The inner disciple compound was quieter than usual.
Too quiet.
Li Yun walked along the stone path toward the training grounds, senses spread wide. Since the duel with He Qiang, the air around him had changed. Conversations died when he passed. Doors closed a fraction faster. Even the Qi fluctuations in the air felt… cautious.
Fear did not disappear.
It reorganized.
He reached a fork in the path when a voice called out.
"Junior Brother Li."
Li Yun stopped.
An inner disciple stood beneath a pine tree, hands folded into his sleeves. His face was ordinary, forgettable—but his aura was not.
Qi Condensation — Late Stage.
That alone made him dangerous.
"I am Shen Rui," the man said calmly. "I represent Elder Fang."
Li Yun's eyes narrowed slightly.
Elder Fang.
One of the six elders who had watched him since the Vulture Grounds.
"And?" Li Yun asked.
Shen Rui smiled faintly.
"The elder is interested in you."
Li Yun met his gaze.
"Interested people usually don't send assassins."
Shen Rui chuckled.
"Not all elders share the same methods."
He flicked his wrist. A jade slip appeared and floated toward Li Yun.
"Read it," Shen Rui said. "Then decide."
Li Yun accepted the slip but did not open it.
"I'll decide first," he said. "Then I'll read."
Shen Rui's smile widened slightly.
"Good answer."
He turned and walked away.
The Hidden Factions
Li Yun returned to his room and activated a basic sound-isolation array before examining the jade slip.
Information poured into his mind.
Not cultivation methods.
Names.
Lists.
Relationships.
A map of power.
The Black Crane Sect was divided—not openly, but decisively. Three elder factions vied for control beneath the surface, each cultivating their own assets among disciples.
Elder Fang favored efficiency and expansion.
Elder Luo favored control and stability.
Elder Wei favored secrecy and elimination.
Li Yun closed his eyes.
And I'm a variable none of them planned.
The jade slip ended with a simple message:
Choose a perch before the vultures decide for you.
Li Yun crushed the slip.
"I don't perch," he murmured. "I climb."
The Resource Exchange
That evening, inner disciples gathered at the Heavenly Exchange Pavilion, a place where merit points were converted into resources.
Li Yun entered quietly.
Eyes tracked him immediately.
He approached the counter and placed his token down.
"Two weeks of merit," the attendant said. "You may choose."
Li Yun scanned the shelves.
Low-grade spirit stones.
Healing pills.
Qi replenishment powders.
Not enough.
His gaze settled on a sealed jade bottle.
Condensed Spirit Dew.
Rare. Dangerous. Highly effective.
The attendant stiffened.
"That requires authorization."
Li Yun placed a second token down.
A silver-edged crane mark.
The attendant's eyes widened.
"…Understood."
Li Yun left with the bottle tucked into his robe.
As he stepped outside, the air shifted.
Three inner disciples blocked his path.
Their auras flared deliberately.
Qi Condensation — Initial and Mid Stages.
One stepped forward.
"Junior Brother Li," he said coolly. "That resource belongs to our senior."
Li Yun looked at them.
"No," he replied. "It belongs to me."
The man sneered.
"Then you don't understand how things—"
Li Yun moved.
He slammed into the speaker, shoulder-first, Qi detonating violently. The man was sent flying, crashing through a stone railing.
The others reacted instantly, techniques flashing.
Li Yun drank the spirit dew in one motion.
The liquid burned like molten metal.
Qi exploded inside him.
Pain tore through his meridians as energy surged uncontrollably.
He roared and attacked.
Unrefined. Overwhelming.
A fist shattered a guard.
A kick crushed ribs.
A palm strike detonated Qi inside flesh.
The fight ended in seconds.
Li Yun stood shaking, blood dripping from his chin.
Disciples stared in stunned silence.
He turned and walked away.
Forced Advancement
Li Yun locked himself inside his room.
The spirit dew raged through his body, Qi surging violently, threatening to tear his meridians apart.
He sat down hard, teeth clenched.
Too much…
His cultivation teetered on collapse.
He circulated Qi desperately, guiding it, compressing it—but the pressure was immense.
Cracks echoed inside him.
Blood streamed from his nose, ears, mouth.
Focus.
He remembered the Condensation Chamber.
The moment Qi had obeyed.
He slowed his breathing.
Guided the chaos.
Compressed.
Bound.
Time lost meaning.
Then—
Boom.
Qi surged inward.
Settled.
Stabilized.
Li Yun collapsed forward, gasping.
Qi Condensation — Mid Stage.
His body ached beyond measure, but his Qi felt heavier, denser.
Stronger.
He laughed weakly.
Now they'll really come.
The Invitation
The next morning, a formal summons arrived.
Li Yun was escorted to a secluded pavilion overlooking the sect.
Elder Fang stood there, hands behind his back.
"So," the elder said without turning. "You advanced."
Li Yun bowed slightly.
"Yes."
Elder Fang turned.
"You cause disturbances. Break balance. Create ripples."
Li Yun met his gaze.
"I survive."
Elder Fang studied him intently.
"You don't belong to any faction," he said. "That makes you dangerous."
A pause.
"And valuable."
He flicked his sleeve. A jade badge floated forward.
"Accept this," Elder Fang said. "You act independently—but under my protection."
Li Yun did not reach for it.
"What's the cost?" he asked.
Elder Fang smiled thinly.
"When I call, you answer."
Li Yun considered.
Then he took the badge.
"For now," he said.
Elder Fang laughed softly.
"For now is enough."
The Other Side Moves
That night, shadows gathered.
In another pavilion, Elder Wei listened as a disciple knelt before him.
"The boy aligned with Fang," the disciple said.
Elder Wei's eyes were cold.
"Then prepare the knives," he replied calmly.
"Quietly."
A Calm Before the Storm
Li Yun stood at the edge of the inner compound, looking out over the mountains.
He felt it now.
Pressure.
Expectation.
Enemies adjusting.
All around him, the sect shifted—slowly, subtly—reacting to his presence.
He clenched his fist.
Good.
Let the storm come.