Reflecting that Linfei cannot sense any layers of power still dormant in the ring, adding to the mystery of the artifact:
Linfei rose from his narrow bed, his body still aching from wounds old and new. Outside, servants moved by with lowered gazes, open scorn in their expressions. To the Lin Clan, he was only a burden—a cultivator so weak he barely counted, his presence met with silent contempt.
That morning, as he reached for a folded blanket in the corner, something cold tumbled out: a dull, silver ring. The moment it touched his palm, it chimed—a clear, resonant sound, as if struck by unseen light. The sound lingered, low and mysterious, wrapping around his senses and sending a strange warmth through his bones.
Curiosity overcame hesitation. Slipping the ring onto his finger, Linfei felt a surge, faint but unmistakable. When he sat in meditation—something that had always ended in frustration—a whisper of Qi gathered around him, swirling with new vigour. The ring pulsed, gently drawing spiritual energy from the world and focusing it into Linfei's core.
At first, the effect was subtle, but after days of wearing the plain, unremarkable ring—a simple band with no jewels or engravings to draw attention—Linfei felt something shift. The barrier that had held back his cultivation cracked open. A current of power shimmered in his dantian, the vital energy centre below his navel: he had broken through to the first stage of cultivation, Qi Refining—the essential foundation all cultivators must achieve.
Qi Refining marks the moment a practitioner truly senses and begins to gather spiritual energy (Qi), storing it within their body to strengthen their physical and spiritual core. It is a breakthrough from ordinary to cultivator, where one learns to absorb and refine the ambient energy of the world, improving vitality and opening pathways to higher power.
Though the ring aided his breakthrough, Linfei could not sense any hidden or dormant power within it. Its deeper mysteries remained locked behind an invisible veil, undiscoverable by his limited perception. This only added to the ring's enigma, leaving open the possibility that its full potential lay far beyond his current understanding.
His body soaked in the newfound energy, his aches dulled, and his heart, once heavy, lifted with hope.