The journey back to the Green Mountain Sect aboard the Jade Peak was a quiet and thoughtful affair. The electric excitement of the tournament had faded, replaced by a deep, resonant satisfaction. The three competing disciples, Brother Shen, Lin Xue, and Yao Fei, spent the three-day trip in deep discussion with Elder Han, deconstructing every stage, analyzing the techniques they had witnessed, their minds buzzing with newfound insights. They had not won, but they had returned with a treasure far more valuable than any prize: knowledge.
Li Yu and Han Jian often stood together at the ship's railing, watching the clouds drift by. The friendship between them had grown during the trip, built on the shared experience of observing the wider cultivation world. They spoke of the different daos they had seen, of the quiet humility of Chen Jianxin, the ferocious ambition of Huo Liling, and the profound, inexplicable mystery of Su Lin.
"It is a reminder," Han Jian said, his gaze distant, "that the world is vast, and genius can bloom in the most unexpected of places. The Pale Orchid Clan… before this, who had ever heard their name? Now, they will be spoken of in every major sect for years to come." He paused, a thoughtful, strategic glint in his eyes that showed his mind was already thinking like a Sect Master.
"Her performance was a greater victory for her clan than winning the championship would have been. While she didn't take the top prize, she demonstrated a unique and miraculous pill refining skill. Powerful clans and sects who need specific, life-attribute pills will now seek them out. Her fame will bring immense commerce and opportunity to her clan. She has secured their prosperity for a long time."
Li Yu nodded in agreement. Han Jian's insight was sharp. The trip had been a profound learning experience for him as well, a vivid illustration of the infinite paths one could walk in the pursuit of power and influence.
Upon their return, the sect's atmosphere was warm and welcoming. Han Jian gave a full, detailed report to the Sect Master in the main hall. He spoke of their respectable performance, of Lin Xue's courage, and of Yao Fei's commendable growth. He highlighted the new relationships forged and the invaluable knowledge gained from Grand Elder Hui's lecture.
The Sect Master listened with a pleased, serene smile. "Excellent," he said when Han Jian had finished. "You have all brought honor to the sect. Our goal in attending was never to win the championship, but to learn, to grow, and to show the world that our Green Mountain Sect is a stable and rising power. In that, you have succeeded beyond all expectations."
The delegation was praised, and the competing disciples were rewarded for their efforts. For a few days, the alchemy tournament was the talk of the sect, before the familiar, peaceful routine of cultivation and missions settled back over the mountain.
Li Yu returned to the quiet solitude of his personal domain. He bypassed the general areas of the sect and went directly to the Deep Water Menagerie. Here, amidst the massive, deep pools that housed the sect's most powerful aquatic beasts, stood courtyard and his private pagoda. The familiar presence of the powerful creatures swimming in the depths below, the clean, crisp mountain air—it felt good to be home.
But something new had taken root in his mind, a spark of curiosity that refused to be extinguished. The image of hundreds of alchemists commanding their spiritual flames, of Chen Jianxin's perfect, sun-like fire, was burned into his memory.
That night, after his usual deep meditation, he decided to continue the experiment he had started during the tournament. He sat on the highest balcony of his pagoda, overlooking the moon's reflection shimmering on the dark water of the menagerie. He held out his hand, palm up, and focused his will.
He recalled the pathetic little flame he had produced before. Now, armed with the theoretical principles Chen Jianxin and Liu Meiying had so generously shared, he would try to improve it. He thought of Stability, trying to link the flame's pulse to his own powerful, steady heartbeat. He thought of Purity, focusing his spiritual sense to filter out stray thoughts. And he thought of Intent, trying to give the energy a focused purpose.
He reached into his dantian, to the boundless, opalescent Ocean Qi that served as his unique core. He searched not for the familiar, cool currents of water or the chilling emptiness of the void, but for that different kind of energy—a spark of friction, a hint of raw, chaotic heat. He found it, and carefully drew it out, shaping it with the principles he had just learned.
With immense concentration, a flickering light appeared above his palm. It was an opalescent white flame. It was an improvement, now the size of his whole thumb and perfectly stable, a testament to his monstrous control. But it was still incredibly weak. It gave off a gentle warmth, perhaps enough to warm a cup of tea, but it was far from the raging infernos he had witnessed. He spent the next few hours practicing, trying to strengthen it, to make it grow. The progress was agonizingly slow. It felt… unnatural, like trying to teach a fish to climb a tree.
