I contemplate the specks of Qi surrounding me as I begin to grasp them. The first four are relatively easy, but as always, I can only grasp the fifth after much effort and a certain amount of headache.

  And no matter how hard I try, I am unable to even attempt to grab a sixth, so in the end I conclude that five is my limit, at least for now.

  For a moment, I wonder if now that I'm eight years old, it's finally time to start absorbing Qi, but in the end, I tell myself that if I've been able to wait until now, waiting another day or two won't kill me, but doing it too soon might.

  I notice someone entering the room and release the specks of Qi as I abandon my meditation, to see that it is Lianhua and Zhi Meilan wearing clothes that I suppose are the ones I have to wear at my birthday party.

  " Zhāohuán Wen, it's time to get ready for your birthday party”, Lianhua tells me.

  "Are the preparations I requested ready?" I ask Lianhua, referring to several activities I specifically requested for my birthday party.

  Lianhua answers me as she finishes getting my clothes ready "Yes, Zhāohuán Wen. Everything is ready according to your instructions, don't worry."

  I smile with satisfaction and let Lianhua and Zhi Meilan help me get ready and dressed, after which they sit me in the brand-new wheelchair they brought this morning, which appears to be a gift from Jiǎngshī Zhao Liang in gratitude for giving him permission to manufacture them.

  And seeing this new wheelchair, I have to admit that it was a good idea to give him permission to create them. He has gone back to my original design with small wheels in front, and now the cushions are more fitted to the seat, making it more comfortable. It is clear that he has taken advantage of the months he has had to practice, as overall it is much better than the first attempt I have been using until now.

  Lianhua pushes me through the pavilion to the courtyard, where she lowers me down the ramp I had installed on the steps at the entrance to where my mother and Fei Yi Lingxi are waiting for me.

  We exchange a few brief words and leave the Pavilion, heading for the park where we had my last birthday party, followed by a dozen Nei Wei. I can't help but notice that the Pavilion is practically surrounded by guards, in a clear attempt to prevent what happened last year from happening again.

  The trip is short, and we arrive at the park, where several guests are already waiting for us. I am pleased to see that among the attractions that were already there last year, there are tables adapted for both adults and children, on which we have placed chessboards and pieces for playing both Tiàoyuè, which is the unoriginal name my father has given to Checkers, and Fǎnzhuǎn, which is the unoriginal name I have given to Othello.

  Lianhua takes me to the place of honor where there is a table I requested with a board and pieces for both games.

  The guests begin to arrive and my mother informs them that this year I am willing to play with anyone who wants to, and those who manage to beat me will receive a copy of the game as a prize, along with the corresponding pieces for both games.

  I see that the announcement is met with a lukewarm reception, but some head for the tables with the boards, where maids and servants explain how to play both games.

  The afternoon passes and I have to admit that it is the most entertaining birthday I have ever had. After learning how to play at the tables, several people, both adults and children, have come to challenge me. I have even lost a couple of games to some guys who congratulated me on my ideas, although they emphasized that the games are too simple.

  Around mid-afternoon, after a game against a girl whom I let win just because she was so nice to me, unlike the other children who only grumbled and gave me dirty looks, I am surprised to see an elderly man sitting in a wheelchair similar to the one I used to have, accompanied by several servants, approaching the party area. One of the servants approaches my mother while several of the guests stare at the old man.

  "Lianhua, who is that old man?" I ask Lianhua discreetly.

  "He is Sun Qiang, the former Jiguang and uncle of the Emperor, Zhāohuán Wen”, Lianhua replies. "He had to retire after being seriously injured in the legs during a beast tide about thirty years ago."

  So he's my great-uncle or something like that. I wonder how old he is to look so old with the issue of increased cultivation age. I also try to remember what a beast tide is, as I seem to remember reading something about them somewhere, when my mother, who had approached the old man to talk to him, steps aside to let him in and I see him heading towards me.

  "So you're the little one who's been causing such a stir lately”, he says as soon as he arrives, looking curiously at both me and my chair.

  I bow to him as I reply “I offer you my greetings, dear Elder."

  "You don't need to be so formal, niece”, he says, waving his arm dismissively. "I just came to thank you for your invention. I hardly ever left my home because of the indignity of being carried around the palace. But thanks to you, now I can go wherever I want while maintaining what little dignity I have left."

