Cultivation World - Palace Guest Quarters
Lia sat cross-legged on the silk cushions, her purple eyes still blazing with residual fury from the training ground humiliation she'd just delivered. Varek paced by the crystal windows, his expression thoughtful as he processed what they'd both witnessed.
"That was impressive," he said finally, "but it also painted a massive target on your back."
Lia's eyebrows rose. "Meaning?"
"Meaning every cultivator in that crowd just got a detailed look at your shadow leech's capabilities," Varek explained, turning to face her. "They saw how it phases between dimensions, how it can attack through shadows, how it responds to your emotions. By tomorrow, half the competitors will be researching countermeasures."
The reality of his words hit her like cold water. In her anger, she'd revealed far too much about her most devastating technique. "Shit," she muttered, Tim's vocabulary bleeding through her frustration.
"Light-based techniques will neutralize shadow manipulation," Varek continued grimly. "Formation arrays that eliminate shadows entirely. Reflective armor that prevents shadow-cutting. Hell, some cultivators might just fight in broad daylight with mirrors positioned to remove all shadows from the battlefield."
Lia slumped back against the cushions, feeling the weight of her tactical error. "So what do you suggest? I can't exactly un-demonstrate what I just did."
Varek stopped pacing and looked at her directly. "You need to rapidly gain power somehow. Become so overwhelmingly strong that countermeasures become irrelevant."
"And how exactly do I do that in a month?"
Lia fell silent, her mind racing through possibilities. Normal cultivation advancement took years, sometimes decades. Even with her massive qi reserves, the bottlenecks between Foundation Establishment levels were designed to require time, patience, and careful meridian cleansing.
Then it hit her.
"Wait," she said slowly, her eyes lighting up with realization. "My dantian..."
"What about it?"
"It's not just huge—it absorbs qi at an insane rate compared to normal cultivators. Remember what Elder Cho taught me about perfect cultivation? I'm supposed to cycle qi through my meridian blockages and then expel the tainted energy instead of recycling it."
Varek nodded, following her logic. "To keep your qi pure. But that requires massive amounts of spirit stones because you're essentially throwing away most of the energy."
"Exactly!" Lia stood up excitedly, beginning to pace herself. "Normal people are limited by their dantian's absorption rate—they can only process a few spirit stones per day. But I could probably burn through dozens, maybe hundreds."
"That would cost a fortune," Varek pointed out.
"Then that's the price the Crimson Kingdom pays for my services," Lia replied with cold determination. "They want me to win their competitions? They provide the resources I need to level up fast enough to brute force my way through anything the other sects throw at me."
She turned to face him, her purple eyes blazing with possibility. "What about you? What's your plan?"
Varek's expression grew more serious. "Maybe I could break through to level 6 by the competition, but rumors are there are some twenty-four-year-olds who are level 8 competing. Even with my Dao comprehension, that's a significant gap."
He moved to stand beside her at the window, looking out over the glowing lotus gardens. "I think I have the best chance if I play to my strengths. I need to ask for the Crimson Kingdom's best saber technique—something that complements my Dao understanding."
"You think technique will be enough to overcome a two-level cultivation gap?"
"It has to be," Varek replied grimly. "Dao comprehension is rare at our age. Most level 8 cultivators got there through raw power and good resources, not true understanding of fundamental principles. If I can find a technique that perfectly channels my Saber Dao..."
Lia nodded slowly. "We both play to our unique advantages. You become the ultimate technique specialist, I become an overwhelming powerhouse."
"The question is whether Marcus and Elena will agree to fund your spirit stone consumption," Varek said. "Do you have any idea how much this could cost?"
Lia's smile was sharp and entirely without humor. "Then I guess we find out exactly how badly they want to keep their kingdom."
She walked to the door, her determination radiating from every line of her body. "Come on. Let's go make some very expensive demands."
Cultivation World - Crimson City Royal Palace, Throne Room
The throne room felt different in the evening light. The crystal dome overhead showed the darkening sky, while formations cast a warm glow across the living murals that depicted the kingdom's history. Marcus and Elena sat in their parents' chairs, looking every inch the royal heirs as they conducted the evening's business.
