I am in the bathroom with my eyes closed, breathing slowly and deeply while maintaining my concentration and watching as the specks of water and Yin Qi float within my sphere of influence, dancing like tiny fireflies but unable to interact with them. Meanwhile, with five of my mental hands, I hold neutral Qi specks in a task that now comes as naturally to me as breathing, while with my sixth hand I draw the Qi specks toward my body as they enter my sphere of influence.

  As I wait for more specs to appear, my mind begins to wander and I start to think about how tedious my days have become lately, trapped in the palace by my mother's orders due to the constant flow of new people in the city because of the whole issue with the opening of the Celestial Fragment of the Sands. I have spent so much time locked up that I have almost finished all the books I bought two months ago at the Golden Pearl Pavilion. And to top it all off, with my new memory, rereading my old books has lost all its charm, as when I start reading them, every word and every page is reproduced in my mind with terrifying accuracy.

  I try hard to push those thoughts aside and focus on my cultivation, a task in which holding onto the specks of Qi has become so easy that it is now as simple as breathing, but despite that, forming a seventh mental hand remains a challenge that eludes me.

  I have tried several times, and although I no longer end up with the intense headaches I suffered at the beginning, the seventh hand simply refuses to take shape. I have considered asking my mother or even Lianhua for help, but their usual responses when I ask them questions, coupled with my father's look of astonishment when I told him I could hold five specks of Qi, make me think that what I am doing is not exactly normal. And so that they cannot answer me and consequently only worry them even more, it is better not to ask them in the first place.

  As I reflect, something unexpected happens. As I absorb a speck of Qi, I feel a shock run through my entire body, as if someone had placed electrodes in every corner of it and was applying an electric current, while at the same time, someone was giving me a deep, synchronized massage that relaxed all my muscles at once. And the strangest thing is that, out of nowhere, information pops into my mind that makes me realize that I have finished Muscle Tempering, and if I continue cultivating, the next step will be the Tempering of Bones and tendons.

  I stop immediately and release all the specks of Qi I was holding as I realize that this is what Lianhua meant when I asked her how one knew when they had finished tempering a part of their body.

  I take a deep breath as I let the strange sensation dissipate, but as I do so, I notice something different, and after a moment of observation, I realize that my sphere of influence has expanded, now reaching a radius of just over a meter and a half. The surprise of this fact overwhelms me, and an idea begins to form in my mind.

  I refocus and begin to collect specks of Qi again as they enter my new sphere of influence until I have six, and after seeing a seventh speck slowly enter my sphere, I determinedly try to grab it. To my amazement, I manage to form it effortlessly and grab the speck of Qi.

  Excited by this progress, I decide to try a little more and wait for an eighth speck to appear. When it does, I try to hold it, but a familiar pain in my mind stops me, so, resigned, I stop trying and let go of all the specks. And although I am now almost certain that the number of specks I can grasp is somehow limited by my cultivation, to confirm that I will have to do more tests, but for today I think I have achieved enough.

  I slowly open my eyes to observe the now familiar scene in the bathroom. The feeling of triumph I still have is mixed with discomfort as I notice that my skin is covered with a thick layer of impurities. Only in my first Skin Tempering, which is the first tempering session, do I remember expelling more. But for now, all I can do is wait for Lianhua to return, but seeing that the tub is already full, I don't think it will be long.

  But as I wait, an impulse takes hold of me, and although I don't want to get my hopes up, I tell myself that at least I have to try. I focus on my legs and, concentrating as hard as I can, I try to move them, or at least move a single toe, but no matter how hard I try, I can't do it, which, even though I already imagined that this would happen, still leaves me feeling disappointed.

  The sound of the door opening pulls me out of my thoughts, and I look up to see Lianhua entering the bathroom just in time to see her expression change from neutral to a mixture of surprise and amazement as she notices my condition.

  Lianhua blinks a couple of times before regaining her composure and giving me a small smile as she says “Congratulations, Zhāohuán Wen, on finishing Muscle Tempering. But for now, wait here a moment, I'll be right back."

  Before I can say anything else, Lianhua leaves the bathroom, closing the door behind her. Less than two minutes later, she returns and says to me as she begins to undress, leaving her clothes neatly folded in a corner “Sorry for the delay."

  "Did you know I had finished Muscle Tempering because of the amount of impurities?" I ask her as I watch her take off the last piece of clothing.

  "Yes, it's a clear sign. Although each person is different, there are always many impurities in the early stages of Body Tempering”, she replies as she approaches me, now completely naked. Without hesitation, she picks me up, staining herself with the impurities covering my body, and carefully puts me in the tub.

  Lianhua enters after me without showing the slightest discomfort and begins to clean me patiently as she continues to wash me "The first three stages are the dirtiest. In the last two, the impurities are usually much less."

  Seizing the moment, I decide to bring up something I've been thinking about for a while "Lianhua, my mother told me that I no longer need to do the leg exercises after finishing the Muscle Tempering, but I'd like to continue doing them for a while. Maybe that will help me gain some muscle mass."

  This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

  Lianhua gives me a serious look before smiling slightly and saying “If that's what you want, I'll be happy to help you."

  As she continues to clean me, someone knocks on the door and a maid's voice is heard from the other side “Fei Yi Lianhua, we have brought the bathtub you requested."

  "Come in”, replies Lianhua without stopping washing me.

  The door opens and a maid appears, followed by two Nei Wei carrying a tub full of water. I see how the Nei Wei try not to look at us as they place the tub on the floor. After leaving it on the floor, they quickly leave the bathroom and the maid closes the door behind them with a quick movement.

  "Did you ask for another tub?" I ask, looking at Lianhua curiously.

  "Yes”, she replies, pointing to the tub we are in. "One wasn't going to be enough."

