As Feiyin walked through the bustling streets of Red Moon City, he felt as if he had stepped into another world.The vilge of Pine, with its tranquil forests and familiar faces, now seemed like a distant memory pared to the vivid chaos of the city. The streets stretched endlessly, lined with stone buildings taller than any he had ever seen, their roofs adorned with banners bearing symbols he didn’t reize. Merts called out their wares, hawking everything frrant spices to shimmering fabrics. The smell of roasted meats and sweet pastries drifted through the air, mingling with the st of inse and fresh ink from calligraphy stalls.Feiyin’s eyes darted everywhere, abs the unfamiliar yet exhirating sights and sounds.“Stay close,” his father’s deep voice reminded him, pg a firm hand on his shoulder.“I know,” Feiyin replied, though his gaze was already pulled away by a street performer bang on a long pole, juggling fming torches.His mother chuckled at his rea. “If you’re this amazed already, the festival will be overwhelming.”Feiyin grinned, his steps boung with excitement as they navigated the busy streets. His parents led him past rows of inns, tea houses, and trading posts, their exteriors decorated with paper nterns that swayed gently in the wind. After a short walk, they stopped before a modest yet well-kept inn, the sign above the entrance reading "Moonlit Rest" i brushstrokes.Ihe warm glow of nterns cast soft shadows against the wooden walls. The st of tea and polished cedar filled the air, and a few travelers sat at tables, quietly drinking and chatting. Behind the ter stood an elderly innkeeper, her sharp eyes sing their group as they approached.“How many nights?” she asked, her voice polite but businesslike.“Two,” Mei Liao answered. “A single room.”The innkeeper nodded. “Festival prig—10 Essence s per night.”Cai Feng’s brow twitched slightly, but he simply exhaled and pced the twenty s onto the ter. The old woman slid them into a wooden box, handing over a small bronze key.“Sed floor, end of the hall,” she instructed before returning to her ledger.Feiyin followed his parents upstairs, noting the sturdy wooden floors and the faint creak beh their steps. Their room was simple but fortable, with a thick straw mattress, a wooden table, and a small window overlooking the street below.Mei Liao set down her visible baggage, while Feiyin noticed the way she slipped a hand into her robes, undoubtedly cheg the spatial pouch hidden within.“We won’t be staying indoors for long,” she said, turning to Feiyin with a knowing smile. “Shall we see the festival?”Feiyin nearly leaped toward the door.

  The city ter was a riot of colors and sound.Massive red and gold banners hung across the main square, illuminated by floating nterns. Drummers pyed lively rhythms, their beats resonating through the air, while dancers in vibrant es twirled gracefully on raised ptforms. Performers banced on long poles, leaping from oo another with impossible agility, while fire-breathers sent bursts of fme into the night sky, earning cheers from the crowd.Feiyin turned in a circle, his senses flooded with osciltions. The hum of voices, the flicker of fmes, the steady drumbeats—it all bleogether like a great symphony of movement and energy.“Look at that one!” Feiyin poioward a masked performer wielding twin fans, their fabric catg fire as he spun them in mesmerizing patterns.Mei Liao chuckled. “You’re drawn to the fire again?”Feiyin grinned sheepishly, remembering his st reckless experiment.Cai Feng, standing beside them, smirked. “Better to watch first, before trying to py with it.”Feiyin ighe ent, his attention drawn elsewhere—to the rows of food stalls lining the square. Skewers of roasted meats sizzled over open fmes, dumplings steamed in rge bamboo baskets, and vendors called out, advertising honey-gzed pastries, died nuts, and spicy soups.Mei Liao handed Feiyin a small pouch of s, smiling. “Go ahead. Get what you like.”Feiyin beamed, darting off toward the stall. He exged s for a crispy scallion pahe savory aroma making his stomach grumble. He took a bite, the rich fvor exploding on his tongue.As he chewed, loud cheers erupted nearby, drawing his attention to the tral ptform.A fighting tourhe raised stone arena in the middle of the square was surrounded by a dense crowd, people shouting and pg bets as two fighters cshed in the ter. Both were in the Body Tempering Realm, their movements swift, their strikes eg with bursts of irength.Feiyin hurried back to his parents, pointing at the tour. “What’s happening there?”Cai Feng g the stage. “A test. Fighters below the Meridian Opening Realm pete for the festival’s prize—1000 Essence s.”Feiyin’s eyes widened. “A thousand? That’s…”Mei Liao smiled. “Enough to support a small family for months.”Feiyin turned back to the fighters, his excitement growing. The current match was reag its peak—one batant, a burly young ma a powerful stomp into the ground, causing the stoh them to crack as shockwaves rippled outward. His oppo, a leaner fighter, dodged nimbly, tering with a fluid, twisting kick that struck at just the right angle, sending his oppoumbling backward.Feiyin watched in awe, his mind rag.