadow Gale Breathing, you don’t just absorb Qi. You steal it from your surroundings—like a thief taking coins from a sleeping merchant. The wind carries the Qi into you, while the darkness ensures no one notices."

  He picked up a small leaf and tossed it into the air. It drifted softly, caught by a passing breeze, before disappearing into the shade of a tree.

  "When you master this technique, you’ll become like that leaf—unseen, untouchable, unnoticed until it’s too te. A true archer doesn’t just fire arrows. A true archer makes sure their enemy never even realizes they were there."

  He yawned again and y back down on the rock. "Of course, it takes a lot of patience. You have to feel the Qi, follow it, and let it become part of you. But honestly, most of you are probably too impatient for that."

  The disciples looked at each other, some frowning at the indirect insult.

  Elder Ji waved a hand dismissively. "If you’re serious about learning, sit down, breathe, and listen to the wind. Let the shadows wrap around you. If you do it right, you’ll feel the Qi enter your body naturally—no need to force it. If you do it wrong…" He grinned zily. "Well, you’ll probably choke on air."

  The disciples listened carefully, though some were skeptical at first. It sounded different from the more rigid and structured techniques they had heard of. Most Qi absorption techniques revolved around strict breathing patterns, meditation postures, and forcefully pulling Qi into their meridians. But Shadow Gale Breathing?

  It was subtle. It was quiet. It was… sneaky.

  Han Ye, however, found himself particurly interested. His instincts told him that this technique would be useful—not just for cultivating, but for something else. Something more.

  One of the disciples finally spoke up. “Elder… is it really that easy? Just listening to the wind and feeling the shadows?”

  Elder Ji smirked. “Easy? Heh. If it were easy, I wouldn’t have to expin it.” He yawned again. “Go on, try it. Sit down, shut up, and listen. If you do it right, you’ll know.”

  The disciples exchanged gnces before slowly taking their seats in meditation positions. The training ground became eerily quiet as they began their first attempt at Shadow Gale Breathing.

  Elder Ji closed his eyes and sighed. “Ahh… finally, some peace and quiet…”

  “Elder, shouldn’t we be gathering the Qi into our dantian?”

  Elder Ji groaned, rubbing his forehead as if the question physically pained him. “What kind of stupid question is that?” he muttered with clear irritation. “Of course, you’re supposed to gather Qi into your dantian! That’s like asking if you should breathe while living.”

  The disciple who asked the question shrank back, embarrassed.

  Elder Ji let out a long, exaggerated sigh before waving his hand zily. “Listen, you little fools. Shadow Gale Breathing isn’t about stuffing as much Qi as possible into your body like some mindless glutton. It’s about bance. Subtlety. Control. If you think this is the same as some brute-force technique that just guzzles Qi like an alcoholic at a festival, then you might as well leave now.”

  The disciples stiffened at his blunt words. No one dared to move.

  Seeing that he finally had their attention, Elder Ji continued. “This technique follows the flow of wind and shadow. The wind doesn’t force itself into pces—it slips through gaps, flows around obstacles, and gathers in quiet pces. The shadows don’t grab power; they merge with it, unseen, unnoticed. That’s how you should be absorbing Qi.”

  He zily pointed a finger at the same disciple who had asked the question. “If you just pull Qi into your dantian without guiding it properly, you’ll end up with unstable energy. Sure, you might increase your cultivation faster, but your foundation will be as weak as a sandcastle. And when you face someone with a solid foundation?” Elder Ji smirked. “You’ll crumble. Instantly.”

  Silence. The words sank deep into the disciples' minds.

  Han Ye, however, wasn’t just listening. He was feeling. He could sense the movement of Qi in the air, the way it naturally drifted and settled, the way it flowed like whispers of the wind.

  Elder Ji wasn’t just teaching them how to cultivate.

  He was teaching them how to become the wind.

  Xue Lian, sitting next to him, opened one eye and whispered, “Are you understanding any of this?”

  Han Ye gave a small nod. “More than I expected.”

  Lan Ji, on the other hand, let out a quiet groan. “This is so abstract. I prefer straightforward techniques. ‘Breathe in, breathe out, gather Qi’—simple!”

  Elder Ji, of course, heard everything. He clicked his tongue. “You think it’s abstract because you’re too used to being spoon-fed. Let me put it simply: Stop grabbing Qi. Let it come to you. Guide it like a breeze, not like a storm.”

  Lan Ji frowned but kept quiet. He closed his eyes again and tried to follow Elder Ji’s words.

  Minutes passed. Then an hour.

  Some disciples started feeling a shift—Qi moving towards them more naturally, as if they had stopped forcing it and instead invited it. It was a strange yet fascinating experience.

  Han Ye, however, felt something more.

  A deep pull in his core. A change.

  The Qi didn’t just flow into him. It wanted to be there. It wrapped around him like unseen threads, sinking into his body smoothly and effortlessly.

  His breathing slowed. His awareness expanded.

  And then—

  A sudden surge.

  A bottleneck.

  His eyes snapped open as his entire body tensed.

  Elder Ji immediately noticed. His eyes, usually half-lidded with boredom, sharpened. “Oh? Interesting.”

  The other disciples hadn’t noticed anything unusual, but Elder Ji had seen this many times before. Han Ye was on the verge of breaking through.

  But there was something different.

  Something unnatural.

  Elder Ji stroked his chin, observing carefully. “Now, this is unexpected…”

  “Hmm… Already developing a devil’s heart in Arc I? Interesting.” Elder Ji smirked as he observed Han Ye.

  But that smirk vanished the moment he noticed something strange.

  Bck lines—thin, sharp as veins of ink—began creeping up Han Ye’s hands. They slithered from his fingertips, converging on the back of his hand before spreading further, winding up his arms like the roots of some unseen force. The vein that spread earlier then seeped into the sin of Han Ye's hand and disappeared as if there was no trace.

  Elder Ji’s eyes narrowed. No one else seems to notice…

  The other disciples remained seated, their eyes closed as they cultivated, unaware of the eerie transformation unfolding before them.

  Just as he was about to step forward, a whisper brushed against his ears. It was not a voice spoken aloud, but something deeper—like a message forced directly into his mind.

  "Do not approach him."

  Elder Ji stiffened. His entire body tensed as a chill ran down his spine.

  The voice carried no malice, no hostility. And yet, something about it warned him not to interfere.

  His instincts screamed caution.

  “Hmph.” Elder Ji exhaled through his nose, crossing his arms. “I don’t know who you are, but fine. I’ll stay back for now.”

  Still, his gaze never left Han Ye. He studied the dark lines carefully, analyzing their flow, their nature. These markings… they don’t look like a curse, nor a deviation from Qi imbance. Then what in the heavens are they?

  Han Ye, for his part, remained deep in meditation, entirely unaware of what was happening to his body. His breath was steady, his expression calm. But Elder Ji could tell—he was on the verge of a breakthrough.

  And something else was awakening within him.

  The technique Shadow Gale Breathing was supposed to allow Qi to flow gently, subtly, without resistance. Yet the Qi around Han Ye was not moving gently. It was rushing into him, sinking into his body as if it had found a natural home.

  Elder Ji tapped his fingers against his arm. A body that absorbs Qi unnaturally fast… markings that move like living things… and a voice that warns me to stay away?

  A spark of realization fshed in his mind. This kid isn’t normal.

  More questions swirled in his thoughts, but he pushed them aside. He would get his answers after Han Ye finished absorbing his Qi.

  The vein that spread earlier then seeped into the s

  For now, he would wait.

  And watch.