Li Yu returned to the Azure Serpent Lake under the soft glow of the setting sun, the profound, ancient energy of the Abyssal Water Pavilion still humming in his meridians. The moment he stepped back into his own territory, he was greeted by the concerned faces of his three subordinates, who had clearly been waiting for him.
"Junior Steward, you've returned!" Hu Jian exclaimed, his relief palpable. "We were starting to worry. The Abyssal Water Pavilion… is it as incredible as the legends say?"
Li Yu gave a small, weary smile, playing the part of a disciple who had just undergone a grueling day of training. "The spiritual energy is… dense," he said, deliberately understating the truth. "It is a good place to practice, but very taxing on the mind."
"To be expected," Brother Kai said, pouring him a cup of warm, restorative tea. "Only the most resilient geniuses can withstand that level of spiritual pressure for long. Did you encounter any trouble?" His question was casual, but his eyes were sharp, asking a different question entirely: Did any of Elder Jin's lackeys bother you?
"None at all," Li Yu replied, taking the tea with a grateful nod. "The other disciples were focused on their own cultivation. I met one, a Senior Sister named Su Ling. She was… intense."
"Su Ling of the First Elder's lineage?" Lin Tao spoke up, his quiet voice filled with a note of caution. "She is said to be one of the top five disciples in the entire inner sect. Her talent is second only to the Sect Master's own personal disciple. To have attracted her attention is a significant event, for good or for ill."
"She was just curious," Li Yu said dismissively, though he filed the information away. "My cultivation is low, so I must have seemed out of place." He looked at his loyal subordinates, a warmth spreading through his chest. "Thank you for your concern. For now, let us focus on our duties. The peace we have now is temporary. We must use it to prepare for the storm."
His words, spoken with a wisdom that belied his age, settled the excited atmosphere. The four of them shared a quiet meal, the unspoken understanding between them more potent than any words. They were a small, isolated island in the vast, treacherous sea of the Green Mountain Sect, and their Junior Steward was their anchor.
Thus began Li Yu's new, bifurcated existence. For twenty days a month, he was the master of the Azure Serpent Lake. He fulfilled his duties with a serene competence that continued to amaze Brother Kai. His "official" cultivation, practiced in the open, steadily climbed, breaking through to the Ninth Stage of Body Tempering after a few months of "diligent" work with the «Azure Water Scripture». This achievement, while expected of a personal disciple, was still a source of immense pride for his small staff.
His nights were spent in the abyss of the lake, honing his true skills. His synergy with Crimson became flawless. They were no longer master and beast, but two parts of a single predatory entity. His mastery of his three core techniques—movement, defense, and offense—reached a state of profound integration. He could flow from a «Rippling Shadow Step» directly into a «Deep-River Seal», his movements a seamless, deadly dance.
The other ten days of the month were spent in the Abyssal Water Pavilion. Each visit was a monumental leap. He would use the pure energy of the pavilion, catalyzed by the wisp of ancient power from the sleeping behemoth below, to refine his spirit arts and, more importantly, to advance his true cultivation. He consumed the second Qi Establishment Pill, and after two months of this dual-pronged cultivation, he smoothly broke through the barrier to the Second Stage of the Qi Condensation Realm.
His Qi Core became larger and more brilliant, the True Qi it produced was denser and more potent. The third golden thread on his Koi spirit, tracing its pectoral fin, became a solid, shining line. His power was growing at a rate that would have terrified the entire sect, all of it hidden beneath the placid surface of a Body Tempering disciple's aura.
During one of his visits to the pavilion, he crossed paths with Su Ling again. She was meditating on her usual platform, her aura as cold and sharp as a glacier. She opened her eyes as he passed.
"Junior Brother Li," she said, her voice acknowledging his presence. "Your progress is remarkable. Ninth Stage of Body Tempering already. At this rate, you will condense your Qi Core within the year."
"Senior Sister is too kind," Li Yu replied humbly. "I am merely benefiting from our Master's generous guidance."
"Guidance is a map," she countered, her gaze analytical. "It does not grant one the legs to make the journey. Your foundation is unusually stable." She looked at him for a long moment, a thoughtful, almost suspicious light in her eyes. "You should be careful. Rapid progress attracts envy. Envy, in our world, is a sharper blade than any sword."
"This Junior Brother will remember Senior Sister's advice," he said, bowing slightly before moving to his own platform. The encounter was brief, but it was a stark reminder that his disguise, while effective, was not perfect. True geniuses could sense the quality of his foundation, even if they could not perceive its true depth.
The storm that Brother Kai had predicted finally arrived five months after the duel. It did not come as a direct assault, but as a formal, unavoidable summons. An official sect mission, sanctioned by the Sect Master himself, was announced.
Brother Kai brought the news to Li Yu, his face grim, a stark contrast to the bright morning sun. "It's a mandatory mobilization, Junior Steward," he said, handing Li Yu a formal scroll sealed with the Sect Master's personal insignia. "All core disciples under the age of twenty who are below the Fifth Stage of Qi Condensation are required to participate."
Li Yu took the scroll and read its contents. The mission was to venture into a notoriously dangerous territory a hundred miles from the sect, a vast, poisonous swamp known as the Whispering Fen. The objective was to harvest a rare, Rank 4 spiritual herb, the Serpent's Breath Lotus. The lotus was a key ingredient in the 'Nine Orifices Soul-Cleansing Pill,' a high-grade medicine the Sect Master's chief alchemist was attempting to refine.
"The Whispering Fen…" Lin Tao whispered from the doorway, his face pale. "That place is a death trap. It is filled with venomous beasts, poisonous fog, and treacherous terrain. Two years ago, an inner sect elder led a team of ten disciples in, and only he and three others returned."
"This is not a mission," Hu Jian growled, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword. "It's a targeted assassination."
Brother Kai nodded, his expression grim. "He is right, Junior Steward. The mission itself is legitimate; the herb is indeed precious. But the list of participants… it is filled with disciples from Elder Jin's faction. And you, a personal disciple who is publicly at the Body Tempering Realm, are being sent into a place where even Qi Condensation experts perish. This is Elder Jin's move. He has found a way to place you in a situation where your death can be blamed on the dangers of the mission, on an 'unfortunate accident.'"
Li Yu finished reading the scroll, his expression calm. He had known this day would come. He had been preparing for it. Refusing a direct order from the Sect Master was impossible; it would be an act of defiance that even his master could not protect him from.
"When do we depart?" Li Yu asked, his voice steady.
"In three days," Brother Kai replied, his voice heavy with dread. "Junior Steward, you must speak to Elder Ning! She can surely find a way to have you exempted!"
"No," Li Yu said, rolling up the scroll. "To ask for an exemption is to show fear. My master told me that strength is the only true status. This is my chance to prove it."
He looked at the worried faces of his subordinates, his friends. "Do not worry," he said, a confident, reassuring smile touching his lips. "The Whispering Fen may be dangerous for others. But for a beast tamer who understands the creatures of the water and the swamp…" He let the sentence hang, a silent promise of his unique advantage.
He walked to the edge of his pagoda's balcony, looking out at the vast, deep lake that had been his cradle, his training ground, his sanctuary. He placed his hand on the Beast Bag at his waist, feeling the calm, powerful presence of Crimson within.
He knew this was a trap, a hunting party where he was meant to be the prey. But they had made a grave miscalculation. They were not sending a sheep to the slaughter. It was sending a fish back to the Ocean.