Shadowwwing

7. What Even Is Cultivation?

Elder Lu paused, placing his cup of tea down on the table before giving Jiang his full attention.

“I suppose we should begin by establishing what you already know about cultivation,” he mused. “I don’t imagine it will be much, but I always find it interesting to see how people’s preconceptions affect their progress. So, then, let’s begin by having you tell me everything you know about Qi.”

Jiang blinked.

“Qi is what cultivators use to do stuff,” he said blu...

6. A Path Offered

Elder Yan had continued to speak.

Jiang barely noticed.

There was a ringing in his ears that wouldn’t stop, muffling the voices around him, the flickering candlelight smearing at the edges of his vision. It felt like his body had turned to stone, heavy and unmoving, yet fragile all the same—like if he let himself think too much, he would crack apart entirely.

He had been right there.

Close enough to see them. Close enough to—what? What woul...

5. Rude Awakenings

Jiang woke to the sound of knuckles rapping sharply against wood. His eyes snapped open, body tense before his mind caught up. A door. Not his door—he wasn’t home. The past two days crashed back into him in an instant, exhaustion weighing heavy on his limbs.

“Boy—wake up! The honoured Elder has demanded your presence.” The voice was muffled through the door, but clearly impatient. A moment later, it slid open without waiting for permission. A middle-aged servant stepped inside...

4. Veiled Intentions

The Azure Sky Sect’s mountain loomed ahead, shrouded in clouds. Lu Heng landed at the outer gates in a controlled descent, his robes settling around him as he strode past the disciples manning the gates.

The Sect’s inner halls bustled at all hours of the day – disciples sparring in open courtyards, others meditating in quiet alcoves, elders moving with measured purpose. Lu Heng ignored it all, making his way to the Grand Hall. He had already called for a meeting using the sending ...

3. Hollow Promises

It was almost dawn by the time Jiang finally admitted to himself that the chance he was looking for wasn’t coming.

If he was being totally honest with himself, he had come to the conclusion hours ago, but consciously knowing something was very different to feeling like it was the right choice.

The bandits were too disciplined, too numerous. Even if he had the element of surprise, even if he managed to slip past the perimeter, even if he reached the cages—then what? He had no k...

2. Bitter Harvest

There wasn’t time to waste, but all the same, Jiang couldn’t afford to be hasty. 

He forced himself to take a deep breath, closing his eyes and ignoring the shattered bowl and overturned table. He wanted to rage, wanted to sprint out the door, find the bandits, make them hurt… but rage wouldn’t help him here. It may feel good, but it made people reckless and stupid. 

Think. Reason. Plan. Only then should you act.

His father�...

1. Ash and Silence

Jiang Tian knelt in the light dusting of snow, ignoring the damp chill seeping through his trousers with practised ease. He’d been tracking this deer for the last six hours and wasn’t going to let something as banal as being uncomfortable ruin things for him now.

The forest lay still beneath the promise of early winter, its silence broken only by the occasional creak of branches and the whisper of the wind through bare trees. The air was crisp and dry, tinged with the scent of frost...