Inside the headmaster's office, as the heavy door clicked shut behind the departing director, silence briefly filled the room. Then Han Suiren leaned back slightly, a quiet laugh escaping his lips.
"Didn't I tell you I'd handle it with my connections?" he said, tone relaxed, but eyes sharp as ever.
Ren Wei smiled faintly—not wide, but the corners of his mouth lifted, enough to betray amusement. "That's a debt I won't forget, Han Suiren."
Han Suiren waved a hand. "Just live long enough to repay it. That'll be enough."
He paused for a moment, reaching into his sleeve and pulling out a delicate jade slip. "And don't forget to use those pills I sent you. They weren't easy to come by."
Ren Wei gave a small bow from his seated position. "Understood. I'll use them wisely."
Han Suiren stood, brushing invisible dust from his robe. Then he called toward the door. "Director."
The man entered again almost immediately, expression still respectful.
"Ren Wei will remain in school today," Han Suiren instructed. "But from tomorrow onward, his attendance will follow the arrangement I mentioned. Once a week or less. Understood?"
"Of course," the director replied, bowing deeply. "If the great Han Suiren commands it, then it shall be school law."
Ren Wei quietly followed the exchange with narrowed eyes but said nothing.
A few minutes later, he returned to class.
The moment he stepped into the hall, eyes shifted. Some widened in surprise, others narrowed in unease—but none dared speak. He walked like a phantom, untouchable. No words, no greetings. He was still treated like air.
Ren Wei slid into his seat, resting his arms lazily on the table as if nothing had changed. His lips curled into a dry smile.
"Still air, huh? They saw nothing before... and now they're too scared to speak."
---
After the final bell rang, Ren Wei exited the academy with calm steps and returned to the villa. Mei Rou and Su Yao greeted him at the entrance with gentle bows.
He waved a hand casually, walking past them toward the courtyard.
Just as he was about to retreat to his room, Su Yao stepped forward with a soft voice. "Young Master… if it's suitable, may I bring you your dinner?"
Ren Wei stopped mid-step, then laughed lightly.
"Sure. I'll wait in the yard."
He entered his room, changing out of his school robes into his more comfortable inner garments, then stepped into the courtyard. The table was already set with care and simplicity, the scent of spirit herbs gently wafting from a covered tray.
He sat and began eating slowly, appreciating the silence of twilight.
After finishing the meal, he set the chopsticks down and looked up.
"Su Yao," he called gently. "Remind me at supper."
Su Yao bowed deeply. "As you wish, Young Master."
Without another word, Ren Wei made his way into the cultivation chamber. As the door closed behind him, the spiritual energy within the room stirred once more, drawn to the one preparing to ascend.
The path to power demanded silence, sacrifice, and nights with no end.
---
Inside the stillness of the cultivation chamber, the air trembled faintly.
Ren Wei sat cross-legged beneath the intricate Qi-attracting formation he'd etched earlier that day. Streams of ambient Qi were slowly being drawn into the chamber, denser than anything the mortal realm could normally offer. It wasn't much by immortal standards—but for now, it was more than enough.
He closed his eyes, circulating his Qi with the smooth control of someone who had transcended the novice stages. With practiced ease, he brought out one of the Foundation Establishment Pills he had refined earlier. Holding it between his fingers, he examined the craftsmanship—glimmering lines, near-perfect condensation, and a potent medicinal scent.
He swallowed the pill in one fluid motion.
A surge of heat rippled through his meridians. His breathing slowed, then deepened. The formation above him pulsed once as Qi flooded downward like a waterfall, drawn into his core.
The spiritual essence coursed through his body like a roaring river.
And then—
Ding!
> Foundation Establishment Realm – Level 2 Achieved.
Ren Wei slowly exhaled. The sense of advancement was tangible, like a new weight pressing from within—not heavy, but grounding. Power. Stability. Control.
But he didn't smile. He merely murmured, "One step closer."
---
Elsewhere. Inside the Mo Crest compound.
The silence in the shadowed council hall was thick enough to strangle.
Zhou Feiyang leaned forward over the polished blackwood table. "He's advancing too fast."
Across from him, Li Mingyuan nodded, arms crossed. "That villa of his must be filled with resources. Han Suiren's support is no joke."
An elder, face like cracked bark, tapped the table. "Then we should strike now. Before Golden Core. He walks outside, he doesn't return."
Zhou Feiyang frowned. "No. That would only spark retaliation. The four families need the public to see his failure. Heaven's Ring is the stage."
Li Mingyuan's lips curled. "Then we make sure the curtain falls right when it should."
The elders nodded in agreement, unaware that in the shadows beyond the meeting hall, a cloaked figure listened without a sound.
---
Back at the Villa.
The moonlight bathed the courtyard in silver-blue as a breeze fluttered the petals in the air.
Mei Rou passed silently by the edge of the cultivation room. The faint hum of gathering energy still pulsed behind the closed door.
She paused.
A quiet smile rose on her lips.
"He's pushing himself again…" she whispered. "Foolish... but admirable."
The leaves rustled gently above as if echoing her sentiment.
Inside, Ren Wei's eyes opened. Steady. Focused.