“What is it?” Yu Di asked.

  “It’s an unwritten rule, but an open challenge by the sect leader,” Bai Feng said to Yu Di while focusing on the new cultivation manual.

  After pausing for what seemed like forever, Yu Di gently pushed the manual down from her face.

  “Please continue.”

  “Oh, sorry. I just read another fascinating part. This is really good.”

  “I know. But tell me the faster way to become an Elder.”

  “The open challenge is that whoever solves the stone stele on the upper floor of the fortress will be granted immediate advancement to Grand Elder.” Bai Feng peeked at the paper manual on her lap. “Maybe you can solve it and instantly be a Grand Elder. Then I won’t have to work so hard to be an Elder.”

  That sounded good to Yu Di. If there was one thing he could depend on in cultivation was that he could comprehend better than most. It’s how he became a demigod so fast.

  “Show me.”

  “Yu Lin, we’re going on a field trip,” Bai Feng called out.

  The little girl had disappeared somewhere and Yu Di just noticed. A small fear gripped his heart. How did people raise mortal kids like this?

  “Yu Lin, come out here right now,” Yu Di said.

  Little Lin popped her head out with a bun in each hand. Her mouth was filled with lotus paste. She quickly swallowed the large bite.

  "Sorry auntie Bai, I made a mess."

  “Don’t worry about that. I’ll clean it later.” Bai Feng led the way, her purple shawl swishing behind her.

  It was a long walk to the second level of the fortress. Yu Di could only sigh at the many floors he still had to clean. He looked down at the ground floor and cringed when he noticed that he barely cleaned a tenth of the fortress.

  They passed by many disciples, walking and talking in a more casual manner. It wasn’t as tense as the lower floors with all the training fields.

  Servants in gray tunics like Yu Di shuffled around select groups of people, cleaning up after them and carrying heavy items.

  The only constant among all the disciples and the Elders in green tunics was that they all stopped talking as Bai Feng neared them. As they passed by, Yu Di heard many disparaging comments toward Bai Feng. Some of them mentioned how she seemed too stuck up to join a faction while others commented how she took up a lover to play mommy with Yu Lin.

  Those comments grated on Yu Di’s nerves, but he let them go. These were children. They will talk.

  And when he became the Grand Elder, he would spank all their bottoms until they flowered like peonies in Spring.

  They approached a small section of the fortress attached to the giant crystal platform. A large stone stele with carved words stood at the very center. At a glance, it looked like the giant crystal was protecting the stone stele as they both stood watch over the sect.

  “Baba, the crystal is buzzing,” Yu Lin said. She reached her hand toward the giant crystal.

  Yu Di had to pull her hand back as he noticed his daughter pulling at the Qi in the crystal. The crystal had immense Qi, but he also knew that it would fire upon anyone that tried to drain its power.

  “Don’t take without asking, Yu Lin,” Yu Di said. “I already told you that not everyone is as nice as your father or Senior Bai.”

  “But the buzzing is so loud. It’s asking me to take it.”

  Yu Di focused on the center of the giant crystal. Maybe there was something there that he hadn’t noticed before that pulled people toward it.

  No, it was just a cheap crystal.

  Then again, maybe Yu Lin had a higher attunement to these things than even him. If that was true, her future potential was limitless.

  “It should be fine,” Bai Feng said. “Disciples from all over come here to pull Qi from the crystal. It gives off so much that we wouldn’t do much to it, anyway.”

  Sure enough, at least three other Inner Sect Disciples in purple tunics sat cross-legged, absorbing the Qi directly from the crystal. They were close to a breakthrough like Bai Feng was, but if they practiced that manual, then it would take them another few years at least.

  Yu Di shook his head. He had to remind himself of the difference in Qi density compared to what he was used to. This crystal was probably the most powerful artifact in the region.

  “Well, this is the stone stele,” Bai Feng said. “If you can unravel its mysteries, you could be free today.”

  Yu Di walked up to the stele and squinted at the very top. If only he could still fly. He would float up there to read the words.

  “Baba, I’m going to go play,” Yu Lin said. She shot off like a firecracker toward some of the other disciples. They cheered when they saw her.

  “Do you understand it?” Bai Feng asked.

  Yu Di frowned. He hated doing this.

  The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  “No.”

  “That’s okay. We can keep working on the other plan.”

  “No, that’s not it. I can’t read the very top of the stele. I need you to help me up there.”

  “Oh.” Bai Feng nodded. She pulled out a clam shell from her spatial ring and it expanded in size.

  Yu Di got on with Bai Feng, and they slowly raised up into the sky. He would have taken out his own flying artifact, except he no longer had the Qi to power it.

  Stupid curse.

  “Baba! I want to come too!” Yu Lin shouted from the ground.

  “Ugh, sorry about her,” Yu Di said.

  “It’s fine. She’s ridden on this thing many times before.” Bai Feng waved her right hand, and the shell slowly landed back on the ground.

  Before the shell touched the ground, Yu Lin had already pounced up into the air. The manic smile on her face was both cute and frightening to Yu Di. She flew right at him.

  Bai Feng stepped in and smashed the little girl down onto the shell.

  Yu Lin flopped onto the shell.

  “Remember what we talked about, little Lin. You’re stronger than your father right now. You can hurt him if you jump into him.”

