As the sun threatened to emerge from behind the mountain, a group of disciples, donning stark-white outer robes fastened with blood-red belts, lined up at the sect`s entrance. "Good morning disciples. For those who are new, I am Instructor Sheng. Every third-morning training begins here. You will journey to a plateau just shy of Mount Churei`s peak and either plant or retrieve a flag, then return. Your goal is to complete this trivial task as quickly as possible. Any questions?" Sheng looked to Enril and Zelek.

　　"Yes, Honored Instructor Sheng, should we utilize techniques or just our enhancement?" Enril asked.

　　"What wasn`t clear about as quickly as possible?" Sheng raised an eyebrow at Enril who shrank back. "With no other questions, we will begin." The first disciple in line left empty-handed down the road toward Mount Churei. Enril fixed his gaze on their back as they ventured into the forested path, gradually vanishing amidst the towering trees.

　　Enril counted the breaths until they returned. He did this for each disciple. Some took one hundred breaths, others took fifty. The disciple in front of Zelek, a young woman with fiery red hair, completed the task in forty-four breaths. Upon her return, she tossed a golden banner into Zelek`s hands before taking a seat to the side. In his estimation, she appeared no stronger than Zelek. He began to think, Maybe this won`t be so bad.`

　　Zelek stood motionless, scanning the banner from top to bottom.

　　"Is there a problem?" Sheng asked.

　　"It`s heavy," Zelek said as he tossed the banner up and down. It landed in his hands with a solid thump. The cold metal stung against his bare palms.

　　"The banner is only heavy if you`re weak and unwilling to grow. Either set off or leave." Sheng scowled.

　　"My apologies Instructor Sheng." With a half-bow, Zelek set off.

　　Enril fixed his eyes on Zelek`s back until he lost him in the horizon of trees. He began to count his breaths.

　　Zelek noticed the banner lightened once he circulated riken through his Stream, but the weight still slowed him. Step by step, he climbed the mountain trail. Not long after entering the heavily forested trail, the slope changed from a gradual gradient to a steep incline. Each step sent pangs of searing fire through his legs as he forced them up. His body screamed at him to ease up, but his Reserve was silent. He flooded his Stream with more riken to ease the burden.

　　The texture under his feet changed, and a crisp crunch accompanied each step, while the gentle breeze began to bite. The pristine white path stretched upward and around. Though his enhancement kept him from being chilled, the wind threatened to steal his breath. His enhancement flickered with a particularly strong gust of frigid air. The banner almost escaped from his grasp. With a shiver, he steadied himself and calmed his breath before continuing.

　　"Today is their first day. How do you think they will fare? I`ve heard that Boundless Heaven Sect has some of the most rigorous training regimens." Xing stared at Mount Churei, its majestic peak piercing skyward.

　　"Who cares. They`re gone and will abandon our lowly clan. All you`ve done for them will be forgotten and wasted." Her grip on the cup caused some tea to spill on the table.

　　"Surely you don`t believe that?" Xing snapped out of his daze and grabbed a rag.

　　"Of course I do. Xi Ya is to come of age in three years. What`s left for her, our own daughter? Certainly not the WindGrace pill you squandered on that useless branch family boy." She slammed her cup onto the table and the remaining tea cascaded out. "Xi Ya will flounder and struggle because of your actions. Those boys will come back and devour our clan on a whim someday. Just you wait, Xing."

　　Xing stopped wiping the tea and sat back. His fists tightened. "If a person`s claim to power is that they know someone powerful, where does it leave them? I cannot regret my decision. Enril, and especially Zelek, are the greatest prodigies we`ve ever seen. As much as I loathe to admit it, we have no guarantee Xi Ya will be comparable. When Heaven delivers a gift, one should accept it graciously, not lament over the surprise."

　　Di Yu stormed out in furious tears.

　　Zelek puffed and tagged Enril`s hand, saying, "Here&Enril." Enril waved his damp hand and gagged.

　　"Get moving, we don`t have all day," Sheng urged.

　　"My apologies, Instructor Sheng." Enril forced riken into his Stream and zipped off. Zelek collapsed next to the other disciples who were meditating. His chest heaved as he sucked in oxygen.

　　A flutter set in Enril`s stomach as he charged down the path. He knew Zelek`s Reserve and raw strength far surpassed his own. Zelek had returned, half-dead, after two hundred and twelve breaths. He tried to shake the thought of inferiority that threatened his stride.

