Volume One: The Thousand-Year Stream Chapter 17: The Sky-Treading Step

"I have killed thousands of barbarians, earned military merit, and arrived here with the expectations of the border guards—how did I end up becoming a cook?" Sun Zikai was chopping wood in the courtyard, letting out a rare complaint.

Jiang Yujin sat on a small stool, cradling a large bowl filled with chicken legs, pig trotters, pine mushrooms, fragrant seeds, and other common delicacies. She picked up a piece with her chopsticks and chewed it with relish, yet she couldn't help but grumble, "This meat is too tough. Did you make this? I usually only eat the meat from the pig trotter, and I don't eat any of these other things."

"Then why are you still eating it!"

"Because I want to!"

"Tch, eat, eat, eat—you only know how to eat, and you leave all the work for me." Sun Zikai swung his axe, continuing to chop wood.

"I paid you, you are my little servant."

Sun Zikai stopped, as if remembering something. He walked over to Jiang Yujin and pulled a piece of oil paper from his robe, which was wrapped around something.

"What is that?"

"Forgot about this. The kitchen got a delivery today; one of the elders bought a batch of sugar cubes. I snagged a small one for you." He opened the oil paper, revealing a small square of sugar.

"Ah—" Jiang Yujin opened her mouth and took it in.

"Sweet, right?"

"Mmm-hmm, sweet."

"Of course it's sweet." Sun Zikai went back to chopping. "Don't swallow it; keep it in your mouth."

"I know. Do you want some?"

"How can I eat it if you're holding it in your mouth?"

"I'll give it to you after I've sucked on it enough."

"Eww—how disgusting... Wait, really?"

"Pfft, keep dreaming!"

"Tch, who cares anyway." Sun Zikai buried his head in his work.

They had been here for over a month. There were only two spots open in the outer sect's miscellaneous department: the boiler room and the kitchen. These were the largest departments in the outer sect.

Jiang Yujin didn't want to smell like a stove, so she chose the boiler room. However, she didn't realize that the work was grueling. They had to heat water for the entire sect, leaving not a single hour in the day to rest. As a newcomer, Jiang Yujin couldn't even get her turn at the actual heating; she was stuck chopping wood. She had to chop for six hours a day just to meet the quota, which was impossible—it was just a way for the veterans in the boiler room to bully the new girl.

Later, Sun Zikai stormed into the boiler room and beat everyone—men, women, young, and old—until they changed their tune. But even then, they still had to chop wood for two hours and tend the fire for one every day.

Of course, most of the time, Jiang Yujin only looked after the fire, while Sun Zikai did the chopping.

Sun Zikai's job wasn't easy either. He wasn't allowed to cook; he only handled deliveries and inventory, and in the end, he still had to chop the kitchen's firewood.

He had thought being in charge of receiving goods was a sweet gig, but the process was strictly supervised by four people at all times. The gourmet food had nothing to do with him; it was all placed in restricted areas to be sent to various parts of the sect. But that couldn't stop Sun Zikai. He always managed to swipe a little bit of food under everyone's noses, pack it up, and bring it to the boiler room. He hadn't missed a day in over a month, and he had even managed to swipe quite a few dishes meant for the elders.

Jiang Yujin enjoyed her meal, picking up a piece of meat and waving it. Sun Zikai walked over and took it from her.

"Hmm? This is good."

"Right? I think so too. I never paid attention to this mushroom-meat before."

"I'll get more in the future."

"You haven't finished chopping yet."

"There's plenty of time."

Jiang Yujin asked suspiciously, "You used to be able to finish both our piles in half an hour. Why is it taking so long to chop mine now?"

Sun Zikai hadn't figured out how to answer, and after Jiang Yujin called his name a few times, he replied, "I haven't killed anyone in a long time. I feel like I have all this pent-up energy, so I just treat chopping wood as a form of cultivation."

"You have killing on your mind all the time, you beast!"

"I am a beast. Old Yang said I'm a wolf."

"Then what is he?"

"Hmm..." Sun Zikai thought about it seriously. "Him? He's... a cow, maybe? Or a horse, the lead one."

Jiang Yujin said, "Tch, if I were a beast, I'd be a lion or a tiger! Much stronger than you."

"What? What are lions and tigers?" There were no such beasts within the borders, and Sun Zikai had never even heard of them.

"They're monsters five or six times stronger than a wolf, five or six times bigger, and they're beasts with claws as long as chopsticks."

"You're just bragging. I don't believe you."

"You don't believe me? I saw them when I was little."

