Kellan walked beside Elder Wei, his legs heavy but his heart lighter than it had been in days.
The sun had already dipped below the horizon, casting long shadows across the village as they made their way back to their shared home.
The weight of recent events hung over them, yet there was a calm in the air, a strange sense of peace after the battle.
Once inside their house, Elder Wei poured himself a cup of tea, the steam rising gently as he took a seat by the low wooden table.
He motioned for Kellan to join him.
"Tell me everything," he said, his eyes focused but warm.
Kellan hesitated for a moment, unsure where to begin.
"We went out for a task for cultivation resources outside the tribe," he started.
"Big Bone and I went together, thinking it was just another routine mission.
But things took a turn right after we crossed the river.
We came across three giant spiders—not demonic beasts, just mutated ones.
We managed to beat them, though it took a lot out of us."
Elder Wei nodded, but his eyes were sharp, alert to every word.
"Giant spiders near the border? That's unusual in itself, but what happened next?"
Kellan's expression darkened, the memory of their encounter with the Frostfang spider flashing through his mind.
"Right after we beat the three giant spiders, we taught we were in the clear and started celebrating but that's where we met something much worse—a Frostfang spider."
Elder Wei set his cup down with a soft clink, his brows furrowed in concern.
"A Frostfang? This close to the border?"
Kellan nodded grimly.
"Exactly. Demonic beasts like that usually live deeper inside the forest.
We shouldn't have encountered one so close to the village.
Big Bone and I were forced to break through our limits just to survive.
We fought it, but before we could kill it, we were ambushed by members of the Nightshade Clan."
Elder Wei's face grew even more serious.
"And your injuries?" he asked, his tone softer now, filled with the concern of a teacher and guardian.
"I'll be fine," Kellan reassured him. "A few days of rest should do the trick.
It wasn't as bad as it could've been... though, Big Bone wasn't so lucky."
Elder Wei let out a slow breath, the tension in his body easing just a little.
"Good. You need to recover quickly, Kellan. But first, tell me—what do you think of the Temporal Breathing Technique?"
Kellan shifted in his seat, his mind flashing back to the strange experiences he'd had while using the technique.
"It's... confusing," he admitted. "When you first taught it to me, I didn't realize the technique was incomplete.
And it doesn't seem like it's that popular anymore within the tribe.
Most people have switched to other cultivation techniques, ones more suitable for reaching the Bone Sacrifice Realm."
Elder Wei's eyes darkened, as if the mention of the Bone Sacrifice Realm brought with it painful memories.
But Kellan pressed on, sensing that Elder Wei wanted to hear more.
"Still," Kellan continued, "I feel really compatible with the Temporal Breathing Technique.
I cultivate faster with it than any of the other techniques.
It's almost like... like the technique was made for me."
A soft smile tugged at the corner of Elder Wei's lips, but it was fleeting.
"And you've noticed something else, haven't you?"
"Yeah," Kellan nodded, his voice more confident now.
"I figured out the Temporal Fist by instinct. When I focus my temporal Qi in a certain way,
I can throw punches with immense power.
But it's more than that... sometimes, when I push myself, it feels like time slows down around me.
I can see things more clearly, react faster.
And other times, I can speed myself up for short bursts.
It's like... I'm manipulating time, but only for a few seconds at a time."
Elder Wei sat in silence, his gaze steady, absorbing every word.
After a long pause, he finally spoke.
"The Temporal Breathing Technique wasn't always incomplete, Kellan.
In fact, it used to be the core cultivation technique of our entire clan.
Almost everyone in the Shi Clan practiced it—until our Ancestor, Shi Ming, left us."
Kellan leaned forward, his curiosity piqued.
"Shi Ming? The one who left the clan to become stronger?"
Elder Wei nodded, his expression solemn.
"Yes. When he departed, he took with him the higher levels of the Temporal Breathing Technique.
Without it, the clan was crippled.
We lost our most powerful cultivator, and with the incomplete technique, we could no longer reach the Bone Sacrifice Realm.
Over the years, we were forced to improvise, to develop other techniques that would allow us to survive."
"But then," Kellan frowned,
"Why did you ask me to cultivate the Temporal Breathing Technique if it's incomplete?"
Elder Wei's gaze sharpened, his eyes filled with a mix of hope and challenge.
"Because I believe you can figure it out.
I believe that this technique holds the key to reviving our clan, to returning us to our former strength.
You just need to figure out how to break through the limitations."
Kellan exhaled deeply, feeling the weight of Elder Wei's faith in him.
"I'll do my best," he said. "I don't want to be stuck in the Blood Solidification Realm forever."
Elder Wei's expression softened for the first time since they'd started talking.
"What cultivation level are you at now?" he asked.
"The 2nd level of the Blood Solidification Realm," Kellan replied.
Elder Wei's eyes widened slightly, a rare flicker of shock crossing his usually composed face.
"So fast..." he murmured under his breath. "The sphere was wrong, just as I suspected."
Kellan raised an eyebrow. "The sphere?"
Elder Wei shook his head, quickly moving past the subject.
"Never mind that. What's important is that you continue to focus on your cultivation.
And you need to be especially careful about the Nightshade Clan.
There's a tribal meeting coming up soon, where different clans from the borderlands will decide what percentage of the Mystfall Springs each tribe will receive."
Kellan sat up straighter, intrigued. "The Mystfall Springs?"
"Yes," Elder Wei said, his tone grave.
"Over the years, the Shi Clan has always gotten the smallest share.
That means our younger generations have been left behind while other tribes grow stronger.
Right now, we have Shi Lin leading the younglings, but he can't do it alone.
I'm hoping that you and Big Bone will have a good showing at the clan tournament so that you can represent the Shi Clan at the upcoming tribal meeting."
Kellan blinked, surprised.
"Wait, you mean we—the younger generation—are going to be the ones representing the clan?"
Elder Wei chuckled softly.
"Not quite. The way we determine the share each clan gets is through a trial by fire, fought between the younger generations of each tribe.
Your performance in the tournament will decide whether or not you're ready for that challenge."
Kellan's heart raced.
A trial by fire... it was more than just a competition.
It was a test of everything he had worked for.
And if the Shi Clan was to rise again, it would be on the shoulders of him, Big Bone, and the other young cultivators.
The weight of responsibility was clear.
"I understand," Kellan said, his voice steady. "I'll do whatever it takes to help the clan."
Elder Wei nodded approvingly. "Good. Now rest. We've got work to do."