Chapter 3 - Beginning

Mao Shuhai stared back at her rippling reflection in the bowl of honeyed soup thoughtfully. Her long black hair cascaded around her shoulders, now free of filth from the tumbles and foraging she had recently undertaken. Her eyes were somewhat dazed, but still softly shone a mesmerizing amber colour. The ends of her eyes were slanted upwards, giving her the evil and cunning appearance she had long been gossiped about for. Her cheeks were thinner than she remembered them being, but the reason for that was obvious, she just hadn't gotten a good look at herself in a while.

It had been a few days since she had arrived in this place, which she now knew was called Herong Courtyard by Mao Qing. She had been cared for startlingly well, with plentiful meals, prepared baths and new clothes(albeit they were for males and were a size too big for her). It was practically better than the treatment she used to receive at home.

Her body had been revitalized, her qi had been replenished and she felt stronger than ever. Mao Shuhai suspected healing spiritual herbs had been mixed into her food, as she doubted she could heal this fast on her lonesome. Her body had always been annoyingly weak and susceptible, so she was particularly suspect of this point.

However, this was clearly done with no malicious intent. Over the last few days, her suspicions of Mao Qing being an enemy had dissipated a lot. They had not vanished of course, but what kind of intricate plot would it be to involve taking home the neglected daughter of a fallen clan, save her life and feed her rare spiritual herbs? The chance was there, and she doubted she'd fully trust him anytime soon, but it was enough for her to be immensely grateful to him.

Mao Qing himself was a strange existence to her. He called her his granddaughter and pampered her dotingly, seemingly like how a finally-reunited grandfather would, but now that Mao Shuhai's mind was at its full potential, she knew very well that there was no Mao Qing in her family register.

She wasn't planning on calling him out on this, but it definitely added to her suspicions.

Despite all these thoughts about the mysterious old man who was taking care of her, whilst recuperating in bed, she had actually spent more time pondering her future plans. Her path forward was no longer as straightforward as she thought it had been, now that she had time to properly think.

It wouldn't be easy to go back to the capital, not only because of the valley of dangerous beasts but also due to her family.

After all, after her most recent betrayal, pretences between each and every family member of hers had been cut. Her clan might be a fallen one and has deteriorated over recent generations, but it still had more than enough power to stop a little girl from returning home. Whether she'd be ambushed on the road or run over in a carriage 'accident', she no longer had a home to return to.

If she returned, she would die.

She wasn't sure why her brother had pretended to care for her for so many years, nor why her birthday was the prime time to kill her, but such a tangled web of thoughts was something she didn't want to waste her time on right now. The pain in her heart still hadn't fully settled in after all, it was as if it was slowly sinking into her heart like a torturous arrow.

So the pressing question was, where could she go?

This was something she had little answer for, as she had rarely ever left the residence over the years, much less the capital. She had always been diligently cultivating and learning how to blacksmith, at first to win her father's love and try to make him appreciate her mother more, but later out of genuine interest and ambition. She wanted to become powerful enough to take her mother away from that wretched place, but such a dream was difficult back then as her cultivation materials were restricted and stolen from her on the daily. It was only through blood, sweat and tears that she emerged a young prodigy. But even then, it was not enough.

Perhaps... with her abilities, Mao Shuhai could wander some villages on the outskirts of the kingdom and try to find a home there. She could have a peaceful life amidst the snowy fields, away from all the chaotic power struggles elsewhere in the world, but... was that what she wanted?

No. It was not.

She wanted vengeance. Not only for herself and her mother but also for her close friends. Wang Aiying, Lei Xinyi, Xu Tao and Lai Taizhi. She craved the power to protect them all and save them from their sufferings, as they tried to for hers. Also... she genuinely wanted to become a great blacksmith and study inscriptions.

So if the safe route was unwanted, it seems only by taking risks would she walk forward again.

Clenching her fists, she pulled herself out of bed with her empty dishes and walked towards the kitchen to wash up, the gears in her head turning as she moved.

---

"Grandfather, may I have a moment of your time?" Mao Shuhai peeked around the corner and inquired calmly, her eyes as still as lake water.

