And so my life on the path of cultivation truly began. I could feel nothing at first, only my hesitant breathing, but my uncle assured me this is the right path and so i prevailed.

  “This is the way, little one, Believe in yourself.“

  Every morning found me stumbling out of bed before the sun’s first light. I practiced the basic breathing techniques and stances my uncle had taught me. My mother would slip into the backyard and whisper words of encouragement. My father always stood behind her, arms folded but eyes shining with pride. Their presence gave me courage when tremors ran through my legs or doubt filled my heart. Night after night I fell into restless sleep, muscles aching, mind racing with the memory of my training.

  I don’t know whether it was sheer perseverance, natural aptitude, or a blessing of both, but only after one week I felt it. Empty and yet full, ephemeral and yet undeniably real, a thin strand of energy flowed through my small frame. I held my breath as it brushed my spine, then it slipped away. For the first time in my life, I had touched the world’s living force—ki.

  With that spark, my resolve ignited. I trained longer each morning, until exhaustion became my only companion. Occasionally the ki returned carving hidden pathways along my body.

  When my uncle returned one month later, he found me collapsed in the backyard, sweat covering my body.

  He knelt beside me, “Little boy,” he breathed, “you have already begun carving your first meridians without any guidance. Pure instinct flows through your veins. You are an elite among elites.”

  My uncle ruffled my hair proudly. “What you have achieved today is the first step toward Qi Condensation. Soon, you will no longer be mere mortal. But to complete this stage, you must open and connect all twelve meridians to your dantian, the energy center below your navel. Most soldiers never unlock more than a handful of meridians; they use their ki only to harden muscle and bone. But you, at this astonishing pace, I foresee you entering the first layer of Qi Condensation before the season’s turn.”

  He told me it had taken him a year to carve his own first meridian, and two decades more to reach the eighth layer of Qi Condensation. “Work hard, little Skolar. In less than a decade, you will surely surpass me.”

  Even though my soul was sealed, enough power was seeping through to enhance my focus and heighten my awareness of the natural world, which in turn significantly boosted my cultivation. Sure, I still had to put in the effort, but any advantage was gladly welcomed. Thanks to my strong soul I was able to progress much faster it was all that mattered to me.

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  Triggered by my uncle’s faith, and supported by my parents’ love, I decided broaden my studies. I devoured scrolls on History, traced maps in Geography, puzzled over the intricacies of Economy, and debated the laws of our kingdom’s Politics. Tutors filled our halls from dawn until dusk. My relatives scolded my parents, calling them reckless. They claimed there was no guarantee I’d ever amount to anything. But my parents saw potential where others saw risk. They invested everything they had in my education, certain that one day I would lift our family to greatness.

  All my days blurred into a similar pattern. Mornings i would spend in ki cultivation slowly developing my meridians until my body was to tired to go further. Afternoon was dedicated to the lessons handled by my tutors. I was the first in my clan to benefit from such an education and my parents never faltered in their devotion regardless of our relatives disapproval.

  Just a month before my fourth birthday, I finally managed to connect my twelve primary meridians to my dantian area. For the first time, ki surged in a uniform current through my limbs and torso, settling into the dantian. At this point in time I had been cultivating for almost a year. My body, though still that of a child, had grown leaner, swifter, far stronger than any other boy my age. I felt it every time I lifted a heavy log or outran a startled dog in the courtyard.

  My uncle declared with solemn pride: “You are now officially recognized as a Qi Condensation Cultivator of the First Layer. Only one in ten soldiers ever reach this threshold; the rest remain bound to mundane strength cultivation, their dantian forever dormant.”

  He turned to my parents. “From now on, he will not train at home. I will take him to the city barracks to train with the children of nobles. There, he will develop much faster than training by himself.”

  My parents exchanged anxious looks. “He is still so young, brother Sondras,” my father objected.

  “Can he not spend a few more years under our care?”

  “He could,” my uncle agreed gently. “But these early years are the keystone of his life. At four, he is as malleable as fresh clay. I was ten before I reached his level. Imagine what he might achieve by the age of ten! Every day now is worth a year later. If he begins training in the barracks with the nobles, where the competition is fierce, reaching Foundation level will almost be a certainty.”

  “Foundation level guaranteed? Our son?” my mother whispered in wonder. “Elder Mogor is at Foundation level, but he has lived for more than century and led our village for decades. This sounds like a dream, brother. Can our son really be this talented?”

  My uncle only smiled, placing a firm hand on my mother’s shoulder.

  "I'll tell you this, Akoto. If your boy continues to work as hard in the future, it's certain he'll surpass everyone in this clan. We will merely be a stepping stone on his path to immortality.

  Do you understand what that means? You must let him go. Sooner is better."