The morning after the milestone, everything felt different.
Wang Ben woke before dawn, his body responding to rhythms that had shifted overnight. The qi in his meridians moved with new fluidity, responding to his will with a readiness that exceeded what he had experienced before. When he extended his spiritual senses, the world came into focus with clarity that bordered on disorienting.
And overlaid on all of it, the waste-perception remained.
He could see it now without effort, the spiritual energy that drifted through the fortress's environment. Qi flowed past walls and through cultivators, some of it absorbed and refined, most of it simply passing through. Every person he encountered was surrounded by a halo of lost energy, the visible evidence of the inefficiency that defined mortal cultivation.
So much of it, just... gone, he thought, watching a foundation establishment guard walk past. The halo of escaping energy was thick around the man, a constant hemorrhage of spiritual power. Everything he's worked for, and he's only keeping a fraction. He doesn't know. None of them know.
The knowledge clung to him, impossible to shed. The System had given him awareness, and awareness couldn't be unlearned.
The formation team noticed something different about his work.
"Your precision has improved," Liu Feng observed as they worked on a damaged node in the western sector. "Not just technique, but speed. The way you're calibrating the energy flows... it's like you can see the patterns before they form."
Wang Ben kept his expression neutral. "The practice is helping. Combat conditions push you to refine your methods."
"Perhaps." Liu Feng's tone suggested he wasn't entirely convinced, but he didn't press. "Whatever you're doing, keep doing it. We need every advantage we can get."
The repair work continued through the morning, Wang Ben's doubled power translating into efficiency gains that he had to consciously restrain. His qi moved faster now, his techniques responded more readily, his formation chalk inscriptions held with greater stability. All invisible from the outside, but noticeable in the results.
[FORMATION REPAIR: Node 7-3 restoration]
[Damage type: Combat degradation, minor Ice intrusion]
[Repair speed: 47% faster than previous average]
[Energy efficiency: Improved due to superior qi retention]
[Note: Host should moderate visible performance gains to avoid attracting attention. Current pace is within explainable range but approaching suspicious threshold]
Wang Ben slowed his work slightly, adding unnecessary pauses that brought his visible speed back to normal ranges. The restriction chafed, but the necessity was clear. A qi condensation cultivator suddenly performing several stages above his level, matching cultivators who had years more experience, would draw exactly the kind of attention he needed to avoid.
Another thing to hide, he thought. Another gap between what I am and what I can show.
The constraints accumulated.
...
Wang Tian arrived at the fortress that afternoon.
The alchemist had traveled with a supply convoy from the rear areas, bringing medicines and materials that the fortress medical corps desperately needed. His fire-aspected qi was warm and familiar as he embraced his son in the designated meeting area, the reunion carrying echoes of the farewell that had separated them weeks ago.
"Ben'er." Wang Tian's voice held the mix of relief and concern that had become standard for their interactions. "You look tired. Have you been pushing yourself too hard?"
"No more than anyone else." Wang Ben returned the embrace, feeling his father's cultivation signature with new clarity. The waste-perception showed him the spiritual energy that Wang Tian was constantly losing, the Fire-aspected qi that slipped away with every breath.
He's keeping so little, Wang Ben realized, watching the Fire-aspected qi scatter like sparks from a dying flame. A lifetime of cultivation, and most of what he absorbs just... slips away. If he could hold even a fraction more...
The knowledge hurt in ways he hadn't anticipated.
"The fortress is holding," Wang Ben said, stepping back from the embrace. "The enemy has been pressing hard, but our defenses are intact."
"I heard about the assault. The dead." Wang Tian's expression grew serious. "Eighty-three in the main attack, forty-seven in the eastern feint. Names are starting to reach the rear areas."
"I know. I've been reading them on the memorial wall."
Wang Tian studied his son's face for a long moment, seeing something there that he didn't have words to identify. "You're carrying weight that isn't yours to bear."
"It's everyone's weight. I'm just choosing not to look away."
Wang Tian was quiet for a moment, processing words that seemed too old for a seventeen-year-old to speak. Then he squeezed his son's shoulder. "Come. Let me show you something useful. Sometimes the best way to carry weight is to keep your hands busy."
The alchemy lesson happened in a small chamber that the medical corps had designated for training purposes.
Wang Tian had brought ingredients for basic Fire-aspected pill refinement, materials that would demonstrate the techniques Wang Ben would need for his eventual certification. The work was familiar from watching his father over the years, but now Wang Ben experienced it through the lens of his new perception.
