Chapter 6: Frostwhisper, Flickers, and Foolish Disciples
The hidden chamber thrummed with condensed energy. Kai spent the next day not resting, but *training*. The raw stag meat fueled his body, the dense Qi of the geode chamber fed his dantian, and the newly downloaded **Flickering Palm Strike** consumed his focus.
He practiced the intricate Qi flow down his arm, over and over, against the smooth, resilient wall of the geode. Each attempt sent a jolt of concussive force through his palm and wrist, vibrating up his bones. At first, it was clumsy, draining too much Qi for a faint shimmer and a disappointing *thump*. Bruises blossomed on his palm and wrist.
**<< Technique Proficiency: Flickering Palm Strike (Beginner): 12% >>**
**<< Efficiency: Low. Recoil Management: Poor. Suggested: Focus Qi compression *before* release point. >>**
"Compression... right," Kai grunted, shaking out his stinging hand. He visualized the Qi not just flowing, but being *squeezed*, condensed into a tighter, denser packet just before his palm. He tried again, pouring less raw power but focusing intensely on that compression.
*Fwip-THUD!*
The shimmer around his hand was brighter, the impact sharper, the recoil noticeably less. A small crack appeared in the geode wall.
**<< Proficiency: 24% >>**
**<< Efficiency: Improved. Recoil: Moderate. >>**
Progress. Slow, painful, but undeniable. He repeated the motion, refining the compression, learning the exact moment of release. Hours bled together. Sweat dripped, muscles burned, his Qi reserves dipped and replenished as he circulated basic techniques. By the time exhaustion forced him to stop, the proficiency read **58%**. He could now unleash a strike that cracked the geode wall with authority, the recoil a manageable push rather than a bone-jarring shock. It wasn't blindingly fast yet, but it was *fast*, and it packed a serious punch.
**<< New Objective: Locate & Secure High-Value Resource (Frostwhisper Orchid). >>**
**<< Intel: Verdant Cloud Sect patrol actively seeking this herb. Location: Northern Ravine (approx. 2 miles from Host position). SP Reward: 100 SP (Successful Acquisition). Bonus SP for circumventing patrol. >>**
A Sect patrol? Hunting the *same* herb Kai needed? Tension coiled in his gut. This changed things. Direct confrontation with even an outer disciple patrol was suicide right now. But 100 SP... and the implication that the herb was valuable enough for the Sect to send people after it. That meant *power*.
He activated his **Earth Sense**, pushing it outwards beyond his cave, filtering through the forest's ambient hum. He focused north. The deep thrum of the earth... the skittering of small creatures... the heavy root systems of ancient trees... and then, faint but distinct: rhythmic vibrations. Human steps. More than one. Moving with purpose. *Heading towards the ravine.*
"They're already on the move," Kai muttered. Time was critical. He quickly packed essentials: flint knife, rope, waterskin, the remaining Stag blood vials (potential Qi boost/distraction), and his trusty Boar Tusk Dagger. He left the bulky antler bases behind. Speed and stealth were paramount.
He slipped out of the geode, resealing it meticulously. Using **Heavenly Step**, he became a silent shadow flitting through the undergrowth, his Earth Sense acting like a sonar map, guiding him around roots, rocks, and small beast dens, while simultaneously tracking the distant patrol vibrations. He moved parallel to their path but faster, aiming to reach the ravine first.
The terrain grew steeper, rockier. The air grew noticeably colder as he approached the Northern Ravine – a deep, jagged scar in the forest floor shrouded in perpetual mist. Kai crouched at the rim, peering down. His enhanced eyes pierced the mist slightly better than before. The ravine walls were slick with moisture, dotted with moss and clinging ferns. And there, about halfway down, nestled in a crevice where a tiny ice-cold spring seeped, it glowed.
The **Frostwhisper Orchid**. It was breathtakingly beautiful and undeniably potent. Three crystalline petals, like spun moonlight, shimmered with an inner blue-white light. Frost patterns swirled around its base, and the air near it visibly shimmered with cold Qi. Even from this distance, Kai felt a faint, refreshing chill seep into his skin.
**<< Frostwhisper Orchid: Mid-Tier Spirit Herb. >>**
**<< Primary Effect: Profoundly boosts Water/Ice affinity cultivation. Stabilizes volatile Qi. Key component for high-grade Meridian Repair Elixirs. >>**
**<< Warning: Harvesting requires Qi insulation to prevent freezing damage. Direct contact hazardous without preparation. >>**
Meridian Repair. *High-grade*. Kai's heart hammered. This wasn't just SP; this was a direct path to fixing his core weakness! But the warning was stark. And his Earth Sense pulsed – the patrol was close now, their vibrations clear from the ravine's opposite rim. He saw them: three figures in the dark green outer disciple robes. One pointed directly at the Orchid.
"Elder Brother Zhang! There it is!" a younger voice called out.
The leader, a lean man with a sharp face and an air of bored superiority (Zhang, presumably), nodded. "Good eyes, Jin. Wang, secure the rope. We descend. Remember, use cloth gloves and minimal Qi until it's in the containment box. The cold Qi backlash can freeze your meridians."
Kai watched, mind racing. They had gear. They had a plan. He had a dagger, a half-mastered palm strike, and sheer audacity. Charging down was out. He needed to intercept them *after* they got the herb, but before they regrouped. Or... disrupt the harvest.
