《The Forgotten Path》


 The Copper Meridian (Chapter 1)

    Liu Wei stared at his trembling hands, watching the faint copper lines that traced his veins pulse with each labored breath. Seventeen years of life, and this was the first time he''d seen the mysterious meridians that masters spoke of in their teachings. But something was wrong ¨C terribly wrong.


    "Your meridians... they''re copper," Master Chen whispered, his usually stern face betraying a hint of concern. "In all my years of testing young cultivators, I''ve never seen this."


    The evaluation hall fell silent. Hundreds of young hopefuls watched from their seats, their own meridian tests forgotten as they gaped at Liu Wei''s unusual condition. Normal cultivators manifested golden or silver meridians during their awakening. Even the rare jade meridians appeared once every few generations. But copper? It was unheard of.


    "Does this mean I failed?" Liu Wei asked, his voice barely a whisper. The annual Testing Ceremony at Sky Pearl Academy was his only chance at entering the cultivation world. Without it, he''d return to sweeping streets in the Lower Ring of Yanjing City, just like his father before him.


    Master Chen stroked his beard, the rings on his fingers clicking against each other ¨C a nervous habit Liu Wei had noticed during his months of preparation for this day. "Failed? No. But this is... unprecedented."


    The old master reached out and grabbed Liu Wei''s wrist. A surge of energy coursed through Liu Wei''s body, making the copper lines glow brighter. Instead of the usual warm sensation cultivators described during meridian resonance, Liu Wei felt a cold, almost metallic taste in his mouth.Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!


    "Fascinating," Master Chen muttered. "Your qi flow is reversed. It doesn''t circulate like normal cultivation energy. Instead, it... absorbs?"


    Liu Wei''s heart sank. Being different in the cultivation world usually meant being worthless. He''d seen enough street performers claiming to have "unique" cultivation methods, all of them ending up as nothing more than charlatans and beggars.


    But before he could resign himself to failure, something extraordinary happened. The wooden evaluation table beneath his hands began to darken, as if aging decades in seconds. The copper lines in his arms pulsed brighter, and he felt a sudden rush of... something. Not qi, not exactly, but a form of energy he couldn''t describe.


    Master Chen''s eyes widened. "The table ¨C you''re absorbing its essence. The very fundamental energy that gives it form and substance." He released Liu Wei''s wrist and took a step back, reassessing the boy before him. "This isn''t a defect. This is something else entirely."


    Liu Wei looked up, hope flickering in his chest. "Then I can still become a cultivator?"


    The old master''s lips curved into an enigmatic smile. "A cultivator? Perhaps not in the traditional sense. But what you have... it might be something far more interesting." He turned to address the silent crowd. "The Testing Ceremony is suspended for today. Young Liu Wei, come with me. We have much to discuss about your copper meridians ¨C and what they might mean for your future."


    As Liu Wei followed Master Chen out of the evaluation hall, whispers erupted behind him. He caught fragments of conversation: "copper cultivator," "essence absorption," "ancient texts." But none of that mattered now. All that mattered was that he had a chance ¨C a different path, perhaps, but a path nonetheless.


    What he didn''t know was that his copper meridians were about to shake the very foundations of cultivation society, and that the power to absorb essence was just the beginning of his strange and dangerous journey.

 The Masters Study (Chapter 2)

    The wooden steps creaked beneath Liu Wei''s feet as he followed Master Chen up the ancient spiral staircase. Pale blue light filtered through paper windows, casting long shadows that danced across the walls with each passing cloud. The air grew thicker as they ascended, heavy with the scent of aged parchment and burning incense.


    "Watch your step," Master Chen warned, his voice echoing in the narrow passage. "These stairs have witnessed ten thousand disciples'' journeys, but they''ve never felt footsteps quite like yours."


    Liu Wei glanced down at his feet, half-expecting to see the wooden steps deteriorating beneath him. Since the revelation of his copper meridians, he''d become hyperaware of every surface he touched. The strange hunger within his pathways seemed to pulse with each point of contact, eager to draw in the essence of the world around him.


    They reached a heavy door marked with five concentric circles, each carved with characters so ancient Liu Wei couldn''t decipher them. Master Chen pressed his palm against the center circle, channeling a thread of golden qi that made the characters illuminate briefly before the door swung open with a deep groan.


