Han Yu could vividly rember the pressure he’d felt when he first t Xuan Qing. There had been sothing untouchable about her presence—light as a breeze but sharp as a blade.
"What about Lightning?" he asked next.
Li i folded her arms and leaned back a little against the wall of the corridor. "That one’s more rare than Wind. Not too many disciples have it, but it does exist within the sect. From what I’ve heard, there are two inner court elders known for their Lightning Affinity—one of them is Elder Tian Chao of Formation Peak. He’s not a direct combat instructor, more of a craftsman who forges lightning-infused talismans."
Han Yu nodded, committing the na to mory.
"As for disciples," Li i continued, "there are a few scattered among the Inner Court, but none too prominent yet. Lightning’s powerful, but also difficult to control. Not everyone who awakens it gets to make use of its full potential."
She paused before adding, "Actually, I heard one rumor that there’s a new outer court disciple with lightning affinity—but he’s been sent to one of the external elders for specialized training. Don’t know his na though."
Han Yu raised a brow at that. Even among outer court disciples, talent was being moved around fast. Then again, it was a large sect—such things probably happened all the ti.
Li i’s tone lowered as she ca to the final two.
"Now, Darkness and Light..." She trailed off, glancing at Han Yu for a mont before continuing. "Those two are a different matter. Especially in our sect."
Han Yu leaned forward slightly, curious. "What do you an?"
"Darkness is exceedingly rare," she said. "There hasn’t been a known disciple with it in the last few decades. It’s not the kind of elent that shows up in people from straightforward cultivation paths."
She lowered her voice a little.
"I heard that once, a long ti ago, there was an Elder who had a Darkness Affinity. A man nad Elder Yin Fei. But he disappeared during a mission to the Ghostlight Marshes nearly twenty years ago. So say he died. Others say he turned into a wandering rogue cultivator. There’s even a rumor that the sect quietly exiled him."
Han Yu felt a faint chill crawl up his spine.
"What kind of Darkness techqniues did he use?" he asked.
Li i shrugged. "Concealnt and curse-based arts—things like that. Powerful in the right hands... dangerous in the wrong ones."
"And Light?"
She smiled faintly. "Now that one is even more tightly guarded. The Patriarch himself." She paused. "Sect Patriarch Mo Yunjian, is one of the two known cultivators in our entire sect with Light Affinity."
Han Yu blinked. "Seriously?"
Li i nodded. "His Light Qi is said to be so pure that no curse or demonic art can touch him. It’s part of what makes him such a revered figure in the eastern regions of our world. He’s not just powerful, but untainted."
Han Yu exhaled slowly. "And the other one?"
Li i’s voice dropped slightly. "One of the Legacy Disciples—Xiao Lanyue. She rarely shows herself, but when she does, it’s like watching a heavenly maiden descend. Her Light Affinity is still developing, but she’s said to be cultivating a unique path related to illumination and purification."
"So I’m the only one in the sect with Darkness Affinity right now?" Han Yu asked.
Li i glanced sideways at him, her eyes half-lidded.
"As far as I know," she said. "You’d better keep that little fact quiet. At least until you’re strong enough that it won’t matter." Li i advised.
"Is there any danger to others knowing about it?" Han Yu asked.
"They won’t be oppressive towards you, but the Darkness elent doesn’t always have the best reputation. Several of the unorthodox sects specialize in it as such, it is seen as evil more often than not. Even though it isn’t.
Even if the Elders are fine with it, the disciples might not look on you kindly." She explained.
Han Yu fell silent, her words sinking into him.
It was strange.
Wood and Darkness.
One affinity embraced life and harmony.
The other... shadows and concealnt.
And he held both.
"...What do you think it ans?" he asked softly.
Li i gave him a look, surprisingly thoughtful.
"I think it ans your path won’t be straightforward. You’re going to have to balance opposing forces. Use both light and shadow—not to beco one or the other, but to remain yourself." She tilted her head. "The question is... are you ready for that?"
Han Yu gave a slow smile. "I think I’ve always walked the shadowed path. Maybe it’s ti I leaned into it."
Li i rolled her eyes. "So dramatic. You’ve spent too long reading those cultivation novels, haven’t you?"
But Han Yu was already deep in thought.
The possibilities.
The secrets he could unlock.
The legacies lost to ti, buried in forgotten texts and hidden ruins.
Darkness and Wood.
A dangerous, uncommon combination.
But for him?
It was perfect.
"Oh speaking of affinities, what elental affinity do you have?" Han Yu realized he had never asked her this.
He also hadn’t had a chance to see any specific technique that Li i used.
"You still don’t know? I have the Water Elental affinity." Li i stated.
"Huh? and you still managed to refine a Spirit Fla?" Han Yu was surprised.
"Of course! I’m quite talented you know," Li i said with a smug look.
"Yes, yes. Senior Sister Li i is the most talented Alchemist in our sect." Han Yu fed her ego.
"Absolutely right!" Li i said, feeling quite pleased.
"Co on now, let’s head back. Now that we know you have the Wood Elental Affinity, we can begin training on that aspect of yours further. You might progress faster in alchemy with it." She urged him.
"Yes, can’t wait!" Han Yu was also quite excited now.
With that said, the two made their way back to Li i’s place and began another round of learning and training.
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