The morning mist clung to Azure Fang City's stone streets like a veil of quiet tension. Ren Wei stepped out from the villa in a deep green robe, simple in form but touched with faint embroidery of flame threads near the cuffs—a quiet nod to the power stirring beneath his skin.
Beside him walked Mei Rou, her pace light yet attentive. She clutched a small list of herbs Ren Wei had dictated earlier, and he carried a pouch of mid-grade spiritual stones at his side.
As they made their way toward the central medical district, Ren Wei's thoughts were not idle.
> "Foundation Establishment changes everything. Formation in Cultivation Room is lack of Qi . I need more than pills—I need upgraded formation."
He adjusted his stride and glanced toward Mei Rou.
"Add extra materials to the list," he said calmly.
"For what, Young Master?"
"Formation reinforcements. Pills won't be enough."
Mei Rou nodded without hesitation. "I'll rewrite the request before we reach the hall."
The street buzzed faintly with cultivators, tradesmen, and idle pedestrians. Though Ren Wei's name had not yet spread among the masses, a few cultivators turned their heads as he passed, sensing a subtle pressure in the air—as though someone had compressed flame into flesh.
They arrived at the Grand Azure Medical Hall, its towering doors engraved with herbal sigils and protective wards. Inside, the air was thick with the scent of powdered roots and alchemical steam. Rows of cultivators lined the stone counters, exchanging herbs, pills, and spirit contracts.
Ren Wei moved toward the side reserved for rare and private transactions. A pale elder in blue robes glanced up, clearly unimpressed—until Mei Rou handed him the list.
The man's fingers twitched, and his eyes flicked up to Ren Wei's face.
"…These prescriptions aren't common knowledge," the elder said. "Not for your age."
Ren Wei returned his gaze with calm steel. "Then you'll understand I'm not just my age."
The old alchemist let out a dry chuckle and waved over a junior disciple. "Fetch the stock. Most of it."
After brief haggling—where Ren Wei stood firm—the purchase was complete. The spiritual stones from Sheng Lian's pouch were enough, though barely.
As they turned to leave, Mei Rou whispered, "That flame pattern on your cuffs... It's reacting to your Qi."
"Let it," Ren Wei murmured. "It's time people start noticing."
---
Far from the noise of the city, in the upper terrace of Lian Sect, Sheng Lian stood at the edge of a training platform. Below, disciples sparred under the morning sun, their techniques sharp but shallow in her eyes.
She sensed him approach long before he spoke.
Lian Xuanyan, clad in black and silver, stopped a few paces behind her, hands folded behind his back.
"You'll owe me a bottle of fine wine if that boy dies," he said, tone almost playful.
Sheng Lian didn't turn. Her lips curled ever so slightly. "Then start preparing your cellar."
Xuanyan snorted and walked away, muttering something about 'romantic nonsense' and 'ungrateful daughters.'
---
The sun hovered high by the time Ren Wei returned to the villa. A light breeze stirred the courtyard as he stepped through the doors, greeted by the familiar warmth of home.
"Su Yao, tea," he called calmly.
She emerged moments later with a porcelain cup, bowing lightly. "Welcome back, Young Master."
After a few slow sips, he handed her the cup with a nod. "Also bring lunch. I'm not skipping meals anymore."
Su Yao blinked. "Not skipping?"
Ren Wei leaned against the wooden pillar. "Three meals. Every day. Even during closed cultivation."
A rare softness touched her smile. "Understood."
Moments later, a fragrant meal was laid before him. He ate with measured calm, his body already adjusting to a new rhythm. As the final bite vanished, he stood, brushing imaginary dust from his robe.
"Time to sort the herbs."
He moved toward the side room where his supplies had been placed. Inside, the spiritual herbs shimmered faintly, categorized by Su Yao's diligent hands. Ren Wei first separated those needed for his formation plans.
> "I've stepped into Foundation Establishment. It's time to build a cultivation array worthy of what comes next."
He stepped into the formation chamber, drew fresh symbols with spiritual ink, and placed the herbs carefully at each calculated intersection. A soft hum began to rise from the ground itself.
The formation pulsed to life.
Rich, invisible streams of Qi began pouring into the chamber from the surroundings, then cycling slowly in a spiral around the room. Ren Wei stepped into the eye of the storm.
> "With this... I can cultivate all the way to Nascent Soul."
He paused.
> "But no higher. This formation is capped by Earth's spiritual laws. For further upgrades…"
"...I'll need herbs from the Immortal Realm."
He smiled faintly, a glint of ambition in his eyes.
"Then I'll go there."
Returning to the main chamber, he cleared a space on the stone floor, drew another precise alchemy array, and began preparations for pill crafting.
Jade bowls. Flame control talismans. Condensation patterns. Everything clicked into place.
The pill crafting began.
---
Meanwhile, deep within the Lian Sect's inner compound, Sheng Lian descended the silent staircase of the alchemical vault.
Her presence alerted the steward without a word. He stepped forward with reverence, holding a jade box encased in spiritual wards.
"The Emerald Origin Pill," he said. "Refined once every ten years."
Sheng Lian took it silently, opened it a crack. Green mist curled out like dragon's breath, saturating the air with a dense herbal fragrance.
Even the elder flinched. "That pill was meant for the next sect heir…"
She closed the box and whispered:
> "Ren Wei… don't make me regret this."
Then louder, to the elder, her voice cool and resolute:
"Then let's consider this a bet."
---
Dusk had painted the sky in oranges and crimson by the time Ren Wei exhaled from his pill furnace.
Five glowing Foundation Establishment pills rested in a jade bowl—each one radiating more spiritual essence than anything he'd seen before. Crafted with techniques from his former life, they were at least ten times stronger than the two sent by Han Suiren.
Just then, a gentle knock.
Su Yao opened the villa door. A cloaked figure from the Lian Sect bowed and handed over a scroll and jade container. No words were exchanged. Su Yao returned inside, stepping carefully to the cultivation chamber.
"You may enter," Ren Wei's voice called from within.
She bowed and passed him the letter.
Unfolding it, he read:
> I hardly gained this Emerald Origin Pill.
Please do not die.
He blinked once, then chuckled.
Opening the container, he let the scent rise—deep green vapor, potent and elegant. Though a touch weaker than the one from Han Crest, it bore Sheng Lian's effort, her personal struggle, her silent concern.
> "I won't need it," he thought. "But… I appreciate it."
Setting it aside, he said to Su Yao, "Prepare the evening meal. I'll dine in the courtyard."
As twilight deepened, he sat under the lantern-lit sky, savoring each bite while lost in thought.
Eight Foundation Establishment pills. Five of his own, three from others. More than enough.
> "Still… I haven't been to school in a week."
He laughed quietly to himself.
> "Maybe I should show up for a bit. Before diving back into cultivation."
The stars blinked into life as he returned to his room, the soft glow of the Qi-gathering formation pulsing under his feet.
The path ahead was clear. But it would not be gentle.