    The study beyond defied everything Liu Wei had heard about cultivation masters'' private chambers. Where he''d expected the typical displays of power and prestige ¨C jade ornaments, golden talismans, and precious cultivation materials ¨C he found instead a repository of what appeared to be cast-offs and curiosities. Ancient bronze vessels lined crude wooden shelves, their surfaces green with age. Weathered stones bearing strange markings sat on tattered cushions. Scrolls so old their edges crumbled at a touch were carefully arranged on blackened wood tables.


    "Surprised?" Master Chen asked, noting Liu Wei''s expression. "You expected something more... grandiose, perhaps?"


    "I..." Liu Wei hesitated, not wanting to offend. "The other masters'' quarters I''ve seen were different."


    Master Chen laughed, the sound rich and genuine. "The other masters collect power, young Liu Wei. I collect mysteries." He moved to a massive desk that dominated the center of the room. The wood was unlike anything Liu Wei had ever seen ¨C darker than ebony, with swirling patterns that seemed to move in the corner of his vision.


    The copper meridians in Liu Wei''s arms throbbed at the sight of it. The hunger that had awakened during the testing ceremony stirred again, stronger now.


    "You feel it, don''t you?" Master Chen asked, running his hand along the desk''s surface. "This wood comes from the Heart of the Black Forest. A place where the barriers between essence and form grow thin. Even after three hundred years, it still pulses with power."This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.


    Liu Wei nodded, unable to take his eyes off the desk. The hunger in his meridians had become almost painful. "What... what is happening to me?"


    Instead of answering immediately, Master Chen pulled out a drawer and retrieved a scroll sealed with copper wire. The seal bore the same five concentric circles as the door, but these were etched in metal that matched the color of Liu Wei''s meridians exactly.


    "Your ability," Master Chen said, carefully unwinding the wire, "is mentioned in only one text I''ve ever encountered." He spread the scroll across the desk, revealing text written in what appeared to be metallic ink. "The Essence Absorption Art ¨C a cultivation technique so old it predates the founding of our sect."


    Liu Wei leaned forward, eager to understand, but the characters on the scroll shifted and blurred before his eyes. "I can''t read it."


    "Few can. It''s written in the Old Tongue, from before the Five Kingdoms were united." Master Chen''s fingers traced the lines as he translated. "It speaks of cultivators who walked a different path. Instead of gathering qi from the heavens and earth, they drew power directly from the essence of all things. They were called..." He paused, frowning at a particular character.


    "Called what, Master?"


    "The Devourers of Form." Master Chen''s voice grew serious. "Though that translation doesn''t quite capture the nuance. Perhaps ''Those Who Inherit Essence'' would be more accurate."


    A chill ran down Liu Wei''s spine despite the warmth of the room. "But if this art is known, why haven''t others practiced it?"


    "Because, young man, no one has ever possessed the copper meridians required to attempt it. Until now." Master Chen rolled the scroll carefully and set it aside. "The text speaks of practitioners with ''paths of living metal'' in their bodies, but in all my years of research, I''ve never found evidence that such cultivators actually existed. Most scholars dismissed it as metaphor or myth."


    He fixed Liu Wei with an intense stare. "Yet here you stand, your meridians gleaming like freshly forged copper, hungry for the essence of all you touch. The question is not why others haven''t practiced this art, but why it has chosen to resurface now, after so many thousands of years."


    Liu Wei swallowed hard, looking down at his arms where the copper lines pulsed beneath his skin. "What does this mean for my cultivation? Can I still..."


    "Become stronger?" Master Chen finished for him. "Oh yes. But not in the way you imagined." He stood and moved to one of the shelves, selecting a simple clay cup that looked as ordinary as any found in a peasant''s home. "Your path will be different. Dangerous. And if the ancient texts are correct, potentially more powerful than anything the traditional cultivation world has seen in millennia."


    He set the cup on the desk before Liu Wei. "Shall we begin?"


    Liu Wei stared at the cup, feeling the hunger in his meridians rise again. Within his chest, his core pulsed with an alien rhythm, eager to draw in whatever essence the simple clay vessel contained. Part of him wanted to refuse ¨C to beg for a normal cultivation path instead. But a deeper part, the part that had always felt out of place in the mundane world, reached out toward the cup with trembling fingers.


