In the Falling Moon City academy, a Foundation Establishment Stage master was giving a lecture.
"Today, we will continue our discussion of the *Six Harmonies Yin-Yang Mirror*. Please gather your Spirit Qi and run a minor heavenly cycle, separating the Yin flow and Yang flow..."
A group of teenagers sat upright, their dantians emitting a faint glow as they began to circulate their qi.
Once they finished, the master asked, "Who can tell me what the Six Harmonies are?"
"The Six Harmonies are: techniques, vessels, abilities, heaven, earth, and mankind," a chubby student sitting in the middle replied.
"Zhang Mingming answered well. Now, who can tell me what the Six Harmonies and Yin-Yang refer to?"
"It means the six are united and yet balanced. Master, can you start teaching us spellcraft yet? We're sick of listening to all these basics," said a tall boy sitting in the back.
"Once you've built a solid foundation, I'll naturally teach you spellcraft. And I'll tell you what, the master who teaches you then will be a gorgeous female instructor!" the master said with a mischievous smile.
"A gorgeous female master? So what..." the crowd muttered, sounding somewhat displeased.
"Ah, I forgot you're just kids. By the way, that master is at the Golden Core Stage!" the master said.
"Whoa, really? Will someone that powerful really teach us?"
"Of course. But if you don't master what I'm teaching you now, you won't get the chance."
"We'll definitely study hard..." the students chimed in.
"Good. Next, who can explain how the Six Harmonies unite?"
"..."
"That's all for today. Remember to keep practicing at home." Before the master even finished speaking, the students started bolting out the door.
"Zhu Ming, Zhu Qing, Zhu Wu, let's go play in the western suburbs today," a little girl in a pink ruffled skirt called out to them.
"Sister Pingping, my dad told me to head back early..."
"It's fine, we'll just play for a little while," the girl named Pingping said.
The four of them were the closest among the younger generation of the Zhu family and often played together.
Zhu Wu and Zhu Pingping were also the two most talented youngsters in the family; while everyone else was still at the Qi Condensation 1st Layer, they had already reached the Qi Condensation 3rd Layer.
In front of a barren mountain in the western suburbs.
An abandoned spirit stone mine had been dug out, its entrance overgrown with weeds.
The four children prepared to venture inside.
"Whoever loses at rock-paper-scissors goes in first!" Pingping said, and the four of them began playing.
"Xiao Wu lost. You go in first."
The child called Zhu Wu nervously gathered qi into his fingers, causing them to emit a faint glow, and slowly walked into the mine.
The cave was quite flat just inside the entrance and nothing out of the ordinary, with two diverging paths further in.
"Let's go left today," Pingping said.
"Okay." Leading the way, Zhu Wu walked toward the left branch.
"Ah!" Suddenly, Zhu Wu let out a piercing scream. The light on his fingers vanished, and the cave plunged into darkness.
The other three, who hadn't walked more than a few steps into the cave, were so frightened by Zhu Wu's scream that they turned and bolted back outside.
A woman in her thirties sat on a bed, gently stroking Zhu Wu, who was lying down.
Beside the bed, a man in his thirties paced back and forth: "Qinger, go back to the room and rest for a bit. The doctor said he'll be fine by tomorrow morning."
The man was Zhu Tianwei, late Foundation Establishment Stage.
"I'm just worried. I'm afraid something might happen to Wu'er. It was just a fall, how could he pass out like this?" Qinger pulled the blanket up, stood up, and they walked out together.
Early the next morning, Zhu Wu sat up.
The same couple in their thirties sat by the bed.
"Dad, Mom," Zhu Wu called out.
"Good boy, as long as you're awake. Do you feel any pain anywhere?" Qinger asked with concern. She then picked up a bowl from the table nearby: "Come, drink some porridge."
"Wipe your face first." Zhu Wu took the towel handed to him by his father, wiped his face, and finished the porridge.
"Tell Dad, what on earth happened last night?"
"We just went to play in the mine, and then I took a fall and I don't remember anything after that," Zhu Wu said.
"Alright, I've already told the academy. You just rest at home today and go back tomorrow," Zhu Tianwei said as he walked toward the door.
