The training courtyard remained silent, sealed off from the rest of the Inner Clan.
Days had passed.
Jiang Chen stood at the center once more, his breathing slow and controlled. The injuries from before had not fully healed, but they were no longer crippling. More importantly—his control had improved.
Not power.
Control.
Zhou Yan stood nearby, observing as always. "You've stabilized the manifestation. Now you need to define its function."
Jiang Chen nodded slightly. "…Right now, it's just a thread."
"A dangerous one," Han Wei added from the side, arms crossed. "But still just a thread."
Lin Xue's gaze remained fixed on Jiang Chen's hand. "…What are you trying to make it become?"
Jiang Chen didn't answer immediately.
Instead, he raised his hand.
Golden qi gathered first—stable, familiar.
Then, beneath it, something deeper stirred.
The Origin Thread appeared.
This time, it didn't flicker wildly.
It hovered.
Thin. Sharp. Quiet.
Jiang Chen watched it closely.
"…Before, I used it to erase," he said slowly.
The others didn't interrupt.
"…But that's not enough. It's too unstable… and too costly."
Zhou Yan nodded. "Then refine its purpose."
Jiang Chen's eyes narrowed slightly.
"…Control."
The thread trembled faintly, as if responding to the word.
Not force.
Not destruction.
Control.
Jiang Chen adjusted his focus, no longer pushing the thread outward—but letting it extend naturally.
The thread lengthened slightly.
A few inches.
Then stopped.
His breathing tightened.
"…Don't force it," Lin Xue said softly.
Jiang Chen steadied himself.
He relaxed his grip—mentally.
The thread responded.
It extended further.
Smoother this time.
"…Good," Zhou Yan said quietly.
Jiang Chen's eyes sharpened.
He flicked his fingers.
The thread moved.
Not fast.
Not powerful.
But precise.
It traced a faint line in the air—cutting through a drifting leaf.
The leaf didn't explode.
Didn't shatter.
It split cleanly into two halves.
Silence followed.
Han Wei raised an eyebrow. "…That's new."
Jiang Chen lowered his hand slightly, studying the thread.
"…Less energy," he murmured.
"…More precision."
Zhou Yan nodded. "You're no longer overwhelming the target. You're defining the result."
Jiang Chen's mind raced.
*If it's not about power…*
Then—
He moved again.
This time, he extended the thread toward a training pillar.
Slowly.
Carefully.
The thread touched the surface.
For a brief moment—
Nothing happened.
Then—
A thin line appeared.
The pillar didn't collapse.
Didn't crack.
But a perfectly smooth cut had been carved into it.
Jiang Chen exhaled slowly.
"…It obeys intent."
"More than qi ever could," Zhou Yan said.
But Jiang Chen wasn't satisfied.
"…That's still too basic."
He closed his eyes.
Reaching deeper.
The Origin Thread pulsed faintly.
This time—
He didn't just extend it.
He split it.
Two threads appeared.
Unstable.
Shaking.
Jiang Chen's breathing immediately became heavier.
"…Careful," Lin Xue warned.
"I know."
The two threads wavered, almost collapsing.
Jiang Chen focused harder—not forcing them, but balancing them.
Guiding.
Aligning.
Slowly—
They stabilized.
Barely.
Sweat formed on his forehead.
"…That's your limit," Zhou Yan said.
Jiang Chen didn't respond.
He moved.
Both threads shot forward—one slightly faster than the other.
They struck two different targets at once.
Slice.
Both targets split cleanly.
Jiang Chen immediately released the threads.
They vanished.
He staggered slightly but remained standing.
"…Two," Han Wei said, impressed. "…Now that's useful."
Chen Yu grinned. "Yeah, imagine that in a real fight."
Jiang Chen steadied his breathing.
"…Not enough," he repeated.
Lin Xue frowned slightly. "You're pushing again."
"…Because I have to."
He looked at his hand.
"…One thread is precision. Two is control."
His gaze sharpened.
"…But I need something that can be used in real combat… without breaking my body."
Zhou Yan tilted his head slightly. "…Then combine it."
Jiang Chen blinked once.
"…Combine?"
"Your qi is stable," Zhou Yan said. "Your Origin is not. So don't rely on Origin alone."
Jiang Chen understood immediately.
A bridge.
Between qi—
And Origin.
He raised his hand again.
Golden qi surged first.
Then—
Carefully—
He summoned a single Origin Thread.
This time, instead of extending it outward—
He wrapped it.
Around his qi.
The reaction was immediate.
The golden aura shifted.
Sharper.
Denser.
More… defined.
Jiang Chen's eyes widened slightly.
"…This…"
He stepped forward.
And struck.
---
"Primordial Strike…"
The qi condensed around his fist—
But now—
A thin, invisible layer of Origin wrapped around it.
"…Threaded Convergence."
Boom!
The impact wasn't louder than before.
But the result—
Was different.
The training pillar didn't shatter.
Didn't explode.
It split.
Perfectly.
From top to bottom.
Clean.
Absolute.
Silence filled the courtyard.
Zhou Yan's eyes gleamed faintly. "…That's it."
Han Wei let out a low whistle. "Yeah… that's definitely it."
Chen Yu laughed. "That's way scarier than before."
Lin Xue looked at Jiang Chen carefully. "…And the cost?"
Jiang Chen checked his body.
The pain was there—
But manageable.
Not overwhelming.
Not destructive.
---
"…Sustainable," he said.
---
A new understanding settled in his mind.
Not overwhelming power.
Not reckless use.
Precision.
Integration.
Control.
---
The system flickered:
**[New Technique Developed]**
**[Primordial Strike: Threaded Convergence]**
**[Stability: Moderate]**
**[Potential: High]**
---
Jiang Chen lowered his hand slowly.
For the first time since awakening the Origin Thread—
He felt in control.
Not fully.
But enough.
"…Now," he said quietly,
"…I can fight properly."
---
Far away, in the darkness, the observing figure spoke once more.
"…He's evolving faster than predicted."
A second voice responded coldly.
"…Then we don't send hunters anymore."
A pause.
"…Send a breaker."
---
Back in the courtyard, Jiang Chen stood in silence.
Unaware that the next enemy—
Would not be an assassin.
But something far worse.