The sun was setting behind the trees, imparting a soft glow on the twisting path in the forest. Bai Cheng walked alongside Gerald, who kept talking with his smile seeming to never find its end. Just a little of that weight in his chest which he had carried for so long now was seeming to slip away at every step next to his old friend.
Gerald gave him a friendly nudge. "So, you're going for the exams, huh?"
Bai Cheng nodded but still felt unsure. "Yeah… if I even succeed. Without spiritual energy, it's like trying to climb a mountain with one arm tied behind my back.".
Gerald frowned. "You think I'd let you in there without first getting prepared?
No way." He was grinning with a playful look in his eyes. "I've been practicing some moves myself, and they aren't to be kidded with. Do you think you can take it?
Bai Cheng stared at him uncomprehendingly. "Oh, really? How tough is this training, Master Gerald?"
Gerald laughed. "Tough enough that you'll be cursing my name by the end of the week."
He paused, glancing at Bai Cheng with a serious expression. "But you're going to have to work twice as hard as any cultivator.
No shortcuts, no magical boosts. Just pure grit."
Bai Cheng, too, had his sense of unusual excitement. "So what are you going to teach me?
"First things first," Gerald said with a smile, looking ahead, "the Shadow Step."
Bai Cheng blinked. "Shadow Step? Isn't that a special technique of the Chen family? I thought it required spiritual energy.
Gerald smiled. "Oh, it does. But the Chen family isn't the only one who knows this. I mean, yes, they add spiritual energy to make it look better and stronger. But the basic skill—the simple, natural movement—is just footwork and quickness. No spiritual energy is needed.
Bai Cheng's eyes opened wide. "Wait, you mean that—
"Exactly," Gerald interrupted, speaking quietly with excitement. "You can learn the Shadow Step without using any spiritual energy. It won't look as impressive, but it will be quick. With enough practice, you'll be able to move through shadows, avoid attacks, and vanish in an instant." He smiled and patted Bai Cheng on the shoulder. "Think of it as being like a ghost, fast and hard to catch."
Bai Cheng was thrilled. To learn something from the great Chen family was, after all a gesture of defiance against the status quo: "So what's the secret?
Gerald didn't appear so serious as he walked along the path. "The trick is not just going fast. It is about paying attention. Forget everything else fear, and doubts. Feel the flow around you and associate with it.
The Shadow Step works best when you're light as air, body and mind.".
Bai Cheng nodded, something rising up in his chest. "Alright. What do I do first?"
"Tonight," Gerald said with a grin, "we are going to start with some very simple steps. But remember, this won't be easy: you will fall a lot. Or, at least, you will fall quite a number of times before you get it right."
Bai Cheng laughed, feeling a new kind of confidence inside him. "I'm ready. I'll do anything."
"Well done," Gerald said, his eyes shining. "Once you know the footwork, then we can start with the tougher techniques. Shadow Step has different levels, you see. In the beginning you will just learn how to move quietly. But over time you will learn to move like a shadow.
People won't know where you'll be next."
They walked as Gerald described, moving his hands and sketching out each part of the technique. "The Chen family may have made it famous, but they didn't invent it. The Shadow Step has a long history, made by warriors who didn't have spiritual energy but needed ways to survive.
Now, it's your turn to keep that tradition alive."
Bai Cheng's mind was racing. It felt like he was on the edge of something incredible, something that might finally give him a chance. "I can't believe you're willing to teach me this," he murmured, voice full of surprise.
Gerald simply shrugged, but a softer took over his smile. "What are friends for, right?
You've always been there for me, Bai Cheng. This is the least I can do. Bai Cheng felt a warmth in his stomach. He knows that Gerald only taught special people. It reminded him of their close connection, and how their mutual trust was stronger than any gossip or talking to others about the matter.
They walked a little further, laughing and enjoying each other's company, and then saw the lights of the village glowing in the distance, warm within the darkness. He looked at Bai Cheng with an eyebrow raised. "Tomorrow, we start before dawn. You should get a good night's sleep.".
Bai Cheng also smiled, his heart racing in anticipation. "Can't wait."
As they drew closer to Bai Cheng's residence, the harshness returned to Gerald's voice: "Listen, Bai Cheng. You must promise me something. No matter how bitter it grows—no matter how tired you feel, how hurt, or how much you want to give up—you can't quit.
Shadow Step needs everything from you. You're going to have to try far harder than anyone else because you don't have spiritual energy. But if you keep going, you will learn it.
" Bai Cheng stared at Gerald, anger in his eyes. "I promise." "Good,"
Gerald said, clapping him on the shoulder one last time. "Then get ready. You're going to need every ounce of strength and willpower you've got."
They nodded to one another, unspoken understanding seeping through their faces. This was the start of something new, after all—something capable of changing everything. Bai Cheng felt excitement mixed with a little fear; he pushed this feeling away and concentrated on the excitement instead.
Just as they stepped across the doorway, the evening darkened outside and stretched shadows across the village under the stars.
Bai Cheng suddenly, strangely, felt a stillness in himself; it was like the rest of the world was holding the world back to let him take his moment to rest before this journey forward.
But just as he was about to grasp the door handle, the silence was broken by a sound. Bai Cheng and Gerald both halted, their faces turned toward the noise. Someone was standing at the door, enveloped in darkness; his face was not distinguishable.
The heavy stillness of the air was charged with the unutterable question. And then, in the dark silence, the figure took one step.