Li Feng slumped onto a cracked wooden bench just outside the outer sect living quarters. At fifty years old, he was no longer the strong, sharp young man who first arrived in this strange world. His face was lined, his hair streaked with gray, and his belly had softened beneath loose, faded robes. Thirty years of frustration and slow progress weighed on him like a heavy cloak.
Thirty-five thousand spirit stones was the fortune he had stumbled upon by chance, hidden in the remains of a fallen cultivator on his very first day here. It was an unbelievable amount, enough to open doors and buy influence in a world that valued power above all else.
He had spent 30,000 spirit stones just to buy his way into the Azure Moon Sect, a price unheard of for an outer sect disciple. The remaining 4,900 stones had been thrown into countless attempts to break through his cultivation bottleneck. Yet here he was, stuck stubbornly at the third level of Qi Refining, the lowest realm where disciples first learn to harness spiritual energy.
The cultivation world was harsh and unforgiving. Everyone chased the Dao, the eternal Way, with relentless focus. Flesh and desire were distractions, a waste of precious time and energy that could be spent meditating or training to get one step closer to a breakthrough. The Dao was endless, and the ultimate goal was immortality. No one wanted to rot away as ash and bone under a thousand years of earth. Strength was everything, and those who couldn't keep up were discarded like broken tools.
Power here followed a strict ladder: Qi Refining first, then Foundation Establishment where the Dao is built solid, then Core Formation where potential truly awakens, and finally Nascent Soul where the soul manifests real power. Few climbed beyond that. Li Feng had been stuck on the very first rung for three decades.
Despite his slow progress, Li Feng's wealth had given him a sort of odd fame among the outer sect disciples. They didn't respect him for his cultivation, but they whispered about this old disciple who bought his way in.
His gaze drifted to the nearby market street, where a small crowd had gathered, murmuring in admiration. His eyes found Yue Lan.
Yue Lan was one of the top outer sect disciples, a shining star among the many who struggled to advance. She had long black hair that flowed like a river of midnight down her back, catching the light with every subtle movement. Her golden eyes burned cold and bright, piercing through the crowd with an intelligence that seemed to see everything. Beneath her calm, flawless pale skin, her figure hinted at quiet, seductive strength. Her robes draped gently, tracing the curves of jade hills and smooth valleys, sculpted perfectly by the Dao itself. She moved like a moonlit breeze, distant, graceful, utterly untouchable.
Among the outer disciples, she was the shining star. Untouchable, brilliant, and devoted completely to the Dao.
Instead of simply admiring her, Li Feng's thoughts shifted, turning into obsession and lewd fantasies as he looked at her. He imagined what it might be like to touch that cold perfection, to feel her body close to his. But he quickly pushed the fantasy away. Someone like her, brilliant, graceful, and pure, would never give a second glance to a fat, stuck disciple like him.
Turning away, bitterness crept into his chest.
Unbeknownst to him, Yue Lan's golden eyes had flicked toward him moments ago. A flash of calculation crossed her gaze,
That evening, after closing the door to his modest room, a soft knock startled Li Feng.
He opened it to find Yue Lan standing there, her expression unreadable.
His heart pounded as a nervous, crooked smile spread across his face.
"Senior Sister Yue… what brings you here?"