Liu Chen woke before dawn, as he had done every day for the past six weeks. The gentle blue glow of spirit stones embedded in the ceiling provided just enough light for him to see his surroundings. His quarters in the core disciple area still felt strange, too large, too nice, too... permanent.

After years of sleeping in abandoned huts, alleyways, and caves with only Rocky for protection, having an actual bed with silk sheets and goose-down pillows seemed like something from another life.

He rubbed sleep from his eyes and glanced at the massive doorway connecting his sleeping area to the main hall. It had been specially designed for Rocky's considerable bulk. The thought of his stone friend brought a smile to Liu Chen's face.

"Might as well start early," he murmured to himself, swinging his legs over the edge of the bed.

The cool stone floor beneath his feet reminded him of Rocky's smooth surface. Six weeks ago, he'd been a street urchin trying to rob travelers on the road. Now he was a core disciple of the Azure Peak Sect, with his own quarters and a powerful elder taking personal interest in his cultivation.

Life had a strange way of working out.

Liu Chen moved to the center of his room and sat cross-legged on a circular meditation mat Elder Song had gifted him. The mat was woven with threads of earth-attuned spirit grass that helped stabilize his qi circulation. He closed his eyes and began the breathing exercises that formed the foundation of his cultivation method.

The Earth Embracing Heaven Method was what Elder Song had prescribed for him after extensively testing his aptitude. It was an earth-attribute cultivation technique specifically designed for cultivators with powerful connections to stone or earth-based spiritual beings.

Unlike most methods that focused solely on personal advancement, the Earth Embracing Heaven Method was a unique Heaven Rank technique meant to harmonize with a bound spiritual companion, in his case, Rocky.

"Begin with stillness, like the mountain that does not move," Liu Chen recited mentally, remembering Elder Song's instructions. "Feel the weight of the earth beneath, its ancient stability flowing into your bones."

Liu Chen regulated his breathing, feeling qi stir within his dantian. The Earth Embracing Heaven Method created a unique circulation pattern that resembled mountains reaching toward the sky, rooted firmly in the earth element while aspiring to the heavens above. The circulation felt natural to him, as if his body had been waiting for this particular method all along.

The first weeks had been challenging. Elder Song had insisted he learn to read and write before beginning actual cultivation. Those lessons still continued in the afternoons, but once she saw how quickly he absorbed the knowledge, she'd relented and allowed him to start cultivating alongside his studies.

"Your mind is like fertile soil," she had told him one evening after a particularly grueling session of calligraphy practice. "It absorbs knowledge easily when properly tended. That's rare, especially in one who hasn't had formal education."

Liu Chen had nearly burst with pride at her words. Elder Song was notoriously strict and rarely offered praise. She was a tall, imposing woman with silver-streaked black hair always pulled back in a severe bun. Her earth-element robes were a deep, rich brown embroidered with patterns of mountains and caves in gold thread. Despite her stern demeanor, Liu Chen had quickly come to respect and even admire her straightforward approach.

As his qi circulation stabilized, Liu Chen felt the familiar sensation of his consciousness shifting inward as he entered his inner world.

The first time he'd seen his inner world, he'd been shocked. Elder Song had guided him through the process when he began cultivating, explaining that his unusually strong connection to Rocky had accelerated the formation of his inner world.

"Most cultivators at the early stages of Qi Condensation have barely formed a stable foundation for their inner world," she had explained. "Yours is already taking shape because of your bond with the stone guardian."

Liu Chen's inner world spread out before his spiritual form, a landscape of towering mountains and deep valleys carved from warm, golden-brown stone. The sky above held no sun or moon, but instead glowed with a gentle amber light that seemed to come from the stone itself. Rivers of earth-element energy flowed through the valleys.

But the most striking feature stood at the center of his inner world. A massive stone statue that looked exactly like Rocky, at least fifty feet tall and carved from the same golden-brown stone that formed the mountains. The statue stood on a circular platform, arms crossed over its massive chest, its features a perfect reflection of Rocky's own.

