The Foundation Establishment Pill felt like a sun dissolving in his stomach. Lin Feng sat cross-legged on his thin cushion, the Basic Qi Gathering Technique cycling at maximum capacity as a torrent of pure, refined energy erupted from the pill. It was nothing like the feeble trickle he'd managed to pull from the ambient energy or the stubborn spirit stones. This was a flood, a roaring river of power that threatened to tear his meridians apart.
His modern mind, trained for data analysis, was overwhelmed by the raw, physical sensation. It was like trying to drink from a firehose. He gritted his teeth, focusing every ounce of his will on guiding the rampant energy, forcing it through the pathways the System had imprinted in his mind. His body trembled, sweat pouring from his pores, steaming in the cool air of the room. He could feel his dantian, once a placid, nearly empty pond, churning and expanding under the onslaught.
For hours, he walked a razor's edge, his consciousness a small boat in a hurricane of profound energy. One misstep, one lapse in concentration, and the energy would run wild, crippling him or worse. The System was silent, offering no guidance, no calming words. This was a trial he had to face alone.
And then, it happened.
A sensation like a silken cord snapping deep within his core. The chaotic flood of energy suddenly coalesced, stabilizing into a steady, powerful stream. The pressure vanished, replaced by a profound sense of solidity and strength. He felt… more. More real, more substantial, more connected to the world around him. The faint Profound Energy in the room now felt like a gentle mist he could effortlessly draw into himself.
He opened his eyes. The world was different. The grain of the wooden wall across from him was preternaturally clear. He could hear the faint scuttling of a beetle three rooms away. The very air seemed to hum with a music he had been deaf to before.
[ Ding! Congratulations, Host! Breakthrough achieved! ]
[ Current Cultivation: Qi Condensation Level 2! ]
[ Quest: Securing a Foundation - Completed! ]
[ Reward: 150 System Points, Low-Grade Spirit Stone x5, has been added to your inventory. ]
A fierce, triumphant grin spread across Lin Feng's face. He had done it. Through sheer force of will and a cheat code, he had smashed through the first barrier. He was no longer the absolute bottom. He clenched a fist, feeling the new power humming in his muscles. It was an intoxicating feeling.
His moment of victory was shattered by a frantic knocking at his door.
"Young master! Young master Lin Feng!" It was Xiao Hai's voice, pitched high with panic.
Lin Feng stood, his movements fluid and sure, and opened the door. Xiao Hai nearly fell into the room, his face ashen.
"Young master, you must come quickly! To the central training ground! It's Zhang Li!"
Lin Feng's triumph instantly cooled into wary tension. "What about him?"
"He's… he's accusing young Jin of stealing his spirit stones! He's going to make an example of him!"
Young Jin. Lin Feng's mind supplied the image of a quiet, mousy boy who shared his barracks. Another disciple with a Mortal Grade root, even more timid and downtrodden than Lin Feng had been. A perfect victim for Zhang Li to reassert his dominance after the humiliation with Chen Jin.
A cold knot tightened in Lin Feng's gut. This was a test. Not from the System, but from the sect itself. What would he do? Keep his head down, conserve his newfound strength, and avoid trouble? Or step in?
The corporate drone in him screamed for caution. Stay neutral. Don't get involved in office politics. It never ends well.
But the man who had just felt the thrill of breaking his own limits, the man who had been offered a glimpse of a path beyond being prey, found that option intolerable.
"Show me," Lin Feng said, his voice quiet but firm.
The central training ground was a vast expanse of packed earth, surrounded by weapon racks and training dummies. A crowd had gathered, forming a loose circle around the center. In the middle, Zhang Li stood, smug and imperious, holding a small pouch. Cowering at his feet was young Jin, his lip split and bleeding, one eye already swelling shut.
"...and when disciples are thieves," Zhang Li announced to the onlookers, "they must be taught the price of dishonesty. Ten lashes with the spirit-whip should remind you to keep your hands to yourself."
"It's a lie!" Jin sobbed, his voice trembling. "I found those stones! They were mine!"
"Found them?" Zhang Li sneered. "A Mortal Grade rat like you? You expect us to believe fortune just falls into your lap? You stole them from my quarters. Admit it, and the punishment will be less severe."
It was a transparent frame-up. Everyone knew it. But no one moved. Zhang Li was Level 4. His two thugs flanked him, their arms crossed. Challenging him meant pain and a worse future.
Lin Feng pushed his way through the crowd, his heart hammering, but his expression calm. "Senior Brother Zhang," he said, his voice cutting through the tension.
