The seclusion chamber at the rear of Li-Wen's courtyard was small, dimly lit, and smelled faintly of aged bamboo and dried ink. Sunlight filtered through the paper latticework of the wooden window, casting geometric golden squares across the woven straw mat on the floor.
Li-Wen sat cross-legged at the center of the room, his breathing so slow and subtle that a passerby might have mistaken him for a carved stone statue. Suspended three inches above his upturned right palm was the Earth-Vein Dragon Essence Root.
In its natural state, the root appeared to be nothing more than a gnarled, muddy branch of rotten firewood. But under the intense focus of Li-Wen's Divine Sense, the thick, petrified outer bark began to show fine hairline fractures.
"The earthly energy buried within this root has lain dormant for three centuries," Li-Wen murmured, his voice echoing softly in the quiet room. "To draw it out without destroying its delicate medicinal structure requires an alchemical technique far beyond the comprehension of this mortal realm."
Instead of using physical fire or standard Ki flames, Li-Wen activated the single golden Celestial Rune already carved onto his spine.
Buzz...
A low, resonant frequency vibrated through his ribs. A faint golden shimmer erupted from his skin, wrapping around his arm like a spiraling thread of liquid light. As the golden thread touched the muddy root, a soft sizzle filled the room.
The thick, stone-like bark slowly disintegrated into fine gray dust, scattering onto the straw mat below. What remained in Li-Wen's palm was a translucent, amber-colored crystal that resembled a miniature writhing dragon. A heavy, suffocating scent of concentrated mineral essence instantly filled the sealed room, making the wooden beams creak under the sudden surge of localized spiritual pressure.
Without a moment of hesitation, Li-Wen opened his mouth and swallowed the amber crystal whole.
BOOM!
The moment the Earth-Vein Dragon Essence Root dissolved in his stomach, a torrent of chaotic, heavy energy erupted inside his digestive tract. It felt as though he had swallowed a bucket of molten iron! The raw, unrefined earth energy rushed violently through his newly opened meridians, attempting to burst his internal channels and shatter his organs.
Ordinary cultivators who attempted to consume an unrefined Earth-Vein root directly would have had their bodies torn to shreds within seconds, their bones pulverized into dust by the elemental recoil.
Yet, Li-Wen's face remained an unreadable lake of absolute tranquility.
"A mere drop of mortal earth energy dares to rage before a God Emperor?" Li-Wen sneered internally.
He immediately executed the second tier of the Void Sovereign Technique.
Controlling his breath with terrifying precision, Li-Wen forced his internal Third-Stage Ki to act as an anvil while his soul-force operated as a massive hammer. He drove the heavy, molten earth energy away from his fragile internal organs and channeled it directly into his skeletal system.
Sizzle... Crackle...
An excruciating, bone-tearing agony flooded his nervous system. The heavy earth essence began to coat his spinal column, seeping into the marrow and forcibly compressing the microscopic density of his bone structure. Every vertebra felt as if it were being crushed between two grinding millstones, stripped of mortal impurities, and forged anew with stellar density.
Sweat poured down Li-Wen's face, turning into white steam the moment it touched his scalding skin. His clothes were soaked, and the straw mat beneath him began to singe and turn black from the sheer heat radiating from his body.
Hours bled into one another in absolute stillness. Day turned into night, and the silver illumination of the moon replaced the golden rays of the sun through the paper window.
Deep within his back, right beneath the first golden rune, a second, intricate divine rune began to form. It was dark, abyssal gray, resembling the skeletal outline of a ancient dragon coiled around his spine.
THUMP!
A heavy, muffled thunderclap echoed inside Li-Wen's body.
The lingering chaotic energy in his stomach vanished entirely, absorbed to the very last drop by the newly completed rune.
Li-Wen opened his eyes. A flash of dark, heavy gray light erupted from his pupils, piercing through the dim darkness of the room before fading into the depths of his eyes.
Slowly, he stood up.
The second rune—the Abyssal Bone Rune—was complete!
Li-Wen lightly clenched his right fist. He didn't channel a single drop of Ki, yet the simple act of flexing his fingers produced a loud, air-compressing pop. His bone density had increased tenfold; his skeleton was now as dense and indestructible as black stellar iron. A single casual blow from his physical body could now shatter the defense of a Seventh-Stage Ki-Refine expert!
Furthermore, the excess energy from the Dragon Essence Root had naturally pushed his cultivation realm forward.
"Fourth Stage of Ki-Refine," Li-Wen noted calmly, feeling the dense, liquid-like Ki flowing smoothly through his refined meridians. "Four stages in less than two days. Not bad for a vessel that was considered a crippled waste forty-eight hours ago."
While Li-Wen was consolidating his breakthrough in the quiet bamboo yard, a sinister meeting was taking place in the grand underground sanctuary beneath the Second Elder's private quarters.
The room was lit by flickering blue torches mounted on stone pillars. Heavy silk curtains blocked any sound from escaping to the surface.
Wu-Guang, the Second Elder, sat behind a carved stone desk. Sitting across from him was a tall man clad in a long, dark velvet cloak embroidered with the motif of a coiled viper. The man's face was hidden beneath a silver mask, and an aura of icy, suffocating pressure radiated from his frame—an expert at the Foundation Establishment Realm, a level far above the simple Ki-Refine stage!
