The moon rested high, casting a soft silver light over the quiet paths of the outer sect. Jiang Chen moved silently beneath the shadows of the stone corridors, returning to his modest residence.
As he stepped through the gate, his eyes caught a flicker of movement.
A young girl dressed in plain brown robes was setting down a wooden food tray at his doorstep. The moment she noticed Jiang Chen's arrival, she bowed deeply without looking up, then turned and departed without a word.
Jiang Chen paid her no attention. She was a mortal servant. Hundreds of mortals like her scurried about the sect every day, cleaning, delivering meals, laundering robes, emptying waste.
They were the lowest in the hierarchy.
Jiang Chen picked up the tray and entered.
Steam rose faintly from the bowls. Soup, rice, and a plate of stewed beast meat. He set it down on the small table and began eating in silence.
'Not bad,' he thought as he tasted the meat. 'A bit chewy, but rich in nutrition.'
Even cultivators were not exempt from hunger or sleep. But as one's cultivation deepened, the body would slowly transcend such needs. Eventually, food and rest became optional indulgences. At least, that's what Jiang Chen had heard.
As he chewed, his thoughts drifted back to the mission hall.
Wen Shan...
That conversation was still fresh in his mind. Not surprising. He had expected something like it, just not so soon.
His strength had only broken through recently, and yet already the waves were beginning to form. Strength was always a double-edged sword. It brought respect, but it also brought eyes.
Jiang Chen sighed softly.
He had imagined he would eventually draw attention. But for it to happen this fast... already the net of trouble was being cast.
Wen Shan was trying to pull him under Senior Brother Sun Jian's banner. And not without skill. The way he framed the offer, the benefits, the deference, the protection. It was a calculated proposal.
A mutually beneficial proposal.
But...
Jiang Chen knew better.
Beneath the surface of pleasantries, it was a leash that was being offered.
This Heavenly Tiger Sect, like any large organization, was a system. And systems had rules and regulations. Invisible hands that bound the strong and suppressed the independent. Unless one stood above the structure, he would always be inside it, subject to its currents.
A socially indifferent cultivator in such a place was like a lone raft adrift in a stormy sea, with blood-hungry sharks circling all around.
Jiang Chen had no delusions about remaining truly untouched by the politics of this place. The power struggles within the sect would reach him sooner or later. The only question was when and how.
Even if one tried to avoid them, others would pull them in. Not because they mattered, but because their position did. Because someone else saw them as a future threat or a pawn to be used.
And once you were noticed, it was already too late to feign invisibility.
Jiang Chen understood this well compared to most people his age.
He finished the last bite of meat, then sipped the remaining soup.
'Wen Shan will not give up so easily. No... more correct to say his uncle will not let him.'
During thier previous interactions, Jiang Chen had labeled Wen Shan as someone emotionally reactive. Even arrogant and small minded person who was proud of his minor background. But his uncle Wen Liang was a different matter.
That man was much more experienced and far more dangerous in conversation.
Just the fact that he had managed to hold his lucrative position in the mission hall for decades was enough for Jiang Chen to recognize his ability.
As for why Jiang Chen suspected Wen Liang's involvement, there were several reasons.
First, the obvious one. Wen Liang was Wen Shan's uncle.
The second lay in the glaring shift in Wen Shan's behavior. Even when Wen Shan first learned that Jiang Chen had completed a second-order mission alone, he hadn't seemed pleased. Nor did he make any effort to befriend him. If anything, his tone had remained stiff. And yet, his uncle had still insisted that Wen Shan hand over the healing cream.
It was a move to pacify the tension. Wen Shan himself hadn't seemed aware of it at the time.
But later that same day, when Jiang Chen returned to the mission hall to issue a task and ran into him again, Wen Shan's entire demeanor had changed. His face was full of practiced smiles, his mouth jammed with polished words. The usual temper he wore so openly had been buried neatly behind a mask of pretense.