All eyes turned to him. Zhang Li's smirk returned, wider and more vicious than before. "Well, well. The other Mortal Grade rat comes to defend his nest-mate. How touching." He looked Lin Feng up and down, and his smirk faltered for a fraction of a second. A flicker of confusion crossed his face. The disciple before him felt… different. There was a new steadiness in his gaze, a subtle confidence in his posture.
"Jin says he found the stones," Lin Feng stated, keeping his tone neutral, factual. "You say he stole them. Where is your proof?"
"Proof?" Zhang Li laughed, a harsh, barking sound. "My word is proof enough for a piece of trash like him. And for you. Now, stand aside before you join him on the ground."
Lin Feng didn't move. He knew what was coming. He had just made a conscious, dangerous choice. He was drawing a line.
"I cannot do that," Lin Feng said.
The crowd held its breath. A Level 2, and a Mortal Grade one at that, was openly defying a Level 4. This was suicide.
Zhang Li's face darkened with rage. The humiliation from Chen Jin, and now this public defiance from the sect's supposed weakest link—it was too much. "You insolent worm! I'll break you myself!"
He dropped the pouch and lunged, his hand flashing out to grab Lin Feng's throat. It was a simple, brutal move, relying on pure speed and power to overwhelm.
But to Lin Feng's newly heightened senses, it looked… slow. Predictable. His analytical mind processed the trajectory in an instant. Linear attack. Open guard.
He didn't try to block. He sidestepped, his movement crisp and efficient, the way he had evaded the boar. As Zhang Li's grasping hand passed harmlessly by his face, Lin Feng's own hand shot out. He didn't strike with a fist. He used two fingers, channeling a sharp, focused burst of his newly acquired Qi Condensation Level 2 energy, and jabbed them hard into a specific cluster of nerves on Zhang Li's outstretched forearm.
It was a move he'd seen in an old martial arts film. A modern-world trick, amplified by cultivation energy.
"Ah!" Zhang Li cried out, a sharp, startled sound of pain as his entire arm went numb and limp. He stumbled forward, off-balance and shocked.
The training ground fell into dead silence. You could have heard a spirit pin drop.
Zhang Li stared at his useless arm, then at Lin Feng, his face a mask of incredulous fury. "You… you dare?!"
Lin Feng stood his ground, his expression unchanged. He had revealed a sliver of his progress. He had shown that he was no longer a simple Level 1. He had used his wits, not brute force, to counter a stronger opponent. It was a message.
Before the enraged Zhang Li could recover and unleash his full power, a cold voice rang out.
"The spectacle continues, I see."
Chen Jin stood at the edge of the crowd, his arms folded, a look of mild amusement on his face. His gaze swept over Zhang Li's numb arm and then settled appreciatively on Lin Feng. "It seems you are full of surprises, Junior Brother Lin. A most… unconventional display."
Zhang Li froze, his rage warring with his fear of Chen Jin. He clutched his numb arm, his face a thundercloud of humiliation.
Chen Jin didn't even look at him. "The show is over. Disperse." His words were quiet, but they carried the weight of command. The crowd began to quickly melt away.
Zhang Li shot one last, venomous look at Lin Feng—a look that promised this was not over—before turning and storming off, his two lackeys scrambling after him.
Young Jin scrambled to his feet, grabbing his spirit stone pouch and bowing frantically to Lin Feng before fleeing.
Soon, only Lin Feng and Chen Jin remained on the training ground.
"You made your choice," Chen Jin said, walking closer. "You chose to stand against the jackal. A bold move for a newly Level 2 disciple." His eyes glinted with undisguised interest. "That was no standard technique. It was… clever."
Lin Feng said nothing. The adrenaline was fading, leaving him acutely aware of the danger he had just courted.
"You have made a powerful enemy today," Chen Jin continued. "Zhang Li is a fool, but he is a connected fool. He will not forget this. My offer of protection still stands. The Azure Tiger Association could use someone with your… unique talents."
The offer was there again, more pressing now. A lifeline.
Lin Feng looked at Chen Jin, then past him, towards the towering peaks of the sect. He had just proven that his path, the System's path, worked. It was dangerous, yes. But it was his.
"Thank you for your intervention, Senior Brother Chen," Lin Feng said, meeting the other's gaze squarely. "But I believe I will continue to walk my own path for now."
Chen Jin studied him for a long moment, then gave a slow, approving nod, as if Lin Feng had passed another, more subtle test. "As you wish. But remember, a lone tree is the first to fall in a storm. I will be watching your progress with great interest, Lin Feng."
He turned and left, leaving Lin Feng alone in the vast, empty training ground. The display was over. He had shown a flash of "talent," not of heaven-bestowed roots, but of will, cunning, and the power of a System. He had saved a boy and made a mortal enemy. He had drawn the gaze of a powerful player.
He had taken another step. And the path ahead looked more treacherous than ever.