THE SECOND AWAKENING

chapter 9

Chen POV

The next two weeks passed in focused training.

Every morning, I cultivated in secret, using the inheritance manual's techniques combined with my ancient knowledge. Every afternoon, I practiced with Uncle Feng, learning weapon forms and combat techniques. Every evening, I studied the information Mei Lin had given me, memorizing the faces of suspected Four Pillars agents.

And every night, I felt eyes watching me from the darkness.

The spy on the roof appeared regularly now, always at the same time. They watched me cultivate for exactly one hour, then disappeared. They never tried to attack, never tried to enter my room. Just watched.

It was unnerving but also useful. As long as they were just watching, I knew they didn't consider me a threat yet. I was still beneath their notice.

Good. Let them keep thinking that.

On the seventh day, while practicing sword forms with Uncle Feng, I finally broke through. Energy surged through my body, flowing into pathways that had been closed before. I felt my cultivation level jump from middle Earth realm ninth stage to Peak Earth realm first stage.

It happened so smoothly that Uncle Feng almost didn't notice. When he did, his eyes went wide.

"Wei! You broke through!"

"Quietly, uncle. I don't want everyone to know."

He understood immediately. "You're hiding your progress."

"Yes. Father's jade pendant technique makes me appear weaker than I am. Let everyone think I'm still struggling in middle Earth realm. The less they know, the safer we are."

Uncle Feng smiled proudly. "You're becoming wise, nephew. Your father would be proud."

"Thank you. But this is just the beginning. I need to reach Heavenly Spirit realm before entering the academy. Otherwise, I'll be at a serious disadvantage."

"That's a huge jump. Are you sure you can do it in one week?"

"I have to try."

I increased my training intensity. Six hours of cultivation each day instead of four. Combat practice with Uncle Feng pushed my body to exhaustion. I even started using some of the rare herbs from our family garden, carefully selecting ones that wouldn't be missed.

The herbs helped. My energy increased noticeably. My body adapted faster to the strain. By the end of the second week, I'd broken through twice more—reaching Peak Earth realm third stage.

Still not Heavenly Spirit realm, but close. Maybe one more breakthrough would do it.

The night before I was supposed to leave for the academy, grandfather called me to his study.

"Are you ready, Wei?"

"As ready as I can be."

He studied my face carefully. "You've changed so much in the past few weeks. Sometimes I look at you and see your father. The same determination. The same fire."

"I'm trying to honor his memory."

"You're doing more than that. You're continuing his work." He reached into his desk and pulled out a small pouch. "Take this. It contains gold and emergency supplies. The academy provides most things, but having your own resources is always wise."

"Thank you, grandfather."

"There's also this." He handed me a ring carved from dark jade. "It's a storage ring. Put items inside it and they vanish into a pocket space. Very useful for keeping things hidden. Your father used it when he was investigating the Four Pillars."

I slipped the ring onto my finger. It felt cool against my skin.

"Wei, I want you to promise me something."

"Anything."

"Don't throw your life away for revenge. Your father made that mistake—he charged ahead alone, trusting too much in his own strength. It got him killed. Be smarter. Be patient. Come home alive."

"I promise, grandfather. I'll be careful."

We talked for a while longer. He gave me advice about the academy, warnings about trusting people too quickly, encouragement to stay focused. Finally, he stood and hugged me—the first time he'd ever done that.

"Come back to us, Wei. The Chen family needs you."

That night, I couldn't sleep. Too much anticipation mixed with worry. Tomorrow I'd leave the safety of my family and enter a place filled with danger. The Four Pillars. Master Magnus. The mysterious convergence. All of it was connected to Shadowpeak Academy.

Just before dawn, I heard something unusual—raised voices from the front of the compound. Shouting. Running feet.

I grabbed my outer robe and rushed outside. Half my family was already there, gathered near the main gate.

"What happened?" I asked Uncle Feng.

His face was grim. "Guards found something this morning during their rounds. Come see."

He led me to a tree near the compound wall. Something hung from one of the branches, swaying slightly in the wind.

It was a puppet, made to look like me. Same height, same black hair, same style of robes I usually wore. But it had been torn apart—limbs pulled off, head hanging by a thread, chest split open.

A warning. A threat.

Attached to the puppet was a note written in red ink that looked disturbingly like blood:

"Abandon your father's path or join him in darkness."

Everyone stood in shocked silence. The message was clear—someone knew I was investigating the Four Pillars. They wanted me to stop.

Grandfather pushed through the crowd. When he saw the puppet, his face turned pale.

"Take it down," he ordered quietly. "Burn it. And find out how someone got close enough to our compound to hang this without being seen."

Guards rushed to obey. I just stood there, staring at where the puppet had hung.

"Wei." Grandfather's hand on my shoulder brought me back to the present. "Are you alright?"

"Yes. Just thinking."

"This changes things. Maybe you shouldn't go to the academy right now. Stay here where we can protect you."

I shook my head. "No. This is exactly why I need to go. Whoever sent this warning is afraid of what I might learn at the academy. That means there's something there worth finding."

"But the danger—"

"Is everywhere. I'm not safe here either. At least at the academy, I'll be surrounded by other students and masters. They can't kill me as easily there."

Grandfather looked torn. But finally, he nodded. "Very well. But take extra guards with you on the journey. And contact us immediately if anything seems wrong."

"I will. I promise."