The Reward Hall was noisier than Chen Yu had expected.
Not loud—no shouting, no disorder—but filled with low voices layered over one another, each carrying impatience, calculation, or quiet frustration. Compared to the outer training grounds, this place felt sharper, more alert.
Everyone here wanted something.
Chen Yu entered alongside Jian and several other outer disciples. Almost immediately, Jian slowed his steps, eyes darting toward the shelves lining the walls.
"So this is it…" Jian muttered. "Everything worth fighting over."
Chen Yu said nothing. His attention had already been caught by the plaques hanging above the shelves.
They were simple wooden boards, yet the characters carved into them carried weight.
Outer Body
Meridian Opening
Qi Circulation
He frowned slightly.
They were not poetic names. They sounded… methodical.
Ahead of them, two disciples were arguing in hushed but heated tones.
"I told you already," one said sharply, "you're still in Outer Body. That manual won't help you."
"That's nonsense," the other snapped back. "I can already feel qi when I breathe!"
"You feel warmth. That's not qi circulation."
A scoff. "Come back after you open your meridians."
Chen Yu slowed his pace.
Outer Body. Meridian Opening. Qi Circulation.
So these were not titles.
They were thresholds.
Jian leaned closer. "You hear that? Outer Body is basically just strengthening flesh. Everyone starts there."
"Everyone?" Chen Yu asked.
Jian hesitated. "Well… everyone who survives long enough."
They stopped before the first shelf.
The moment Chen Yu stepped within arm's length, a subtle pressure pressed against his skin. Not hostile—testing. His muscles tightened reflexively, breath slowing.
A disciple beside them laughed. "What are you staring at? Outer Body manuals are for people who can't even punch straight."
Another replied bitterly, "Say that again when you're stuck here three years later."
Chen Yu glanced at the prices etched beneath the scrolls.
Low.
Not cheap—but achievable.
He moved on.
The pressure increased.
Before the Meridian Opening shelf, his heartbeat shifted. A faint warmth spread along his arms, like blood flowing more cleanly.
A tall disciple stood there, jaw clenched, staring at a scroll behind the barrier.
"I've been stuck at Outer Body Peak for six months," he muttered to no one in particular. "Still can't open a single meridian."
His companion sighed. "Without a proper manual or pills, that's normal. Outer disciples don't get resources unless they prove themselves."
Chen Yu finally spoke. "What happens if you open one?"
Both disciples glanced at him, surprised.
"You step into Meridian Opening realm," the tall one replied. "Your strength jumps. Senses sharpen. You're no longer just tempering flesh."
"And after that?" Chen Yu asked.
The man chuckled humorlessly. "Qi Circulation. If you ever get there, you're considered a real cultivator. At least by outer disciple standards."
Qi Circulation.
Chen Yu looked toward the third shelf.
The pressure there did not increase.
It vanished.
Instead, his mind felt… distant. As if something inside him recognized the place, yet refused to respond.
Locked.
He exhaled slowly.
At the counter, a dispute broke out.
"That's impossible!" a disciple protested. "I've already reached Meridian Opening!"
The senior disciple behind the counter barely looked up. "Your contribution points say otherwise."
"That has nothing to do with my cultivation!"
The senior finally raised his eyes. Cold. "Everything has something to do with contribution."
Silence followed.
When Chen Yu's turn came, the senior examined his token longer than expected.
"New," he said flatly.
"Yes."
"You've started cultivating," the senior continued. It was not a question.
Chen Yu paused. "I… feel stronger than before. But I don't know where I stand."
The senior snorted softly. "Most outer disciples don't."
He pointed toward the first two shelves. "If you're past basic Outer Body, you'll feel pressure there. If you're not ready for Meridian Opening, it will feel like resistance."
Chen Yu nodded slowly. "Then I'm between them."
The senior's brows rose a fraction. "Between is a dangerous place."
"Why?"
"Because people there think they're special."
A pause. "And get corrected."
He slid a thin, worn booklet across the counter. "No seal. No techniques. Just foundation notes. Return it in three days."
Chen Yu accepted it with both hands.
Outside, Jian let out a breath. "So? What are you?"
Chen Yu looked back at the hall, at the shelves, at the silent weight behind those names.
"I'm cultivating," he said. "But I'm not established."
Jian blinked. "That's… obvious?"
Chen Yu shook his head. "No. Before today, it wasn't."
That night, Chen Yu trained differently.
Not harder.
Cleaner.
He adjusted his breathing according to the notes. Corrected his stance. Repeated movements until his muscles no longer resisted but followed.
Pain came slower.
Fatigue lingered longer.
But recovery was deeper.
At dawn, when he rose, he felt it clearly.
He had not broken through.
But he was closer.
And now, he knew what "closer" meant.
High above, the Guest Elder opened his eyes from meditation, fingers pausing mid-seal.
"Outer Body… nearing completion," he murmured.
Then he smiled faintly.
"The sect may notice him sooner than expected."