The azure walls of Blue Dew City slowly receded into the distance as Hanyuan and Qin Yu began their journey back to the Sect. At the gates, Qin Meili's voice could still be heard echoing off the stone, a playful melody in the morning air.
"Hanyuan! Stay safe and keep that spear sharp! You have to promise me you'll visit again soon!" she shouted, waving a silken handkerchief with enough force to generate a breeze.
"Hey! What about me? I'm your actual brother!" Qin Yu's indignant shout was drowned out by the cackle of the city guards. He turned toward Hanyuan, looking utterly defeated. "She didn't even mention me once in her final goodbye. Not once. I think I've officially been replaced in the family tree."
Hanyuan chuckled, the weight of the large leather pack on his back shifting with every step. "Don't take it to heart, Brother Yu. You know how she is."
Qin Yu's eyes drifted to the bulge in Hanyuan's leather pack. "Seriously though, Hanyuan, what is in all those scrolls? You're carrying enough parchment to start a library. Please tell me those aren't romance novels she sneaked into your bag."
Hanyuan let out a weary sigh. "They're Spear Arts. Dozens of them. Qin Rong told me that even though I have a Spirit grade manual, my foundation is too narrow. He said the Silver Frost Spear Art is powerful, but if I don't understand the logic of different spears,from the heavy mountain styles to the flowing river stabs,I'll never truly make the art my own."
He patted the pack. "They're all Human grade. Qin Rong said they aren't for power; they're for Foundation.
"Wow," Qin Yu muttered, his voice dripping with jealousy. "He gave you enough martial Arts to train a small army, and all he gave me was a slap on the back and a lecture about my lack of stamina. The Spear Madman connection is real."
"Let's speed up," Hanyuan said, shifting his center of gravity. "Azure Cloud Footwork!"
His silhouette blurred as he transformed into a streak of blue and white, his feet barely touching the azure grass. Qin Yu followed suit, his water elemental movement making him look like a flowing stream as they raced toward the distant, cloud-capped peaks.
The journey that took them two days of casual walking was completed in dozen hours of high speed sprinting. By the time the moon began to rise, the familiar, soaring bridges and floating islands of the Mystic Sky Sect appeared through the mountain mist.
As they reached the base of the mountain, Hanyuan paused. He looked toward the Inner Regions of the Myriad Herb Forest. The terrifying, soul crushing pressure that had plagued the outskirts for weeks had vanished.
"The Soul Transformation Elder must have finished his work," Hanyuan noted, his obsidian eyes scanning the treeline. "The aura of that Tier 3 Manticore is gone. We can return to the forest soon."
"Thank the heavens," Qin Yu breathed, wiping a layer of cold sweat from his brow. "I was getting tired of eating at the cafeteria. I need a mission to pay for a new sword Technique anyway."
They crossed the Bridge of Light, the cool, high altitude Qi of the Cloud-Jade Isle washing over them like a revitalizing shower. The island was alive with the soft glow of lanterns from various stone huts. Some disciples were whispering about the latest news, while others sat on flat stones in the moonlight, trying to gain a scrap of enlightenment.
"Finally back," Qin Yu said, taking a deep, satisfied breath of the dense spiritual air. "Go get some rest, Hanyuan. I suspect tomorrow will be the start of a very long month."
"You too, Brother Yu."
Hanyuan entered his stone courtyard, the familiar latch of the gate clicking into place. He leaned his Cold Cloud Spear against the wall and carefully unslung his pack of scrolls.
Hanyuan sat cross-legged on his meditation cushion, his hands resting on his knees. He didn't immediately reach for the new books. Instead, he closed his eyes and allowed the thick, surging Qi of the island to flood his meridians. His Qi vortex began to spin, drawing in the energy as he started his first cultivation cycle since returning.
The tranquility of the Cloud-Jade Isle was a stark contrast to the storm of emotions brewing in Hanyuan's chest. For seven days, he had isolated himself, reading trough the new Spear art Scrolls.
