Yu walked into the Water Warrior class and waited to the side. It took a few moments for people to notice her. The Bao girl, Meimei, stared at her and said, “You got kicked out. Leave or I tell my. . . the elder.”

Yu just raised an eyebrow and said, “Who are you again? I have trouble remembering irrelevant people. Sorry.”

The girl’s blue hair flew as she spluttered, stomped her foot, and then she clenched her fists and marched off. A few moments later she returned followed by the elder responsible for this class. Elder Bao Shi glared at Yu and said, “I kicked you out of my class. Begone before I call the law enforcement group.”

Yu said, “Elder. You told me I was not to return until I had a Water Aura skill. I now do, so I can attend this class.”

The disciples in the room likely could hear his teeth grinding, his jaw was clenching so hard. The roar signaled the class’s start and he snapped, “Join the group for whatever trash skill you learned.”

Yu bowed and asked where the group for Liquid Armor was. One of the students raised his hand and she joined him and three others. She pulled water from the many channels in the floor and studied her Qi. Interestingly, Yu thought she felt a little bit of the fluidity and motion of water in the Qi. At least something was different from Spatial and Fire Qi. Yu hoped she wasn’t imagining it.

The Liquid Armor skill was not really helpful as protection, but at least she could practice and attend. She certainly wasn’t going to ask the elder any questions, but she listened to the advice he gave other students and it helped her peripherally. It turned out he wasn’t a terrible teacher to those he did not despise.

Yu had eaten a Water Qi meal for breakfast which she hoped would help her as she planned to show him and the Bao girl up a little during the physical portion.

Of course, the elder didn’t make it that easy. “Everyone with an offensive water skill, line up here. For everyone with a defensive skill, stand over there. For you with defensive skills, attacking the dummies will offer no benefit to learning your skill. Only practicing defensively will. You will practice your defensive skills while being attacked. Form a line.” Then he turned to the group. “For those with an offensive skill, you will line up and offer a single strike to those defending. Do not aim to harm. This is just practice, of course.” He was grinning at Yu when he said that last part. “Disciple Fenghuang Yu, you go first on defense. Disciple Bao Meimei, you go first on offense.”

Yu called up the water from beneath their feet and surrounded her arms with the thin layer of slightly blue liquid. Bao Meimei called up a skill that created a gauntlet that surrounded her hand. Grinning, she threw a punch at Yu’s face. Yu strengthened her body with Qi and crossed her arms. The blow felt like someone hit her with a tree and she skidded backward until she ran out of floor and ended up tumbling into one of the many pools. Yu heard laughing as she crawled out, soaked and dripping, and mentally fuming. Yu glowed blue and her forearm that took the brunt of the attack was healed using her grade 1 Water Mana skill. With her fists clenched, she walked to the end of the line of defensive users.

“Disciple. You failed to effectively defend yourself. Do it again,” Elder Bao Shi called out just as the next disciple nervously got himself ready to defend.

Yu spoke through gritted teeth, “Elder, my. . . failure should not negatively impact other students. I will wait for my turn.”

He glared at her and yelled, “Get your ass to the front this instant!”

Yu glared back and stomped up to the front. She took the same stance and called on the water the same way. She sneered and spoke, “You are not to use Qi in your body. This is a test of the skill, not your body.”

“Elder, I would use Qi in my body in a real battle. This defensive skill is designed to protect against heat, not direct attack or Qi attack.”

“I don’t care. Follow instructions or be expelled from this class.”

“What are your instructions then, Elder?” Yu snarled that question.

“Are you braindead? I said, stand there and defend yourself only with that skill.”

Yu gritted out, “Yes, elder.”

“Disciple Bao, you may attack again as you were such an effective teacher in the last attack.”

The blue-haired girl grinned and said with nearly tangible poison in her voice, “Thank you, elder.”

Yu called up more water so her hands, arms, and elbows were covered. Then she took a defensive stance. Bao Meimei took the same approach, covering her hand in a liquid gauntlet and punched straight ahead. Yu did not just stand there and take it this time. She turned slightly letting the girl’s fist and forearm slide along her water-covered arms. The girl withdrew her hands and Yu returned to her defensive stance. She then bowed and started to walk to the back of the line.

