Compared to before, Wang Li had become… difficult to read.
Not just stronger—*deeper*.
His blood and Qi alone could now rival early experts of the Martial Origin Realm.
And yet—
he still couldn't break through.
His cultivation remained stuck at the peak of the Sixth Level of the Martial Genesis Realm.
The reason was simple.
He didn't lack *quality*—
He lacked *quantity*.
His body had been refined to an absurd degree by the ancient technique fused into the *Mountains and Seas Art*. Every drop of his blood, every strand of Qi, carried terrifying power…
—but his dantian was still too "empty."
To take the next step, he would need an astronomical amount of resources.
Normal cultivation methods?
Useless.
Wang Li exhaled slowly, standing at the edge of the Tidal Abyss.
The poisonous miasma churned below like a living entity. Dark, viscous, shifting.
Watching.
Waiting.
He narrowed his eyes.
*This place…*
For a brief moment, he felt as though something deep within the abyss had noticed him.
Not hostility.
Not curiosity.
Something colder.
Like a predator deciding whether he was worth eating.
Wang Li smiled faintly.
"I'll come back," he said under his breath. "When I'm strong enough to swallow you instead."
The abyss remained silent.
But the unease lingered.
Without hesitation, Wang Li turned—
and vanished.
His figure blurred into an afterimage, his speed far surpassing before. Even his shadow struggled to keep up.
Four hours later—
he stood at the gates of the sect.
Before he could even step forward—
a voice exploded in his mind.
"Good disciple! Where have you been? This is not what you promised when I let you leave the sect!"
Wang Li paused.
Then muttered quietly:
"Huh… you really have the confidence to ask that?"
A dangerous silence followed.
"…What did you just say?"
Wang Li stiffened.
That tone—
He turned his head slowly.
Wang Lu stood beside him, smiling.
Half-smiling, to be precise.
Which was worse.
"Pei! Pei! Pei!" Wang Li slapped his own mouth lightly. "Look at me talking nonsense. Master! Why are you here personally?"
He immediately stepped forward, grabbing her arm with exaggerated enthusiasm as he guided her toward the entrance.
"Master, have you been well? Eating properly? Sleeping well? You must take care of yourself—"
Wang Lu glanced at him sideways.
"You're concerned about my sleep?"
"Of course!" Wang Li nodded seriously. "If Master doesn't rest well, she might—"
Before he could finish—
**Bang!**
He was sent flying.
"Master! Why?!" he groaned, dragging himself up.
He dusted himself off, muttering loudly on purpose:
"Sigh… serving under a master is like living beside a tigress. One wrong move and you're dinner…"
"Good disciple," her voice rang out sweetly, though she was no longer visible, "what was that?"
**Bang!**
He flew again.
Wang Li lay on the ground, staring at the sky.
"…I should've stayed in the abyss."
"Come back to the peak," Wang Lu's voice echoed lazily. "This old woman has something to tell you before the Netherworld opens."
Wang Li sighed.
"Master… you've made it impossible for your disciple to walk."
Even so, he dragged his numb body toward the Tenth Peak.
---
When he arrived, Wang Lu was already seated on the stone steps, watching him approach like she had all the time in the world.
"Not bad," she said, giving him a once-over. "You won't die immediately in the Netherworld."
Wang Li twitched.
*That's… reassuring.*
"In the Netherworld," she continued, "resources are alive."
That got his attention.
"You kill them—they kill you. Simple."
Wang Li's eyes sharpened.
"Define 'resources,'" he said.
Wang Lu smiled slightly.
"When a Netherworld creature dies, it condenses into a drop of grey essence. That drop contains its vitality, its power, its accumulation."
She leaned forward slightly.
"And that… is what you need."
Wang Li's breathing slowed.
"So that's how you solve the accumulation problem…"
"Exactly," Wang Lu said. "In the Martial Genesis Realm, the greatest obstacle isn't talent. It's accumulation."
She tapped her finger lightly.