    "Yes," he whispered. "Please teach me."


    Master Chen''s expression was unreadable as he began to explain the first technique. Outside the windows, storm clouds gathered, casting the study in deeper shadow. As Liu Wei listened to the ancient teachings, he didn''t notice how the metal fixtures in the room had begun to tarnish, responding to the awakening power in his copper meridians.


    His journey down the Copper Path had begun.

 First Steps (Chapter 3)

    The pre-dawn air bit through Liu Wei''s thin robes as he knelt in Master Chen''s private courtyard. Morning dew soaked through his pants, but he didn''t dare move. For three hours, he had maintained this position, staring at the clay cup placed before him on the stone platform.


    "Feel the essence," Master Chen''s voice carried from where he sat on a weathered stone bench. "Don''t just see the cup. Understand it. What was it before it took this form?"


    Liu Wei fought the urge to sigh. They''d been at this exercise since his first lesson a week ago, and he still couldn''t grasp what his master meant. The copper meridians beneath his skin pulsed with their constant hunger, but every time he reached for the cup''s essence, Master Chen stopped him.


    "I..." Liu Wei started, then paused as other students passed by the courtyard''s outer wall. Their morning chatter about qi circulation techniques and meditation methods drifted over. Normal cultivation. Safe cultivation. For a moment, envy twisted in his gut.


    "Your meridians are responding to their qi," Master Chen observed. "Interesting. Tell me what you feel."


    Liu Wei closed his eyes, focusing on the strange sensations coursing through his copper pathways. "It''s like... like seeing steam rise from hot food when you''re hungry. Their qi calls to my meridians, but not like the cup does. With cultivators, I sense something more... alive."


    "Good." Master Chen''s robes rustled as he stood. "But dangerous. The essence of living qi is not for you to absorb. Not yet. Perhaps not ever. The cup, Liu Wei. Return your focus to the cup."


    Gritting his teeth, Liu Wei stared at the clay vessel again. Simple. Brown. Unremarkable. Yet when he let his awareness sink into his copper meridians, he could sense... something. Like a song just beyond hearing range.


    "Clay," he said slowly. "Earth and water, shaped by fire." The words came without thought as his meridians resonated with the cup''s essence. "The earth was red, from the banks of the River Yi. The potter''s hands were rough, calloused from forty years at his wheel. He sang while he worked, an old love song his mother taught him..."


    Liu Wei''s eyes snapped open. "How did I know that?"


    Master Chen''s footsteps circled behind him. "The essence of an object carries more than just its physical nature. It holds its history. Its meaning. The hands that shaped it, the earth that formed it, the memories it witnessed ¨C all of this is part of its fundamental essence. This is why you must understand before you absorb. To take essence is to take everything."


    "But Master Chen, the other students..." Liu Wei glanced at the courtyard wall again. "They advance so quickly. Senior Ming mastered the Eagle Claw Strike in just three days. Senior Li can already form qi barriers. While I sit here, staring at cups."


    The sharp crack of Master Chen''s walking stick against stone made Liu Wei jump.You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    "Do you know what happens to cultivation prodigies who advance too quickly?" Master Chen''s voice carried an edge Liu Wei had never heard before. "They burn. Their meridians rupture. Their minds break. The cultivation world calls them geniuses, right until the moment their powers consume them."


    He moved to stand before Liu Wei, his shadow falling over the cup. "But you? Your path is different. More dangerous in some ways, yes. But it carries a wisdom the traditional paths have forgotten. Every object, every fragment of creation, has its own dao. To absorb essence without understanding is to invite chaos into your core."


    Liu Wei looked down at his hands, where the copper meridians pulsed beneath his skin. "How will I know when I''m ready to absorb?"


    "The essence itself will tell you." Master Chen returned to his bench. "Now, close your eyes. Feel the cup again. Tell me its story."


    As the sun crept higher, Liu Wei sank deeper into meditation. The cup''s essence sang to him, a clearer song now. He saw flashes of red earth, felt the spin of the potter''s wheel, heard the crackle of the kiln fire. Hours passed as he learned to separate each thread of memory and meaning.