“You moved!” screeched Bao Meimei.

The elder bellowed, “Stop right there!” Yu did and turned back. “You did not follow directions.”

Yu snapped, “How so, elder? You told me to defend myself with the skill. I did. Exactly as you instructed. I had the skill up and your disciple struck at my arms.”

“You did not allow yourself to be struck!” He was yelling. “How can you defend yourself if you are not struck?”

“I was defending myself by not being struck head-on. She did hit me; it was simply a glancing blow. Even the most simple cultivators know the best way to defend one’s self is to not be hit directly. That I was not struck is solely the fault of Disciple Bao Meimei’s obviously poor form and overall incompetence.”

“Get your ass back up to that line and allow yourself to be struck!” That was a straight-up bellow that could be heard for quite a ways.

Yu was absolutely livid. She stalked up to him and growled, “No. This is nothing but an attempt to get me hurt badly. Try it again and you’ll regret it, elder.” The sneer in her voice was obvious to everyone.

Elder Bao’s face turned red and the veins in his eyes made him look like he hadn’t slept in days. He looked around at the other disciples and then back at Yu and snarled, “Get up there or leave my class forever.”

Yu glared right back and spoke slowly. “Yes. Elder. Bao.” She stalked back, wrapped water around herself except her entire arms and torso were covered, and stood silently in a defensive posture.

Bao Meimei looked furious and glowed a bright blue. With her fist covered in an even thicker layer of blueish water, Meimei punched out faster and stronger than last time. Yu crossed her arms. The instant the water made contact, Yu moved.

She shifted her arm so her elbow slammed down onto the wrist of Bao Meimei. There was a cracking sound as Meimei wasn’t using Qi in her body either. Yu, still covered in water, struck the girl twice more in a blink, once the elbow and then the armpit. More cracking followed each and the girl shrieked and fell on the ground.

The next thing Yu knew, she was flying backward and slamming into the building’s wall. Thankfully she sent Qi throughout her body and used Earthen Armor the moment she felt herself leave her feet. Yu struck and was embedded into the building’s wall. She groggily leaned forward and fell with a splash into the shallow water, but managed to painfully turn over so her face was above the water.

That was until she was lifted by the neck and once again slammed into the wall. Yu felt a crack to the back of her head and neck that left her nearly instantly unconscious. The hand around her neck that was holding her above the ground was closing and the snarling face of Elder Bao Shi was glaring at her. His mouth was moving but Yu’s ears were ringing and she couldn’t understand a word he said.

Everything was going dark and she did the only thing she could think of. She reached up and tapped her badge. She vaguely saw a blue glow then she felt a pain like acid course through her veins and she screamed like she hadn’t since she was with Grandma Huan and a sentient vine was digging holes into her bones.

Then the world froze. Everything but Yu and Elder Bao were absolutely still. The water didn’t splash, the steam didn’t rise, the chests of the disciples did not rise and fall. Suddenly, Yu appeared somewhere else. She collapsed onto the partially dry ground, coughing and hacking, taking painful breaths that felt like ice crystals had formed in her throat. But mostly she felt like her body was on fire.

Everything was wavering between going dark and brightening. Echoing voices and yelling sounds could be heard. There was a thundering sound and Yu felt her body shake. Then everything went silent and Yu was vaguely aware of being lifted and carried somewhere but she lost the ability to hear or see as she was welcomed into nothingness.

***

Yu returned to consciousness blinking and hurting all over. All she could see was light as she moaned and tried to move, but that made everything hurt even more. Her vision was spinning and it made her sick. She moved her head and dry heaved, which caused her body to hurt even more as the muscles clenched but nothing came out. She closed her eyes and that helped with the nausea but she was panting and that hurt too.

After however many years the pain lasted, she felt someone lay a hand on her head and chest and a soothing feeling filled her body. She moaned again but in relief. Her mind relaxed followed by her body and she fell back into a dreamless sleep.

***

The next time she woke, Yu felt sore but not in excruciating pain, which was just fine by her. Her eyes were able to focus and she looked around. She found herself in an unfamiliar healer’s area. It was a bamboo walled and ceilinged room lit by four hanging Ether lamps. To her right was hanging white cloth blocking the view to her right.

