Chapter 203.2


    <h4>Recognition</h4>


    <small></small>Five minutes into his training, Li Yundong noticed the first sign of progress . The movement had been subtle and slight (just a tiny jolt), but it was there and he saw it with his own eyes .


    Indeed, if the whole thing had taken ce before Su Chan came into his life, he would''ve assumed that his eyes were ying tricks on him . Or, at the very least, he would''ve ducked under the table for cover because he thought an earthquake had hit Tiannan City .


    Now it just filled his heart with joy .


    Li Yundong shot a nce at Zi Yuan, wondering if she had noticed the fan''s subtle movement as well . Her eyes were still closed, and she still had that serene expression on her face . Clearly, she hadn''t noticed it . Or if she did, she had dismissed it as something trivial and totally unworthy of her attention .


    Li Yundong closed his eyes and touched his hand to the fan''s surface once more . Then, he channeled more Zhenqi into the fan, holding nothing back this time . While he worked, he kept track of the fan''s reaction .


    The fan didn''t move again after that, but he knew he was making progress because the resistance against his Zhenqi was gradually weakening .


    He kept working and working until the fan started to move again . However, this time it wasn''t just a simple jolt, but a strong and persistent vibration . He opened his eyes and released a long breath; a jet of white gas shot out from between his lips when he exhaled .


    The Fan of Seven Treasures was shaking like crazy .


    SNAP!


    Li Yundong flinched when it suddenly spread open to reveal its leaves . But before he even blink, the fan closed up and took the shape of a Bo staff once more .


    For minutes on end, Li Yundong just sat there and watched the fan''s movements . The fan slid and thrashed violently against the floor, opening and closing on its own once every few seconds or so . The whole disy gave him the impression of some kind of giant bug having a seizure on the floor .


    It was creepy as hell .


    Li Yundong stole a nce at the clock . About an hour had passed since he began channeling his Zhenqi into the fan .


    He looked back down at the fan, which was still twitching around .


    He hadn''t expected to make this much progress in just an hour''s time . Well . It seemed like the process might not take long after all .


    "No breaks . " Zi Yuan''s stern voice pulled him out of his thoughts . "Keep going until it acknowledges you . "


    <small></small>Li Yundong looked up from the fan . Much to his surprise, Zi Yuan''s eyes were still closed .


    "Right now it''s at its weakest," Zi Yuan continued . "This is the best time to subdue it and secure its allegiance . Don''t waste the opportunity . "


    Li Yundong nodded even though he knew that Zi Yuan couldn''t see him with her eyes closed—or maybe she could, who knows .


    He took a deep breath and returned his focus to his Vital Orb, where his Zhenqi swirled around with unparalleled vigor . It still amazed him sometimes how far he''de .


    After a while, he was interrupted by Zi Yuan''s voice . "Open your eyes and take a look at what''s happening . "


    The fan was no longer moving about; instead, itypletely still on the floor . If it weren''t for the golden glow on the fan''s surface, he would''ve thought that his attempt had failed . Then, upon a closer look, he realized that the golden glow on the fan''s surface wasn''t uniform at all: it seemed to be following the path of his Zhenqi as it moved around inside the fan .


    He shot a questioning nce at Zi Yuan .


    "Focus," Zi Yuan snapped . "Eyes on the fan . You''re almost there now—"


    SNAP!


    The Fan of Seven Treasures shot into the air and then spread open like a peacock''s tail .


    Li Yundong stared at the wonderful sight before him, unable to say a word .


    "Come on . Give it more Zhenqi," Zi Yuan said without taking her eyes off the fan . "This is a good sign . "


    Li Yundong pushed wave after wave of his Zhenqi into the fan . As he did, the golden glow began to spread across its leaves . One thing about the fan did jump out at him: the inscriptions of the Diamond Sutra were glowing the brightest .


    Suddenly, the fan emitted a bright sh of golden light . Li Yundong grunted and raised his arms to shield his eyes . Momentster, he heard a strange buzzing sound, which wasing from the fan as well .


    Amidst the buzzing, he also heard the shuffling of feet .


    "Sess . . . "


    Zi Yuan''s voice came from somewhere beside him .


    Li Yundong lowered his arms and let his eyes adjust to the brightness . The whole living room was now bathed in a golden luminescence, yet nothing he saw couldpare to the sight of the Fan of Seven Treasures, which was now hovering slightly below the ceiling .


    <small></small>The word glorious couldn''t even do it justice .


    The inscriptions of the Diamond Sutra were like glowing embers, outshining the golden light that formed its background .


    Li Yundong felt as though his feet were moving on their own when he took a few steps forward . As he got closer to the fan, he eventually realized the cause of that buzzing sound he heard earlier: the leaves of the fan were vibrating at a high frequency .


    Once again, Li Yundong''s eyes were drawn towards the glowing inscriptions of the Diamond Sutra . Even though he didn''t understand any of those symbols, he could still feel the sheer power each of them was emanating . The words drew him in, enticing him, beckoning him forward .


    It was like some kind of spell .


    He wondered if this was what it felt like to be in the presence of Gautama Buddha .


    Li Yundong stopped walking when the Fan of Seven Treasures began to move . It floated down towards the floor, towards him . Then, it spun a few times along its rivet and drifted across the room as though it was inspecting each corner of the apartment . Li Yundong stood there and watched, utterly fascinated .