Sun Zikai said, "If there really are beasts that big, then when they see this wolf—no, wait, I'm not a wolf anymore. I want to be an even more powerful beast. I want to be the Beast King, so that all the beasts in the world will have to kneel and kowtow when they see me."

"Braggart!"

"Just wait and see!"

Noise erupted outside the courtyard as people began running in one direction. Jiang Yujin didn't know what was happening, but Sun Zikai said, "Those guys from the outer sect's training department are going to show off their skills at the practice platform."

"Oh? Aren't we going to take a look?"

"I've seen it. It's nothing impressive. It feels like a bunch of nonsense. I felt like going over and kicking them."

"They only spar on the platform once a month, right? When did you see them?"

"Sneaked a look, obviously. Whenever I'm free, I go."

"I want to go too."

"I'll take you next time."

"Okay. I'm full. Here, you take it. I still want to go see."

"Fine." Sun Zikai tossed the axe aside and drew the long blade at his waist. A gust of wind surged. After gathering his strength for a moment, he delivered a strike. The wind followed his blade, splitting all the firewood into three pieces each. He sheathed his sword, grabbed the bowl and chopsticks, quickly finished the rest, wiped his mouth, and ran out with Jiang Yujin.

People in the training department had begun to touch upon the level of cultivation. Although they had chores to do, it was far less than those in the miscellaneous department. Most of their day was spent on body tempering, and only they were qualified to be called disciples.

After body tempering came the Qi Condensation stage, which was divided into seven levels. After Qi Condensation was the Foundation Establishment stage. At that point, the sect would look for candidates for the inner sect. Those with better aptitude would be promoted to the inner sect to receive better resources to facilitate their foundation building.

On the way, Sun Zikai didn't forget to grumble to Jiang Yujin, "I really don't think this path of spiritual energy cultivation is very useful. Judging by the energy levels, even the guys at the Qi Condensation stage don't seem to be my match."

Before long, they arrived at the platform, but the crowd was already packed tight. Sun Zikai grabbed Jiang Yujin and, catching everyone off guard, leaped onto a tall tree, getting a clear view of the platform.

The people from the miscellaneous department valued this once-a-month learning opportunity. Some even brought paper and brushes to sketch the movements of the training disciples. After all, the only way they could enter the training department was by self-discovering the path of body tempering, which was nearly impossible. The sect only needed them to do endless chores, but the people in the miscellaneous department always held onto hope.

Whatever the training disciples did on the platform caused a stir among the crowd. Soon, two training disciples began to spar. It was just a friendly match, but both had visible Qi evaporating from their bodies, and their strikes caused the wind to howl.

Jiang Yujin watched with great interest, sighing from time to time, "Look at that big guy! It's like he's burning with Qi. So amazing—three people can't even beat him."

Sun Zikai frowned. The level of the sect's disciples truly disappointed him, and this sect, which he had first thought was a fairyland, was gradually revealing its mediocrity beneath the gilded surface.

Jiang Yujin turned back to him and said, "So amazing! Let's join the training department. Don't we know that body tempering method? We just need to keep breathing the way the book says."

Sun Zikai sighed, propping his chin up. "I don't think spiritual energy is very strong. I don't want to cultivate it. I'd rather use the path I discovered myself."

"You've only seen them. There's still the inner sect and layer upon layer of realms. Spiritual energy cultivation might not match you at the start, but its potential is much higher."

"That's true. Let's go, then."

They decided on the spot. Sun Zikai jumped down with her and pulled her toward the training department. Jiang Yujin was confused and urged, "What are you doing? I haven't practiced yet."

"Do you really need to practice that junk?"

"Yes! You idiot!"

From that day on, Jiang Yujin began to practice body tempering according to the breathing method. She started by fumbling to find the spiritual energy, gradually drawing it in to nourish her body. During this time, she didn't forget the three moves Sun Zikai taught her—stab, retreat, and hack—and the firewood in the courtyard became her training partners.

One day, Sun Zikai was sitting in the courtyard in a daze when a shadow suddenly flashed across the sky. It was an eagle, its wingspan six feet wide. It circled for a while and suddenly dropped, landing right on the roof next to Sun Zikai.

It landed with quite a force, and one of its claws accidentally became wedged in a gap between the tiles, which were sealed with medicinal paste and were difficult to pry apart.

The eagle flapped its wings frantically, but its feet were as if bound by heavy chains, unable to move. It tried to peck at the tiles with its beak, but couldn't break them.

