Adventure of Zhāng Wújì 1

The Hall of Tempering opens around Zhāng Wújì like a pit of stone and force. Ancient arrays grind deeper, and the floor tilts his body under crushing weight.

He drives himself forward anyway, stepping into the harshest band of pressure. Jagged stone nubs rise from the ground and strike his shins, ribs, and shoulders as he moves.

Wújì bites down on a raw medicinal herb from the garden. Bitter juice floods his mouth, then heat spreads through his chest as the medicine forces his flesh to mend under strain.

He answers the pain with motion. Fists hammer the wall, once, twice, again, each impact feeding the chamber’s rhythm and shocking new strength into his bones.

The pressure shifts in response. The chamber’s weight tightens around his meridians, making the parasitic bond with the jade bead cycle more demanding, but also more efficient.

From the monument’s shadow, Xùn watches without stepping out. The path is clear now, each injury and recovery pulling Wújì closer to mastery, and closer to needing the inheritance to survive it.

The strain stops resisting him all at once, then settles into his bones instead of against them. Zhāng Wújì straightens under the crushing field, breath steady, stance rooted.

Green qi runs cleaner through the floor lines. The rhythmic pulse at his core tightens, and the jade-light around him steadies into a calm orbit.

A dull crack answers from the black monument. Its surface splits a little wider, as if it has witnessed enough to acknowledge the change.

Zhāng Wújì lowers his fists, then flexes his shoulders once. The motion lands with new control, the hall's weight no longer throwing him off balance.

The path of light beyond the chamber brightens a shade, while the iron sword on its distant rack remains untouched. Xùn keeps watch from the monument's shadow, waiting for Wújì's next choice.

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