The aftermath of the Sky-Guard Array crisis was immediate and deafening. Jiang Yi, still weak and shivering from the depletion of his entire Fourth Stage Qi reserve, was carried down the mountain by a pair of awestruck Inner Disciples. The news of the "miraculous stabilization" by the probationary servant, Jiang Yi, spread like wildfire, rapidly eclipsing the humiliating incident involving Meng Li and the 'exploding' Jade Altar.
Elder Xuan, far from being fooled, used the moment masterfully. He officially proclaimed Jiang Yi as a True Disciple of the Outer Court, bypassing the usual tedious probation, and bestowed upon him the unique, prestigious title of Artificer of Restoration. This title was publicly explained as recognizing Jiang Yi's "singular, innate ability to harmonize chaotic Qi and identify spiritual fault lines."
This new status was the ultimate double-edged sword. On one hand, Jiang Yi now had a perfectly sanctioned cover. No one would question why he was near a broken formation or why he needed to "categorize" residual energy—it was his job. On the other hand, Elder Xuan had essentially given him a job that required him to use his unique, highly detectable power in the open, under the guise of an "official capacity." The Elder was testing the limits of Jiang Yi's secrecy and control.
Jiang Yi's first move was to restore his energy. He used his new privilege to gain access to a small, private cultivation room—a benefit of his True Disciple status. He spent a grueling day using the original Minor Flow Convergence Array on his own residual Qi and any loose energy he could find in the stone walls, slowly pulling his core back from empty exhaustion. It took nearly twenty-four hours to gather enough for the Dust Cloak Method to function again, a terrifying period during which he felt completely naked to the Elder's silent scrutiny.
As soon as his core was stable, he was summoned to the Hall of Artifacts to receive his first official assignment from the Disciplinary Elder, Elder Qing.
However, standing right beside Elder Qing, his splinted arm held stiffly, was Meng Li. The Serpent of the Outer Court had officially been cleared of any wrongdoing in the Altar incident, but his fury had curdled into meticulous, cold revenge.
"Artificer Jiang Yi," Elder Qing announced, a hint of skepticism in his voice. "Your task is simple, yet crucial. The Iron-Heart Defense Array protecting the East Gate was damaged during the recent Sky-Guard turbulence. It is a vital defense. You are to restore its full integrity within three days."
Jiang Yi bowed low. "This disciple accepts the duty."
Meng Li stepped forward, his eyes burning with controlled malice. "Elder Qing, with all due respect, the Artificer is merely Fourth Stage, and recovering from severe fatigue. To ensure his success and the sect's safety, I must guide his efforts. I suggest he begins with the Iron-Heart's Core Relic—the most complex and unstable component. I will personally supervise his restoration of the relic in my private cultivation pavilion to avoid disruption."
Elder Qing, who was secretly sympathetic to Meng Li's humiliation, nodded. "An excellent suggestion, Meng Li. You will guide him. Disciple Jiang Yi, you will take the Relic and begin restoration immediately under Senior Brother Meng Li's direct supervision."
This was Meng Li's brilliant, predictable trap. The Iron-Heart Core Relic was a mid-grade spiritual capacitor, but it had been deliberately damaged to the point of volatile instability. It was a ticking time bomb of chaotic energy, the precise opposite of the clean sources Jiang Yi preferred. Furthermore, the supervision in Meng Li's private pavilion meant Jiang Yi could not flee or hide his true spiritual signature when the inevitable explosion occurred.
Jiang Yi took the Relic—a metallic orb pulsing faintly with disorganized, angry red Qi—and followed Meng Li to his pavilion.
Inside the small, luxurious room, Meng Li settled himself onto his cultivation mat, his eyes fixed on Jiang Yi. "The Relic is yours, Artificer," he spat, emphasizing the title. "Begin your refinement. I want to observe how your unique affinity handles pure, unfiltered chaos. And do not worry about collateral damage; the pavilion's walls are shielded against minor explosions."
Jiang Yi knelt before the volatile relic. He understood the stakes: he could not just use the Leech Array to drain the chaos, because draining and refinement would still show a massive, detectable power signature, confirming his true strength. He needed to make the theft look like the slow, sanctioned process of restoration that Elder Xuan had approved.
He engaged the Dust Cloak Method, making his spiritual presence appear weak, and then placed both hands on the chaotic Relic.
He began the Azure Stabilization Method publicly, just as he had in the gorge. A faint, low-level green light pulsed around the Relic—the authorized signature of a basic restoration technique.
But beneath that simple green light, Jiang Yi unleashed the full, silent power of the Leech Array.
His core was starving, and this relic was a feast.
He didn't just filter the chaotic red Qi; he divided it. The Azure Sphere performed two simultaneous functions:
Public Filter (The Alibi): It filtered the vast majority of the chaotic red Qi, stabilizing it into a small, weak, yet perfectly clean stream of low-grade White Restoration Qi. This weak, white Qi was immediately channeled back into the Relic, slowly restoring its outer shell and fooling the external spiritual sensors. Meng Li watched the Relic calm down, noting the painfully slow, low-grade white energy being used—exactly what a weak Fourth Stage Artificer would produce.
Private Siphon (The Heist): The highest-grade, pure core essence of the chaotic red Qi—the true spiritual fuel—was silently diverted and funneled directly into Jiang Yi's core, purified instantly into dense, azure liquid.
It was a masterwork of spiritual espionage. He was using 95% of the chaotic energy to power his own core, and only 5% of the refined energy to fuel a slow, visible repair.
Meng Li watched for two hours, growing increasingly frustrated. The Relic was stabilizing, but the rate of repair was so slow, and Jiang Yi's energy signature was so weak, that the Serpent couldn't justify an accusation.
If he had a hidden core, he would be repairing this in minutes! Meng Li fumed, blinded by his own assumptions about normal prodigy behavior.
Meanwhile, Jiang Yi's core was roaring. The massive, constant influx of pure essence from the Relic propelled his body past the Peak Fourth Stage threshold. His muscles tightened, his perception shattered the boundaries of the room, and he felt the spiritual static of the entire Outer Court below him.
Fifth Stage!
The breakthrough was silent, internalized, and completely hidden by the outward display of the low-grade white energy flowing into the Relic.
After the breakthrough settled, Jiang Yi allowed the process to run for another twenty minutes, cementing his new foundation.
Finally, he withdrew his hands with a strained grunt. The Relic was now stable, glowing faintly with low-grade, clean white energy.
"Senior Brother Li," Jiang Yi said, bowing low, his body feigning immense weakness. "The Relic is stable. It requires twelve more hours of passive Qi infusion to complete the restoration."
Meng Li stared at the artifact, then back at the exhausted, weak-looking servant. The Relic was fixed. The spiritual signature was weak. The time taken was appropriate for his suspected weakness. There was no evidence.
"Hmph," Meng Li grunted, his splinted hand twitching. "Get out of my sight. And do not assume this changes anything, Artificer."
Jiang Yi left the pavilion, officially weak, physically exhausted, but internally a fully formed, powerfully concealed Fifth Stage Body Tempering cultivator. He had achieved his breakthrough using his enemy's trap as his fuel. The Artificer's disguise was now flawless.