Chapter Thirteen: The Moonlight That Stirs the Heart in the Month of Qi Refinement

Early the next morning, Hua Feng began his routine cultivation. After sensing the surrounding vital energy, he prepared to follow the introductory guide and draw a strand of energy into his body, channeling it along the meridians through the major acupoints, and finally gathering it in his dantian. After several cycles, the vital energy transformed into true qi, which he could control at will. From that moment, he had stepped into the first level of the Dragon Soaring Technique. The cultivation of vital energy varies from person to person, much like containers of differing capacities—some can hold more, others less.

A few hours later, when Hua Feng felt his body had reached saturation and could absorb no more energy, he opened his eyes. Sensing the qi within himself had grown even denser than before, he felt a quiet happiness—he had grown stronger once again. Glancing at his companions, who had long finished their meditation and now waited for him, Hua Feng couldn’t help but feel a little embarrassed.

Yang Tian and Li Long were both shocked; they had thought themselves already strong, only to find Hua Feng’s absorption of energy lasted more than twice as long as theirs. Wang Yue, in particular, felt embarrassed about having just instructed everyone in meditation—clearly, everyone was already quite formidable, yet he had presumed to teach them. He felt a bit like showing off in front of experts. Still, seeing that no one blamed him, he was quietly moved. Perhaps that was what it meant to be comrades and friends, even if they hadn't known each other for long.

As heirs of martial arts families, their comprehension was naturally high; Li Long shouldn’t find it too hard to catch up with the others. Everyone understood this. Fate and innate talent could not determine the final outcome—what mattered most was one’s diligence and effort. Heaven rewards the diligent; perhaps that was the truth of it.

The Dragon Soaring Technique emphasized gradual progress—impatience and a hunger for quick results were its greatest taboos. Like the way Taiji leverages softness to overcome strength, the technique explained these principles in detail. Soon, the group had memorized the slim contents of the manual. With nothing else to do, the four of them left the dormitory together, saying they’d go moon-gazing to while away their boredom. Walking silently beneath the water-like light of night, they felt a quiet delight in their hearts.

“Why don’t we test out how our qi flows now?” Li Long suggested.

“Exactly what I was thinking. Brothers, shall we see how our agility skills fare?” Yang Tian said, his face lighting up.

“What are we waiting for? Let’s use the camp’s wooden rail as our course—the first to finish a lap wins. Hua Feng, you be the judge.” Seeing Hua Feng’s dissatisfied expression, Li Long laughed, “What can we do? You’re the strongest among us—let us have a turn in the spotlight.” Since no one objected, the contest began.

They leaped atop the fence. The wooden posts were reminiscent of the plum blossom stakes at Shaolin Temple, scattered around the camp’s perimeter, forming a circuit of about ten kilometers. They were usually used to train balance.

Hua Feng tried gathering a surge of qi in his legs, slowly building up power, feeling strength coursing through his body—like a leopard poised to spring, or an arrow loosed from the bow, he shot up onto a high platform, overlooking the entire course. At his signal, the others sprang into action. Li Long knew that agility, like running, required a single burst of energy at first, followed by waning strength. It was unwise to go all out at the start—the final moment was crucial. Though it was just a friendly contest among brothers, Li Long, accustomed to winning, always gave his all, and he intended to win this time, too.

Watching his brothers racing below like the wind, Hua Feng felt a surge of joy. At the moment, Yang Tian was in first, Wang Yue second, Li Long third. Each leap covered over thirty meters, their speed ever increasing.

Though their pace was swift, for Hua Feng—with his level twenty-one king-rank supply of vital energy—keeping up was a trivial matter. But as he ran, his thoughts suddenly turned to Yun Meng. He wondered what she was doing at that moment. Though he longed to spend every day and night by her side, right now, strengthening himself was paramount. Hua Feng sensed that a great storm was approaching.

Wang Yue, Yang Tian, and Li Long all shared a common astonishment at this moment: for the first time, they realized how light and agile their bodies had become. The pull of gravity felt greatly diminished.

