The next few days passed without much disturbance.
For most outer disciples, life quickly settled into a dull rhythm. Morning bells, assigned labor, hurried meals, then stolen moments of cultivation before exhaustion dragged them to sleep.
Li Chen followed the same schedule.
But to him, each day felt slightly different from the last.
At Lingxi Field, he worked slower than before. Not because he was lazy, but because he was listening. Listening to the soil, to the faint movements beneath his hands, to the way spirit qi flowed and then broke apart.
The system remained silent unless he focused on it.
When he did, it responded calmly, without urgency.
[Host :- Li Chen]
[Qi Stability: 14%]
[Environment Affinity: Low → Slight]
Two percent.
It was almost laughable.
Yet Li Chen knew how difficult even a small improvement was for someone like him.
Zhang Wei often worked nearby. The broad-shouldered youth complained endlessly while pulling weeds, but his hands never slowed.
"Outer disciples really are cheap labor," Zhang Wei muttered one afternoon. "I thought once I entered a sect, I'd be flying on swords already."
Li Chen smiled faintly. "It hasn't even been ten days."
"Ten days feels long enough," Zhang Wei sighed, then lowered his voice. "Hey, have you felt it? Cultivating here feels… strange."
Li Chen's movements paused briefly.
"What do you mean?"
Zhang Wei scratched his head. "Hard to say. It's like the qi doesn't listen properly. I gather a bit, then it slips away."
Li Chen nodded. "Maybe the field's qi is thin."
"That's probably it." Zhang Wei shrugged. "Guess we're just unlucky."
Unlucky.
Li Chen did not respond.
That night, he returned to the small cliff again.
The sky was clear. Stars scattered across the darkness, distant and cold. From here, Qingyun Sect looked peaceful, almost gentle.
Li Chen sat down and began cultivating.
Breath in.
Breath out.
The Clear Heart Breathing Method flowed naturally now, no longer something he needed to consciously recall. His qi moved slowly, tracing familiar paths through his meridians.
This time, the warmth in his dantian did not disperse.
It lingered.
[System Notice]
[Qi Dispersion Reduced]
[Stabilize Function Active]
Li Chen felt it clearly.
The qi was still weak, but it stayed.
Minutes passed.
Then—
A soft resistance appeared.
Not pain, not blockage, but a subtle pressure, like pushing against thick water.
Li Chen frowned slightly.
Body Refinement Early Stage.
This was the limit.
Most people would need months, sometimes longer, before feeling this pressure. Talent mattered. Resources mattered.
Li Chen had neither.
Yet the pressure was there.
He did not force it.
He remembered the system's words.
Stabilize. Analyze. Optimize.
"Analyze," he thought.
[Analyzing Cultivation State...]
[Current Bottleneck: Physical Endurance]
[Recommendation: Gradual Reinforcement]
Reinforcement.
Li Chen understood.
Body Refinement was not just about qi. It was about tempering flesh, bones, and blood.
The next day, he changed his routine.
After finishing his assigned work, instead of resting, he ran.
Not fast.
Not far.
Just steady.
He ran along narrow mountain paths, climbed uneven steps, carried buckets of water when others avoided the task.
His muscles ached. His breathing grew rough.
At night, when he cultivated, the pain faded faster than before.
[Host :- Li Chen]
[Body Refinement Progress: Slight Increase]
[Qi Stability: 16%]
Zhang Wei noticed first.
"Did you get taller?" he asked one morning, squinting suspiciously.
Li Chen shook his head. "Probably your imagination."
Zhang Wei clicked his tongue. "Strange. You look sturdier somehow."
Li Chen did not reply.
He could feel it too.
His movements were more controlled. His balance improved. Even his grip felt firmer.
Small changes.
But real.
Three days later, while working the field, Li Chen felt something unfamiliar.
The qi beneath the soil gathered for a brief moment, forming a thin loop before dispersing again.
He froze.
That was not natural.
[System Alert]
[Minor Qi Convergence Detected]
[Cause: Host Presence]
Li Chen's heart beat faster.
His presence.
He lowered his hands, breathing carefully.
The loop did not reappear.
But the implication remained.
That night, he did not go to the cliff.
He stayed in the room, cultivating quietly while the others slept.
The pressure returned.
Stronger than before.
Li Chen focused inward.
Breath steady.
Mind clear.
The warmth in his dantian pulsed once, then spread outward, flowing into his limbs like a gentle tide.
His bones tingled.
His muscles tightened, then relaxed.
A faint cracking sound echoed inside his body, so soft it might have been imagined.
[System Notice]
[Body Refinement Stage Advancement]
[Current Realm: Body Refinement — Middle Stage]
Li Chen opened his eyes.
Sweat soaked his back. His heart raced.
Middle Stage.
He had advanced.
Not explosively. Not dramatically.
But cleanly.
He clenched his fist.
Strength surged, restrained but undeniable.
Li Chen exhaled slowly.
There was no joy on his face.
Only clarity.
In Qingyun Sect, Middle Stage Body Refinement meant nothing.
It was still the bottom.
But it meant he was moving.
Outside, the wind passed over the rooftops.
Somewhere deeper in the sect, spirit qi shifted slightly, then returned to normal.
No alarms were raised.
No elders appeared.
Li Chen lay back down, staring at the dark ceiling.
He knew this was only the beginning.
And beginnings, more often than not, were the most dangerous part.