    It was nearly noon when something changed. The cup''s song shifted, opening like a flower in his awareness. His copper meridians hummed in harmony with it.


    "Master," he whispered, eyes still closed. "I think... I think it''s ready."


    "No, young disciple," Master Chen replied softly. "You are ready. Take it slowly. Remember ¨C you are not stealing the cup''s essence. You are accepting its dao into yourself. Let it teach you what it means to be shaped, to hold, to serve."


    Liu Wei reached out, fingertips trembling as they touched the clay surface. His copper meridians flared with golden-brown light. The cup''s essence flowed into him like warm honey, carrying with it the memories he''d glimpsed. But now he didn''t just see them ¨C he lived them. The joy of creation. The satisfaction of purpose. The quiet dignity of simple utility.


    When he opened his eyes, the cup was gone. In its place lay a small pile of gray dust. But inside him, in his core where the essence now resided, he understood clay in a way no potter ever could.


    "Stand," Master Chen commanded.


    Liu Wei rose on shaky legs, his body thrumming with new energy.


    "Now," his master said, producing another cup, identical to the first, "show me what you learned."


    Liu Wei stared in confusion. "Show you?"


    "The essence you absorbed contains the knowledge of creation. Your meridians have stored not just the cup''s physical nature, but the very art of its making." Master Chen placed a ball of raw clay on the stone platform. "Shape it."


    Understanding dawned. Liu Wei knelt before the clay, letting the absorbed essence guide his hands. They moved with certainty born of forty years of experience he''d never lived, pulling and shaping with the skill of a master potter he''d never met.


    When he finished, an perfect cup sat before him, identical to the one he''d absorbed.


    "Good," Master Chen said, satisfaction evident in his voice. "Now you begin to understand. The Copper Path does not just take, Liu Wei. It preserves. It learns. It carries forward the essence of all things, not just their power."


    He produced a scroll from his robes. "Tomorrow, we begin with something more challenging. The essence of wood carries deeper memories, and sharper lessons."


    As Liu Wei followed his master back inside, he caught his reflection in a window. For a moment, he could have sworn his eyes held a copper sheen. The Path of Essence Absorption had claimed its first victory, but as the absorbed memories settled in his core, Liu Wei wondered just how much of himself would remain when the journey ended.


    Behind him, the new cup sat perfect and pristine on the stone platform, waiting to serve its purpose just as its predecessor had. But none who drank from it would know that it carried the memories of two lives ¨C the potter who first shaped it, and the cultivation disciple who had learned to shape essence itself.

 Echoes of Essence (Chapter 4)

    Liu Wei couldn''t sleep. In the darkness of his small quarters at the cultivation sect, he sat cross-legged on his bed, watching copper light pulse beneath his skin. The essence of the clay cup he''d absorbed that morning still resonated through his meridians, and with it came fragments of memories that weren''t his own.


    His fingers twitched with phantom movements of throwing pottery, and sometimes he caught himself humming an old love song he''d never learned. The potter''s memories were fading like morning mist, but they left behind something more permanent ¨C an understanding of clay that went beyond mere knowledge.


    A soft knock at his door broke his reverie. "Enter," he called, quickly pulling his sleeves down to cover the gleaming meridians.


    Senior Ming''s familiar face appeared in the doorway. "Still awake? Some of us are gathering to practice the new qi circulation technique Master Zhou taught today. You should join us."


    For a moment, Liu Wei was tempted. Before discovering his copper meridians, he''d often trained with the other disciples late into the night. But now...


    "Thank you, Senior Ming, but I should rest. Master Chen has assigned me... special training for tomorrow."


    Ming''s expression shifted slightly. "You''ve been different lately, Junior Wei. Always training alone with Master Chen, missing group lessons." He hesitated. "There are rumors."


    "Rumors?" Liu Wei kept his voice steady, though his meridians flared with anxiety.


    "Some say you''re practicing forbidden techniques. Others think you''re failing at basic cultivation and requiring remedial lessons." Ming''s voice softened. "If you''re struggling, we can help. We''re sect brothers, after all."


    The concern in Ming''s voice made it worse. Liu Wei wanted to explain, to share the wonder and terror of what he was learning. But Master Chen''s warnings rang in his ears: The cultivation world fears what it doesn''t understand.