　　As Enril reached the snowy transition, he mirrored Zelek`s pause. He noticed an absence of footprints on the snowy path. It would have to wait for later, he resolved, as he pushed forward in a WindWard Step.

　　It had been but a short while since he ascended to the First-Step Wandering Realm. Enough time had passed for him to experiment with his Maneuver, though, increasing his limit to six uses. He spotted a golden banner sitting in the center of a plateau after his fifth use. He retrieved it and blasted away with his sixth and final WindWard Step. A vicious pain tore through his Stream and lingered for the remainder of his journey. After handing the banner to the next disciple, he took a seat next to Zelek.

　　Zelek peeked an eye open, "That was fast, Brother. How`d you do it?"

　　"It was tough, but I found it easier than I imagined. My legs still burn a tad, but with each breath, it fades. To balance the banner presented a challenge, though," Enril said.Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.

　　Zelek`s eyes popped open. "You`re joking, right? My corpse was all that was left when I finished. The thin air and harsh breeze didn`t catch you off-guard? You didn`t have to push extra riken to your Stream to offset the incline?"

　　"I suppose it surprised me, but not enough to cause a fault. You remember how I`ve had incidents of letting my enhancement go at the worst possible time, right?" Zelek flinched as he stole a glance at Enril`s left arm. "I couldn`t stand my weakness. Each night, before bed, I practiced the Breath of Foon. I`m confident in my ability to maintain it through harsh conditions."

　　Unknown to Enril, Zelek beamed with pride. "You`re incredible, Brother. I have much to learn from you." He closed his eyes a moment before Enril recoiled.

　　Enril felt like he faced an insurmountable obstacle whenever he looked at Zelek. Yet, here Zelek was, admitting he was the one who had to learn.

　　"With morning practice complete it is time to spar. Initiates Enril and Zelek, you two are the newest additions to our group and I need to gauge your strength. You two are similar, correct?" Sheng asked, but it sounded more like an accusation.

　　"Yes, Instructor Sheng," Both boys answered. He waved them over to the arena. Beautiful white tiles formed the floor of the arena. The boys took their stances after a respectful bow. Sheng gave the signal to begin. Without hesitation, Zelek materialized a thin, green whip in his right hand and hurled it toward Enril.

　　Enril sidestepped, a large scar etched itself into the tile where he had stood.

　　The element of surprise is the greatest tool of a Seeker. A technique that is unknown or unpredictable could be enough to shift the tide of battle. Neither of the boys held this advantage over the other. "I should`ve known you`d dodge," Zelek chuckled.

　　"You`ll have to do better than that, Brother." Enril was bouncing on the balls of his feet. Zelek tightened his grip on the whip and paced around the arena. When he felt the time was right, he lashed out with a horizontal swipe. He didn`t wait to see if it would strike or not; he threw a punch with his free hand.

　　It clashed with Enril`s.

　　"You baited me in, didn`t you?" Enril laughed through clenched teeth.

　　"If you won`t leave an opening for me to exploit, I must create one."

　　Enril disengaged and stepped back. A small distance separated the boys as they shared a grin.

　　Day in and day out, the boys had sparred after their routine training with Elder Shinu. When they had reached the Fifth-Step Formation Foundation Realm, they felt a slight stagnation. When they advanced to the Wandering Realm, it was as if they had opened their eyes for the first time. New opportunities, new challenges, and new abilities opened a way forward on the road of improvement. If one boy ever found a flaw in the other, they would find opportunity to exploit it only once. Each flaw revealed new frustrations to grow from.

　　Their clash continued. Zelek baited out Enril`s usage of the WindWard step with his Whipping Winds technique. Fists and kicks clashed each time the distance was closed, only for Enril to re-open the distance.

　　"Enough, boys," Instructor Sheng commanded.

　　"What? We`re just getting started, Instructor Sheng," Zelek protested.

　　"This dance has gone on for ten minutes now. It has been made abundantly clear what your capabilities are. Now, step down, both of you." Sheng`s sour face caused the boys to move without another word. Two new combatants hopped into the arena. Enril and Zelek sat down to recover but kept their focus on the match. Pure curiosity swept over them. They were prodigies of the Foon clan, but how would they compare to others?

　　"Initiate Ding Ra, ready!" A young girl with a dark crimson ponytail stood to one side.

