Becoming an Inner Disciple should have meant a private courtyard, a monthly stipend of Spirit Stones, and access to the Tier-2 Cultivation Caves. Instead, Han Feng was assigned a dilapidated shack on the edge of the Medicine Refinement Peak.
The Third Elder, Han Hu, had kept his word. While he couldn't openly kill Han Feng under the Patriarch's watch, he could ensure Han Feng's "resources" were non-existent.
"Here's your 'Inner Disciple' kit," a sneering steward said, tossing a moldy robe and a single, cracked Spirit Stone at Han Feng's feet. "And since you're so talented, your daily chore is to clear the slag from the Alchemists' furnaces. Don't be late, or the punishment is twenty lashes."
Han Feng picked up the cracked stone. It was almost drained of energy—useless for a normal cultivator. But as his fingers touched it, the Chaos Record pulse-checked the item.
[Item: Low-Grade Spirit Stone (Damaged)]
Energy remaining: 12%.
Analysis: Structural impurities 88%.
Chaos Record Action: Refine? [Yes/No]
Han Feng thought Yes.
A faint violet wisp traveled from his palm into the stone. The cracks didn't heal, but the dull grey color shifted into a crystalline translucence. The 12% energy was condensed, stripped of filth, and turned into 100% pure Chaos Essence.
Warmth flooded Han Feng's arm.
[Cultivation Progress: 2nd Level of Body Refining (15%)]
One broken stone had given him more progress than a month of normal meditation. Han Feng looked toward the Medicine Refinement Peak, where thick black smoke billowed from the chimneys.
"They want me to clear the slag?" Han Feng's lips curled into a sharp, cold smile. "They're literally throwing away my cultivation."
The Slag Pits
The Medicine Refinement Peak was the heart of the Han Clan's economy. Here, alchemists attempted to brew Qi-Gathering Pills. However, alchemy was a volatile art. For every successful pill, there were ten "Failed Batches"—black, charcoal-like slag that contained volatile, burnt medicinal energy that was toxic to normal humans.
Han Feng stood before a massive pit filled with the discarded soot of a hundred failed concoctions. Two other servants were coughing nearby, their skin jaundiced from the toxic fumes.
"Careful, kid," one of them wheezed. "Breathe too much of that 'Burned Qi' and your lungs will turn to stone."
Han Feng ignored them and stepped directly into the pit. To his eyes, the pit wasn't filled with trash. It was a gold mine.
[Perfect Insight: Activating Environmental Scan...]
Detected: Residue of Sun-Withered Grass.
Detected: Burnt Earth-Dragon Root.
Calculation: If refined, these residues contain enough latent energy to bypass the 3rd Level of Body Refining.
Han Feng sat cross-legged in the middle of the toxic soot. He placed his palms on the black sludge.
"Absorb."
The Chaos Record acted like a black hole. A vortex of energy swirled around Han Feng. The "toxic" fumes weren't blocked; they were stripped of their poison by the Record and converted into pure, raw power.
His bones began to vibrate.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Internal sounds, like a blacksmith hammering an anvil, echoed from within his chest. His muscles tightened, becoming denser, more corded.
[Progress: 2nd Level (80%)]
[Progress: 3rd Level (10%)]
[Progress: 3rd Level (50%)]
The black soot around him began to turn into white, lifeless ash as the energy was sucked dry.
The Unwelcome Guest
"What are you doing in the pits, trash?"
A sharp voice broke Han Feng's trance. He opened his eyes to see Han Yan, the Third Elder's daughter and Han Jun's sister. She was a 5th Level Body Refiner and a rising star in the clan. Her beauty was icy, but her eyes held the same arrogance as her brother.
She looked at the white ash around Han Feng and frowned. "I heard you were sent here to rot. Why are you sitting in the filth?
Are you trying to commit suicide because you're scared of the Sect Trials?"
Han Feng stood up, dusting off his robes. The toxic air didn't affect him; his skin had a faint, metallic sheen under the sunlight.
"I find the air here... refreshing," Han Feng said calmly.
"You're insane," Han Yan sneered, drawing a slender jade sword. "My father told me not to kill you yet. But he didn't say I couldn't test your 'Seal.' Draw your weapon."
"I don't have a weapon," Han Feng replied.
"Then use your hands. Let's see if that fluke against my brother happens twice."
Han Yan lunged. Unlike her brother's heavy style, she was fast. Her sword moved like a viper, aiming for Han Feng's shoulder. She wanted to pin him to the ground like an insect.
Han Feng didn't move until the blade was an inch from his throat.
He didn't dodge. He simply raised two fingers.
PING.
The jade blade caught between his index and middle fingers. The momentum of a 5th Level cultivator was halted instantly. The ground beneath Han Feng's feet cracked from the dispersed pressure, but his arm didn't tremble.
Han Yan's eyes widened. "Impossible! My Qi is backed by the Frost-Bite Art! Your fingers should be frozen!"
"Your 'Frost' is just a cold breeze," Han Feng said.
He flicked his wrist. A surge of Chaos Qi traveled through the blade.
CRACK.
The jade sword—a Mid-Grade Mortal Tool—shattered into a dozen pieces. Han Yan was thrown back by the recoil, sliding ten meters across the dirt.
She looked at her empty hilt, then at Han Feng. For the first time, fear flickered in her eyes.
"You..." she whispered. "You aren't at the 1st Level."
"I never said I was," Han Feng replied, turning back to the slag pit. "Tell your father to send more alchemists to work today. I'm going to need more 'trash' to clear by tomorrow."
As Han Yan scrambled away in a panic, the Chaos Record chimed in Han Feng's mind.
[Ding!]
Hidden Condition Met: Defeat a Mid-Stage Body Refiner with 0% effort.
Reward: Movement Technique: Phantom Flicker (Incomplete).
Han Feng smiled. Chapter 4 was over, and he was already outgrowing this mountain.