The days after the old man's visit passed without incident.
That, more than anything, kept Li Chen alert.
Qingyun Sect returned to its familiar rhythm. Morning bells. Assigned duties. Cultivation periods marked by quiet breathing and slow circulation. From the outside, nothing had changed.
From the inside, Li Chen felt the weight of what had been said pressing gently against every decision he made.
When you reach Foundation Establishment… leave Qingyun.
The words did not echo. They settled.
Li Chen did not question them.
Not because he trusted the old man completely, but because the advice aligned too neatly with everything he had already sensed. The assessments. The inspections. The way elders observed without intervening.
Qingyun Sect was stable.
And stability disliked anomalies.
Li Chen continued dividing his time between the Lingxi Field and the storage hall. His movements remained average. His results acceptable, never outstanding.
Yet the Lingxi Field was changing.
Slowly.
So slowly that even Li Chen had to stop and think before noticing it himself.
The soil no longer resisted his hands. Water seeped downward more evenly instead of pooling at the surface. The faint disordered qi beneath the field no longer tangled itself into knots.
It flowed.
Weakly. Thinly.
But honestly.
[System Notice]
[Environmental Harmony: Improved]
[Host Synchronization: Minor Increase]
Li Chen stopped after seeing the notice.
He did not push further.
Harmony attracted attention just as easily as disruption.
One afternoon, while repairing a broken stone edge along the field, Li Chen noticed someone watching him.
Not hiding.
Standing openly at a distance.
Chen Yu.
The quiet disciple approached after a moment, stepping carefully over uneven ground.
"You spend a lot of time here," Chen Yu said.
Li Chen wiped his hands on his robe. "Someone has to."
Chen Yu hesitated. "It feels different."
Li Chen looked at him. "Different how?"
Chen Yu crouched and pressed his palm against the soil, then frowned. "It's calmer. Like it's breathing properly."
Li Chen said nothing.
Chen Yu straightened. "Did you do something?"
Li Chen met his gaze calmly. "I stopped doing things wrong."
Chen Yu stared at him for a few seconds, then laughed softly. "That's not an answer."
"It's the only one I can give."
Chen Yu nodded slowly. "I won't ask again."
He paused, then added, "Some seniors have been talking. About you."
Li Chen waited.
"They say you don't belong in the outer sect," Chen Yu continued. "Not because you're weak. Because you don't move like one."
Li Chen smiled faintly. "Outer disciples come in many kinds."
Chen Yu studied him. "If you ever leave… you won't tell anyone, will you?"
Li Chen considered the question carefully.
"No," he said. "I don't think I will."
Chen Yu seemed relieved by that answer, though Li Chen wasn't sure why.
That night, Li Chen did not cultivate immediately.
He sat by the window, watching clouds drift across the moon. The mountain peaks were half-hidden, their outlines softened by mist.
Foundation Establishment.
He could feel the threshold now.
Not as a wall.
As a narrowing path.
His qi no longer resisted circulation. It followed intent naturally, like water guided by a gentle slope. His body felt lighter, movements more precise even when he deliberately restrained them.
[Host :- Li Chen]
[Qi Stability: 36%]
[Breakthrough Readiness: Low but Forming]
Low but forming.
That was dangerous.
Because it meant the timing would eventually stop being his choice.
The next morning, a message arrived.
Not a summons.
An invitation.
Li Chen recognized the seal immediately.
Task Hall.
He arrived on time.
Inside, the hall was quiet. Sun Hao stood near the center, speaking with a senior disciple. When he saw Li Chen, he nodded once.
"Li Chen," Sun Hao said. "This won't take long."
A scroll was placed on the table.
"A regional escort mission," the senior disciple explained. "Outer sect involvement. Low risk. Moderate distance."
Sun Hao glanced at Li Chen. "I recommended you."
Li Chen's expression remained calm. "Why?"
Sun Hao smiled slightly. "Because you don't panic."
The senior disciple continued. "Departure in five days. Duration unknown."
Li Chen understood immediately.
This was not about the mission.
It was about movement.
Exposure beyond the sect without fully leaving it.
A test.
Or a transition.
"I accept," Li Chen said.
The senior nodded. "Good. Prepare accordingly."
As Li Chen turned to leave, Sun Hao spoke again.
"Be careful out there."
Li Chen paused. "You too."
Back at the quarters, Zhang Wei reacted as expected.
"You're leaving again?" he asked, eyes wide. "Already?"
Li Chen nodded.
Zhang Wei scratched his head. "I don't know why, but it feels like every time you go somewhere, things change."
Li Chen smiled. "Things are always changing."
Zhang Wei hesitated. "When you come back… you'll still be an outer disciple, right?"
Li Chen met his gaze.
"For now," he said.
That night, Li Chen cultivated longer than usual.
Not pushing.
Aligning.
He let his qi circulate naturally, paying attention to every subtle response. When resistance appeared, he eased back. When flow smoothed, he followed.
[Qi Stability: 37%]
He stopped immediately.
His heart beat steadily.
Too steadily.
Li Chen opened his eyes and exhaled slowly.
The old man's words returned.
Leave Qingyun.
Not now.
But soon.
Outside, the mountain slept.
Inside, Li Chen felt the space between staying and leaving grow thinner.
Not uncomfortable.
Inevitable.
He lay down and closed his eyes.
Five days.
That was enough time to prepare.
And perhaps enough time for Qingyun Sect to decide whether Li Chen was still something it could afford to keep.
Either way, the path ahead was becoming clearer.
And once clarity arrived, hesitation would no longer be an option.