The courtyard was quiet when Li Qingyun returned. The sun hung high now, its warmth lazily spilling over the tiled rooftops and stone paths. Birds chirped somewhere beyond the plum trees, but he barely noticed. His thoughts were still half-lost in the Alchemical Hall.
The token hung in his robe, heavy yet comforting. A symbol of effort, discipline, and a new path now opened before him.
He closed his door gently, sat cross-legged on the meditation mat, and with a single thought, summoned the translucent interface of his system.
"System," he willed silently.
A gentle ripple passed through his vision as the familiar interface unfurled before him, lines of silver-blue light forming a screen in his mind.
____
[System Interface]
[Host:] Li Qingyun
[Realm:] Foundation Establishment Realm — 2nd Stage
[Secondary Profession:] Alchemist — Rank 1
[Physique:] Primal Chaos Vessel Physique
[Slots:]
Slot 1: Phantom Step Art — Transcendent
Slot 2: Ninefold Essence Sutra — Perfect
↳ Advance to Transcendent Stage – Requires 500 points
Slot 3: Cloudveil Sword Control Method — Minor Completion
Slot 4: Tranquil Void Heart Scripture — Beginner
[Techniques:]
↳ Cloudveil Flight Method — Major Completion>
[Bound Weapon:] Shadowfang — Spirit Grade.
[Weapon Traits:] Adaptive resonance, enhances Sword Intent, evolves with usage.
[Energy]: 423 points.
Li Qingyun's gaze paused on the new entry below his realm: Secondary Profession — Alchemist (Rank 1).
He focused on it.
Immediately, a gentle hum echoed through his consciousness, and a new window unfurled.
[Secondary Profession – Alchemist (Rank 1)]
Known Recipes:
• Qi Nourishing Pill (Basic — Low Grade)
Refinement Proficiency:
• Qi Nourishing Pill: 1%
When Proficiency reaches 100%, pill quality increases by one tier.
Perfect-Grade Pills contain no Pill Poison.>
About Pill Poison:
While invisible to the untrained eye, prolonged usage of such pills accumulates toxic waste in the body, clogging meridians, dulling one's spiritual sense, and eventually leading to stagnation or deviation.
Higher-grade pills contain fewer impurities, and Perfect Grade Pills are free of pill poison altogether, allowing cultivators to absorb medicinal essence without damaging their foundation.>
He nodded slightly. In the world of cultivation, where purity of qi and strength of meridians determined one's future, pill poison could be a silent killer.
After a moment, he dismissed the window and leaned back against the wooden post beside him.
He stared at the sliver of sky through the window frame.
"Still so much to do," he muttered.
The outer sect sword trial was in just three months.
He had no time to waste.
From that day forward, Li Qingyun changed completely.
He stopped his quiet strolls through the gardens, and even stopped visiting the outer archives. Unless required, he rarely left his courtyard.
Every moment was spent cultivating, refining, or training.
When he wasn't absorbing spiritual energy beneath the moonlight, he was practicing footwork until the soles of his boots split. When his muscles ached from sword strikes, he sat down and practiced flame control silently with an unlit cauldron.
Sometimes, when he had a few spare moments, he'd practice refining a single Qi Nourishing Pill—not to use, but to raise his Proficiency.
Each morning began before the sun had fully risen, his body already moving through endless sword forms under the pale dawn sky. When his qi waned, he meditated. When his focus dulled, he practiced movement arts across the bamboo forest paths.
Days became weeks.
One evening, beneath the quiet hush of falling dusk, he once again called the system into view.
His gaze landed on the final slot.
[Slot 4: Tranquil Void Heart Scripture — Beginner]
He had used this scripture many times during training and alchemy, and already, he could sense its subtle benefits in steadying his mind.
He had originally slotted it to help him calm his mind during sword intent practice and hone his soul energy. But now wasn't the time for subtlety. The sword trial would test not just strength but will.
He looked at his points. Until now, he had hoarded them, uncertain when they'd be needed most.
But today, as he sat in silent meditation, he made a decision.
'If I don't use what I have now… when will I?'
"Upgrade Tranquil Void Heart Scripture to Perfect Stage."
Cost: 200 Points
Confirm?
He didn't hesitate.
"Confirmed."
[200 Points consumed.]
[Upgrading…]
[Slot 4: Tranquil Void Heart Scripture → Perfect Stage]
[Effect Gained: Inner Sea of Stillness — Greatly improves resistance to mental interference, enhances clarity during battle, and increases focus when resisting illusion-type techniques. Thought processes become sharply ordered and immune to chaotic disruption. Enhances focus and spiritual control.]
A serene ripple spread through Li Qingyun's spiritual sea.
It was like a lake had formed within the depths of his consciousness—vast, motionless, and utterly calm. Even his heartbeat seemed to slow and synchronize with a deeper rhythm.
[Energy Remaining:] 223 Points
His mind, now clearer than it had ever been, drifted through training with effortless concentration. Time seemed to stretch, yet every moment was vivid.
_____
The days passed swiftly.
Weeks bled into one another like ripples through still water.
When the wind blew across the sparring fields, the name Li Qingyun began to surface again in whispers. Not because of anything he did outwardly, but because he was… unseen. Unheard. Unreachable.
Some said he was preparing for the trial.
Others thought he'd given up.
These rumors were spread because someone wants to highlight Li Qingyun, so when he will defeat him everyone will know who is the number one prodigy of Sky-Reaching Sword Sect. Of course it was Lu Yifan.
_____
Three Months Later.
The courtyard had changed. The stones beneath his feet were smoother from repeated footwork drills. The trees no longer dropped leaves unchallenged—every fallen branch had long since been swept away by blade wind.
His movement techniques flowed like mist. His sword strikes were clean, controlled, and carried layered intent.
And above all, his mind was steady—utterly unshakable.
Tomorrow would be a day of rest.
And the day after… the outer sect trial would begin.
Li Qingyun stood quietly in the center of his courtyard, Shadowfang sheathed on his back.
He didn't smile.
He simply exhaled.
And the breeze stirred the grass around him like a ripple on water.