"The Elders will be the decider, not you!" Lan retorted with a solemn tone. Seeing Lan's unfriendly expression, none of them dared to speak, so they proceeded to lift stones instead.
Shui Long Yan glanced deeply at Xu Kai, who went about lifting stones of 20–30 kg while everyone struggled to surpass their limits of 100 kg.
Approaching a large stone that reached his chest level, Shui Long Yan merely kicked it up and caught it. His muscles bulged.
His appalling strength made other youths gasp.
"Brother Long Yan, you're amazing! You just kicked a 700 kg stone and caught it like it's nothing!" A member of the Shui family praised.
Cheng Yi snorted.
Shui Mei Er suddenly released Qi, transforming into a water-based whip.
It coiled around the rock her brother carried, splashing his face.
"Mei Er!" Shui Long Yan shouted. While others were mesmerized by the young flower's charming giggles, Xu Kai was astonished.
'She brought out Spirit Qi from her body! Shui Mei Er has broken into the Foundation Building Realm. She has already formed her meridians! I thought I still had two weeks.'
Xu Kai's heart grew cold. Stealing the Crystal Water Lily made the Shui family anxious, but Shui Mei Er benefited from it.
He wanted to hide as much as possible from the Elders but it was getting harder.
Some time later, after Uncle Lan went to inspect the adults, the youths began to chat among themselves.
"Brother Yi, I heard your brother is back." The moment someone said that, everyone looked at Cheng Yi, including the Shui siblings.
Cheng Yi smiled as everyone paid attention to him. "He just returned from the mainland."
Seeing that the Shui siblings were interested, Cheng Yi smirked. 'Finally, I've attracted Mei Er's attention!'
"What's the mainland like?" With crossed arms, Shui Long Yan asked.
"I really don't want to sully the grandness of the mainland with a beggar's presence. After all, I'm sure beggars don't exist there." Cheng Yi sneered.
"Xu Kai, we're done training. You can leave," Shui Long Yan said dismissively.
"Haha!" With a bitter laugh, Xu Kai offered a wry smile, stood up, and headed towards the stairs.
"I was about to leave anyway."
"Such arrogance!" A youth bellowed but Xu Kai ignored him.
"I'm leaving too," Jin Tao said, leaving the group.
As they walked down the mountain, Xu Kai turned to Jin Tao. "You're risking your future by befriending me."
"I know there's something about you. I can't place a finger on it but I better stick to my gut feeling," Jin Tao responded with a laid-back chuckle.
"Still, following me will not benefit you. It's better you go back or else Cheng Yi will report you to your parents." Xu Kai cautioned him.
"My family is already, unofficially, not part of the Cheng family. Isn't it obvious as to why my surname is Jin instead of Cheng?"
Xu Kai halted. "What?"
****
A 175-cm-tall, fifteen-year-old boy with long black hair walked beside a fourteen-year-old, 155-cm-tall boy.
Both of them strolled on the busiest street, their sandals sinking a bit into the golden sand. In a month's time, it will be winter, a time when the sea is terrifyingly dangerous and the weather is bad.
They only had a short while to bask under the sun and enjoy a bustling town.
Chewing the haws on sticks, Xu Kai suddenly paused. Jin Tao trailed his line of sight and saw a pretty girl with an unusual hair color.
Her jade-white skin glistened under the sun, and she revealed a white set of teeth while waving at Xu Kai.
"Brother!"
Her excited voice fell into his ears, and, in stupor, he watched this doll-like beauty jump into Xu Kai's arms. Xu Kai revealed a warm smile, shocking him even more.
Since when did this domineering guy, whose orders brought him back to the shores safely, smile so warmly?
"Wow! Your sister is quite attractive," he exclaimed, tenderly offering her his sweets. Mo Qingxian clutched Xu Kai's hands and hid from Jin Tao's sight.
"She only takes things from me," said Xu Kai.
"Tch! I'll be going back home. See you tomorrow," he waved and left.
Instantly, Xu Kai turned to Mo Qingxian. "I told you to remain at home. Why did you come out?"
Mo Qingxian bit her lower lip and lowered her head. "I…I wanted to see Brother Kai."
Xu Kai blinks slowly. Even as he scoffed, his heart began to soften. She just looked so innocent that he could only swallow his anger.
"Let's go back."
"Mn," she nodded.
Xu Kai was unaware that two young adults from the Cheng family, who had left the training ground to monitor Jin Tao, were watching him.
The sight of Mo Qingxian made them curious. How did a beggar train such a little beauty when he couldn't even feed himself?
They kept following Xu Kai and Mo Qingxian, even through his secret passage, until they saw his treehouse. They were practitioners at the zenith of the Foundation Building Realm, so they were able to escape Xu Kai's senses.
Seeing this, both men retreated.
"Brother, I want to show you something!" With excitement, Mo Qingxian fell on her knees and pressed her palms against the sand.
Xu Kai looked at her in bewilderment. Before he could question her, a seedling came out of the ground. She continued to channel Qi into it, forming a flower that eventually blossomed.
Throughout the process, Xu Kai was shocked to his core to see Mo Qingxian produce Qi!
"I can grow plants!" She squealed. She jumped to her feet, held his hand, and dragged him close to the sea.
She faced her palm's hollow toward the sea, and Xu Kai saw the little water left by the waves moving along with her hand!
As he watched the little beauty summon a sphere of fire on her right and a sphere of water on her left, Xu Kai's worldview crumbled.
"Qing Xian, what in the world are you?"
Xu Kai felt betrayed. To be able to have such control over elements, Mo Qingxian's understanding of their Dao should be deep. Could the world have been so heartless as to create him, a man without an element, and yet also create Mo Qingxian, bestowing upon her multiple elements?
Wasn't that unfair?
At that moment, a word from one of his captain's most-told stories crossed his heart.
'Mage King!'