Qi Awakening In The Modern World

Chapter Four: A Test of Strength

Daniel woke up the next day. It was a quiet Sunday morning and he planned to use this time to test himself.

Daniel's grandmother had gone to the local church service, as she did every week, leaving him alone with the silence and his thoughts. The events of the past day replayed in his mind as he stood in the small kitchen, staring at a gleaming knife on the countertop.

His eyes shifted to his left forearm, the skin there unblemished and smooth. He pressed his fingers against it, remembering the faint warmth he had felt after hours of cultivating the day before. His skin felt... different. Not noticeably tougher, but something had changed.

Most of Saturday had been spent sitting cross-legged in his room, following the instructions from the website. By the time he finally went to the library to finish his school project, there had been less than an hour before closing. He had barely managed to get his work done, but it didn't bother him.

What mattered was the progress he had made.

And now, he needed proof.

Gripping the knife tightly, Daniel took a deep breath. "Alright," he muttered. "Just a light test."

He placed the edge of the blade against his forearm and pressed down gently. The knife glided across his skin, but when he pulled it away, there was nothing—just a faint white mark, as if he had dragged a piece of plastic over his arm.

His heart raced. That wasn't normal.

He adjusted his grip and pressed harder this time, dragging the blade slowly across his skin. Again, there was no blood. No pain. Only a faint white line, which vanished after a few seconds.

Daniel stared at his arm, his mind racing. "This can't be real," he whispered.

He set the knife down and ran his fingers over his skin. It felt normal—soft, warm, and pliable. But the knife hadn't even scratched it. Was this the result of refining his skin?

His thoughts drifted back to the website. "The skin becomes a protective vessel, resistant to external forces," it had said.

"This is insane," he muttered, picking up the knife again.

This time, he gripped it with both hands, pressing down on his leg with all the strength he could muster. The blade dug in slightly, but instead of piercing the skin, it stopped, as if hitting a layer of invisible armor. When he pulled it away, there was still no blood, only the faintest mark where the blade had pressed.

Daniel dropped the knife onto the countertop, his breathing uneven. He stared at his leg. This was real. His skin wasn't just stronger—it was impervious.

_____

The implications hit him like a tidal wave. He wasn't normal anymore. This wasn't just something out of a book or a manga. It was real. He had spent hours cultivating yesterday, pushing the energy through his body, and now he could see the results.

But this was only the beginning. Skin refinement was just the first step, the foundation. If he continued down this path, what else could he accomplish? What would happen when he moved on to refining his bones or his internal organs?

He glanced at the knife again, then quickly shoved it into the drawer. His heart was pounding, not with fear, but with excitement.

This was his chance to become something extraordinary.

_____

Later that day, when his grandmother returned from church, Daniel acted like everything was normal. He helped her prepare lunch, chatted about her morning, and even volunteered to do the dishes.

But in the back of his mind, he couldn't stop thinking about the energy coursing through his veins.

After lunch, he returned to his room and sat cross-legged on the floor. He had a long way to go, but now he knew for sure: the path of cultivation was real, and he was walking it.

Daniel closed his eyes, letting his breathing slow. He focused inward, on the faint pulse of energy within him.

This was just the start. He wasn't going to stop.