Jiang Li lay on the stone slab, the Bronze Life-Wheel at her dantian burning with a searing intensity. The newly absorbed Turbid Qi was still thrashing violently through her meridians. This power, plundered from the wreckage of Zhao Hu's shattered Life-Wheel, was arrogant and untamed—like a wild beast charging through her veins, leaving a trail of stinging, scorched heat in its wake. She curled her body tight, cold sweat drenching her hair. On her fingertips, dark, vein-like patterns flickered in and out of existence, twitching like living parasites as the energy surged.
"Whimper..."
A low whimper came from the foot of the bed. The Suanni was curled into a small ball, its black divine markings dim and lusterless. It was the Saint Beast the Xuan Ying Sect had hunted for a decade, a creature of unfathomable power. Yet, since forming the Symbiotic Covenant with Jiang Li, it had been severely suppressed by her lowly cultivation. Because Jiang Li had only just touched the threshold of Turbid Qi, she had inadvertently locked the Suanni's divine power within its cub form. This beast, harboring a sea of primordial origin within its palm-sized body, couldn't even manage a roar; it could only nuzzle Jiang Li's leg, radiating a faint sense of unease.
Jiang Li caught her breath and reached out to stroke the Suanni's back. Its fur was coarse and hard, yet it carried a sliver of warmth. She could clearly feel the torrential divine power within the little creature, now nearly stagnant under the weight of the covenant. Their fates were bound together; if the Suanni remained suppressed, her own cultivation would stall. This was something she would never tolerate.
"Bear with it," she whispered, her voice raspy. Her fingers lightly brushed the mane at its neck. There was no sentiment in her eyes—only a cold, hard certainty. "I must get stronger for you to be free. Right now, we are both clay Buddhas crossing a river—we must save ourselves first."
The Bronze Life-Wheel suddenly vibrated. It wasn't an external prompt, but a natural resonance from the Turbid Qi's internal collision. Jiang Li closed her eyes, attempting to guide the turbulence. The moment she focused, her dantian felt as if it had been branded by red-hot iron. Turbid Qi surged toward her limbs, and her meridians screamed with a tearing pain that forced a muffled groan from her lips.
"Pfft—"
A mouthful of black blood spilled from her lips, dripping onto the stone floor and instantly corroding a tiny, grain-sized hole. Jiang Li's eyes snapped open, a flash of alarm crossing them. The ferocity of this Turbid Qi far exceeded her imagination. One wrong move and the power would consume her, causing her to explode. Her previous victory over Zhao Hu had been a fluke, aided by the light of the Red Sand Seal and a sneak attack. To truly master this power, she still had a long way to go.
At that moment, the Red Sand Seal on her finger grew searingly hot. A faint golden light spread through her meridians like a warm, protective film, barely managing to wrap around the rampaging Turbid Qi. Jiang Li's heart stirred. This seal was far from simple; it had protected her in the Void Mirror before, and now it was neutralizing the violence of the Turbid Qi.
Settling her mind, she closed her eyes again. Under the protection of the seal, she carefully guided the Turbid Qi into its cycle. Once, twice, thrice... The Qi gradually lost its frantic edge, flowing smoothly through her meridians until it gathered at her dantian into a small, black vortex. As the vortex spun, it greedily drew in the chilling air of the Beggar's Pavilion, converting it into pure Turbid Qi to nourish and expand the cyclone.
An unknown amount of time passed before Jiang Li opened her eyes. The dark patterns on her fingertips had faded into shallow marks. She clenched her fist, feeling a fullness of power several times more solid than when she first broke through. Turbid Qi Realm, First Level: Early Stage. It was finally stabilized.
With this power, she would no longer have to play the victim to gain sympathy or let herself be manipulated by outer-hall disciples.
Creeeeeak—
The dilapidated wooden door was kicked open violently, sending splinters flying. Three outer-hall disciples blocked the entrance. Leading them was a man with slanted eyes and a wooden plaque labeled "Outer Hall Deacon" hanging from his waist. His gaze swept the room before locking onto the Suanni at the foot of the bed. His eyes instantly lit up with greed and contempt.
"So it is here!" Slanted-eyes rubbed his hands together, his voice dripping with spite. "A heretic who can't even cultivate Pure Qi... what right do you have to be the master of a Saint Beast? Such a divine treasure is wasted in your hands!"
A tall, thin disciple beside him chimed in: "Deacon Li is right! By the rules of the Xuan Ying Sect, a Saint Beast should be enshrined in the Sovereign's Hall to be revered by all. How can it stay in this dump with a Turbid Qi heretic? You must have used some foul sorcery. Today, we shall clean up the Sect on behalf of the Hall of Discipline!"
Another round-faced disciple added: "Taking the Saint Beast back to the Elders will earn us a great reward and get rid of this heretic at the same time. Two birds with one stone!"
The three of them prattled on, every word laced with discrimination against Jiang Li and lust for the Saint Beast's power. They didn't believe for a second that the beast had voluntarily chosen a heretic with a broken life-wheel; they assumed she was an easy target, someone they could crush like an ant.
Jiang Li's gaze darkened. She stood up slowly, shifting silently to block the Suanni. The covenant bound her to the beast; if it were taken, she would not only lose a potential ally but likely suffer a lethal backlash from the broken bond. This was unacceptable.
Sensing danger, the Suanni shrank against Jiang Li's leg, its purple eyes full of wariness as a low, threatening growl vibrated in its throat. Though it could not manifest its divine power, it retained the pride of a Saint Beast, refusing to bow even in weakness.