"Yes, of course, Shuhai. Come sit." Mao Qing smiled as gently as ever, looking up from the book he was reading as he leant back in his chair.

Politely, she sat on the little stool across from him and looked him in the eye before speaking again.

"Can I stay here for a while longer?"

The old man's dark eyes flickered for a moment before returning to their usual gentle look.

"...How long?"

"Five years."

Mao Shuhai spoke resolutely and sincerely, staring determinedly back at Mao Qing's probing gaze. This was a gamble, but out of all the options she had pondered, this seemed to be the best one.

The Valley of Death was close to the capital, but few dared to venture through it. She doubted her clan would spare even a thought to try and confirm her body in such a place.

Also, as risky as it may be, it was a prime place to push herself to the limit and train herself. She could cultivate in peace, with only a mysterious old man living with her in Herong Courtyard. She could also take her time furthering her blacksmith studies, seeing as she still had a few advanced guidebooks stored in her spatial space. Also, the materials in such a valley would be bountiful and most likely uncommon/rare, which fueled her ambitions.

However, she knew that this path was very dangerous. If she entered a perilous situation, which would be common in such a place, there was no certainty that Mao Qing would save her.

But... no risk, no reward. She was used to living life on the edge of death. If she didn't push forward now, she would regret it.

For a little while, there was nothing but silence, as Mao Qing leant against his hand and expressionlessly stared at her.

"Fine... but I have two conditions. Firstly, I will set tasks for you to complete every week. If you fail them you leave. I do not want to keep a freeloading, trouble-making granddaughter here in the Valley of Death afterall."

He began whilst stroking his beard with a slight chuckle.

"And secondly, you can only stay if you tell me your story." He suddenly smiled softly, the wrinkles on his face giving him a warm appearance.

But it was such an expression that made Mao Shuhai most wary. She had no idea what he was thinking, but... she at least owed this much to him. There wasn't exactly much of her life history that could be used against her down here anyway... so she gave him a little summary of her life so far.

She told him about most things, apart from her only living weaknesses, which were her childhood friends. Although wary, she was careful not to lie about anything outright, considering how powerful she suspected the person sitting calmly before her was. After all, he was a person that casually lived in the Valley of Death.

Mao Qing's expression remained calm throughout her speech, though Mao Shuhai faintly noticed that the depths of his eyes fluctuated in emotion. She was dismissed afterwards without many words, but the deal was complete and her shelter was secured, so she didn't particularly mind it.

Rather, she had no idea what he was thinking. The fact that he accepted so easily had thrown her off guard, rendering the backup plans she had come up with rather deflating.

Perhaps over these five years, until she'd finally become an adult, she'd grow to understand him. But it'd be a long journey until then.

Somewhat relieved, Mao Shuhai strolled back towards her room to cultivate further and prepare for her first few tasks. She had a feeling that they wouldn't be that simple after all...

---

The next day, Mao Shuhai found herself sitting at a desk in Mao Qing's study, a quaint room surrounded by shelves of books and cabinets. Mao Qing was sat across from her with a book casually in hand as he smiled at her.

Mao Shuhai had flashbacks to her tutoring sessions back at the Mao residence, sitting at a desk obediently like this, but her pondering was cut short as her grandfather began to speak.

"Are you ready for the test?"

"Yes."

She responded promptly, though inside, she pondered what in the world she was about to be questioned on. She was given last-minute notice, just before bed, that she would be undergoing a test today, which needed to be accomplished successfully alongside the rest of her tasks for the week.

She wasn't confident, but she doubted it'd be on anything over the top either considering he had already heard about her background. The subjects that she was mainly lacking in included qin and poetry, which she doubted would be on the list of topics for today's test...

"Then, let us begin."

Mao Qing smiled as he watched her straighten up, before asking the first question.

"What is cultivation?"

Mao Shuhai blinked dumbfoundedly for a moment before quickly gathering her wits and replying.

"Cultivation is the gathering and refining of spiritual qi from the natural world and absorbing it into one's own dantian to raise their spiritual strength and nurture their elemental spirit root."

Without a sign of affirmation or disapproval, Mao Qing continued.

