Merin and his team leave the room together and walk toward the dining hall.
Their footsteps are unhurried, their expressions relaxed, the tension of earlier matters temporarily set aside.
They enter a private room where the rest of the team is already waiting, wine poured and dishes laid out neatly.
As soon as Merin steps inside, voices rise in greeting.
"Congratulations, Lieutenant."
"Well deserved."
"To the next promotion."
Merin nods once in acknowledgement and takes his seat.
When everyone settles, he looks at the four captains under his command and speaks evenly.
"Which one of you wants to take the bodyguard duty?"
The room quiets.
Protecting Shen Ling is only one of their missions, and it does not require the presence of all four captains and their teams.
More importantly, bodyguard duty places one close to noble circles—an opportunity for those without noble backgrounds to build connections.
Gong Qiu speaks first, without hesitation.
"I will follow the captain."
Merin's gaze shifts.
Ye Ran shakes her head slightly.
"I feel uncomfortable around Shen Ling."
Li Yan snorts softly.
"I don't like bodyguard duty."
Zhou Wenjie glances at the others, then smiles faintly.
"Then I'll take the mission."
Merin nods.
"Captain Zhou will take the assignment."
The decision is accepted without dispute.
A few minutes later, Merin stands.
With him present, the atmosphere never truly relaxes, and he can feel the restraint his presence imposes on the others.
More importantly, he feels bored.
Cultivation calls.
He leaves the room quietly, heading back toward his quarters.
To the outside world, Duan Merin is at the ninth stage of the Blood Seal Realm.
In truth, his cultivation has already reached the fifth stage of the Inner Five Element Seal Realm.
He can break through to the Four Outer Element Seal Realm at any moment.
He simply chooses not to.
He has not yet pushed the Inner Five Elements to their limit.
He has only opened the seals of the five organs.
For most people, that is already enough.
Once the five organ seals are opened, the majority choose to break through immediately into the next realm.
Power increases, status rises, and the road ahead looks smooth.
But Merin has never walked the easy road.
Geniuses and the truly ambitious do not stop at merely opening the seals.
They master the power contained within one organ—or all five—before taking the next step.
Those who aspire toward the Soul Awakening Realm go even further.
They combine the power of the five organs and begin refining their Qi.
This refinement can be done nine times in the Inner Five Elements Seal Realm, producing the legendary golden-colored Divine Qi.
Most so-called geniuses refine their Qi only once or twice, sometimes three times at most, forming Bronze Qi and calling it an achievement.
It is already enough for the reputation.
But it is not enough for Merin.
As realms advance, warriors are naturally disadvantaged against cultivators.
A cultivator's Qi grows broader and more flexible, allowing them to cast more spells, unleash greater destructive power, and strike from a distance.
A cultivator can kill a warrior before the warrior even closes the gap.
The Inner Five Elements Seal Realm corresponds to the third stage of the Spirit Refining Realm.
From this point onward, the difference between the two paths becomes stark.
However, refining Qi changes that balance.
With Bronze Qi, a warrior can form Qi Armour around the body, blocking minor spells and reducing the cultivator's advantage.
With Silver Qi, a warrior can manifest Qi Wings, eliminating the weakness of mobility and range.
With Golden Qi, a warrior can project Qi outward, striking at a distance.
At that point, the gap between warrior and cultivator nearly disappears.
Aside from lifespan, there is little difference left.
Merin stands precisely at that threshold.
He is already combining the power of his five organs.
And his ambition is clear.
Not Bronze.
Not Silver.
Golden Qi.
And not merely forming it, but refining it to its limit.
As soon as possible.
He rises from his seat and turns back toward the private room.
"Enjoy yourselves," he says calmly.
They try to stop him, voices overlapping, but Merin is already walking away.
Outside, the night air is cool and still.
And there, waiting in the corridor, stands his cousin—
Yueqing straightens when she sees him.
She bows her head slightly.
"Master."
Merin pauses for half a breath.
She looks nervous.
Not flustered.
Not shy.
Nervous in the way someone becomes when they are carrying something heavy and fragile at the same time.
"Do you need anything?" he asks.
"Yes," Yueqing says quickly. "I informed you earlier that the miracle doctor from Dongji Province agreed to become our family pill refiner."
Merin turns and begins walking toward the lobby.
Yueqing falls into step beside him.
"She has arrived."
"Good," Merin replies, unhurried. "Invite her to meet me for lunch tomorrow."
They reach the lobby.
Merin turns to leave.
Behind him, Yueqing's voice rises, sharper than protocol allows.
"Cousin—wait."