Unlike the aura of Stage 3 Qi Condensation that surrounded Liu Chen's spiritual form, the statue radiated the unmistakable power of Stage 9 Qi Condensation, the peak of the realm and just one step away from breaking through to the Elemental Realm.

Liu Chen approached the statue, his spiritual form gliding over the rocky terrain. "Morning, Rocky," he called out. "Ready for another day of training?"

For a moment, the statue remained still. Then, with a sound like grinding stone, the massive figure shifted. Cracks appeared along its surface, joints flexed, and suddenly the statue was alive, Rocky in his full glory, towering over Liu Chen even within the inner world.

"Rocky always ready," the stone guardian rumbled, his voice clearer here than in the outside world. The bond between them allowed Rocky to speak more fluently within Liu Chen's inner world, though his vocabulary remained limited.

Liu Chen smiled up at his friend. "Elder Song says we're making good progress. I've reached Stage 3 already!"

Rocky nodded, a shower of small pebbles falling from his shoulders with the movement. "Liu Chen grow strong. Soon reach Rocky."

That was their shared goal, though Liu Chen knew it was ambitious. Elder Song had explained the unusual nature of their bond during their second week of formal training.

"Your soul bond with Rocky is unique," she had said. "Most soul bonds form between cultivators and beasts or spirits they've raised from birth. Yours formed spontaneously, which suggests a profound compatibility of essence."

She had gone on to explain that because of their soul bond, their cultivations were linked in a way she'd rarely seen before. "Rocky serves as both your protector and your cultivation anchor. His existence within your inner world accelerates your progress, allowing you to advance more rapidly than you would alone, at least until you reach his level."

The most extraordinary aspect of their bond, which Elder Song had discovered during her tests, was that Rocky wasn't merely a visitor to Liu Chen's inner world, he was its core. The stone guardian's essence had somehow become the foundation upon which Liu Chen's inner world was being built.

"It's as if your spirits recognized each other as two halves of a whole," Elder Song had mused. "In cultivation terms, this is extraordinarily rare. Rocky's presence stabilizes your inner world, allowing it to form much earlier than normal. In return, your human adaptability and learning capacity help him evolve beyond the limitations of most stone guardians."

This symbiotic relationship explained Liu Chen's rapid advancement to the third stage of Qi Condensation in just a few short weeks, a feat that would normally take months for most cultivators.

"Elder Song say Rocky special,” the stone guardian spoke, interrupting Liu Chen's thoughts. “Stone guardians not smart like Rocky."

Liu Chen had heard similar comments from Elder Song. According to her, stone guardians typically had rudimentary intelligence comparable to clever animals. Rocky's ability to speak, reason, and learn set him apart from his kind.

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"She thinks our bond has something to do with it," Liu Chen replied. "That somehow my human consciousness is helping your stone consciousness evolve faster."

Rocky nodded solemnly. "Rocky lucky meet Liu Chen."

"I'm the lucky one," Liu Chen replied with a smile. "Without you, I'd probably be dead in an alleyway.”

The memory of their first meeting still brought a mix of emotions. Liu Chen had been alone, half-starved, and desperate after escaping from the hell that was the orphanage. He'd stumbled into a cave during a thunderstorm and found a strange, glowing rock formation. Something about it had drawn him closer, and when he'd touched it, there had been a blinding flash of light. When he woke up, Rocky had been standing over him, already bound to his soul.

The elders at the Azure Peak Sect speculated that Rocky had been in a dormant formation stage for decades, perhaps even centuries, slowly gathering earth essence until he was ready to awaken. Liu Chen's touch, combined with the lightning from the storm, had somehow catalyzed the final stage of Rocky's formation and simultaneously created their soul bond.

"Rocky also learn," the stone guardian spoke, bringing Liu Chen out of his thoughts. "Elder Song teach compression technique."

Liu Chen nodded eagerly. "Show me?"

Rocky's massive form began to shimmer and gradually, his fifty-foot form contracted, shrinking down until he stood only about eight feet tall, still imposing, but significantly smaller than his usual fifteen-foot exterior world height.

"Amazing!" Liu Chen exclaimed. "Does it hurt?"

