Chains of Choice

Han Chen allowed himself a small moment of joy. After days of intense cultivation and refinement, he felt a rare sense of satisfaction. He left his room and greeted his parents, who were sitting in the living room. They asked about his absence from school, and he offered a simple white lie—something about feeling under the weather.

Besides he would meet them everyday to dine with them even during the previous retreat. They seemed to buy it, and he joined them on the couch, watching TV and chatting idly. Later, he ate a hearty meal, savoring every bite.

His parents had recently purchased qi beast meat through an online sale, a rare treat that added a nice boost to his ongoing treatment. The rich, energy-dense food complemented his cultivation perfectly, and he made sure to eat his fill.

After dinner, he returned to his room and immediately entered meditation. Using a small portion of his qi, he enveloped his body in a silencing technique, masking any outward fluctuations. The rest of his qi circulated through his meridians, following the intricate pathways of his cultivation technique.

"Bone like iron, tendons like steel; skin refined by the fire of will," he murmured, visualizing the changes occurring within his body. "Qi saturates the flesh, bringing life to every cell, forging the body into a temple of power."

"Each strike carries the breath of life, each stance roots to the depths of the earth. Through steady practice, the Bright Force is no longer hidden but shines as a beacon of mastery."

"Visualize the dragon coiling in your core, the tiger prowling in your limbs. The spirit commands, the qi obeys, and the body executes without hesitation."

To an outside observer, Han Chen appeared completely ordinary. But inside, a glorious transformation was underway. His life essence had achieved harmony, circulating in a steady rhythm that marked the completion of the first stage of his cultivation. Now, he was ready to take the next step.

As he meditated, his spirit resonated with the movement of his qi mechanism. A faint dao yun aura began to emanate from his body, growing thicker and more pronounced with each passing moment. He visualized the laws he had learned during the God Transformation stage in his past life, drawing on his understanding of elemental rules and the great dao.

Though no breath escaped his lips, the dao yun aura around him became dense and tangible. Combined with the optimized Ming Jin realm arts he had created—a unique sutra tailored to the human body—this process triggered a qualitative transformation. His Ming Jin qi was refined multiple times over, each cycle pushing him closer to his limits. Efficiency of refinement went over a thousand times due to this and his growth in the realm was fast.

"The energy is mild and inclusive, generated within the body," he thought, feeling the flow of qi through his meridians. "Only those in a spiritual energy environment have mutated energy conduits or spiritual roots capable of refining such heavy aura in this stage."

But even with this progress, Han Chen knew he was still far from his ultimate goal. "The energy I have isn't enough to resonate with dao rules and cultivate immortal laws," he mused.

"Perhaps I'll have better luck once I reach the Transformative Jin realm. If only I could simulate it all the time… but my body, simply doesn't produce enough energy to convert into life essence."

He sighed inwardly. If he could, martial arts cultivation would feel like riding a divine dragon ascending to the heavens—or, in modern terms, like riding a rocket.

Life seemed to settle into a normal routine after my breakthrough, but things were far from simple. The senior high school entrance exams were coming up, and the final three years of school had begun. Our class got two new students, and one of them was Zhao Lin.

I recognized him right away. He walked with confidence, almost arrogance, and had a smirk that made it clear he thought he was better than everyone else. He came up to me, pretending to want to exchange notes with the top student, but his real goal was to dig for information about my family and my father's business. It felt to me like he was judging my toughness or something.

The Zhao family was known for being sneaky, and I could tell he'd already done some digging about me. Then there was Xu Qing.

She had become unpredictable. This one-year time made significant changes to someone who was always under her control so much so that it made her sometimes clingy, sometimes angry. 

She complained constantly about how distant I'd become. "You've changed," she'd say, her voice sharp. "You used to care about me." But the person who changed much was not only me. She started borrowing money from me, small amounts at first, but it was clear she wasn't planning to pay me back. I couldn't understand, she has money and a good family what sort of enjoyment is this? I started avoiding her recently. May be due to that. Then, one day after class, she cornered me in a quiet spot in class.

I paused, glancing at her. Her usual confidence was gone, replaced by an uncharacteristic vulnerability. The noise in the classroom also faded by a few layers. I could feel many glares and curious glances to here. I felt annoyed deep down. 

"Han, I… I like you," she said, her voice soft and shaky. "I want us to be together just like we promised."

Initially, I wanted to laugh out aloud, but seeing the expectant eyes of her, I took a deep breath. I remembered how she'd rejected me in the past life, telling me we should just remain strangers and it would be best for both of them. But then, before that I confessed to her first, now she did back.

"Xu Qing," I said calmly, "you once told me we should stay friends. I think that's still the best choice for us.

By the way, I appreciate your courage to tell me this."

Her eyes widened, and her face turned red with anger. "You've changed!" she snapped. "You used to be so sweet, so caring. Now you're cold and distant. What about our promises? Is this some kind of game to you?

Oh, I know, you must be proud that your grades are high and results in sports, right? Do you think you're better than everyone else now?"

I shook my head running a hand through my hair. "It's not about that. You have a bright future ahead of you—acting classes, family support, everything you need to succeed. But me? I don't have that kind of safety net. If I don't work hard now, I'll have nothing. We're on different paths, Xu Qing."

" Then why do you act like a distant person? Do you forget the promises we made? Or is it about the money I borrowed?"

" No, none of it. I simply don't wish to get into trouble. Call me what you will, Xu Qing. But I know this: relationships like ours don't last in the world we're headed for. Your family won't allow it. And eventually… you won't want it either."

Her eyes glistened with unshed tears, but her voice was sharp. "So, what? You're just going to push everyone away? Push me away? Do you even care about how I feel?"

I didn't reply. For a moment I exuded the coldness in my eyes. The anger I had to another version of her is on the verge of leaking out, taunting me to lash out.

Seeing the blank look in my eyes devoid of any emotions, she looked like she understood. But then her anger flared up again.

"You're just making excuses!" she shouted, her voice breaking. "You're scared, that's all. You're a coward!" She turned and stormed off, leaving me standing there. The classroom was silent for a moment, then the whispers started. Everyone was watching me with judgmental eyes waiting for my reaction, a crack in my façade. But I didn't care.

I went back to my seat and closed my eyes, blocking out the noise. I focused on the flow of energy inside me, the qi moving through my meridians. It was calm and steady, like a quiet river.

As I meditated, I felt something new—a faint, almost invisible energy that seemed to resonate with my spirit. It was like a whisper of the power I'd once known in my past life. For a moment, I could almost feel the elemental laws I'd mastered before.

The mental blockade that had once felt constrained, bound by old emotional chains, began to release. It was as if an ancient shackle that had gripped me through lifetimes had finally untangled itself.

But the moment passed, and I opened my eyes. The classroom was back to normal, the other students chatting and laughing. Zhao Lin walked by, bumping my chair on purpose.

"Weirdo," he muttered under his breath. Society is very against men rejecting confessions, I guess. Looks like he also starts developing interest in her. 

 A faint, almost invisible smile crossed my lips. The room around me faded into irrelevance.