Legend of The Young Master

Chapter 53: Boluo’s Challenge

Wuyi left Boluo's loft, grabbed food from the kitchen — avoiding the dining hall — and retreated to his room. It was cold, dark, and reeked of fouled reeds. He lit a fire and a lamp, then scrubbed the room with hot water and tarragon-flavored vinegar. The room smelled of the herb when he was done.

Exhausted, he collapsed on his bed, pondering which one was the hidden door to Chao's quarters now that he was a Qi initiate — he could figure it out. Then he decided not to bother — he knew Chao would visit when he wanted to; before that, he could not contact him unless Chao desired it.

But that same night, he was jolted awake by the sight of Chao's face, illuminated by lamplight. "You've just enough time to wash and eat before heading to the tower top," Chao said, setting down a kettle of warm water and fresh buns he had from the kitchen.

"I'm not going," Wuyi declared, surprising even himself that he was going to defy both his guardians.

Chao looked genuinely astonished. "Why not?"

"It's futile. I can't succeed. I lack the aptitude, and I'm tired of this relentless struggle. Gao's making me suffer, and I think it's meaningless," Wuyi began, bringing up all the excuses he had thought of for why he should not go back.

His eyes widened. "I thought you were doing well before..."

"Well?" Wuyi scoffed. "Do you think Gao mocks and strikes me as a reward for success? No, I've never grasped the basics. Everyone else has surpassed me. Why should I return? To give Gao another chance to prove he's right?" Wuyi was lying, but he had no desire to endure more of Gao's treatment.

"Something isn't right here," Chao said cautiously. "It's okay, you can go learn; he won't disturb you anymore."

Still, Wuyi hesitated. "I don't want to go. What's the point?"

"You really have no idea, do you?" Chao shook his head.

"About what?"

"About how Boluo dragged Gao out of bed and took him to the dueling platform in the ancestors' halls. I wasn't there, but had I been, I could tell you how Gao initially resisted, cursing and striking at Boluo. But Boluo was unyielding, silently enduring the blows as he gripped Gao by the collar and dragged him along. Warriors, sentries, and courtyard attendants followed, forming a torrent of men.

It was as if Boluo had reverted to his younger self—a man of iron muscles and a fearsome temper. No one dared to intervene. If Boluo still limped, it went unnoticed."

"As for Gao, he flailed and cursed, then grew still. Everyone suspected he was using his Qi to attack Boluo. But if he did, it had no effect, except for Boluo to tighten his grip around Gao's neck. If Gao tried to sway others to his side, he failed. Perhaps being choked and dragged broke his concentration. Or maybe his cultivation isn't as strong as rumored.

Or too many remembered his mistreatment too vividly to be swayed. Or perhaps—"

"Chao, enough! What happened?" Wuyi interrupted, now understanding why Boluo had seemed so pleased when he returned.

"I wasn't there, of course," Chao said, his voice tinged with sweet irony. "But rumor has it that Boluo dragged Gao all the way to the ancestral hall of the Luyao clan. There, with his grip still on Gao so he couldn't speak, Boluo issued his challenge in front of the ancestral shrine. They would fight, hand-to-hand, just as Gao had done with a certain boy the day before.

If Boluo won, it would prove Gao had no right to strike or refuse to teach that boy. Gao would have refused the challenge and appealed to the lord, but Boluo had already invoked the shrine as a witness. So they fought. It was like watching a dragon fight straw—Boluo tossed, stamped, and gored him

When it was over, Boluo whispered something to Gao, leaving him lying there, whimpering and bleeding, with the ancestral shrine as a witness. It was then that everyone, including me, realized Boluo was a Qi Initiate at level 8, while Gao was only at level six. Everyone in the fort had underestimated Boluo, thinking his cultivation had waned.

"What did he say at the end?" Wuyi asked, curious.

"I wasn't there. I saw and heard nothing," Chao replied, standing up and stretching. "You'll be late if you tarry," he added, exiting the room.

Wuyi left his quarters, sighing. He had paid a dear price to leave Gao's teaching.

"Fuc*ing Boluo misunderstands everything," he thought, feeling some sort of pleasure about Boluo punishing Gao. He climbed the tall tower to the cultivator's garden. Despite everything, he was still the first one there. There was no one else, so Wuyi waited, contemplating his next course of action.

He needed to reach Qi adept level as soon as possible, if not Qi master. The manuals Wuyi had access to from Chao only explained the levels up to "Qi master," which was basically the Qi condensation stage. At Qi condensation, he would start to store Qi in his dantian; up until then, it was all about forging his body with Qi, but not much Qi was stored in the body.

Only at Qi condensation could he begin to store it. For the Qi lord stage, it was said that at this stage, the cultivator identifies their affinity Qi and begins the process of absorbing natural and affinity Qi from the environment. The Qi in the dantian begins to turn liquid. This liquid—the purer it is, the better—as it lays the foundation for the cultivator's future journey.

The natural Qi absorbed also transforms into affinity Qi in the dantian. Sometimes, cultivators have an affinity for an element that is not easily available; in such cases, they must convert the natural Qi they absorb and transform it into affinity Qi in the dantian.

Affinity Qi was unique in that aspect. For example, if a cultivator had an affinity for swords, the natural Qi absorbed from the environment would be converted into Sword Qi within their body. However, Sword Qi was not naturally available in the environment, requiring the cultivator to generate it internally.

On the other hand, if a cultivator had an elemental affinity—such as flame, water, or air—they could directly absorb these specific types of Qi from areas where they were naturally abundant.