Sun Zikai watched the young eagle with fascination. Its strong, athletic wings allowed it to soar freely without restraint. Its sharp claws and beak could capture souls, its cry piercing the sky, its sharp gaze seemingly capable of killing anything weak.

The eagle was trapped, its freedom lost. It struggled constantly, its wings vibrating, but it couldn't get up unless it broke its own claw. Sun Zikai wanted to jump up and help it, but after a few moments, the eagle began to flap its wings with all its might. A slight cracking sound came from the roof, and with a loud noise, the tiles cracked—but the entire chunk of wood and stone tile remained stuck to the eagle's claw.

The eagle flew continuously toward the sky. Every so often, it would suddenly change direction, flying to one side, flipping its body, and spiraling. After several struggles, it seemed to adapt to the weight on its claw and began to soar upward. It looked like a black thorn stabbing into the clouds, the wind flowing around its perfect lines.

Moved by the sight, Sun Zikai immediately leaped from the ground, stepping on the wind to rise. He followed the black eagle down the mountain range, learning to soar like an eagle within the Fourteen Cities. It spun, and he spun; it surged, and he surged. The beast turned the wind into art, and Sun Zikai learned how to stop just utilizing the wind and instead master it. Finally, the eagle shook off the burden on its claw, reclaiming its freedom.

A long time later, he bid farewell to the black eagle and flew back to the base of the mountain range. He took a step, and the wind rose. His feet became claws, and his legs became wings. He stepped between the mountain rocks, no longer relying on simple strength to jump around, but following the wind, stepping on the wind, sliding on the wind, riding the wind. Gradually, his arms became wings, and his jumping turned into flying. He soared at will, and with a press of his hand, it was as if an eagle's claw were pressing down on the firmament, surging into the sky.

He landed back on the ground and ran into Jiang Yujin's wood-chopping courtyard. Jiang Yujin was practicing the breathing method, fumbling for spiritual energy. Seeing Sun Zikai arrive, excited, she asked, "Did you find something to eat?"

Sun Zikai quickly said no, then told her he had realized a set of movement techniques and asked if she wanted to learn it.

Jiang Yujin refused repeatedly, saying she hadn't fully grasped the spiritual energy yet and hadn't even started body tempering.

Sun Zikai said, "Why worry about whether it's spiritual or not? Cultivation is cultivation, no matter how you do it. Don't let those boxes and rules limit your freedom."

Jiang Yujin still didn't want to learn, feeling she had already reached the door of spiritual energy cultivation and was about to start tempering. Sun Zikai told her not to regret it, then began to perform the movement technique in front of her. It was like following the wind; his feet landed as if on air, his body moved with the shadows. He would turn and shift sideways; he would lean forward and soar into the sky. In total freedom, one could see the flow of order. It was the wind—one couldn't see the wind, yet the wind was everywhere.

Jiang Yujin immediately regretted it, grabbing Sun Zikai and forcing him to teach her.

"Not teaching. You said you wouldn't learn."

"Sun Zikai, teach me!"

"Not teaching!"

"I paid!"

"You! Fine... but this movement technique is worth a lot of money."

"Half a piece... no, a third... no, a quarter... how about one-fifth of a gold piece?"

"That's what you said!"

"A word once spoken is hard to take back."

"Deal!" Sun Zikai said triumphantly. "With this movement technique, those three moves of yours will come to life. I guarantee your kills will be foolproof."

"You have killing on your mind all the time, you beast!"

"I am a beast, and the King of Beasts at that!"

"Pfft! Did you name this technique?" Jiang Yujin asked.

"Of course. 'Wind-Walk Step.' Doesn't it sound good?"

"It doesn't sound good."

"It sounds good," Sun Zikai insisted. "Like the eagle, even if its claws are bound by heavy chains, it can still take flight. Once it breaks free, the entire sky is its domain of freedom. This is a technique for walking in the sky—treading on the wind!"

"It doesn't sound good."

"Then what do you want to call it?"

"Hmm..." Jiang Yujin circled Sun Zikai. "I want to call it... Wind... Wind..."

"Hehe, can't think of—"

"Fuyao Zui!"

"What's 'Fuyao'?"

"It's also the wind..."

"Wind-Drunk? That sounds terrible."

"I'm docking your pay!"

"From today on, it's... what was it again?"

"Forget it, let's just call it Wind-Walk Step. You realized it, you name it," Jiang Yujin said, biting her lip softly.

Sun Zikai said, "Fuyao sounds very nice. You picked a good name."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Come on, I'll teach you. Once you learn it, you'll be better at killing people."

"Pfft! Killing again!"