Out of breath and sweating profusely, he noticed Lorna standing beside him, watching his every move.

  “What technique did you use?” She asked harshly.

  "The...simplest..." He panted weakly, and the Qi-Master answered curtly while handing him a small vial filled with a reddish-tinged liquid, "So you're not a genius after all. Drink this potion and then describe to me what happened!"

  Without thinking much about it the boy took the bottle, downed it in one gulp, and felt a gentle energy healing his inner wounds.

  “Thank you! You saved my life yet again!” He said to his benefactor, to which she replied harshly, “Don't start believing that everyone will be this kind to you! My job is to deliver you to the clan alive, and now speak!”

  The emotionless eyes of the fairy-like figure listened to the boy's description, and then she exhaled deeply, "It sounds like your Qi-paths are defective. This means your training, if you succeed at all, will progress very slowly. You will have to prove your worth to the clan in other ways to show them that it is worth investing resources in you! There is another, gentler training method you can try later at the clan. It is mostly used by hybrids, as they often have very fragile Qi-paths from birth and need to strengthen them first. The only other option would be for one of the elders of the Inner Academy to tailor a training manual for you! But why would they do that?"

  "I'm a cripple?" Kilian muttered dejectedly, but he quickly got back up and asked with a hopeful look, "Can you teach me this technique?"

  Slowly, she shook her beautiful head, "I do not have these instructions. I am of mixed race, but I am half elf, half orc, and inherited my elven mother's Qi-paths. Your first task will be to earn them from our master blacksmith. Until then, train your body and keep trying to feel the Qi around you without absorbing it. You have to learn to instinctively feel it around you all the time, even while you sleep!”

  He answered with a determined nod and in his head he heard, as if recited by a distant voice, a sentence he had read a few hours before, “Even if you lack talent, perseverance, with a pinch of luck, can still take you far on the path of becoming a Qi-Master, and even though this view is often hotly debated, I am convinced of it!”

  The days passed, and the two siblings devoted themselves entirely to their training.

  While Edana meditated day and night and slowly tried to fill her Dantian with Qi, Kilian devoted himself intensively to strength training.

  "Last night I did it!" The girl rejoiced one morning at breakfast, with dark circles under her eyes, "I am a Qi-Gatherer now!"

  “Well done! I’m proud of my big sister!” Her little brother smiled gently and patted her head with his sore arm.

  “Just wait for me to catch up to you!” He added quietly and continued to try to feel the energy around him.

  He spent every second he had on it, even when he was eating, and only took breaks to sleep or to train his body.

  Now and then, he perceived something, as if thin clouds of smoke were flying around him and somewhat thicker ones around Edana, but he did not see them with his eyes clearly; he only sensed their existence.

  “Is this Qi or just my imagination?” Kilian wondered as he chewed on a juicy piece of bread, and finally he asked Lorna, “Lorna, why should I learn to constantly sense Qi, while Edana only needs this ability while meditating?”

  "Hahaha! That's a shot in the dark on my part" She laughed aloud, looking thoughtfully into the distance, "I once brought several skins of magical beasts to our forge and watched the master blacksmith drunkenly mutter something in his sleep, "Orc blood is not allowed in my forge *hic* and if I have to teach a human *hic*, then he needs the talent of us dwarves! It's a shame that no one but me can sense and guide the Qi in the air *hic*!"

  “The talent of the dwarves?” Asked the boy, puzzled, scratching his head.

  “Yes, your circumstances are very similar, and your constitution resembles that of a dwarf, except for your height! They have strong bodies, but weak Qi-paths and cannot channel Qi into their interior through the skin.” She replied, shrugging and grinning happily, “ You should try it at least! Maybe what works for them will work for you, too! You have nothing to lose!”

  If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

  Before the three could continue their conversation, a guard entered the garden and saluted, “Lady Lorna, we will shortly reach our next destination! Your attendance is requested as we have to change mounts.”

  The beautiful Qi-Master, followed by the two new members of the Outer Kong Clan, the guards, and several green-skinned workers, descended from the mountaintoad, and Lorna opened a small bag that was attached to her waist.

  The magical beast shrank as if by magic, disappearing into the leather bag as if it were a black hole, and only a deep, loud croak remained vibrating in the air.

  The two siblings stared at the fairy-like figure with their mouths agape, unable to utter a single word.

