The majestic peaks of the Mystic Sky Sect loomed once more, their floating islands shrouded in a sea of eternal mist. Hanyuan ascended the familiar mountain paths, the cool, high altitude air refreshing his lungs after the dusty roads of the Southern Province. As he walked across the main plaza of the Cloud Jade Isle, several groups of Outer Disciples stopped to watch him pass. Whispers followed in his wake.
I wonder if Qin Yu has already moved up to the Inner Sect, Hanyuan thought, his gaze drifting toward the higher summits.
As he approached his stone hut, he was surprised to see a familiar figure standing by the door. She stood with her arms crossed, her long, flowing blue hair dancing in the wind.
"Hm? Feng Yue? What are you doing here?" Hanyuan asked, coming to a halt.
Feng Yue turned, and the moment her cerulean eyes met his, a vivid blush crept across her cheeks. She shifted uncomfortably, her usual cold composure replaced by a strange agitation.
"I... I just wanted to inform you that Qin Yu moved to the Inner Sect two days ago," she stammered, her voice lacking its sharp edge. "He succeeded in his breakthrough while you were away. That's it. Nothing more, okay? I only came here to say this!"
Before Hanyuan could even thank her for the news, she turned on her heel and hurried away at a pace that bordered on a sprint.
Hanyuan stared after her, blinking in confusion. "Hm... is she not feeling well? Perhaps she hasn't recovered from her internal injuries yet."
He shrugged and stepped inside his hut. The room felt even more silent after the lively week with his parents. He took a long, steadying breath of the rich Sect Qi, sat down on his meditation cushion, and began to absorb it.
Several hours later, after settling his mind and testing his spear drills, Hanyuan decided it was time to finalize his preparations. He had roughly 855 spirit stones in his storage ring.
The next morning, he arrived at the Sect Shop. The old woman behind the counter was in her usual spot, squinting at a shipment of low-grade jade slips. She looked up as Hanyuan approached.
"You are back again," she noted dryly. "Are you here for more wine or fancy pills?"
"I want a Nine-Revolution Qi-Gathering Fruit and a Heart Calming Incense," Hanyuan said clearly.
The old woman's hand froze mid air. She adjusted her spectacles and stared at him with wide, incredulous eyes. "Do you have any idea what you're asking for? The Nine Revolution Qi Gathering Fruit alone is worth 500 spirit stones because of how rare it is to find. Together with the high grade incense, that will be 550 spirit stones. Do you even possess that much wealth?"
In response, Hanyuan simply tapped his storage ring.
Cling-clatter!
Several heavy silk bags appeared on the counter, the seams nearly bursting with the shimmering light of five hundred and fifty low grade spirit stones.
The old woman went dead silent. She stared at the pile of wealth, then at Hanyuan in front of her. Without another word, she swept the stones into a collection array and vanished into the high security backroom. A few minutes later, she returned, carrying a small ornate wooden box and a bundle of pale blue incense sticks.
"Good luck," she grunted.
Hanyuan nodded with a thin smile, took the goods, and returned to his stone hut.
He placed the items on his low table, looking at the Nine-Revolution Fruit. It pulsed with a golden light, its very presence causing the air in the room to vibrate as it began to tug at the surrounding worldly Qi.
The fruit will act as a magnet, pulling the Qi toward me during the breakthrough, Hanyuan mused. And the incense will keep my mind and Heart Calm.
He looked at the moon through his window.
"One month," Hanyuan vowed. "One month to stabilize every meridian and polish every strike. Then, I leave the Qi Refining realm behind forever."
Three days passed in quiet preparation. Hanyuan stepped out of his stone hut into the crisp mountain morning, the silence of his courtyard finally pushing him to seek the bustling life of the isle. He walked to the cafeteria and ordered a steaming bowl of Spirit Noodles tossed with minced spirit meat and sharp medicinal herbs.
He ate in contemplative silence. For the first time since joining the sect, the seat across from him was empty. Without Qin Yu there to stammer about his nerves or obsess over library scrolls, the isle felt larger and more hollow. Hanyuan finished his meal and left the hall without a word.
Seeking stillness, Hanyuan found a secluded clearing dominated by an ancient, gnarled Sakura tree. Pink petals fell in a slow, rhythmic dance, blanketing the grass. He sat among the roots, closing his eyes to enter a state of deep reflection. He didn't cultivate his Qi, instead, he combed through his memories of the recent tournament. He replayed every exchange with Feng Yue and the bandit elite, dissecting his errors, analyzing the flow of his transitions, and looking for the spots in his spear techniques where his rhythm faltered.
After several hours, the sun reached its zenith. Hanyuan slowly opened his eyes, a look of clarity within them. He stood up and unstrapped the Cold Cloud Spear. He began to move through the basic forms,thrusts, sweeps, and parries,but he intentionally suppressed his Qi. He wanted to feel the raw weight of the spear and the mechanical perfection of his muscles without the intoxicating boost of spiritual power.
"Hoo, not bad. As expected of my rival."
A deep, resonant voice shattered the quiet of the clearing. Hanyuan slowly turned his head, his spear tip remaining perfectly still. Standing at the edge of the grove was a tall, bulky youth with shoulders like a bull's. A massive black iron warhammer rested casually against his shoulder.
Hanyuan tilted his head slightly, squinting at the newcomer. "Hm? Who are you?"
The bulky youth's face went through a spectrum of colors,from surprise to indignation, and finally a heated red. "Hey! I am Ba Gang! You knocked me out during the competition! Don't tell me you've already forgotten the man whose ribs you practically reorganized!" he cried out, sounding genuinely offended.
A flicker of recognition crossed Hanyuan's mind, and he let out a short, amused chuckle. "Oh. Ba Gang. Now I remember. You have a very... sturdy head."
Ba Gang snorted, though some of the anger left his expression. He looked at Hanyuan's fluid movements with a glint of respect. "Hmph. Enjoy your victory while it lasts, Bai Hanyuan. I won't lose so easily next year. I will surpass you one day, just wait and see!"
With a huff and a dramatic swing of his hammer, Ba Gang turned and marched away, his heavy footsteps thumping against the earth. Hanyuan only smiled, shaking his head before strapping his spear back into its place.
As he walked back toward the residential district, he passed through the central plaza. As always, it was a hub of information, where disciples traded stories from the far reaches of the Southern Continent.
"Hey, did you hear? The Silent Saber Master finally broke through to the Soul Transformation Realm! He's founded the Golden Saber School in the Western Peaks already."
"That's nothing! I heard the Saintess of the Flower Sect is pregnant. The whole province is in an uproar..I wonder who the lucky man is to win the heart of such a jade beauty!"
Hanyuan listened with a distant interest. The world was vast, filled with masters ascending to the heavens and scandals that shook empires.
He finally reached his door. He stepped inside, the latch clicking shut.