Beyond Virtue

The cool stillness of the cave enveloped Xu Yan as he sat cross-legged, his breathing steady and measured. He closed his eyes, the faint glow of the runes on the walls providing the only light in the otherwise dark chamber.

'Right now, my goal is to consolidate my cultivation,' he told himself, his thoughts steady and purposeful. 'Breaking through to Qi Awakening was only the first step. If I don't stabilize my foundation, it'll mean nothing.'

Reaching into his robes, Xu Yan retrieved a handful of spirit beast cores. The faint energy within them pulsed softly, like a heartbeat waiting to be claimed. He arranged them in a loose semicircle around him, their faint glimmer illuminating his sharp features.

His focus sharpened as he initiated the Devouring Shadow Technique, a demonic cultivation method passed down from Elder Mo Ying. As he began to channel his qi, the air around him seemed to darken, shadows stretching unnaturally toward him.

In his mind's eye, he visualized the core of his dantian. The faint stirrings of shadow qi had begun to take root there, but it required refinement—structure. Slowly, he directed the energy toward his dantian, his thoughts guiding it.

The first step was forming the Shadow Vortex, a swirling mass of energy that served as the foundation of the technique. The vortex wasn't just a storage for qi; it was an engine, endlessly churning and converting energy into shadow qi.

As the spirit beast cores began to dim, their energy drained, Xu Yan felt the faint pressure build in his dantian. The vortex formed gradually, a spiral of darkness that spun faster with each passing moment. He gritted his teeth, the process requiring an intense focus to prevent destabilization.

Once the vortex was stable, the next step began. The raw qi he absorbed was drawn into the vortex's pull, where it was broken down and infused with the essence of shadow. This transformation gave the energy its unique, oppressive nature.

Sweat beaded on Xu Yan's forehead as he maintained his focus, the conversion process taxing both his mind and body. Yet, as the qi in his dantian grew denser and darker, he felt the familiar surge of power that came with mastery, a cold energy that coursed through his veins like an unstoppable tide.

The room seemed to grow colder as the last of the spirit beast cores disintegrated into dust, their energy fully absorbed. Xu Yan's breathing slowed, and a faint smirk played on his lips.

'It's only the beginning,' he thought, the steady hum of the shadow vortex resonating in the depths of his being.

As Xu Yan opened his eyes, the faint remnants of shadow qi swirled briefly around him before dissipating into the air. The cold energy emanating from his body caused Mei Qing to shiver slightly, though she quickly masked it with a glare.

"You demonic cultivators are truly vile," she said, her voice laced with disdain. "Leeching energy from whatever you can find, twisting it into something unnatural. No wonder your kind is reviled."

Xu Yan glanced at her, his expression unreadable. Her sharp tone didn't faze him, but her next words carried an edge of curiosity and suspicion.

Mei Qing's sharp eyes lingered on Xu Yan, her expression a mix of suspicion and disbelief. "That strike," she began, her voice cutting through the silence, "it wasn't just some imitation. The way you used the Azure Cloud Strike, it was as if you had practiced it countless times. Not even a normal genius from the Azure Sky Sect could unleash it with that much power."

Xu Yan remained silent, his cold gaze unwavering as her words hung in the air. After a moment, he sighed, his tone calm but laced with finality. "You shouldn't dig any deeper. Someone as stubborn as you would never be able to listen to a perspective besides your own."

Mei Qing's jaw tightened, her expression hardening as frustration flashed in her eyes. "Forget it," she snapped, turning her head away. Her tone carried a sharp edge, but it was clear his words had unsettled her.

The cave fell silent once more, the flickering shadows on the walls the only movement as tension lingered between them.