  I remain silent, not knowing what to say in response to the old man's harsh reply. He realizes the situation and asks me “That model of chair is different from the one I have. How is that?"

  Relieved to be able to change the subject, I quickly reply “It's a gift from Jiǎngshī Zhao Liang that was brought to me this morning. I guess it's the latest model he's created."

  "It looks much better and more comfortable than the one I have. I'll have to ask him to make me a new one later”, he replies, pointing to the board. "Would you mind teaching this old man how to play while we talk?"

  I see Lianhua make a small gesture to tell me to accept, so I place the Othello pieces, imagining that a former general would like a game that is a little more strategic than Checkers.

  As we play, I realize that cultivators or not, all old men are the same. During the games we play, he asks about my life and my situation to compare it with his, all accompanied by various anecdotes about his youth and various battles, which, if he is not exaggerating, and I suppose not after seeing Lianhua fight, would be worthy of appearing in a Marvel movie.

  After one last game that clearly shows me the difference between a casual player like me and someone who has dedicated his life to creating strategies, he crushes me with absurd ease, after which he says to me while stroking his long beard “Don't feel bad about losing, I'm one of the best players in the Wéiqí court, and the game is similar enough that I can adapt strategies from it after fully understanding the rules."

  The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

  I sigh at the injustice of having to compete with a pro, but I ask Lianhua for one of the gift games for those who beat me and give it to the old man, who thanks me before saying goodbye and heading back to the usual circles of nobles, I suppose to enjoy his new freedom and show off the chair.

  After the old man leaves, several people who were waiting for him to leave approach me to compete, and after a brief moment of chaos, Lianhua and the Nei Wei manage to form something resembling a queue, so I spend the rest of the party playing against the guests.

  It is so successful that everyone even forgets that I was supposed to play the guqin at the end of the party. I wonder how much of the success is due to the old man playing against me and how much is due to their genuine interest, but I suppose I will never know.

  But time is unforgiving, and as night falls, people begin to leave and my mother announces the end of the party. After the announcement, I let Lianhua take me to the Pavilion, where I hope there isn't a murderer hiding, as I am so tired that I probably won't even notice when he stabs me.

  Sunlight streams through the windows of my study, casting soft shadows on the books I have stacked haphazardly. I am absorbed in reading a text that my medical tutor has assigned on various medicinal herbs and their supposed effects, trying above all to elucidate whether in this world those effects are real or simply placebo, as was often the case in my old world.

  I am halfway through the book when a soft knock on the door breaks my concentration.

  "Come in”, I say, raising my voice just enough to be heard.

  The door opens slowly and Lianhua enters with a serious expression and some clothes in her arms "Zhāohuán Wen, the Emperor has summoned you. He has even given specific instructions that these are the clothes you must wear."

  I feel a little nervous about this sudden summons, hoping it's not for anything serious "I understand, Lianhua. Help me get ready, then."

  Lianhua nods and, with Zhi Meilan's help, begins to dress me in the outfit they have prepared. It is a simple white robe made of linen, without any embellishments or frills. In the eight years I have been in this world, I have never been dressed in anything so simple, which makes me wonder what my father might be planning.

  Once I am ready, Lianhua carefully lifts me up and places me in the wheelchair I have been using since Jiǎngshī Zhao Liang gave it to me for my birthday.

  With my usual escort of guards, Lianhua takes me out of the pavilion where a man who I assume to be the messenger is waiting for us. When he sees us, he tells Lianhua to follow him and begins to guide us through the palace.

  We go around the main staircase of the palace and he leads us to another staircase that leads to a secondary entrance. At the foot of the stairs, we hesitate for a moment, but in the end the Nei Wei grab my chair and carefully lift me to the top and gently set me down on the floor, after which we enter the palace.

  It is a part of the palace I have never been to before, and I must admit that it is impressive, with its large painted wooden columns and ceilings adorned with frescoes that I suppose tell ancient stories of the empire. Finally, we arrive at a room guarded by two guards.

  When we reach them, the guards tell us that only Wang Lianhua and I can pass. Hearing these words, I can't help but glance sideways at Lianhua, feeling guilty that it took me eight years to learn her full name and that I never even bothered to ask her.

  Lianhua identifies herself, and after that, the guards open the door and let us into the room.

  My father is standing, dressed in equally elegant clothes but without the excessive ornamentation that characterizes him at public events. His gaze is serene but penetrating, watching me closely as I approach. But what strikes me most is the circle of strange symbols drawn on the floor of the room.

