Before the stone doors of his hut would be closed for a while, Hanyuan made two final stops.
At the Outer Sect Shop, the old woman raised a hairless eyebrow as Hanyuan handed over fifty low grade spirit stones. He walked away with a heavy crate of Tier 2 spirit beast blood, bags of iron marrow herbs, and high rank recovery pills.
Next, he returned to the Scripture Pavilion. He offered a wordless bow to the silent Elder in the wooden chair and bypassed the Ice section entirely. He moved to the rear of the hall, where the air hummed with a sharp, ozone scent and the bookshelves were carved from blackened, lightning-struck wood.
He searched for nearly an hour before his hand settled on a scroll bound in purple silk.
[Nine Thunderbolt Spear Manual]
Grade: High Spirit Rank.
Description: A style predicated on accumulative, unstoppable momentum. The user must link nine distinct thrusts and sweeps without a single heartbeat's pause. By the ninth strike, the power is said to be equivalent to a strike from the Mortal Core realm. It consumes immense amounts of Qi and puts a terrifying strain on the user's meridians.
The price tag was a staggering seventy spirit stones,the entirety of his remaining savings. Without a flicker of hesitation, Hanyuan paid the fee and walked out, his pockets empty but his heart full.
He stood at the edge of the Cloud Jade Plaza for one final breath, watching the other disciples laugh and argue, before turning his back on the world. The stone door of his hut groaned shut and the iron latch clicked.
The isolation began.
Month 2: The speed of his cultivation was unlike anything he had ever experienced. The Eight Star Ice talent acted like a vortex, pulling in the island's Qi so aggressively that frost began to grow permanently in the corners of his room. One morning, with a sharp crack that echoed like a whip in his Dantian, Hanyuan shattered the barrier to the 7th Layer of the Qi Refining Realm. He had finally entered the High Stage of his realm.
Month 6: The floor of his hut was littered with empty jade vials. He had undergone the agonizing process of refining the remaining beast blood, further hardening his bones and muscles. This physical tempering provided the necessary vessel for his next breakthrough. After a grueling forty eight-hour meditation, his Qi swelled and condensed.
BOOM.
The 8th Layer.
Hanyuan didn't stop to celebrate. He picked up the Cold Cloud Spear and opened the Nine Thunderbolt Spear Manual. This was where the true challenge began. For weeks, he did nothing but fail to link the strikes. The lightning Qi in his meridians was volatile, refusing to follow the ice cold pathways he was used to. But Hanyuan's mind provided the logic he needed. He practiced until the blue runes on his spear began to spark with purple arcs of electricity.
Month 9: The day arrived when the calendars outside turned another page.
Hanyuan sat in absolute stillness.He stood up, and his joints didn't pop; they hummed with a vibration like a low frequency bell.
He looked into the copper mirror on the wall. He had turned thirteen years old during his seclusion. His long black hair now reached past his waist, his obsidian eyes carried a calm that could freeze a river, and his frame had grown taller, his muscles lean and tightly coiled like a predator's.
He had stabilized the Peak of the 8th Layer, just a hair's breadth away from the 9th.
"Nine months," Hanyuan whispered, his voice deeper and resonant.
He grabbed the Cold Cloud Spear. As he infused it with his Qi, the room flickered. Half the floor turned to white hoarfrost, while the air crackled with miniature bolts of violet lightning.
He had mastered the Silverfrost Spear Art to the peak, and he could now execute all nine strikes of the Thunderbolt Spear Manual in a single, fluid breath. His understanding of the spear had reached a new level.
"Open," Hanyuan commanded.
The heavy stone latch, untouched for nearly a year, snapped open with a single pulse of his Qi. Hanyuan stepped out into the blinding sunlight of the Cloud Jade Isle. The Outer Disciple Competition was set to begin in three days.
The world seemed overwhelmingly bright. After nine months of living by the flickering light of a few spirit lamps and the violet sparks of his own lightning, the sun of the Cloud Jade Isle was like a physical weight against Hanyuan's eyes. He stood for a moment, letting the warmth soak into his skin, his long hair fluttering in the mountain breeze like a silken banner.
The plaza was full of activity.As he walked, he noticed many small, nervous faces,youths barely 11 or 12 years old, dressed in pristine, unblemished white robes. They looked just like he had a year ago.
The next generation, Hanyuan mused, his steps heavy and silent. A year has passed, and I'm no longer the new face on this mountain.
"Quite a transformation, Hanyuan. If I didn't know your Qi signature, I would have thought an Inner Sect tiger had lost its way and wandered down to the gardens."
Hanyuan didn't flinch. He turned his head slightly to see Elder Qi standing beside him, manifesting as he always did,like a wisp of smoke caught in the light.
"Greetings, Elder Qi," Hanyuan said, offering a shallow but respectful bow.
Elder Qi stroked his silver goatee, his eyes narrowing as they swept over the boy. "The Peak of the 8th Layer... and your bones. You didn't just meditate; you rebuilt yourself." He let out a hearty, satisfied laugh. "I suspected you had potential, but to see you stand on the precipice of the 9th Layer after only a year... truly, the ancestors are smiling."
"I am merely trying to keep up with the clouds," Hanyuan replied modestly.
"Well, you aren't the only one moving," Elder Qi said, pulling a folded parchment from his sleeve. "A messenger eagle arrived from Spirit Springs yesterday. My nephew, Ling, sent a report. Your parents are well, though your mother apparently burns an extra incense stick for your safety every night. They miss you dearly."
A soft, genuine warmth touched Hanyuan's obsidian eyes. "I miss them too. Once the competition is over, I will request a leave of absence to visit."
"You should," Elder Qi nodded. Then, a mischievous glint appeared in the Elder's silver blue eyes. "Ling also wrote of your old acquaintances. Your friend, the Chi boy... Yanfeng. He has been training in the Magma Chambers of the Burning Steel Valley. He recently broke through to the 9th Layer."
Hanyuan's smile widened. "9th Layer? As expected of him. His fire is hard to douse."
"And then," Elder Qi chuckled, leaning in closer, "there is 'This Bitch.' Ling's words, not mine."
Hanyuan's eyebrows shot up. "Bai Xueling?"
"The very one," Elder Qi grinned. "It seems her stay at the Heavenly Frost Sect has been... turbulent. She is currently at the 8th Layer. While impressive, she was expected to be much further by now. Apparently, her arrogance got the better of her; she offended a high ranking Inner Elder during a banquet. As punishment, her resource allowance was slashed by half. She's been forced to do manual labor missions to pay for her spirit stones."
Hanyuan let out a short, sharp laugh,a sound filled with pure, unadulterated satisfaction. The memory of the 10 year-old girl sneering at him in the arena, her sword at his throat, flashed through his mind. Back then, she was a huge Mountain in his eyes, untouchable and supreme.
"She always was her own worst enemy," Hanyuan murmured. "To hear she is struggling brings a certain... balance to the world."
"Enjoy the feeling, boy," Elder Qi patted his shoulder. "But remember, Yanfeng is still a step ahead, and the geniuses here at the Mystic Sky won't care about your hometown grudges. You have three days until the drums of the competition roll. Go to the cafeteria, fill your stomach, and show this mountain what an Genius really looks like."
With a swirl of his sleeve, the Elder vanished.
He began walking toward the cafeteria, his longer hair catching the light.