The sea mist was thicker that morning, clinging to the cliffs in rolling waves. Dew dripped from the leaves, and every breath Lin Feng drew was cool and heavy with moisture.
He sat cross-legged, body still, heart steady. For several days, his practice had followed the same rhythm: water first, then wind. Each time he refined his control, he grew more sensitive to their differences.
Water qi entered slow, steady, grounding.
Wind qi drifted light, quick, elusive.
Both were parts of the storm—yet in his veins, they felt like two strangers unwilling to meet.
Lin Feng extended his hand. Mist curled above his palm, forming into a trembling droplet. Then he breathed slowly, guiding the faint trace of wind qi toward it.
The droplet quivered. The ripple within threatened to scatter. His heart tightened, but he steadied himself. Do not force. Do not grasp.
The wisp of wind circled the droplet. For an instant, water and wind touched. The surface of the droplet rippled, spinning ever so slightly…
Then the balance broke. The water splashed into mist, the wisp of wind scattered. His palm was empty once more.
Silence.
Lin Feng lowered his hand, but no frustration crossed his face. Instead, his lips curved faintly.
"…It moved."
It was only for a heartbeat, but the two had danced together. Proof that union was possible.
He closed his eyes again, sinking into meditation. Hours passed. Again and again he tried—most attempts ending in collapse, but each time the moment of harmony lingered a breath longer. By dusk, the droplet no longer shattered immediately. Sometimes, it would spin like a tiny whirlpool before dissolving.
Exhaustion weighed on his limbs, but inside, his heart felt steady as the tide.
One day, the ripple will become a wave. The breeze will become a gale. And the storm will answer.
...
That night, lanterns burned high in the Azure Tide Sect's great hall. From his hut, Lin Feng saw their faint glow against the dark sky, carried by the sea breeze. Voices drifted, low and heavy, but indistinct.
"…Storm Veins…"
"…trial must be chosen carefully…"
"…too soon, and he will break…"
The words were scattered, carried by the wind, but their weight pressed faintly against the night air.
Lin Feng's lamp flickered as he sat quietly in his hut. He did not know what awaited him, nor what schemes moved in the shadows of the sect.
For now, only the whisper of the waves and the faint breath of wind in his palm accompanied him.