The name Yan Zhen spread through the Black Crane Sect faster than any rumor before it.
Foundation Establishment.
Those two words alone were enough to change the atmosphere of the entire inner disciple compound.
Li Yun felt it immediately.
The Qi in the air felt heavier, as if the mountain itself had been pressed down by an unseen hand. Cultivators who once walked proudly now lowered their voices. Inner disciples avoided the central training grounds altogether.
A higher realm had arrived.
And it had come with intent.
Arrival from the Main Sect
The sky above the sect darkened slightly as a flying artifact descended slowly onto the main plaza. It was shaped like a long, narrow blade, its surface etched with formation lines that pulsed faintly.
Every disciple within sight stopped moving.
Li Yun stood at the edge of the plaza, watching.
The artifact touched down without a sound.
A man stepped off.
Yan Zhen looked unremarkable at first glance—average height, plain black robes, hair tied simply behind his head. His expression was calm, almost bored.
But the moment his feet touched the ground, Li Yun's meridians reacted violently.
Pressure rolled outward.
Not aggressive.
Not hostile.
Simply present.
Several Qi Condensation disciples staggered, faces paling as they instinctively circulated Qi just to remain standing.
Li Yun narrowed his eyes.
This is Foundation Establishment…
Yan Zhen's gaze swept across the plaza lazily, then paused.
For just a moment—
Their eyes met.
Li Yun felt as if a mountain had locked onto him.
Yan Zhen smiled faintly.
A Summons That Cannot Be Refused
The summons came before sunset.
Not through a messenger.
Through pressure.
Li Yun was cultivating when the air in his room suddenly compressed, forcing him to open his eyes. A strand of Qi slipped through his isolation array effortlessly, carrying a single message.
Come.
Li Yun stood.
He didn't hesitate.
The Hall of Silent Judgment
Yan Zhen waited inside the Hall of Silent Judgment, a place usually reserved for inner disciple punishments and executions.
Elder Fang stood to one side.
Elder Wei stood to the other.
Neither spoke.
Li Yun walked forward and bowed.
"Disciple Li Yun greets Senior Brother Yan."
Yan Zhen studied him openly.
"You're younger than I expected," Yan Zhen said mildly. "And rougher."
Li Yun remained silent.
"I've heard many things," Yan Zhen continued. "That you disrupt balance. That you kill efficiently. That you survived places meant to erase people."
Yan Zhen stepped closer.
"Do you know why I was sent?"
Li Yun met his gaze.
"To measure me."
Yan Zhen nodded.
"And to end you—if necessary."
The words were spoken without malice.
As if discussing the weather.
The Weight of Foundation Establishment
Yan Zhen released his aura.
Not fully.
Just enough.
Li Yun's knees bent involuntarily.
Pain erupted across his body as if his bones were being crushed from the inside. His Qi froze, circulation stuttering violently under the overwhelming pressure.
This wasn't brute force.
This was refinement.
Yan Zhen had built something Li Yun hadn't yet reached.
Li Yun clenched his fists.
Blood seeped from the corners of his mouth.
Still, he did not kneel.
Yan Zhen's eyebrow lifted slightly.
"Interesting."
He stepped back and withdrew his pressure.
Li Yun inhaled sharply, steadying his breath.
"You're standing at the edge," Yan Zhen said. "But you're not ready."
Li Yun wiped blood from his lips.
"Then why are you here?"
Yan Zhen smiled.
"To see if you're worth waiting for."
A Test Without Witnesses
They left the hall without announcement.
No spectators.
No records.
Yan Zhen led Li Yun deep into the mountain, past sealed paths and inactive formations, until they reached an empty stone plateau surrounded by sheer cliffs.
"This place erases sound," Yan Zhen said. "And consequences."
Li Yun understood.
No one would interfere.
Yan Zhen turned.
"Show me."
Blade Against the Mountain
Li Yun moved first.
He surged forward, Qi erupting violently as he poured everything into speed and intent. His body moved faster than ever before, jade-tempered flesh responding instantly.
Jade Severing Slash.
The technique tore through the air, unstable but ferocious.
Yan Zhen didn't dodge.
He raised two fingers.
The slash shattered on contact.
The backlash ripped through Li Yun's arms, bones screaming.
Yan Zhen stepped forward and struck.
Not with Qi.
With his palm.
Li Yun was sent flying.
He slammed into stone, blood spraying as ribs fractured instantly.
Yan Zhen didn't pursue.
"Again," he said calmly.
Li Yun forced himself up.
Pain screamed through his body—but beneath it, something else stirred.
Understanding.
This isn't a duel, Li Yun realized.
It's instruction.
He charged again—this time controlling his Qi, compressing it, stabilizing the flow.
His strikes were slower.
But heavier.
Yan Zhen nodded faintly.
Better.
They exchanged blows.
Each strike from Yan Zhen carried terrifying precision, breaking through Li Yun's defenses effortlessly—but never finishing him.
Each exchange carved something into Li Yun's body.
His meridians screamed.
Then adapted.
His Qi trembled.
Then stabilized.
Minutes passed.
Then an hour.
Li Yun collapsed to one knee, gasping.
Yan Zhen stopped.
"That's enough," he said.
Words That Cut Deeper
Yan Zhen looked down at Li Yun.
"You're not ready for Foundation Establishment," he said plainly.
Li Yun nodded.
"I know."
Yan Zhen turned away.
"But," he continued, "your foundation is dangerous."
He glanced back.
"If you survive the next year, you'll be a problem even for the main sect."
Li Yun's heart pounded.
"And if I don't?"
Yan Zhen shrugged.
"Then the sect chose poorly."
He stepped onto his flying artifact.
"One last thing," Yan Zhen said.
Li Yun looked up.
"Elder Wei will try to erase you quietly," Yan Zhen said. "Elder Fang will try to use you."
He paused.
"Don't trust either."
Then he departed.
Aftermath
Li Yun remained on the plateau long after Yan Zhen left.
His body was broken.
But his Qi felt different.
Compressed.
Aligned.
Closer to something stable.
Foundation Establishment…
He clenched his fist.
The air rippled faintly.
I'm coming.
Reactions Across the Sect
Elder Fang listened in silence as reports arrived.
"A private evaluation," the attendant said. "Li Yun survived."
Elder Fang exhaled slowly.
"Good."
Elsewhere, Elder Wei's eyes were cold.
"Then accelerate the plan," he said softly.
A Calm Resolve
Li Yun returned to his room at dawn.
He sat down and began cultivating immediately, ignoring the pain, ignoring exhaustion.
He no longer needed reassurance.
The path ahead was clear.
And it would be soaked in blood.