　　"Initiate Sui Wei, ready!" A young man with shaggy orange hair stood opposite. He was a half-head shorter than her.

　　Sheng announced the beginning from his seat at the edge of the arena. The two stared one another down as they walked in a small circle. Ra`s fists had taken on a slight red tint.

　　"Enril, do you think that`s a technique?" Zelek asked and Enril squinted.

　　"That is a Modifier Technique. The Ding clan is renowned for their usage of Modifiers." A woman knelt between Enril and Zelek.

　　"Initiate Disciple Enril greets Senior Sister. We didn`t notice you there, our apologies. May we ask your name?"

　　She gave a half-smirk and said, "You`ll find out someday. Just focus on your training until then." With a wistful smile, she stood and walked away. Enril and Zelek stared at her until a steaming hiss drew their attention. Ra`s fist blazed against a disc of water that Wei held as a shield.

　　"A Wielder Technique&" Zelek whispered. His eyes flitted with excitement at each movement of his peers. Ra retreated after prolonged contact with the disc. She shook her fists and small drops of fire fell. Wei taunted her forward with his watery disc and a laugh. She charged forward with a loud roar. Her fist landed in the center of his shield. The steam hissed and sizzled far more ferocious than before.

　　"Give it up, Ra. You`ve not beaten my water with your fire yet. Admit defeat and we can rest sooner."

　　Ra`s fist flared with fresh flame and trailed up her forearm. Enril and Zelek could see the heat pouring out from the sidelines. A small cloud of steam floated just above the two combatants. Wei`s feet slid back a half-step as Ra pushed. Water, or maybe sweat, glistened above his brow. In another roar, Ra stepped forward and flared her flames. Her hair began to float upward. Enril nudged Zelek and pointed to Wei.

　　The watery shield had shrunk and was evaporating with each passing second. In just a few short seconds, it was no larger than Ra`s fist. As the shield seemed like it would fizzle out, Ra collapsed. Her hair relaxed in a tangled mess over her back and her red fists lost their red glow. Wei stumbled forward and caught her. He hoisted her arm over his shoulder and brought her outside the arena.

　　"Wei is victorious, if only by a razor`s margin," Sheng announced.

　　"How incredible," Zelek said under his breath.

　　"We have a lot to learn, Brother. If that were me in there&" Zelek gave a hard swallow. "I don`t think I would`ve come close." Enril nodded with a grimace.

　　"Seems someone has the fortune of advancing today." Instructor Sheng noted some ominous clouds gathered in the sky. He scanned his seated disciples until he found the one responsible.

　　The air danced with a vivid heat as riken gathered above the disciple`s Filter. The clouds floated lower as the riken began to funnel into their Filter. Enril bit a finger as he watched Zelek. He couldn`t help but wonder if Zelek could survive a bolt of lightning.

　　"He`ll be alright. This is part of the Wandering Realm. Heaven tempers your body to prepare you for the Expression Realm. The worst that could happen is a moderate injury and a minor setback in your advancement if one fails to advance." The mystery woman from their first sparring session had appeared again. Before Enril could speak a word she had vanished. This was her fourth appearance he could remember.

　　A bolt of lightning flashed and Enril`s attention snapped back to Zelek. The wind whipped and flames danced near Zelek`s head and feet. Rain had begun to sprinkle from the dark clouds.

　　After a minute, the clouds above Zelek cleared as if it had always been broad daylight. A few scratches and bruises adorned Zelek`s face and hands. Smoke smoldered from each of his shoulders. Zelek`s eyes opened and Enril saw something he had never seen in them before: absolute peace and tranquility.

　　Enril raced over, "How are you, Brother?"

　　Zelek closed his eyes again and smiled. "While it was painful, it left me with this blissful sensation. It was an experience I can`t describe. You`ll understand when it`s your turn."

　　"You`ll have to spar with the other Second-Step disciples now, Initiate Zelek. I hope you`re ready," Sheng said.

　　"Thank you, Instructor Sheng." Zelek`s voice was smooth and calm, almost void of emotion.

　　Enril felt a swell of jealousy in his heart. Whenever this happened, he chanted Elder Winryu`s teachings, but as time went on, he found himself chanting more often. While Zelek never bragged and offered nothing less than his overwhelming support and encouragement, Enril still felt like he was losing a contest.

　　He saw Zelek as the brightest star in the sky but thought of himself as an ember among dying flames.