Lin Qi's sudden and bizarre elevation to "Elite Outer Disciple" status—marked by his daily chore of fetching miraculous water—did not go unnoticed.
The closest neighbor to the Whispering Willow Sect was the Black Serpent Palace, a sect known for their insidious poisons and profound arrogance. Their Elder, Wei Han, a man at the 5^{\text{th}} Stage of Core Formation, despised the Whispering Willow Sect for existing in his shadow.
Wei Han had spent weeks trying to poison the Gloom-Woven Creek to spite Sect Master Wu. His efforts had only resulted in the creek smelling faintly of burnt sulfur, yet now the water was yielding a Minor Elixir!
"Unthinkable! Unbearable!" Wei Han snarled in his mountain-top fortress. "That scrawny brat, Lin Qi, is clearly a hidden master sent to foil my plans! He must be eliminated!"
That evening, Elder Wei Han secretly flew to the Whispering Willow grounds, cloaked in a chilling veil of Dark Qi. His target: Lin Qi, who was on mandatory night patrol (which consisted of him trying to catch fireflies behind the woodshed).
Elder Wei Han descended silently. He saw Lin Qi standing near the woodshed, his back turned, his hands waving aimlessly.
"Foolish young master," Wei Han sneered internally. "Your disguise is impeccable, but your power ends here."
Wei Han channeled his full Core Formation strength, condensing a powerful sphere of poisonous black energy—the "Sphere of Silent Fury." This attack was precise, silent, and guaranteed to vaporize even a high-level Nascent Soul cultivator.
He launched the sphere. It hurtled through the night air, aimed directly at the center of Lin Qi's unsuspecting back.
Lin Qi, completely oblivious to the impending death, wasn't trying to cultivate or patrol. He was attempting a complex maneuver to trap a particularly large, brightly glowing firefly.
"Almost got you," Lin Qi mumbled, utterly focused
The moment the Sphere of Silent Fury was less than three feet from Lin Qi, the Absolutely Indestructible and Blind Luck (AII&BL) force field around the sealed Grand-Emperor Core reacted.
The sphere of black energy was not deflected or blocked. That would be too simple.
Instead, the AII&BL caused a random, minute spatial distortion to ripple across the exact coordinates of the attack.
The Sphere of Silent Fury was violently shunted off course by 0.0001 of an inch.
It missed Lin Qi entirely, harmlessly passing through the space where he was standing.
Lin Qi, utterly unaware of the attack, had just completed his firefly maneuver: he clapped his hands together suddenly.
CLAP!
"Got you!" Lin Qi exclaimed triumphantly, holding the jar containing the glowing insect.
The displaced Sphere of Silent Fury, having lost its original target, followed the path of least resistance through the nearest connected space: the spiritual ley lines that linked the Whispering Willow Sect to the Black Serpent Palace.
Miles away, at the Black Serpent Palace, Elder Wei Han had a prized antique vase—the Vase of Ancient Tranquility—sitting on his bedside table. It was priceless, irreplaceable, and tied directly to his personal cultivation aura.
The rogue Sphere of Silent Fury arrived via the spiritual ley line and slammed into the vase.
K-R-R-A-K-O-O-M!
The Vase of Ancient Tranquility vaporized.
The resulting shockwave—not physical, but spiritual—of his most prized possession being destroyed instantly rebounded on Elder Wei Han, who was still hovering over Lin Qi's location.
Wei Han let out a choked, silent cry as his Qi flow reversed violently. He suffered an immediate, paralyzing Qi Deviation from the pure shock and blinding rage of the destruction. He wobbled mid-air, barely managing to flee back to his sect in excruciating pain, convinced he had just run into a deadly counter-attack.
Lin Qi looked around, clutching his firefly jar. "Huh. What was that loud whoosh sound?"
He turned back toward the woodshed, where Sect Master Wu was nervously observing from the shadows.
Wu had seen the entire exchange: the Elder's attack, the impossible miss, and the subsequent crippling of Wei Han.
Wu nearly collapsed. He didn't see luck. He saw an impenetrable defense.
"Unbelievable," Wu whispered, tears welling up in his eyes. "He didn't lift a finger. He didn't even notice! He scared away a 5^{\text{th}} Stage Core Formation Elder with his mere 'Intangible Pressure of Incompetence'!"
Wu stepped out, bowing deeply towards Lin Qi, who was now gazing lovingly at his captured firefly.
The Original Maxim, destined to be carved into the Sect's foundation: "The true art of battle is not to fight the enemy, but to make the enemy question their life choices so violently they defeat themselves."
Sect Master Wu raised his voice slightly. "Disciple Lin Qi! Your dedication to your craft, even in the dead of night, is a sight to behold! You have demonstrated the supreme application of the Concealed Aura Technique! Magnificent!"
Lin Qi frowned slightly. "Master, I think I heard something break far away."
"Nonsense!" Wu laughed nervously. "It was just the sound of your fame, echoing across the realms! Now, off to bed, mighty hero!"
Lin Qi shrugged and shuffled off, content with his firefly, completely unaware that he had just repelled a mortal threat and caused one of the Black Serpent Palace's most powerful Elders to be bedridden for three months.