The Patriarch was to return within five days.
And within these five days, Yun Xiaoyan was locked in her room, unable to leave. Guards had been posted outside her door—not for her protection, but to ensure she didn't run.
But she didn't just sit idle during those five days.
Tianxiu had been training her relentlessly.
Yun Xiaoyan sat cross-legged on her bed, her breathing steady despite the chaos building inside her body. Her heart pounded with anticipation, each beat echoing in her ears.
Inside her mind, Tianxiu's voice whispered, calm and instructive.
*Draw it in… let the qi flow. Do not resist. Guide it, shape it.*
She obeyed, closing her eyes and focusing inward. The energy within her body surged like a restless tide, wild and powerful. It filled her meridians until they trembled, stretching to their limits. Sweat rolled down her temples in steady streams, dripping onto her clothes, but she did not falter.
Tianxiu continued, voice growing more intense.
*Compress it. Do not let it scatter. Focus… now break through.*
Her dantian roared in response, the storm of qi pressing violently against an invisible barrier. Pain lanced through her entire body, sharp and unrelenting, like needles piercing every nerve. Her muscles locked up, breath catching in her throat.
But she clenched her fists, refusing to yield.
Then—
Silence.
Complete and sudden.
The barrier shattered like glass.
The wild storm of energy collapsed instantly, condensing into a single droplet of liquid qi. Pure and radiant, it settled deep within her core, glowing with inner light.
Her aura expanded outward, filling the room with pressure that made the wooden walls creak ominously. The air itself grew heavy, charged with power.
She opened her eyes slowly.
For the first time, they gleamed with the calm brilliance of a true cultivator.
*Good. You have taken your first step.*
Tianxiu's voice carried approval.
*As a cultivator.*
Yun Xiaoyan collapsed backward, drenched in sweat. Her chest heaved as she dragged in deep breaths. But she could feel the change in her body immediately—her senses sharper, her mind clearer, her body lighter despite the exhaustion.
Everything felt different. More vivid. More real.
"This is what it feels like to be a cultivator," she whispered, checking herself over with wonder.
She flexed her fingers experimentally, feeling strength that hadn't been there before.
Then her nose wrinkled.
"More importantly, I need a shower," Yun Xiaoyan said, clearly smelling the awful odor coming from her body. Black impurities had seeped from her pores during the breakthrough, coating her skin in a sticky film.
After washing herself thoroughly—scrubbing multiple times to get rid of the stench—she put on some simple clothes and sat back down on the bed, feeling refreshed.
"The Patriarch is going to be back today," Yun Xiaoyan said quietly, staring at the door.
*Scared?* Tianxiu asked.
"Of course not." Her voice came firm. "I'm not going down easily without a fight."
She paused, expression darkening.
"I need to find a way out of this, but it just feels hopeless."
Unlike her two cousins, who had their parents to stand up for them and defend them from consequences, Yun Xiaoyan had no one. Her parents were dead. And she couldn't think of her grandfather being lenient with her after clearly disobeying the sect rules.
The Spirit Beast Pavilion was strictly off-limits to everyone. The Patriarch had made that abundantly clear in multiple announcements.
Yun Xiaoyan slammed back onto her bed, facing the ceiling with frustration building in her chest.
"And it's not like I can show them I'm not a failure anymore," she muttered bitterly. "That's setting myself up for disaster."
Everyone had bullied and mocked her when she was a failure. Imagine what those same people would do if they found out she could suddenly cultivate. That she'd broken through to the first stage.
Yun might not know much about the world of cultivation yet, but she knew human nature perfectly well from her previous life.
It was better to cut a weed at its early stage before it became a problem.
They would kill her the moment they felt threatened.
*Sounds like you're in a bit of a pickle, kid,* Tianxiu said calmly, almost amused.
"I'll just have to survive today," Yun Xiaoyan said with determination, jaw setting.
The door creaked open slowly.
Two sect members entered, both wearing the standard disciple robes. Their faces filled with irritation the moment they laid eyes on her, expressions twisting with disgust.
"It's time," one of them said flatly. "Get up."
Yun Xiaoyan's expression remained indifferent for a moment, studying them both carefully. Then she finally got up from her bed, movements unhurried.
"So it's time..." She brushed off her clothes casually. "Well then, lead the way."
The two sect members exchanged glances, confused by her calm demeanor.
"Oh, she must have finally lost it," one of them said, laughing mockingly. "The pressure broke her brain."
"Acting all tough now." The other one sneered. "I don't even know why trash like her is still allowed to stay in the sect."
*I'll make all of you eat your words,* Yun thought coldly as she was escorted out of her room. *Just you wait.*
Her face remained perfectly neutral, showing nothing of the determination burning inside.
The hallway stretched ahead, leading toward the judgment hall.
Toward the Patriarch.