The months that followed Li Yu's return from the Whispering Fen were a period of unprecedented peace and growth for the small, isolated faction at the Azure Serpent Lake. The valley, now shrouded in a high-grade concealment formation that made it appear as nothing more than a misty, unremarkable cliff face from the outside, became a true sanctuary. The new defensive formations, powered by the lake's abundant spiritual energy, hummed with a quiet, deadly power, a clear warning to any who might still harbor ill intentions.
Li Yu's three subordinates, armed with resources they could have only dreamed of, entered a state of deep, focused seclusion. Brother Kai, with the aid of the Meridian-Mending Soul Pill, was the first to emerge. The old, nagging injuries that had plagued his foundation for years were gone, his aura was stable, and his path forward was clear once more. While he had not yet broken through, the bottleneck that had held him at the Second Stage of Qi Condensation for a decade was finally beginning to loosen. Hu Jian and Lin Tao, with their new, high-grade cultivation arts and a supply of precious Qi Establishment Pills, were also on the verge of their own transformations. The entire valley was a coiled spring, gathering potential.
Li Yu, the architect of this change, fell into a relentless, dual-layered training regimen. His nights were a descent into the abyss of his true power. He discovered a new, profound synergy that accelerated his cultivation to a terrifying degree. The presence of Khaos, the sleeping Rank 9 Sovereign Beast, within his Koi's Sanctuary acted as a divine catalyst. When Li Yu cultivated, the Koi still drew in the raw, harmless Qi from the beasts of the Azure Serpent Lake as it always had. However, this raw Qi was now automatically drawn through the sanctuary, where the abyssal filter of Khaos's dormant aura would refine it, stripping away impurities and leaving behind an energy that was far deeper and purer than before.
This supercharged essence, combined with his ten days a month absorbing the ancient energy of the Abyssal Water Pavilion, became the engine of his growth. After three months of this intense, dual-pronged effort. His Qi Core pulsed, expanding and solidifying with each leap, the True Qi within becoming unbelievably pure and potent. He had reached all the way to the Fourth Stage of the Qi Condensation Realm.
His Koi spirit thrived. The final golden thread, tracing its other pectoral fin, solidified, completing a pattern of breathtaking, divine beauty. The sanctuary within it had also expanded. The small, misty room was now the size of a large courtyard, the crimson-gold mist of vitality thicker and more nourishing. Khaos rested peacefully at its center, its dormant aura growing stronger with each passing day.
With his true foundation secure, he knew it was time to advance his public persona. To remain a Body Tempering disciple, no matter how talented, would eventually become a restriction. He needed to officially step onto the next stage of the cultivation ladder. He went into "seclusion" for a week. On the seventh day, a powerful, chaotic wave of spiritual energy erupted from his pagoda, a clear and undeniable sign of a cultivator breaking through to the Qi Condensation Realm. He deliberately made the aura unstable, the mark of a disciple who had just barely succeeded in forming their Qi Core.
When he emerged, his aura was that of a brand new, First Stage Qi Condensation expert. Brother Kai, Hu Jian, and Lin Tao rushed to congratulate him, their faces beaming with pride. They were now a full-fledged team of Qi Condensation cultivators, a true force to be reckoned with.
This "breakthrough" did not go unnoticed. A summons from his master arrived the very next day.
He arrived at the nine-story pagoda to find Elder Ning not in her study, but in a grand, open-air pavilion on a lower floor, overlooking a waterfall that cascaded down the mountain. She was playing a game of Go against herself, the black and white stones forming a complex, esoteric pattern on the board.
"You have condensed your Qi Core," she stated, her voice carrying a note of profound satisfaction. "It has been less than two years since you began your cultivation. To go from a mortal to a Qi Condensation expert in such a short time… your talent is even greater than I anticipated."
"This disciple was only able to succeed thanks to Master's guidance and the resources of the Azure Serpent Lake," Li Yu replied, his aura carefully modulated to seem new and unstable.
"Resources are a tool. The hand that wields them is what matters," she countered, placing a white stone on the board with a soft, decisive click. "The sect's expedition to the Whispering Fen has returned. They found the basin. They found the corpse of the Titan-Shelled Tortoise and the lingering auras of the two powerful beasts. But of the creatures themselves, there was no sign." She finally looked up, her gaze sharp. "The 'Stygian Void-Crusher' has become a legend, a new, terrifying entry in the sect's archives of Unsolvable Threats. Elder Jin was furious, but without a body or a witness to refute your story, he could do nothing."
