That took many times longer than Yu expected and she decided to head home instead of the Skills Library like she originally planned. Sighing, she felt like there was a conspiracy keeping her from getting skills at the same time as there was conspiracy demanding she have more. What a frustrating position to be in.

When she arrived all three girls were on the floor playing with Bai. As they were involved in their fun, nobody heard and Yu stopped, just watching them. Even Ai was smiling and participating in rolling a ball of some thread between them while the tiger cub chased it.

In this setting, Yu realized how much bigger he was getting. When he was born he was only half the size of Yu’s forearm; but at that moment he was nearly double that. Her Qi was helping him grow quickly and he was much more energetic than even just a week ago. He still slept most of the time, but at least he could exercise his muscles. She cleared her throat and waved as everyone looked up to her. Using the distraction as a chance to strike, Bai leaped onto the ball and, with a little squeaking roar, declared his victory over the tangled thread. They all giggled and pet and scratched him. He rolled over and Yu joined them in the fun for a few minutes before she said, “I have to prepare for my master to get me for classes. Knowing him, this could be interesting so it would be better if I was alone when he came to get me.”

They all nodded and Yu picked up Bai. He looked over Yu’s shoulder back at the girls and roared at them. They giggled and waved and said goodbye to him. Frankly, Yu thought his farewell received a lot more interest than hers. She chuckled as she exited the building and just walked around the sect for the last few minutes before the roar that would tell her it was time to visit her supposedly insane master.

During her stroll, Yu walked by a boulder in the middle of a grassy field and stopped. She walked up to it and tilted her head. The stone was up to her navel, completely irregular and made of corrugated layers that reminded her of the Vermillion Bird’s cave tunnel behind the waterfall. Yu met that family of powerful demonic beasts and befriended them through a series of coincidences. She wondered how the little girl, Xiu, was doing. She was a sweet girl, if naive. Running her hands along the stone, Yu walked around it. Bai looked curiously at the stone, his nostrils flaring. There was something about this-

Yu blinked and found herself somewhere else. She turned in a circle and saw she was in a library. Rows of shelves from floor to ceiling covered in books, rolls of parchment, and jade tablets. Yu turned in a full circle and found nobody else present so she took a step towards one of the bookshelves thinking her master might want her to read whatever was in front of her.

“So how was your first week?”

Yu jumped and turned around, finding her hairless master looking at her curiously. She bowed and said, “Master.”

Raising hairless eyebrows, he waited for her answer. Yu cleared her throat and said, “It was. . . full. Actually, I wanted to speak with you about a few things.”

In a bland tone, he said, “Before you ask, no, we are not removing or changing any classes. You must become strong quickly.”

Yu’s shoulders slumped and she said, “Yes, master. Have you been keeping track of me or should I report what happened?”

He laughed at that question. “Don’t be absurd, I have real work to do. Why would I watch you?”

Yu blinked at him. As that didn’t actually answer her question, she told him. “Umm. I have a few things to report. It seems I have caused something of a stir and I think we should discuss them.”

His expression became one of pure bliss when closed his eyes and said, “Yes. You did.” It seemed to Yu that her master was. . . pleased?

Looking around to see if there was a place to sit she shrugged at finding nothing and said, “Ummm. Yes. Well, I seem to have made an enemy of the Bao clan, angered your law enforcement department and the future crown prince, and caused something of a conflict between groups of influential disciples and elders over a mission I didn’t mean to take. On top of that, I am missing five skills for my classes which angered most of my instructors and got me kicked out of the Water Warrior class with a Bao elder instructor. In between my classes, I caused one of your vice leaders and a whole bunch of elders a substantial headache by being beaten up by a corrupt inner sect disciple and then calling them out for being a bunch of biased old bastards while managing to embarrass and anger two of your law enforcement elders. Oh, at a separate time I did the same to another two of your Martial Training elders. I nearly got expelled for turning in a mission too successfully, which I also got accidentally by the way, during which I made friends with a bunch of bees and nearly got assaulted while turning it in by one of your disgusting inner sect disciples. And tomorrow I am going to start working on the beast hunting mission I have no idea if I am qualified to take on, but it has to be without anyone knowing or there would apparently be an uproar. On the other hand, I did manage to make a few friends, one of which is the third princess who nearly killed me because she has terrible nightmares and I was nearby when she lost control. And I think that covers my first week.”

When Yu finished her diatribe her master was quite literally glowing while looking at the ceiling, a massive smile nearly splitting his face in half. In a near whisper, he said, “You are everything I hoped for.”

Yu blinked at him and asked, “Master, you wanted all that to happen?”

He lowered his head, still grinning widely while the silver rays faded. “Not that specifically, but you have plucked the strings and I cannot wait to see how the music changes.”

Yu cleared her throat and asked, “Master, I think I am going to struggle to get all the skills in time to not be kicked out of classes. While I cannot say for sure because I haven’t seen the cost of skills, I can almost guarantee I am going to be kicked out of at least one, maybe two classes. As many points as I have earned and may with two mission days per week, the chances of me getting enough for five skills are slim to none as even just grade 1 skills can cost half to all of what I’ve earned from what I have heard. Never mind that you and I both know I need to grow beyond grade 1 skills and that is not going to happen for a very long time if I have to spend all my points on grade 1 skills just to stay in class.”

He silently turned away and walked down an aisle of the library. Yu followed and said, “On top of that, I wanted to speak to you about the sect rules regarding the abuse of disciples between levels. If I can be bold to propose something, I think you should consider removing the rule that says lower-level disciples cannot attack higher-level disciples. It is blatantly biased and harms the sect.”

He snorted but spoke as they walked through the stacks. “I’m surprised you did not complain to me about the bias of the law enforcement group.”