"How does one cultivate?"

"One can cultivate through absorbing natural qi using their spiritual sense, then using the Spirit Flame cultivation technique, which involves condensing and releasing one's qi in a fiery layer surrounding the body. This is the primary technique for not only practising how to circulate, condense, control and release qi on the outskirts of the body but also defending the body in a layer of qi."

"Can?"

"Although this is the main cultivation technique used widely throughout the continent, it is likely that there are different methods out there."

"Hm. Good. Now, what are the stages of cultivation?"

Mao Shuhai's eyes sparkled faintly for a moment as she was praised, somewhat proud that she was acknowledged by someone so powerful.

"Colour/Qi Refinement Stage, Core Formation Stage, Artefact Materialization Stage and Wraith Manifestation Stage, with each stage split into ranks of 1-9. Ranks 1-3 are commonly known as 'early-stage', 4-6 as 'mid-stage', 7-9 as 'late-stage' and at rank 9 just before the breakthrough to the next stage is known as 'peak'."

"Is that all the stages?"

Mao Shuhai paused for a moment, before nodding and speaking again.

"At least to my knowledge."

"Hm, rudimentary, but good enough. Just know that the world of cultivation isn't quite as shallow and clear-cut as this, the waters are deeper and more complex than you might think. But this, you will know with time."

Mao Shuhai's curiosity was undoubtedly piqued, but she merely saved his words in her heart for the future. In cultivation, some things simply couldn't be understood until you reached higher levels. She was still an early-stage qi refiner, merely rank 3, so she had much to learn, and this she understood well.

Mao Qing stroked his beard thoughtfully for a moment before continuing onward.

"Now then, you are a first-rank blacksmith correct? Show me your best work."

Without a word, Mao Shuhai pulled out a strange-looking amulet from her spatial space and put it on the desk in front of her. It wasn't particularly pretty to look at, but it had a small red gem in the centre surrounded by coils of silver and gold.

"...This is a fire-starting pendant I made not too long ago. It is first-grade peak-tier in quality, despite its simple use. It will not rust for at least a decade, and has an additional minor function, through the use of Burning Wood Grass, to make the things it touches more flammable if one pours a little spiritual qi into it."

Mao Qing picked it up as she spoke and scrutinized it carefully, his eyes very focused on the little amulet.

What Mao Shuhai didn't say in her description, however, was that she had received a little help from Lai Taizhi when making this item. It wasn't much, only a few tips considering he had a fire elemental spiritual root, alongside an ice one, and could help her work around the fiery materials she used to craft with.

She also remembered Wang Aiying barging in and watching her work, ready to help her out with a bucket of water in case everything burst into flames.

She missed them. She really did. For so many years, they had seen each other at least once every few days, helping each other through both their troubles and their good times.

She could only pray that their next five years would be good to them.

Snapping out of her thoughts, she noticed that her grandfather had just placed the pendant back onto the desk in front of her.

"...I wasn't expecting your best work to be an original piece. It is good and logically functions just as you said. I have to admit, I'm quite proud to have such an innovative little granddaughter."

Mao Qing chuckled amicably, seeming quite truthful in his confession.

It was common for blacksmiths to simply follow the blueprints for basic weapons/items and refine their skills from there as they rose through the ranks after all.

To be honest, Mao Shuhai wasn't expecting it to be her best work either. Maybe it's because she didn't want to waste the precious fire gem that Lei Xinyi so casually gave her, that she ended up working on it so meticulously.

"However, I can tell that in order to advance further, your fire control needs much work and that your moulding needs to be sharper."

He spoke carefully, causing Mao Shuhai to also listen carefully in response. She knew that her fire control was weak, so hearing someone who seemed to be an expert, considering he claimed to be a blacksmith's clan's relative, confirm this, solidified her thoughts.

"I understand. Thank you, grandfather."

She bowed gently from her seat as she took the pendant back into her spatial ring.

"With this, I have decided on your tasks for the next week. Firstly, hunt down a rank 4 or above Black Boar. Secondly, craft me a second-grade pendant, similar to the one you just showed me. And thirdly, reach rank 4 as a qi refiner. You can use anything in this courtyard to fulfil your tasks."

