Two days passed in quiet cultivation. The essence of the bandit leader's Earth Qi—distilled into the spear clashing—had given Hanyuan's frost energy a denser, more piercing quality.
He was sitting cross-legged on his bed, the morning sun streaming through the window, when a sudden, loud knock shook the wood.
"Enter," Hanyuan said, assuming it was a servant with his morning tea.
The door burst open, and a wave of heat flooded the room. A youth with vibrant red hair and a boisterous grin stepped inside. He wore the high-collared, crimson-and-gold robes of the Burning Steel Valley, and his aura hummed with the intensity of a forge.
"Brother Hanyuan! I nearly had to fight your gate guards to get in here!"
"Brother Yanfeng!" Hanyuan vaulted off the bed, his face lighting up with genuine joy. He grabbed Yanfeng's forearms, feeling the intense warmth of his fire-element Qi. "I heard you were taken by a great sect. I didn't think I'd see you for another year!"
"Haha! I pulled some strings and finished my quarterly missions early just to visit home," Yanfeng laughed, clapping Hanyuan on the back.
The two sat and began to swap stories. Yanfeng spoke of the towering lava falls and the competitive hierarchy of the Burning Steel Valley, while Hanyuan spoke of the forest and the bandit raid.
After a few minutes of catching up, Yanfeng looked around curiously. "Oh, by the way... where is that arrogant girl, Xueling? I was looking forward to showing off my new fire techniques and melting her pride a little."
Hanyuan's smile flickered, and he let out a long, heavy sigh. "The Heavenly Frost Sect took her. She was recruited as an outer disciple right in the middle of our training season."
Yanfeng's jaw dropped. "The Heavenly Frost Sect? One of the Three Great Sects? Heavens, that's even higher-ranked than my valley!"
"She is already at the 6th Layer of the Qi Refining realm," Hanyuan added, his voice trailing off into a shadow of doubt. He looked at his hands. "And you... you're already at the Peak of the 5th, aren't you?"
Yanfeng rubbed the back of his neck, sensing the shift in mood.
"Yanfeng," Hanyuan said softly, staring at the floor. "I'm training every day. I'm killing monsters and men alike... but sometimes I wonder if I can really keep up with you geniuses.
Yanfeng stared at him for a moment, then burst out laughing, a sound like crackling wood. "What's wrong with you? This isn't the Hanyuan I know!"
He reached out and playfully shoved Hanyuan's shoulder. "Listen to yourself! You're 12 years old and at the 4th Layer, and you just killed a bandit leader at the Peak of your own rank without sect resources! Who cares how many stars talent you have? Your spear is what makes people bleed, not your potential."
He stood up, sparks jumping from his fingertips. "If the Frost Sect thinks she's their future, let them. We'll just have to crash their party eventually, right? The road to the Peak isn't a race—it's an endurance match."
Hanyuan looked up at his friend, the gloom in his eyes slowly retreating. A small, defiant smile began to form on his lips. "You're right. I'm overthinking it again."
He stood up and grabbed his blackened steel spear from the wall. The metal was cold, biting, and utterly unyielding.
"I will never give up," Hanyuan vowed, the black colour in his eyes sparking to life. "Next time we meet, Yanfeng, that 5th Layer of yours won't be enough to hide from my Spear."
"That's more like it!" Yanfeng grinned, his own red eyes glowing. "Come on then. Show me that Spear everyone is whispering about. Let's see if your ice can handle my flames!"
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The final exchange was more of a blur than a fight. Yanfeng's wooden saber, encased in a roiling shroud of orange flame, struck Hanyuan's spear with the force of a falling meteor. Hanyuan's frost-Qi hissed and evaporated instantly, the heat traveling up the blackened steel shaft until his hands felt like they were being pressed against a forge.
On the third strike, the sheer pressure forced Hanyuan's knees to buckle. He tumbled backward, rolling through the melting slush on the ground.
"I can't even spar with you for more than a breath anymore!" Hanyuan laughed breathlessly, wiping a smudge of soot and sweat from his forehead.
Yanfeng chuckled, deactivating his Qi as the flames died down, though the air around him still shimmered with residual heat. "Don't sell yourself short, Hanyuan. My 'Blazing Heart' cultivation is meant for explosive force. But I'm serious—the techniques of the Burning Steel Valley are on a different level compared to clan manuals. If you want to keep growing, you need to join a sect. The resources alone are worth the struggle."
"A sect, huh?" Hanyuan leaned against his spear, looking at his palms. "The recruiter from the Heavenly Frost Sect barely spared me a second glance because of my six-star talent. Which high-level sect would want a 'mediocre' genius when they can have monsters like Xueling? I'm better off staying here and using the forest as my teacher."
Yanfeng stayed silent for a moment, then sighed, adjusting his crimson robes. "Just keep an eye out, Brother Hanyuan. Talent is the door, but strength is the key. I have to head back now; if the Sect Elders catch me lingering, they'll double my shifts in the magma chambers. Take care of yourself. I'll see you next year."
With a final wave, the red-haired youth vanished past the gates, leaving a faint scent of smoke in the winter air. Hanyuan retreated to his room, sitting in the silence of the twilight, contemplating his friend's words before slipping into a deep state of meditation.