  I look at the state of the water and can't help but agree with her. After a few more minutes of cleaning, Lianhua seems satisfied with the progress and stands up, getting out of the tub. She carefully lifts me out of the dirty water and puts me in the other tub.

  As Lianhua puts me in the new tub, I can't help but gasp in surprise when I notice that the water is cold.

  Lianhua, as if she feels nothing, gets in after me and starts washing me again. Seeing her so calm, I decide to solve the mystery that has been haunting me since the incident with my father "Lianhua, doesn't the cold affect you?"

  "As one advances in cultivation, certain stages increase resistance to temperature variations as long as they are not too extreme”, she explains as she finishes cleaning me with clean water.

  "Are those stages the door openings you're doing?" I ask, remembering the breakfast when she told us she had opened her fourth door.

  "Yes, but you should stop asking me”, she replies with a slightly amused tone. "You know Guifei Xiang doesn't like me telling you things about cultivation."

  "Sometimes it seems like you work more for my mother than for me!" I protest, grumbling after hearing her answer.

  "Technically, even though I am your Fei Yi, until you have your coming-of-age ceremony at fourteen, I am supervised by Guifei Xiang”, she replies with a calmness that irritates me a little.

  "How unfair this all is!" I mutter under my breath as Lianhua finishes washing me.

  When she is finally satisfied, she gets out of the tub and pulls me out too. She quickly dries us off before dressing us, after which Lianhua settles me into my chair and begins to push it toward the bathroom exit.

  "I told Guifei Xiang we'd be late for breakfast, so they're probably still waiting for us”, she says with a slight smile.

  Lianhua pushes my chair through the dining room door, and as we enter, I see my mother, Lingxi, and Xia already seated in their usual places. My mother looks up at me as I enter and smiles slightly.

  "Congratulations on completing your Muscle Tempering, Wen”, she says in a calm voice, but one that is full of pride.

  "Congratulations, Wen!" Xia exclaims enthusiastically.

  A soft laugh escapes my lips, but before I can respond, Lianhua settles me at the table and pulls out my chair as I say to Xia “Thank you."

  Before I can continue the conversation, Xia grabs one of the buns on the table with both hands and exclaims excitedly “And the best thing we can do is celebrate by eating!"

  I can't help but laugh at the little glutton's enthusiasm, and like the rest, I start to eat.

  As I take a sip of tea, my mother breaks the silence “Wen, I wanted to talk to you about something. The governor is organizing a martial arts tournament to grant entry slots to the Celestial Fragment. We have to go to at least the opening ceremony and the final, but I wanted to know if you also want to go on the other days."

  I look at her in disbelief and, setting my cup aside, ask “Why is there a tournament for that? Can't anyone who wants to enter the Fragment?"

  My mother's face hardens slightly as she looks at me with a raised eyebrow and says “When you went to ask about the Fragment behind my back and without asking permission, didn't they tell you anything about it?"

  Her tone puts me on the defensive, but I maintain my composure and return her gaze as I reply “Among all the things they told me, Mother, they didn't mention anything about a tournament or a limit on the number of people."

  She sighs as she sets her teacup on the table with a controlled movement and says to me “Listen, the Celestial Fragment has a limitation; only 5,000 people can enter. Once that number is reached, anyone who tries to cross the entrance simply cannot do so."

  My eyes widen at this, but before I can say anything, my mother continues her explanation “Of those 5,000 places, 100 are reserved for the imperial family, and 900 are distributed among the governor and the most important families in the region."

  At that moment, I notice Xia's hand pause just before taking another bun. For a moment, her expression reflects a slight sadness, although she finally takes it and eats it silently.

  Internally, I complain about my mother's lack of tact in front of Xia, but I say nothing, and my mother, after taking another sip of tea, looks directly at me and says “And before you ask, no, you can't use the imperial family's seats. You're too young, and with your condition, it would be too risky, even with an escort."

  I click my tongue in disappointment, knowing that my mother knows me too well.

  "For the remaining spots, we have to choose the people who can enter”, my mother continues. "At first, they simply charged an entrance fee, but a former governor had the idea of organizing a tournament and charging for participation, whether or not the participant won a spot. It was so successful that all subsequent governors have followed suit, as it is an effective way to fill the city's coffers."

  "So, if they need a tournament to choose 4,000 people, how many show up for the tournament?" I ask curiously.

  "According to the governor, who likes to brag, more than 20,000 participants registered for the last opening”, my mother replied with a small, ironic smile.

  My eyes widen as I say “More than 20,000! No wonder they charge to participate. With that many people, it's at least five times more profitable than simply charging for admission."

  My mother nods slightly, but then looks at me seriously and asks again “But going back to my original question, I want to know if you plan to attend the rest of the tournament in addition to the opening and the final."

  "No, I'm not interested in watching a bunch of people fight”, I reply honestly as I take another sip of tea.

  "All right”, my mother says calmly. "I'll let the governor know. The tournament starts in five days and will last approximately two months."

  After hearing that, I can't help but internally praise the governor who came up with the tournament. Not only does it make them money from the registration fees, but it also has thousands of people spending money in the city for two months, generating taxes with all that spending. But I quickly return to the conversation and ask my mother “What am I supposed to do at the opening ceremony? It's so close that I'm worried I won't be prepared."

  "You don't have to worry”, my mother says with a reassuring smile. "You just have to be there. I'll take care of everything else."

  Her words reassure me, and I nod my head and say “Thank you, Mom."

  The rest of breakfast passes in relative tranquility. When we finish, my mother and Lingxi get up to leave the dining room.

  "Lianhua, take me to the Nei Wei training area”, I say once they have left the room.

  Lianhua raises an eyebrow curiously, but says nothing as she pushes my chair into the hallway. I have tests to do to see how much my body has really changed.