Yu Chen fell asleep, awaking in the dream.

  He lay in the midst of a field, blinking rapidly as the light of a sun he’d half-forgotten threatened to blind him. It hung high above him, shining in a blue sky he dearly missed in life. He pushed himself up with a groan. Tall grasses swayed around him as he walked towards the sound of running water he heard off in the distance. The weather was pleasant, as always, and a sweet scent lingered in the air, though he knew not from where it came.

  He came here on occasion, using the time to practice his techniques or simply exploring, but the last few visits Xiao Huang hadn’t made his presence known. It was disappointing, as he had so many questions to ask the little fellow, but there was nothing he could do if the dragon wasn’t inclined to answer them

  Something told him he’d find the dragon today, however.

  He’d completed the elemental cycle and was only half a step away from finishing the technique. On top of that his dantian now thrummed with power, completely filled with the condensed qi he’d first formed so many months ago. Soon enough he’d enter Foundation Establishment, externalizing his qi and becoming a cultivator in truth.

  The sound of the river grew louder as he pressed on.

  Yu Chen chewed his lip at the thought. It was a pivotal step. The quality of one’s Foundation determined your trajectory, establishing from the very beginning how far you would eventually rise. His thoughts fled as the grasses around him receded, revealing an endless expanse of yellow waters.

  A familiar sight.

  There was no need to look for Xiao Huang. The dragon was waiting for him, floating atop the river with a solemn expression. Yu Chen stepped forward, the muddy ground of the riverbank squishing beneath his feet. He didn’t stop moving until he felt water lapping at the edge of his soft-soled boots.

  The little fellow swam through the air, swaying sinuously, his long whiskers trailing out behind him as he approached.

  “Hatchling.” The dragon rumbled, coming near Yu Chen. He never halted, twisting languidly as he made shapes in the air.

  “Shizu.” Yu Chen replied, bowing his head towards the dragon above.

  Xiao Huang didn’t reply right away, curling around and examining him from all sides.

  “Passable,” the dragon observed, “but rather slow.”

  Yu Chen secretly rolled his eyes, well used to the dragon’s hubris. His progression was still remarkably fast by human standards. What did the little fellow expect at his age? Did he expect him to fly through the air like a Golden Core cultivator? Or perhaps he thought he'd have formed a False Domain of his own by now.

  He suppressed a snort. Imagine! A False Domain at his age!

  “Yes, Shizu.” was all he said, keeping his thoughts about the dragon’s unrealistic expectations to himself.

  The dragon rumbled to himself as he came to a halt in front of Yu Chen. “Have you made your preparations to advance?”

  Yu Chen nodded. “Yes Shizu. I’m only waiting to acquire a Foundation Establishment Pill.”

  He’d planned on purchasing one at the Auction House, but they’d been forced to flee before he could do so.

  “What for?” The dragon snorted in disdain. “Those are nothing more than crutches for fools too weak to break through on their own.”

  “Shizu?” Yu Chen asked in confusion.

  The dragon pointed a claw towards him, his scaly brows drawing together.

  “Your body will pull you into Foundation Establishment on its own, whether you like it or not. Besides, your qi is thick, and denser than most. The impetus from your final transformation will be all you need to push you over the edge.” Xiao Huang lectured, tugging at a long whisker.

  Yu Chen frowned, considering his words. It was the first time he’d heard that, in fact it was common knowledge in the sect that you needed a pill to break through. It was the main reason outer sect disciples accumulated their contribution points for, in order to one day enter the inner sect.

  He’d learned much since leaving the sect however, on the river and elsewhere, and he no longer held the Golden Mist sect in particularly high regard. Most of the cultivators he’d met there, even the so-called elders, wouldn’t be worth a piss anywhere else.

  The entrance exams for the Flowing Eternity sect were so strict that not one cultivator in the entire empire had managed to pass them during the few hundred years of recorded history he was aware of.

  Even so, Yu Chen didn’t know enough to judge these sorts of things. It was likely that even the techniques and methodologies they taught in their Outer Sect were heads and shoulders above what could be found anywhere else. Perhaps it was a miracle that anyone else could pass them at all.

  That hidden sect was still a mystery to him, one he planned to get to the bottom of.

