Chapter Six

In the courtyard of the estate, Li Feng stands while holding the Heavenly Mirror Stone in its cloth wrap. In front of him, his five brothers and his father are watching. A large celebration would usually be held, but Lord Wen doesn’t want to celebrate anything for Li Feng. Though he is the youngest son, he is the biggest disappointment.

“Unwrap the stone, then touch it with your hand. It should be clear and completely void of stars. After you touch it, show the stone to us,” Lord Wen says, and Li Feng does as he’s told.

The Heavenly Mirror Stone is completely transparent and reflects the sun’s glare at Li Feng when he stares at it. The stone is a perfect sphere, without blemish, and he’ll be the first person to touch it. Because Heavenly Mirror Stones cannot be used a second time without a third stage cultivator clearing the cultivation reading, and nobody in the estate has reached the Ascendant stage, Li Feng only has one time to use the stone.

Gently, Li Feng places the tips of his fingers on the stone. A foggy mist spreads through the Heavenly Mirror Stone, starting from Li Feng’s fingers, until finally the entire stone is colored white. For a few more minutes, Li Feng waits for the first star to appear on the surface.

“Gah!” Li Kwok, Li Feng’s fourth brother, yells and walks away. After half an hour, he has grown bored from looking at the blank stone. “I’d rather be training my Clashing Fists than watching Feng’s starless Heavenly Mirror Stone!”

As Li Kwok walks to his own corner of the courtyard, the other brothers and Lord Wen look at Li Feng’s Heavenly Mirror Stone one last time. “Useless, like always,” Lord Wen mutters, and returns to the inside of the estate.

“Not even a single star,” Li Shen says, walking to his own corner of the courtyard.

“Even I got 44,” Li Yuen says, following Lord Wen into the estate.

“How can trash like this be our brother?” Li Ming asks the air, and goes with Li Chen to a corner of the courtyard.

“Right. I’m ashamed to be sharing the blood of someone so worthless,” Li Chen says, remembering his own 47 stars which appeared the day of his Boiling Cauldron of Nine Transformations ritual.