*Chapter 57: Seeds of the Storm**
The first snow of winter dusted the rebuilt forge's roof as Li Tian faced the villagers in the central square. Twenty-three men and women stood before him, their breath misting in the crisp air—farmers, hunters, weavers, their hands calloused from labor, not combat. Lin fidgeted at the front, clutching a practice dagger carved from star-iron. Meiying leaned against the granary wall, her bow slung across her back, skepticism etched into her scarred face.
"Cultivation isn't about strength," Li Tian began, pacing before them. "It's about control. The qi in your veins, the air, the earth—it's a river. You don't fight it. You *guide* it."
A burly farmer, Haran, crossed his arms. "And if the river drowns us?"
"Then you learn to swim."
Li Tian raised his spatial staff, its surface dulled by weeks of manual labor. With a flick, he channeled a wisp of the Aeternum Core's energy, summoning a sphere of light above his palm. The villagers murmured, some stepping back.
"This is qi," he said. "The same energy that fuels the Flame Emperor's fire and the bandits' cruelty. Today, you'll learn to wield it."
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**The First Lesson: Breath and Bone**
They started with the basics.
Li Tian guided them through the Eight-Cycle Breathing Method, a foundational technique even sect children mastered. The villagers knelt in the frost, their faces reddening as they struggled to synchronize breath and pulse.
"Inhale for four counts," Li Tian instructed. "Hold for seven. Exhale for eight."
Old Yuna coughed violently, doubling over. "This old lung's got more holes than a fishing net. You expect me to hold breath?"
"Adapt the counts. Three in, five hold, six out."
Nearby, Lin hyperventilated, his small frame trembling. Meiying snorted. "Kid's gonna pass out before he channels a spark."
Li Tian crouched beside him. "Slower. Imagine your breath is a thread, weaving through your veins."
By midday, only three villagers had successfully cycled qi: Meiying, whose archer's discipline gave her an edge; a young mother named Lira, her movements precise from years of weaving; and Haran, whose stubbornness somehow steadied his breath.
"Useless," Haran grumbled, staring at his calloused hands. "I can't even light a damn candle."
"Tomorrow," Li Tian promised.
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**The Second Lesson: The Weight of Water**
At dawn, Li Tian led them to the river. The water flowed sluggish and icy, its surface dotted with jagged ice floes.
"Qi responds to intent," he said, filling a wooden bucket. "Lift this using only your breath."
Meiying went first. She closed her eyes, her breathing rhythmic. The bucket trembled, water sloshing over the rim, but didn't rise.
"Focus on the water, not the bucket," Li Tian corrected.
On her third attempt, the bucket levitated a hand's breadth before crashing down. The villagers cheered.
Lin's turn ended with him drenched and shivering. Lira managed a sustained hover, her qi flaring faintly blue—a sign of innate water affinity.
"How?" Haran demanded.
Lira shrugged. "I imagined it was my loom. The threads… they're like currents."
Li Tian filed the observation away. Not everyone would master combat, but specialized roles—scouts, healers, artisans—could form a versatile militia.
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**The Third Lesson: Sparks in the Dark**
A week later, the first spark ignited.
Lin crouched in the forge, star-iron dagger in hand, as Li Tian adjusted his stance. "Qi follows the path of least resistance. Don't force it—*invite* it."
The boy exhaled, his breath fogging the cold air. The dagger's edge flickered, then burst into a pale flame.
"I did it!" Lin yelped, nearly dropping the blade.
Meiying smirked. "Don't set your sleeve on fire, hero."
By nightfall, five others had produced sparks—Haran with earth qi that cracked frozen soil, Lira with water mist, and two hunters who conjured feeble gusts.
"It's something," Meiying admitted, watching Haran levitate a pebble. "But can they stop a bandit?"
"Not yet," Li Tian said. "But they will."
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**The Fourth Lesson: Shadows at the Gate**
The test came unannounced.
A pack of frost-wolves, driven south by hunger, stalked the village's outskirts. Li Tian spotted their tracks at dawn—deep claw marks in the snow, tufts of gray fur snagged on thorns.
He assembled the militia. "You'll face them tonight."
Panicked protests erupted.
"We're not ready!"
"They'll tear us apart!"
Li Tian silenced them with a look. "The wolves don't care if you're ready. The Flame Emperor won't. Train hard now, or die later."
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**The Trial by Frost**
Moonlight bathed the snowfield as the militia took positions. Meiying's archers perched in the watchtower, Lira and the water adepts flanking the gate, Haran's earth users anchoring the rear. Lin trembled beside Li Tian, his dagger's flame sputtering.
"Stay close," Li Tian murmured. "Channel your fear into the blade."
The wolves attacked at midnight—six lean, silver-furred beasts with eyes like frozen venom. Haran's group slammed the earth, creating fissures that tripped the lead wolf. Lira's mist obscured the field, buying Meiying's archers precious seconds.
Lin lunged, dagger blazing. The flame caught a wolf's pelt, igniting it in a howling pyre.
"Fall back!" Li Tian ordered as the pack regrouped.
Meiying's arrows pinned two wolves, their icy blood steaming in the snow. Haran collapsed a drift onto the alpha, crushing its hind legs.
When the last wolf fled, the militia stood panting, unharmed but shaken.
"We… did it?" Lin whispered.
Haran clapped a hand on his shoulder. "Aye. And we'll do worse to the next bastards who come sniffing."
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**The Unseen Eyes**
At dawn, as the militia celebrated, Li Tian climbed the watchtower. Tracks marred the northern tree line—not wolves, but bootprints. One set paused near the river, the imprint of a Flame Emperor sigil stamped in the ice.
Meiying joined him, her bowstring newly taut. "Scouts?"
"Worse." Li Tian's grip tightened on his staff. "Messengers. They're gauging our strength."
Below, Lin demonstrated his flame dagger to wide-eyed children. Lira mended a torn cloak with threads of water qi.
"They'll come in force," Meiying said.
Li Tian nodded. "And we'll be ready."
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