The outer disciple grounds were already alive before dawn.
Most of those training here had stepped into Outer Body Tempering — Late Stage, their movements sharp and aggressive, every strike carrying visible force. A few outstanding ones had even brushed against the Threshold of Meridian Opening, their auras faintly unstable.
Chen Yu stood among them.
Outer Body Tempering — Mid Stage.
At least, that was what the stone tablet beside his name still showed.
To anyone watching, the difference was obvious.
Wu Shan's fists cracked the air when he moved. His muscles were tightly coiled, veins standing out—a clear sign of Late-Stage Outer Body Tempering, strengthened through aggressive refinement methods.
Chen Yu's movements, in contrast, looked restrained. No explosive power. No visible pressure.
"That again?"
Wu Shan's voice carried easily across the training ground.
He stopped before Chen Yu, arms crossed. "Still refining your body like someone stuck in Early Stage?"
A few nearby disciples chuckled.
Most of them were Mid to Late Outer Body Tempering, and in their eyes, Chen Yu's pace bordered on stagnation.
Chen Yu completed the stance before replying. "I'm still stabilizing."
Wu Shan laughed. "Stabilizing? At Mid Stage, you should already be forcing open the meridian thresholds. You'll never reach Meridian Opening like this."
Chen Yu did not argue.
He returned to training.
That silence only confirmed their assumptions.
Among the outer disciples, power spoke louder than patience.
By noon, discussion had shifted to rankings.
"Wu Shan's cultivation is already touching the False Meridian Threshold."
"I heard Luo Fan actually forced a minor meridian vibration yesterday."
"That's Inner Disciple material."
Chen Yu listened without comment.
Jian sat beside him during the midday rest, voice lowered. "You know almost everyone in the top thirty is Late Outer Body Tempering now, right?"
Chen Yu nodded.
"And you're still listed as Mid Stage," Jian continued. "People are saying you've hit a wall."
Chen Yu looked down at his palms.
He could feel it—the difference.
Others forced energy outward, cracking muscle and bone to gain temporary gains. His own cultivation… refused to respond to force.
The moment he tried to rush, the internal balance destabilized.
So he didn't.
That afternoon, it happened.
Han Zhi—ranked twenty-six, Late Outer Body Tempering, famous for consuming body-refining pills—was striking the stone pillars when his aura suddenly surged.
A clear sign of forced breakthrough.
Then it shattered.
He staggered back, blood spilling from his mouth as his meridian pathways rejected the pressure.
Shouts rang out.
"He failed!"
"He tried to force Meridian Opening!"
Elders rushed in, their expressions grim.
"A cracked foundation," one of them muttered. "Even if he survives, his path is damaged."
Chen Yu watched silently.
Han Zhi had been stronger than him in every visible way.
And now, that strength had turned against him.
That night, Chen Yu adjusted his training.
He refined his Outer Body Mid Stage foundation instead of chasing Late Stage signs. Muscles aligned. Breath synchronized. His body no longer resisted refinement—it accepted it.
The internal imbalance softened.
Not a breakthrough.
But a correction.
Days passed.
The outer evaluation approached, and tension mounted.
Wu Shan broke through fully into Late Outer Body Tempering. His aura became heavier, unmistakable.
Luo Fan stabilized his meridian vibrations, clearly standing at the Peak of Late Outer Body, just one step from opening his first meridian.
Jian remained at Mid Stage, frustrated.
Chen Yu?
Still officially Mid Stage.
But during a debris-clearing mission near the unstable ridge—a task usually assigned to Late-Stage disciples—Chen Yu completed it without injury.
"Strange," the senior disciple muttered while recording contributions. "Mid Stage shouldn't manage this so cleanly."
That night, Chen Yu felt it clearly.
His body refinement had reached a state where Mid Stage no longer described him accurately, yet Late Stage signs refused to manifest.
His foundation was too even.
Too… quiet.
During training the next morning, Wu Shan shattered his post in one strike.
Cheers erupted.
When Chen Yu struck his, the sound was muted.
No cracks.
Laughter followed—until the inspecting elder paused.
The wood was compressed inward, fibers crushed uniformly.
This was not the result of brute force.
This was control.
The elder's gaze lingered for a heartbeat longer than necessary.
Above the outer grounds, Guest Elder Yan Mo sipped his tea.
"Outer Body Mid Stage," he murmured. "Yet functioning beyond Late Stage parameters."
No leakage.
No instability.
No visible trace of higher realms.
Perfect concealment.
Elsewhere, Sect Leader Qiu Ren halted mid-step, fingers pressing against his chest.
That familiar sensation returned.
Imbalance.
Not excessive power.
Not deficiency.
But something that did not align with known paths.
Next morning,
Wu Shan finally blocked Chen Yu's path.
His aura flared—unmistakably Late Outer Body Tempering.
"Challenge," he said. "Cultivation difference is clear."
Outer disciples gathered instantly.
"Mid Stage versus Late Stage?"
"This won't even last three exchanges."
Chen Yu met Wu Shan's gaze calmly.
"If I lose," Wu Shan continued, "you give up your contribution points."
"And if I win?" Chen Yu asked.
Wu Shan smiled confidently. "Then I'll admit your Mid Stage isn't normal."
Chen Yu nodded.
"Tomorrow," Wu Shan said.
The crowd dispersed, already convinced of the outcome.
Only Chen Yu remained unmoved.
Outer Body Mid Stage.
That was the label.
Whether it still applied—
That would be decided in battle.