Wang Ben arrived at the Zhao compound as the afternoon sun hung low over Redstone City. The weight of the talisman against his chest was a constant reminder of the morning's transaction, and the far heavier weight of Shen Wuyan's true nature pressed against his thoughts.
Nascent soul. Hiding in a frontier city.
He pushed the thought aside. One problem at a time.
The training yard was empty when he arrived, but Zhao Yu appeared moments later, already dressed for sparring. His friend's eyes were bright with the eager energy that always preceded their sessions.
"You're late," Zhao Yu said, though his grin undercut any real complaint. "I've been warming up for an hour."
"I had an errand to run."
"An errand?" Zhao Yu raised an eyebrow. "What kind of errand takes all morning?"
"The kind that's not your concern."
Zhao Yu laughed, accepting the deflection with easy grace. That was one of the things Wang Ben appreciated about him. He asked questions, but he didn't push. Not when it mattered.
"Fine, keep your secrets." Zhao Yu dropped into a ready stance. "But don't think that means I'll go easy on you."
Wang Ben matched his posture, settling his weight, feeling the familiar tension build in his muscles. "You never go easy on me."
"And yet you keep coming back."
They moved.
The sparring was brutal, as it always was. Zhao Yu had the advantage in raw power, his body refinement stage 5 cultivation giving him speed and strength that Wang Ben couldn't match directly. But Wang Ben had something else. Knowledge. Instinct. The accumulated wisdom of lifetimes he couldn't fully remember but could feel in his bones.
He slipped a punch that should have caught his jaw, redirecting the force with a subtle shift of his shoulder. Stepped inside Zhao Yu's guard when his friend overextended. Landed three quick strikes to the ribs before dancing back out of range.
Zhao Yu grunted, rubbing his side. "How do you do that?"
"Do what?"
"You know what. It's like you see what I'm going to do before I do it."
Because in some ways, I've done this a million times.
"Practice," Wang Ben said instead. "And you telegraph your right hook."
"I do not."
"You drop your left shoulder half a heartbeat before you throw it. Every time."
Zhao Yu's eyes narrowed. He didn't believe it. He also couldn't prove it wrong.
They reset and went again.
An hour later, they sat on the edge of the training yard, passing a waterskin between them. The late afternoon sun cast long shadows across the packed earth, and a cool breeze carried the scent of autumn from the northern forests.
"You're different lately," Zhao Yu said after a long silence.
Wang Ben took a drink, buying time. "Different how?"
"I don't know. More... focused. Like you're always thinking about something else, even when you're here." Zhao Yu paused. "Since the wolf, I mean. Since everything changed."
"Everything did change."
"For both of us." Zhao Yu was quiet for a moment. "My father says the auction tomorrow might change things again. A lot of powerful people coming to the city. Blood Wolf Company, representatives from Crimson Bastion. Even some of the other frontier cities are sending buyers."
Wang Ben nodded. He'd heard the same. The auction was drawing attention far beyond Redstone City's usual sphere of influence.
"Is your father attending?"
"He has to. The Zhao Clan can't afford not to be seen." Zhao Yu grimaced. "Politics. I hate it. All that posturing and pretending to be friends with people you'd rather punch in the face."
"That's most of cultivation society."
"Don't remind me." Zhao Yu stretched, wincing as his ribs protested. "What about your family? Is your father going?"
The question hit closer than Zhao Yu knew. Wang Ben thought of his father's hope, the desperate light in his eyes when he spoke of the Meridian Restoration Treasure that might appear at the auction. The treasure that might heal what nine years of caution and fear had failed to fix.
"He is," Wang Ben said quietly. "He has his reasons."
Zhao Yu heard something in his tone and didn't push further. Instead, he stood, rolling his shoulders. "One more round before dinner?"
Wang Ben rose to meet him. "One more."
That night, alone in his room, Wang Ben finally allowed himself to examine the talisman properly.
He held it up to the lamp light, turning it slowly in his fingers. The jade slip was cool to the touch, roughly the size of his palm, its surface inscribed with formation patterns that glowed faintly even in the dim room. The craftsmanship was excellent. The lines were clean, the energy flow balanced, the anchoring points precisely placed.
Grade 7. High quality. Foundation establishment level work.
He closed his eyes and ran his fingers across the talisman's surface, tracing every inscription, every groove and ridge of the formation patterns. The jade was cool against his skin, smooth where the base material remained untouched, slightly raised where the formation lines had been carved.
