The next morning, after breakfast, Li Yan walked toward the Shadows Knowledge Pavilion (Yǐng Zhī Gé). The moment he stepped inside, a tranquil stillness settled around him.
A soft hush blanketed the vast hall—broken only by the flutter of turning pages or the faint hum of floating orbs of warm light that drifted lazily above. Endless corridors stretched into shadow, flanked by towering shelves etched with preservation runes.
Disciples were already present despite the early hour, drifting like silent phantoms between the aisles. Their robes—yellow, azure, brown, purple, and black—moved in gentle ripples as they skimmed jade slips or sat cross-legged in alcoves, absorbed by the weight of centuries-old knowledge.
Each step Li Yan took felt as though the Pavilion itself observed him.
He made his way to the Beasts Section, intent on expanding his understanding of magical beasts and their cores—especially the rare or unusual.
The shelves rose high above him, packed with jade slips, bamboo scrolls, and thick tomes bound in exotic beast leather. Golden engravings marked topics such as Core Evolution Patterns, Predatory Traits of Higher-Tier Beasts, Elemental Affinities, and Rare Bloodlines.
Li Yan's fingers moved with practiced precision. He selected materials aligned with beasts he had never encountered—those lurking in unexplored corners of the valley or beyond.
Hours slipped by unnoticed.
With the discipline of his past life's business acumen and the acuity of his Spiritual Sense, Li Yan absorbed information at a pace few could match.
He memorized the hunting cycles of Thunderclaw Manticores, the core color transitions of Inferno Ridge Basilisks, and the fracture points in Earthbound Rhinogars' skull plating. He traced Qi patterns unique to dual-element beasts and noted territorial signs used by rare Beast Kings.
There were a lot of names of the Magical Beast mentioned in these books, which he hadn't yet seen, even in the deeper area of the Tier-1 Hunting Ground.
Every detail slipped neatly into the mental library he had been building—a repository of threat, opportunity, and potential harvest.
When he finally closed the last book, he exhaled slowly.
There was still one more thing he needed.
His thoughts drifted back to yesterday's talk with Cao Lian. Her insights into alchemy had cracked open a door he hadn't realized existed. What began as a practical interest now tugged at him with genuine curiosity.
With a sweep of his Spiritual Sense, he filtered through thousands of nearby titles in seconds as he walked between shelves. His perception halted at a cluster of alchemical texts—historical treatises, flame-control manuals, cauldron techniques.
He stepped into a quieter wing and selected a few sealed volumes. Titles glowed faintly: History of Alchemy, Importance of Alchemy, The Essence of Alchemy.
Settling onto a table, he activated his spiritual power and began reading. Page after page etched itself into his mind.
The deeper he read, the more his understanding sharpened.
Alchemy was not a minor auxiliary skill—it was the backbone of survival. The scarcity of high-tier pills wasn't an inconvenience; it was a silent calamity. Countless cultivators throughout history had died not to blades, but to untreated injuries, poison backlash, and stagnated breakthroughs.
"If this world had easier access to high-tier pills," Li Yan thought, "the mortality rate among geniuses would drop many times."
He could almost see the mountains of wasted talent across the continent—potential strangled by lack of resources.
After finishing several manuals, he returned them with care and sat in silence, expression cooled into calculation.
Then, he summoned the Intermediate-Level Herbalism Book he had purchased from Alchemy Hall. He resumed scanning with his Spiritual Sense. Images unfolded within his mind—dragon-curled roots, flame-shaped leaves, petals with elemental resonance.
He absorbed everything: elemental classifications, toxicity levels, compatibility charts, refining pathways, and the natural habitats of rarer herbs scattered across the empire.
A plan began to crystallize.
Connections aligned. Possibilities converged.
He didn't intend to become just an alchemist.
He intended to reshape the very landscape of alchemy.
By the time he stepped out of the Pavilion, night had already draped the sect in silver. Moonlight brushed stone paths and blooming courtyards. A cool breeze tugged at his robes, but he barely noticed—his mind churned with strategy.
Beast knowledge. Rare herbs. Alchemical bottlenecks. Paths to exploit them all.
But even a monster required rest.
Back in his room, he ate a simple meal and lay down. Insights continued to flicker through his thoughts, weaving into half-formed plans—until finally, sleep claimed him.
____
The morning sun crept over the distant peaks, casting thin gold streaks across the floating island that housed the Shadow's Haven Sect.
The disciples slowly emerged from their rooms, beginning their day with cultivation drills, chores, or quiet meditation.
Li Yan, however, was already moving.
Clad in a simple white sect robe, his long purple hair tied neatly with a golden clasp, he walked with quiet purpose through the awakening sect. His steps were light—almost soundless—yet each one carried an unwavering sense of direction.
After a quick breakfast at one of the sect stalls, a bowl of steamed rice and roasted beast meat, he wiped his hands clean and continued toward the sect's exit. The morning breeze tugged at his sleeves as his gaze sharpened.
"The Fire Mine's Fire Qi…" he muttered, "it'll be perfect for body tempering."
His goal for the day was set: begin training the body-refinement technique he had purchased from the Techniques Hall.
"There's not much time left," he murmured, expression steady. "If I want to win, I can't waste a breath."
With only sixteen days left until the competition, every hour mattered.
He soon reached the outer grounds, where a long row of teleportation portals stood like silent monuments. Spatial energy pulsed faintly around each one, and morning mist curled around their stone bases and frames, lending the area an ethereal stillness.
Li Yan's eyes swept across them until he found the one he needed.
The portal at the far end glowed behind a shimmering crimson barrier.