    "I appreciate your concern, Senior Ming. But I''m fine. Really."


    After Ming left, Liu Wei slipped out of his quarters. The sect grounds were quiet under the moon''s glow, most disciples either asleep or meditating in their rooms. He made his way to Master Chen''s private courtyard, drawn by an urge he couldn''t explain.This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    The wooden practice dummy they''d be using tomorrow stood silent in the courtyard''s center. Even from a distance, his copper meridians sang in response to it. Old wood, rich with essence. He could almost taste the years it held ¨C decades of disciples training against it, countless impacts leaving their mark on its surface and core.


    "I wondered if you''d come."


    Liu Wei spun to find Master Chen seated in the shadows, as if he''d been waiting.


    "Master, I..."


    "The essence calls to you now, doesn''t it? Like hunger, but deeper." Master Chen stood, his expression grave. "This is why we begin with simple things. Clay, wood ¨C they carry straightforward memories. But be warned: as your power grows, you''ll sense the essence in everything. Even things you shouldn''t touch."


    Liu Wei thought of the qi he''d sensed in his fellow disciples. "The living..."


    "Yes. And more." Master Chen traced a finger along the practice dummy''s surface. "Every object holds stories, Liu Wei. Some beautiful, some tragic. The more essence you absorb, the more these stories become part of you. This is the true challenge of the Copper Path ¨C maintaining yourself amidst the echoes of everything you take in."


    "The potter''s memories..." Liu Wei began.


    "Will fade, yes. But they''ve changed you, haven''t they? Not just the skill they granted, but the understanding. You know now what it means to create, to pour years of dedication into a craft." Master Chen''s eyes glinted in the darkness. "This is why the Path was forbidden. Not because it''s evil, but because it changes those who walk it in ways the cultivation world couldn''t control."


    Liu Wei looked down at his hands, where copper light still pulsed. "Master Chen, why did you agree to teach me? If the Path is forbidden..."


    "Because the world is changing, young disciple. The old ways of cultivation are failing. We need those who can understand the essence of things, who can preserve what might otherwise be lost." He gestured at the practice dummy. "Tomorrow, you''ll absorb decades of martial knowledge in a single moment. But remember ¨C knowledge without wisdom is a flame that burns its wielder."


    As Liu Wei walked back to his quarters, he felt the weight of his master''s words settling alongside the potter''s memories in his core. The Copper Path offered power, yes, but more than that ¨C it offered understanding. Each essence he absorbed would add another layer to his perspective, another lifetime of experience to draw from.


    But Ming''s words echoed too. There are rumors. How long could he walk this path before the sect discovered what he was? And when they did, would they see the wisdom Master Chen spoke of, or only the forbidden cultivation technique that threatened their traditions?


    In his room, Liu Wei finally drifted to sleep, dreaming of pottery wheels and wooden warriors, while his copper meridians pulsed with the promise of essences yet to be absorbed. Tomorrow would bring new challenges, new memories, new changes. He only hoped he''d still recognize himself when the changes were done.

 The Price of Power (Chapter 5)

    Dawn painted Master Chen''s courtyard in shades of gold as Liu Wei faced the wooden training dummy. His sleep had been restless, filled with dreams of pottery wheels and ancient songs, but the potter''s memories had finally settled into a quiet corner of his mind.


    "Remember," Master Chen said from his usual position on the stone bench, "wood essence is more complex than clay. Start slowly. Feel its nature before you attempt to absorb."


    Liu Wei nodded, placing his hands on the dummy''s worn surface. Immediately, his copper meridians responded, sensing decades of accumulated essence. Every strike, every technique practiced against it had left its mark. The knowledge contained within made the potter''s memories seem like a child''s nursery rhyme in comparison.


    "I can feel them," he whispered. "All the disciples who trained here... their techniques, their understanding..."


    "Good. Now take it gradually¡ª"


    But the essence called too strongly. Liu Wei''s meridians flared with hunger, and before he could stop himself, he pulled.


    The training dummy exploded into splinters.


    Liu Wei stood frozen, copper meridians blazing through his skin like molten metal. Around him, fragments of ancient wood rained down on Master Chen''s courtyard. The essence he''d just absorbed roared through his system ¨C decades of martial knowledge, countless impacts, the very memory of what it meant to be a warrior''s tool.