Mao Qing smiled warmly at her, as he spoke such pressuring words.

Mao Shuhai was rather confused, although she knew that he would not set easy tasks for her to complete... these didn't seem quite like chores for her to do, but rather... training?

Very difficult training at that, if she wanted to even try and accomplish all three of these tasks, she needed to start working straight away.

She had a feeling that they weren't completely impossible for her because she doubted that Mao Qing would do something so... meaningless. After all, from the way he behaved so far, it seemed that many of the things he had done were mysterious but meaningful.

So Mao Shuhai simply chose to believe in herself and push forward on the tough path she had chosen.

---

After borrowing a few books from Mao Qing's study, she quickly dismissed herself and went back to her room to cultivate.

The most logical course of action, in Mao Shuhai's mind at least, was to cultivate first out of all three tasks. This was because higher cultivation would make the other two easier to accomplish since cultivation was a core basis for much in this world.

Blacksmithing items of first-grade and above required the use of spiritual qi, hence better control of this would make crafting many times easier. And for the hunting task, it was quite self-explanatory, the higher your cultivation, the stronger you were. Though challenging a rank 4 spiritual beast whilst only barely reaching rank 4 would still be a challenging ordeal.

She would have to prepare well to even survive, much less hunt it down.

Strangely, despite the fact that Mao Shuhai was already on the verge of being kicked out, considering how absurd each of these three tasks were, she was calm and focused in her mind. Maybe it was because she had already decided to firmly walk on her path forward, that she had no fear of failure, only ambition and determination.

Putting her books on the bedside table for later, she crossed her legs and entered a meditative state atop her little bed.

Slowly, her five senses shut off one by one, allowing her spiritual sense to activate. The world became clear, as her surroundings faded, and she found herself in a blank realm of nothingness.

Gradually, orbs of greenish lights appeared around her, floating aimlessly. Some were greener than others, some more yellow and there were even dots of black, brown and other miscellaneous colours.

This was what natural qi looked like, emanating from the world itself, only able to be seen through one's spiritual sense.

It was common knowledge that the closer the colour of the natural qi was to your own spirit, the easier it was to be absorbed and refined. Hence locations were very important for cultivating speed.

One's spiritual colour very often corresponded with their eye colour, hence Mao Shuhai's spirit was amber.

The more yellow-coloured orbs of spiritual qi floated over to her quicker than the others as she began absorbing and refining the qi around her into her own.

Diligently, she continued this process for many hours, lulled into a rhythmic pace before she decided to briefly enter the spiritual space of her dantian and check on her elemental spirit roots.

The space was dense with her own amber spiritual qi, the light-coloured orbs floating around aimlessly as Mao Shuhai walked towards the location of her spiritual roots.

One of the first tasks any cultivator has to endure is finding their spiritual root within their dantian, as their inner vision of this place is only improved through absorbing spiritual qi. Once found, this root, or less commonly, roots, must be nurtured carefully.

As such, Mao Shuhai was incredibly shaken when she first found her roots years ago, as they were on the verge of death.

Back then, she loathed how much they resembled her. Weak and fragile despite relentlessly trying to survive.

But fortunately, they pulled through and she didn't become an element-less cultivator. By absorbing qi endlessly until she spat blood, she revived her spirit roots, both of them as well, and managed to save her cultivation.

But, even now, they were still weak looking, as Mao Shuhai looked at the thin saplings growing on the floor.

One was a dark vibrant green, her thunder spirit root. Whilst the other was a much paler and lighter-coloured green, which was her wind spirit root.

Although they were weak and thin, their branches were long and reached out in all directions, relentlessly trying to absorb qi and survive, just like her. It seemed that in order to survive, her spiritual roots had thoroughly intertwined with each other, which was interesting to see.

She smiled as she watched some of the qi around her be absorbed by her spiritual roots at a greedy but consistent pace, as she focused on circulating and condensing the qi around her towards the spirit roots.

It was one thing to absorb qi, and another to have elemental prowess with one's qi.

