The Li Clan estate stood at the foot of Mount Qingyun, its gray rooftops rising in layers along the mountain slope like the scales of a resting dragon.
Morning light spilled gently across the eastern courtyard, illuminating rows of young disciples practicing breathing techniques beneath the watchful eyes of clan elders.
At the center platform stood Li Tianyang, the acknowledged heir of the younger generation.
He was seventeen years old, tall and composed, with steady black eyes and a calm expression that rarely betrayed emotion.
He wore dark training robes tied neatly at the waist, his long hair secured with a simple cord rather than ornamental pins, a quiet reflection of his practical nature.
"Begin circulation," Elder Zhou commanded from the platform.
Li Tianyang inhaled slowly and drew spiritual energy into his meridians, guiding it carefully toward his dantian with controlled precision.
The Qi responded immediately, flowing smoothly through the Twelve Meridian Cycle without turbulence.
A faint warmth gathered within his lower abdomen as the energy stabilized at the peak of the Qi Gathering Stage.
Several elders exchanged subtle glances.
"His foundation is firm," one murmured.
"If he maintains this stability, he may attempt Foundation Establishment before the sect selection," another replied quietly.
Li Tianyang completed the cycle and exhaled without display, lowering his hands in a measured motion as though the achievement were ordinary.
To him, cultivation was not spectacle but discipline.
As he stepped down from the platform, a gentle voice called his name.
"You began before sunrise again."
He turned to see Su Meiling approaching across the courtyard.
She wore pale green robes embroidered with silver thread, her posture graceful and confident, her long hair secured with a jade ornament shaped like a leaf.
Her cultivation stood at the Seventh Layer of Qi Gathering, and her movements reflected careful refinement rather than raw aggression.
"It is easier to steady the mind when the estate is quiet," Li Tianyang replied.
Su Meiling offered a faint smile as she stood beside him beneath the shade of a blossoming plum tree.
"The Azure Cloud Sect inspector arrives in four days," she said. "You should not exhaust yourself."
"I am not exhausted," he answered calmly.
She studied him for a moment, her gaze lingering on the steadiness of his breathing.
"You truly believe you will pass the selection?" she asked.
"I believe I have prepared sufficiently," he replied.
She nodded, though a trace of tension remained in her expression.
Entering Azure Cloud Sect meant leaving the limitations of a small clan and stepping into the wider cultivation world, a dream both of them had shared since childhood.
From the edge of the courtyard, another figure watched them.
Li Junhao stood with arms folded, his red-trimmed robes marking his senior rank among the younger disciples.
His cultivation had recently reached the Eighth Layer, placing him just behind Tianyang in both strength and reputation.
He approached with controlled steps.
"Cousin," Junhao greeted evenly.
"Junhao," Tianyang replied with equal calm.
"I hear Elder Zhou believes you may attempt Foundation Establishment before the inspector arrives," Junhao said, his tone casual but probing.
Tianyang regarded him steadily. "Elder Zhou is optimistic."
Junhao's lips curved faintly. "Optimism can be dangerous."
The wind stirred the plum blossoms between them, and for a brief moment the air felt subtly strained.
Cultivation required resources, and resources followed talent, and talent determined status.
In a clan of limited means, only one heir could stand at the forefront.
"I have no intention of recklessness," Tianyang said simply.
Junhao nodded, though his gaze lingered a heartbeat longer than necessary before he turned away.
As he left, Su Meiling watched him with faint concern.
"He was not always so sharp," she murmured.
"Competition changes people," Tianyang replied.
That afternoon, Tianyang entered the meditation chamber carved into the mountain behind the estate.
The chamber had been constructed around a minor spiritual vein, allowing disciples to cultivate more efficiently under controlled conditions.
He seated himself on the central stone platform and began circulating Qi with steady rhythm.
At first, the flow was smooth.
Then he felt it.
A faint tremor beneath the platform.
The spiritual vein pulsed irregularly for a brief instant before settling again.
He opened his eyes and placed his palm against the stone floor.
The formation lines carved along the chamber walls appeared intact.
Perhaps it was natural fluctuation, he reasoned.
He ended his session early and exited into the cool mountain air.
At the path's midpoint, he encountered his father, Clan Patriarch Li Zheng.
"Your aura wavered," Li Zheng observed.
"Only briefly," Tianyang replied.
His father studied him carefully before speaking again.
"Strength draws attention, and attention invites envy."
Tianyang inclined his head in acknowledgment.
That night, beyond the estate walls, Li Junhao stood beneath the shadow of pine trees speaking to a cloaked figure whose face remained hidden.
"The stabilizing formation beneath the meditation chamber can be altered subtly," the cloaked figure said in a low voice.
"It must not be traced," Junhao replied.
"It will resemble natural vein fluctuation," the figure assured him.
Junhao remained silent for several breaths before finally nodding.
Back beneath the plum tree, Li Tianyang stood alone, gazing at the stars above Mount Qingyun.
He placed his hand lightly over his lower abdomen, sensing the steady warmth of his dantian.
Everything felt normal.
And yet, somewhere deep beneath the mountain stone, the spiritual vein pulsed once more, slightly out of rhythm.
Li Tianyang did not know it then, but the quiet stability of his world had already begun to fracture.