Morning arrived quietly at Riverstone Regional Academy, not with bells or horns, but with the low murmur of cultivators already awake, drawing in qi before the sun fully crested the distant hills. Mist clung to the stone paths like a living thing, coiling around courtyards and training platforms before slowly retreating under the warmth of dawn.
Lin Wei stood at the edge of the outer training grounds, breathing steadily.
Inhale.
Exhale.
The qi here was thinner than the Lin Family estate's ancestral grounds, yet purer in a strange way—less constrained, less shaped by old formations. It flowed freely, testing those who tried to grasp it. Lin Wei welcomed that resistance. It reminded him that cultivation was never meant to be easy.
His palms tingled faintly as he guided qi through his meridians. It was still clumsy, still uneven, but no longer painful. That alone was proof of progress.
Behind him, footsteps crunched softly against gravel.
"You're up early again."
Lin Wei opened his eyes and turned. Chen Yu leaned against a stone pillar nearby, arms crossed, a half-smile on his face. His robe was neatly tied, but his hair was slightly disheveled, as though he'd debated whether sleep or cultivation was more important and lost to both.
"You too," Lin Wei replied.
Chen Yu shrugged. "Couldn't sleep. Everyone's talking about the inner assessment."
Lin Wei frowned slightly. "It's still weeks away."
"Weeks disappear fast here." Chen Yu straightened, his expression turning more serious. "Especially for people like us."
Lin Wei understood what he meant. Outer disciples lived in a constant state of quiet pressure. Every assessment, every ranking shift, every whisper from an elder could determine whether you advanced—or faded into irrelevance.
They walked together toward the stone benches lining the grounds. A few other students trained nearby, exchanging techniques or quietly competing over whose qi circulation looked more refined.
Chen Yu lowered his voice. "I heard something yesterday. From an inner disciple."
Lin Wei glanced at him. "That alone sounds dangerous."
Chen Yu chuckled softly. "He didn't mean to say it out loud. Apparently, the academy is opening a minor secret realm soon. Not the big one everyone dreams of—but enough to change things."
Lin Wei's steps slowed. "A secret realm… here?"
"Nearby," Chen Yu corrected. "Linked to the academy through an old array. They say it's unstable, which is why only outer and select inner disciples will be allowed."
Risk and opportunity always walked hand in hand.
Lin Wei felt a faint stir deep within his chest—not excitement, but awareness. Secret realms were unpredictable. Rewards could be immense, but so could the danger.
"Does Elder Mo know?" Lin Wei asked.
"He's overseeing it," Chen Yu said. "Which means the competition will be brutal."
They fell silent for a moment, both imagining the same thing: disciples fighting not just beasts or formations, but each other.
Chen Yu broke the silence. "You've changed, you know."
Lin Wei looked at him again.
"Since the entrance trial," Chen Yu continued. "Back then, you looked like someone trying not to drown. Now…" He hesitated, searching for the right words. "Now you look like someone learning how to swim."
Lin Wei let out a quiet breath. "I'm still far from the shore."
"Aren't we all?" Chen Yu smiled faintly, then clapped Lin Wei on the shoulder. "Just don't disappear on me when you reach it."
After Chen Yu left for his assigned duties, Lin Wei returned to his practice. He adjusted his stance, recalling the academy technique Elder Mo had demonstrated days earlier. It wasn't powerful, but it was efficient—designed to refine control rather than force.
As he moved, qi responded more readily than before.
That was when the familiar, cold voice echoed in his mind.
[Host's foundation stability has increased.]
[Qi circulation efficiency: improved.]
Lin Wei's expression remained calm, but inwardly, he was alert.
The system had been quiet for days. Too quiet.
He slowed his movements, letting his breathing settle.
"What are you waiting for?" he asked silently.
There was a brief pause.
[System analysis ongoing.]
[Current stage nearing threshold.]
Lin Wei's heart skipped slightly. Threshold.
Qi Refining.
He had felt it for days now—a thin wall he could almost see, almost touch. Every cycle of cultivation pressed against it, testing its strength.
But he didn't force it.
Experience, both his own and inherited through observation, told him that rushing this step could shatter more than just progress.
The system spoke again.
[System evolution condition pending.]
[Primary trigger: Host advancement to Qi Refining Stage.]
So it remembered.
Good.
Lin Wei exhaled slowly and dismissed the thought, returning his focus to the present. If he broke through today, so be it. If not, tomorrow would come.
By midday, the academy was alive with activity. Lin Wei attended a lecture on basic formation recognition—dry, but necessary—before heading to the resource hall to exchange contribution points.
The hall buzzed with restrained energy. Disciples lined up at various counters, some trading beast cores, others arguing softly with attendants over point values.
Lin Wei approached a quieter desk, placing a small pouch on the counter.
The attendant, a middle-aged cultivator with sharp eyes, inspected its contents. "Three low-grade spirit herbs. Decent quality."
"How many points?" Lin Wei asked.
"Eighteen," the man replied. "You cultivate steadily. No wasted resources."
Lin Wei inclined his head slightly, accepting the jade token he was handed.
As he turned, he nearly collided with someone.
"Watch it," a cold voice said.
Lin Wei looked up to see a tall disciple in darker robes, an inner disciple judging by the emblem at his waist. The man's gaze lingered, sharp and dismissive.
"My apologies," Lin Wei said calmly, stepping aside.
The inner disciple snorted and walked away without another word.
Around them, no one spoke. No one ever did.
Lin Wei clenched his fingers briefly, then relaxed them.
Strength. That was the only language that mattered here.
Later that evening, as lanterns lit the paths and the academy settled into a quieter rhythm, Lin Wei sat alone in his assigned quarters. A single candle flickered on the low table before him.
He placed his hands on his knees and closed his eyes.
This time, when he drew in qi, it surged.
Not violently—but decisively.
His meridians widened, accommodating the flow rather than resisting it. The wall he had sensed for days appeared before him, thin as glass.
He didn't hesitate.
With one final, steady breath, he pushed.
The barrier shattered silently.
Qi flooded his dantian, settling into a new, stable rhythm.
Lin Wei's eyes snapped open.
The world felt sharper.
Clearer.
Before he could fully process the change, the system's voice rang out—no longer distant, but resonant.
[Congratulations.]
[Host has entered Qi Refining Stage: Initial Level.]
The candle flame trembled.
[System evolution initiating…]