Rocky shook his head. "Not hurt. Just... squeeze." He demonstrated by making a compressing motion with his hands. "Elder Song say Rocky can be small as human one day. Need practice."

This was a significant development. Rocky's size had always been both his greatest strength and his greatest limitation. Having the ability to compress his form would allow them much more freedom of movement, especially in human settlements.

"But most important lesson... control strength,” Rocky continued. “Not hurt friends by accident."

Liu Chen understood why that would be especially important to Rocky. Before coming to the sect, Rocky had few opportunities to interact with anyone besides Liu Chen. Now, surrounded by other disciples and servants, Rocky had been working diligently to ensure his enormous strength didn't become a danger to others.

"She's also been teaching you formation basics, right?" Liu Chen asked, remembering the simple earth formations he'd seen Rocky practicing.

"Yes. Earth formations. Stronger ground. Make... safe places." Rocky gestured around them. "Like world. Protected space."

Liu Chen's eyes widened with sudden understanding. "Is that why the floors in our quarters never crack anymore, even when you're walking at full weight? You've been reinforcing them with formations!"

Rocky's stone features shifted in what Liu Chen recognized as his version of a bashful expression. "Want to be... help. Not be problem."

"You're never the problem," Liu Chen said firmly, standing up and placing his small hand on Rocky's massive arm. "You're my best friend."

The stone guardian made a rumbling sound that might have been a chuckle. "Little friend growing. Soon not little."

Liu Chen laughed. "I'll always be little compared to you!"

They fell into a comfortable silence.

"Elder Song say tournament start," Rocky rumbled after a moment. "Many strong human fight."

Liu Chen nodded. The outer sect tournament was a major event held every year, allowing disciples to demonstrate their progress and compete for resources and recognition. As a core disciple, Liu Chen wouldn't be able to participate, but Elder Song had suggested he attend to observe and learn.

"Brother Ke will be competing," Liu Chen said. "I hope he does well."

The mention of Ke Yin brought a wave of warm feelings. The older disciple had been instrumental in bringing them to the sect and had continued to visit when his busy schedule allowed. Liu Chen looked up to him immensely.

"Brother Ke strong," Rocky agreed. "Good heart. Help when not need to."

Liu Chen felt a subtle shift in his inner world, a gentle tugging sensation that indicated it was time to return to his physical body. Elder Song had warned him not to stay too long in his inner world during these early stages of cultivation.

"I should go back," he told Rocky. "Morning practice will start soon, and I don't want to be late."

Rocky nodded, his form already beginning to still as he returned to his statue-like state. "Rocky wait here. Watch over world."

With a final smile at his friend, Liu Chen withdrew his consciousness from his inner world and opened his eyes in his physical body. Sunlight now streamed through the windows of his quarters, indicating he'd spent longer in meditation than intended.

He quickly rose and changed into his purple core disciple robes. They still felt strange on his body, too fine, too clean compared to the ragged clothes he'd worn for most of his life. But Elder Song insisted on proper appearance, saying that how one presented oneself was as important as one's cultivation in the sect.

"Maybe I'll take a walk first," Liu Chen decided. "Clear my head before practice."

The core disciple area was still somewhat intimidating to him, despite having lived there for over a month now. Many of the other core disciples gave him curious or even suspicious glances as he passed, no doubt wondering how a scruffy orphan had earned such a position. The rumors about him had spread quickly, the boy with the stone guardian, personally selected by Elder Song despite having no cultivation background or family connections.

As Liu Chen walked the winding path that led toward the small stream running through this section of the sect, he found his thoughts drifting back to his life before. The constant hunger, the fear, the desperate scramble for survival, it felt like a distant dream now. Sometimes he worried he would wake up and find himself back on those cold streets, that all of this, the comfortable quarters, the regular meals, the cultivation training, would vanish like morning mist.

"But it's real," he murmured to himself, running his fingers along the smooth stone wall that bordered the path. "And I'm getting stronger every day."

That was another change, the confidence slowly building within him. Where once he'd been constantly looking over his shoulder, expecting danger from every shadow, now he walked with his head higher. Not arrogant, Elder Song would never tolerate that, but with growing self-assurance.