"As long as you're fine. Mother has to go to work too; get some more sleep and skip your cultivation today," Qinger said, also walking out of the room.
Zhu Wu sat on the bed, recalling the events of the previous night.
When he fell, he instinctively gathered his qi to maintain his balance, but suddenly a sharp pain flared in his dantian. The gathered qi instantly scattered, surging through his entire body, and when it reached his brain, a wave of dizziness washed over him and he passed out.
Zhu Wu touched his dantian. It felt normal, so he decided to try gathering qi to run a minor heavenly cycle.
A faint light spread across his entire body. Once the circulation finished, there were no anomalies, so he simply continued cultivating.
That evening, Zhu Pingping brought a nameless little flower and handed it to Zhu Wu, asking, "Where did you fall? Are you really alright?"
"Sister Pingping, I'm great. I've even been cultivating all day today," Zhu Wu replied.
"As long as you're fine. I'll head back first, then."
A year passed. Zhu Pingping reached the Qi Condensation 5th Layer, while Zhu Wu remained at the Qi Condensation 3rd Layer.
"Hey, do you still remember what actually happened in the mine back then?" Zhu Pingping asked Zhu Wu on their way home.
"I don't remember. It's like nothing ever happened."
"Then why hasn't your realm improved at all since then?" Zhu Pingping asked apologetically.
"I don't know, I've kept cultivating the whole time," Zhu Wu replied helplessly. "Not long ago, Mom and Dad even had a master from the City Lord's Mansion look at me, and there's nothing wrong."
Another year passed. Zhu Pingping reached the Qi Condensation 6th Layer, while Zhu Wu was still at the Qi Condensation 3rd Layer.
"Xiao Wu, don't worry, I'll take care of you from now on." Zhu Pingping brought a basket of steamed buns to Zhu Wu's doorway, handed it to him, and said those words.
Zhu Pingping had always believed that Zhu Wu's stagnant cultivation was her fault, and over the past year, she had frequently cooked meals for him and helped him out.
"Next year, the major sects will be recruiting disciples. When the time comes, I'll ask my parents to help find someone to examine you," Zhu Pingping said hesitantly.
The reason she hesitated was that cultivators from those sects were extremely difficult to engage.
"Sister Pingping, it's fine. Just focus on yourself and strive to enter a good sect; you can just take me along with you then," Zhu Wu said with a smile.
"That's right, that's one way to do it!" Zhu Pingping realized it in an instant. "It's a promise. Next year, whichever sect chooses me, I'll definitely take you with me."
The Zhu family martial arts training ground.
Three elderly men in their sixties sat on the high platform at the front.
An old steward announced to the gathered members of the Zhu family: "Today is the day the Zhu family selects its head, an event that occurs once every thirty years."
"According to tradition, the younger generation of the clan will undergo a talent test. The one with the greatest talent will inherit the position of family head, while those with the poorest talent will be relegated to a branch family and leave the main household."
"Anyone under twenty and above the Qi Condensation 5th Layer may participate."
"During the test, simply channel your spiritual power into the Spirit Stele."
Another, younger steward held brush and paper, ready to record the results.
The elder seated in the center of the high platform glanced down at the crowd, then stood up and cast a spell. Instantly, a spirit stele standing three feet tall appeared in the arena.
The spirit stele consumed a massive amount of spirit stones every time it was used, so it was only brought out to test the younger generation's talent during family head elections.
Normally, they could have waited for the decennial sect recruitment day and used the sects' spirit steles for testing.
However, coinciding with the family head election, they chose to test early to conserve family resources, and those with poor aptitude would no longer be allocated resources.
"Alright, everyone please step forward in order."
"Mixed spiritual root, mixed spiritual root, grade-4 fire spiritual root, mixed spiritual root, grade-3 water spiritual root, grade-3 wood spiritual root..."
Whenever a graded spiritual root appeared, the giant stele emitted varying degrees of brilliance, whereas mixed spiritual roots produced no display at all.
"Grade-6 fire spiritual root." The giant stele flashed with a dazzling red light, and the steward's announcing voice carried a hint of excitement.
"That's Zhu Pingping from the second branch! Truly a genius."