Although she has yet to unlock control of her elements of thunder and wind, which could only begin when reaching mid-stage qi refinement, she was careful to nurture the future sources of her elemental powers regardless.

After some time, Mao Shuhai left her dantian's spiritual space to continue absorbing natural qi.

Time passed by steadily as she focused wholeheartedly on her cultivation, not sparing a moment to eat, drink or sleep.

Was this what closed door cultivation felt like? She had never really had the safe space to do such a thing, leaving her mortal body vulnerable in the secular world with all her senses cut off. She remembered how risky her first few breakthroughs were, done whilst paranoid about a knife entering her back or an arrow flying through her walls.

She was fortunate to have not been interrupted nor receive any backlash during those times.

When she finally felt her absorption speed begin to slow, and the familiar feeling of hitting a barrier in her strength growth appeared, Mao Shuhai poured all her efforts into slowly breaking through the bottleneck.

It was well-known that ascending ranks in cultivation stages was somewhat simple in nature. But ascending stage phases, aka from early-stage(ranks 1-3) to mid-stage(4-6), was harder. Not to mention ascending entire stages themselves, such as from Qi Refinement to Core Formation, which was notoriously difficult.

She felt as if she was crawling through mud with her progress, moving aimlessly at the speed of a snail, but her mind remained meticulous and careful. She scoured the barrier for signs of weakness, as she continued fighting it and blasting it with newly absorbed qi. Faint cracks emerged and relentlessly fixed themselves as she fought, but Mao Shuhai remained consistent and watchful as time passed.

Finally, after who knows how long, she hit the barrier with the same amount of qi, just before sending three other blasts in three different locations full force. They seemed sporadic and random, but as the barrier cracked, it shattered into pieces as Mao Shuhai suddenly came awash with new qi.

She had become a mid-stage, rank 4 qi refiner. But she spent no time marvelling the feeling of her new power as she shut off her spiritual sense, not even testing the powers of her elemental spirit roots yet.

Opening her eyes, Mao Shuhai awakened to see her room just as she left it.

She quickly realized that five whole days had already passed, leaving her very little time for her final two tasks, but she still felt strangely confident and at peace.

After wolfing down a hastily prepared meal, using ingredients from the kitchen and the simplest recipe in a cookery book, she focused her attention on the books she had put on the bedside table before she started her closed door cultivation.

One of them, which was a worn bestiary, had a crinkled piece of yellowed paper wedged within its pages, which after being unfurled, revealed itself to be a map centred around this courtyard.

Various symbols dotted the page, denoting points of interest, but since there was no key it was difficult to decipher what each of the colours and signs meant.

However, all Mao Shuhai needed to see, was the flame symbol atop what seemed to be a cave structure nearby.

In order to re-create her fire pendant, she needed many materials. Fortunately, the storeroom here in Herong Courtyard had many of the basic resources one would need for blacksmithing, including metals, raw ores and resins.

So all she lacked at the moment, was the core of the amulet, the fire-attributed gem. The one for her pendant was gifted by her close friend, so now, she'd have to collect this one by herself.

It didn't necessarily have to be a gem either. If she had a fire spiritual root, she could condense her qi into a fire spiritual crystal, which although more fragile, would function fine. Or, she could hunt down a fire-attributed spiritual beast and use their beast core.

The latter would be most convenient if the Black Boar she hunted coincidentally had a fire spiritual root, but Mao Shuhai didn't like taking chances. So this cave would be where she would head to, as a backup plan of sorts, after her hunting trip.

Speaking of which, Black Boars were a common omnivorous species found in the area, as written in the bestiary. However, considering that they lived widely throughout the Valley of Death, they couldn't be pushovers. 

They had characteristic black fur, long tusks and a long thorned tail which they used to sweep their surroundings. They ranged greatly in size, depending on both their rank and heritage, some reaching mammoth heights.

Danger-wise, they were known for being unexpectedly quick on their feet despite their size and could easily charge and trample a victim to death, or ram them and send them flying.

Unlike other boar-type spirit beasts, Black Boars often travelled solo, which was good news for Mao Shuhai.

With this new knowledge in hand, she set off into the depths of the forest, the same one she was once so afraid of not long ago.