The clearing had barely settled after the White Tiger’s eruption of silver qi when the air shifted again.

  This time, it came from the eastern treeline. A soft green glow crept through the mist above the spring, painting the rocks and water in eerie, pulsing light. The breeze stirred leaves and ripples alike, carrying a faint scent of fresh sap and earth.

  Li Wei and Ru Yan froze, their eyes following the light. Above them, the sky began to shimmer. At first, a single star brightened, faint and pale. Then another, and another, until twenty-eight stars ignited along the eastern horizon, forming an intricate constellation—the domain of the Azure Dragon.

  The mist coiled upward, spiraling with the stars’ glow, until a sinuous form emerged. Its head lifted, long and slender, eyes like pale jade observing the clearing. The dragon’s body arched and swayed, coiling through the air with a fluid elegance, claws barely disturbing the space, tail flicking rhythmically. The green light reflected in the pool below, creating dancing patterns across the rocks.

  The Young boy, who had been sitting near the edge of the spring, froze. His basket tumbled from his hand, mushrooms spilling into the grass. His eyes widened, pupils dilating as the swirling qi lifted him off the ground.

  “W-what?!” He flailed, kicking in panic. “H-hey! Get me down! This isn’t fair!”

  Li Wei’s voice cracked through the chaos. “Xiao – zi, are you okay?”

  Feng, crouching nearby, muttered with exasperation, “Brat! Stop screaming!”

  The boy shot them a sharp look, chest heaving, eyes bright and defiant despite the fear. “I’m not Xiao Zi!” he shouted. “My name is Lin Fan!”

  The wood-colored qi coiled tightly around him, lifting him higher. He twisted and thrashed, arms swinging like a windmill, and for a terrifying moment it seemed as if the energy might crush him. The dragon’s green light pulsed with every movement he made, almost as if it was responding to his panic.

  Lin Fan let out a high-pitched yelp as the qi carried him in a gentle spin, a spiraling lift that set him spinning above the spring. “H-hey! I’m just a kid! Let me down! I—ARRGH!”

  Feng staggered forward, holding up a hand toward the rising energy. “Careful—don’t—ugh, what is it doing?!”

  Li Wei shouted again, panicked, “Xiao—no! Lin Fan! Hang on!”

  The swirling dragon qi tightened, wrapping around him like living vines, but instead of harming him, it gently cradled his body. The green light shimmered across his hair, his arms, the curves of his clothes, until he was suspended like a leaf caught in a wind tunnel.

  Lin Fan’s panic began to shift. His limbs kicked and flailed less frantically as the sensation became almost… alive. Not oppressive. Not suffocating. Just strangely responsive.

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  He looked down at the spring below, voice trembling, “I—I’m flying! I’m actually flying!”

  Feng rubbed his eyes, muttering, “Flying – or about to be crushed by some ghost dragon.”

  Above them, the Azure Dragon’s head dipped, eyes brightening. Its coils of green qi wound closer to Lin Fan, wrapping around him without restraint, yet moving in perfect harmony with his small struggles and squeals.

  “– I just – just want down!”, Lin Fan muttered to himself, still panicked, still flailing.

  Li Wei and Feng exchanged glances, their own breath caught in the awe of the moment. They could feel the density of the dragon’s qi, the way it breathed around the boy and flowed without breaking him. No one could predict what it would do—yet the energy adapted to Lin Fan instinctively, almost as if it had been waiting for him.

  The boy’s flailing gradually slowed, replaced by shaky breathing. The coils of the dragon’s qi seemed to sense his hesitation, pulsing gently with the green light as if calming a frightened child. Lin Fan’s eyes were wide, reflecting the dragon’s glow.

  “I—uh… okay, maybe I can – kinda – control it?” he stammered.

  Feng grumbled, “You’re twelve, and this is not normal for you?”

  Lin Fan scowled, ignoring him. “It’s – It’s terrifying!”

  Then, slowly, the green energy spiraled inward, wrapping around him like a cocoon. His small fists clenched and unclenched, the movement sending faint ripples across the dragon’s form. And as the green light flowed down into his body, his fear did not disappear, but he found a rhythm in it—panic channeled through instinct rather than awareness.

  The Azure Dragon’s form coiled above him fully now. Its head arched gracefully, eyes surveying the clearing, tail flicking in the rising wind. Pale green stars reflected in the pool as the dragon exhaled a soft, resonant hum—not sound, but energy vibrating directly through the air and into Lin Fan’s body.

  He gave a small squeal, gripping the air, teeth clenched, eyes wide.

  The green qi spiraling gently into his body, settling into his dantian with the warmth of life. His small chest heaved as he floated down to the spring, landing clumsily but safely on the stones. The energy lingered, a faint, pulsating green light along his arms, legs, and torso—residual wood-element qi woven into his body.

  Li Wei exhaled slowly. “That – happened.”

  Feng simply rubbed his temples. “Kid, you almost gave me a heart attack. And you’re telling me, that was wood qi?”

  Ru Yan, leaning on a smooth rock, yawned lazily. “The mountain does things its own way. The dragon just wants a host with… some affinity. And that boy has one.”

  Lin Fan sat on the edge of the spring, still panting, hands gripping his knees. “I don’t like this, flying dragon thing.”

  Feng smirked slightly. “Well, you got chosen. Consider it a compliment, brat.”

  Lin Fan shot him a sharp look. “I am not a brat!”

  The green light shimmered softly in response, almost playful, like acknowledging his assertion. The boy’s chest heaved, but slowly his breathing steadied. Around them, the spring rippled gently, the moonlight reflecting the stars of the eastern sky—the Azure Dragon’s constellation—glimmering in quiet recognition.

  Li Wei knelt beside him. “Are you okay?”

  Lin Fan gave a small, trembling nod. “I think – I’ll survive.”

  Ru Yan dipped her hand in the spring, letting the water ripple outward. “For a twelve-year-old, you handled yourself – better than expected.”

  The forest around them stirred with faint, rising qi. The Five Elements Mountain had awakened again. Not violently, but intentionally. And as the Azure Dragon slowly receded, its energy folding back into the mist, the boy sat on the edge of the pool, eyes wide, breath still catching, beginning to understand that this world was far larger—and far stranger—than he had ever imagined.

  Above them, the stars of the eastern horizon twinkled faintly, marking the Azure Dragon’s passing. Somewhere deep in the mountain, other elemental qi began to stir, waiting for the next interaction.

  And Lin Fan—twelve years old, panicked, defiant, human—had just met the mountain’s first greeting.