"A genius indeed, and a grade-6 at that! There can't be more than a few grade-6s in the entire city."
"I never would've expected it. She usually just runs around messing about and I've never seen her study properly."
"Exactly, she reached the Qi Condensation 7th Layer at such a young age. Turns out she just has great aptitude—no wonder her realm advanced so fast."
"I heard she's always hanging out in the western suburbs with Zhu Wu from the third branch. That Zhu Wu is already thirteen and hasn't even reached the Fourth Layer of Qi Refining yet."
"Speaking of that Zhu Wu, he used to be the fastest to enter the Qi Condensation 3rd Layer, but ever since that incident..."
Members of the Zhu family whispered among themselves in the crowd.
A faint smile hung on Zhu Pingping's face as she looked around at the crowd.
Zhu Wu wasn't there. He hadn't even reached the Qi Condensation 5th Layer.
Zhu Pingping walked away from the spirit stele with a trace of disappointment, and the next person stepped up for testing.
"Grade-3 earth spiritual root, grade-2 earth spiritual root, grade-4 metal spiritual root..."
"The highest talent this year is Zhu Pingping from the second branch, at the Qi Condensation 6th Layer. During the ancestral worship in July, the second branch will take over as family head."
"The third branch will leave the main household after the sacrificial rites. From then on, everyone shall go their separate ways."
"Additionally, anyone who tested positive for a spiritual root today may go to the main hall to collect pills. The rest will no longer enjoy resources such as pills."
After the testing concluded, the old steward stepped forward and made the announcement.
Afterward, the elder on the platform rose once more and cast a spell, putting the spirit stele away.
The third branch referred to Zhu Wu's lineage.
The third brother had only one son, Zhu Tianwei.
Zhu Tianwei had four sons and a daughter. Aside from the eldest, the rest were quadruplets, and to make them easy to tell apart, they were simply called One, Two, Three, Four, and Five.
Zhu Wu hadn't been able to participate, and the others tested mostly at grade-4 spiritual roots, falling rather short compared to the dozens of cousins from the eldest and second uncles' households.
Had Zhu Wu been able to participate, he would have undoubtedly carried the greatest hope.
According to the family's decision, Zhu Wu's entire family had to relocate to the western suburbs to live.
With the family's assistance, a new courtyard was built in the western suburbs. Though somewhat small, it had a study, kitchen, bedroom, and a training ground.
The mountains around Falling Moon City were numerous but lacked spiritual veins, though there were spirit stone mines of various sizes.
The mining rights for the spirit stones were sold by the City Lord's Mansion to various families.
The barren mountain in the western suburbs had an abandoned spirit stone mine whose mining rights didn't need to be purchased. Although one could scavenge a few scraps, no one ever came to mine it normally, as the yield wouldn't even cover the cost of the tools.
Zhu Tianwei hired a dozen cheap laborers and tried a few times, barely managing to sustain their daily household expenses.
Zhu Wu came to the cave entrance and looked around.
The weeds had already been cleared away, and scattered footprints marked the entrance.
"Why did my realm stall out after taking that fall all those years ago?" Harboring doubts, Zhu Wu gathered qi into his fingers and walked into the cave, intending to check out the site of the incident.
"Back then, we intended to go left, but I ended up falling on the right side." Zhu Wu recalled, looking at the right side where there were recent traces of laborers entering and exiting.
The left side seemed to have been completely hollowed out, and a chilling draft emanated from the entrance.
The right side, perhaps having been recently mined, emitted a faint warmth from the entrance.
As Zhu Wu walked back and forth, sudden inspiration struck him: "One Yin, one Yang... balance?"
"The *Six Harmonies Yin-Yang Mirror* only discusses the methods of cultivating the six aspects, but doesn't explain how to cultivate Yin and Yang, mentioning only that Yin and Yang must be balanced. But what does it actually mean to be balanced?"
The left side was very cold, while the right side was slightly warm.
Zhu Wu walked a little way to the right side, sat down facing the fork in the path, and began to circulate his qi.
Suddenly, a wave of warmth surged from his dantian, and his true qi began to circulate through his entire body of its own accord.
"Qi Condensation 4th Layer."
"Ah! I broke through! I broke through!" Zhu Wu stood up in excitement, gathering qi to his fingertips.
