The gate of the villa creaked shut behind him.
Ren Wei didn't speak. He walked past the main hall, past Mei Rou and Su Yao, who both straightened in silence.
"Tea?" Mei Rou offered.
He didn't look back. "Lock the doors. Until dawn… no one disturbs me."
He vanished into the cultivation chamber.
---
The moment he sat down, the formation beneath him thrummed to life.
A gentle spiral of Qi gathered from the surroundings — denser than usual. The villa sat atop a natural node, something he suspected but hadn't confirmed until now. The **Spirit-Breath Formation** he'd carved flared to life, accelerating the draw.
> *Ding!*
> **Iron Blood Meditation Activated**
> **Condition: Internal Focus Mode Enabled**
> *Bonus: Pain Tolerance +20%, Regeneration Rate +15%*
He closed his eyes and began.
---
Within his mind, the world twisted.
He stood on a shattered battlefield, smoke curling around fragments of broken memory. Versions of himself stood before him — one wounded, one afraid, one proud and smiling.
"You want to ascend? Then bury us."
Ren Wei's eyes flared. "Then die again."
He charged forward — no weapon. Only Qi.
He struck them down one by one, every hesitation shredded, every fear burned.
> "I don't need your ghosts."
The battlefield faded.
---
Veins roared. Flesh cracked.
His Qi spiraled like a whirlpool, tearing through each channel with brutal force.
He screamed once — then bit down hard.
Blood ran from his nose, but he didn't stop.
---
From the rooftop, **Sheng Lian** sat cross-legged, veil fluttering in the wind. Her silver eyes watched the glow from his chamber pulse and flash — then fade — then roar back like a tide.
She didn't speak. She simply… waited.
Not for protection. Not for curiosity.
But for *confirmation*.
At the fourth hour, the glow from within shifted color.
> *Ding!*
> **Qi Refinement Level 9 Achieved: Perfect Master Realm**
> *Main Quest Phase 2: Rise without Shadow Completed*
**Rewards Unlocked:**
* Hidden Physique Evolution
* Special Bloodline Detection
* Dao Fragment Revelation *(Locked: Foundation Realm Required)*
A symbol flickered across Ren Wei's chest — black flames entwined with threads of iron. It vanished as fast as it came.
---
He opened his eyes at dawn.
Sheng Lian was standing beside the door when he emerged, arms folded.
"You reached Level 9?" she asked.
He didn't answer.
"You… shouldn't be able to do that in two days."
He passed her without a word, stopping only to look back.
> "You said you'd wait for real progress."
His Qi surged with restrained violence.
> "You're still here. So I assume this counts."
She said nothing.
But she didn't leave.
Not yet.
The night was heavy with silence.
Ren Wei stood alone on the cultivation terrace of his villa, Echo Fang resting across his lap. The battle with Li Xuan was already yesterday's ash. He hadn't just defeated him — he had shattered him, body and pride alike.
But tomorrow… tomorrow was different.
> "A new opponent. A new blade," he whispered.
---
A soft breeze passed as Sheng Lian entered from the courtyard archway. Moonlight outlined her silhouette — composed as ever, but something sharp lingered in her gaze.
> "Tomorrow's opponent isn't like Li Xuan," she said. "He's from the Shadowheart Pavilion. Name's Bai Hengen. Early Grandmaster realm. But unlike Li Xuan, he didn't cheat his way there."
Ren Wei didn't flinch.
> "So he's strong?"
> "More than that. He's silent. Precise. The kind who kills without a second strike."
Ren Wei chuckled, "Then I'll make my first one count."
---
After Sheng Lian left — satisfied, but wary — Ren Wei returned to his training platform.
The air around Echo Fang rippled as if the saber could feel the weight of what was to come.
He slid his fingers across the blade.
> "One form wasn't enough…"
He raised it high, then spun downward. The Qi in his veins surged. He no longer wielded the saber — he became it.
> Ding!
Ash Vein Fang – Form Two Unlocked
Form Name: Hollow Cinder Spiral
Description: A spiraling slash that draws in enemy Qi, weakening their next attack and amplifying the next blow.
He moved like fire caught in a whirlpool — slashing wide, then snapping his wrist. A vortex of heat and energy pulled around him, and the stone tiles beneath his feet cracked.
> Ding!
Form Mastery Progress: 67%
He stopped mid-motion, breathing slow but heavy.
> "That… felt real."
The saber in his hand seemed to pulse — alive, alert, and hungry.
---
Later, he sat in the dining hall once more, sipping from his tea while Mei Rou and Su Yao exchanged glances behind him.
> "So quiet again," Su Yao muttered.
Mei Rou only offered a rare smile.
Ren Wei said nothing. He was already staring beyond the window, where the horizon trembled faintly in golden mist.
---
The next day came.
Heaven's Ring Platform rose again — but this time, it was packed beyond measure. Cultivators from four sects had gathered. Whispers flew:
> "Han Crest's warrior again?"
> "He crushed Li Xuan. Who's next?"
> "They say his saber bends flames."
Ren Wei stepped into the arena, calm as stone. No cloak. No entourage.
Just a single sentence in his heart:
> "I will cut through anything that stands between me… and the Dao."