Freshly bathed and relaxed after the trying day, Wu Chen sat on his bed in his inner robes and studied the elixir he had won. It glowed softly and was a sparkling blue color with wavy lines of deeper blue all along its rounded edges. He could feel the power pulsing from it right through his skin, and he grew very excited.

He had felt the blockage to the 9th level of Foundation Building for some time now but hadn't been able to finally break through it. His contemplation of the fire element at the Fire Arena had helped. It had given him the deeper knowledge needed for a breakthrough, but not the actual power.

This elixir was just what he needed.

He took the lotus position and swallowed the elixir. With practiced ease, he began circulating his qi. The elixir was like a sudden flood of power through his meridians. It widened them, cleared them, strengthened them, and paved the way for a steadier flow of qi in the future.

He rode the power of the flood like a tossed leaf right through to his core. He felt his dantian steadily growing, and qi filled that newly opened space like a cascading waterfall. It gushed forth, nearly drowning him, and turned his small pond of available qi into a large lake. The rushing flow became so strong that he was finally able to use its power to slam against the barrier before him and break right through as though it were nothing more than a thin wooden wall.

With the blockage removed, the sudden release of qi from his enlarged dantian was so great that he almost cried out as a wave of overflowing power exploded from within. The wave was strong enough externally to knock his scrolls from the table and cause his little house to tremble as though a small earthquake had passed.

His body shook with relief, and after a few more circulations, he had the qi in his meridians back under control. It had taken the rest of the night to accomplish, but the added power from the 9th level was no small thing. There was a significant increase in his abilities and a much larger pool of qi to draw from. He was thrilled with the result. He closed out the circle and released the impurities his breakthrough had cleaned out with his breath.

The elixir had made all the difference. In fact, it had been so strong that it had even carried him closer to the barrier of Core Formation. However, he still had quite a ways to go to reach that goal. Without a significant windfall, such as the Three-Spirit-Elixir, it could take years or even decades to reach that level. Each step in cultivation only grew more difficult as he went. He would have to work hard and watch for more hidden opportunities.

After his breakthrough, he didn't feel tired at all despite the rigorous battles he'd had during the previous day. His energy levels were high enough that he felt like going over his travel plans for the sword quest. It was dawn now, anyway. Yang Hao would be in soon with his morning meal.

Happier than he had been for a while, he picked up the scrolls that had been pushed off the table and sat down to go over the maps his father had given him. Finding the cave where the sword was hidden was not going to be easy, and the clues were few and far between. After all, people had been more concerned about the loss of the hero Wu Chen at the time and less worried about the sword he carried.

He was so engrossed with his studies that he barely acknowledged the footsteps that he heard coming from the entryway. He didn't bother to look up.

'Don't fuss, Yang Hao. I'll clear a space for the meal in a moment.' he mumbled.

Lu Yong stood in the entry, unable to move. Before him was a vision he thought he would never see again. Wu Chen was seated at his table, his lashes lowered, and his elegant brow slightly furrowed in concentration as he looked over a map. He wore only his simple inner robes, his feet bare, and his long hair loose and pooling around him like a shimmering silken veil. The sun was beaming through the open window from behind, lending him a soft glow with its gentle light. Was there anything more beautiful than Wu Chen in the world, he asked himself dazedly.

Wu Chen finally looked up and was shocked to see Lu Yong standing in his doorway staring at him with what he felt sure was a softened gaze. He flushed, realizing how he must look in only his inner robes.

'What are you doing, Lu Yong?' he asked, instantly mortified. 'I'm not properly dressed for visitors yet as it is quite early.'

Lu Yong shook himself mentally, turned his head aside, and managed to say, 'I just saw Yang Hao outside. He was getting your morning meal and insisted I join you. He said you were awake and to go right in. I thought we could discuss the quest while we ate together.' His voice dropped a bit, 'I didn't mean to disturb you.'

'Give me a moment, then.' Wu Chen stammered. He jumped up and headed behind the dressing partition. As he quickly threw on his outer robes, he spoke a little hesitantly, 'It's not a bad thing that you came. I wanted to go over what I've learned and the travel plans I had in mind for the quest with you anyway.' I just wish I'd been dressed first, he thought to himself wryly. He threw his hair into a simple low ponytail held with a silver ribbon and emerged from behind the screen. Still barefoot, but acceptable under the circumstances.

'I, too, have something important to share with you about the quest. That's why I came so early.' Lu Yong said easily. Now that the spell had been broken, his voice was quite steady. Although he would have been happier if that vision had lasted a little longer. He was glad to see that Wu Chen appeared to be in such a good mood this morning. He didn't even seem overly upset at his surprise visit.

Yang Hao entered the room like the force of nature that he was. In his cheery wake came two servants carrying congee and tea. His young master usually ate light in the morning. 'Aiyo! How lucky am I to serve two such handsome young men? Hmmm? Second young master, can you find a proper place for your things. I don't want your meal to get cold.'

Wu Chen swiftly placed his maps and scrolls on a nearby bookshelf, so they were within easy reach, and sat at the table across from Lu Yong. The smiling Yang Hao directed the servants to lay out the food, and once he was satisfied, he gave a swift bow and left them alone.