  “Shizu,” Yu Chen began changing the subject. He had to hurry, while the dragon was still around. “Many strange things have occurred recently.”

  “Oh?” the dragon asked, fixing his golden eyes on Yu Chen. “Explain, hatchling.”

  Yu Chen settled down on the muddy banks, paying no mind to the dirt that stained his robes. He thought back, sharing the events that had happened since the last time they spoke.

  Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

  Strange Soul Attack, Death Qi, Concept Familiarity.

  “I’m aware.” Xiao Huang said, as Yu Chen told him about the strange soul attack. “It has been a weakness of yours for some time. It’s likely that you would have succumbed long ago, if my divine will didn’t offer you some protection.”

  Yu Chen frowned, rubbing at his chest where he still felt the occasional ache from the wolf's strange attack. He hadn’t turned out nearly as bad as Sun Yuan had, however. The other boy had fallen catatonic and taken numerous days to recover. Was that thanks to the dragon’s will?

  Xiao Huang’s eyes glittered as he considered Yu Chen. The boy shuffled in place, a long moment passing as the dragon seemed to contemplate something of great importance.

  “It is important that you learn how to cultivate and strengthen your soul.” The dragon rumbled. “I’ll train you myself, once you’ve entered Foundation Establishment.”

  “You’ll train me?” Yu Chen asked as he jumped to his feet, doubting his own ears. “What will you teach me? Never mind waiting, let's begin now!”

  “You’ll wait, hatchling.” Xiao Huang rumbled; his deep voice tinged with amusement. “There is much for you to learn, but not until you’ve entered Foundation Establishment.”

  Yu Chen nodded, his eyes wide with excitement. “Yes, Shizu.”

  “That will depend on you.” The dragon said, eyeing the boy. “Now, about this death qi you mentioned. Did you try to cultivate it?” His tone turned serious as he twisted through the air, spinning in a sinuous circle around him. “No, I suppose not. You're neither dead, nor mad.”

  Yu Chen shook his head. “I didn’t, though it called out to me.” His eyes turned distant as he recalled the strange pull that misanthropic energy held over him.

  “Death calls to everyone, hatchling, though it's doubtless you feel it more strongly than most.” The dragon continued as he spun through dizzying patterns above him.

  Yu Chen looked down, scuffing his boot in the mud as a thought he’d wrestled with for a while bubbled to the surface. He’d reaped dozens of lives already and was no stranger to death. He felt comfortable in its presence and saw it more as an old friend, one he was destined to meet himself someday.

  This familiarity scared him at times, and he couldn’t help but wonder…

  “Why do you say that Shizu?” He asked, his thoughts roiling. “I’m not destined to be a demonic cultivator, am I?”

  He’d recognized himself in their eyes before. The bloodlust he felt, and the joy of battle.

  “No, hatchling.” Xiao Huang snorted. “You follow the yellow river, and your human distinctions have no hold over it. You are close to death because the river is close to death, just as it’s close to life. You’ll even be able to cultivate it once your training is complete.”

  “Only demonic Cultivators cultivate death qi.” Yu Chen said with a frown.

  “You know nothing, hatchling, to tell me of who cultivates what.” Xiao Huang said as he reared into the air, gazing imperiously at Yu Chen. “Nature brings death and the river brings death, and all things that walk and breathe carry that same potential. Only the death they bring is inevitable, not intentional.”

  “Only men do such things.” The dragon rumbled; his voice tinged with disgust. “Oh, there are some beasts that toy with their food, and kill those who trespass. But none will set out with intention, murdering thousands.”

  “This is a matter of understanding,” Xiao Huang said, fixing a golden eye on Yu Chen. “And you do not yet understand. Death is not evil, though it may give you that impression. Death is natural, and there is nothing unnatural about cultivating it, given you have the ability to do so.”

  “Yes Shizu,” Yu Chen said, bowing his head. A touch of red marred his cheeks.

  “You’ll learn in time, hatchling.” The dragon said, and for a moment he sounded old.

  “There was something else…” Yu Chen began, hesitance in his voice. “I felt something, during the tempering. A connection between Metal and Wood.”