[TALISMAN ANALYSIS: Initiating]
[DESIGNATION: Golden Bell Shield Talisman]
[GRADE: 7 (Foundation Establishment)]
[QUALITY: High (7-8 range)]
[CREATOR: Unknown. Formation style suggests eastern province training, possibly Crimson Bastion tradition.]
[STORED ENERGY: 94.3% capacity. Minor degradation from age, negligible impact on function.]
Wang Ben kept his eyes closed, letting the System work. He'd learned that the analysis was more thorough when he could provide detailed sensory input. Touch, texture, the weight of the jade in his palm. His cultivation was too low for true spiritual sense, but careful observation still fed the System's pattern recognition.
[FORMATION STRUCTURE ANALYSIS]
[Primary Layer: Defensive barrier generation. Standard hexagonal lattice pattern with reinforced nodes.]
[Secondary Layer: Energy distribution network. Channels incoming force across barrier surface to prevent point failure.]
[Tertiary Layer: Activation trigger. Contact-based, responds to hostile qi signatures.]
[Quaternary Layer: Stability anchors. Prevents formation collapse under stress.]
[EFFICIENCY RATING: 73.2%]
Wang Ben's eyes opened slightly. Seventy-three percent efficiency. That meant over a quarter of the talisman's stored energy was being lost to structural inefficiencies.
Can it be improved?
[QUERY ACKNOWLEDGED]
[ANALYZING FORMATION ARCHITECTURE FOR OPTIMIZATION POTENTIAL...]
A pause. Longer than usual.
[OPTIMIZATION ANALYSIS: Complete]
[ASSESSMENT: Formation structure contains several suboptimal design choices. These are consistent with standard Foundation Establishment level training and represent the limits of the creator's understanding, not deliberate choices.]
[IDENTIFIED INEFFICIENCIES:]
[1. Node spacing in primary layer is 0.3mm wider than optimal. Causes minor energy bleed between barrier segments.]
[2. Secondary layer uses linear distribution channels. Logarithmic channels would improve force dispersal by 12-15%.]
[3. Tertiary layer trigger threshold is set conservatively. Could be recalibrated for faster response time.]
[4. Quaternary anchors are positioned symmetrically. Asymmetric positioning based on energy flow would improve stability by 8-11%.]
[THEORETICAL IMPROVEMENT: If all inefficiencies corrected, talisman could achieve 89-94% efficiency.]
[PRACTICAL IMPLICATION: High Quality → Peak Quality. Effective blocking capability would increase from late-stage foundation establishment to peak foundation establishment.]
Wang Ben sat very still, the talisman glowing softly in his palm.
Peak quality. Blocking foundation establishment stage 9.
That was a significant difference. Against the threats that were coming, the beast tide building in the north, every advantage mattered.
Can I make these modifications?
[QUERY ACKNOWLEDGED]
[ANALYZING HOST CAPABILITIES...]
[ASSESSMENT: Modifications require precise formation work at the Grade 7 level. Host's current cultivation (Body Refinement Stage 4) is insufficient for direct modification.]
[ALTERNATIVE APPROACH: Host could theoretically inscribe correction patterns using external tools and pre-prepared materials. Success probability: 23.7%]
[WARNING: Failed modification attempt would likely destroy the talisman. Recommend against proceeding at current capability level.]
[RECOMMENDATION: Acquire formation modification skills through study and practice. Revisit optimization after Host reaches Qi Condensation realm and develops formation proficiency.]
Wang Ben let out a slow breath. Twenty-three percent wasn't good odds. Not when the talisman was the only significant defensive resource he had.
But the knowledge was valuable. The System had mapped the talisman's structure, identified its weaknesses, calculated how it could be improved. That information would transfer to future talismans. Future opportunities.
File the analysis for later reference.
[ACKNOWLEDGED: Talisman structure analysis saved to database. Formation optimization patterns catalogued for future application.]
He tucked the talisman back into his inner robes and lay back on his bed, staring at the ceiling.
Tomorrow was the auction. His father's hope. His family's future, perhaps.
Wang Ben closed his eyes and let sleep take him.
He woke before dawn.
Not from nightmares, though those came often enough. Not from the fragmented memories of endless wars or desperate final moments from lives not his own. Just... awake. Alert. His body thrumming with energy that demanded release.
Wang Ben rose quietly, dressed in training clothes, and slipped out of the family compound while the sky was still grey with pre-dawn light.
The training ground near the eastern wall was empty at this hour. He'd found it weeks ago, a forgotten space between warehouses where city guards rarely patrolled. Perfect for the kind of training he couldn't do at home.
