The nights had grown longer and darker over the past few months, and Yinmo had learned to move unseen beneath the forest's ancient canopy. With his new cloaking robe—a prized acquisition that cost him 50 essence stones—draped about his shoulders, he was now better able to blend into the shadows. The garment not only concealed his identity during secret healing sessions but also enabled him to venture closer to the ongoing wild conflicts among magical beasts without drawing unwanted attention.
Over the past months, Yinmo's dual existence had been a study in extremes. By day, he tended to discreet healing operations at his secret alcove, quietly earning enough to support his ambitions. By night, with only his determination and a few precious essence stones to his name, he delved deep into the mysteries of dark magic. His notebooks filled with precise observations and rough sketches of volatile energy patterns—small surges of power that hinted at a potential yet unrefined.
Now, with only four months until the New Year Festival, everything hinged on a rapid transformation. Twelve years old and still at the Second Qi stage, Yinmo was painfully aware that the clan leader's imposed limit—demanding that he reach the Third Qi stage before academy entry—could jeopardize his future. The advanced spell book to further study dark magic had been acquired, and with his healing efforts he had managed to amass 120 essence stones. But to push past his current cultivation level in time, he needed every advantage he could muster.
A critical opportunity arose when he discreetly exchanged 50 essence stones for a Qi gathering pill, renowned for its ability to boost cultivation efficiency. Although this left him with only 10 essence stones to spare, the pill was a lifeline—a small but potent catalyst that might cut the time needed to ascend from the Second to the Third Qi stage.
That very night, under a starless sky, Yinmo set out into the forest at a brisk pace. His mission was twofold: to refine his dark magic incantation and to absorb the raw energy of nature's darker side. He reached a secluded clearing, one he had scouted during previous excursions, where the air crackled with the unsettling vibration of magic in flux.
Drawing a rough circle on the soft earth, Yinmo began his experimental incantation. His focus was singular tonight. He needed to grasp the very essence of darkness, so he called out in a clear, resonant tone:
"Tenebris Aperio."
Almost immediately, the ambient air shifted; a cool, shadowy ripple coursed around him. The effect was raw and unstable, but it was unlike anything he'd been able to evoke before. Determined to capture every nuance, Yinmo pushed himself to modify his routine. He varied his tone, stretched his pauses, and focused on synthesizing every detail he had observed at beast conflicts during previous nights.
As he repeated the incantation, he caught sight of movement in the periphery—a flash of dark magic slipping through dense thickets. With his cloak tightly buttoned, he moved quickly toward the disturbance. There, in the midst of a skirmish between two wild magical beasts, chaotic displays of dark energy surged into the air. Yinmo ducked behind an ancient oak and observed intently, heart pounding. Every burst, every erratic shimmer of corrupted energy was a lesson in power unfettered by control.
The beastly clash was fierce and unrelenting, with the creatures exchanging volatile blasts that lit up the darkness in sporadic, eerie flashes. Using every bit of his cloaking robe's protection, Yinmo edged closer. He jotted down hurried notes in his notebook—even catching a glimpse of how the creatures' dark magic pulsed in irregular patterns. It was risky, and his pulse raced as the sounds of battle grew louder, but this adrenaline-fueled episode provided him with the raw data he needed.
Back in his chosen clearing, under the oppressive silence of the deep forest, Yinmo resumed his experiments with renewed urgency. The Qi gathering pill activated within him, speeding the flow of his internal energy as he practiced. Every incantation session was rigorous—an exercise in both concentration and physical endurance. It was as though the forest itself conspired with his efforts, its dark whispers urging him on.
Between the flickering shadows and the roar of unseen winds, he melded his observations from the beastly conflict into his incantations. While he was not yet combining his traditional wood magic with dark energy, every moment was spent isolating and stabilizing that elusive underlying force of pure darkness.
Time was his fiercest adversary. With the New Year Festival looming—a gateway to the academy and his dreams—each session took on a desperate edge. Every night, under the disguise of his cloaking robe, Yinmo pushed his limits. His notebook, once filled with tentative sketches, now brimmed with detailed observations and refined adjustments. The Qi gathering pill's effect was undeniable; he could feel his Qi pulsing faster, more efficiently, as if each carefully modulated incantation moved him just a fraction closer to the coveted Third Qi stage.
As dawn approached, casting feeble light through tangled branches, Yinmo leaned against a moss-covered boulder, exhausted but determined. His experiments had not yet produced a stable dark spell, but they had laid the groundwork for an unprecedented breakthrough. The raw, chaotic energy he had begun to corral was beginning to hint at structure—enough to spark a hope that he could eventually master the forbidden art of pure dark incantation.
The stakes had never been higher. The race to the New Year Festival was on—a race to transcend the boundaries imposed on him and secure his place at the academy. Every incantation, every stolen observation from the wild, and every drop of the accelerated Qi now coursing through him was a step toward an uncertain future that he alone could forge.