Li Changhu jolted from meditation for the sixth time. He clenched his jaw and settled back into position, fighting to calm his mind.
*Too hard.*
Three months of cultivation, and he had condensed only a handful of moon essence strands. Xiangping was already attempting the Profound Vision Wheel. Tongya had gathered over seventy strands. And Li Changhu was still counting on his fingers.
While his brothers guided qi through the twelve stories with effortless grace, Li Changhu could barely sense the pathways. Even his spirit seed, lodged weakly in his qi sea, glimmered faint and listless. On moonless nights, he couldn't perceive moon essence at all. What little he gathered came only through the mirror.
*No talent. None at all.*
Every session at the mirror felt like theft — stealing time his brothers deserved more. The guilt gnawed at him.
After the seventh failed meditation, Li Changhu rose quietly and slipped out. Behind the house, Li Mutian was bent over a whetstone, sharpening his long blade with slow, patient strokes.
"Father."
"What is it?" Li Mutian didn't look up.
"I may not be suited for cultivation."
Li Mutian's hands stilled. He raised his head, eyes cold. "So you're giving up?"
"No." Li Changhu had rehearsed this. "My talent is nothing compared to Tongya and Xiangping — let alone Chijing. I can barely cultivate even with the mirror's help. During the day, I should manage the household, walk the fields — so no one asks questions."
Li Mutian considered this. His expression softened.
"Fine. Tomorrow, you'll plan Xiangping's wedding instead. Keep it quiet. Close family only."
"Yes, Father." Li Changhu bowed and strode toward the front courtyard.
He found his wife Ren Ping'er sitting in the yard, sewing robes and chatting with Tian Yun. Women weren't permitted in the back courtyard near the ancestral hall, so they waited here. Tian Yun, seeing the husband and wife clearly had private matters, excused herself with a smile.
"What is it, Ping'er?" Li Changhu's gaze softened.
Ren Ping'er's features were composed and dignified, but a small smile played at her lips. In a low voice, she said: "Changhu... I'm with child."
Li Changhu's mind went blank. Every heavy thought — the frustration, the shame, the despair — scattered like startled birds. His face flushed. "Truly? You're sure?"
"Your mother confirmed it."
"Father! Father!" Li Changhu spun and ran toward the back courtyard, laughing like a fool. "Ping'er is with child!"
A clatter of metal. Li Mutian abandoned his blade mid-stroke and hurried through the gate, voice trembling. "What did you say?"
"Ping'er — she's carrying! I'm going to be a father!"
Li Mutian threw his head back and laughed — a deep, joyful roar. He patted Ren Ping'er's shoulder gently, then barked at Li Changhu: "I'm fetching the physician. You — watch over her."
Li Changhu nodded frantically, settling beside his wife with fussing attention.
---
In the back courtyard, Li Xiangping formed a seal and emerged from meditation.
He picked up a wooden slip, untied the binding cloth, and let the sections unfurl. Moonlight fell on the heading:
*The Golden Light Art*
The *Lunar Nourishing Wheel Scripture* itself couldn't be spoken aloud or transcribed — but its companion spells could. The brothers had copied what they'd each received, passing the texts among themselves.
This particular art belonged to Li Chijing. Xiangping had formed his Profound Vision Wheel several nights ago and borrowed it to train.
The spell was not difficult. Two nights of study, and Xiangping grasped its secrets. He raised his left hand. A stream of resplendent golden light bloomed from his palm.
*The Golden Light Art — a combat spell. On release, it forms a blade of condensed gold, razor-sharp. It can be bound to a sword for close combat or hurled as a projectile. Potent. Deadly.*
Xiangping dispersed the spell and stepped outside. His brothers were deep in meditation. He found a green boulder near the gate, wrapped both arms around it, and heaved.
"Lift!"
The boulder came up easily — so easily he staggered backward, nearly toppling.
*"Those who enter Embryonic Breathing gain one hundred twenty years of life. Mana flows through every channel. Body lightens. Strength grows. Ears sharpen. Eyes brighten. They form seals and cast spells — no longer common mortals."*
He laughed, remembering the scripture's words, and carried the boulder back into the courtyard.
He set it upright, retreated ten paces, and formed the seal. A blade of gold burst from his palm and struck the stone.
*Clang.*
A trail of bright sparks. The boulder's surface bore a clean, finger-deep cut. The impact had pushed it back a handspan, leaving pale scrape marks in the dirt.
"Fine spell," came a voice behind him.
Li Tongya had emerged from meditation, watching with a smile. "Chijing got the best of them. A few days ago, he misaimed and nearly cleaved the garden rockery in half. I haven't told Father."
"In cultivation, we truly can't match Chijing," Xiangping said, setting the boulder back in place. He gauged his remaining mana — perhaps four or five more strikes.
"Chijing broke through in under a month. Even with the mirror's help, it's staggering." Li Tongya shook his head.
The Embryonic Breathing realm held six wheels: Profound Vision, Illuminated Understanding, Orbital Passage, Verdant Origin, Jade Capital, and Spirit Beginning. The Profound Vision, Orbital Passage, and Jade Capital wheels were known as the Three Gates — the hardest hurdles.
The brothers had used the mirror to breach the first gate. No more shortcuts. From here, only steady meditation.
"'Gathering qi and refining essence — nine months for Profound Vision, three more for Illuminated Understanding. This is called good innate roots,'" Xiangping recited from the scripture. "With external aid, Profound Vision doesn't count. But three months for Illuminated Understanding — there's our benchmark."
"Agreed." Li Tongya's voice dropped. "Elder Brother..."
"Elder Brother may be worse off than either of us," Xiangping said quietly. Both gazed toward the darkness of Great Li Mountain.
"A few more days, and I'll attempt the Profound Vision Wheel myself. Then the mirror can be given entirely to Elder Brother."
Xiangping's eyes narrowed. He rose abruptly, staring toward the back mountain.
"Coward!" he spat.