    "Too much," Master Chen''s voice cut through his haze. "You took too much, too quickly."


    Liu Wei tried to respond, but his body seized. Every muscle remembered phantom strikes, thousands of techniques performed against the dummy over generations. His arms moved of their own accord, blocking invisible attacks, countering with perfect form he''d never learned.


    "Breathe." Master Chen''s hands pressed against Liu Wei''s back, steadying qi flowing into his chaotic meridians. "Find yourself among the memories. Remember who you are."


    "I..." Liu Wei''s voice cracked. Images flashed through his mind: disciples from decades past, their faces blurred but their techniques crystal clear. So many styles, so many approaches to martial arts, all recorded in the dummy''s essence. "There''s too much, Master. I can''t..."


    "You can. You must." Master Chen''s voice hardened. "This is why we practice control. The essence of wood carries deeper memories than clay. More complex histories. If you cannot master this, you cannot progress."


    Gradually, under his master''s guidance, Liu Wei brought his meridians under control. The foreign memories settled, no longer threatening to overwhelm his sense of self. But the knowledge remained ¨C hundreds of martial techniques now lived in his muscles, waiting to be called upon.Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    "Better," Master Chen said, stepping back. "Now show me the Falling Leaf Strike."


    Liu Wei moved without hesitation, his body flowing through a technique he''d never seen before. The absorbed essence guided him, showing him not just the form but the philosophy behind it, the decades of refinement that had shaped it.


    "Good. Now the Breaking Wave Palm."


    Another technique, perfectly executed. Then another, and another. Each movement drew from the vast repository of martial knowledge he''d absorbed, but something felt wrong. With each technique, the copper light in his meridians pulsed more intensely.


    "Master," Liu Wei gasped between forms, "something''s happening. The essence ¨C it''s not settling like the cup did."


    Master Chen''s eyes narrowed. "Because this essence is too rich, too complex for your current level. You should have absorbed it gradually, piece by piece." He sighed. "We must purge some of it before¡ª"


    A shout from outside the courtyard cut him off. "Did you hear that explosion?"


    "It came from Master Chen''s courtyard!"


    Liu Wei''s heart froze as footsteps approached. His meridians still blazed visibly through his skin, and splinters of the destroyed training dummy littered the ground. There was nowhere to hide.


    The courtyard door burst open. Senior Ming stood there, along with two other senior disciples. Their eyes widened at the scene before them.


    "Junior Wei?" Ming''s voice mixed shock and betrayal. "What... what are you doing? What''s wrong with your meridians?"


    Before Liu Wei could respond, Ming''s expression hardened. "Those patterns ¨C they''re like the forbidden diagrams in the ancient texts. You''re practicing devil cultivation!"


    "No!" Liu Wei stepped forward, but Ming and the others dropped into defensive stances. "You don''t understand¡ª"


    "Step away from him." Master Zhou''s commanding voice filled the courtyard as the senior instructor strode in. His cold gaze took in the scene, lingering on Liu Wei''s glowing meridians. "Master Chen, explain yourself. Why are you teaching forbidden techniques to this disciple?"


    Master Chen moved to stand between Liu Wei and the others. "The boy is under my protection, Zhou. This doesn''t concern you."


    "Doesn''t concern me?" Master Zhou''s qi flared dangerously. "You bring devil cultivation into our sect, endanger our disciples, and claim it doesn''t concern me?" His eyes locked onto Liu Wei. "Seize him. The sect leader must be informed."


    The senior disciples moved forward, qi gathering around their hands. Liu Wei fell into a defensive stance ¨C and then froze as his body began moving on its own. The essence he''d absorbed from the training dummy recognized a threat, and centuries of martial knowledge surged to respond.


    "No!" he tried to stop himself, but his copper meridians blazed with power. His body flowed through ancient combat forms, effortlessly deflecting the senior disciples'' attacks. Each movement was perfect, devastating ¨C and completely beyond his control.


    "Stop this!" Master Chen''s voice thundered, but it was too late. The essence had taken over, determined to fulfill its purpose as a tool of combat.


    As Liu Wei''s possessed body drove his fellow disciples back with techniques lost to time, he caught his reflection in a window. His eyes blazed pure copper, and for a moment, he didn''t recognize himself at all.


