Shen Yu formed a vigorous routine the upcoming week, every day he would sit on the mossy ground, with his back facing the sun, his brows wrinkled as he looked for the perfect rhythm, a rhythm to finding a resonance with Qi.

The harsh heat and the sun glare would often make him uncomfortable and sweaty, but his persistence was not just a verbal promise, he really kept his word and practiced from dawn to dusk.

It wasn’t easy, to maintain a perfect flow of Qi, so he had to keep in mind that he was just a beginner, or else his impatience would disrupt his practice.

Even so, he rarely felt accomplished, if it weren’t for Kai, who gave him a dose of advice at a regular, Shen Yu would have lost himself before even laying a passable groundwork.

Putting it the hard way, Shen Yu lacked talent, and putting it more softly, Shen Yu was just starting out.

Spiritual Qi was certainly not lacking in the central city, but it took some time to adapt to foreign forces, if not for being assimilated as an elf, Shen Yu would have failed to do even the most basics of basics. At times he would adsorb more than he would release, resulting in the energy dispersing and his meridians hurting as if he had eaten molten iron.

Absorb.

Release.

Absorb.

Release.

The cycle was a simple give and take, but the same took a lot of time to grasp.

Even the slightest mismanagement of this constant rate, would end up hurting him worse than a head first fall.

Once, when he thought he could do it, he tried to practice while moving, but ended up cramping his legs so badly, that Kai had to massage his calf for over a day to give him some respite from the unbearable tingling.

It was worse than ants crawling all over his body, and worse than facing heart palpitations.

Just like at present, the second week was halfway through, and even walking while exchanging Qi got Shen Yu into trouble.

“I can do this, I can do this,” he repeated, but stepped in a shallow pit by mistake, the sudden obstacle disrupting his practice.

He choked, absorbed too much Qi, and his meridian swelled to the point of bursting.

Gasping, Shen Yu found himself losing sight as blood rushed to his head and tears gathered around his eyes, it was so painful that he fell, not knowing how to breathe and rest.

But his previous practice was effective, and slowly with caution, he released the excess Qi that still remained in his meridian.

His thighs hurt so much, it was worse than just unbearable.

While in pain, he felt two broad palms rubbing his thighs for him, and guessed subconsciously that Kai was probably using his previous technique to sooth his muscles, the relief came almost instantly right after.

“It is difficult.” Shen Yu huffed, his tone a bit aggrieved unknowingly, but what he said was not wrong, as a matter of fact, it was really difficult, “I can’t grasp the equilibrium.”

Shen Yu always found himself disrupting the balance after the slightest of startle, which made his progress a bit unclear.

Hearing his low tone Kai gave a short laugh with a fierce look in his eyes, he even pinched the soft left cheek giving Shen Yu a shock, “What? Already giving up?” he asked despite knowing that wasn’t the case.

But who made the little elf so coquettish?

Yes, Kai just felt he was acting cute to gain some sympathy. Although it was a bit cruel to let Shen Yu hurt himself on repeat, Kai was certain there was no other way to cultivate. No cultivator ate soft rice and stayed a salted fish, and he did not want Shen Yu to lag behind.

“…no, I am not giving up…” Shen Yu complained, feeling more and more that Kai was getting more absurd the more they stayed together.

Even if he didn’t read minds, he had a guess on what Kai was thinking everytime he gave him a look or squeezed his cheeks.

…he looked a bit doting?

Shaking his head to get away from such strange thoughts, Shen Yu looked down at the broad yet slender fingers getting back to squeezing his legs.

“I feel better,” he said, “and I am not giving up, it’s just a bit hard…”

“Then keep trying,” Kai suggested as he worked up to the thighs, “don’t panic if you miss a beat, this is just the second week and you have already made it to walking. The last I heard, the quickest learner took an entire year.”

Shen Yu hummed in response, side eyeing that handsome face, “I am pretty sure nobody was in a golden mission when learning.” Meaning, they managed the best with low Qi levels, while Shen Yu got fed with high concentrations of Qi.

Hearing this, Kai gave a small sigh, as if finding Shen Yu amusing.

“Silly kitten… managing a higher concentration of Qi is more difficult than just directing a small wave of Qi. You are already doing good,” then his hands paused massaging his legs as he looked up at Shen Yu with dark eyes, “or do you… not believe me?” he asked in a strange tone, rather pressuring.