"Lord Varek, Lady Lia," Marcus said with a welcoming smile as they entered. "I trust you've had time to consider our proposition?"
"We have," Lia replied, moving to stand before the raised dais with Varek beside her. "And we're prepared to represent the Crimson Crater Kingdom in the competitions."
Elena leaned forward, her expression brightening. "Excellent! We can begin arranging training schedules tomorrow, and—"
"However," Lia interrupted, her voice carrying the authority she'd discovered at the training grounds, "we have specific requirements that must be met."
The siblings exchanged glances. Marcus gestured for her to continue. "Of course. What do you need?"
"I require access to 3,000 spirit stones," Lia stated without preamble.
The throne room fell silent except for the gentle hum of the formations. Elena's eyes widened, while Marcus sat back in his chair, his expression suddenly calculating.
"That's..." Elena began, then paused to compose herself. "That's a significant sum, Lady Lia. May I ask what you intend to use them for?"
"Rapid cultivation advancement," Lia replied honestly. "My technique demonstration today revealed too much about my capabilities. The other competitors will be developing countermeasures. I need to become strong enough that countermeasures become irrelevant."
Marcus leaned forward, his merchant's mind clearly working through the implications. "3,000 spirit stones... that's approximately five percent of our treasury reserves."
"I'm aware," Lia said, meeting his gaze steadily. "But consider the alternative. If we lose the competitions, you lose seventy percent of your territory and ninety percent of your Crimson Lotus production. The kingdom's entire economy collapses."
"She has a point," Elena said quietly to her brother. "The potential return on investment..."
"Furthermore," Lia continued, "my cultivation method requires expelling tainted qi rather than recycling it. This means I can advance much faster than normal cultivators, but it also means I consume resources at a much higher rate. 3,000 stones should be enough to push me from level 1 to potentially level 4 or 5 within the month."
Varek stepped forward. "I have a more modest request. Access to your most advanced saber techniques. Something that can complement my Dao comprehension."
Marcus nodded thoughtfully. "That's easily arranged. Our weapon masters would be honored to share their knowledge." He turned back to Lia. "But 3,000 spirit stones..."
"Think of it as an investment," Lia said, her purple eyes beginning to glow with that dangerous light. "You're not just buying my advancement—you're buying the survival of everything you see around you."
Elena stood up, moving to consult a holographic display that materialized from her storage ring. Numbers scrolled past as she calculated quickly.
"Current treasury holds approximately 60,000 spirit stones in reserve," she murmured. "3,000 would represent a significant expenditure, but not a crippling one. Especially if..."
She turned to face Lia directly. "If you can guarantee advancement to level 4 or higher, the increase in your combat effectiveness would be substantial. Combined with Lord Varek's technique mastery..."
"There are no guarantees in cultivation," Lia replied honestly. "But I can promise you this—give me the resources I need, and I will become stronger than anyone expects. Strong enough to make the other competitors regret ever challenging your kingdom."
Marcus was quiet for a long moment, his gaze moving between the two of them. Finally, he smiled—not his usual charming expression, but something sharper and more decisive.
"3,000 spirit stones," he said. "Delivered to your quarters by tomorrow morning. Along with access to our most advanced cultivation chambers and whatever other resources you require."
"Brother," Elena said with obvious relief. "I think this is the right choice."
"So do I," Marcus agreed, standing to face them properly. "You're not just representing our kingdom—you're fighting for our survival. We'll provide whatever support you need."
Lia felt a surge of satisfaction. "Then we have an agreement. One month to transform ourselves into competitors worthy of your faith."
As they prepared to leave, Marcus called after them. "Lady Lia? Lord Varek? For what it's worth, after seeing what you did to Chen Jianyu today, I think 3,000 spirit stones might be the best investment this kingdom has ever made."
Lia's smile was sharp and confident. "You're about to find out exactly what kind of monster you've just created."
