The next three days followed a careful routine.
Kai trained with Lin Wei's group during the day, showing steady progress at Qi Gathering First Stage. He attended lectures on cultivation theory, practiced basic sword forms, and meditated in public areas where others could see him following standard techniques.
At night, he returned to the eastern meditation caves.
The cave system had become his true cultivation space. Within the Shadow Sovereign Domain, his death cultivation accelerated dramatically. The ancient death energy that soaked the stones fed his growth in ways the sect's celestial qi never could.
[SHADOW CULTIVATION SESSION - NIGHT 1]
[LOCATION: Eastern Meditation Caves]
[SHADOW ENERGY REGENERATION: Enhanced]
[DEATH ENERGY ABSORPTION: Active]
[PROGRESS: Significant]
Kai sat in the deepest chamber where he'd killed Zhao Ming, the stone still faintly marked with death energy from that fight. His Death Vision showed him the layers of ancient death throughout these caves, previous cultivators who'd died here over centuries, their remnants still clinging to the stone.
He drew on those remnants carefully, filtering the corrupted energy through his shadow cultivation method. It was slower than harvesting fresh deaths, but consistent and safe.
[SHADOW ENERGY: 150/150]
[CULTIVATION PROGRESS: +2% toward Qi Gathering Second Stage]
[NOTE: Ancient death energy less potent but abundant]
The system had been right, he didn't need to kill constantly to advance. The world provided death naturally. He just needed to be patient and strategic about harvesting it.
On the second night, the three remaining condemned prisoners died.
Kai had positioned himself in the punishment cells again under the excuse of "helping guards." Two prisoners were executed publicly, standard punishment for theft. The third died from infected wounds before his scheduled execution.
[NATURAL DEATHS DETECTED: 3]
[ABSORBING DEATH ENERGY...]
[DEATH ENERGY ABSORBED: 35 points]
[DEATH ENERGY ABSORBED: 38 points]
[DEATH ENERGY ABSORBED: 29 points]
[TOTAL: 102 points]
[DEATH POINTS GAINED: 90]
[TOTAL DEATH POINTS: 1,776]
The energy from three Qi Gathering cultivators wasn't as impressive as Foundation Building kills, but it added up. More importantly, no one suspected anything. The deaths were expected, documented, and dismissed as standard sect justice.
Kai was learning to work within the system rather than against it. The sect's harsh punishment structure provided him with a steady stream of death energy. He just needed to be present at the right times.
On the third day, Lin Wei found him after morning training.
"Brother Kai, the evaluation matchups were posted. Come see."
The tournament bracket was displayed on a large board near the training grounds. Over two hundred outer disciples were competing, arranged in a single-elimination tournament. Winners advanced toward inner disciple candidacy. Losers faced potential expulsion.
Kai scanned the board until he found his name.
[KAI CHEN vs. FENG LI - First Round]
"Feng Li," Lin Wei said, reading over his shoulder. "Qi Gathering Second Stage, specializes in staff techniques. He's been an outer disciple for two years. Solid fighter but not exceptional."
"What about your match, Brother Lin?"
"I'm against a new disciple like you. Should be manageable." Lin Wei pointed to other matchups. "Zhang Hu is against someone tough. Mei Ling got lucky, her opponent is even weaker than her."
Kai studied the bracket carefully. The tournament was structured to eliminate weak disciples early while giving stronger ones time to showcase their abilities. The favorites, Han Feng, the Yu twins, Wu Chen, were all positioned to avoid each other until later rounds.
[TOURNAMENT ANALYSIS]
[FIRST ROUND: Moderate difficulty]
[EXPECTED PROGRESSION: 60% chance of advancing past round 1]
[OPTIMAL STRATEGY: Win decisively but don't reveal full capabilities]
"Brother Lin, what happens to disciples who lose first round?"
Lin Wei's expression darkened. "Depends. If you fight well but lose to a stronger opponent, usually nothing bad. But if you get completely crushed, show no potential... that's when the sect starts considering reassignment."
More death opportunities, Kai noted coldly. The tournament itself would likely result in serious injuries and possibly deaths. All that death energy concentrated in one location over a few days.
Perfect timing for his advancement.
"This junior will do his best," Kai said. "Though this junior's cultivation is still unstable."
"You've got three days to prepare. That's enough time to at least understand your opponent's style." Lin Wei gestured toward the training grounds. "Come on, I'll help you practice staff defense. Feng Li's favorite technique is a three-strike combination. If you can counter that, you'll have a chance."
