The news of the Stone Tiger Li Clan's recent movements spread through the Azurewood Lin Clan like a chill wind through cracked walls. Word had it that Li Hu was gathering armored cultivators and had gotten his hands on some sort of Berserker Pills—dangerous concoctions that amplified strength at the cost of sanity. For a fledgling clan like theirs, with no proper formations and barely a decent wall to its name, the threat felt all too real.
In the dim light of the morning, Lu Chenyuan stood in the clan's main hall with Uncle Liu and Shen Yue. The silence between them was heavy, the air laced with the unspoken weight of what might come.
"We can't wait around anymore," Lu Chenyuan said, voice low but resolute. "We need to grow stronger—and fast."
He turned toward the table where a small jade bottle sat, its cool surface gleaming faintly. Inside were two pills—his Qi Nourishing Pills. A product of his budding alchemy, they were far from perfect, but in the face of danger, every edge counted.
"I'm testing one today," he declared, reaching for the bottle.
Uncle Liu frowned. "Young Master, are you sure? The system warned about impurities."
"I know. But I need to see how effective they are—what they can do, and what they can't. If they help, even with side effects, they might be the difference between life and death."
He picked out one of the pills—a pale green thing, slightly misshapen and exuding a faint herbal scent. With a deep breath, he popped it into his mouth, the bitter, grassy taste quickly washed down with water.
For a few heartbeats, nothing happened.
Then, warmth—gentle and steady—began to spread from his core. It wasn't explosive or dramatic, but rather like slipping into a sun-warmed bath. The Qi suffused his body, nourishing and strengthening his meridians. His Azurewood Art responded instantly, the flow of Qi within him quickening like spring rivers after snowmelt.
"It's working," he murmured, closing his eyes, letting the sensation wash over him.
His cultivation, already stable at the Fourth Layer, consolidated further. The Qi was rich—not as intense as a breakthrough, but enough to deepen his foundation. He could see how, in a crisis or recovery, this pill might become a lifeline.
But after about half an hour, the warmth ebbed, replaced by a dull ache low in his abdomen. Nausea followed, like a slow churn that made focusing difficult. The impurities. Not unbearable, but certainly not ignorable.
Opening his eyes, he exhaled slowly. "It's potent. About half a day's worth of meditation in a Qi-rich place. But the side effects… they'd make cultivating or fighting difficult for at least an hour."
Uncle Liu sighed. "Still, it's an achievement. You've made a functioning pill, even if it's not flawless."
Lu Chenyuan nodded. "It's a good start, but we need that last key ingredient—Three-Leaf Ginseng. Its purifying qualities might neutralize the impurities. And I need to improve."
As he digested both the Qi and the experience, a different energy stirred elsewhere in the courtyard—quiet, steady, and deeply personal.
Shen Yue's path of cultivation was progressing slowly, but meaningfully. The daily meditation sessions with Lu Chenyuan had become her anchor, a guiding hand through the tangled forest of her internal Qi. Her innate Wood Spirit energy had once been erratic, difficult to sense—now, it moved with gentle purpose.
She no longer sat in silence merely to follow his words. She explored, curious, feeling her Qi respond to her will. That single stream of Wood Qi she had first stirred weeks ago now traveled not only to her fingertips, but along her arms and shoulders, stretching further each day.
Then, one morning, something changed.
She gasped softly during meditation, her eyes snapping open. Her face glowed with wonder. "Patriarch Lu… I can feel it! The Qi… from the spirit field, from the willow tree. It's calling to me—I can actually draw it in!"
Lu Chenyuan's brow lifted in surprise. Focusing his senses, he confirmed it. Her meridians, once dormant, were now actively absorbing ambient Wood Qi. It was only a trickle, but it was unmistakable.
The beginning of true cultivation.
[System Notification: Wife Shen Yue has successfully achieved initial Qi sensing and absorption. Officially entered Qi Refinement Stage 1 (Initial). Spiritual Root (Variant - Wood) awakening progress: 12%. Clan Vitality +2. Host receives significant insight into Wood Element affinity and Qi guiding techniques. Clan Prosperity Meter: 10/100.]
A stream of insight poured into his mind—new understandings of Wood Qi, subtle techniques, gentle rhythms of growth and life. His Azurewood Art resonated with the knowledge, and for a fleeting moment, it felt as if he was communing with the very spirit of the element itself.
Joy filled him. He turned to her, eyes bright. "Excellent, Shen Yue! You've done it! You've stepped onto the path of cultivation!"
Shen Yue trembled, tears welling in her eyes. "I… I never thought I could…" Her voice cracked with emotion. "Thank you, Patriarch Lu. You saw something in me—when no one else did."
He gave her a gentle smile. "The seed was always there. I just helped you find the sunlight."
Her breakthrough wasn't just a personal triumph—it was a milestone for their clan. Their strength, however modest, had grown.
But shadows still loomed.
Later that afternoon, as they walked past the freshly harvested Iron Vigor Millet now stored in earthen jars, Lu Chenyuan turned to Uncle Liu. "The Li Clan won't wait for us to blossom. Their preparations, their new weapons, their ties to that disreputable alchemist… Something is coming."
"What do we do?" Uncle Liu asked, worry etched into every line of his face. "We're still too few, and the walls won't hold against a real attack."
"We have sixty-eight spirit stones left," Lu Chenyuan said, thinking aloud. "I wanted to save them… but maybe now is the time to invest. If I can buy some Three-Leaf Ginseng, I might refine pills without the side effects. Those could help me reach the Fifth Layer—or save us in battle."
Uncle Liu hesitated. "It's expensive. And success isn't guaranteed…"
"I know," Chenyuan replied. "But doing nothing guarantees failure."
He was about to continue when sudden commotion broke out beyond the gate—angry voices, the clanging of metal.
All three turned instinctively.
Lu Chenyuan strode to the gate and peered through a crack.
His stomach dropped.
Outside stood five men in black and yellow—the unmistakable colors of the Stone Tiger Li Clan. At their front, Li Hu stood arrogantly, one hand resting on the hilt of a saber, the other gesturing lazily. His aura was more oppressive than before, and Lu Chenyuan sensed that he'd grown stronger—perhaps on the verge of a breakthrough.
"Lu Chenyuan!" Li Hu called out, his voice echoing with mockery. "Still hiding behind your rotten gate, 'Patriarch'?"
The men behind him snickered.
"We've heard about your little harvest," he continued. "A few stalks of millet and a wife you tricked into marrying you. Not bad for a rat living in a hole."
Lu Chenyuan's fists clenched.
"My father, Patriarch Li Jian, is a generous man," Li Hu sneered. "He wants to help his neighbors. He's offering fifty spirit stones—for your field and your cozy little shack. Enough for you and your bride to move somewhere… more your speed. Maybe a pig farm?"
His men laughed raucously.
It was an insult. A veiled threat. A test.
Lu Chenyuan's pulse steadied. He couldn't show weakness—not now.
He stepped forward, voice firm and clear through the wooden gate.
"Young Master Li Hu," he replied, tone polite but cold, "the Lin Clan thanks Patriarch Li Jian for his generous… concern. But this land has been in my family for generations. I'm afraid it's not for sale."