The silence that descended upon the Azure Serpent Lake after Jian Feng's humiliating departure was heavier and more profound than any that had come before. The piercing cry of the retreating crane faded, leaving only the soft lapping of water and the thudding of three hearts. Brother Kai and the two inner disciple guards stared at Li Yu, their expressions a cocktail of shock, awe, and a dawning, terrified respect.
They hadn't just witnessed a core sect disciple being repelled. They had seen a Qi Condensation Realm expert utterly flummoxed and even physically pushed back by a boy who, by all accounts, was a mere Sixth Stage Body Tempering disciple. Luck? A defensive treasure? Neither explanation seemed sufficient to cover the sheer impossibility of what they had just seen. The clumsy, stumbling dodges, the perfectly timed final block—it was a performance so flawless in its imperfection that it defied logic.
Li Yu, for his part, completed the act. The moment Jian Feng was out of sight, he let out a great, shuddering gasp and collapsed to one knee, his face pale and beaded with sweat. "That was… too close," he panted, his voice trembling convincingly. "Senior Brother Jian is too powerful. If not for the defensive talisman Master gave me…"
His words were a lifeline of plausible deniability for the onlookers. It allowed their minds to latch onto a semi-logical reason, to file the impossible event away under "miraculous treasure" and "Elder's favor." Brother Kai rushed to his side, his earlier apprehension replaced by a fierce, protective loyalty.
"Junior Steward, are you alright?" he asked, his voice filled with genuine concern.
"I am fine," Li Yu said, slowly getting to his feet, still feigning a slight tremble. "Just… drained."
"The arrogance of Elder Jin's faction is becoming unbearable," one of the guards growled, his fists clenched. "To attack a personal disciple of Elder Ning on her own territory… this is a grave insult."
Li Yu knew the incident was far from over. He had won the battle, but the political war had just begun. He had publicly humiliated a core disciple, and by extension, his powerful master. Retaliation was not a possibility; it was a certainty.
He spent the rest of the day in his pagoda, not cultivating, but contemplating. The fight was a crucial learning experience. He had tested his new techniques and confirmed their efficacy. But he had also seen a flaw in his own understanding of combat. He had relied entirely on his own body. He was a beast tamer, yet he had not even considered using his contracted companion, Crimson. The Marsh-Drake, a powerful Rank 3 Spirit Beast, had remained a passive observer.
Furthermore, Jian Feng had never integrated his own martial spirit into his combat style. What would happen when he faced an opponent who could? What if a disciple with a fire-attribute spirit could wreath their fists in spiritual flames? What if someone with a wind-attribute spirit could grant themselves supernatural speed? His arsenal was formidable, but it was one-dimensional. He needed more options. He needed to learn to fight not just as a cultivator, but as a beast tamer, in perfect synergy with his companion.
His reverie was interrupted by the arrival of Sister Feng. Her expression was, for the first time, not entirely neutral. There was a flicker of something sharp and assessing in her eyes.
"Master summons you," was all she said.
The journey to the nine-story pagoda on the peak was a silent, tense affair. He was brought once again to the fifth-floor study. Elder Ning was seated, her fingers tapping rhythmically on her desk, her gaze fixed on the setting sun.
"You have had a busy day," she said, without turning to look at him.
"This disciple was merely fulfilling his duties," Li Yu replied, kneeling on the floor.
"Your duty is to manage the beasts, not to publicly humiliate the personal disciple of another elder," she stated, her voice flat. "Jian Feng has gone crying to his master. Elder Jin has already sent a formal complaint to the sect master, accusing me of sheltering a disciple who 'maliciously assaulted' his own. The entire inner sect is buzzing with this news."
Li Yu's heart remained calm. "Senior Brother Jian was insistent on violating Master's direct orders. This disciple had no choice but to refuse him. He attacked first."
"He is in the Qi Condensation Realm. You are, officially, at the Sixth Stage of Body Tempering," she said, finally turning to face him. Her gaze was like a physical weight. "He used a Qi blade and a palm technique. You are unharmed. Explain this to me. And do not insult my intelligence with tales of a 'lucky defensive talisman.' I never gave you such a thing."