The next three days became intensive preparation. Lin Wei's group helped each other study opponents, practice counters, and refine techniques. Kai absorbed everything while carefully maintaining his facade of being a newly-advanced, somewhat clumsy Qi Gathering First Stage cultivator.
In reality, his private cultivation had progressed far beyond that.
[SHADOW CULTIVATION - DAY 3]
[CULTIVATION BASE: Ready for advancement]
[SHADOW ENERGY: Fully accumulated]
[DEATH POINTS AVAILABLE: 1,776]
On the third night before the evaluation, Kai returned to the eastern caves one final time.
He settled into the deepest chamber, surrounded by shadow energy and ancient death. This time, instead of slow accumulation, he would force advancement through the system.
"System, advance me to Qi Gathering Second Stage."
[ADVANCEMENT INITIATED]
[COST: 200 DEATH POINTS]
[REMAINING DEATH POINTS: 1,576]
[QI GATHERING SECOND STAGE - BEGINNING TRANSFORMATION]
Power flooded through Kai's meridians. His cultivation base, already solid from death energy absorption, expanded and refined. The shadow energy that filled his dantian compressed and then exploded outward, carving new pathways through his spiritual channels.
This advancement was different from his first breakthrough. That had been desperate, forced through combat pressure and harvested death. This was controlled, systematic, purchased with accumulated power.
[ADVANCEMENT PROGRESS: 25%]
[MERIDIAN EXPANSION: Active]
[SPIRITUAL FOUNDATION: Strengthening]
Kai's body trembled as the transformation continued. His Death Vision expanded, now able to see death energy signatures up to half a kilometer away. His shadow abilities strengthened, Shadow Step would go further, Shadow Cloak would last longer, Shadow Meld would be even harder to detect.
[ADVANCEMENT PROGRESS: 50%]
[WARNING: Spiritual energy fluctuation detected]
[RECOMMEND: Complete advancement in secure location]
The cave itself seemed to respond to his transformation. Shadows writhed along the walls, death energy swirling in visible patterns. If anyone with cultivation sense walked past right now, they'd immediately detect the massive spiritual disturbance.
But no one came to the eastern caves at night. That was Kai's advantage.
[ADVANCEMENT PROGRESS: 75%]
[FOUNDATION CONSOLIDATION: Active]
[NEW ABILITIES: Unlocking]
The final surge of power was overwhelming. Kai's cultivation base solidified at Qi Gathering Second Stage, his shadow energy doubling in capacity. When he opened his eyes, the world looked different again, sharper, more detailed, with layers of death and life visible everywhere.
[ADVANCEMENT COMPLETE]
[QI GATHERING SECOND STAGE: ACHIEVED]
[SHADOW ENERGY: 300/300 (Capacity doubled)]
[DEATH POINTS REMAINING: 1,576]
[NEW ABILITY UNLOCKED: SHADOW BLADE]
[SHADOW BLADE: Manifest weapon from pure shadow energy, ignores physical armor]
Kai tested his new power, channeling shadow energy into his palm. A blade of pure darkness materialized, not solid metal, but condensed death energy given cutting form. He slashed at a nearby rock and the shadow blade passed through stone like it wasn't there, leaving a clean cut.
[SHADOW BLADE ANALYSIS]
[COST: 50 Shadow Energy per manifestation]
[DURATION: Until dismissed or energy depleted]
[SPECIAL PROPERTY: Bypasses physical defenses, targets spiritual essence directly]
This was a killing technique. Pure and simple. In a world where cultivators reinforced their bodies with qi, where armor and defensive techniques relied on physical or spiritual barriers, Shadow Blade would cut through everything to strike the core.
Kai dismissed the blade and checked his overall status.
[SHADOW SOVEREIGN SYSTEM - UPDATED STATUS]
Name: Kai Chen
Realm: Qi Gathering Second Stage (Public) / Shadow Foundation Building (Private)
Shadow Energy: 300/300
Death Points: 1,576
Abilities: [Death Vision] [Shadow Step] [Shadow Cloak] [Soul Harvest] [Shadow Meld] [Death Mark] [Shadow Puppetry] [Shadow Blade - NEW]
Tournament Status: First round in 3 days
Marked Targets: Han Feng (23%), Chen Yun (8%)
His public cultivation would now show Qi Gathering Second Stage, believable as natural advancement from stabilizing his breakthrough. His true power was significantly higher, approximately equivalent to Qi Gathering Fourth Stage or even low Fifth Stage when using shadow techniques.
More than enough for the tournament.
Kai returned to the dormitory before dawn, slipping into bed just as the morning bell rang. He pretended to wake naturally, stretched, and felt the new power flowing through his body.
Today, he'd reveal his "advancement" to the sect.