The inner disciple compound never truly slept.
Even at night, faint fluctuations of Qi rippled through the air as cultivators trained, schemed, or guarded their positions. For Li Yun, the silence felt sharper than the chaos of the outer grounds.
Danger here did not announce itself.
It waited.
Li Yun sat cross-legged in his new room, eyes closed, Qi circulating steadily through his meridians. Qi Condensation had changed everything. His senses stretched farther now—he could hear distant footsteps, feel subtle disturbances in the air, even sense faint killing intent lingering like cold mist.
Someone was watching him.
He didn't open his eyes.
Instead, he slowed his breathing, deliberately allowing his Qi to appear unstable, uneven. A calculated weakness.
Minutes passed.
Then—
A whisper of movement.
The door burst inward.
Three figures rushed in simultaneously, blades flashing under the moonlight. Their Qi was controlled, precise.
Qi Condensation (Initial Stage).
Assassins.
Li Yun moved.
He rolled off the bed as a blade slammed down, splitting stone where his head had been. He kicked upward, striking the attacker's wrist. Bone cracked. The sword clattered to the floor.
The second assassin thrust toward Li Yun's chest.
Li Yun twisted aside, letting the blade graze his ribs, and slammed his elbow into the man's throat. Qi detonated at the point of impact.
The man collapsed, choking.
The third attacker hesitated.
A fatal mistake.
Li Yun seized the fallen sword and stepped forward, his killing intent erupting like a flood. The assassin tried to retreat—but Li Yun was already inside his guard.
Slash.
Blood sprayed across the wall.
Silence returned.
Li Yun stood among the corpses, chest rising and falling.
He wiped the blade clean.
So this is how inner disciples greet newcomers.
The Message Behind the Blood
By morning, the bodies were gone.
No investigation.
No punishment.
Only a quiet understanding.
Li Yun walked through the inner compound, eyes forward, ignoring the glances thrown his way. Some were curious. Some hostile. A few… cautious.
Mu Qian stood waiting near a stone bridge, arms crossed.
"Alive," she remarked. "Good."
Li Yun stopped beside her.
"Yours?" he asked calmly.
Mu Qian laughed softly.
"If I wanted you dead, you wouldn't have woken up."
She leaned closer.
"That was a warning," she continued. "Someone wants to know if you're worth eliminating now—or later."
Li Yun's gaze sharpened.
"And?"
Mu Qian smiled.
"You answered."
A Trial Within a Trial
The summons came that afternoon.
All inner disciple candidates were ordered to assemble at the Shadow Arena, a place reserved for conflicts the sect did not acknowledge publicly.
An elder spoke briefly.
"Recent… disturbances require clarification," he said. "This will be settled through combat."
Pairs were announced.
Li Yun's name echoed early.
His opponent stepped forward.
A tall man with narrow eyes and a faint smirk.
He Qiang.
But not the broken outer disciple tyrant.
This He Qiang wore inner disciple robes, his aura heavier, more controlled.
Qi Condensation — Mid Stage.
The crowd murmured.
Li Yun understood immediately.
This is allowed revenge.
He Qiang bowed mockingly.
"Junior Brother Li," he said. "We meet again."
The gong rang.
He Qiang attacked without restraint, Qi roaring outward like a tide. His movements were refined now—faster, deadlier.
Li Yun dodged narrowly, stone exploding behind him.
"You should have stayed broken," He Qiang sneered.
Li Yun said nothing.
He absorbed the rhythm of He Qiang's attacks, letting blows graze him, mapping patterns, timing.
Then he countered.
His strike was crude.
Violent.
A direct collision of Qi against Qi.
The shockwave rippled outward, cracking the arena floor.
He Qiang staggered, eyes flashing with disbelief.
Li Yun pressed forward relentlessly, every strike fueled by compressed Qi and ruthless intent. He ignored pain, ignored defense.
He Qiang roared and unleashed a technique.
A black crane made of Qi surged forward.
Li Yun met it head-on.
He poured everything into a single strike.
Jade Severing Slash.
The technique was incomplete, unstable—but devastating.
The Qi construct shattered.
He Qiang screamed as the backlash tore through him, sending him crashing across the arena.
He didn't rise.
Silence fell.
The elder raised his hand.
"Victory: Li Yun."
He Qiang was carried away—alive, but ruined.
Li Yun stood motionless, breathing hard.
He felt it clearly now.
He was no longer prey.
Lines Are Drawn
That night, Li Yun returned to his room to find a jade token waiting on his table.
No inscription.
Only a faint imprint of a crane claw.
An invitation—or a threat.
He crushed it.
Elsewhere in the sect, elders gathered quietly.
"The boy is escalating too fast," one murmured.
"Yes," another agreed. "But he is useful."
"For now."
High above, Mu Qian watched the inner compound lights flicker.
"Interesting," she said softly. "Very interesting."
A Quiet Resolve
Li Yun sat alone, blood washed from his hands, cultivation steady.
Enemies had revealed themselves.
Paths were narrowing.
He closed his eyes and circulated Qi once more.
Let them come, he thought calmly.
I will carve my way forward.