The direct, piercing question was a sword to his throat. He needed a better lie.
"Master is wise," Li Yu said, bowing his head lower. "There was no talisman. This disciple's spirit is strange. From the moment I began cultivating with the «Azure Water Scripture», I found my body became unusually dense, far more than my realm would suggest. It seems to have an innate toughness. When Senior Brother Jian's attack struck, my body was able to withstand it. I believe it is a natural quality of my physique, awakened by my spirit."
"And his palm strike?" she pressed. "He claims your Qi was impossibly heavy."
"This disciple does not know," Li Yu said, feigning confusion. "I only used the «Azure Water Scripture» as Master taught me. I pushed with all my might. Perhaps the scripture resonates with my spirit in a unique way, giving my Qi a 'heavy' quality even at a low stage?"
He was a master of misdirection, offering plausible theories that painted him as a talented but ignorant vessel of strange, innate powers.
Elder Ning was silent for a full minute. She knew he was a sea of secrets, but his explanation was consistent. His power was innate. For a Sixth Stage Body Tempering disciple to possess such a resilient body was unheard of. It meant his potential was even greater than she had initially estimated.
"Your foundation is more profound than I imagined," she finally said, a note of satisfaction in her voice. "But your methods were clumsy. You relied on your body's toughness and a single, crude palm strike. More importantly, you fought alone. You are a beast tamer, yet your contracted companion stood idle. That is the greatest failure of all."
She waved her hand, and two items appeared on the desk: a small, azure-colored jade slip and a simple, embroidered pouch that seemed to ripple with a faint spatial energy.
"Elder Jin will not let this matter rest. He will send others. You need to be able to truly fight, not just survive."
"This," she said, pushing the jade slip forward, "is a low-grade spirit art called «Flowing Water, Still Shadow». It will teach you how to form shields of water, blades of ice, and how to use mist to conceal your form. It is a true cultivator's fighting style. Study it."
She then pushed the pouch towards him. "And this is a Beast Bag. It is a low-grade spatial treasure that can house your contracted companion. With it, your Marsh-Drake can accompany you wherever you go. A beast tamer who is separated from his beast is only half a warrior. Learn to coordinate with it. Use its strength to cover your weakness, and your intelligence to guide its power. That is the true path of our Beast Taming Hall."
Li Yu's heart pounded with genuine excitement. A spirit art to deepen his disguise, and a beast bag to carry his greatest ally. This was everything he needed.
"Thank you, Master!" he said, his voice filled with gratitude.
"Do not thank me yet," she warned, her voice turning cold. "Your victory has bought you time, but it has also placed you in the light. From now on, you are a target. Your only path is to become so strong that the arrows of your enemies shatter upon impact." Her gaze sharpened. "Your current realm is still too low. Your body's toughness will not save you from a true expert. The spiritual energy at the Azure Serpent Lake is more than sufficient. I expect you to break through to the Qi Condensation Realm with all haste. Only then will you have the right to truly call yourself my disciple."
"Yes, Master!"
He was dismissed. As he walked back to his residence under the starry sky, a fierce, unyielding resolve burned within him. His master's words were a warning, but they were also a command he was more than ready to obey.
He had been suppressing his breakthrough, content to build his foundation in the shadows. But the shadows were no longer safe. The tide of events was pushing him forward, forcing him to ascend.
That night, he did not practice his martial arts. He sat in his cultivation chamber, the azure jade slip in one hand, the new Beast Bag in the other. He looked out at the vast, dark lake, a mirror of the boundless sea of Qi within his dantian.
It was time.
He closed his eyes and sank his consciousness into his dantian. He focused on the viscous, powerful sea of Qi, the culmination of two years of relentless devouring. Following the profound, instinctual guidance of the «Myriad Rivers Returning to the Sea Art», he began the monumental task of condensation. He took that boundless sea and began to compress it, to squeeze it, to force it to undergo a qualitative change, from a liquid into a single, perfect, crystalline core. The process would be arduous and dangerous, but he was more than ready. The dragon was finally ready to leave the river and ascend to the heavens.