"Power is easy. Understanding is not. Most people stagnate because they don't comprehend their techniques deeply enough."
Her gaze sharpened slightly.
"You, however… have the opposite problem."
Wang Li smiled.
"Too excellent?"
"Too reckless," she corrected flatly. "In there, don't chase opportunities. Don't act clever."
A pause.
"Grow. First."
For once—
Wang Li didn't joke.
"…Got it."
---
"Oh right," Wang Lu said casually. "I prepared something for you."
She raised her hand.
Seven-colored energy gathered, swirling into existence.
Slowly—
a saber formed.
Elegant.
Silent.
Deadly.
The moment it fully solidified—
a faint saber hum echoed through the air.
Even space seemed to tremble slightly.
Wang Li's eyes narrowed.
*This… isn't ordinary.*
A sheath appeared in her other hand. She slid the blade inside and tossed it to him.
He caught it carefully.
Very carefully.
"This saber accompanied me in the past," Wang Lu said lightly. "Don't disgrace it."
Wang Li didn't respond immediately.
Instead, he inspected it from every angle.
Weight.
Balance.
Aura.
Intent.
"…It's sharp," he said finally. "Feels real."
Wang Lu stared at him.
"…Feels real?"
Wang Li nodded seriously.
"Just making sure it's not something you made up to mess with me."
"Rebellious disciple," she said slowly, smiling.
Dangerously.
"Explain yourself."
"Thank you, Master!" Wang Li immediately corrected himself, gripping the saber tightly.
*Not giving this back.*
Wang Lu snorted.
---
"By the way," Wang Li asked, "when does the Netherworld open?"
"It already has," Wang Lu replied impatiently. "Go to Netherpeak. I've arranged things."
Wang Li blinked.
"…Arranged what?"
"Go."
"…Alright."
He didn't press further.
That tone meant—
*don't ask.*
---
On the way down the mountain, Wang Li unsheathed the saber.
A faint chill ran across his fingers.
"What a blade…" he murmured.
Then sighed.
"Shame I don't have the skill to match it yet."
He sheathed it again.
But his eyes had already begun calculating.
---
Netherpeak felt different.
Colder.
Not just in temperature—
but in atmosphere.
Each step upward made the air thinner, heavier, quieter.
"What kind of lunatics train here…" Wang Li muttered.
Ahead, voices drifted down.
"Senior Sister Cao, why are we going up there? It's freezing!"
"Did I ask you to follow me, Junior Sister Mei?"
"I'm just curious! They said some outer disciples are coming to compete early for inner disciple status—"
"Hmph. Ignorant."
Wang Li walked past them without a glance.
"…Was that an outer disciple?" one of them said deliberately.
"Probably one of those who don't know the immensity of heaven and earth."
Wang Li didn't stop.
Didn't react.
Didn't even slow down.
His figure blurred—
and disappeared.
The two women froze slightly.
"…That speed…"
---
At the peak, disciples had already gathered in groups.
Clear divisions.
Clear hierarchies.
Wang Li scanned the area, then chose a solitary rock and sat cross-legged.
Outer disciple robe.
Purple token at his waist.
An odd combination.
Some inner disciples glanced at him—
tempted.
But no one moved.
That token wasn't decoration.
Wang Li ignored them all.
He pulled out the manuals, flipping through them before selecting one.
"Seven forms…" he murmured. "This'll do."
He closed his eyes.
And began.
Around him, the noise of the crowd faded.
But not everyone looked away.
"Why are you all staring at him?" a voice said with disdain.
An elite inner disciple stepped forward.
"Don't tell me you feel threatened by an outer disciple?"
A fat disciple laughed lightly.
"Senior Brother Long, we're just helping them understand reality. The Netherworld isn't a playground."
Long sneered.
"Do you even believe your own words?"
Silence.
"The sect allowed this," he continued coldly. "That means something."
His gaze flicked toward Wang Li.
"Or… someone."