In response, Shen Yu turned his head away, lying on the grass that made him itch, “Rub a little harder, still aches,” he mumbled. He wasn’t going to answer that, everyone and their grandmas knew Shen Yu followed Kai with every word he said, and he was more sticky than those couples out there who would blush and hold hands at every turn.

Shen Yu felt that sometimes Kai would have these strange mood swings which lasted for a mere second or two, as if triggered and then forcefully suppressed.

It wasn’t the same as before, where Kai would maintain his usual chatty persona, very comfortable to be around.

Looking at Kai again who had to crouch down to take hold of the other thigh, Shen Yu found himself getting lost in his own thought.

Maybe on purpose, Shen Yu opened his legs to facilitate the massage rather shamelessly. And since he wore shorts, his pale skin looked quite charming in the strong sunlight.

Seeing that Kai had no reaction to it, Shen Yu breathed a sigh of relief. But for some reason, he also felt disappointed, which again made him feel a little angry at himself. Wasn’t he the one running away all the time, why was he feeling disappointed now?

The warm touch of skin contact suddenly brought him back to his senses, and he looked down at Kai with a strange look, considering whether to stop him or let it be, since those hands were heading upwards to a somewhat intimate area. Although the upper thighs were not very private, they were certainly not something one just touched at random.

And maybe Shen Yu himself didn’t realise it, but he did not have any unpleasant reaction to such foreign contact. A while later, Shen Yu sighed to himself, as if he felt he was thinking too much, and closed his eyes. The pain was still there but at least it didn’t hurt like before, it was all because Kai was rather omnipotent with his skills.

A few more minutes passed, and Kai let him go, waking up Shen Yu who had almost fallen asleep. So Shen Yu stood up shakily, getting back to practice as if nothing happened. And nothing did actually.

Kai was a perfect gentleman, and helped him when he was in need.

Thinking this, Shen Yu gave him a rare smile, appreciating his gentleness and initiative. “I am better, you can sit there under the shade. It is somewhat cooler near the trees.”

“I am fine, you go ahead and do your thing. I will just keep watched from here.”

Shen Yu felt a little happy when he heard the hidden concern, but he dared not show it on his face.

“Until it becomes an instinct, keep practicing.” Kai advised when he saw Shen Yu heading back to practice.

“Okay.”

~

Another week passed, and Shen Yu finally learned to walk around with his meridians constantly breathing spiritual Qi.

Every waking hour, when eating, bathing, speaking, Shen Yu would constantly work his meridians. Only when sleeping would he forget to work on it so his practice would get delayed.

By the next month, right before the first gathering, Shen Yu was finally able to master the rhythm he was looking forward to. The absorption and release rate didn’t need to be too slow, the faster the better, just like breathing. But even this was still slow, so Shen Yu counted it to two beats. And later he adjusted to a single beat, since it gave a better response when he worked or moved.

Naturally, Kai noticed the progress, although Shen Yu couldn’t attack or defend just yet, or practice it during combat training, the spiritual Qi was indeed more effective in handling hidden attacks like aura pressure and mental stimulation.

Shen Yu could now handle himself against a 33% aura concentration without breaking into sweat, which had been stuck at 7% without the use of Qi for quite some time now.

On a regular, the aura training would be intensified, and Shen Yu was indeed happy with his development, which to be honest gave him a relief from his previous lack of progress. Having tasted the small step forward, his confidence sored towards Medius Cultivation.

For the first time he got what he deserved. For the first time he practiced with Qi.

He was not totally useless.

~

“This progress is due to heavy Qi concentration, which will give you problems when you leave this place,” Kai reminded one day before Shen Yu went to sleep, “What you need to learn is the control. The finer the control, the better the result in different situations.”

“I understand,” Shen Yu mumbled sleepily, his eyes already closing and his breathing becoming lighter the next second.

Kai chuckled when he saw this scene, a rare fondness in his tone, “Have a good sleep then.”

He himself didn’t sleep at night but laying down to rest for a while was good for his physical health. Kai felt that with time, he would start working according to a daytime schedule, and inevitably his clan members would mock him for converting to sainthood.

~

A/N – I don’t think they are progressing fast, but well, they are a bit sticky in a sense? Hope you like this chapter!! Follow on discord for more!