"The spirit flame responds to your intent," Wang Tian explained, demonstrating the technique with hands that had performed it thousands of times. "Fire cultivators find this easier because our affinity aligns with the process. But any element can learn the fundamentals."
Wang Ben watched his father's qi flow into the alchemical apparatus, Fire-aspected energy that burned bright and steady as it heated the cauldron. The spiritual energy was beautiful in its way, a focused application of cultivation that produced tangible results.
And all around it, waste. Spiritual energy that Wang Tian channeled but couldn't retain, lost to the mechanism that Wang Ben could now perceive.
"Your turn." Wang Tian stepped back, offering the cauldron to his son. "Start with the fire control. Once you have the flame stable, we'll add the ingredients."
Wang Ben approached the apparatus, extending his own qi toward the heating element. His energy was different from his father's, lacking the pure Fire signature that came from elemental affinity. But his cultivation flexibility allowed him to adapt, shifting his qi frequency toward Fire well enough to ignite the spirit flame.
The flame that emerged was strange.
Not pure Fire, but something mixed. Colors flickered at the edges, hints of Earth stability and Metal sharpness that shouldn't have been present in an alchemical flame. Wang Ben suppressed the variation as quickly as he could, forcing his qi toward a more uniform Fire signature.
"Interesting." Wang Tian's voice was thoughtful rather than alarmed. "Your flame has unusual coloration. The technique is correct, but the energy composition..."
"I've been exposed to many elements since arriving at the fortress," Wang Ben said quickly. "The combat environment is mixed. It's probably affecting my qi balance."
"Perhaps." Wang Tian didn't seem entirely convinced, but he moved on to the next step of the lesson. "Add the primary ingredient now. Maintain the flame temperature as you do."
The lesson continued, Wang Ben learning the fundamentals of Fire-aspected pill refinement while concealing the elemental flexibility that should have been impossible for a cultivator of his level. His father's teaching was patient and precise, building on years of observation with practical instruction.
But Wang Ben found himself distracted by what he couldn't say.
I can see your efficiency, he wanted to tell his father. I can see how much you're losing. There are ways to keep more. The Scripture teaches methods that could double your power, triple it, more.
But I can't share them. Not yet. Maybe not ever.
Secrets accumulated in the silence between them, heavier than before.
...
Lin Suyin's briefing came in the evening.
The situation had changed since their last meeting. The enemy offensive had been blunted, the coordinated assault failing to breach the fortress defenses. Wang Ben's analysis had contributed to the successful defense, the tactical team's preparations matching the enemy's actual attack pattern with enough accuracy to prevent disaster.
Now, with the immediate crisis resolved, the expedition was back on the schedule.
"Five days," Lin Suyin said, spreading maps across the briefing table. "A small team, moving fast. We enter the Blackwood at dawn, travel to the first confirmed anchor point, and assess what we find."
Wang Ben studied the route she had plotted. Roughly sixty kilometers into the forest interior, through terrain that grew increasingly difficult as the Wood essence thickened. The path avoided known beast territories, but unknown threats remained a constant possibility.
"Team composition?"
"You, me, Zhao Yu, and two Silent Path scouts. Five people, small enough to move without attracting attention, capable enough to handle most threats we might encounter."
"And if we encounter something we can't handle?"
"We retreat and report." Lin Suyin's expression was pragmatic. "This is scouting, not attack. We're not trying to fight whatever your grandfather was monitoring. We're trying to understand what it is."
The distinction was important. Wang Ben nodded his understanding.
"Equipment?"
"Light packs, formation tools, emergency supplies. We can forage for some things, but we'll need to carry most of what we need." Lin Suyin indicated specific points on the map. "There are sheltered locations here and here where we can establish temporary camps. Two nights in the deep forest, then return."
"What about the fortress? If they need formation support while we're gone..."
"Elder Wang Hongwei has agreed to cover your duties. And the enemy has withdrawn to regroup after their failed offensive. The tactical team estimates at least a week before they can mount another major assault."
A week. Enough time for the expedition and recovery, if nothing went wrong.
But things always went wrong.
...
The family moment came late that night.
Wang Tian found him on the fortress wall, staring out toward the dark mass of the Blackwood on the horizon. The alchemist's Fire presence was warm against the evening chill as he settled beside his son.