"Get out," Jiang Li said, her voice as cold as ice, carrying a faint pressure of Turbid Qi. "It recognized me as master, so it is mine. If you want to steal it, let's see if you have the ability."
Slanted-eyes froze for a second before bursting into laughter. "What do you think you are? A piece of trash dares to shout at me? Today, I'll show you that Pure Qi is the only Righteous Path!"
As he spoke, he reached out to grab the Suanni, a weak glow of Pure Qi gathering in his palm. Though he was only at the Cleansing Realm, he was certain this girl wouldn't dare fight back, and even if she did, he believed she was no match for him.
Jiang Li stepped sideways to shield the Suanni. A thread of extremely thin Turbid Qi flickered from her fingertip, silently coiling around Slanted-eyes' wrist. He felt his arm go numb; the Pure Qi in his palm instantly dissipated. He stumbled back three steps and fell hard on his backside, hissing in pain.
"You dare strike me?" Slanted-eyes shrieked, pointing at Jiang Li in a rage. "A heretic dares to attack a Deacon! I'm going to the Hall of Discipline right now to report you! I'll have your cultivation crippled and throw you into the Demon Refining Pool!"
"Go ahead," Jiang Li sneered, closing the distance between them step by step. "Why don't you ask the Elders first if a mere outer-hall deacon has any right to interfere with a Saint Beast's covenant? Furthermore... attempting to seize a Saint Beast is an act of insubordination. I believe we have a debt to settle."
The tall and round-faced disciples exchanged a look and lunged at her simultaneously. Their Pure Qi intertwined, forming a thin shield of light that surged toward her face. In their minds, two Cleansing Realm practitioners working together would easily crush a girl who had only just touched the path of Turbid Qi.
Jiang Li's lips curled into a disdainful smirk. She raised a hand, and the Turbid Qi solidified into a black shield. When the shield of light collided with it, a sickening sizzling sound filled the air. The Pure Qi melted away like snow hitting boiling water. The two disciples screamed as they were blasted backward by the shockwave, slamming into the stone wall and coughing up blood.
Slanted-eyes turned pale, scrambling toward the door in terror. But Jiang Li was faster. In a flash, she stood before the exit. Tendrils of Turbid Qi whipped out like obsidian vines, coiling tightly around the man's ankles and yanking him back with a violent snap.
"AHHH!" He screamed in agony, tears streaming down his face. "Mercy! Spare me, Lady Jiang! I was blind! I shouldn't have touched the Saint Beast!"
Jiang Li looked down at him, her expression as cold and indifferent as the monk who had saved her, yet harboring a malice that was entirely her own. She watched the fear in his eyes, feeling the Turbid Qi within her pulse with a dark, primal satisfaction.
"The Beggar's Pavilion doesn't need deacons," she whispered, the dark vines tightening until the sound of snapping bone echoed in the room. "It only needs fertilizer."
"I-I understand! I'll tell everyone I fell!" Slanted-eyes nodded frantically, terrified she would truly cripple him.
Jiang Li released her grip, and the black energy vanished. Slanted-eyes scrambled out as if granted a divine pardon, followed closely by his two companions, who didn't even dare to wipe the blood from the floor.
As their pathetic figures vanished, Jiang Li finally let out a breath. Her internal Qi wavered; though those strikes hadn't used her full power, they had consumed a significant amount of energy. She sat back on the stone bed, and the Suanni immediately approached, nuzzling her palm with its head, its purple eyes full of dependence.
Jiang Li patted its head. Her heart held no softness, only a heavy, looming gravity.
She knew her situation all too well. Her Bronze Life-Wheel could not cultivate Pure Qi, making her a pariah. Turbid Qi was a curse despised by the world. Her Saint Beast was suppressed into a cub, becoming a target for greed rather than an ally.
To stay in this Sect, without a background, only power was a reliable anchor. She had to become stronger quickly, not just to stabilize this First Level of Turbid Qi, but to climb higher. Only with enough strength could she silence those who looked down on her; only with strength could she protect the beast bound to her; only with strength could she truly stand tall in this predatory Xuan Ying Sect without playing the victim to survive.
Jiang Li closed her eyes and began to circulate her Turbid Qi once more. The chilling air of the Beggar's Pavilion flowed into her, nourishing the vortex in her dantian. As her foundation grew firmer, she could clearly sense the Bronze Life-Wheel becoming more active. It was no longer dim; instead, it began to emit a faint black luster that blended with the Turbid Qi.
She didn't know what this meant, and she didn't care to wonder. She only knew that power didn't lie.
Strength was the only way out.
The night deepened, and the flickering candlelight of the Beggar's Pavilion cast a shadow over Jiang Li's resolute face. There was no confusion in her eyes, no cowardice—only a relentless, driving ruthlessness. At the foot of the bed, the Suanni curled up, its purple eyes watching the door, guarding its master who was deep in cultivation.
A storm centered around Turbid Qi and the Saint Beast was quietly brewing in the shadows of the Xuan Ying Sect. And Jiang Li, the seed branded as a heretic, had already taken deep root in the frigid soil of the Beggar's Pavilion. She didn't need the protection of others or so-called opportunities. Relying on nothing but her own unyielding grit, she was drinking in power from her adversity, waiting for the day she would break through the earth and make the entire Xuan Ying Sect tremble.