“Hello?” Yu was shocked at how scratchy and soft her voice was.

She tried to swallow but her mouth was dry. She looked around and saw a small ceramic cup of clear fluid and Yu slowly tried to sit up. She was able to, if painfully. Reaching for the water, she took it with a shaky hand and managed to drink some, only spilling a little on herself and her white patient’s cloth robe.

Her throat once again wet, Yu called out, “Hello?” Much better. Not totally normal, but better.

An unfamiliar woman slid the cloth separating her room aside and stepped up to Yu. “How do you feel?”

Yu replied honestly, “Sore. What happened?”

She looked at Yu curiously and asked, “What do you remember?”

Yu thought back and said, “Water Warrior class. I was target practice for the Bao’s. I was struck twice and about to be struck for the third time but that is all I can recall.” Yu was not used to forgetting things and found the feeling uncomfortable. The only thing she believed she had forgotten was a set of events blocked by a grade 6 demonic beast tiger who saved her. He had added blocks to her memory for reasons of his own. Other than that, Yu didn't think she had forgotten a single thing she was awake and aware of in her life.

The woman said, “All I will tell you is that you nearly died from numerous broken bones including your skull and ribs, some of which punctured your lungs. Your meridians were also close to being burned out. In fact, if they weren’t so special they likely would have been. Anything more you will need to speak to others for.”

Terrified, Yu asked quietly, “Was there permanent damage? Can I still cultivate?”

The woman shook her head and said, “Miraculously, there wasn’t. They should have been, but your body isn’t normal, now is it? And yes, you can cultivate. Well, after you rest and recover.”

Yu slumped in relief, nearly falling back into the bed. “Did you save me?”

Accepting the change of subject, the woman responded, “I healed you. I did not rescue you. All I know is that you appeared in front of me and I carried you to this healing chamber where I did my best to tend to your wounds.”

Yu bowed to her. “Thank you, Elder. Can I know your name?”

She smiled and said, “I just did my job. My name is Elder Shuiguo.”

Yu looked at her and finally realized what she was seeing. The woman appeared in her 30s in mortal years, had one green and one blue eye, and long wavy black hair. She was beautiful. But none of that was what caught Yu’s attention. What drew Yu’s attention were her sect robes, which were white with golden seams. The woman was a core elder.

Yu gasped and bowed lower. “Core Elder! I’m sorry. I didn’t realize. . .”

The woman said in a gentle tone. “It is fine, disciple. Your master sent you to me. He must have had his reasons. I have no idea what trouble you caused for him to get involved, but whatever it was, you had better prepare yourself for the backlash.”

Yu slumped and winced. She was right. What was Yu thinking? She couldn’t exactly remember what she did but she remembered her plan, and that involved a set of three to five strikes which could have truly hurt Meimei badly. And before that, she challenged an elder to his face in front of others. Something was definitely wrong with her.

“Yes, elder. Umm. May I be bold and ask you a question? Please?”

She raised a beautiful black eyebrow and said, “Go ahead.”

“Ever since I came to the sect, I have had difficulty controlling my emotions. When I was home, I was generally calm and collected. In control. But here I find myself struggling to restrain my emotions. Is something wrong with me? Am I sick?”

A curious expression crossed the woman’s face and she asked, “Can you give a few examples?” So Yu did. She felt like it started at the Mission Center with the pushing incident and had trouble controlling her anger to the point of it causing tears. Then she told about the arena with the prince and how she just got so uncontrollably filled with rage. Following that, she gave a few more examples including how she snapped back at the elders in the discussion of her supposed transgression. She even spoke about the events with Xing and how she has been struggling with emotions she never experienced before. Nothing had ever made her feel so much fear and she had nearly died many times in her short life. After a few more examples including her reaction to the warning in the forest, she wrapped it up with the last Water Warrior class and described it as best she could remember ending with her temper exploding out at the elder.

During her telling, the woman didn’t speak but her face changed a number of times. She could have sworn she saw fury and Yu thought she might end up being killed but then it passed and Yu continued speaking. By the end, the beautiful healer said, “I think you have a right to be angry in a number of those cases, if not all of them. Why do you think something is wrong with you?”