"Your mother sent a letter with me," Wang Tian said, producing a folded paper from his robes. "She wanted you to have it before the expedition."
Wang Ben took the letter, recognizing his mother's careful handwriting. He didn't open it yet, saving the words for later when he could be alone with them.
"How is she? How is Chen'er?"
"Both well. Chen'er is growing faster than we can keep up with. He's started saying your name, you know. 'Ben-ge.' Your mother almost cried the first time." Wang Tian's smile carried the warmth of a father twice over. "Your mother's condition remains stable. The physicians in Redstone City continue her treatments."
Wang Ben nodded, relieved despite the distance that separated him from them. With his new perception, he found himself wondering what he would see if he could examine his mother's qi now. The sealed bloodline, the Ice energy she kept hidden...
"She's worried about you," Wang Tian continued. "Not about your safety, exactly. She knows you're capable." He paused, choosing his words carefully. "She said you remind her of your grandfather. The way you observe things. The way you find patterns that others miss."
More than you know, Wang Ben thought. More than I can tell either of you.
"She wanted me to tell you something." Wang Tian's voice grew serious. "Whatever you discover out there, whatever burdens you take on, don't try to carry everything yourself. You have family. You have people who love you."
"Someone has to carry it."
"Not alone. Never alone." Wang Tian put a hand on his son's shoulder, the warmth of his Fire cultivation seeping through the contact. "That's what she said you would say. And that's why she made me promise to remind you."
Wang Ben felt tears prick at his eyes, unexpected and unwelcome. The emotions of the past days pressed against his control, threatening to overflow.
"I'll remember," he managed. "I promise."
They stood together on the wall until the stars wheeled overhead, father and son sharing a silence that needed no words to fill.
...
The cultivation session before departure was brief but productive.
Wang Ben settled into his meditation position in the small hours before dawn, drawing spiritual energy into patterns that had become second nature. His efficiency had stabilized above the milestone threshold, each session showing consistent improvement.
[CULTIVATION SESSION: Hour 1]
[Qi absorbed: 401 motes]
[Qi retained: 41 motes]
[Retention efficiency: 10.3%]
[Elemental composition:]
[- Earth: 17 motes (41.5%)]
[- Metal: 12 motes (29.3%)]
[- Fire: 8 motes (19.5%)]
[- Wood: 3 motes (7.3%)]
[- Ice: 1 mote (2.4%)]
[Environment: Azure Dragon Fortress (Pre-dawn, stable)]
[Note: Post-milestone cultivation showing consistent progression. Waste-perception fully integrated. Host's effective combat output continues to grow while external signature remains at qi condensation level]
The numbers were encouraging. The waste-perception was becoming natural, less overwhelming than the initial shock of awareness. Wang Ben was learning to live with what he could now see, finding ways to function despite the constant reminder of universal inefficiency.
He ended the session as the first light began to touch the eastern horizon. Outside his quarters, the expedition team would be assembling, preparing for the journey into the Blackwood's depths.
His grandfather was out there somewhere. The answers to old questions waited in the forest's interior.
Time to find them.
...
The expedition gathered at the eastern gate.
Lin Suyin stood at the center of a small group, checking equipment and reviewing the route one final time. Zhao Yu waited nearby, his Battle Soul banked to a low simmer, eager for the adventure that the forest promised. Two Silent Path scouts, their names still unknown to Wang Ben, completed the team.
"We move fast and quiet," Lin Suyin said as Wang Ben joined them. "No unnecessary engagement with beasts or other threats. Our goal is the first anchor point, roughly sixty kilometers in. Questions?"
"What do we do if we encounter something we can't avoid?" Zhao Yu asked.
"We handle it. But we don't seek conflict." Lin Suyin's gaze swept the team. "Everyone clear?"
Nods all around.
Wang Ben looked back at the fortress one last time, the massive structure that had been his home for weeks of war and preparation. His parents were somewhere inside, waiting for his return. The tactical team was planning for the next enemy offensive. The formation crews were repairing damage that would only accumulate again.
The war continued, indifferent to the small expedition venturing into the forest.
But somewhere in the Blackwood's depths, answers waited. His grandfather's work, the Silent Path's concerns, the mysterious elemental signatures that shouldn't exist.
Wang Ben turned to face the forest, ready to find what had been hidden.
"Let's go," Lin Suyin said.
They moved out at dawn, five cultivators disappearing into the green depths of the Blackwood.