  Yu Lin hid her eyes with her hands.

  “Yes, sorry auntie Bai.”

  “Just remember for next time.”

  The trio slowly rose into the air again until they hovered just in front of the stele.

  “Hey Senior Bai, you got to move. Some of us are trying to study it too,” one of the other disciples yelled up.

  “Oh, sorry!” Bai Feng moved the shell backwards.

  “Why do you let them bully you like that?” Yu Di asked. “When I first started cultivating, I never dared to talk like that to my seniors.”

  Bai Feng shrugged.

  “I have taught most of them. They’re like my children. Besides, I wouldn’t want to irritate another faction in this sect. You know how that is.”

  Yu Di nodded. First day here and he was already on Elder Li’s hate list. If it wasn’t for Elder Gu helping him, he would probably still be sleeping next to the toilets in that abominable prison cell.

  “Let’s focus on this stele. If I solve it, all our problems go away.”

  “Baba, I want to go down,” Yu Lin said.

  “But you just got up and you made Senior Bai get you.”

  “There’s nothing to do here. I want to go down.”

  Yu Di was sorely tempted to pick up his child and toss her from the shell. She would probably survive.

  “I’m sorry Senior Bai, but could you let little Lin down? Otherwise, I don’t think I can concentrate with her here.”

  “Of course.” Bai Feng waved her right hand and down they went again.

  Again, before the shell touched the ground, Yu Lin bounded off in a forward flip, using her Qi to push herself up higher.

  Bai Feng didn’t wait before ascending to the sky again.

  Finally, some peace. Yu Di read through the stele from top to bottom with the help of Bai Feng.

  “This is a masterpiece,” Yu Di said. “Is this from that manual you showed me earlier?”

  “No. Sect Leader Gu Zi wrote it himself. He said it was based on his learnings and that he wanted to share it with the rest of the sect. Whoever can solve it would show a great understanding of cultivation and therefore would be one pillar of the sect.”

  “Sect Leader Gu Zi? Is he related to Elder Gu?”

  “We don’t have an Elder Gu.” Bai Feng knitted her brows.

  “Then the person who helped me on the first day was the sect leader?”

  “If that’s true, then that’s rarer than watching the tanhua bloom.” Bai Feng shrugged. “He keeps to himself and…”

  “What?”

  Bai Feng pointed at something in the distance, wearing a green tunic. It was Sect Leader Gu, staring at them with a smile. He winked and waved before he disappeared into the crowd of disciples that didn’t notice him.

  “That’s the first time I have seen him in over a decade at least,” Bai Feng said. “I wonder why he came out. He usually sends out the Grand Elder to manage the sect.”

  “Maybe I just got lucky, like some of those stories you read.” Yu Di chuckled.

  “I’m not so sure about that. Attention from the sect leader tends to not go over very well.”

  “How come?”

  “You’ve seen the state of our sect. Need I say more?”

  Yu Di understood right away. If the sect leader was someone who was benevolent, then his sect wouldn’t be so keen to kidnap a four-year-old cultivator.

  “Or maybe he’s just come out of some intense closed door training,” Bai Feng said. “I shouldn’t demean our sect leader. Running a sect is very hard.”

  Yu Di didn't hear her. The words pulled him in, particularly one phrase. He read them over and over again.

  The sky stretches without end, space flows beyond form—

  within the chaos,

  the Way moves in silence,

  returning all to stillness."

  It expanded on the idea of the limitless sky and the limitless space beyond. It was so poetically beautiful, yet infinitely complex.

  He thought of his daughter, and for a moment, something clicked in his mind. It was an idea of cultivation that he never would have thought of before if not for little Lin.

  There is infinite chaos in the world that is held together by an infinite order. That no matter how much one tries, one can never truly put order to chaos or vice versa. Just like his daughter. No matter how hard Yu Di tries, he could never bring order to that chaotic little girl.

  Who was standing in front of him, waving her hand at him.

  “Baba! Wake up. Wake up!” Yu Lin’s tiny voice became loud and shrill with every shout.

  Yu Di shook his head and realized it was night. He sat outside of Bai Feng’s home on a large rock, facing the moon.

  “Auntie Bai, he’s awake! Can I have another bun? I want a meat one this time.” Yu Lin ran away from Yu Di in a flash into Bai Feng’s home.

  Bai Feng exited her home with a heavier purple shawl wrapped around her. She passed a bowl of water to Yu Di.

  Yu Di bowed his head in thanks before gulping down the water.

  “Did you solve the puzzle?” Bai Feng asked. Her arms wrapped around herself against the cool night breeze.

  Yu Di put down his bowl and nodded.

  Bai Feng's eyes lit up, her smile wide.

  "Come back in then. We have to celebrate." Bai Feng disappeared back into her home.

  Yu Di stood up and instantly felt the earth moving below his feet. He crashed into the grass.

  For the first time in decades, he felt his cultivation advancement go up. He could feel that he was now only half a step away from the God realm.

  Yu Di took out his jade tablet:

  Current Power: Realm 1, Stage 1, Level 1 (Qi condensation)

  Remaining Lifespan: 18 years, 0 months.

  Current Status: Cursed (0.4% lifted)

  Overall Power: Fourth Realm, End Stage, Peak level

  Yu Di laughed.

  He was still cursed.