Li Shen awoke in his hut before dawn, drenched in cold sweat. For a moment, he thought the night had been a dream. Then he felt it.
Warmth.
It flowed through his chest, down his arms, into his fingertips. It was not pain. It was not exhaustion.
It was Qi.
Li Shen sat up slowly, afraid that if he moved too quickly, the feeling would disappear. He closed his eyes and followed the breathing method he had practiced for years.
The response was immediate—and violent.
Qi surged into him like a flood, crashing through his meridians. His body shook as jade-colored energy spiraled inward, forming a core that rotated unnaturally fast.
Li Shen gasped, nearly losing control.
"No… slow down… please…"
The energy obeyed.
That frightened him more than anything.
By sunrise, Li Shen had successfully entered the Spirit Tempering Realm, a stage most disciples required years to reach. His body felt lighter, stronger, sharper. He could hear the wind outside, smell the damp earth, feel every heartbeat clearly.
Yet something was wrong.
The Qi inside him felt ancient, heavy, and vast—nothing like the gentle streams described in manuals. When he focused, a faint dragon-shaped aura flickered around him before vanishing.
Li Shen clenched his fists.
"What… am I?"
Far above, within the Azure Cloud Sect, an elder suddenly opened his eyes.
"Did you feel that?"
Another elder frowned.
"That aura… it shouldn't exist."