The Black Dragon dormitory had transformed beyond recognition. Once a decrepit building at the outskirts of Azure City's Mission Hall, it now thrummed with the chaos of life—messy, loud, and somehow gloriously alive. Where silence had once gathered, now laughter, footsteps, and the occasional clang of weapons filled the air. Even the walls seemed to hum in response, as if awakened to the energy of the faction it housed.
Bao Fu burst through the door, dragging a sack that jingled and clinked with every step. "Behold, the treasures of Bao Fu! Lo, the heavens themselves have blessed me today!" He dumped the contents onto the table: fangs from spirit beasts, chunks of glowing ore, herbs shimmering with qi, and a few curious artifacts of unknown purpose.
Chen Yuan frowned, arms crossed as he surveyed the pile. "Half of that is garbage," he said flatly. "I told you to leave the glowing moss behind. It's useless for cultivation, and—"
Bao Fu spun on him, wide-eyed, indignant. "Useless? Foolish mortal! That moss could be the key to an elixir that refines one's qi like the rivers of heaven themselves! One day, when the Black Dragon Empire spans continents, you'll remember Bao Fu's Eternal Moss Elixir!"
Lu Mao, lounging against the wall with his hood shadowing his eyes, snorted. "You'll refine more stomach aches than qi if you keep this up."
Yan Mei, reclining on the window ledge with a dagger balanced on her fingers, smirked faintly. "Three inches taller, huh? Maybe it'll stretch your brain too, so you stop making excuses for your failures."
Bao Fu flailed. "You—mock me now, but one day, mark my words, my name will shake the heavens!"
Li Xian entered quietly, her presence immediately drawing focus. She gave the pile of loot only a cursory glance before turning to the mission board on the wall. Once bare, it was now cluttered with slips of parchment: recoveries, hunts, infiltration, materials stolen from rival factions, even espionage against the Iron Fang Sect.
"Three monster hunts, two treasure recoveries, one spy mission," she recited calmly, "all completed successfully. Well done."
Bao Fu puffed up proudly. "Did you hear that? Spirit Apprentice Bao Fu is now officially—"
"Enough," Chen Yuan cut him off with a flat glance. "I reached Spirit Apprentice first. Don't forget it."
Bao Fu wagged a finger. "Pfft, details, details. You get the credit for first, I get the glory for style!"
Yan Mei rolled her eyes, though the corner of her lips betrayed a faint smile. Lu Mao's golden-black veins pulsed faintly beneath his sleeves, qi flowing smoothly. He watched Yan Mei with a curiosity tempered by admiration. Her pace in cultivation matched his own, uncanny and unsettling. He had suspected she had secrets; now he was nearly certain.
"She's not ordinary," he thought, eyes narrowing slightly. "Just like me. That's good… better to have an ally who can keep up than to climb alone."
The Black Dragons' rise was not without sweat and pain. Months had passed with relentless missions, divided teams, and continuous cultivation. Some missions ended with bruised bones or burned robes, others with narrowly avoided deaths or stolen treasures slipping through their fingers. But each failure, each challenge, only strengthened their coordination.
Chen Yuan had crossed from Martial Disciple to Spirit Apprentice first, followed by Bao Fu, who nearly shattered the dormitory attempting a glimmer crystal refinement. Lu Mao and Yan Mei pressed against the bottleneck of the Spirit Apprentice stage, pushing their bodies and qi with relentless determination. Every night spent in meditation or refining with glimmer crystals made them stronger, their foundations more stable.
And through it all, Li Xian watched, waiting. She knew her moment was near. With Lu Mao's pills safely traded with Elder Hua, she had access to the ultimate tool to break through the Spirit Master bottleneck. The knowledge of those pills had been hers for weeks; now, the time had come to act.
One quiet night, when the rest of the team slept, Lu Mao gestured for Li Xian to follow him. The two of them climbed to the roof, far above the noise of the city. Lanterns below flickered like fireflies, and the wind carried the crisp chill of high-altitude air.
"You know why I brought you here," Lu Mao said, voice low, calm. "You've had the pill for some time. The time to use it… is now."
Li Xian nodded, her hand brushing the small jade bottle. "I've trained for this. I've endured everything to reach the edge of Spirit Master. This is it."
Lu Mao's eyes, sharp beneath the shadow of his hood, studied her carefully. "Remember, the pill smooths the qi, but the tribulation itself will test every part of you. Your body, your foundation, your will. One mistake… and even Spirit Masters can die."
"I know," she replied, her tone quiet but resolute. "I've waited long enough. It ends tonight."
He handed her the pill. "Then take it."
Li Xian uncapped the bottle, the pill glowing faintly, its golden-blue aura calm yet commanding. She swallowed it, feeling it dissolve immediately in her dantian, qi flowing into her veins with a gentle precision that belied its power.
Below, the team had taken position at a safe distance, their eyes hawk-like as they watched her. Bao Fu muttered under his breath, "Just… don't explode, okay?"
Chen Yuan scowled. "If she dies, it's your fault for whining."
Yan Mei, calm as ever, only nodded. Her gaze followed Li Xian's silhouette, keen and observant.
Lu Mao stood quietly beside her, ensuring her qi flowed evenly, ready to react if the energies went berserk. He thought briefly about Yan Mei again, wondering at her mysterious speed in cultivation. Perhaps one day, she would reach heights comparable to Li Xian. But for now… this moment belonged to Li Xian.
The night wind whistled around the peak, carrying away the noise of the city. Lanterns below twinkled like stars scattered across the world, but above, it was just quiet and the pulse of qi waiting to be unleashed.
Li Xian drew a deep breath. The pill had begun to harmonize with her internal energies. In a few moments, the tribulation would strike—waves of energy erupting from her dantian, the very air around her warping under the pressure.
She flexed her fingers, feeling the surge of power. "I'm ready," she whispered.
Lu Mao gave a faint nod. "We'll be watching."
And with that, the final calm before the storm settled over the mountain. The Black Dragon faction had risen from obscurity, missions completed, new recruits inspired, enemies wary. But all of that would be put to the test in the coming moments, as Li Xian stepped into a trial that would determine not just her own future, but the future of the entire faction.
The stars above shone quietly, bearing witness to what would come.
And then she moved forward, her figure cutting a path toward the peak, the pill's glow steady in her palm, qi coiling like a dragon ready to strike.
The tribulation of the Spirit Master stage had begun.