Yu frustratingly said, “I’ve never lost control so much before. I was always thoughtful in how I expressed my anger and emotions and I am worried that my loss of control is a symptom of something else. Is something wrong with my body or brain?”

The healer looked pensive and pressed her two fingers to Yu’s wrist. Yu felt a foreign Qi enter her body and swirl around. Nearly ten breaths later the woman smiled slightly. “Well, if I am correct there are two reasons and they are related. The first is that your body is. . . changing. Your body is not normal. You must know this is true?”

Yu winced but nodded. “I’ve been told that, but don’t really know what it means.”

“Your body is sucking up Qi at a rather extraordinary rate. Not in a way that gives you access to it, but in a way that will force it to grow. The physical environment upon which the sect sits has a nearly unfathomable amount of Qi saturating it, which is intentional. I’m not sure where you are from, but wherever it is clearly has less Qi than your body needs. It has been starved for Qi and thus is absorbing it at a rate that is forcing it to develop in ways you will have to discover over time. You are from the verge?”

Yu nodded.

The healer nodded back and said, “On the verge, you were not exposed to even a tiny fraction as much Qi, and thus when you got here your body started gorging. In short, you are like the ground of a dried-out river suddenly exposed to a flood.”

Yu blinked at that. “Oh. What do I need to look out for?”

“I have no idea. But that is not directly responsible for what you described as your emotional changes. First, let me say, I would feel the same about the incident with Disciple Xing. You don’t have to fear him any longer. He will be. . . dealt with. Strength over someone weaker is one thing. Those like him though. . .” Yu suddenly felt as though her master was pressing down on her with his gravity skills. The woman’s face was like a storm in the night and Yu was absolutely terrified. Maybe Yu should not have shared it?

Seeing the girl’s fear, the healer lessened the pressure and changed her expression to a pleasant one.

Moving on, she spoke gently, “Part of the way your body is changing is that it is. . .” She seemed to be searching for a word. “. . . maturing.” What did that have to do with her emotions? She asked and the woman looked baffled. “Did your mother not speak to you of this?”

Yu blinked and asked, “Of what? Nobody prepared me for anything like struggling with my emotions.”

The woman sighed and said, “Are you aware that we all have things in our body that regulate how it works?”

Yu nodded and said, “Yes. I was taught that by my first healing teacher and find it when I use the evaluation skills like Follow the Water.”

Raising her eyebrows, the woman said, “Oh good. This will be easier then. You know that cultivator’s bodies mature quicker than mortals, yes?”

Yu tilted her head and said, “Sort of. The whole thing is confusing about aging and then not aging.”

Nodding, Elder Shuiguo said, “Understandable, given what you’ve told me so far. To summarize, it is a trade-off. Our bodies mature quicker early in the cultivation process but then age slower after we grow in strength and Qi density following compression.” Yu nodded again. She still had no idea what Qi density or compressing Qi meant, but hopefully she’d learn.

The woman continued, “Well, as your body matures into an adult’s, those things inside that regulate your body go a little out of control. For young cultivators, two things happen. Your bodies begin to grow into young adults thanks to those changes of the mixture of things in the blood. For women, that means the body gains what you and I would consider more womanly features.” She pointed at her breasts. “And you find yourself physically attracted to others, or at least more so.”

Was this when she would start thinking about boys in the way others do? Would she start getting distracted and lose focus on her studies and practice? Yu thought to herself, Please no!

The women must have seen the horror on Yu’s face and laughed lightly. Then she continued to explain. “The downside is maturing cultivators tend to lose a little bit of control over themselves. It usually happens slowly over a period of time, but your body is, as I said, getting flooded with those changes in a shorter period of time. As a result, your emotions are not slowly changing, but quickly changing and thus the emotions are a little more extreme.

