Outside the courtyard house sat her carefully crafted training weights. Using her earth elent, she had transford ordinary stones from the Great White Mountain into perfectly balanced training equipnt. Each piece had been ticulously molded through her earth manipulation—smooth, dense weights of varying sizes. So were as light as a few jin for speed training, while others rivaled her own body weight for strength training.
Li Hua began her warm-up with practiced efficiency, her movents fluid and purposeful. She started with lighter weights, cycling through a series of precise movents that targeted each muscle group in sequence. Each lift, press, and swing flowed seamlessly into the next, her grace evident even in these basic exercises. The weights moved through the air like extensions of her limbs, each repetition executed with perfect form.
As her muscles ward, she progressed to heavier weights. Her regi was brutal by any standard—hundreds of repetitions with weights that would have challenged even adult male cultivators. The perfectly balanced weights were tools of pure physical conditioning, each one shaped to push her body to its absolute limits.
"Your form has improved," Little Firefly comnted between bites of pastry, his golden light casting dancing shadows as she moved through her exercises. "The way you've refined these weights... they're much more sophisticated than when you first started molding them."
Li Hua smiled through her controlled breathing as she lifted a particularly challenging weight. "In this body... every advantage... counts," she managed between repetitions. Sweat began to bead on her forehead as she maintained perfect control over both the physical weight and her form. "Besides... what would my brothers say... if they knew their little sister... could outlift them?"
The thought of their shocked faces made her grin, even as she pushed herself through another set of movents that would have exhausted most cultivators. In the quiet sanctuary of her inner space, Li Hua could train at her true capacity without worrying about maintaining appearances or hiding her abilities.
Once she was done with her speed and strength training, Li Hua moved into a series of stretches before flowing into her advanced yoga poses. Each position tested the limits of her flexibility—splits that seed to defy human limitations, backbends that ford perfect circles, and balance poses that would have made master acrobats envious. Her body had beco even more flexible in this new incarnation.
After completing her final pose, Li Hua rose gracefully and made her way to the spirit spring that ran between the jade garden pavilion and the courtyard house. The water glead with pure spiritual essence, its surface rippling with gentle light. Kneeling beside the spring, she cupped her hands and drew up the crystal-clear liquid. The first handful of spirit water slid down her throat like liquid starlight, instantly beginning to restore her depleted energy. She quickly followed it with a second handful, feeling the spiritual essence spread through her ridians, soothing her tired muscles and replenishing her strength.
This spirit spring water was truly extraordinary. In the past eight years, Li Hua had been carefully incorporating it into her family's daily life—adding it to their als, teas, and bathwater until the garden was established. Once she began using the spirit water on the vegetables grown in the garden, its benefits beca even more pronounced.
She could tell it was working because her family's spiritual essence had taken on a deeper, more vibrant hue. According to Little Firefly, this change in color indicated that their spiritual cores had beco significantly purer, their essence refined by years of unconsciously absorbing the spring water's power. Even more encouraging was his observation that such profound changes in their spiritual essence likely ant their inner cores had been elevated—a remarkable achievent that would normally take decades of careful cultivation to accomplish.
After her rigorous training session, Li Hua took a quick cooling shower in her space before returning to her physical form. Sleep claid her quickly, her body and mind ready for the rest before dawn.
The sky was still ink-dark when Li Hua's eyes opened, her internal clock as precise as ever. She dressed swiftly in her training clothes—soft, dark fabric that moved like water, allowing perfect freedom while maintaining modesty. As she stepped into the hallway, she caught the familiar sounds of her brothers erging from their rooms, their movents equally quiet and practiced.
"Sleep well, Eldest brother?" Li Hua asked innocently, catching Li Wei's eye. "No... disturbances?"
Li Wei's failed attempt to suppress a smile told her everything she needed to know about how Bai Ying had spent the night. "All clear," he responded with careful dignity, though a few telltale frost crystals still clung to his sleeve.
Li Hao glanced between them, shaking his head with familiar fondness. "If Mother finds out, I'm claiming complete ignorance," he warned, already heading toward the courtyard where their father waited.
The pre-dawn air carried a crisp sweetness, heavy with dew and possibility. Their father stood in his usual spot; farming tools ready beside him. Since the siblings had entered their double digits, he'd gradually stepped back from their training, proud of their dedication even as he regularly cautioned them about pushing too hard. His discovery of their secret additional training sessions had initially worried him, but their careful attention to proper cultivation techniques had eventually earned his trust.
"Good morning, my warriors," he greeted them warmly, his weathered hands finding each child's shoulder in turn. The familiar gesture carried years of love and pride. "Have a great day today!"
"Thank you, Bàba!" they responded in unison, their voices carrying the easy affection of a close-knit family. "You have a great day too!"
He smiled at them one last ti before gathering his farming tools and heading out to the fields, his tall figure a reassuring silhouette against the lightening sky.
Li Wei took his position in the courtyard, his stance carrying the natural authority of an eldest brother. "Ready?" he asked, though the competitive gleam in his eyes suggested he already knew the answer.
Li Hua and Li Hao moved into their own positions, forming a perfect triangle. The siblings shared a look of anticipation—these morning sessions had long since evolved from simple practice into elaborate contests of skill and creativity. Each day brought new challenges as they tested their growing abilities against one another, their competitive spirits driving them to ever-greater heights.
The first hints of dawn began to paint the eastern sky, but the siblings were already in motion, their training dance about to begin.
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Note from Author:
Happy Lunar New Year, wonderful readers!
Wishing you joy and amazing stories in this Year of the Snake. What are your hopes for the year ahead?
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