Three months.
Ninety days of grueling training beneath the iron gaze of Cael Dren. Of broken bones and sweat-drenched mornings. Of learning to wield power with precision and balance pain with control.
And still… Derick remained stuck.
Peak of Body Forging Realm.
The wall between his current self and the next stage—Qi Awakening Realm—remained solid, immovable, cold. It wasn't due to a lack of effort. Cael Dren pushed him harder than anyone else in the clan. And Derick himself trained into the dead of night, sparring with shadows and meditating until dawn.
But something was missing.
Some spark… some flame that would ignite the next stage.
Derick stared at the crystalline pond beside the training courtyard, watching a ripple spread across the still surface. His fists clenched around a training stone until it cracked.
"I'm doing everything right," he growled.
Behind him, his fox companion—still unnamed, still silent—tilted its head. Its eyes had grown sharper over the weeks, more aware, more… understanding.
Cael had warned him that every cultivator hits a wall.
But this wall felt different. It didn't just block his progress. It mocked him.
"I need more than forms and breathing cycles," Derick whispered. "I need the real thing. Blood. Danger. A battle that means something."
The next morning, before Cael could even question him, Derick packed his travel gear, left a note, and slipped beyond the Skysunder Clan's outer gates. The fox followed without hesitation.
He traveled deep into the forests east of Grelmire—lands where even the weaker demon cultivators rarely hunted. The trees were denser. The spiritual energy—while faint—was more raw and unpredictable.
Here, beasts roamed free. Some bound to Qi. Others to sheer, violent instinct.
This was where life was reduced to two outcomes: Kill or Die.
Exactly what Derick needed.
The first beast he encountered was a Steelhide Ape, a two-meter-tall creature with silver fur and qi-hardened skin. It roared when it spotted him, slamming its fists against the earth with thunderous force.
Derick didn't hesitate.
He darted in low, sliding under its fist, slashing with a spirit-infused blade Cael had gifted him. Sparks flew as steel met steelhide.
The fight was long and brutal.
He took blows that bruised his ribs, dodged swipes that could have crushed boulders, and finally brought the ape down with a piercing strike to its throat.
Its spirit crystal pulsed red in his hand. Derick breathed in its energy, letting it course into his dantian. Still… no breakthrough.
He moved on.
He faced a Rocktail Boar next. Then a Venom-Scaled Lynx.
Each beast tested a different part of him—strength, speed, reflex, endurance. He fought with everything he had. His body bruised and bloodied. His muscles screamed for rest.
And still… no breakthrough.
"Damn it," he spat, leaning against a tree. "What more do I need?"
Behind him, the fox gave a sharp yip and padded forward, ears flattened. It sniffed the air, then growled.
Derick stood.
Something was coming.
The Turning Point
It appeared with silence.
A Shadowfang Panther—sleek, black as night, eyes glowing violet with Qi. A predator of the Qi Awakening Realm. Unlike the other beasts, this one didn't roar or charge. It simply… stalked.
Derick's breath slowed.
"This is it," he muttered. "My moment."
The fight exploded without warning.
Claws slashed through the air—Derick barely dodged. The panther's movements blurred. It weaved through trees like liquid shadow. Derick rolled, twisted, blocked. His blade met its claw. Sparks flew.
Then pain.
Its tail lashed out, whipping him across the chest. He flew backward, crashing through underbrush, coughing blood.
The fox jumped in to help—but was swatted aside with a single paw.
"No!" Derick roared, leaping back into the fray.
It wasn't just about him anymore.
He fought with desperation, every muscle burning, his vision narrowing. His movements grew frantic—then instinctual—then fluid.
He was no longer thinking.
He was the blade.
And in one final movement, he baited the beast, twisted around its lunge, and drove his dagger deep beneath its jaw—into its Qi core.
The beast let out a low growl and slumped, lifeless.
Derick collapsed to his knees beside the corpse.
The panther's spirit crystal glowed in his palm, vibrating. It hummed in resonance with something inside him.
Then it happened.
The crystal's energy surged into his dantian. A pressure built in his chest. His meridians felt like they were tearing open—expanding. His body shook.
Then—
BOOM.
The energy rushed outward, flooding his limbs with pure Qi.
His veins shimmered faintly beneath his skin. His senses sharpened. The trees, the wind, even the soil—he could feel them.
His aura flared—flickering crimson with a tinge of black.
Low level, Qi Awakening Realm.
Derick opened his eyes, stunned.
"I… broke through…"
Behind him, the fox twitched, whimpering. Its body pulsed with light. A strange energy swirled around it—spiraling inward.
Derick crawled to its side, worried.
Then the light exploded outward in a soft crimson glow.
The fox rose, larger now, fur richer, eyes glowing bright red.
"Are you—"
A strange voice echoed faintly in his mind.
"Der… Der… ick…"
He froze.
"Did you just…?"
"I… see… you…"
The voice was fragmented, barely a whisper. A mental transmission—its first.
Derick laughed breathlessly. "You can talk? Kinda?"
The fox tilted its head, as if amused.
"I should name you now," Derick whispered, resting a hand on its warm fur. "You're fire, you're spirit, and you're with me through it all…"
He paused.
"…Vixen."
The fox blinked slowly. Then gave a short, satisfied yip.
They returned to the Skysunder Clan after nearly four months away.
Derick had changed.
So had Vixen.
As they entered the outer gates, even the guards sensed it. Their gazes lingered a little longer. A few demon cultivators turned to stare as Derick passed.
His presence was no longer one of quiet obedience.
Now, he radiated intent.
Cael Dren waited at the courtyard, arms crossed.
"You're back," he said simply.
"I broke through," Derick answered.
Cael's brow lifted slightly. "Qi Awakening?"
"Low level. After a battle that nearly killed me."
Cael studied him for a long moment, then nodded.
"Good. You'll need every ounce of strength in the next five months."
Derick blinked. "Only five left?"
Cael nodded.
"The tournament is no longer a distant goal, Derick. It's the battlefield where you'll declare your existence to the entire clan. And beyond."
Derick looked down at Vixen, who sat proudly at his side, tails flicking.
They had stepped into the world of cultivation together.
Now, they would rise together.
No matter what stood in their way.