Then the lovely woman put her hands on Yu’s shoulders. “It is good you asked because now that you are aware of it, you can look out for it and try to take control rather than let it control you. I will provide you some meditations that can help calm the mind and emotions. Check your messages in a few days for a letter from me. Hopefully, it makes you feel better about yourself knowing that all young cultivators go through it. It is also one of the reasons we work so hard to keep everyone busy and occupied with study, professions, classes, and missions. This sect is filled with young cultivators whose bodies are driving them somewhat crazy. Well, mostly the outer sect disciples. Either way, you will hopefully be able to adapt now that you are aware.”

Yu exhaled both in relief that she wasn’t sick, but also stress from the idea that her body was betraying her again. She mumbled, “I don’t want to lose control of myself again.”

The woman looked surprised at her statement but patted her shoulder. “You don’t have a choice, any more than all of the young men and women of the outer sect do. The meditations will help. I will also alert one of the senior outer sect healer women—someone I trust— to your plight and she will make sure to meet you and check up on your status. If something is going wrong then the sooner she can act, the better. If nothing is wrong and it is normal, she can help educate you on what to expect and some other things you will need to know.”

Yu sagged. “Thank you, elder. I know that healers are supposed to be compensated in the inner and core levels, but I don’t think I have anything to offer that you would find any value in.”

She laughed and stepped back. “Tell me. Have you ever had any interest in alchemy?”

Blinking at the out of nowhere question, Yu said, “Actually yes. But enchanting is something I have decided to pursue. It appeals to me more, but just slightly.”

The healer tapped her chin with her finger and said, “If we could fit it into your schedule, would you be willing to attempt both? Even if it involved one-on-one training?”

Yu looked stricken and said, “Elder. I cannot tell you how much I appreciate it. And I can honestly say I would leap at the idea of additional useful knowledge and experience normally, but my schedule is a cycle of absolute madness. I have twelve affinity classes, two enchanting classes, a healing class, two full days of missions, and weekly private classes with my master. The only time I could possibly do it would be the 10th to 12th hour of day 3 and I have no idea what sort of time I would have to practice, which I am confident I would need. On top of that, you would definitely need my master’s permission to add that to my schedule and he has shown little inclination to change his plans for me, whatever they are.”

As if speaking his name called him, the voice of her master sounded in the room. “Shuiguo. If she is able, send her out.” Of course, the source of the voice was a mystery.

The woman looked at Yu with an odd smile and said, “I’ll speak with him. Get dressed and head out. No channeling or physical activity for the rest of the day and get checked out tomorrow morning first thing. You may channel only once you are told it is safe and not before. Good luck.”

Yu did as instructed. The moment she took a step out of her private healing room, she vanished and appeared in a room she had never been in before. She looked around and found Vice Elder Long Mingchen shared this well-lit wooden-walled room with a desk and two chairs. Yu immediately bowed and said, “Vice elder.”

He did not look pleased and curtly ordered her to sit. Her master appeared then and sat in the seat she was directed to. So Yu stopped and stayed standing. She bowed to him and said, “Master.”

He humphed and looked at the vice leader who appeared just as annoyed with her master as he did with her. Yu silently watched the wordless exchange and then the vice leader turned to Yu and ordered, “Describe what happened.”

Yu told everything she could remember, but when she reached the end she said, “Elder Shuiguo said I had a cracked skull among numerous other broken bones, punctured lungs, nearly burned out meridians and a bunch of other injuries. I do not remember how that happened though.”

The vice leader’s eyes widened and he looked back at her master who simply nodded. Back at Yu, he inquired, “You don’t remember what happened to trigger Elder Bao to attack you?”

Yu blinked and said, “I didn’t even know he attacked me until you just said that; although I suppose it makes sense. As I said, I cannot remember after being told to return to the front of the line and pointing out he was attempting to hurt me. How long was I out for?”

“Well, since you've been healing, we had time to interview the class. They were obviously confused and unsure of what to say and to whom. We managed to piece together enough though. Apparently, you were being used as target practice and struck back. You broke Disciple Bao Meimei’s wrist, elbow, and two ribs.”

Yu winced. Apparently she went through with her plan.

The vice leader continued his version of events. “The elder struck at you in return and then you apparently called for your master, who arrived to. . . end the situation.”

Her master humphed again and crossed his arms across his chest. Yu noticed he was being unusually stable in front of someone else. Yu did not speak. Frankly, she wasn’t sure what else to say.