The tag above it read: Fire Mine — [Restricted Zone]
Unlike the others, which fluctuated gently with spatial ripples, this portal thrummed with dormant intensity. The protective Qi dome enclosing it pulsed like the slow breath of a slumbering beast.
Li Yan approached without hesitation. From his storage ring, he retrieved the crimson jade token given by Ji Hong. He placed it into the slot of the small stone pillar beside the portal.
The token hummed. Heat rippled outward as runes lit up in sequence along the barrier's edge.
With a soft—
Shhhhhhmm!
The barrier dissolved into drifting embers.
Li Yan stored the token and stepped forward.
A muted flash swallowed his figure—spatial force twisted—and then—
WHOOSH!
A few disciples passed nearby but paid no attention. None noticed him entering the restricted zone.
The world reformed in an instant.
Li Yan stood inside the Fire Mine, his boots crunching against the blackened stone floor. Heat slammed into him immediately—dense, dry, suffocating. The air pressed against his skin like molten chains.
Jagged cavern walls glowed faintly. Veins of fiery red ore ran through them like molten rivers frozen mid-flow, pulsing as if alive. Wisps of steam rose from fissures in the ground, and the scent of sulfur and scorched minerals clung to the air.
Li Yan inhaled deeply, letting the Fire Qi surge through him.
"…Even at the entrance, the Fire Qi is richer than I expected." A faint smile touched his lips.
The ground around him was littered with remnants of a bygone time—cracked mining tools, broken Qi lanterns, rusted chains once used to haul Fire Qi Stones. Dust and ash coated the walls like lingering ghosts of old labor.
He crouched, lifted a damaged lantern, and channeled a thin stream of Qi into it. A spark flickered to life, then steadied into a warm orange glow.
Holding the lantern aloft, he walked deeper.
Any other White-Rank disciple who stepped into this mine would last minutes at most. The sheer density of Fire Qi would blister their skin, scatter their Qi, and scorch their meridians from within because of their Darkness affinity.
But Li Yan moved without strain.
His innate Fire affinity pulsed with quiet exhilaration, resonating with the mine's aura. And beyond that, his Fire immunity rendered the oppressive heat little more than a warm breeze.
Still, he did not grow careless.
He extended his Spiritual Sense, scanning a thirty-meter radius. His perception pierced through the haze, marking each shift in spiritual pressure and every crack along the cavern walls.
Li Yan moved like a hunter slipping through enemy territory—silent, alert, every sense sharpened.
After several hundred meters of weaving through twisting tunnels, the cramped passage finally opened into a vast mining area. Heat rippled through the air in visible waves. Swirling currents of pure, raw Fire Qi drifted like smoke, layering the cavern in red-gold haze.
Massive Fire Qi Stones jutted from the walls like jagged fangs, their radiance pulsing in steady breaths. The Qi was so dense it hummed in his ears and vibrated under his feet.
Li Yan's eyes widened—then lips curved into a slow smirk.
"Jackpot…"
He stepped forward, turning in a slow circle to take in every angle. The Fire Qi here was at least ten times denser than what he'd encountered at the entrance, and the number of Fire Qi Stones was impossible to estimate at a glance.
"If I cultivate here… Cultivation Resources won't be a problem for a long time."
But just as quickly, the thought darkened. His brows drew together. "…No. That's not right."
He stood still. Closed his eyes. Inhaled once, deeply. "I didn't survive everything just to get lazy with shortcuts."
When he opened his eyes again, they were sharp, focused. "It's decided. I won't rely on this place completely. Growth that comes too easily builds a fragile foundation."
His gaze rose to the swirling Fire Qi overhead, then to the radiant stones embedded in the cavern walls.
"I came here to temper my body—not to rush cultivation." His tone was calm, but the conviction in it was ironclad.
"However, my path demands more Qi than others. With dual affinities—and more to come—the burden on my cultivation will only grow. This place can offset that… but only if used correctly."
"So, I'll use this place to advance one or two stages when my foundation is stabilized—not to leap recklessly—so long as I continue tempering myself through battle." Li Yan's expression grew thoughtful.
Then, he shifted his attention toward a stone outcrop at the center of the cavern. A natural platform. A perfect spot to begin.
Li Yan exhaled slowly. The air was dense, almost tangible. It sank into his skin, pressed against his meridians, churned in his bones.
"My cultivation is already stabilized thanks to Senior Yao Fuhuo's advice and two weeks of hard hunting. So… one more stage."
He stepped onto the stone platform. "After that, the Steel Body Tempering begins."
Li Yan sat cross-legged, spine straight, shoulders loose, expression serene. Fire Qi drifted toward him in lazy spirals, drawn as if by instinct.
He closed his eyes. The world fell silent.
A pulse of intent unfurled from him, sweeping across rock and flame. His Spiritual Sense brushed through the chamber—steady, noiseless.
No beasts. No lurking threats. Only the ancient quiet of a forgotten mine.
Once satisfied, he formed a series of precise hand seals. Fire Qi stirred in response, gathering around him in a soft vortex. The heated air wrapped him in a cocoon of warmth.
He opened the pores across his skin and began to absorb the Fire Qi. It surged inward like liquid flame, racing through his meridians with a familiar sear.
His chest rose and fell in a steady rhythm as he guided the flow, threading it toward his lower dantian.
Suspended in the vast inner space was his Qi Core—an orb of orange and black, rotating with calm power.
Minutes passed.
The Fire Qi surged violently within his meridians, pressing against the limits of his core.
For a moment, the balance wavered—then stabilized.
A sudden surge burst from his body, a shockwave of heat rippling outward—
Li Yan broke through to the Qi Gathering Realm (Stage-8).