Lu Chen walks alongside the other children down the royal road toward the palace gates.
He keeps his eyes lowered, too shy to meet the curious glances around him.
By nature, he is timid and withdrawn—a result of his status within the Lu family.
His father is the illegitimate son of the patriarch; his position is only slightly above that of a servant despite reaching the Master Realm in martial arts.
It earns him some respect, but not true acceptance.
Lu Chen's place is even lower.
Only his father's insistence—not the family's will—sent him to study under Teacher Kong Wuya.
He wonders if tonight he will finally be allowed to eat at the main table with his father, now that he has become a wizard apprentice.
A sudden arm wraps around his shoulder, pulling him out of his thoughts.
He turns and sees Gu Yun, his expression filled with smug confidence.
"Lu Chen," Gu Yun says, his tone sharp with arrogance, "how did you succeed in awakening your spirit?"
Lu Chen freezes, feeling dozens of eyes turn toward him.
He stammers, voice barely above a whisper. "I... I drew... the wind visualisation map in my mind again and again... and suddenly today I felt a spirit power appear in my head."
The others exchange doubtful glances.
Mu Yue frowns. "Say it louder."
Lu Chen gulps, then repeats, this time with more strength. "I drew the wind visualisation map repeatedly in my mind, and suddenly today I felt the spirit power appear in my head."
Gu Yun raises a brow. "So, if I keep drawing the fire visualisation map, one day I'll awaken the power of the mind, too?"
Lu Chen nods quietly.
Then He Shoumei steps forward, curiosity glinting in her eyes.
"Lu Chen," she asks, "do you feel any different from before?"
Hearing He Shoumei's voice, Lu Chen's face turns red.
He lowers his gaze, his heart thumping faster.
Except for his mother, his second sister, and Teacher Kong Wuya, she's the only one who's ever treated him kindly.
And she's beautiful—soft eyes, a gentle smile, the kind of girl who feels like sunlight in his grey world.
He fidgets, trying to find words.
"I... I feel I've gotten stronger," he says at last, his voice timid but sincere.
He closes his eyes and breathes in.
The wind brushes against his skin, circling his body like an unseen friend.
A strange calm fills him, and for a fleeting moment, he feels the breeze whispering in a language only his soul understands.
"I feel," he murmurs dreamily, "the wind is talking to me."
When he opens his eyes, everyone is staring.
They ask more questions, eager to understand what he means, but Lu Chen can't explain it.
The feeling slips away like mist between his fingers.
Their chatter fades as the group reaches the towering palace gate.
One by one, they climb into their waiting family carriages, the laughter and talk scattering into the night.
A few minutes later, Lu Chen's carriage stops before the grand gate of the Lu family estate.
He steps down, the familiar stone path stretching before him, lined with old lanterns swaying in the evening breeze.
Heading toward his father's house at the back of the estate, he takes the side path used by servants and younger relatives.
Halfway through, he closes his eyes.
The wind greets him like an old friend—soft, alive, whispering shapes and distances, the size of trees, the movement of people nearby.
It paints the world in invisible lines around him.
Eyes still closed, he walks without sight, guided only by those faint murmurs of air.
He walks without bumping into servants and maids.
Then suddenly, the wind stirs sharply behind him.
Something fast cuts through the air toward his head.
Before thought can form, his hand moves.
He turns and catches it—a ball of animal hide, now crushed in his grip.
He opens his eyes, blinking in disbelief at his own strength.
A shout rings out. "Lu Chen, throw the ball!"
He looks up to see his cousin Lu Chunxi waving.
A guilty look crosses Lu Chen's face. He glances at the ruined ball and sighs. "Today I'm going to get scolded…"
He runs toward the small open yard where his cousins are playing and holds out the mangled ball. "Sorry."
Lu Chunxi and Lu Cheng stare at him, their mouths half-open.
In their understanding, crushing that ball takes the strength of a third-grade martial artist.
Lu Chung jogs over, frowning. "What's taking you two so long?"
He stops when he sees the ball in Lu Chen's hand, his eyes narrowing. "When did you reach third-grade martial artist?"
The younger boys glance at him with envy. In the Lu family, anyone who reaches that level before twelve earns the right to enter the clan's martial arts training hall.
Lu Chen shakes his head. "I'm not a martial artist."
They stare at him, puzzled.
He straightens his back and says with quiet pride, "I'm a wizard apprentice."
They bombard him with questions, astonished, and he answers as best he can.
By the time Lu Chen steps inside his father's house, word of his awakening has already spread—racing through courtyards and corridors until it reaches the main hall where the Lu family patriarch resides.
Lu Bei sits at the head of a long table, his sharp eyes fixed on the old housekeeper standing before him.
"So, Lu Chen has become a wizard apprentice?"
Housekeeper Nan bows slightly. "Yes, Master."
Lu Bei leans back, fingers tapping the armrest in thought. He had long known that Lu Jin sent his son to study under the prince consort, Kong Wuya—though not with his permission.