Previously, his light had been like a tiny campfire that could only illuminate a small patch, but now it was like a bonfire, lighting up the entire cave.
Zhu Wu carefully savored the sensation of the breakthrough just now, comparing it to the feeling from his fall several years ago, and then sat back down.
"Gather qi in the dantian, let Yang travel the Yin meridians, let Yin run the Yang channels. When Yin and Yang intersect, the meridians open of themselves." Recalling the words from the *Six Harmonies Yin-Yang Mirror*, Zhu Wu began to gather his qi.
After a tingling, numb sensation coursed through his entire body, Zhu Wu felt his meridians widen. At the same time:
"Qi Condensation 5th Layer."
"Another breakthrough! At this rate, can I keep breaking through?" Suppressing the turmoil in his heart, Zhu Wu began gathering qi once again.
"..."
"Have I reached the limit?" After feeling as though nearly an hour had passed, Zhu Wu could no longer find the sensation of a breakthrough.
Footsteps echoed from the right side of the cave—the laborers were returning from mining.
"Fifth Young Master, what are you doing here? It could be dangerous here, please go back home," a laborer said to Zhu Wu.
"Ah, I just came to take a look. I took a fall here when I was little," Zhu Wu said, then walked ahead of the laborers back home.
After dinner, Zhu Wu went to the study to flip through some books, preparing to find a cultivation technique.
Starting from the Qi Condensation 5th Layer, one could practice basic spellcraft.
There were only a few hundred books in the study, but for the five Zhu brothers, it was more than enough to learn from.
The covers of many books had been rumpled by his older brothers and sister, though it didn't affect the contents inside.
The Fire Spiritual Art was the easiest to get the hang of and the most practical technique before knowing one's spiritual root; it was almost everyone's first choice.
On the bookshelf, only the first half of the Fire Spiritual Art remained, and the torn edge bore old burn marks.
"Ah? Did one of my brothers burn the book while studying?" Zhu Wu sighed helplessly.
"Water Spiritual Art—even if you learn the elementary level, it's only good for watering flowers. Earth Spiritual Art—the elementary level can only dig a hole the size of an ass. Wood Spiritual Art—enhances Spirit Qi. Metal Spiritual Art—though it can manipulate objects from a distance, it can only control something as heavy as a book from dozens of meters away. Which one should I pick?"
"Should I just go ask my brothers about the Fire Spiritual Art?"
Zhu Wu didn't usually see much of his brothers and sister; they all cultivated independently.
Aside from his father checking their cultivation results and occasionally having the siblings spar against each other every week, ever since Zhu Wu's realm had stagnated, those sparring sessions had dropped to about once a month.
On the small training ground, sometimes used as post-dinner exercise, the brothers and sister would spar on their own.
Tonight, they all happened to be there.
Seeing Zhu Wu walk over, the third brother greeted him: "Xiao Wu, are you practicing with us today?"
"No... um..."
"Well, I wanted to ask you guys how to cultivate the Fire Spiritual Art. There's only half a book in the study." Zhu Wu said.
"Huh? You want to study the Fire Spiritual Art?" Zhu Er looked slightly guilty.
"Yeah, why?"
"Did you... break through?" Zhu Er asked.
"When did you break through? How come we didn't know?" Zhu Da asked happily.
"Yeah, I just broke through, and I want to learn the Fire Spiritual Art."
"How did you break through? Was there something wrong with your cultivation method before?" Zhu Da asked, somewhat puzzled.
"Um, I'm not really sure myself. I just went to cultivate in the mine and I broke through." Zhu Wu didn't really know how to answer. In truth, they all studied the exact same things, and everyone had watched Zhu Wu cultivate with their own eyes; his methods and techniques hadn't looked wrong anywhere.
"A breakthrough is good, a breakthrough is good! Soon we can all cultivate together frequently again," Zhu Third chimed in.
"Aren't you close with Zhu Pingping? Why don't you borrow her book to read?" said the fourth sister.
"Right, okay..." With that, Zhu Wu prepared to leave.
"Come on, let's spar," Zhu Da pulled Zhu Wu by the arm and headed toward the center of the training ground.