Even in this initial stage of qi refining, the results were already evident.

Under the moonlight, Wang Yue couldn’t help imagining how dashing and graceful their leaping figures must appear. He thought to himself: if only Shuang Ning were here! Distracted by the thought, he nearly slipped off a post. Li Long, behind him, called out with concern, “Hey, are you alright?”

“I’m fine!” Wang Yue replied. Hua Feng also noticed what had happened, dropped down to check on Sun Tao, and seeing that all was well, rose into the air again to keep pace with the group. Focusing his mind, Wang Yue caught up once more. After about eight kilometers, Yang Tian’s movements began to slow, while Li Long, having conserved his strength, did not feel exhausted, though this was his first time dashing like this and he felt somewhat unsteady. Beads of sweat quietly formed on their foreheads.

With five hundred meters to go, Li Long and Wang Yue simultaneously surged forward. Li Long quickly overtook both Wang Yue and Yang Tian. Wang Yue tried desperately to retake the lead but found his qi spent. From above, Hua Feng could only watch anxiously, while Yang Tian, with his family inheritance, sometimes managed to surge ahead.

In the final hundred-meter sprint, Li Long reached first, Yang Tian just behind him, then Wang Yue. The outcome was clear. Zhang Yu, waiting at the starting point, was watching them intently.

Suddenly, Yang Tian accelerated, leaping onto the finish post at the same time as Li Long. They exchanged a smile, tapped the post lightly, and landed gracefully. Wang Yue and then Hua Feng soon caught up.

Hua Feng didn’t feel at all fatigued, but the others had nearly exhausted their qi. Under the bright moon, the brothers’ little contest came to a satisfying close. Only then did Hua Feng notice that, at some point, several young women had gathered at the field’s edge—and each was strikingly beautiful. Their bright, shining eyes, graceful figures, and fair skin drew the gaze inevitably. The group, fresh from their run, stared in amazement.

Seeing their dazed expressions, Wang Yuxuan covered her mouth and laughed. “Your skills have truly opened our eyes, seniors. It’s wonderful to be able to train with you. Oh, I almost forgot—this is Bai Lu from Camp Three.” As she spoke, she gestured to a lovely girl in white pajamas.

“Hello!” Bai Lu greeted them with a smile.

“And this is Yang Qing, and beside her is Wang Yaxin.” Following Wang Yuxuan’s gesture, they saw two girls in pink casual wear, each with a unique charm.

“Hello! Just call me Xiaoqing from now on!”

“Nice to meet you all. Let’s help each other from now on! I look forward to learning together,” Wang Yaxin said with a smile.

“I’m Vico from Shanghai. Though I’m not Chinese, my mother is Chinese and my father is Filipino, so I suppose I’m half Chinese too,” said a pretty girl with coffee-colored skin.

“Well, from now on, we’re all friends. And, just so you know, except for Yang Qing, the rest of us are single!” Bai Lu joked. Yang Qing and the others were clearly used to Bai Lu’s playful nature, but still blushed in embarrassment.

“Don’t worry, if you need anything, just come to us.” Hua Feng patted his chest. Then, as if realizing something, he noticed Xiao Meng was not among them, but had no time to dwell. Yang Tian and the others jumped in eagerly:

“Hua Feng is right. Whatever you need, if we can help, we’ll do our utmost for such lovely ladies!”

“That’s wonderful! Thank you in advance, seniors! Oh, and tomorrow evening we’re having a mixer for the new recruits at Dragon Soaring Camp—don’t forget to come!” Bai Lu said with a smile to Zhang Yu and the others. Seeing them nod in agreement, Bai Lu smiled with satisfaction. Wang Yuxuan and the others looked as if their mission was complete.

“It’s getting late—let’s meet again tomorrow! Everyone should get some rest for the next day’s training,” Hua Feng said with a gentle smile.

They exchanged contact information, bade farewell to the young women, and each returned to their quarters.