Elder Sun's study was a cluttered, dusty tower room at the rear of the outer court buildings. It was late, and the Elder was already half-asleep in his chair, flask in hand.
"Clean the scrolls," Elder Sun mumbled, pointing vaguely at a massive, ancient bookshelf. "And fetch me a fresh flask from the cabinet. And don't touch the silver lockbox."
Lin Wei accepted the orders, his mind racing. The scrolls were ancient, and the flask of wine would likely be infused with low-level spiritual herbs—another resource for his Void Eye Edict. But his attention was focused on the heavy, silver lockbox tucked away in a shadowed corner.
Lin Wei meticulously cleaned the study, his new cultivation making the labor effortless. When he reached the bookshelf, he paused. These weren't basic manuals; many scrolls were old texts on Array Formations and Spirit-Beast Taming—obscure subjects that Elder Sun certainly never mastered.
He opened the cabinet and retrieved the new flask. It reeked of highly concentrated, low-grade Qi Wine. Lin Wei had to suppress the urge to devour it instantly.
He finished his chores and waited quietly. Elder Sun had passed out completely, snoring loudly.
Lin Wei crept to the silver lockbox. The Elder's warning was the surest sign that its contents were important. The lock was complex, warded with a basic sealing inscription.
A normal thief would need tools. Lin Wei had the Void Eye Edict.
He placed his hand gently on the silver surface. He didn't try to force the lock. Instead, he channeled his dense, dark-green Qi, focusing the Edict's power. He wasn't trying to break the lock—he was trying to Devour the sealing energy.
The inscription glowed faintly, resisting, then quickly faded. The Edict, capable of absorbing Primordial energy, treated the small warded seal like a drop of water in the ocean. Click. The silver lock popped open.
Inside, Lin Wei found two things:
A stack of I.O.U. slips, detailing massive gambling debts owed to a high-ranking Inner Court Elder.
A small, polished, dull-grey stone. It looked exactly like the chipped rock he had found at the stream, only whole.
It was another Fragment of Primordial Creation.
Lin Wei realized Elder Sun was in deep trouble and was stockpiling these fragments, perhaps selling them to pay his debt, or maybe, foolishly, trying to cultivate them himself without knowing their terrifying nature.
Lin Wei's core pulsed with hunger. He didn't hesitate. He snatched the grey stone and swallowed it whole.
The experience was far more violent this time. A blinding surge of power, more potent than the last, ripped through his meridians. The Void Eye absorbed it, refined it, and compressed it with brutal efficiency.
Qi Condensation, Sixth Level.
The breakthrough was immense, pushing him far beyond any Outer Disciple. Lin Wei replaced the now-empty lockbox, resealed the spiritual lock with a faint, imperceptible pulse of his own refined Qi, and melted back into the shadows. He had gained a massive power boost and, more importantly, a secret held by a powerful figure. He was no longer just an outcast. He was a player in the sect's dangerous games.