For Lu Jin to act without orders showed either boldness or folly.
Lu Bei's gaze deepens. "A wizard apprentice, huh…"
Since Kong Wuya revealed his new cultivation path—the Wizard Way—the martial world has not known peace.
It promised a method that surpassed the body's limits and harnessed spiritual laws once thought untouchable.
And that promise had shaken every sect, every master, every old path.
Many feared it would erase the martial arts upon which they had built their lives upon.
Lu Bei, being a Grand Master Realm martial artist himself, knew the depth of that fear.
Still, as a noble, he could not ignore something that might change the balance of power in the kingdom.
So he had invested—quietly.
Sending one of his less important grandsons to test the waters.
If the wizard path failed, he would lose little.
If it succeeded, the Lu family would gain a foothold in the new age.
Now, hearing that Lu Chen had truly become a wizard apprentice, Lu Bei's eyes glint with calculation.
The gamble may have been worth it.
Lu Bei's lips curl faintly. "Call Lu Jin. Bring his little wizard son with him."
Housekeeper Nan bows and hurries out.
A few minutes later, Lu Jin enters the hall with Lu Chen following quietly behind, his steps hesitant beneath the patriarch's gaze.
Lu Bei studies them both in silence before asking about the process.
He listens as Lu Jin explains how an ordinary boy without a trace of qi could awaken his spirit and step onto the path of a wizard.
Intrigued, Lu Bei rises and places his palm lightly against Lu Chen's back, sending a thread of true qi into the boy's body.
His brows lift slightly.
The energy within is not true qi—yet it flows like it, more lively and reactive, filled with the subtle pulse of wind.
It feels almost alive.
Lu Bei withdraws his hand, a glint of satisfaction flashing in his eyes. "Interesting."
Then, turning to his grandson, he says, "You've done well."
He rewards Lu Chen with ownership of a small shop on Jade Street and hands Lu Jin a Blue Heart Pill—a rare treasure that refines true qi and heightens one's chance of reaching the Great Master Realm.
Lu Jin bows deeply, gratitude flashing across his face.
Lu Chen walks away, heart light, a smile tugging at his lips. His father's praise still echoes in his ears, warm and unfamiliar. For once, pride fills his small chest as he makes his way through the long corridor toward his room.
But the smile fades the moment two figures step from the shadows ahead.
Lu Ping and Lu Fang—his elder half-brothers—stand blocking his path, their familiar sneers twisting into mockery.
The air around them feels colder.
Lu Chen's body tenses; memories of past bullying flash through his mind—the shoves, the ridicule, the silent fear of crying where no one would see.
Lu Ping smirks. "You must be happy Father praised you today."
Lu Chen lowers his head, hesitant. For a moment, the timid boy inside him trembles. But then he remembers—he's no longer the same. He's a wizard apprentice now.
His father sees value in him.
And his father, as always, favours reason over blood.
So, Lu Chen straightens slightly and meets their eyes. "Brothers," he says, his voice steady, "if you bring benefit and raise the family's name, Father will praise you too."
Their eyes widen.
This wasn't the stuttering, meek Lu Chen they knew.
Lu Ping's face twists with anger. He steps forward and shoves him hard. Lu Chen stumbles and falls to the floor, his palms scraping against the stone.
Before they can move again, a sharp voice cuts through the hall.
"What are you two doing?"
The brothers freeze.
Housekeeper Fan stands at the end of the corridor, gaze stern. "If you dare touch Master Lu Chen again, you'll answer to the patriarch himself!"
Lu Ping and Lu Fang step back, faces pale.
Lu Chen looks toward the housekeeper, surprise flickering in his eyes. Fan—who once turned away from his troubles—now stands firmly by his side.
He rises slowly and walks to his room, silent and thoughtful.
The family is already changing.
And it's only the beginning.
The next morning, he leaves for the palace, climbing into his carriage with a calm confidence. The wind outside seems to hum around him, faintly answering his thoughts.
When he arrives, Kaelan greets the students with his usual calm.
"Continue your visualisations," he says, voice steady. "Let your spirits grow stronger."
And the days pass quietly.
More children awaken their spirits one after another, their names echoing through the capital.
By the end of the month, only twelve of the thirty-five students Kaelan had accepted succeeded in becoming wizard apprentices.
The remaining twenty-three stand before him with lowered heads.
Kaelan's expression remains calm as he tells them they no longer need to come for lessons.
But he does not abandon them.
He announces that after his next public lecture, he will sell basic visualisation maps—allowing them to continue their training independently or practice later within a visualisation tower that will soon be built to preserve his maps.
His words bring both disappointment and hope.
Then he turns to the twelve who succeeded.
"Return in two days," he says simply.
The next morning, Kaelan walks into the kingdom's forging department.
The clang of hammers and hiss of molten metal fill the air.
He observes carefully, learning the rhythm of heat and metal.
His mind, however, is fixed on one goal.
To craft what no one in this world yet possesses—a space storage artefact of his own design.