He stepped out of his hut, the bright sunlight forcing him to squint. He walked toward a massive, centuries old Sakura tree near the center of the residential district. Pink petals drifted through the air like scented snow, settling on his shoulders as he sat among the roots, listening to the idle gossip of passing disciples.
"The White Flame Sect and the Whirlwind Abyss are finally at each other's throats," one youth whispered, his eyes gleaming with excitement. "A middle grade Spirit Stone mine was found right on their border. The carnage will be Crazy."
"That's nothing," another replied, leaning closer. "The Patriarch of the Meng Clan reached the Soul Transformation stage! The power balance in the Eastern Province is shifting."
Hanyuan absorbed the news like a dry sponge, but then, a name he hadn't heard in weeks struck him like a physical blow.
"Did you hear about Mu Rongbing?" a third disciple asked, his voice hushed in awe. "She actually did it. She broke through to the Mortal Core realm yesterday and officially vacated her stone hut. She's an Inner Disciple now. Two months... she was only an Outer Disciple for two months! That has to be a new record."
Hanyuan's fingers dug into the soft earth beneath the Sakura tree.
Mortal Core...
The obsidian fire in Hanyuan's eyes didn't flicker with despair, it hardened into cold, crystalline resolve. He stood up, the cherry blossoms fluttering from his robes, and headed straight for the Sect Shop.
The old woman behind the counter didn't look up as he entered, her fingers busy polishing a jade vial. "Back again, little brat? Your weapon shouldn't need a repair so soon."
"I'm not here for the spear, Senior," Hanyuan said, bowing deeply. "I need specific materials: Frost Cold Root, Iron Vine Grass, Sun Dew Petals..." He listed ten high purity herbs, his voice unwavering. "And a bottle of heart blood from a Tier 2 Spirit Beast,specifically, the Stoneclaw Lion."
The old woman's hand stopped. She looked up, her sharp gaze piercing through him. "Stoneclaw Lion blood? That beast is known for its impenetrable defense and its ferocious, earth shaking intent. At the 6th Layer, trying to refine Tier 2 blood is akin to swallowing a storm. If the beast's soul will isn't suppressed, it will shatter your mind before the heat burns your skin."
"I understand the risks, Senior," Hanyuan replied.
The woman stared at him for a long moment, seeing the steady set of his jaw and the lack of fear in his eyes. She reached beneath the counter. "Twenty five spirit stones."
Hanyuan paid the stones without a word, taking the heavy jade bottle and the bundles of herbs.
Back in his stone hut, he barred the door. He hauled out the large cedar tub, filling it with spring water. One by one, he added the herbs, the water turning a murky, herbal brown. Then, he uncorked the jade bottle.
ROAR
The sound wasn't physical, but Hanyuan felt it in his soul. A primal, golden brown vapor erupted from the bottle, the blood within pulsing with a heavy, rhythmic heat. As he poured the viscous, glowing red liquid into the tub, the water began to boil violently.
Hanyuan stripped, his scars standing out against his pale skin.
Body tempering through beast blood was a path few chose. It was inefficient for those with high talents who could simply rely on pills and Qi. It was a "barbaric" method, reserved for those whose bodies needed to be hardened into weapons.
Xueling... Yanfeng... Rongbing...
Hanyuan thought of the geniuses far ahead of him. He thought of the 8th Layer disciples who had crushed him in the competition.
If my soul can't shine like yours, Hanyuan thought as he stepped into the scalding red water, I'll make my flesh as hard as the mountains you try to stand upon.
The moment his skin touched the liquid, a scream died in his throat.
It felt as if a thousand iron shod lions were trampling over his every nerve, their claws shredding his meridians as they fought to possess his skeleton. The Earth Intent of the Stoneclaw Lion surged, trying to weigh him down, to crush his heart under the gravity of a Tier 2 beast.
Hanyuan's vision went red. He gripped the edges of the tub, his knuckles cracking, and let out a low, guttural snarl.