    "The awakening . . . " Zi Yuan remarked .


    Li Yundong had heard her, but he didn''t acknowledge her words; he couldn''t take his eyes off the fan .


    The fan flew into the kitchen, then into the bedroom . A minuteter, it returned to the living room and flew circles around Li Yundong .


    Suddenly, the fan stopped short and turned sharply towards Zi Yuan . Another burst of golden light filled the room; the fan snapped shut, then spread open again .


    The inscriptions on the leaves weren''t just glowing now: they were burning .


    mes rose from the surface of the leaves (from the inscriptions) like small tentacles of fire . Those fiery tendrils drifted towards Zi Yuan like they were about to engulf her in mes .


    "H- Hey . . . What''s going on?" Li Yundong stammered as horror filled his chest . The Fan of Seven Treasures seemed hostile towards Zi Yuan .


    Zi Yuan just stared at the mes,pletely unperturbed .


    "Oh . It''s nothing to worry about," Zi Yuan said . "It''s just part of the process . "


    It was beyond Li Yundong how Zi Yuan could still sound so casual in the face of such threatening presence .


    <small></small>"Remember what I said about the awakening?" Zi Yuan said . "Well . This is it . Right now, it''s trying to identify its owner based on the spiritual signature left inside it . While doing so, it will reject and act hostile towards those whose Qis don''t match the signature . "


    "Amazing . . . " he whispered .


    The fan retreated from Zi Yuan and drifted back towards him . Li Yundong reached out with a hand to touch it, but then held back at thest second . He turned his head to look at Zi Yuan . "Um . . . How do I use it?"


    "When a magical object first acknowledges its owner, it will protect its owner on its own," Zi Yuan said without taking her eyes off the fan . "You don''t have to try to control it for now . "


    "What? That doesn''t even make sense . "


    How was he supposed to wield it without having the ability to control its powers?


    "The magical object has its own spiritual energy," Zi Yuan exined . "Right now, the fan''s spiritual energy is more powerful than yours . You can only start controlling it when your spiritual energy exceed the magical object''s spiritual energy in terms of strength . "


    "But that night on the rooftop, I could—"


    "That doesn''t count . " Zi Yuan nced at him . "You had the Jindan''s help that time . "


    "Okay . So I just have to keep growing my spiritual energy until I can wield the fan?"


    "Yes," Zi Yuan said . "Well, as your spiritual energy grows, you can do more than just wield it . You can even reform or transmute it . "


    "So what should I do now?" Try as he might, he couldn''t keep the excitement out of his voice .


    Zi Yuan chuckled . "Isn''t it obvious?"


    Li Yundong stared at Zi Yuan . "Er . . . Not to me?"


    Zi Yuan smiled at him . "You greet it, of course!"


    Li Yundong chuckled . "Geez . You make it sound like I''m meeting a pet for the first time . "


    Zi Yuan''s expression sobered . "There are two things I want you to remember . "


    "Yeah?"


    "From now on, you need to keep the fan with you at all times, do you understand?"


    Li Yundong nodded .


    "Good . Now, for the second thing . Do not use the fan lightly, especially when you''re facing an opponent whose spiritual energy is more powerful than yours . "


    Understanding dawned upon him . "Otherwise the fan might choose them as its new owner…"


    Zi Yuan nodded . "What you did to Hongling''s damask, someone else could do to you . " She nodded at the Fan of Seven Treasures . "A Cultivator can easily remove your spiritual signature if their spiritual energy is more powerful than yours . " Zi Yuan gave him a pointed look . "When that happens, the fan will abandon you and acknowledge them as their new owner . "


    Such fickle creatures…


    "Understood," Li Yundong said with a grave nod . "I''ll watch out . "


    "Alright then!" Zi Yuan grinned . "Time for you to get acquainted with your first magical object . "


    Li Yundong turned away from Zi Yuan to face the Fan of Seven Treasures .


    SNAP!


    The fan snapped shut at the slightest touch of his hand and once again took the form of a Bo staff . Even the golden glow on its surface had vanished . Li Yundong withdrew his hand and nced sideways at Zi Yuan .


    Zi Yuan gave him an encouraging nod .


    Li Yundong took a deep breath and stepped forward . The dark Bo staff reoriented itself until it was hovering in the air horizontally . Then, it floated downwards until it was hovering right in front of his chest .


    Li Yundong stroke along the fan''s rivet, leaving a trail of golden glow on the fan''s surface . The glow disappeared once again when he removed his hand . Li Yundong reached out and wrapped both arms around the fan''s body . Surprisingly, he could feel the full weight of the fan the moment it fell into his arms—the fan was no longer hovering .


    Li Yundong gripped the fan tighter and turned around to face Zi Yuan .


    Zi Yuan''s eyes had zed over slightly, and there was an uncharacteristic gentleness in them . She was technically looking at him (or right through him), but he doubted that it was his image that she saw—it was like she was living inside a different world, a world of old memories .


    "Congrattions, Li Yundong," Zi Yuan said gently . "You''re now the owner of the Fan of Seven Treasures and a true Cultivator . Wee to the Cultivation world . "