Storm and I might have spent the entire day lost to the storm, playing with wind, rain, and lightning if Elder Shadow had not flown to intercept me. I saw the first expression on his face, other than the stern taskmaster I was used to, of pride and joy at my success. He joined me for a few moments, my joy so ebullient that even he was forced to laugh and ride the winds.

It was a good look for him, and because I was certain he seldom allowed himself to experience these moments of joy, I refused to end my elemental dance. At least for a few minutes more. I doubted I would see a smile on his face often, and to hear him laugh was to be so rare that I might never hear it again. I knew once we came back down to earth, he would transform back into a teacher, Elder, and Head of Training Hall.

As the few extra moments I took to delay the inevitable continued; I noticed something interesting, a new facet about my perception. The details I could extract from my surroundings made use of my elemental affinity. The expansion of Qi that made perception possible had undergone a qualitative change. The Qi now connected with the wind, rain, lightning, snow, and ice, it resonated with those elements I was aligned with and began adapting the information I collected to account for those elements.

The obstructions the wind found, the areas where snow and ice gathered and began to melt or accumulate, the small depressions that allowed rain to pool, each of the elements changed the mental image I was able to process, added to my perception giving me so much more detail than I'd ever had.

It allowed me to build a dimensional representation; the changes replaced the pixilated image of my surroundings that I was used to, into an image so detailed that it had depth and substance. Now that I knew to focus on the information the storm was providing, I realized the kind of advantage the storm afforded me.

I had a three-dimensional snapshot of the surrounding area. I could use the newly gained Dharmic control of my elements to create a storm and use that storm to find what was hidden. The added benefits of having the very elements enhance my perception would be a strategic advantage during any fight.

The color was missing, but that was a feature I thought I could amend. I had considered how light passing through water was used to create the illusion for the computers the Sect had created, that same concept should serve to filter color. It would require a better, more exacting understanding of the stimuli I was processing, but if I trained myself. If I could understand more fully the detailed information, the storm was providing, it should be possible.

Even those using [Stealth] techniques might find their abilities compromised when the very world around them sent me information on where they were hiding and what weapon they may have equipped. The storm acting like sonar. The wind, rain, snow, and ice returning information about those features that obstructed and constrained how they moved, what they impacted, and how they flowed.

I would have liked to experiment, to begin trying to add color, but there was a sad truth, but the saying that all good things must come to an end was inescapable. I was finally forced to release the elements and land. As the storm clouds parted, and as I noticed the direction of the Sun, I was able to gauge time.

My tribulation had taken most of the day. It was late afternoon, and Elder Shadow and I hadn't had a chance for our discussion. The messages that I had found on the computer had him listed as my teacher of record, so anything that I needed, the permissions I would be granted, would have to be discussed with him.

"Is it safe to let Storm fly?" I asked once both of us had landed. I had asked if she wanted to return to my inner world, but she had been more interested in hunting.

I couldn't blame her; she had been cooped up, protected for too long. I had been hand-feeding for her entire life, keeping her safe in my inner world, except for those few moments of freedom when I had the time to spare. I had provided food tailored to meet her growing demands, but she was a young adult now. She was a predator. The occasional treat or meal would be accepted, but she would much prefer hunting to handouts.

"She can fly anywhere around Mount Seia safely," He assured me. "If she needs to hunt, direct her to the meadows to the north or east of the mountain. Those areas are teeming with tier-one and tier-two animals.

"The northern flats are overgrown with Entelodonts. The Sect is awarding contribution points for each of the swine collected. The kitchens have placed a standing mission for their collection. So, after she eats her fill, she might want to bring a few to be processed, the points will be awarded to your token automatically."

That was a good use of companion's abilities, I thought. I would think that Flowing Water did the same thing. It only made sense for the bonded that were inclined to hunt anyway, to donate their kills. Unlike people, no animal would kill indiscriminately. It simply wasn't in their nature to kill when not protecting themselves, their young, or for food. But bonded companions understood that what they hunted would not be wasted if they returned the carcass to the Sect.

The walk to Elder Shadow's office required much patience on his part. People that I had never met kept stopping us to congratulate me on my advancement to the Qi Gathering Realm. It didn't matter what station the person held in the sect, from servant to Elder, each person we encountered grimaced before smiling and giving me a bow of respect.

"How do they know that I just passed my tribulation?" I mused aloud, not expecting an answer.

"The smell from the impurities that are still coating your skin would be my guess," Elder Shadow teased. "I'll give you a few moments before our meeting to bathe and scrub that gunk off. The Hanfu you are wearing should be discarded, there is no way to get the odor out no matter how you try."

Elves could blush, our physiology allowed for changes in skin color when the rush of blood to our face occurred. The heated cheeks, the wash of emotion that seemed to originate from your stomach, the physiological changes your body recognized as the phenomena happened.

One of the Elders, that had just congratulated me, heard our conversation and laughed at my embarrassment, increasing that embarrassment and deepening my blush. I was certain I was glowing neon green by this point.

I'm not sure why, but his reaction did more to make me feel welcome at Four Elements than anything else I'd experienced since my arrival. Everything had been perfunctory so far, even regimented. His was the first real response that helped me finally realize that things would be different.

This Elder that I hadn't met, had been delighted at my discomfort, but his reaction, his laughter, had nothing malicious about it. His laughter was inclusive, the fondness an elder brother or uncle might share with a family member. He laughed with us, part of us. His laughter sharing our banter instead of attempting to weaponize it.

This small interlude, this chance encounter, and his honest reaction helped me to understand what I had learned during the tribulation. There would be problems, but this was not the Flowing Water Sect. Even Elder Dill was more of a nuisance than a real problem. Nothing was stopping me from continuing my studies on my own, collecting herbs that I would need myself, and studying the Alchemy tokens I had brought with me.

Elder Dill had been forced, bound by his Oaths, to exclude me from Alchemy Hall. But his actions were his. They didn't carry over to the rest of the Sect, and the Elder that laughed with us helped me to understand that I could be a part of this new world.

My entire body seemed to be suffused with new warmth and understanding that this was family and what a Sect should be. This new understanding helped me to release most of the tension and anger I had been holding on to for the past year.

That Elder that laughed with us, such a simple thing, yet so profoundly affecting my outlook and expectations for my new home.