    The Path of Essence Absorption had shown its true power ¨C and its true price. As chaos erupted in the courtyard, Liu Wei wondered if he''d ever find his way back to himself again.

 Chapter 6: Cries

    Ancient techniques flowed through Liu Wei''s body with terrifying precision. Each movement was perfect, each strike carrying centuries of refined power. Senior Ming crashed through a wooden partition, his defensive techniques worthless against the forgotten forms Liu Wei''s body executed. The other two disciples fared no better ¨C one''s arm hung limp after a precise meridian strike, while the other lay gasping in the courtyard''s dust.


    "Enough!" Master Chen''s voice cut through the chaos. The old master''s hands flew through a complex pattern, and suddenly golden light erupted around Liu Wei, forming a cage of pure qi. "Wei, listen to my voice. You must separate yourself from the dummy''s essence. Remember who you are."


    But the memories were too strong. Liu Wei felt himself drowning in an ocean of martial knowledge, each technique carrying the weight of countless practitioners'' dedication. He saw them all ¨C generations of disciples training against that wooden dummy, perfecting their arts, leaving their understanding embedded in its essence. Their collective will to fight, to perfect, to overcome... it consumed him.


    "The boy is lost," Master Zhou declared, his qi gathering like storm clouds. "We must end this before¡ª"


    "You will not touch my disciple." Master Chen''s words carried a deadly edge. "Liu Wei. Focus on your own memories. What did you feel the first time you shaped clay? Remember the potter''s wheel, the simple joy of creation."


    Something stirred in Liu Wei''s consciousness. Yes ¨C he remembered the cool touch of clay, so different from the violent memories now possessing him. The quiet satisfaction of watching a pot take shape beneath his hands. The gentle absorption of the clay''s essence, teaching him its nature...


    His copper meridians flickered.


    "Good," Master Chen pressed. "That is your foundation. The first essence you absorbed. Hold onto it. Let it anchor you."


    Liu Wei seized that memory, using it to pull himself back from the abyss of martial knowledge. Slowly, painfully, he began to distinguish himself from the training dummy''s accumulated essence. His movements grew less fluid, more uncertain.


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    "He''s fighting it," someone whispered.


    With a final surge of will, Liu Wei forced his body to stillness. He stood trembling in the center of Master Chen''s qi cage, sweat pouring down his face, copper meridians pulsing erratically. Around him, the courtyard lay in ruins ¨C splintered wood, cracked stone, and the groaning forms of his fellow disciples.


    "I..." his voice cracked. "I''m sorry. I couldn''t... couldn''t control it."


    "Which is precisely why such techniques are forbidden," Master Zhou said coldly. "Take him to the restriction cells. The sect leader will decide his fate."


    "No." Master Chen dispersed his qi cage but kept his hand raised in warning. "Liu Wei remains under my protection. This was a training accident, nothing more."


    "Training accident?" Zhou''s face darkened. "He nearly killed three senior disciples! His meridians are an abomination, and now we have proof. The boy is a danger to everyone around him."


    Liu Wei stared at his hands, still trembling with absorbed power. Zhou''s words stung because they carried truth ¨C he was dangerous. The essence he''d taken so recklessly could have done far worse than injure his fellow disciples. For the first time, he truly understood why the Path of Essence Absorption might have been hidden away.


    But before he could speak, a new voice cut through the tension.


    "Perhaps," it said, "we should ask young Liu Wei what he experienced. After all, no one has witnessed true essence absorption in three thousand years."


    All eyes turned to the courtyard entrance. There, leaning on a gnarled staff that seemed to shift between wood and metal in the morning light, stood an elderly woman Liu Wei had never seen before. Her robes bore no sect insignia, but they seemed to absorb light in impossible ways. Most striking were her eyes ¨C they shone with a familiar copper gleam.


    Master Chen''s breath caught. "Elder Mei. We... did not expect you."


    "Clearly." The woman''s smile carried centuries of secrets. "But when copper meridians awaken for the first time in three millennia, certain interested parties take notice." She fixed her metallic gaze on Liu Wei. "Come, young essence collector. Show me what echoes of the past you''ve gathered in those fascinating meridians of yours."