Yu blushed but said, “I’m not sure what someone like me can say about that. I shared my view but we’re all human. I don’t know if I could be completely without bias.”

“You are being kind. Mingchen told me of the whole episode. The fact that you went through everything you did in just the first week and did not call on me once is both unexpected and pleasant.”

“Honestly, if they had tried to punish me for the incident with Shishi I would have. That entire event was an absurd waste of everyone’s time. But it did demonstrate a hole in your sect.” Yu cleared her throat and said, “No offense intended, master.”

He just waved it away. “The vice leader’s mostly run the sect. I only step in when they cannot come to an agreement. They work hard to avoid asking for my intervention.”

Yu smiled and said cheekily, “I wonder why.”

He said only, “I am here because I need to be,” and kept walking. They eventually entered an area of the library cleared of all shelves, books, papers, and such. A formation was drawn into the floor in a circle and floating above the center circle was a clear crystal the size of Yu’s torso. Yu stopped next to her master who stopped outside of the formation.

Yu knew pretty much nothing about formations but it was immediately obvious that this one was the most complicated she had ever seen. It had six concentric circles filled with various shapes and swirls and the like. Maybe she would learn about formations when she took up enchanting.

“Our family, the Long Family that is, have been wielders of the Spatial Affinity for nearly 500 generations, not that it is widely known. What is known is that we are the oldest family in this empire and one of the oldest on the continent and greatly feared because of it. We helped construct the Black Dragon sect and many others all over. The ability to manipulate space and time offers many useful tools to large organizations such as a sect. Most of our family’s fortune comes from that sort of thing. We create storage ring blanks, formations, spatial pockets, and the like. I see a question on your face. Ask it.”

Yu was surprised. While she was getting much better at hiding her emotions, apparently she failed in front of him. Or maybe he could read her mind - it was hard to tell. “Did you or your family create the testing center pagoda?”

Nodding he said, “Indeed, our family created part of it. As with all in this empire, our family has very few Spiritualists and thus your interest in enchanting will be a boon not just for your father’s family, but your mother’s as well.” Wait. What did he say?

“The Long clan would be interested in me?” That idea had never crossed her mind as none had ever been involved in her life. Even once to her knowledge.

He nodded and looked serious. “Indeed. In reality, your involvement and welcome will depend partially on your affinity strengths. That said, being a Spiritualist, even if you are a weak one, will force them to welcome you openly. Speaking of, that is why we are here.”

He pointed at the floating crystal and said, “This is a testing stone and formation, similar to the one you already used. Next time we meet we will discuss your testing results by the way. But that is not for today. Today we will focus on your Spatial Affinity. As I have said before, Spatial is the rarest and most bizarre of human affinities in that it has five junior affinities within it. Sort of child affinities to the larger parent one if that is easier to digest.”

He fully turned to her with his hands still behind his back and continued, “If you recall, which I know you do, I said that some wielders can see through and control time, alter gravity, teleport, and create spatial pockets. Well, this testing stone will help you determine which of these skills you have and in what strength. The experience can be intense, traumatizing, or joyous. We have had some of our family take the test and nearly die or go mad. Others have walked away like they just had the best sex of their lives.”

Yu blushed and looked away.

He snorted and said matter of factly, “Oh please. You are the most mature nine-year-old I’ve known in more than two millennia, at least mentally. Certainly more than I was at your age. It’s one of the reasons I am going through all this. Your strength will grow and fit into my plans, yes; but your mind is what I need just as much. Now stop pretending you are a normal child, at least in front of me.”

Yu gaped at him but he continued on ignoring her. “This stone will grant you insight into yourself and offer the opportunity to explore all the capabilities the Spatial Affinity has to offer. I’m sure I needn’t say it but this is a family secret and none can know. Your mother has never told your father for example, and neither may you. You are not to discuss with her either unless you are on Long family property. This formation will place a chain upon you that will enforce this.”

Distracted by what she just heard, Yu took a step away from him and the formation and said, “A chain?” In her mind, Yu envisioned a large chain wrapping around her neck and pulling tight if she said anything.

He looked surprised then rolled his eyes. “Heavens, what do they teach on the verge?” Looking exasperated, explained, “A chain is a Qi effect that prevents a certain action. It is not really a chain, but a body of Ether Qi that blocks someone from taking a certain action. They are actually relatively common in the empire. Many families put chains on servants, or even other family members to prevent secrets from being told. Some legal contracts place chains but those are expensive so only the wealthy use them.”

Ignoring the reference to her city’s location, Yu actually found the idea fascinating. “Umm. Will I feel this chain?”

He shook his head and said, “Not at all. They simply prevent a certain action.”

Yu was a little worried that it could be used for nefarious means when her master relieved her fear as if he could indeed read her mind. “So you know, they can never be placed on an unwilling recipient. As soon as you step into the first formation circle you will receive the chain. Now stop stalling. Oh, hand me your ring or the formation won’t work and place your bond outside the formation. Anywhere is fine. Then start so we can see how you fit.”

Yu gulped and asked, “I don’t want to go mad, Master. I’ve only really been living a full life for the last two years. It would be very disappointing to die or lose myself after such a short time.”

He rolled his eyes again and said exasperated, “The chances of that are quite small. The few that did over the generations saw too far into the future and were overwhelmed by the visions. It is resolvable to a point; we have been doing this for many thousands of years after all.”

“Right.” Yu exhaled and asked, “What do I do?”

He gestured to the floating stone in the middle of the formation and said, “Just touch it.” She blinked and looked at the crystal.

Stepping right up the edge of the formation, her toes less than a finger’s width away, she looked down and back up at the formation and crystal.

“I’m ok without knowing the future. No future,” she mumbled. Yu heard her master sigh but she ignored it. She took a breath, lifted her right leg, and stepped forward, praying in her mind that she would make it out in one piece.