Lu Yong chuckled. 'I need to try to steal that Yang Hao from you, Wu Chen. He is most efficient and lightens the heart like no one I have ever met.'

Wu Chen laughed lightly and spoke fondly, 'Yang Hao has been with me since I was very young. I wouldn't want him to be anywhere other than where he is right now.' He leaned over and with a smile quipped, 'So you can just forget that stray thought, hmm?'

Lu Yong noted that Wu Chen seemed much more relaxed than he'd been witness to so far. More like the Wu Chen he knew before. He took a bite of his congee and raised a curious brow, 'You seem in good spirits this morning.'

'I am.' Wu Chen took a bite of his own congee. 'I had a breakthrough last night.'

'Ah! You've reached the 9th level, then?' nodded Lu Yong. That would certainly explain it.

'Yes, that elixir was very effective! It didn't take long at all, only half a night.' He smiled brightly and took a sip of his tea. 'It left me so full of energy that I decided to stay up and work on the quest.'

'Yes, about the quest...' Lu Yong cleared his throat uncomfortably. He was going to have to be a little careful with this conversation.

'Not to worry, Lu Yong.' He said, his voice tinged with excitement. He had been planning this for years, and he was eager to share what he'd learned. 'I have everything all figured out. I gathered all the information I could on the location of the sword and marked the likely places on this map. With a little luck...'

'I know where the sword is.' Lu Yong cut through his excited chatter.

Wu Chen froze. 'You...what?' he demanded, his eyes wide.

'I know where the sword is.' Lu Yong stated calmly, then took a sip of tea. He tried not to laugh at the shocked look on Wu Chen's face. This next part was going to be very hard for the young man to accept, and he didn't need to rile him up first. 'I was in seclusion for three centuries, Wu Chen. How long ago was the Battle of Serpents?' He watched Wu Chen's face closely. 'You've done your homework on this quest. This should be easy for you.'

Wu Chen's head was spinning. He knew that the Battle of Serpents had occurred 300 years ago, and Lu Yong had been in seclusion for the same length of time. Wait! Lu Yong had been there at the same time as the battle! That would mean...

Wu Chen's head snapped up, and he stared with widened eyes at his enigmatic Guardian.

'You can't be...' he whispered, his voice quivering with denial.

'I am.' replied Lu Yong, lightly setting his teacup down.

'But...but...' sputtered Wu Chen. 'Then you're really...him?' He was absolutely unable to process this information and stared in awe at the man seated across from him. It was like a hero from a myth had suddenly come to life, and he was right in his home eating with him. He was even his Guardian! How could he not have realized it? He'd studied the story for years. He felt incredibly dense all of a sudden.

'I am. I am the same Lu Yong who was saved by Wu Chen all those centuries ago.' His voice was low and pained, but at least this part of the truth was finally out. He felt relieved to know that Wu Chen knew who he really was now. With any luck, this was all he would have to know. 'I hope that this can stay between us. I would prefer that this not become common knowledge.'

Wu Chen was torn. On the one hand, he desperately wanted to ask all the questions he needed answers to about what happened back then, especially about Wu Chen's sacrifice. On the other hand, it would be incredibly rude to bother him about something he obviously felt uncomfortable talking about.

He had always thought that there had to be something special about Lu Yong from the myth that made Wu Chen willing to sacrifice himself like that. No one would do something like that for someone who didn't mean a lot to them, after all. He had even felt slightly envious of the bond between them. Now here he was, the real Lu Yong, in person. He really didn't know how he should feel right now. His heart was beating wildly, and it became difficult to speak.

'I guess that makes our quest...easy then.' Wu Chen's face was pale, and his hands shook as he poured himself some tea.

'I wouldn't say easy.' Lu Yong took another sip of tea. 'It will take months of travel to reach the battlefield safely. the mountain the sword is in is rather treacherous, and there will be many spirit creatures and worse things along the way. Knowing where it is hidden does not negate any of these things.' He set his tea down and worked on his cooling congee.

'Also, I wish to make a stop at a temple along the way.' he said between bites. 'There is a monk there that I need to see about something important. We'll need to factor that into our plans for travel.' Lu Yong mentioned as he carefully wiped his mouth.

'A temple? Okay. If you think it's necessary.' Wu Chen was still reeling from the massive shock and wasn't really thinking clearly. It was just a slight delay. Since they already knew where the sword was, it had mostly just become a retrieval rather than a hunt.

'Good. Now that we've settled that little matter, why don't we have Yang Hao clear this table off so we can go over your map? As your Guardian, it is my duty to get you to your end goal and back in one piece. Therefore, I would suggest letting me do the bulk of the planning. I'm a little more familiar with the areas we will be traveling in, after all. Any objections?' Lu Yong raised an eyebrow at him.

'No. Whatever you think is best.' answered Wu Chen woodenly. All of his years of planning were wasted, he suddenly had to add a mysterious temple to his trip, and a man he had admired for most of his life had jumped right out of the very myth he studied and had become his Guardian in real life.

The day had started out so good, too.