  “Beast bags like these are really practical!” The beast tamer finally smiled with a playful twinkle in her eyes, “Very expensive, but necessary if you want to travel with your various magical beings.”

  Once again, she untied the bag a little, and this time a herd of saddled deer emerged from it.

  At first, they seemed like small, living, moving toys, but in a short time, they grew larger and larger.

  “Get up!” The leader of the expedition called to her caravan crew, jumped onto the largest animal, which had beautiful, fiery antlers, and added to the two still amazed children, “After a ride of about half an hour, you will be able to see the quarters of the Outer Clan, your new home!”

  “I've always wanted to ride a magical beast!” Edana cheered happily, jumping onto a mount and looking at Kilian with a gaze that seemed to say, “Pick one quickly, before the best ones are gone!”

  Shortly after the start of the ride, their two deers trotted next to the beautiful Qi-Master, and Lorna told them something about the Kong Clan, “Edana, you will work under my guidance! I'm primarily responsible for the gardens and the magical beasts. The foreman of the herb garden and the head keeper of the beasts report to me. You'll usually receive tasks from them, and if your talent lies in one of these two areas, you'll specialize in that. If you're not very good at it, there are other areas, such as creating formations.

  The head of mining and blacksmithing is the clan's only dwarf, Master Arto, and the mines are almost exclusively staffed by hybrid creatures.

  The majority are half-orc, half-human, as few races meet the physical requirements for mining metals and Qi-stones without special training. You'll have to prove yourself to them, Kilian!

  Master Arto currently works alone most of the time, as he detests orcs for some reason and doesn't want to share his knowledge with them! He's a loner and has an eccentric personality! You'll meet him soon, as I've already sent him a bird with your information, and he's surely waiting for us at the camp to reprimand me for bringing another useless student when he has so much work to do. Hahaha! There hasn't been a blacksmith's apprentice for a long time, and you're the only person capable of doing the heavy lifting. Work hard and don't take his words personally! If you can convince him that you are useful, you will have a secure place in the clan!"

  “Why are there so many half-orcs in the clan?” Edana asked curiously, happily stroking the fur of the beautiful stag she rode.

  The smile on Lorna's lips froze, a shadow passed over her delicate features, and after a long silence, she finally spoke with a deep sigh, "The orcs way of life is incomprehensible and cruel to outsiders. The mixing of their blood with another race is, in their eyes, a defilement, and therefore they sell such children as slaves or kill them for amusement. Nevertheless, the invading warriors enjoy having fun with the feminine women of humans or elves, as female orcs also have a very masculine figure. They are barbarians! The Kong Clan, in its goodness, has decided to serve as a safe space, buying the newborn half breeds and raising them. Talented individuals, like me, can even join the Inner Academy and lead fulfilling, free lives, but most perform day-to-day tasks or take care of resource extraction. The system isn't perfect, but at least there's hope, and it's better than death!"

  "Slaves?" Kilian murmured, lost in thought.

  The former shepherd boy knew the word, but the freedom of the vast mountains, forests, and valleys surrounding his parents' hut was so familiar to him that the concept of slavery was unimaginable to him.

  “In the end, every life on the territory of the clan belongs to the Kong family. The faster you learn and accept this reality, the better!” The Qi-Master continued, “You probably won’t see anyone with the name Kong, but if you do, you need to recognize them! They wear a special emblem that only direct members of the clan are allowed to wear, and this clan originally consisted only of beastmen! Over ninety percent are apemen, who often wield a massive metal staff as a weapon. Only a few other races or hybrids have managed to be called into the clan from the Inner Academy! The family symbol is an ape's head in front of two crossed staffs. When you see it, lower your gaze and only speak when you are asked to! Otherwise, you will quickly forfeit your life. You are here to work, and as a reward, you will be allowed to learn! The only exception is Master Arto; his name is officially Kong, but he doesn't insist on his privileges. He always does what he wants and often doesn't even listen to the Patriarch's direct orders! But what is the clan supposed to do? Without his blacksmithing skills, we would be inferior to the other kingdoms and families!"

  Astonished and not knowing what to answer, the two stared at Lorna.

  Edana and Kilian had imagined the beginning of their lives as Qi-Gatherers quite differently, and while they were still struggling with their fate, the first buildings of the outer clan appeared on the horizon.