Merin stops.
That word does not belong here.
Outside the family grounds, every Duan must call him Master.
Titles are protection.
Breaking them is a signal.
He turns back slowly.
"Yueqing," he says, voice calm, eyes steady, "is there something important?"
Her fingers tighten briefly at her side.
"Yes," she says. "Master… Wenjie developed a new body-refining potion. He wants you to try it. Now."
Merin studies her face.
Her eyes avoid his for a fraction of a second.
Her breathing is shallow.
This level of nervousness does not come from a simple request.
He considers several possibilities in the space of a heartbeat.
Poison?
A trap?
An outside force pressing her?
If she wanted him dead, there are easier ways.
If she wanted to test him, this is crude.
Which means—
She is part of something she does not fully control.
Merin does not question her further.
He nods once.
"Lead the way."
He wants to see what has made her this uneasy.
Duan Yueqing freezes for a moment, surprise flashing across her face as she stands there, dazed.
"Yueqing," Merin calls calmly.
She startles. "Huh!"
"Lead the way."
"O–okay," she says quickly. "Cousin, follow me."
She turns and walks up the stairs to the first floor, Merin following a step behind.
They move toward the rear of the building, where another stairway descends.
People in bathrobes pass them constantly.
Those going up have steam rolling from their skin, shoulders loose, expressions relaxed, pleasure lingering openly on their faces.
Those heading down look anticipatory, chatting softly, already half-undressed.
The stairway leads to one of the Pearl House's special attractions—
The Hot Water Pearl Baths.
Artificial pools infused with refined spiritual pearls, designed to replicate the effect of natural hot springs.
They relax muscles, accelerate body refinement, and soothe Qi.
Merin follows Yueqing deeper, past the common pools, toward the private bathing rooms.
She stops before the very last door.
Her hand hesitates for half a breath before she slides it open.
Steam rolls out immediately.
Merin steps inside.
The room is warm and enclosed, stone walls polished smooth, the air thick with moisture.
At the centre lies a small pool filled with milky-white hot water, faint spiritual light drifting across its surface.
From her pocket, Duan Yueqing takes out a small bottle filled with light green liquid.
"Here is the body-refining potion," she says.
Merin accepts it without comment.
"You can go," he says.
She nods quickly, her aura still rippling with nervous energy.
"Cousin… I'll leave you to it."
She steps outside and begins sliding the door closed.
Halfway through, she pauses and adds hurriedly,
"Cousin, Wenjie will come to check the potion after some time."
Merin nods once.
The door slides shut.
Silence settles in the room, broken only by the soft sound of water and drifting steam.
He looks at the potion for a few minutes, probing it with his spirit. There is no sign of toxin, no corrosive Qi. His senses remain still—no alarm, no killing intent, no hidden arrays.
Satisfied, he uncorks the bottle and pours the pale green liquid into the milky pool. The colour disperses calmly. He checks again with his spirit—still nothing harmful.
He disrobes without hesitation and steps into the water.
Heat closes around him.
The potion seeps through his skin, threading into muscle and marrow.
He rests his head back against the stone and lets his breathing slow.
The refinement begins—his pores widening, blood circulating faster, body temperature rising. It feels like every tendon and fibre is being gently kneaded, elasticity increasing, density deepening.
Minutes pass.
Then a subtle shift.
His eyelids lift.
Aphrodisiac.
Not powerful enough to overwhelm his mind, but strong enough to affect the unprepared.
He spreads his spirit and senses how it works:
Steam from the water reacts with incense burned in the room, creating a faint gas—subtle but effective.
Footsteps.
Someone just outside.
A moment later, the door slides open.
A woman stands there.
Her robe is thin, the silhouette beneath outlined by the moisture clinging to the fabric.
Her fragrance rolls toward him—artificial, concentrated, deliberately provocative. It seeks to cloud judgment, to provoke instinct, to push impulse over reason.
"Lord Duan," she murmurs, her voice gentle and concerned, "are you well?"
She steps inside and closes the door behind her, trapping the scented air.
Merin fully understands.
This is not Yueqing's idea.
This is designed by the woman herself—or someone behind her.
He rises from the water, movements slow but controlled.
The heat tries to tug at his pulse, but his Dao-polished discipline keeps his mind clear.
He steps forward rather than retreating—choosing to determine intent, to see whether this plot ends here or has deeper hooks waiting.
He has no habit of letting someone stroll willingly into his net and escape unexamined.
His aura shifts—calm, cold, steady.
And the woman freezes, caught between her plan and the realisation that she may have underestimated the man in front of her.