His eyes scanned the ravine walls near the orchid. His Earth Sense probed. The rock around the crevice... it was unstable. Fractured. Water seepage had weakened it over centuries. A focused impact...
The disciple named Wang was hammering a piton into the rock edge to anchor their rope. Jin watched eagerly. Zhang peered down, calculating the descent.
Kai focused. He couldn't risk a direct Flickering Palm on the wall near the orchid – it might destroy the herb. But higher up... He spotted a large, precariously balanced boulder embedded in the ravine wall about twenty feet above the orchid crevice. His Earth Sense confirmed it: held in place by compacted gravel and moss, but the underlying rock was cracked.
He raised his right hand, palm out. He drew Qi, focusing intensely on compression. He visualized the dense packet of energy not just striking, but *vibrating*, shattering the fragile balance. He poured a significant chunk of his Mid-stage Qi into it.
*Fwip-CRACK!*
The Flickering Palm Strike wasn't silent. A sharp, concussive snap echoed in the ravine as the shimmering force slammed into the base of the boulder. Not a massive explosion, but a precise, localized impact.
*CRUNCH... GRIND...*
Gravel sprayed. The deep crack Kai sensed through Earth Sense widened violently. The massive boulder shifted, groaned, then tore free with a thunderous roar, dragging tons of scree and smaller rocks with it in a cascading avalanche.
"ROCKFALL!" Zhang screamed, leaping back from the edge. Jin scrambled away, eyes wide with terror. Wang, halfway through securing the piton, barely yanked his hammer free before the edge where he'd been standing crumbled away.
The avalanche crashed down the ravine wall, a deafening torrent of stone and dust. It missed the orchid crevice by mere feet, but slammed into the area *below* it, obliterating the easiest climbing route and sending a thick plume of dust billowing upwards, engulfing the orchid and the lower ravine in obscurity.
Chaos erupted. Coughs echoed. "What happened?!" "Was it unstable?" "The orchid! Is it buried?"
Zhang snarled, peering uselessly into the dust cloud. "Jin! Wang! Are you hurt? Report!"
Kai didn't wait. While they were disoriented, focused on the dust and each other, he moved. He flowed down the near side of the ravine, not where the avalanche fell, but a steeper, more treacherous path only his Earth Sense and Heavenly Step could navigate safely. He was a ghost in the settling dust.
He reached the orchid crevice. The cold Qi was intense, biting through his clothes. He could see the faint blue-white glow through the haze. Remembering the warning, he quickly wrapped his hands in thick strips torn from his robe sleeves. He focused a thin layer of Qi around his fingers – not for power, but for insulation, a trickle of warmth against the freezing energy.
He reached in. The cold seared through the cloth and Qi barrier, making his fingers ache instantly. He gritted his teeth, grasping the crystalline stem just above the roots. It felt like gripping solid ice infused with needles. He pulled, gently but firmly. The roots, surprisingly delicate, came free from the frozen soil.
**<< Frostwhisper Orchid Secured! >>**
**<< Reward: 100 SP! >>**
**<< Bonus: Circumvented Patrol! +50 SP! >>**
**<< Total SP: 165! >>**
He shoved the painfully cold orchid into his pack, wincing as the intense chill radiated through the leather. He needed to get it into a containment box ASAP, but he didn't have one. He just needed to *get away*.
Above, the dust was settling. Zhang's voice cut through, sharp and suspicious. "This wasn't natural! That impact was too precise! Someone's down there! Jin, guard the top! Wang, with me! We descend *now*! Find the thief!"
Kai didn't look up. He poured Qi into his legs. **Heavenly Step**. He shot back up the ravine wall, not the way he came, but angling away from the scrambling disciples. He moved like the wind, leaving only swirling dust motes behind.
He crested the rim a hundred yards from where the patrol was frantically trying to find a safe descent through the rubble he'd created. He glanced back once. Zhang was glaring in his general direction, face contorted with fury, but Kai was already vanishing into the thick forest, the Frostwhisper Orchid's icy promise burning in his pack.
He'd done it. Stolen a treasure from under the Sect's nose. Used his new power creatively. Gained a massive SP windfall.
**<< Objective Complete. >>**
**<< New Long-Term Quest: Craft 'Frostwhisper Meridian Rejuvenation Elixir'. >>**
**<< Requirements: Frostwhisper Orchid (Acquired), Spirit Spring Water, Sunfire Lotus Pollen, Basic Alchemy Kit (200 SP), Alchemy Proficiency (Locked). >>**
Alchemy. Another hurdle. But as Kai raced back towards his hidden geode, the thrill of success warring with the orchid's biting cold against his back, he felt invincible. He had the rarest ingredient. He had SP for the kit. He just needed knowledge.
And as the System screen flickered, a new, greyed-out entry pulsed in the Shop: **'Basic Alchemy Primer (Digital)': 180 SP.**
Kai grinned, pushing his speed even harder. Payback against the Sect was no longer a dream. It was an inevitability he was actively cultivating, one stolen treasure and one bullshit technique at a time. The patrol's furious shouts faded behind him, swallowed by the Whispering Woods. They had no idea who – or *what* – they were dealing with.