The return to the Li Clan was a blur.
He arrived bloodied, tattered, and silent. No one dared approach him now.
But the whispers grew louder.
"He came back again?"
"That place was supposed to be a death zone…"
"Is he really cultivating something forbidden?"
Li Fan ignored them.
Back in seclusion, he focused on the manual. The next phase had revealed itself:
> Third Cauldron – Water Cauldron: Muscle Rebirth
It required immersion in living water, not from rivers or wells, but water infused with elemental spirit — found only in deep places untouched by sun and sky.
He spent days poring over old clan scrolls, reading servant folklore, and listening to wandering peddlers.
And then he found it:
> Moonshadow Abyss — an underground lake formed from glacial melt and ancient spiritual springs. Located in a collapsed sect ruin far east of the clan border. Accessible only during new moon, when the light cannot reach it.
But while he prepared to leave, danger stirred.
Elder Li Zhen, father of Li Shen, issued a formal petition of censure to the Clan Patriarch.
> "Li Fan is cultivating a forbidden technique. One that defies the heavenly order and does not rely on Qi. This path leads to demonic deviation."
"I demand he be examined and publicly tested — or exiled."
The Patriarch, a wary old fox, did not answer immediately. But the pressure mounted.
Li Fan, meditating in solitude, felt it in the air — not just eyes watching him, but the heavens themselves beginning to take notice.
The cauldrons within him pulsed. The third ring shimmered. And far above, thunderclouds began to gather for the first time in centuries.