The Deep Woods smelled different—not of clean mountain air, but of decay, damp earth, and the sharp, metallic tang of unrefined spirit energy. This was the territory of Outer and even Inner Disciples, a place Jiang Yi was only supposed to enter if he was delivering a load of lumber.
He used the Spider Step to navigate the dense undergrowth. The low-grade movement technique, refined by the azure Qi, allowed him to step on loose gravel and brittle ferns without making a sound. He didn't break a single twig, moving with the preternatural silence of a trained assassin.
His objective was simple: find a failed or abandoned outpost, or the refuse pile of a high-level cultivation session. The higher the rank of the discarded stone, the more residual energy he could scavenge.
After two hours of silent movement, he found it. Tucked into a narrow cleft of rock, protected from the rain, was an old, abandoned campsite. It was clear a high-ranking Outer Disciple, perhaps one attempting a breakthrough, had been here recently. There were scorch marks on the ground, indicating a powerful, uncontrolled Qi burst, and several pieces of shattered bronze equipment—likely failed artifacts.
And there, carelessly tossed into a pile of ash, was the prize.
It was a piece of stone the size of Jiang Yi's fist. It was dull grey, but instead of the faint blue cloudiness of the low-grade stones, this one had thick, dark purple veins running through it. It was a High-Grade Spirit Stone Husk, drained but not exhausted.
The moment he touched it, the desperate hunger in his dantian flared. This stone, even depleted, contained more usable energy than all the low-grade husks in the refinement hall combined.
Jiang Yi worked fast. He used his iron rod to scrape a small, clean patch of earth. He placed the massive husk in the center and, without needing stabilizers, sat cross-legged opposite it. His body was the anchor, his will the formation.
He initiated the Minor Flow Convergence Array.
This time, the formation felt less like a trick and more like an integral part of his body. The azure mark in his palm glowed, projecting a network of ephemeral, shimmering light that encased the purple stone.
Sssssssss.
The sound of energy being ripped from the stone was audible this time, a high-pitched whine. The purple veins in the husk began to crackle, releasing a thick, rich vapor of purple Qi that was immediately sucked into Jiang Yi's body.
The sphere's ability was brutal and efficient. The purple Qi—which would have been dangerously volatile for a novice—was instantly filtered, cleansed of all chaotic trace, and condensed into a torrential stream of pure, vital azure liquid.
It poured into his dantian. The tiny puddle of liquid from yesterday's scavenging session became a swirling, roaring vortex.
RUMBLE.
A low, internal thunder shook Jiang Yi's bones. He felt his veins swell, his flesh grow hot, and his skin tighten violently, like leather stretching over metal. The purification process wasn't painless; it was a violent rebirth that threatened to tear his body apart.
Then, the barrier broke.
Second Stage of Body Tempering!
The strength of his flesh doubled instantly. He felt the capacity of his dantian expand, ready to hold more of the dense azure liquid. He could move faster, hit harder, and his perception of the world became sharper still. He could see the intricate patterns on the leaves thirty feet away and smell the faint musk of wild beasts over the general decay.
The purple husk, now completely white and fragile, shattered into a handful of fine sand.
Jiang Yi opened his eyes, feeling the raw, exhilarating power thrumming beneath his skin. The hunger was finally gone, replaced by a satisfying fullness.
But the surge of energy hadn't gone unnoticed.
Rustle. Snap.
His hyper-sensitive hearing immediately registered a rapid, low-to-the-ground movement in the thicket twenty feet to his right. It was too heavy for a rabbit, too swift for a snake.
A Shadow Rat. A low-level Spirit Beast that fed on residual Qi and the discarded meat of stronger animals. Its body was nearly invisible in the gloom, cloaked in a natural dark mist, and its claws were razor sharp. It was attracted by the massive, brief flare of pure Qi from his breakthrough.
The Shadow Rat burst from the bushes, a streak of black malice, aiming for Jiang Yi's throat.
Jiang Yi reacted before the threat was even fully visible. He didn't need to cultivate an offensive skill; he just needed raw, refined physical strength.
He used the Spider Step to shift his weight laterally, dodging the rat's first, clawing pass. Then, without setting his feet, he pivoted and slammed his right fist straight down with the full power of his newly advanced Second Stage Body Tempering realm.
The air cracked.
His fist didn't connect with bone; it connected with the rat's protective Qi-shroud. The sound was like striking stone with an iron hammer. The Spirit Beast squeaked once—a high, pained cry—and was hurled twenty feet back, limp, before it even hit the ground. Its Qi-shroud had completely collapsed.
Jiang Yi stood over the dead beast, his breath steady.
It was nothing, he thought, looking at his unbruised knuckles. A Second Stage Body Tempering cultivator shouldn't be able to kill a Spirit Beast with a single punch.
He realized that the purity of the azure Qi, combined with the extreme physical refinement of his shell, was creating a gap in power that far exceeded his nominal rank. He was a Second Stage, but he hit like a Third or even Fourth Stage cultivator.
He retrieved the Shadow Rat's tiny, dull core—a worthless scrap of crystallized Qi, but a vital piece of evidence. He needed to hide all proof of his success.
As he concealed the rat's remains and smoothed over the disturbed earth, a sense of cold dread settled over him.
If a Spirit Beast could sense that flare of Qi, then the powerful Elders and Masters of the Azure Cloud Sect—who sat in their temples above the clouds—could surely feel the brief, violent, and unnatural purity of his breakthrough.
I need to learn how to hide this energy, he thought, gripping the jade scroll's knowledge. A powerful cultivation method means nothing if it gets me killed before I can reach the next level.