Jiang Yi's new life as a probationary Outer Disciple began immediately, and it was a masterpiece of orchestrated misery.
He was moved from the rough servant barracks to the Outer Court dormitories—a communal room where eight disciples shared cramped, barely cleaner quarters. His possessions consisted of his hemp robes, his broom (now useless), and the jade scroll (hidden).
His new "Senior Brother," Meng Li, made his intentions perfectly clear on the first evening.
"You are a ghost, Jiang Yi," Meng Li hissed, cornering him in a storage closet. "You stole the Qi from the Depository. You absorbed the residue of an Elder's Qi-probe. You walk like a waste, but you move like a Foundation Master. You possess a secret, and I will find it. If you slip up once, I will personally break your meridians."
Meng Li's powerful Fourth Stage aura pressed down on Jiang Yi. For a true Third Stage cultivator, the pressure would be crippling.
Jiang Yi, however, remained outwardly frail, the Dust Cloak Method making his inner strength undetectable. He bowed his head, his face pale. "Senior Brother Li, I am a new disciple. I only wish to follow your guidance."
"Guidance," Meng Li sneered. "Very well. Your assignment is simple: you will attend every mandatory class, you will practice the Basic Qi Circulation Method—the lowest form of training—and you will do so under my direct supervision every night."
This was Meng Li's trap: constant, intense scrutiny. He intended to watch Jiang Yi cultivate until the moment the servant's true, brilliant Qi manifested.
The next few days were an exhausting facade.
During the mandatory morning cultivation sessions in the open yard, Jiang Yi sat cross-legged, performing the Basic Qi Circulation Method. He would deliberately cultivate at the slow, painful pace of a true waste, drawing in the ambient Heaven and Earth Qi (which his Sphere instantly refined into azure liquid), and then using the Dust Cloak to immediately bleed off 99% of his spiritual presence. He allowed the resulting small amount of azure liquid to gather in his core, barely enough to keep the engine running, while expending immense mental effort to maintain the illusion of pathetic failure.
Meng Li watched, utterly frustrated. "Your progression is agonizingly slow, Jiang Yi! You are worse than a First Stage!"
"My apologies, Senior Brother," Jiang Yi would cough weakly. "My meridians feel sluggish."
But while the Outer Court saw a failure, Jiang Yi was secretly gaining an unforeseen advantage: Precision Control.
The constant mental strain of maintaining perfect concealment while simultaneously cultivating a pure core gave him unparalleled control over his energy flow. He could now move a single thread of azure Qi through his body with the finesse of a tailor guiding a needle.
This control was essential for his breakthrough to the Fourth Stage, which was now imminent. He needed a final, large cache of Qi—a source so massive that even Meng Li's constant presence wouldn't matter.
He found the perfect target: The Forbidden Archive Balcony.
The Archive was the library of the Outer Court, guarded by simple, low-grade defensive formations. But on its second level, there was a balcony reserved for high-ranking elders. A massive, high-grade Jade Altar sat there, radiating a constant flow of ambient Qi to keep the atmosphere stable for the ancient scrolls. It was a source of pure energy, guarded primarily by the high visibility of the location.
That night, Jiang Yi waited until the disciples in his barracks were asleep. He used his enhanced Spider Step to navigate the moonlit rooftops of the Outer Court. He was no longer gliding; he was practically flying, using minuscule bursts of azure Qi to cling to vertical surfaces.
He reached the Archive and swiftly ascended to the second level balcony. The Jade Altar glowed softly, a beacon of high-grade Qi.
As Jiang Yi approached, he saw a black shadow detach itself from the inner wall.
It was Meng Li.
"I knew it," Meng Li hissed, blocking the path to the Jade Altar. "You came here for the Qi, you secretive bastard. You thought my scrutiny ended at the dormitories? Now, the façade ends. I will report you to Elder Xuan for attempting to steal sect resources. And before the Elder arrives, I will remove the hidden artifact in your palm!"
Meng Li launched forward, his Fourth Stage power erupting in a blast of air. He didn't use a subtle technique; he used a savage, high-speed grapple, aiming to pin Jiang Yi and search his body.
Jiang Yi's response was instant and devastating.
He initiated the Dust Cloak Method, but instead of using it to hide, he used it as an offensive feint. He let the aura of weakness vanish a second before Meng Li reached him.
For one paralyzing moment, Meng Li saw the pure, dazzling light of the Peak Third Stage core, momentarily confusing his attack trajectory. That single moment of hesitation was all Jiang Yi needed.
Jiang Yi did not fight power with power. He fought speed with control.
He used the Spider Step not to evade, but to re-route the attack. He slammed his foot down and rotated his body in a tight, impossible arc, making Meng Li's charge overshoot by inches.
As Meng Li stumbled past, Jiang Yi didn't strike. Instead, he reached out his right hand and slammed his palm—the one bearing the Azure Sphere—onto the Jade Altar.
"NO!" Meng Li screamed, realizing the boy's true intention.
Jiang Yi initiated the Minor Flow Convergence Array with the full, unfiltered power of his Peak Third Stage core. The Array didn't just scavenge the residual Qi; it violently ripped the constant, massive output of the High-Grade Jade Altar into his body.
CRAAACKLE.
The Altar shrieked, its immense energy pouring into the Azure Sphere. The refinement process was brutal—a massive, overwhelming influx of raw power.
Meng Li watched in horror as the Jade Altar, worth a fortune, faded rapidly from green to white, its Qi being sucked dry.
Jiang Yi's body went rigid, his muscles seizing as the Fourth Stage breakthrough began, fueled by the sheer purity of the refined Qi.