Beside Wu-Guang stood Wu-Tian. His right arm was no longer limp; a faint, dark red glow radiated from beneath his skin as he swallowed the last residue of the Tier-Two Flame Marrow Pill purchased from the Dark Market. His aura was volatile, wildly fluctuating as his cultivation violently forced its way into the peak of the Fifth Stage of Ki-Refine!
"Hahaha!" Wu-Tian laughed, flexing his newly empowered fingers as red sparks danced over his knuckles. "Fifth Stage! I can feel the violent flame energy coursing through my veins! With this power, that little bastard Li-Wen won't even be able to take a single hit from my Iron Leaf Palm!"
"Do not get overly confident, Tian'er," Wu-Guang warned, though a smug grin sat on his face. He then turned and bowed respectfully toward the silver-masked man. "Envoy Xuan, we are deeply grateful that the Shadow Viper Pavilion was willing to supply us with the Flame Marrow Pill on such short notice."
The masked man, Envoy Xuan, let out a raspy, metallic chuckle that sent a shiver down Wu-Tian's spine.
"The Shadow Viper Pavilion is always willing to assist those who know their place," Envoy Xuan said, his voice sounding like two rusty blades scraping together. "Our pavilion master is very pleased with the deal we made. In exchange for elevating your son and helping you seize the Clan Head position during the Family Assessment, you will transfer seventy percent of the Wu family's iron mines in the northern mountain range to our control."
Wu-Guang's eyes twitched slightly. Seventy percent of the iron mines was essentially handing over the family's greatest economic lifeline!
However, the greed for supreme power overrode his hesitation. Once he became the Clan Head, he could easily exploit the family's remaining assets to enrich himself.
"It is a fair trade," Wu-Guang nodded heavily. "Wu-Wen has grown far too soft. He spends family funds trying to heal his useless son instead of expanding our territory. Once my son Wu-Tian cripples Li-Wen on the martial stage in front of all the elders and branch leaders, Wu-Wen will have no choice but to abdicate!"
Envoy Xuan leaned forward slightly, his silver mask gleaming under the blue torchlight. "I heard rumors that the boy killed Boss Bear of the Black Bear Gang with a single bare-handed strike yesterday morning. Is there any truth to this?"
Wu-Tian spat on the stone floor in disdain. "Nonsense! Boss Bear was a careless idiot who probably suffered an internal Ki backfire during his fight! Li-Wen is just a cowardly waste who took advantage of the situation to put on a show! On the assessment stage, where no sneaky tricks are allowed, I will personally rip his tongue out for daring to humiliate me!"
Envoy Xuan remained silent for a moment, his masked face unreadable. "Be that as it may, the Shadow Viper Pavilion leaves nothing to chance. I have brought a small gift for you, Young Master Tian."
Envoy Xuan reached into his dark cloak and pulled out a small, jet-black wooden box, placing it smoothly on the stone desk.
Wu-Tian opened the box. Resting on a bed of crimson silk was a slender, black steel needle no longer than an index finger. The tip of the needle shimmered with an eerie, dark green sheen that emitted a faint, nauseating scent.
"The Seven-Night Paralysis Needle," Envoy Xuan whispered darkly. "It contains the compressed venom of a Tier-Two Shadow Viper. Conceal it in your sleeve during the duel. Even if that boy somehow possesses some unknown physical artifact that allows him to withstand your Fifth-Stage Ki, a single scratch from this needle will paralyze his nervous system instantly, turning his blood into thick mud within three breaths. It leaves no trace on the skin that a standard doctor can detect."
Wu-Tian's eyes burned with vicious delight as he picked up the small box with utmost care. "A subtle, undetectable venom! Hahaha! Excellent! Even if he has nine lives, he won't be escaping the assessment arena alive!"
Wu-Guang smiled darkly, raising a cup of wine toward the masked envoy. "To our victory three weeks from now!"
Late into the night, a quiet wind blew across the rooftops of the Wu Estate.
Li-Wen stood on the wooden balcony of his private room, looking out over the sprawling estate illuminated by distant lanterns. His long black hair fluttered in the night breeze, and his golden-tinged eyes easily pierced through the darkness, sensing the subtle, foul aura of shadow cultivation lingering near the Second Elder's courtyard in the distance.
With his refined Divine Sense, Li-Wen had felt the brief, volatile surge of the Foundation Establishment expert's presence earlier that evening.
"Shadow Viper Pavilion..." Li-Wen murmured, a cold, mocking smile playing at the corners of his lips. "An underground assassination guild interfering in a minor merchant clan's internal affairs. Wu-Guang is truly desperate, colluding with dark sects just to grab a petty title."
Li-Wen stretched his arms, feeling the terrifying, mountain-crushing physical power coiled within his skeleton thanks to the newly forged Abyssal Bone Rune.
"Let them gather their poison, their pills, and their dark assassins," Li-Wen whispered into the night air, his voice carrying the calm, absolute confidence of an immortal ruler. "The higher they build their grand illusions, the more spectacular their destruction will be when the stage falls."
Closing his window, Li-Wen sat back down on his straw mat, entering deep meditation once more as he began preparing to pave his way toward the Fifth Stage of Ki-Refine.
See you in next chapter....