Night wrapped around the Twilight Ember Sect like a heavy blanket.
The moon hung high, pale and cold, watching everything from above.Wind brushed gently through the trees, carrying faint whispers of leaves.
Inside his room, Li Xuan sat cross-legged.
The candle burned low.
His breathing slowed.
His mind steadied.
The Qi of the world became clearer—thin streams floating in the air, drifting like invisible mist.
He felt them.
He guided them.
Each strand of Qi entered his dantian slowly… carefully… like water filling an empty bowl.
The Grand Immortal's voice guided him calmly:
—Do not grab the Qi. Invite it.—Do not swallow it. Let it rest.—Do not rush. Slow steps last longer.
Li Xuan inhaled softly.
The warm Qi inside him swirled gently, forming a thin ring inside his newly opened dantian.
It wasn't strong.It wasn't fast.
But it was real.
Qi Refining Stage 1 — the true beginning.
His entire body reacted to it.Warmth spread through his fingers.His chest loosened.His blood flowed smoother.The bruises on his ribs throbbed, then slowly eased.
He exhaled.
"…amazing."
For ten years he lived like trash.
Tonight, he felt alive.
He continued drawing small threads of Qi. Not too much, not too aggressively—just enough to strengthen the thin ring inside him.
But then—
A faint sound outside.
Li Xuan's eyes snapped open.
Someone stepped in the hallway.
Very slowly.
Very quietly.
Trying not to be heard.
Li Xuan extinguished the candle with a soft breath.
Darkness filled the room.
He waited.
Footsteps stopped right outside his door.
Li Xuan didn't breathe.
The Grand Immortal whispered:
—Someone is sensing for Qi. They are testing the rooms one by one.
Li Xuan's heart tightened.
They were checking for cultivation at night — a serious violation for outer disciples.
Elder Qiu's method.
A way to catch "suspicious" people.
The footsteps moved slightly.
A shadow paused near the bottom of the door.Someone crouched.
Listening.
Searching.
Li Xuan suppressed his Qi instantly, pulling every strand inward.
His dantian dimmed.His breathing slowed.His pulse softened.
He became still.Empty.Ordinary.
—Good, the Immortal said. Do not reveal even a spark.
The shadow outside leaned closer.
Li Xuan could hear the person breathe.
One second.Two.Three.
Then—
The person moved on.
The footsteps faded slowly down the hallway.
Li Xuan's body relaxed, but only a little.
He whispered internally, "…Who was that?"
The Immortal's answer came cold and certain:
—Not a disciple. That was an elder's guard. One with weak cultivation but trained senses.—Elder Qiu is hunting again.
Li Xuan's jaw tightened.
He almost got caught.
Again.
He waited several minutes before lighting the candle again.
Its warm glow returned to the room, soft and steady.
The Immortal whispered:
—Tonight is dangerous. Cultivate, but listen carefully. If someone returns, stop immediately.
Li Xuan nodded and closed his eyes.
He resumed drawing Qi, but slower than before.
His cultivation became a dance between fear and focus.
Minutes passed.Then an hour.Then two.
The ring of Qi inside his dantian thickened slightly.Still small.Still fragile.
But enough for progress.
Enough for survival.
When he finally stopped, sweat covered his back, and his breathing was slow but steady.
The Grand Immortal spoke:
—You advanced a little, but all progress matters. For now… rest. Tomorrow will be harder.
Li Xuan lay on the floor, too tired to move.
He closed his eyes.
He drifted into sleep—
And dreamed.
A burning sky.A shattered immortal palace.A figure kneeling in blood.Seven spears piercing his chest.A familiar voice screaming:
"Traitors! I will burn your souls for eternity—!"
Li Xuan jolted awake, breath shaking.
His heart pounded violently.
The Immortal's tone was colder than ever before.
—You saw the moment of my death.—And soon… the ones who killed me will search this world too.
Li Xuan's blood froze.
"…They'll come here?"
—Not yet, the Immortal said. But they will feel my existence eventually. And when they do… your life will change again.
Li Xuan sat up slowly.
His breath steadied.
More enemies… beyond mortals.
Beyond this sect.
Beyond this world.
But for now—
He had to survive tomorrow.Then the next day.Then the next.
Only step by step.
He stood and looked out the window.
The moon still hung high.Cold.Silent.Watching.
Just like every enemy he had yet to meet.