The weight of the Spirit Stones in his pouch was both a comfort and a burden. Thirty. A sum that could buy a small house in a decent part of the city. For Li Yao, it was a war chest, and it was already earmarked for expenditure.
He couldn't return to the slums. He couldn't rent a room—that would leave a paper trail. His sanctuary had to be invisible. His enhanced senses, a gift of the Mid Sub-Realm, now scanned his environment not just for threats, but for opportunities.
He found it on the outskirts of the artisan's quarter, in a district of tanneries and dye-works. The air was acrid, masking spiritual signatures. Behind a waterfall of foul-smelling runoff from a tannery was a fissure in the cliff face, hidden by decades of mineral buildup. It led to a small, dry cavern, the sound of the waterfall a constant, roaring shield against prying senses. It was miserable, but it was perfect.
His first purchase was not an herb or a weapon, but supplies from a mundane general store: a waxed canvas tarp, a wool blanket, a waterskin, and a large supply of travel bread and dried meat. Survival first. Then, cultivation.
With his new base secured, he turned to the materials for the Qi-Replenishing Powder. The standard recipe was simple: grind, mix, and imbue with Qi. But "standard" was not the way of the Eternal Ascension System.
"Analysis of provided materials: Spirit-Mist Grass (Purity 65%), Dawn Lotus Seeds (Purity 58%), Sky-Azure Crystal Shard (Purity 71%). Standard powder efficacy: 40% Qi recovery over 30 minutes. Proposed Optimization: Utilize [Tri-Phase Resonance Refinement] to align the energetic frequencies of the three components, increasing bioavailability."
For two days, Li Yao worked in his hidden cavern. The [Tri-Phase Resonance Refinement] was another complex technique, requiring him to process each ingredient separately, tuning their spiritual "vibrations" to a harmonious chord before combining them. It was tedious, energy-intensive work, but he was no longer the desperate novice fumbling in the dark. He was a craftsman, and the System was his master artisan.
The result was not a coarse powder, but a fine, iridescent azure dust that seemed to hold a faint inner light.
"Product: 'Resonance Qi-Dust.' Grade: High-Mortar (Peak of Low-Grade). Efficacy: 65% Qi recovery over 15 minutes. Side effect: None."
It was a significant improvement over the standard product. This was his edge. He wasn't just making common items; he was perfecting them.
He didn't approach Old Man Guo again. That bridge was burned; the old apothecary was now a node in Captain Wang's intelligence network. Instead, he targeted the end-users.
Disguised in a hooded cloak bought from a second-hand stall, he frequented the streets where itinerant cultivators and low-ranked guards gathered. He was cautious, only approaching those who looked weary, spiritually drained, or nursing minor injuries after a patrol or a hunt.
He sold the Qi-Dust not for Spirit Stones, but for materials. A guard with a sprained wrist traded a handful of "Grey-Tip Thistle," a common herb Li Yao knew the System could purify into something more. A hunter paid with the venom sac of a "Jade-Scaled Viper," a low-level demonic beast. The transactions were small, anonymous, and left no financial trail.
He was building a new, decentralized supply network, one transaction at a time. He was no longer the apothecary with a shop; he was a rumor, a ghost merchant.
Weeks blended into a month. His energy reserves grew, inching him closer to the Late Sub-Realm. His understanding deepened. He wasn't just following the System's instructions blindly anymore; he was beginning to understand the principles behind them—the alchemical theories, the meridian pathways, the nature of spiritual energy itself.
One evening, as he was refining a batch of venom into a paralytic agent, the System delivered an unexpected update.
"Cognitive Integration Threshold reached. Host's comprehension of foundational principles has exceeded 70%. Unlocking: [Personalized Technique Genesis Protocol - Tier 0]."
A new array of knowledge flooded his mind. It wasn't a specific technique, but a methodology. A framework for analyzing his own strengths, weaknesses, and unique meridian structure to create custom techniques tailored solely for him.
His first project: an movement technique. The standard "Gale Step" used by many low-level cultivators was inefficient, wasting energy on flashy movements. Using the Genesis Protocol, the System helped him design the [Shadow-Water Tread], a technique that mimicked the flow of water and the silence of a shadow, minimizing energy expenditure and sound while maximizing evasion. It was utterly useless for impressive, leaping displays, but perfect for survival and ambush.
He was no longer just learning. He was innovating.
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Interlude: The Web Remains Empty
Captain Wang Zhong listened to the report, his expression unreadable. Old Man Guo stood before him, wringing his hands.
"He has not returned, Captain. I have spread the word to every shop and stall. No one matching his description has sold any significant quantity of herbs or bought alchemical tools. It's as if he vanished."
"Or as if he learned," Wang Zhong corrected softly. He steepled his fingers. "The balm recipe you purchased. My alchemists have analyzed it. It is clever. The refinement process is complex and produces a consistent, high-quality product. But they also say it feels... incomplete. As if the true secret was withheld."
He stood and walked to a map of the city. "He is not gone. He is hiding. And he is still producing. But he is no longer using the established channels." His finger tapped the map over the artisan and tannery districts. "He has become a ghost. This is problematic. A visible enemy can be crushed. An invisible one... can grow."
He turned back to Old Man Guo. "Increase the reward for information. Not just about the boy, but about any new, high-quality low-grade products appearing on the grey market. I want to know who is buying unusual materials. Find the pattern."
The net was still there, but the fish had learned to swim between its strands.
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