The next morning, Yuanhai and the duo stood in the middle of the training ground, each holding a sword.
"Chi, Yu—first circulate qi beneath your feet," Yuanhai instructed, already channeling his own qi downward.
A faint ripple of air surged under his soles.
"Like this. Then compress the air… and lift yourself up."
Step by step, he demonstrated, rising smoothly off the ground as if the wind itself obeyed him.
Hovering above them, he closed his eyes and said,
"You know, not many people can do this. But this is only the first step. To fly without limits, one must envelop their entire body with qi and—"
He opened his eyes mid-sentence…
…and froze.
His eyes nearly popped out of his skull.
Chi and Yu were already in the air.
Chi wasn't just flying—he was casually circling above Yuanhai's head, then shooting straight up into the sky with ridiculous speed, leaving spirals of compressed air behind him.
Yu, on the other hand, was wobbling a little, but steadily drifting upward as he got used to controlling his balance.
Yuanhai just stared at them, completely speechless.
"How are you… you doing this?" Yuanhai stuttered, lightning practically striking across his expression.
"Oh, well, there was already a manual in the school library," Yu replied casually.
"We kinda… already learned the basics. And Chi has a natural affinity with wind."
Yu then tilted his head, genuinely thinking,
"Should I use flames to make it easier?"
As Yu figured out how to use flames to boost himself mid-air, and Yuanhai finally put himself back together mentally, Chi casually drifted down from the sky like it was the most natural thing in the world.
Yuanhai narrowed his eyes.
They're geniuses… but there's no way they know how to control swords from a distance. Should I teach them sword intent? No—that's too much. Qi threads. Yes. Qi threads is safe. Let's do that.
He clapped loudly to get their attention—more loudly than necessary.
"Alright, kids! Time to learn remote sword control. We'll start with qi threa—"
"Ah, we can do that," Chi cut in, raising his hand.
Yuanhai blinked. "You… can?"
Chi nodded.
"For me it's actually easier to just control the wind directly like this—"
He flicked his wrist.
Wind wrapped around his sword like an invisible hand, lifting it, spinning it, and holding it perfectly in the air.
Yuanhai froze.
I cannot lose face. I absolutely cannot lose face in front of these children.
He cleared his throat with all the dignity he could muster.
"Fine. Then—forget qi threads. It's time… for the ultimate card."
He paused dramatically.
"Sword Intent."
Yu and Chi's eyes lit up instantly.
"Sword intent!?" they shouted in unison.
"Ahh, finally…" Yuanhai muttered, as if he had been waiting centuries for this moment.
"We've been pressuring Teacher Loch forever," Yu complained, face glowing with excitement. "But he always waves it off—'high Golden Core realm this,' 'early Nascent Soul realm that,' 'you kids aren't ready,' blah blah blah…"
"He always does that," Chi added with a firm nod, like he'd been personally wronged.
Yuanhai straightened his back, coughed once, and lifted his sword with unnecessary dramatic flair.
"Alright then. Now—"
Yuanhai didn't even bother holding a sword.
He simply flicked his fingers.
A silent arc of light flashed across the horizon.
An entire mountain far in the distance split cleanly in half—and then, with another casual wave, returned to its original form as if nothing had happened.
Yu and Chi froze.
Their brains short-circuited.
They stared at him with shining puppy eyes, as if their ultimate hero had just descended from the heavens.
If their eyes could throw stars, the night sky would have competition.
Yuanhai calmly unscrewed the lid of his thermos and poured tea.
"Sword intent isn't just about killing," he said lightly. "It's also about life… something you understand only through enlightenment."
Their eyes lit up with excitement, ready to bombard Yuanhai with a thousand questions—but before it could go any further, he clapped his hands sharply.
"That's enough for today. Go home. There's… something special waiting for you."
The seriousness in his voice cut through their eagerness.
Chi and Yu exchanged a look—confused, curious, a little nervous—but they obeyed.
The moment they pushed open the door to their home—
"Welcome back!"
Lian, Liora, and Buddy burst forward as if the boys had returned after months instead of a single training session.
Buddy's tail wagged so hard it might've powered a windmill.
Warmth filled the house.
The air smelled like dinner.
It felt… festive.
Yu blinked.
Chi tilted his head.
Something was definitely up.
In the drawing room, right in the center, stood two long vertical gift box and wrapped in deep red paper with a silver ribbon running across it.
It looked expensive.
It looked important.
It looked… ominously exciting.
"What is it?" Chi blurted out, his voice rising an octave as he cuddled Liora and Lian, rubbing their cheeks against his own like an overexcited cat.
Haoran grinned wide, practically bouncing.
"Go on, open it! The left one's for Yu, and the right one's for Chi."
The two stepped closer, hearts thumping.
They had already guessed what might be inside—a sword was the obvious answer—but something about the weight of the box… the aura it gave off…
It felt different.
They untied the ribbon.
The paper peeled away.
The lids clicked open.
And the faint glow that poured out froze them in place.
Because yes—there was a sword inside.
But not the simple, standard-issue school sword they had expected.
This was… grand.
A blade forged with impossible care.
A hilt wrapped with materials they didn't recognize but instinctively respected.
An aura so sharp it felt like the sword's presence alone could slice the air.
Yu's breath caught.
Chi's eyes widened, his hands trembling as he reached out.
These weren't just weapons.
These were treasures.