The vice leader explained more. “As you apparently lost some memory due to your injuries, likely the blow to your head, I can tell you that Elder Bao Shi will no longer be teaching here.” Her master snorted but the vice leader continued as if not noticing. “Disciple Bao Meimei will be healed and returned to classes in a day, more or less. All evidence is that you were defending yourself. Again. And once again you did so to the point of breaking the bones of another. It sounds like Bao Shi was trying to terminate your ability to cultivate by burning out your meridians. It is a good thing they are not normal. Even standard gold meridians would likely have been crisped by what he did.”

Then he rubbed his eyes, sighed, and asked, “What are we going to do with you?”

Her master seemed to find that a question for him and answered. “Nothing. I need her to continue along as she has been.”

The vice leader quickly raised and lowered his hands in a frustrated gesture. “What am I supposed to do, brother? Just pretend none of this happened?”

Oh! Well, that clarified why her master wasn’t playing the madman.

“I don’t care in the least,” was her master's response.

His answer was obviously less than satisfactory to the vice leader because he slapped the table and said, “You just plastered a Bao elder’s body all over my elder conference area. Beyond having to clean up the blood and organs you left splattered everywhere, what about the Boa clan? They already hate you both.”

Yu cleared her throat and they both looked at her. “Umm. Should I be hearing this?”

“And what difference does that make now, exactly?” the vice leader exclaimed with raised arms.

Once again her master said, “I don’t care about the Bao any more than I care about the Gui. The Baos are useful to me because they push the girl to grow. Beyond that, none of them matter. Find a new teacher and move on. I’m done with it.”

Yu shook her head at that. Once again, his priorities showed; and as before, he didn’t care in the least that she knew.

Yu watched the hairless head turn to her and ask, “And what in the hells were you thinking? You got me involved, again.”

You felt her anger rise and she blurted. “And what in the hells should I have done exactly? Let them beat me until they broke my bones? How would I get stronger if I spend all my time healing? You told me I had to stay in the class! Next time don’t leave me with a madman.” She didn’t say, other than you. Barely, but she held it in.

He stopped at that and actually looked reflective. “True enough.” Then he looked at his brother and said, “Fix it so she grows. If I have to get involved again with the Bao, I’ll remove the clan. I have bigger plans and if they interfere again I’ll eliminate them in the same manner I eliminate anything else in my way.”

Yu could have sworn she saw a flicker of fear in the vice leader who was also his brother, but it vanished and he sighed. “I’ll figure out what to say.”

Yu cleared her throat and asked what she thought was an obvious question. “Why not tell the truth? Would that be so bad? He was an abusive elder who nearly neutered and killed a student.”

Her master laughed once and nodded. “I like it. It is just disruptive enough and will put the Bao and all the elders in their place. At the same time, they’ll all hate her more and thus push harder.”

Never mind. Yu would definitely keep her mouth shut next time.

Once again the vice leader sounded frustrated as he said, “Fine. The students just have to know he was dismissed for abusing his power. And I’ll remind the elders of their responsibility to instruct the students, not beat them to death. Discomfort is required to learn, but he went too far and was. . . dismissed. What do I tell the Bao elders when they come knocking?”

Her master stood and said, “Don’t care.” He turned to Yu and said, “As punishment for getting me involved, you are required to rise to the 15,000th rank by your fourth month.” Then he vanished.

Yu blinked at the spot she stood and then turned to the vice leader. She said quietly, “He can be really scary sometimes.”

He looked at Yu and a few breaths later said “You remind me of him.” Then he scanned her up and down and asked, “Are you well enough to head to your earth classes?”

Not believing they were alike in the least, Yu shook her head. “I am not supposed to channel or do physical activity for the rest of the day. I’ll get another checkup tomorrow morning and go from there.”

“That’s fine. I’ll send word that you have a medical pass for those classes. It’s not like the rumors aren’t already flying. Go back to your room and recover. No infused food for dinner either. Just standard fare until your meridians heal.”

Then he called for an assistant, an outer sect disciple wearing a silver strap around his arm identifying his position as an assistant to a vice leader to escort her out and see her home.