He began with forms. Basic body refinement movements, the kind any cultivator learned in their first year. But he didn't perform them basically. Each motion was precise, deliberate, pushing his muscles to their limits and then slightly beyond. He felt heat building in his core, spreading through his limbs with each repetition—the familiar burn of a body being forged into something stronger.
[CULTIVATION ANALYSIS: Active]
[CURRENT STATE: Body Refinement Stage 4 (Mid)]
[MERIDIAN CAPACITY: 67.3% of Stage 4 maximum]
[PHYSICAL CONDITIONING: 71.2% optimal for current stage]
[ASSESSMENT: Host is approaching readiness for Stage 5 advancement. Continued physical stress will accelerate meridian expansion and breakthrough timeline.]
Wang Ben pushed harder. The forms became faster, more demanding. His body burned with the effort, muscles screaming, lungs heaving. He ignored it all, focusing only on the next movement, the next breath, the next step toward strength.
This was what cultivation meant at the body refinement realm. Not meditation or mystical enlightenment. Just work. Brutal, exhausting work that slowly, incrementally, transformed the mortal body into something more.
The sun rose as he trained, painting the sky in shades of gold and crimson. He barely noticed.
[WARNING: Physical stress approaching sustainable limits. Recommend recovery period.]
He pushed through it. Another form. Another repetition. Another step toward the strength he needed to survive what was coming.
[ALERT: Anomalous energy buildup detected in Host's meridians.]
[ANALYZING...]
Wang Ben felt it too. A pressure building in his core, like water behind a dam. His meridians were full, straining, the accumulated energy of weeks of training pressing against barriers that suddenly felt paper-thin.
[CULTIVATION ANALYSIS UPDATE]
[BREAKTHROUGH CONDITIONS: Favorable]
[MERIDIAN SATURATION: 94.7%]
[PHYSICAL READINESS: 88.3%]
[MENTAL STATE: Focused, determined, stable]
[RECOMMENDATION: Controlled breakthrough attempt is viable. Proceed with caution.]
Wang Ben stopped moving. He stood in the center of the empty training ground, chest heaving, sweat dripping from his brow, and turned his attention inward.
The energy was there. Waiting. All he had to do was push.
He closed his eyes and pushed.
Pain.
Not the clean pain of exertion, but something deeper. Something fundamental. His muscles burned as they tore and rebuilt themselves, fibers ripping apart and knitting back together stronger than before. His bones ached with a pressure that felt like they might crack, then settled into something denser, harder. He felt his body reshaping itself from the inside out, every part of him screaming as it was broken down and forged anew.
The world went white.
For a moment, an eternity, a heartbeat, he was nothing but pain and heat and the roar of transformation tearing through flesh and bone.
Then it stopped.
Wang Ben opened his eyes. He was on his knees in the dirt, gasping for breath, his training clothes soaked with sweat. His whole body ached with a bone-deep exhaustion that made his earlier training feel like a gentle warmth by comparison.
But beneath the exhaustion, he felt something else. Strength. More than before. His body felt different—sturdier, more capable, like a vessel that had been expanded to hold more.
[BREAKTHROUGH: Confirmed]
[NEW CULTIVATION: Body Refinement Stage 5 (Early)]
[PHYSICAL ENHANCEMENT: +12.3% strength, +8.7% speed, +15.2% durability]
[PHYSICAL DENSITY: Muscle +23%, Bone +18%]
[LIFESPAN: Extended to approximately 170 years (base mortal + Body Refinement Stage 5 bonus)]
[ASSESSMENT: Successful advancement. Host is now in the top tier of Body Refinement cultivators. Further advancement to Stage 6 will require 2-4 months of consistent training under optimal conditions.]
Wang Ben allowed himself a small smile. Body refinement stage 5. The same level as Zhao Yu.
Still weak by any real standard. Still nothing compared to the threats that are coming.
But stronger than yesterday. That was all he could ask for.
He pulled himself to his feet, wobbling slightly as his body adjusted to its new capabilities. The sun was fully up now, mid-morning light flooding the training ground. He'd been at it for hours without realizing.
The auction is tonight. I should return home.
He gathered himself and began the walk back to the Wang compound, his new strength singing quietly in his veins.
The afternoon passed in a blur of preparation and anxiety.
Wang Tian was a mess of nervous energy, checking and rechecking the family's finances, muttering calculations under his breath, adjusting his robes three times before declaring them acceptable. Li Mei watched him with a mixture of affection and concern, offering gentle reassurances that he barely seemed to hear.
Wang Ben observed it all from the edges, saying little. His father's hope was painful to witness. The desperate belief that tonight might change everything, that the Meridian Restoration Treasure might appear and might be affordable and might actually heal the damage done nine years ago.