A deep, ancient, and mocking voice suddenly echoed in his mind, dripping with a cosmic level of derision.
"This is painful to watch, little boy. Truly. The great leviathan, the master of the abyss, is spending his precious time trying to nurture a spark that would be extinguished by a moth's wing. Are you proud of this… progress?"
It was Khaos.
Li Yu sighed, and the weak flame vanished. "I am trying to improve a new skill," he projected back, his tone even.
"You are wasting your time," Khaos retorted, his voice laced with bored amusement. "I have observed you for some time now. So tell me, what is the reason for this folly? Why do you wish to improve this… fire-juggling trick?"
"It could be a useful tool in battle," Li Yu replied honestly. He thought of Huo Liling's explosive power, of the sheer destructive potential he had witnessed.
"In battle?" Khaos's voice was incredulous. "And what, pray tell, do you wish to do with this 'tool' in battle?"
"To defeat my enemies, of course," Li Yu answered, the statement so obvious he felt it was a foolish question.
A deep, rumbling sound that might have been the void's equivalent of a laugh echoed in his mind. "To defeat your enemies. I see. Allow me to ask you a question in return, little boy. Are you currently without techniques and abilities to defeat your enemies?"
Li Yu paused.
"When an enemy stands before you," Khaos continued, his voice taking on a sharp, logical edge, "can you not simply crush them with your Abyssal Leviathan Physique, a body that continues to grow stronger? Can you not assail their very spirit with the power of your nascent soul, or merge it with your body for an even greater burst of might? Can you not erase their attacks and defenses with the void-imbued techniques you have learned from me? Can you not use your water techniques, which you are more naturally attuned to, to bind and crush them? Are these methods, which you are still working to strengthen and perfect, no longer sufficient?"
Li Yu was silent. Every point Khaos made was undeniably true. The techniques and advantages he already possessed were indeed very strong, and he still had a long way to go to master their full potential.
"You possess incredible advantages," Khaos stated, his voice now cold and clear. "A unique physique, a powerful nascent soul and a connection to the void. These are some of your better strengths. Why, then, are you wasting your time trying to imitate others in a field where they have the inherent advantage and you have none? Every hour you spend nurturing this pathetic little spark is an hour you are not deepening your connection to the abyss. It is an hour you are not mastering the fusion of your soul and body. It is an hour you are not truly cultivating your strengths."
The truth of Khaos's words hit Li Yu with the force of a physical blow. Khaos usually didn't say so many words, it must have been that he saw Li Yu was being utterly too stupid for himself to even hold back his words.
Li Yu had been so impressed, so captivated by the spectacle of the alchemy tournament and the different kind of power he had witnessed, that he had been momentarily blinded. He saw the alchemists' powerful flames and thought, I want that too. He hadn't stopped to ask himself if he needed it, or if it was the most efficient use of his time.
"You should be leaning towards your strengths, little boy," Khaos concluded, his tone now almost resembling that of a stern teacher. "Your path is built upon the unique advantages you have been given. If the result you desire—the defeat of your enemies—can be achieved with a better, more efficient method that you are already skilled in, then you must use that method. You are a fool to try to play with fire, it's a pathetic element anyways. You have forgotten that your own advantages, when properly mastered, are far more powerful for you."
Li Yu closed his eyes. The logic was flawless. It was the core of his own dao. Efficiency. Focus. The quiet accumulation of overwhelming strength. Learning a fire technique from scratch would take years, perhaps decades, to even begin to match the power of a single one of his existing abilities. It was a waste of a most precious resource: time.
He had been momentarily enchanted by the fireflies, and had forgotten that he was the leviathan that ruled the entire, dark sea.
"I understand," Li Yu projected into the silence of his mind.
He opened his hand again, but this time, he did not summon the pathetic flame. Instead, a wisp of pure, chilling void energy, blacker than the night sky, coiled around his fingers like a living serpent. It held more power, more terrifying potential, than all the flames he had witnessed in the arena combined.
Khaos was right. It was time to stop playing with matches and return to the business of mastering the abyss and his other techniques.