The doors of the Serpent's Nest Pavilion closed with a heavy resonance, sealing me inside the luxurious silence of my new quarters. I didn't head for the plush bed or the bathing pool filled with scented oils. Instead, I moved towards the back of the pavilion, where a massive circular chamber served as a private training hall.
The walls were lined with racks of weapons—cold, gleaming steel that felt more like home to my soul than any silk robe ever could. There were heavy broadswords, elegant rapiers, polearms that reached the ceiling, and a bunch of throwing daggers.
I ran my hand along the edge of a spear, the familiar coldness of the metal grounding my racing thoughts. My encounter with Yin Xue had left a bitter taste in my mouth—not because of her words, but because of my own weakness.
In my past life, I was a man who stood amidst the carnage of battlefields, a commander of thousands. To be forced to my knees by a mere release of spiritual pressure... it was a humiliation that burned deeper than any poison.
I sat in the center of the hall, the weapons surrounding me like silent sentinels. The high-density Qi mist began to swirl around me once more, drawn in by the gluttonous pull of the Chaos Meridian.
{Ding!}
The blue window flickered into my vision, its mechanical glow contrasting with the dim, starlight-infused hall.
{Mission: The First Ascent}
* Objective: Reach the Qi Condensation Realm before the Major Awakening Ceremony.
* Time Remaining: 71 hours, 54 minutes.
* Reward: 50 System Points, Unlock: System Shop, 1x Random Mid-Earth Rank Martial Art.
* Failure Penalty: Permanent 20% reduction in Meridian Efficiency.
I stared at the text, my heart sinking into my gut. "Qi Condensation? In three days?"
I let out a dry, hollow laugh that echoed off the weapon racks. The system was insane. I was currently at the peak of the 6th stage of Body Tempering.
To reach Qi Condensation, I didn't just need to refine my muscles and tendons; I had to temper my bones (Stages 7 and 8) and my internal organs (Stage 9), then somehow amass enough pure energy to break the barrier between the physical and the spiritual, forming a Qi vortex in my Dantian.
Even for a genius with a Supreme-grade vein, that process usually took months, if not years. The Body Tempering realm was about preparing the vessel. If you tried to pour the ocean into a cracked clay pot, the pot wouldn't hold the water—it would shatter.
"Is this your idea of a joke?" I whispered to the empty air. "Even with the Star-King Breathing Technique, I'm a mortal. My body can only take so much strain. If I try to force a breakthrough of three major stages and a realm jump in seventy-two hours, I'll implode."
I felt a wave of absolute uncertainty. In the military, I never gave an order I knew was impossible. I never led my men into a canyon with no exit. But the System wasn't a general; it was a cold, demanding architect of power. It didn't care about the 'possibility'—it only cared about the result.
I closed my eyes, trying to sense the state of my body. My muscles were firm, and the starlight Qi was flowing smoothly, but my bones still felt like ordinary calcium, and my organs were still fragile. To bridge this gap, I needed more than just ambient Qi. I needed a catalyst. I needed resources.
The Yin Family had given me this pavilion, but they hadn't given me a single Spirit Stone or a drop of medicinal liquid. They were waiting for the test. They wouldn't invest a single copper until they knew for certain what I was.
'I can't wait for them,' I thought, my jaw tightening. 'And I can't do this alone.'
I thought back to the courtyard. Yin Xue had suppressed me, yes, but she was also the only one who had spoken the truth about the stone. She had recognized my value before the Matriarch had. She was the "Ice Queen," a woman who lived for cultivation. If anyone in this den of snakes had a surplus of high-grade resources, it was her.
It was a gamble. A massive, humiliating gamble. To go to the person who just forced me to the ground and ask for help? My pride as a warrior screamed against it. But my pragmatism—the part of me that survived a war that ended the world—kicked my pride aside.
"Power is the only currency that matters," I muttered, standing up. "And right now, I'm broke."
I threw a dark cloak over my shoulders to hide the silver hair that acted as a beacon and slipped out of the Serpent's Nest. The estate was vast, a labyrinth of jade and shadow, but I used the memories of the original Yin Shen to navigate the hidden paths toward the Glacial Moon Residence, the private domain of the Third Young Miss.
As I approached, the temperature began to drop. The lush greenery of the Inner Estate gave way to silver-leafed trees that thrived in the cold. A thin layer of frost covered the path, crunching under my boots.
The Glacial Moon Residence was a fortress of white stone, perched on a small hill overlooking a frozen lake. It looked as unapproachable as its mistress.
I reached the main gate—a massive structure of reinforced ironwood and silver. Two guards stood there, clad in heavy fur-lined armor. These weren't the standard estate guards; they were Yin Xue's personal retainers, men who had likely seen blood.
As I stepped into the light of the spirit lamps, both guards crossed their spears, the iron tips clashing with a sharp, discordant ring.
"Halt," one of them barked. He was a tall man with a jagged scar across his nose. His gaze scanned me up and down, his eyes stopping at my face. Recognition dawned on him, and a slow, mocking smirk spread across his lips.
"Well, well. If it isn't the 'Trash' Young Master," he sneered. "I heard you caused a bit of a scene at the plaza yesterday. Broke a stone, did you? Must have used some expensive fireworks."
The second guard chuckled, a deep, raspy sound. "What are you doing here, Yin Shen? The Desolate Courtyard is in the other direction. Did you get lost looking for the trash heaps?"
I kept my face a mask of calm, though my fingers twitched toward the daggers I had hidden beneath my cloak.
"I am here to see my sister. Stand aside."
The first guard laughed, a loud, booming sound that echoed in the cold night air. He leaned forward, the tip of his spear inches from my throat.
"Your sister? The Third Young Miss is currently in deep meditation, preparing for the Ancestral Vault. She doesn't have time to entertain the delusions of a cripple who thinks a clean robe makes him a master."
"I have a message for her," I said, my voice dropping an octave.
"Give it to us, then," the scarred guard replied, stepping closer.
He used the shaft of his spear to poke at my chest, a demeaning gesture meant to provoke. "Or better yet, crawl back to your little nest. Just because the Matriarch moved you to a better cage doesn't mean you've grown wings, birdy. You're still the same disappointment you were nineteen years ago."
He leaned in, his breath smelling of sour wine and tobacco. "You think having a 'Supreme' vein matters if you're still a 6th-stage weakling? My grandmother has more Qi in her big toe than you have in your entire body. Now, get lost before we decide to give you a 'discipline' session of our own. I doubt the Third Miss would mind if we broke a few of your ribs for disturbing her peace."
I looked at the spear tip, then at the guard's arrogant, mocking eyes. My golden eyes narrowed, the Eye of Insight [Level 2] automatically activating.
[Target: Shun Lang]
* Cultivation: Qi Condensation (1st Stage)
* Status: Overconfident, Mocking.
* Weakness: Heavily weighted on the right leg; a gap in the armor at the throat.
I could kill him. With Flash Step [Perfection] and a well-placed strike, I could end his life before his partner could blink. But that would be political suicide. I'm not here to start a war with Yin Xue; I'm here to secure my future.
But I also knew that in this world, if you let a dog bark at you without kicking it, the whole pack will eventually come to bite.
"I'll say it one last time," I whispered, the starlight Qi beginning to hum in my veins. "Move. Or I will move you."
The guards exchanged a look of pure, disbelieving amusement. To them, I was a mouse squeaking at lions.
"Oh? The trash wants to play hero?" The scarred guard gripped his spear tighter. "Alright, boy. Let's see if that Supreme blood of yours is as red as everyone else's."
He pulled his spear back, the iron tip glowing with a faint, muddy-brown Qi, preparing to strike.
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