  Xiao Huang rumbled, for the first time sounding pleased. “Very good! Tell me more, hatchling.

  “Hardness is one of the strengths of metal, but if it becomes too hard it turns brittle. It isn’t enough for metal to be hard, it must be flexible, like wood.”

  “Good, very good!” The dragon said, his whiskers shaking in excitement. “How about wood, is it ever rigid? And when you see its branches wave in the wind, do they ever remind you of something?” The golden orb in the dragon’s head revolved as it fixed onto him. “Water waves, and water is soft. But perhaps water can be hard, as hard as metal.”

  The dragon swam closer, maintaining eye contact. “And what of metal? Can metal be soft, soft like water?”

  Yu Chen fell silent as he processed the dragon’s questions. No, metal was hard, everyone knew that. A scene flashed through his head - An old artificer, pulling a glowing metal rod from a fire. Two large hammers slamming down on top of it. The metal, moving as it shifted in place, soft and pliable.

  “It becomes soft if you heat it.” He said, speaking slowly.

  “Indeed.” Xiao Huang said, “but not always. There are more than a few pools of liquid metal that lay beneath the surface, temperate enough to touch with your hand. Not that I’d recommend it.”

  “The elements are all connected, in more ways than one.” The little fellow said, taking on the tone of a lecturer. “Metal is generated by earth and destroyed by fire, it subdues wood and gives birth to water.”

  “They all share properties, some more obvious than others. The more deeply you explore them, the more formidable you will become.” Xiao Huang finished, turning to swim over the river.

  “Yes, Shizu.” Yu Chen said, bowing his head once more.

  “Now, how come you haven’t mentioned this new technique of yours? I looked it over, and thought it was quite fascinating. I thought you’d have all sorts of questions about it, even if you couldn’t use it yet.”

  Yu Chen frowned, looking up at the dragon. “What technique?”

  The little fellow narrowed his eyes, a long moment of silence stretching out between them. Yu Chen shuffled his feet, feeling uncomfortable. Xiao Huang snorted, before crooking a claw and summoning a long sheaf of parchment paper. Yu Chen observed it in interest.

  “This technique.” Xiao Huang rumbled; his voice dangerously low.

  Yu Chen frowned. He thought it looked familiar, but for the life of him he couldn’t recall where he might have seen it before.

  “Wait,” Yu Chen said, raising his hand as a half-forgotten memory crawled through his head. He’d been in his room aboard the Sleeping Lady, he remembered that much. He’d been looking through his ring... His eyes glazed over as he recalled it, a dusty old manual he’d seen laying in the corner.

  He’d cracked it open, but he couldn’t recall anything it’d said. The only thing he remembered was burning the thing when he was done.

  Why had he burned it, again? His heart dropped. He knew there’d been a good reason, but it wasn’t coming to mind at the moment. The memory was already slipping away, disappearing along with the technique he’d seen.

  A technique that was now gone. A sense of loss filled him as he looked up, seeing the parchment Xiao Huang clutched between his claws.

  “What’s that?” He asked, looking at the strange object.

  Xiao Huang gazed at him in silence for a long moment. “Interesting.” The dragon mumbled. “Now that’s a bit of magic. How’d they manage that?”

  Yu Chen watched the dragon in amusement, as he flew around the parchment, muttering to himself.

  “A formation?” Xiao Huang mumbled. “There must be one, but where?” A brief moment passed before a sigh escaped him, tinged with admiration. “There is this part here, and here. Quite clever, they’ve managed to weave it into the technique itself.”

  Yu Chen’s confusion grew as the dragon continued, but he soon grew bored. He knelt down, gazing into the waters of the yellow river as the dragon mumbled behind him.

  “Forgetfulness… of course. And Compulsion. What’s this bit here… Distraction, Camouflage. How did they power it?” the dragon muttered, speaking to himself. “Ambient energy! Of course, quite fascinating.”

  Wasn’t there something he’d wanted to ask Xiao Huang? He turned around, noticing the strange parchment the dragon held.

  “What’s that?” He asked, his interest piqued.

  Xiao Huang let out a groan, the paper disappearing with a wave of his hand. “Nothing, hatchling. Nothing at all. I’ll tell you about it later.”