For a petty man like Wen Shan to change so drastically in such a short span, there was no other explanation.
Wen Liang had intervened.
That much, Jiang Chen was certain of.
Jiang Chen leaned back in his chair, setting the bowl aside.
'But now that this good-for-nothing nephew of his was suddenly so diligent and obedient, listening well to his wise and capable uncle, putting aside his ego and acting all goody-goody with me, only to be met with rejection... Hehe, how could he not be full of anger and bitterness toward me, and even feel a little loathing toward that same uncle?'
'And how could that experienced uncle of his just sit by and watch? That would be an insult to his ability and seniority.'
'Wen Shan will try again. But if it were just him, it might be through some brutish method. That would not be beneficial to me. But with his experienced uncle… if that old fox has any brains, he'll use "it" to put pressure on me. And then play the hero.'
A faint smile curved Jiang Chen's lips.
'And that will be exactly what I want. Hehe.'
Jiang Chen rose from the table and carried the tray to the side. After washing his hands, he stepped into the small bathing area in the courtyard and stripped off his robe. The water was cold, but he didn't mind. It cleared the fatigue from his body and soothed his limbs. After drying off, he changed into clean robes and sat cross-legged on the cultivation cushion.
A faint breeze blew through the open window. The scent of pine and grass drifted in.
He closed his eyes.
'Advancing to the sixth layer is my next goal. After that, I'll refine my mastery of the Heavenly Tiger Fist.'
Jiang Chen reached into his pouch and retrieved two spirit stones. He placed one in each palm, fingers curling lightly.
The stones glowed faintly, spiritual essence flowing from them like mist. The energy seeped into his skin, then into his meridians, running along the mapped pathways through his arms and shoulders and chest. Slowly, it was drawn into his dantian, where it pooled like a quiet lake.
This energy was known as Qi, the spiritual essence of heaven and earth that filled all things in the world. Mountains, rivers, forests, and living beings all contained traces of it. Cultivators merely learned how to sense it, gather it, and refine it within their bodies.
The Qi Condensation stage was the first step on the path of longevity. At this stage, a cultivator sensed the Qi of heaven and earth and guided it into the dantian through their spiritual roots. This was where aptitude mattered. The higher the grade of one's spiritual roots, the more easily one could draw in and refine this energy.
The Qi Condensation realm itself was divided into fifteen layers. Each breakthrough represented a greater capacity to store and utilize spiritual energy. Aptitude played its role here as well. For those with inferior spiritual roots, every layer was like pushing against an iron gate. Progress came slowly, and each breakthrough demanded far greater effort than it did for the gifted.
Jiang Chen's dantian was like a crystal shell, and each breath of essence nourished it.
He fell into rhythm. Draw essence. Cycle it through the body. Let it settle. Then nurture. Repeat.
Hours passed.
The spirit stones in his hands grew dimmer. Outside, the wind picked up. Crickets sang in the dark. A few outer disciples in the distance could be heard returning from late-night errands.
Jiang Chen remained still, eyes closed and expression calm.
He was measuring progress.
'At this pace, two or three weeks should be enough. If I burn through the rest of my spirit stones without hesitation, I can break through.'
He opened his eyes.
It was past midnight. The lantern flame beside him had burned low, its wick trembling. He placed the spent spirit stones aside, their essence fully drained, and stretched his arms.
'Enough for tonight.'
He walked over to the bed, extinguished the lamp, and lay down.
The ceiling stared back at him in silence.
His journey had only just begun, and already the chains of this sect were tightening.
What awaited him further would not be easy, and he knew that. The struggles he had faced so far were only the first ripples of hardship. The trials yet to come would be far more cruel. Every step forward would be akin to walking into the jaws of beasts. There was no other way around it. This was the path of cultivation.
Still, the young Jiang Chen was ready.
With a slow breath, he let his eyes close.
And his world fell into darkness.