She paused, a flicker of amusement in her eyes. "You have, for the moment, won."
"I was merely a survivor," Li Yu said humbly.
"A survivor who has proven his worth," she corrected. "Your talent in beast taming is undeniable, and your caution is a rare virtue. But you lack one crucial thing: experience. You have lived your life in a village, in the Aquatic Pens, and now in your own secluded valley. The world is a far larger, more complex, and more treacherous ocean than you can possibly imagine."
She placed another stone on the board. "In two months, the great trading hub, Sunken Treasure City, will be holding its decennial Grand Auction. It is a neutral city, a meeting place for the righteous sects, demonic cultivators, rogue wanderers, and ancient clans. It is a place of immense opportunity and profound danger."
She looked at him, her intent clear. "I want you to go. You will go as my personal representative. You will lead a small delegation, including your subordinate, Kai, and the two guards. This will be their first mission as Qi Condensation cultivators, and your first test as a true leader and a newly advanced expert. A trial by fire is the best way to stabilize a new foundation."
Li Yu's heart began to beat faster. This was an opportunity he had not expected.
"Your journey has two purposes," Elder Ning continued. "First, you are to observe. Watch how the different factions interact. Learn the art of negotiation, of discerning truth from falsehood. The politics of the cultivation world are a battlefield just as deadly as any swamp."
"Second, you have a specific objective." She waved her hand, and a glowing, illusory image of a beautiful, deep-blue pearl, the size of a child's fist and shimmering with an inner light, appeared between them. "This is the 'Heart of the Deep Sea.' It is a rare, heaven-grade spiritual treasure, condensed from the life essence of an ancient sea dragon that perished in the deepest ocean trench. It is said to be appearing at this auction. For a water-attribute cultivator, it is a priceless treasure that can purify one's Qi, stabilize one's foundation, and greatly increase one's affinity with the water element. For a disciple who has just condensed their core, it is a divine-level treasure."
She looked at him, her gaze intense. "I want you to acquire it. At any cost."
She tossed a high-grade storage ring onto the table. "This contains one hundred thousand low-grade spirit stones. It is a vast sum, but other, more powerful factions will also be vying for this treasure. You may not have enough. This is not just a test of wealth, but of your cunning, your resourcefulness, and your resolve. Use any means necessary—bartering, negotiation, or even 'accidents' outside the city walls—to secure the Heart of the Deep Sea."
"This disciple understands," Li Yu said, his mind already racing.
"Be warned," she added, her voice turning cold. "Elder Jin's influence does not end at the sect's borders. His faction will be there. His eldest and most favored disciple, Jin Ao, will likely be leading them. He is at the peak of the Qi Condensation Realm, a true genius with a cruel and arrogant nature. They will not dare to attack you openly within the city's walls, but they will use every underhanded method to make you fail, to humiliate you and, by extension, me. Do not underestimate them."
Li Yu bowed deeply, his eyes burning with a cold, determined light. "I will not fail you, Master."
He accepted the storage ring, the weight of a hundred thousand spirit stones a heavy, thrilling burden. He was being sent into a new, far more dangerous ocean, filled with sharks and leviathans far more cunning than the beasts of the Fen.
He returned to the Azure Serpent Lake, his heart a mixture of excitement and a cold, calculating calm. He gathered his three subordinates, who had all, by now, successfully broken through to the First Stage of the Qi Condensation Realm, their auras stable and their faces filled with a newfound confidence.
He relayed the master's orders. Hu Jian and Lin Tao met the news with a fierce, battle-hungry excitement. Brother Kai, however, was more cautious, his face etched with worry.
"Sunken Treasure City…" he murmured. "It is a city of dragons and snakes, Junior Steward. A place where a single misspoken word can lead to a bloody end."
"Then we will be the silent serpents in the deep," Li Yu replied, his voice calm and steady. "We have two months to prepare. We will use this time to solidify our foundations and hone our skills. When we arrive in that city, we will not be the ignorant disciples of a secluded sect. We will be a force to be reckoned with."
He looked out at the vast, dark lake, then at the loyal, powerful cultivators who now stood by his side. He had survived the sect. He had survived the swamp. Now, it was time to see what the rest of the world had to offer.