Alex's life on Righteous Peak was a chaotic whirlwind of herb grinding, scalding medical baths, and brutal beatdowns from the Jade Shadow Puppet, all under the icy gaze of Senior Sister Shui Bing, the youngest Valley Master of Flood Redemption Valley. Her strictness, backed by her terrifying Shui Clan background, had pushed his dantian from Qi Condensation Stage 1 to Peak Stage in two months, his cursed bad luck yielding treasures like Spirit Stones and Jade Lotuses. But now, at 16, Alex stood in the stone pavilion overlooking the peak's glowing jade cliffs, his black hair sweaty, his green eyes bleary, and his soggy bamboo basket of spirit turnips heavier than his hopes. His qi was stuck, a bottleneck at Peak Qi Condensation, his dantian refusing to break through to Foundation Establishment despite Shui Bing's relentless training.
"I'm doomed," Alex muttered, clutching his Spirit Heart Crystal and rusty dagger, the latter useless against his curse. The pavilion was a hub of sect activity, with disciples from other valleys—Thunder Salvation, Inferno Redemption, and Medicine Valley—lounging under a jade tree, sharing qi-infused snacks and gossiping about the "Chaos Duo," Alex and his rich-kid best friend Jin Hao. Mei, the scarred outer disciple from Thunder Salvation Valley, tossed him a spirit apple, her grin sharp. "Still alive, Chaos Boy? Thought you'd have tripped into a breakthrough by now!" Liang, the lanky whiner, munched a spirit plum, muttering, "I'd rather face a beast wave than hit a bottleneck with Shui Bing watching." Fang, drenched from Flood Redemption Valley training, splashed Alex playfully. "Heard you set the pavilion on fire again! You're a legend!"
Alex fumbled the apple, nearly tripping into a rune that sprayed sparkles, drawing laughs. "It's not a legend, it's a curse!" he groaned, brushing turnip bits off his robe. The disciples' teasing, mixed with their warmth, felt like a family picnic, a peaceful slice of life amid his struggles. He sighed, turning to Shui Bing, who stood like a frost statue, her silver robes shimmering. "Senior Sister," he said, his voice shamelessly pleading, "I'm stuck at Peak Qi Condensation. Can I wander the sect to find inspiration? Maybe trip into a breakthrough?"
Shui Bing's cold eyes narrowed, her Nascent Soul aura chilling the air. "A bottleneck is no excuse for slacking," she said, her voice sharp. The disciples winced, expecting a water whip, but her eyes softened. "Fine. Explore the valleys. Find your own path. But if you waste my time, I'll drown you in a qi lake." She tossed him a protective talisman, her warm heart peeking through. Mei whistled. "She's soft on you, Chaos Boy!" Alex, red-faced, pocketed the talisman, muttering, "Soft? She's scarier than the heavens."
Determined to break his bottleneck, Alex headed to Medicine Valley, hoping to find Jin Hao, whose chaotic elixir experiments might spark an idea. The valley was a lush maze of glowing herbs and bubbling cauldrons, the air thick with medicinal qi and the occasional explosion. At the entrance, a guardian disciple, a stern girl named Lin Wei, blocked his path, her spear gleaming. "Show your medallion," she said, eyeing his soggy basket. Alex flashed his inner sect medallion, grinning shamelessly. "I'm Alex, the Chaos Boy. Here to see Jin Hao. You know, the guy who throws gold at dragons?" Lin Wei's lips twitched, suppressing a smile. "You're the one who flooded a market? Follow the path to the valley's peak. Don't break anything." She pointed to a winding trail littered with broken pill furnaces, their jade shards glinting.
Alex's jaw dropped as he walked, dodging furnace fragments that looked pricier than his village's entire market. "Each one's worth a fortune!" he muttered, his shameless side calculating how many turnips he could buy with one. The valley buzzed with disciples brewing elixirs, some exploding in colorful puffs, others emitting weird smells like burnt socks or sour candy. A disciple named Yan, her hair singed, waved. "Chaos Boy! Watch out for Senior Brother Wei Lun's experiments—he's crazier than you!" Alex gulped, his bad luck tingling.
As he neared the valley's peak, where the Valley Master's pavilion loomed, a tantalizing fragrance hit him—sweet, spicy, like roasted spirit yams mixed with starlight. It came from a ramshackle building opposite the pavilion, its roof half-blown off. Curiosity overrode caution, and Alex wandered toward it, his shameless side whispering, "Maybe it's a breakthrough pill!" Suddenly, his mind clouded with shock and sleepiness, his vision blurring. As he collapsed, he glimpsed a lanky man in tattered robes muttering, "The pill to make demon cows hungry and go mad failed again!" Then, darkness.
Alex woke on a straw mat, his head pounding, the fragrance gone. The lanky man hovered over him, his innocent face and wide eyes belying the chaos he'd caused. "You okay, kid?" he asked, offering a glowing pill. "I'm Wei Lun, Medicine Valley's first disciple. Sorry about the fainting. My Hunger Frenzy Pill misfired." Alex, sitting up, groaned. "Misfired? I nearly died!" Wei Lun grinned, oblivious. "Nah, you're fine! Have a Refreshing Pill. Perks you right up!"
The disciples outside, gathered like they were watching a comedy show, whispered. "That's Wei Lun," Yan said, tossing Alex a spirit candy. "He's dumb but explosive. Once caused a shit rain in the valley for a week—had to clean it himself!" Fang laughed, splashing Alex. "Another time, his Hunger Pill made every beast in the sect charge his furnace!" Alex, swallowing the pill, felt his qi stir but not break through. "You're as bad as my curse," he muttered, but Wei Lun's goofy grin was infectious. "Friends?" Wei Lun asked, tossing Alex a bottle of Refreshing and Healing Pills as compensation. Alex, shamelessly pocketing them, nodded. "Sure, but no more fainting pills!"
Jin Hao burst in, his gold robes stained with elixir soot. "Brother, you fainted before I could show off my new exploding pill!" he laughed, tossing Alex a qi candy. "Wei Lun's a lunatic, but he's our lunatic. Come meet Master Shui Qing!" The disciples cheered, Mei tossing another apple. "Chaos Duo plus Crazy Pill Guy? The sect's doomed!" Alex, dodging the apple, grinned shamelessly. "Doomed in style!"
They reached Shui Qing's pavilion, a serene yet chaotic space filled with glowing herbs. The Nascent Soul Early Stage Valley Master, her smile calm but eyes mischievous, greeted them. Alex, bowing low with shameless flair, explained his bottleneck. "Master Shui Qing, I'm stuck at Peak Qi Condensation. Got any pills to break through?" Shui Qing chuckled, shaking her head. "Breakthroughs come from fortuitous encounters, not pills. They have limits. Trust your chaos." Alex, expecting a miracle cure, blinked, then bowed deeper, his shameless side kicking in. "Thanks for the wisdom! I'll find my own luck!" Shui Qing, confused by his enthusiasm, muttered, "Odd boy."