    As Liu Wei met her eyes, the essence within him resonated like never before. And in that moment, he understood ¨C his path was no accident. Someone had been waiting for copper meridians to return.


    The question was: why?

 Elder Mei (Chapter 7)

    Elder Mei''s presence transformed Master Chen''s ruined courtyard into something else entirely. The very air seemed to thicken with possibility as she circled Liu Wei, her copper eyes noting every detail of his meridians'' glow. Even Master Zhou had fallen silent, though his disapproval radiated like heat from a furnace.


    "Interesting technique you used," she said finally, "drawing all the essence at once. Crude, but effective. Tell me, what did you learn from it?"


    Liu Wei hesitated, conscious of the many eyes watching him. The training dummy''s essence still churned within him, a vast library of martial knowledge seeking expression. "I learned... too much. Centuries of techniques, but more than that. The dedication of every disciple who trained here, their understanding, their purpose..."


    "And did you learn why they trained?" Elder Mei''s staff tapped against the courtyard''s stones, each contact producing a sound like distant bells. "Did you grasp the essence beneath the essence?"


    "I..." Liu Wei frowned. There was something there, beneath the surface memories of countless training sessions. A deeper current of meaning that he''d glimpsed just before losing control. "They were preparing for something. All of them. Even if they didn''t know it consciously, there was this sense of... anticipation?"


    Elder Mei''s smile deepened. "Very good. You see beyond the obvious. That will serve you well." She turned to Master Chen. "You''ve done well with him so far, but he needs proper guidance now. The old ways must be remembered correctly."


    "With respect, Elder," Master Zhou stepped forward, "this boy nearly killed three disciples today. His powers are uncontrollable¡ª"


    "Uncontrolled," Elder Mei corrected sharply. "There is a difference. And as for nearly killing them..." She gestured at the injured seniors with her staff. Copper light briefly illuminated their forms. "Their meridians are merely stunned. The boy''s body knew exactly how much force to use, even if his mind did not. The essence taught him perfect control, even in chaos."


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    Liu Wei blinked. She was right. Despite the violence of his possessed movements, he realized he had pulled every strike precisely. But that meant... "The dummy''s essence wasn''t just fighting through me. It was teaching me."


    "All essence teaches, young collector. That is its nature." Elder Mei''s eyes grew distant. "It is why our path was so feared, so long ago. Not because we could take power from objects, but because we could learn the true nature of all things. Including truths some preferred to keep hidden."


    Master Chen cleared his throat. "Elder, the sect leader should be informed¡ª"


    "The sect leader already knows I am here." Elder Mei''s smile turned sharp. "Indeed, many eyes have turned toward your little academy since copper meridians once again bloomed in the world. Changes are coming, Master Chen. The old balances shift." She focused again on Liu Wei. "Which is why this young one must learn properly. No more accidents with training dummies. It is time for real instruction in the Path of Essence Collection."


    "You''re going to teach me?" Liu Wei asked, hope warring with apprehension in his chest.


    "Teach you?" Elder Mei laughed, the sound like wind through copper chimes. "Oh no, young collector. I''m going to show you what your path truly means. Starting with this."


    She drew something from her robes ¨C a simple clay cup, unremarkable except for its age. But as Liu Wei''s copper meridians resonated with it, his eyes widened. The cup''s essence sang with memories far deeper than its humble appearance suggested.


    "This," Elder Mei said softly, "was the first object ever touched by an essence collector. It holds the memory of our path''s beginning, and all that followed." She held it out to Liu Wei. "Are you prepared to learn why the world feared us enough to erase us from history?"


    Liu Wei stared at the cup, feeling the weight of three thousand years of hidden history waiting within its essence. The training dummy''s martial knowledge stirred in his meridians, as if recognizing something fundamental about what the cup represented. This was more than just another lesson. This was a threshold.


    He reached for the cup, copper meridians blazing. "I''m ready."


    Elder Mei''s eyes glinted. "We shall see."


    As his fingers closed around the ancient clay, Liu Wei felt the world shift beneath his feet. The essence within the cup reached for him, eager to share its burning truths. And somewhere in the depths of his copper meridians, something ancient began to wake.


    The true path of the Essence Collectors was about to be revealed. Liu Wei could only hope he was strong enough to walk it.