Hanyuan slept for nearly twelve hours, a deep, restorative slumber that ignored the state of his room. The air was thick with the copper tang of dried blood and the pungent stench of the black impurities that had been forced from his body.
When his eyes finally fluttered open, it was already noon, and the high sun cast sharp rays through his window. Instead of the crushing pain of the previous three days, a fresh, boundless surge of vitality streamed through his limbs.
"This..." Hanyuan gasped, clenching his fists.
He focused internally and saw that his Dantian was no longer holding a mere thread of Qi. Instead, a steady, pulsing pool of silver-violet energy resided there. He had successfully broken through to the 2nd Layer of the Qi Refining Realm. But the transformation was more than just a rank; his meridians felt like widened riverbeds, and his bones and organs were reinforced with a resilient, icy density.
"What a truly miraculous pill," Hanyuan breathed, feeling as if his body were made of tempered jade.
He climbed out of bed, nearly gagging on the scent in the room, and headed downstairs. He found his mother in the kitchen, her back to him as she prepared a meal. She turned the moment she heard his footsteps, but before she could speak, her nose wrinkled in horror.
"Hanyuan! What is that smell? It's like you've been living in a sewer! Go and wash yourself this instant!"
Hanyuan didn't argue. He quickly filled a barrel with fresh water and scrubbed himself twice over. When the layers of black gunk were finally gone, he stepped out feeling as light as a feather. He donned his pristine White Disciple Robes and headed straight for the small training ground in the rear of the house.
He picked up his iron-tipped spear, feeling its weight with new eyes. He lunged forward with a basic pierce.
Sou!
The spear-tip tore through the dummy's stomach as if it were made of paper, burying itself deep in the wood with effortless precision.
"My physical strength is at least three times greater than before," Hanyuan noted, his voice tinged with surprise.
Now it was time for the real test. He channeled his newfound Qi into the spear, visualizing the Icy Current Thrust. A layer of frost bloomed over the iron shaft, and as he thrust forward, a focused beam of freezing Qi erupted from the tip. It bored a clean, frosted hole straight through the dummy's head.
"So strong!" he gasped, watching the frost crystals sparkle in the air. However, the surge of power had its price. A quick check of his Dantian revealed that a single technique had consumed nearly sixty percent of his Qi.
Wiping his brow, he immediately moved to the next form: the White Drift Block.
He spun the spear in a rapid, blurring circle before him. As the iron whipped through the air, creating a swirling cloud of dense, cold Qi that shimmered like a physical shield.
"The defensive potential is incredible," Hanyuan mused, his arms feeling the chill of his own technique. "But I'll need someone to actually attack me to gauge how much impact it can truly absorb."
Lastly, he tried to manifest the Returning Ice Arc. He began the wide sweep, but as he reached for the Qi to snap the arc back into a frozen "X," his Dantian flickered and went dark. He stumbled slightly, his breath coming in short bursts of mist.
"Empty already?" He shook his head with a wry smile.
Even with the 2nd Layer and the tempered meridians, his Qi was still that of a novice.
As he sat down to recover, the sounds of his father's return echoed through the front gate.
Hanyuan hurried to the front courtyard as his father strode through the gates. "Father!"
Bai Feng paused, his eyes softening as he looked at his son. "Hanyuan! Are you alright? about the match... and your injuries." He reached out, pulling the boy into a hearty, grounding embrace. However, as he let go, his brows shot up. His perception swept over Hanyuan, detecting a sharp, chilled vitality that hadn't been there a few days ago. "You... you broke through?"
Hanyuan's obsidian eyes sparkled with a grin. "I did. Elder Wei helped me with my recovery and my cultivation."
Bai Feng's face lit up with a massive, booming laugh. "Haha! Good! Brother Wei is truly a man of his word and a man of character. To reach the 2nd Layer so shortly after awakening is a feat that will surely shake those old geezers in the council."
His expression then shifted, turning a bit more solemn as he remembered the business of his trip. "Actually, Hanyuan, I have some news regarding your friend Chi Yanfeng. I saw Patriarch Chi during my meeting at the City Lord's estate."
"Yanfeng? Did something happen to him?" Hanyuan asked, his heart skipping a beat.
"Not in a bad way," Bai Feng explained. "It seems an Elder from the Burning Steel Valley was passing through our region. He took a liking to Yanfeng's 7-star Fire talent and offered to take him back to the sect as an inner disciple immediately. That is why he hasn't visited."
"The Burning Steel Valley?" Hanyuan tilted his head.
"They are a major power focused on fire cultivators," Bai Feng said, his gaze distant. "They are far more powerful than the meager clans here in Spirit Springs City. To a force like them, we are just a small village on the map."
Hanyuan felt a pang of loneliness. "So... I won't see Yanfeng anymore?"
"He will likely be allowed to return for a visit at the end of next year," Bai Feng said, patting Hanyuan's shoulder. "But when he does, his strength will have risen to terrifying heights. The resources of a great sect are incomparable."
Hanyuan went quiet for a moment. First Xueling with her pills, now Yanfeng with an entire sect. It felt as if the world was moving faster than he was.
They made their way to the Main Hall, where Lin Ruo had already laid out a feast. The table was piled with roasted vegetables, buttered potatoes, and high-quality Spirit Meat from a Tier 1 Forest Hog. A bottle of vintage wine sat by Bai Feng's plate, while a steaming pot of Spirit Tea was placed before Hanyuan.
"Eat up," Lin Ruo said, her eyes warm as she watched her family together. "No talk of sects or fighting for one hour."
After the hearty meal, Hanyuan excused himself. He didn't head for the front gates to show off his new level at the Main Training Ground. He didn't want to deal with Xueling's arrogance or the prying eyes of the other disciples yet.
Instead, he went straight back to the small, secluded training ground at the rear of their estate.
True to their word, both Elder Wei and Elder Ling appeared at the edge of the courtyard later that afternoon. Elder Ling still looked a bit disgruntled about his stolen wine, but his eyes were sharp as he watched Hanyuan's movements.
"Ready to work, Hanyuan?" Elder Wei asked, leaning his silver spear against a plum tree. "2nd Layer is a good start, but now you have to learn how to make that Qi last longer than a single strike."
Hanyuan gripped his spear, the iron cold and comforting in his palms. "I'm ready. I don't care if I have to strike ten thousand times tonight. I won't stop."