The transition from the abyssal, freezing darkness of the Riverlands to the waking world was not sudden. It was a slow, creeping warmth that gradually thawed the ice in his veins.
Yoriichi's eyelids fluttered, feeling incredibly heavy. As they parted, a brilliant, almost blinding shaft of golden morning sunlight pierced his vision. He blinked several times, his pupils constricting against the unfamiliar brightness of the sun he had not seen in sixty days.
He took a shallow breath. The air did not smell of stagnant water, rot, or blood. It was clean, heavily perfumed with the soothing, earthy scent of medicinal incense.
He attempted to shift his weight, but his body violently protested. A profound, aching stiffness gripped every joint and muscle fiber. He looked down at his torso.
From his chest to his ankles, he was meticulously wrapped in specialized, pale-green bandages. They pulsed faintly with a warm, nourishing Wood-attribute Dou Qi, actively working to stimulate cellular regeneration and mend the micro-fractures in his bones.
The heavy, ethereal seal placed over his Dantian by Commander Wu was gone. His milky-white liquid Dou Qi was finally unchained, though it flowed sluggishly, like a nearly dried-up river attempting to navigate a cracked riverbed.
Before he could attempt to sit up, the heavy oak door to the private chamber clicked open.
An elderly man dressed in the pristine white robes of the Medicine Department stepped inside. It was Elder Kun, the seasoned healer who had accompanied the Deputy Headmaster to the Riverlands. He carried a fresh tray of jade vials, but the moment his eyes landed on the open, crimson eyes of the youth on the bed, he stopped in his tracks.
"Heavens be praised," Elder Kun breathed, setting the tray down hastily on a nearby wooden table. He hurried to the bedside, his hands glowing with a soft green light as he immediately hovered them over Yoriichi's chest to monitor his returning consciousness.
Yoriichi turned his head slowly, the muscles in his neck protesting. He looked at the unfamiliar elder, then at the bright, sterilized room.
"Where... am I?" Yoriichi rasped, his voice incredibly dry, sounding like two stones grinding together.
"You are safe, child," Elder Kun replied, his tone laced with a mixture of professional calm and genuine, grandfatherly relief. "You are in the high-security ward of the Academy's Healing Pavilion. You are here for recovery."
The elder continued his meticulous scanning, his glowing hands moving over Yoriichi's ribcage and Dantian. "Your consciousness has finally returned. Your heart rate is stabilizing, but your body is starved. The sheer resilience of your constitution is a medical marvel, but you pushed yourself to the absolute brink of human endurance."
Yoriichi processed the information, his stoic mind rapidly assembling the pieces. His sentence was over. He had been extracted.
"So..." Yoriichi muttered, swallowing hard to moisten his parched throat. "How much time has passed?"
Elder Kun sighed, retracting his glowing hands. He pulled up a wooden stool and sat beside the bed. "After your imprisonment deadline finished, you were collectively shifted here by our efforts upon seeing your deadly condition. Deputy Headmaster, Head Zhan, and I personally brought you up. Since that morning... I think it has been exactly five days."
Yoriichi nodded slightly, digesting the timeline. Two months in the dark, plus five days of unconsciousness.
Suddenly, a realization flashed through his perfectly disciplined mind like a bolt of lightning.
"The tournament," Yoriichi said, his crimson eyes locking onto Elder Kun. "Hasn't the Inner Academy Qualifying Tournament started already?"
Elder Kun's expression immediately turned sympathetic. He offered a slow, heavy nod.
"Yes, it has," Elder Kun confirmed softly. "The preliminary elimination rounds began three days ago. The final bracket rounds have officially commenced. But you cannot go there."
The elder reached over, pouring a cup of warm, medicinal tea and offering it to Yoriichi. "I think your match is actually scheduled for a few minutes from now today, as I checked the roster list earlier this morning. Your sister, Xiao Yu, has already advanced in her bracket and is likely at the arena waiting."
Elder Kun shook his head, a look of profound regret crossing his weathered face. "Alas, it is a great tragedy. With your aptitude and the strength you previously displayed, you could easily have secured a spot in the Top 20. But given your current physical state... it is impossible. It is okay, Xiao Ning. You are young. You can fully recover and participate in next year's tournament."
Yoriichi did not take the cup of tea.
He stared at the ceiling for a single, fleeting second. Waiting another entire year was completely unacceptable. Next year, he would need to return to the Jia Ma Empire to oversee the Xiao Clan during the fallout of the Three-Year Agreement. To protect them against the factions of the capital, he desperately needed the higher-tier techniques hidden within the Inner Academy right now. A true swordsman did not halt his blade simply because it was chipped.
"No," Yoriichi stated, his voice quiet but carrying an absolute, unyielding weight. "I need to go now."
Without waiting for the elder's permission, Yoriichi planted his hands flat against the mattress.
"What are you doing?!" Elder Kun gasped, jumping up from his stool.