Blood no longer shocked him.
That was the first thing Lin Xuan noticed.
Not pride.
Not satisfaction.
Just… absence.
The memory of the two bodies in the forest remained clear.
Too clear.
The first had been easy.
The second—
Not.
But the hesitation that once existed—
Was gone.
"…So this is how it changes."
He spoke softly, seated in the dim room.
The oil lamp flickered again, casting long, uneven shadows.
His hands rested on his knees.
Clean.
Steady.
Inside—
The chaos stirred.
Not violently.
Not yet.
But… expectant.
"Again."
Qi gathered instantly.
Faster than before.
The moment it entered—
The elements surged.
Fire roared.
Water crashed.
Wind twisted.
Lightning split.
Metal held.
Wood expanded.
Yin lingered.
But now—
They did not scatter immediately.
They moved.
Faster.
Closer.
Toward that center.
Toward it.
Lin Xuan focused.
Not on control.
But on timing.
The elements clashed—
But he did not resist.
He guided nothing.
He waited.
Observed.
And when they slowed—
Even slightly—
He aligned his breath.
Inhale—
Fire surged.
Exhale—
Water followed.
Inhale—
Wind circled.
Exhale—
Metal anchored.
Again.
Again.
Again.
The rhythm formed.
Unstable.
But repeating.
Pain came.
Of course it did.
But this time—
It did not overwhelm.
It sharpened him.
Focused him.
At the center—
The presence moved.
Not watching.
Participating.
The elements circled tighter.
Faster.
Closer to something whole.
Lin Xuan's breathing deepened.
His mind narrowed.
Everything else faded.
The room.
The mountain.
The world.
All gone.
Only this remained.
Then—
For the first time—
The elements did not collapse.
They held.
Not for a moment.
But longer.
A breath.
Two.
Three.
Lin Xuan's eyes trembled beneath closed lids.
This is it—
Pain surged violently.
Stronger than ever before.
His body convulsed.
Blood spilled from his lips.
But he did not break.
Did not lose focus.
Because now—
He understood the cost.
Endure.
The elements strained.
Fighting.
Resisting.
But the center—
Held them.
And slowly—
Very slowly—
They aligned.
A fragile balance.
But real.
Lin Xuan's breath stopped.
Not forced.
Natural.
For a brief moment—
Everything went still.
No pain.
No conflict.
No chaos.
Just…
Silence.
Then—
It shattered.
The elements exploded outward.
Violent.
Uncontrolled.
Lin Xuan was thrown forward.
His body hit the ground hard.
Air left his lungs.
He lay there—
Motionless.
Minutes passed.
Or longer.
Then—
Slowly—
He laughed.
Soft.
Rough.
Unsteady.
"…It works…"
The words were broken.
But certain.
Morning came.
The courtyard felt different again.
More distant.
More… irrelevant.
Lin Xuan walked through it.
Eyes followed him.
But now—
He barely noticed.
"Thirty."
The scarred man didn't even look at him.
Lin Xuan nodded.
Picked up the bucket.
The work began.
But today—
Something changed.
His movements were sharper.
More efficient.
Each step—
Precise.
Each breath—
Controlled.
Even as the strain built—
He adapted.
Faster.
By the fifteenth trip—
He was still steady.
By the twentieth—
His arms burned.
But did not shake.
By the twenty-fifth—
His breathing deepened.
But remained controlled.
Chen Rui watched from a distance.
Silent.
Observing.
"…He's different."
He muttered.
Not louder.
Not stronger.
But something else.
By the thirtieth trip—
Lin Xuan finished.
He placed the final bucket down.
Straightened.
And for the first time—
The scarred man frowned.
"…Too fast."
Lin Xuan met his gaze.
"…I improved."
Silence.
The man studied him.
Longer than before.
"…Be careful."
The words were unexpected.
"People who improve too quickly…"
A pause.
"…attract attention."
Lin Xuan said nothing.
But inside—
He understood.
That night—
He did not wait.
He walked to the forest himself.
The clearing was empty.
Silent.
But the air—
Still carried it.
The memory.
Lin Xuan stood there.
Still.
"…More."
The word came from him this time.
Not the presence.
Him.
Silence answered.
Then—
Footsteps.
Lin Xuan turned slightly.
A figure stood at the edge of the clearing.
Chen Rui.
"…I thought I'd find you here."
Lin Xuan said nothing.
Chen Rui stepped closer.
Slow.
Careful.
"…You're changing too fast."
A pause.
"…And I want to know why."
Lin Xuan looked at him.
Really looked.
Measured.
"…Why?"
Chen Rui smiled faintly.
"Because people like you…"
A pause.
"…either become powerful…"
"…or die early."
Silence stretched.
Lin Xuan turned slightly.
Looked back at the clearing.
"…Then watch carefully."
The answer was calm.
Cold.
"…And decide which one I become."
Chen Rui's smile faded.
Not in fear.
In interest.
"…I will."
That night—
When Lin Xuan sat again—
The chaos responded instantly.
Stronger.
Hungrier.
And at the center—
That presence—
Was no longer distant.
It was awake.
Fully.
"…good…"
Lin Xuan's breath slowed.
"…Then guide me."
Silence.
Then—
For the first time—
A feeling.
Direction.
Not words.
But intent.
The elements moved.
Not randomly.
Not blindly.
But… guided.
And Lin Xuan—
Followed.
Because now—
He was no longer just enduring.
He was learning.
And the cost—
Was only beginning to reveal itself.