The path curved around a stand of bamboo, the tall stalks swaying gently in the breeze. Liu Chen paused, admiring the way sunlight filtered through the leaves, casting dappled patterns on the ground.

"One day," he promised himself, "I'll be strong enough to make sure no one has to live like I did. No more hungry children hiding in alleys."

It was a big dream for a small boy, but Liu Chen felt it taking root within him, becoming part of his Dao, just as Elder Song had taught him. Every cultivator needed a purpose, a driving force beyond mere power. This, he decided, would be his.

Lost in thought, Liu Chen didn't notice the subtle shift in the shadows ahead until a voice called his name.

"I finally found you."

Liu Chen jumped, startled out of his thoughts. Acting on instinct honed from years on the streets, he backpedaled rapidly, heart hammering in his chest.

Inside his inner world, Rocky sensed the spike of fear and reacted instantly. With a sound like thunder, the stone guardian emerged from Liu Chen's spiritual space, materializing in a defensive posture with one massive fist already swinging toward the source of the voice.

The figure moved with incredible speed, barely avoiding the strike. The bamboo behind them wasn't so fortunate, splintering with a loud crack as Rocky's fist connected.

"Whoa there!" the figure exclaimed, now visible as it stepped into a patch of sunlight. "You both seem a little too happy to see me."

Liu Chen blinked in surprise, his fear instantly transforming into embarrassment and then joy as he recognized the familiar face.

"Brother Ke!" he exclaimed, a grin spreading across his face.

Ke Yin stood before them, looking slightly disheveled but amused. His outer disciple robes bore traces of dust, suggesting he'd been training, but his warm smile was exactly as Liu Chen remembered.

Rocky immediately pulled back his fist, a grinding sound emanating from his stone form that Liu Chen recognized as embarrassment. "Rocky sorry," the guardian rumbled. "Protect Liu Chen."

Ke Yin laughed, brushing bamboo fragments from his shoulder. "No harm done. Well, except to the bamboo. It's good to see your reflexes are so sharp." He stepped forward and ruffled Liu Chen's hair. "You've grown taller already! Cultivation agrees with you, it seems."

Liu Chen couldn't help the grin that spread across his face. It had been a few weeks since he'd last seen Ke Yin, and only now did he realize how much he'd missed the older disciple's presence.

"Brother Ke! I've made it to the third stage of Qi Condensation!" he exclaimed proudly. "Elder Song says I'm advancing faster than expected."

Ke Yin's eyebrows rose in genuine surprise. "Third stage already? That's remarkable progress, Liu Chen." His gaze shifted to Rocky, who had moved to stand protectively behind Liu Chen. "And how about you, big guy? Any new tricks to show me?"

Rocky straightened slightly, and Liu Chen could swear the stone guardian looked pleased at the attention. "Rocky learn compression," he stated, then demonstrated by shrinking his fifteen-foot frame down to about ten feet, not as compact as he could manage in the inner world, but still impressive.

"Incredible," Ke Yin said, circling Rocky with evident interest. "The structural integrity remains perfect even with the reduced mass. Elder Song's teaching is clearly effective."

Liu Chen nodded eagerly. "She says Rocky might be able to compress to human size eventually with enough practice." He paused, suddenly remembering his manners as Elder Song had taught him. "Are you here for a specific reason, Brother Ke? Or just visiting?"

Ke Yin's expression shifted subtly, becoming more focused. "Actually, I was hoping to find you both. The tournament is approaching, and I could use some sparring practice." He glanced at Rocky. "Last time we trained together was quite helpful for me."

Liu Chen felt a surge of excitement. The idea of watching Brother Ke and Rocky spar was thrilling, both were so much stronger than him, and he could learn a lot from observing them.

"Rocky help," the stone guardian agreed, seeming equally enthusiastic about the prospect.

Ke Yin smiled, but Liu Chen noticed something in his eyes, a certain intensity that hadn't been there before. Whatever brought Brother Ke seeking sparring practice with Rocky, it was more than casual training.

"Perfect," Ke Yin said. "Shall we head to your training yard? It's designed to handle the kind of damage we might cause."