Chapter 4 – Class B: Bone, Blood, and Burden
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The Outer Sect buzzed with early morning tension. Disciples in gray and blue robes filed through stone paths and sloped bridges, each step a rhythm of discipline.
But Class B was not like the rest.
They trained in a smaller courtyard — one with old statues and deep scars from past battles.
Not everyone was allowed there.
Only the "noteworthy but unstable."
And Kael had just been assigned a place among them.
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"Welcome to the pit," said a tall girl leaning against the wall as Kael arrived. Her hair was silver-black, eyes sharp as glass. "They throw us here when they're not sure whether we're prodigies… or problems."
Kael raised an eyebrow. "And you are?"
"Li Ziyun. Sword path, wind affinity. Try not to bleed too much — the floor stains."
Samuel and Mike stood a few steps behind, assigned to Class C, but allowed to visit.
Jay Jay, already munching on dried pork strips, whispered, "She's scary. I like her."
As Kael stepped into the center, he noticed Ren Shi was already there. The two locked eyes briefly. Ren offered a faint smile, but his grip on his robe tightened.
---
Their instructor arrived: a thin man in a sleeveless martial robe, his arms covered in ancient runes.
"I am Instructor Gai Fei, and I won't waste time. Class B is where potential comes to die, or be forged. Some of you show resonance. Others have odd roots. Some… just confuse the stones."
His eyes briefly met Kael's.
"You'll spar, study, bleed, and break. And if you're lucky, you'll still be here when the sect truly needs you."
He clapped once, and a floating jade slab appeared behind him.
---
"Before we begin, let's address the rumors," Gai Fei said.
"Resonance — what is it?"
Kael perked up.
"Resonance occurs when a disciple's soul echoes with something ancient — a concept, law, or structure beyond mortal comprehension. It means you're either deeply connected to the world's will…" He glanced at Kael again. "…or you're a walking calamity waiting to happen."
Someone snorted. Ren.
"So, Instructor," Li Ziyun asked, "why not test for resonance from the start?"
"Because true resonance is rare. And because the sect fears what it does not control."
---
The rest of the day was brutal.
They trained their Bone Foundation technique — the first true art of Body Refinement.
It required soaking the limbs in cold spirit water, then channeling breath into each joint until it hurt to even breathe.
Kael advanced faster than the rest. Not because he was stronger, but because his body… remembered.
He instinctively adjusted his stance. He exhaled in patterns the others struggled to mimic.
Even Gai Fei narrowed his eyes at one point, scribbling something in his jade slate.
Ren Shi watched from the edge, eyes shadowed.
He doesn't even know what he's doing… and he's still ahead.
Why does he always shine?
---
At lunch, Kael sat under a mossy tree with his friends. Spirit coins had just been distributed — glowing tokens made from compressed essence stones.
Mike flipped one between his fingers. "Three coins for Class C per week. Not bad."
"Class B gets five," Jay Jay said. "And Class A? They get ten. Plus pills. Plus talismans. Must be nice being a genius."
Samuel sighed. "What can we buy with three?"
"Food. Training gear. Maybe one low-tier technique scroll if we save a month's worth."
Kael looked at his coin pouch, then passed one of his own coins to Samuel.
"Here."
Samuel blinked. "Dude. No. I—"
"You'll need new boots before the next trial."
Mike smirked. "Our generous overlord strikes again."
---
As they returned to training, Kael was stopped by a younger boy — a nervous, stammering Tian Wen.
"You—uh—sorry, um, are you Kael?"
Kael nodded. "Yeah. Why?"
Tian hesitated. "I heard you saw something during the ceremony. A memory. Stars. A man."
Kael's eyes sharpened. "Who told you that?"
"Ren," Tian replied. "Said he overheard. Said it might be a spirit echo, or… or something more."
Kael didn't respond.
Tian bowed nervously and scampered off.
---
Later that night, alone in his room, Kael sat in meditation.
The scroll of the Four Realms Before Flight pulsed with heat once more.
He reread the first four stages:
> Body Refinement: 9 stages. Strengthen bone, blood, skin, and breath.
Channel Opening: Open the Soul Sea. Allow mana to circulate.
Spirit Root Awakening: Reveal your elemental affinity. Nature begins to answer.
Core Formation: Cultivate a condensed internal core. 0% to 100%. At full completion, affinity is unlocked — and the body begins to echo with elemental truth.
He traced the final line:
> "Only with a perfect foundation can one walk toward comprehension, celestial realms, and godhood."
Kael clenched his fist.
Then I'll make mine flawless.
---
Meanwhile, in a quiet chamber beneath the sect…
Protector Yan stood before an orb of swirling light.
A flicker of Kael's image passed through it.
"So you are the seed," Yan murmured. "Half-soul of the World Will. Your journey has begun."
He placed his hand on a scroll marked with the symbol of the Dragon Sovereigns.
Then he smiled.
"Let the others try to strike first. I'll be the one to claim you."