Cultivation World - Palace Guest Quarters, Private Cultivation Chamber
Lia sat in the lotus position at the center of the specialized cultivation chamber, surrounded by formations designed to contain and enhance spiritual energy. Before her lay the first batch of spirit stones—a hundred gleaming crystals that represented more concentrated qi than most cultivators would see in years.
The shadow leech writhed against her chest, sensing the anticipation in her qi flow. Lia placed her hand over it, feeling the alien consciousness pulse with hungry eagerness.
"Listen to me carefully," she said to the creature, her voice carrying both authority and partnership. "I'm about to cycle more qi than I've ever attempted. Massive amounts will need to be expelled to keep my meridians pure."
The leech's response came as a flood of sensations—hunger, readiness, and something that might have been anticipation. It had been feeding on her expelled qi for days, growing stronger and more intelligent with each meal.
"I know you're only at qi refining level 3," Lia continued, stroking the writhing shadow. "But I need you to over-consume. Gorge yourself on everything I expel. Can you handle that without harming yourself?"
The creature pulsed with what felt like determined agreement. Through their bond, Lia sensed its willingness to push beyond its current limits for their mutual advancement.
"Good," she whispered, picking up the first spirit stone. "Then let's see what we can become together."
Lia crushed the first spirit stone between her palms, releasing its concentrated qi in a brilliant flash of white light. The energy poured into her dantian like liquid fire, filling her already massive reserves to near capacity.
Immediately, she began the Expelling Qi Circulation technique Elder Cho had taught her. Instead of cycling the qi through her meridians and back to her dantian, she pushed it against the first meridian blockage near her heart, using the spiritual energy like sandpaper to slowly wear away the obstruction.
As the qi became tainted with impurities, she expelled it through her skin in controlled bursts. The shadow leech reacted instantly, its form flowing across her chest as it eagerly consumed the rejected energy.
"More," Lia breathed, crushing a second spirit stone, then a third.
The process continued for hours. Crush stone, flood dantian, attack blockages, expel tainted qi, feed the leech. Again and again until the rhythm became automatic, meditative.
The shadow leech grew visibly larger with each feeding. What had started as a small, coin-sized creature gradually expanded, its form spreading across her chest as it gorged on the unprecedented feast of expelled qi.
By the sixth hour, Lia could feel the first meridian blockage beginning to weaken significantly. The leech had grown to cover most of her heart, its shadowy mass pulsing with newfound power.
"Almost there," she gasped, sweat beading on her forehead from the strain of maintaining such intense cultivation. The leech's growth was starting to become noticeable—a living shadow that covered her heart and was beginning to spread toward her breasts
As the sun reached its zenith, Lia felt the first major meridian blockage finally give way. The release was immediate and overwhelming—qi flooded through the newly cleared channel, integrating with her system in a rush of power that made her entire body sing with
The breakthrough hit her like a physical blow, doubling her over as waves of enhanced spiritual energy coursed through her frame. Her dantian, already massive, expanded even further.
The shadow leech writhed ecstatically, having consumed enough expelled qi to advance its own cultivation significantly. Its form now covered her heart completely and was beginning to spread across her breasts, the living shadow warm and strangely comforting against her skin.
When the breakthrough stabilized, Lia opened her eyes to find the cultivation chamber littered with the husks of depleted spirit stones. She'd consumed nearly fifty in a single session—an amount that would normally take weeks to properly absorb.
"One level in one day," she breathed, examining her hands as qi crackled visibly around her fingers. "It will be slower now but i should be able to get to level 5."
The leech pulsed against her chest, and she could sense its satisfaction through their bond. It had not only survived the massive consumption but had evolved alongside her, becoming a more capable partner with each feeding.
Standing up on slightly unsteady legs, Lia moved to the mirror and examined her reflection. The shadow leech was now clearly visible as a writhing tattoo that covered her heart and the inner curves of her breasts, its form constantly shifting as it settled into its new size.
"Tomorrow we do it again," she told her reflection, watching the creature pulse with eager agreement. "