  "Father”, I say, bowing from my chair “I have come as you requested."

  The Emperor nods slowly as he gestures with his arm, and I watch in amazement as the door we entered closes by itself. Telekinesis, that's a damn display of telekinesis, and on top of that, he clearly did it casually just to impress, since the guards who had opened it could have closed it behind us.

  I snap out of my astonishment when I hear my father begin to speak to me "You have turned eight. It is time for you to begin your journey in cultivation. For the first session, it is always us who instruct our children."

  I feel a chill run down my spine, a mixture of anticipation and nervousness "I understand, Father."

  My father looks at me and I notice a slight smile on his face "Before we begin, from what we've been told, you are already able to feel Qi and move it. Is that true?"

  "Yes, Father, I can do it without any problems”, I reply.

  "Do you still remember the steps for Tempering the Body that were in the book you found on your birthday?" he asks me again.

  "Yes, Father. I remember perfectly”, I reply again.

  My father seems pleased with my answer "That makes things easier. Do you have any questions before we begin?"

  "I don't think so”, I reply to my father. "But I would appreciate any advice you want to give me."

  My father smiles when he hears my words, but his expression quickly becomes more serious and he leans toward me as he asks “What do you think is the best way to absorb Qi?"

  I respond with what I learned from the book "It's as simple as bringing the Qi close to the skin and then pressing on it. The body will absorb it automatically."

  My father smiles, clearly satisfied with my answer “Correct. And now you will have to make your first decision on the path to cultivation. What you have to decide is whether you want to temper your skin in specific areas or try to temper it evenly.”

  “Although many people start by tempering the skin on their face”, he adds with a hint of irony.

  I reflect on his words, considering the importance of this decision, and ask him “Will what I decide now be the same for the other temperings, or will I have to decide each time?"

  "You can alternate as you wish at any given moment”, my father replies.

  I meditate for a moment as I consider what I think will be the pros and cons, and finally I tell my father my decision "Then I think I'll try to temper it evenly."

  My father nods again "A wise choice. Now you will begin your first cultivation session."

  "But first”, he continues as he looks at Lianhua. "Wang Lianhua, place our daughter in the center of the formation."

  Lianhua looks at the formation and bows before answering my father “Forgive my insolence, Your Majesty, but Zhāohuán Wen has a hard time sitting without support, and it would be difficult for her to sit for the length of time required for a cultivation session."

  My father strokes his beard as he says “We hadn't thought of that."

  He alternates his gaze between the strange circle he has called a formation and me, and finally seems to make a decision "The chair she uses is small enough to fit into the formation without touching the runes. We will place her in it and assume that will be sufficient."

  Before I can say anything, my father raises his arm, and I feel my chair begin to float. I avoid screaming, but I grab onto the arms of the chair as it floats to the center of the formation and sets me down on the floor. Looking at my father, I see beads of sweat on his forehead. It seems that what he just did is not as easy as he wanted to make it seem.

  "The circle you are standing in is called a formation”, he begins to tell me as he recovers from the effort. "What this formation does is attract Qi so that its density increases within it, making it easier to cultivate. This one in particular is for our personal use, but for your first time, we allow our children to use it."

  He approaches the circle and touches one of the crystals, causing them to light up, and then steps back as he tells me “It's activated now, you can start cultivating."

  Closing my eyes, I begin to concentrate, and what I see surprises me. In my vision, the specks of Qi are no longer scattered as they have been before, but are piling up around me like raindrops during a downpour. As I watch them, I see from the edges of my perception even more specks beginning to move toward me instead of following the current as they usually do.

  I snap out of my amazement and remember why I am here, which is to finally begin cultivating.

  As a test, I grab a speck that is practically stuck to my skin and with a gentle push I press it against my skin, watching as it is absorbed like a drop of water into a sponge.

  Encouraged by this result, I start grabbing more specks that are closer to my skin so they are absorbed more quickly, and I use my ability to grab five specks to create a chain, pressing the specks against my skin one after another as I lose track of time, fascinated by the process.

  After an unknown amount of time, I feel a strange sensation and see a kind of blackish substance gushing out of my skin as I try to continue absorbing Qi. I feel a tug on my chair as I hear my father exclaim:

  "Sun Wen, stop right now!"