Rain continued to fall over the quiet paths of Azure Mountain Sect.
Li Tian remained kneeling beside the corpse of the outer disciple, his hands trembling slightly.
The dark glow from the black ring slowly faded.
Inside his mind, the chaotic flood of memories gradually settled like a storm calming after violent winds.
Images flashed through his thoughts.
A young cultivator sitting cross-legged inside a meditation hall.
Breathing slowly.
Guiding strands of spiritual energy through invisible pathways inside his body.
A technique name surfaced clearly.
Basic Qi Gathering Art.
Li Tian sucked in a deep breath.
"So… these are his memories," he whispered.
"Fragments," the voice of the Primordial Echo replied inside his mind. "Enough for you to begin cultivation."
Li Tian looked down at his hands.
He could feel it now.
A faint warmth flowing through his body.
For the first time in his life…
He could sense spiritual energy in the air.
The energy felt like invisible mist drifting through the world around him.
Before, it had been completely unreachable.
But now—
He could feel it brushing against his skin.
Li Tian's heart raced.
"I can cultivate…"
The Primordial Echo chuckled softly.
"Barely. Your broken spiritual root still restricts you."
Li Tian's excitement dimmed slightly.
"But the ring can compensate," the voice continued. "The more souls you devour, the more complete your cultivation foundation will become."
Li Tian looked again at the corpse.
The body had already turned pale.
The ring had absorbed everything it could.
"Someone killed him," Li Tian said quietly.
"Yes," the Echo replied. "And if the killer returns, you may soon join him."
Li Tian's eyes widened.
A sudden chill ran down his spine.
He quickly stood up.
"We should leave."
"Correct."
Li Tian glanced around once more before running down the dark path toward the servant quarters.
The rain helped wash away the blood on the ground.
Soon the body disappeared behind the misty night.
But Li Tian could not shake the feeling that someone had been watching.
Servant Quarters
The small wooden huts of the servant disciples sat quietly along the lower slopes of the mountain.
Most of the servants had already gone to sleep.
Li Tian slipped quietly into his room and closed the door.
His heart was still beating rapidly.
He leaned against the wall and took a deep breath.
Then he sat cross-legged on the floor.
"If I really can cultivate…"
He closed his eyes.
The memories he had absorbed slowly surfaced in his mind.
The Basic Qi Gathering Art.
A simple technique taught to outer disciples of Azure Mountain Sect.
Its purpose was straightforward.
Absorb spiritual energy from the environment and guide it into the body.
Li Tian followed the breathing pattern from the memory.
Slow inhale.
Hold.
Slow exhale.
At first nothing happened.
But after several minutes…
Something changed.
A faint stream of spiritual energy drifted toward him.
Like mist drawn by an invisible current.
The energy touched his skin.
Then slowly entered his body.
Li Tian shivered.
It felt like cool water flowing through his veins.
But the moment the energy reached his spiritual root—
It scattered.
Broken.
Just as Elder Chen had said.
Li Tian frowned.
"So it really is broken…"
"Yes," the Primordial Echo said calmly. "Your root cannot properly store spiritual energy."
Li Tian clenched his fists.
"Then what's the point of cultivation?"
The ring pulsed faintly.
"Because the ring can temporarily stabilize the energy."
A thin thread of dark power flowed from the ring into Li Tian's body.
The scattered spiritual energy slowly gathered again.
Forming a small circulating flow.
Li Tian's eyes widened.
"It's working…"
"Continue breathing," the Echo instructed.
Li Tian focused again.
More spiritual energy slowly entered his body.
The circulation gradually became smoother.
After an hour, Li Tian finally opened his eyes.
Sweat covered his forehead.
But his expression was filled with excitement.
"I did it…"
Inside his body, a tiny stream of Qi flowed through his meridians.
It was weak.
But it existed.
Li Tian had taken his first step into the cultivation path.
The Primordial Echo spoke again.
"You have now reached the lowest stage of cultivation."
"What stage?"
"Early Qi Gathering."
Li Tian laughed softly.
Even the weakest cultivator could easily defeat ordinary mortals.
And now—
He had finally crossed that boundary.
But the Echo's voice suddenly grew colder.
"Do not celebrate too early."
Li Tian blinked.
"What do you mean?"
"You devoured the soul of an outer disciple tonight."
"So?"
"Someone killed him."
The words hung heavily in the quiet room.
Li Tian slowly understood.
"The killer might realize the body was tampered with…"
"Correct."
Li Tian swallowed.
"Meaning they might come looking."
Before the Echo could answer—
Footsteps suddenly echoed outside the hut.
Li Tian froze.
Someone stopped right outside his door.
A shadow moved across the paper window.
Then a voice spoke.
Cold.
Arrogant.
"Li Tian."
Li Tian's heart dropped.
He recognized the voice.
Zhao Kang.
One of the outer disciples.
A notorious bully who often tormented servant disciples.
"What does he want…?" Li Tian whispered.
The door suddenly slammed open.
Zhao Kang stepped inside.
Three other outer disciples followed behind him.
Their robes were soaked from the rain.
Zhao Kang's sharp eyes scanned the room.
Then they stopped on Li Tian.
"Well well," Zhao Kang said with a smirk.
"I heard you were near the servant road tonight."
Li Tian's pulse quickened.
"How did he know…?"
The Primordial Echo spoke calmly inside his mind.
"Careful. This one is stronger than you."
Zhao Kang slowly approached.
"There was an outer disciple found dead near that path," he continued.
His eyes narrowed.
"And strangely enough…"
"You were the last person seen nearby."
The other disciples stepped forward.
Blocking the exit.
Li Tian's thoughts raced.
If they believed he was the killer—
He would be executed immediately.
Zhao Kang leaned closer.
His expression twisted with amusement.
"So tell me, servant…"
"Did you kill him?"
Silence filled the small hut.
Rain tapped against the roof.
Li Tian slowly raised his head.
For the first time, his eyes were completely calm.
"No," he said.
Zhao Kang laughed.
"Of course you'd say that."
He grabbed Li Tian by the collar.
"Servants shouldn't lie."
Spiritual energy flared around Zhao Kang's hand.
Qi Gathering Stage.
Much stronger than Li Tian's weak cultivation.
But inside Li Tian's mind—
The Primordial Echo whispered something unexpected.
"Fight him."
Li Tian blinked.
"…What?"
"If you want to survive in this world…"
"Stop acting like prey."
Zhao Kang raised his fist.
"I think a beating will make you remember the truth."
But before the punch landed—
Li Tian moved.
For the first time since gaining Qi…
He unleashed it.
A small surge of spiritual energy flowed through his arm.
He grabbed Zhao Kang's wrist.
Zhao Kang froze.
"What…?"
Li Tian looked directly into his eyes.
"You shouldn't have come here."
The room fell silent.
Because everyone present had just realized something impossible.
The servant with the broken spiritual root…
Was using Qi.