The scroll technique was still missing its catalyst. His father had identified the requirements: extreme yin affinity, stability through temperature fluctuations, spiritual conductivity. But he hadn't found a herb that matched. Wang Ben hoped the auction might reveal something useful, though he couldn't explain why he felt so certain there was another path forward.
"You're quiet," his mother observed, appearing beside him as the afternoon wore on.
"Just thinking."
"About the auction?"
"Among other things."
Li Mei studied him with those sharp, pragmatic eyes. "Your father is putting too much hope in tonight. I've told him as much. But he won't listen."
"Can you blame him?"
"No." She sighed. "Nine years is a long time to carry a wound. I just worry about what happens when hope meets reality."
Wang Ben had no answer for that. Neither did she.
The auction hall was located in the center of Redstone City, a grand building of red stone and dark wood that had stood for three centuries. Tonight, it blazed with light, formation-powered lanterns illuminating every corner, guards in ceremonial armor flanking the entrance.
The Wang Clan delegation arrived as the sun touched the western horizon, joining the stream of cultivators flowing toward the entrance. Patriarch Wang Tiexin led the group, his aged frame still carrying the weight of authority. A handful of elders followed, and Wang Ben walked beside his father near the back, watching Wang Tian struggle to compose himself into something approaching dignity.
"The major clans are all here," Wang Tian murmured, nodding toward a group in crimson robes. "Huo Clan. They'll be bidding on anything fire-related."
Wang Ben followed his gaze. The Huo Clan delegation was led by a middle-aged man with the bearing of a commander, core formation pressure radiating from him in carefully controlled waves. Huo Zhenyang, the City Lord himself. His presence at the auction signaled just how significant tonight's offerings must be.
Further along, he spotted the Xue Clan in their deep purple, the Dao Clan in their stark blacks and whites. Representatives from a dozen lesser families clustered near the entrance, jockeying for position and pretending not to notice each other.
And then he saw them.
The Blood Wolf Company had arrived in force. Three figures at the center of their delegation stood out immediately. Lang Zhanyue, tall and broad, his core formation stage 5 presence a quiet weight that pressed against the senses. Beside him, a scarred man who could only be Lang Zhantian, his posture tense, his eyes scanning the crowd. And behind them, moving stiffly, a younger man with bandages visible beneath his robes. Lang Zhanfeng, still recovering from his wounds.
Wang Ben looked away before any of them could notice his attention. They didn't know him. Couldn't know him. The Phantom Gate had ensured that.
But he knew them. Knew their hunt, their wounds, their plans.
Strange, the asymmetry of information.
Near the entrance, another group drew his eye. A small delegation in flowing white robes, their bearing unmistakably arrogant. The symbol on their chests marked them as representatives from Crimson Bastion, the domain capital, the seat of power that ruled over frontier cities like Redstone.
They were speaking to someone. A middle-aged man in grey robes, unremarkable in every way. Forgettable features, calm expression, hands folded before him.
Shen Wuyan.
Wang Ben's blood went cold.
The Crimson Bastion representatives were talking down to him. Literally. The lead delegate, a young man with the cultivated sneer of inherited privilege, was gesturing dismissively, his voice carrying across the courtyard.
"...expect better service in a city this far from civilization. Perhaps I should speak to whoever actually runs your little establishment."
Shen Wuyan's expression didn't change. His smile remained mild, pleasant, utterly unthreatening. He bowed slightly and murmured something too quiet to hear.
The young delegate laughed, a sharp, mocking sound. His companions joined in. They brushed past Shen Wuyan without another glance, sweeping toward the entrance like they owned the building.
Wang Ben watched them go.
They just insulted a nascent soul cultivator.
They have no idea.
Shen Wuyan remained where he was for a moment, still smiling that small smile. Then his gaze drifted across the crowd and found Wang Ben.
For a heartbeat, their eyes met.
Shen Wuyan's smile widened slightly. An acknowledgment. A shared joke that only they understood.
Then he turned and walked away, disappearing into the crowd with the easy grace of a man who had nothing to prove and nothing to fear.
Wang Ben forced himself to breathe normally.
"Something wrong?" his father asked.
"No." Wang Ben tore his gaze away from where Shen Wuyan had vanished. "Just watching the crowds."
"Political theater," Wang Tian said with a grimace. "Try not to let it bother you."
If only you knew.
They joined the flow of people entering the auction hall, leaving the evening air behind.
Inside, the real performance was about to begin.
END OF CHAPTER 12