Dusk of the Second Day
Inside the silent cultivation chamber, the air shimmered faintly with spiritual density. The stillness was broken only by a soft mechanical chime:
> Ding!
Qi converted to Golden Qi: 17% → 38%
Ren Wei opened his eyes briefly. The golden threads of refined Qi danced along his skin like threads of molten silk.
He didn't flinch.
He didn't smile.
He simply closed his eyes again.
"Still not enough."
And the stillness returned.
---
By the third day's dusk, soft light filtered over the villa's courtyard as Sheng Lian stepped through the gate. Her footsteps were quiet, but purposeful.
The doors were open. The courtyard was still. No one greeted her.
"Ren Wei?" she called out, her voice calm but curious.
A moment later, Su Yao stepped out from the side hall, bowing with practiced elegance.
"Senior Sheng Lian."
Sheng Lian folded her arms lightly. "Where is he? I thought the week was over."
Su Yao tilted her head slightly, a knowing smile playing at her lips.
"He completed his cultivation two days ago."
Sheng Lian blinked. "Two… days ago?"
"Yes," Su Yao said softly. "Then he went into seclusion again. For another week."
There was a pause.
Sheng Lian's brows lifted slightly, but she said nothing. No sharp remark. No curiosity shown.
She turned and walked out of the villa in silence.
---
Noon of the Third Day
Back in the chamber, golden light pulsed more fiercely now — not like a glow, but like the slow heartbeat of something about to awaken.
Then—
> Ding!
Qi converted to Golden Qi: 38% → 52%
Ren Wei didn't open his eyes this time.
He simply breathed deeper.
And continued forward.
---
The doors to the Lian Sect's main hall opened with a quiet groan as Sheng Lian stepped inside, her steps urgent but composed.
She bowed lightly before her father, Lian Xuanyan, who stood with his hands clasped behind his back, eyes gazing out into the sky through the tall windows.
"Father, Ren Wei—"
"Did you feel it?" Lian Xuanyan interrupted, voice calm but sharp.
Sheng Lian blinked. "Feel what?"
He turned slightly, gaze narrowing.
"That brat… he's trying to reach the Golden Core Realm."
Her breath caught.
"G-Golden Core?!?!" she stammered. "At this age?! He's not even seventeen!"
Lian Xuanyan turned fully now, face still composed.
"There are monsters in this world, Lian'er… the kind that don't belong on the charts we use to measure others. That boy—he's one of them."
Silence hung in the hall like a blade on a thread. Sheng Lian didn't speak.
Then, after a minute, her father spoke again.
"One week from now. Whatever duties you have, drop them. Visit Ren Wei."
She didn't ask why. She simply bowed deeply.
"Yes, Father."
She turned and exited, her robes trailing behind her.
Lian Xuanyan remained, staring into the sky. His expression unreadable.
Then, quietly to himself:
"Suiren… what kind of monster have you backed?"
---
In the quiet stillness of Han Crest's inner hall, Han Suiren sat alone, his fingers gently tapping the armrest of his chair. His gaze was unfocused—lost in thought.
Then—
A familiar voice tore through the silence, rough with shock and barely restrained joy.
"Do you feel it, Suiren?!"
Han Suiren snapped upright, looking toward the entrance. Elder Gu Haoran stood there, eyes wide with disbelief, almost trembling.
Han Suiren narrowed his eyes.
"You? Shocked? Even you—who once defeated Wei Wuxian back when you were still at the Master Realm?"
> [Yes, this is the man who became a legend for fifty years after defeating Wei Wuxian.]
Gu Haoran laughed, bitter and wild.
"I'm seventy-three years old, Suiren. I spent fifty years crawling from Qi Refinement Level 9 to Golden Core Level 9. And now…"
He exhaled sharply.
"I can feel it. This planet can't offer me the next step. But that brat… in barely a month and a half—he's about to ascend."
Han Suiren tried to stay composed. "It's not confirmed. He hasn't broken through yet."
Gu Haoran stepped forward, his voice low.
"Don't lie to yourself. You know it. I know it. Just feel his aura, Suiren. You've felt it before. And it's only rising."
Han Suiren didn't answer. His gaze darkened.
> "What… does he want to tell me?"
He clenched his fist silently, eyes narrowing.
> "Did I miscalculate?"
> "No… worse."
> "Did I trap myself in a monster's game?"