“The first fighter focused on strength,” he murmured, “but the sed used precision. He deflected the forstead to block it directly.”Cai Feng nodded approvingly. “Good observation. In a fight, raw strength isn’t enough—trol, timing, and positioning make all the difference.”Feiyin turo his mother. “Which style do you think is better?”Mei Liao tapped her , watg as the lean fighter moved gracefully between attacks. “That depends on the person. Some prefer to meet force with force. Others… learn to redirect.”Feiyin’s mind spun. His training had always been about barength and trol, yin and yang. Watg these fighters, he could see it now.The push and pull. The give and take.The matded when the lean fighter used his oppo’s own momentum against him, sending him sprawling out of the ring.The crowd erupted into cheers, and Feiyin couldn’t tear his eyes away.One day, he wao be up there.He turo his father, determination burning in his chest. “Do you think I could enter year?”Cai Feng studied him for a long moment before smirking. “If you train properly. No rushing ahead.”Feiyin grinned. He would do it.For now, he was tent just watg. But one day, he’d be the oanding on that stage, proving his strength for all to see.The cheers of the crowd had barely died dowhe wo fighters stepped onto the ptform, their auras brimming with fidence. Feiyin, still chewing o bite of his scallion pancake, quickly swallowed and turned his full attention back to the arena. His father had said no rushing ahead, but he could already feel his excitement building.“These two look different,” Feiyin murmured, notig their postures.Mei Liao, standing beside him, nodded. “One is light on his feet, the other is rooted like a tree. Two very different approaches.”The first fighter was a young woman with sharp, calg eyes, her stance low and flexible. She bounced lightly on the balls of her feet, shifting subtly with every breath. She was fast. Feiyin could tell just by looking.Her oppo was a broad-shouldered man, his arms thick with muscle, his stance deep and unwavering. Uhe previous match, this was not a test of overwhelming force versus agility—this recision against resilience.A sharp g echoed through the air as the referee’s staff struck the stone, signaling the start.The woman moved first.She dashed forward in a blur, her foot barely grazing the ground before she unched herself into a twisting strike. Her leg shot out like a whip, aiming for her oppo’s side.The man didn’t dodge.Instead, he braced himself, turning his body just slightly. The moment her kick ected, Feiyin saw it—the way the man's muscles tightened and flexed, abs the force rather thaing it ht.He tered immediately.With a powerful twist of his hips, he struck out with a palm that sent a shockwave rippling through the air. The woman twisted mid-air, just barely evading the attack, but the force alone pushed her backward.Feiyin’s eyes widened. “He absorbed the impastead of blog it. The to ter.”Cai Feng smiled. “Good. Strength isn’t just about hitting hard—it’s about taking hits the right way.”Feiyin watched in fasation as the fight tinued. It became clear that the woman was faster, weaving in and out like a flowing river, but the moment she got too close, the man would turn into a mountain, soaking up her blows and sending his owating ters.For a while, it seemed like her could gain the upper hand. Then, in a fsh, the woman ged tactics.She feinted a high kick—then dropped low, her leg sweepih the man’s sta was a trap.The moment he shifted to ter, she twisted like a serpent, using her speed to coil around his ining strike and drive an open palm straight into his abdomen.A loud thud echoed across the arena.The man staggered.Thehe crowd exploded in cheers, some people groaning at lost bets while others cpped in admiration. The referee stepped forward, deg the woman the winner, and Feiyi out a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding.“That…” he murmured, eyes still locked on the victorious fighter, “was incredible.”His father crossed his arms, watg the fallen man as he groaned and picked himself up. “She used his own stability against him. He was strong, but he relied too mu his foundation. She found the one moment when he was off band struck before he could recover.”Mei Liao smiled at her son’s sparkling eyes. “Did you learn something?”Feiyin nodded eagerly. “That power isn’t just about standing yround—it’s about knowing when to bend, and when to strike.”His mother reached out, ruffling his hair with a ugh. “Exactly. You don’t always o be the stro. You just o uand your oppo better than they uand themselves.”Feiyin grinned, eyes still glued to the arena. He could see it now—himself standing in that ring, feeling the rush of battle, testing himself against skilled oppos.One day.But for now…Cai Feng pced a hand on his shoulder, breaking him from his thoughts. “e on. We’ll be here all night if we keep watg matches. There’s still more to see.”Feiyiated, his heart still rag from the fight. But wheurned and saw the twinkling lights of the festival ahead, the st of more delicious food drifting through the air, and the distant sound of street performers pying music, he nodded.“Alright,” he said, already boung on his heels. “Let’s go see more.”And with that, they left the cheers of the tour behind, stepping once more into the lively, vibraival night.