Immortality Starts With Face

AN: At 40 (!) pages in MS Word, this turned out to be a double-length chapter (triple-length by Jim Butcher's standards). The next update is still expected to be on time, but might take a bit longer. Join the Patreon if you're impatient!

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The Qingshan sun, usually so brazen in this brutal, Frontier climate, seemed to filter into my chambers with a newfound gentleness the morning after the Shadow's grand exhibition. Or perhaps, the changed perception was merely the consequence of the roaring inferno of Xue Qi that I could feel simmering within my body even now.

I lay for a long moment on my ridiculously comfortable bed, and allowed a small, deeply satisfied smirk to trace its way across my lips.

The exhibition match… had gone even better than I'd dared to hope, a perfect symphony conducted by my genius planning (if I do say so myself). Said initial plan had been simple in its elegance: a beautiful, self-reinforcing feedback loop of belief designed for rapid, exponential growth.

Step one: "Shadow," my enigmatic martial art alter ego, would demonstrate an impressive, almost unbelievable level of Xue Qi strength and newly-acquired skill, easily besting the established local masters.

Step two: Shadow would publicly, and with appropriate feigned reverence, announce me, Jiang Li, as his Master – the sole source of all his skill, cultivation, and profound martial wisdom. He would either outright state or imply that the "Master's" abilities eclipsed "Shadow's" comparatively meager abilities in every way.

Step three: The crowd, utterly awed by Shadow's undeniable prowess, would naturally concludes that his proclaimed Master, Jiang Li, must be even more powerful: a true hidden Grandmaster, a sage of the martial Dao, etc.

Step four: As both Shadow and Jiang Li are, in truth, one and the same entity, my power increases exponentially due to the sudden, massive surge of high-quality, intensely focused belief.

Step five: "Shadow," now empowered further, then demonstrates an even greater level of strength, escalating the legend for both himself and his "Master."

Step six: Rinse. Repeat. Ascend.

And it had worked spectacularly!

The casual dismissal of the three local masters, and even the unexpected, high-stakes confrontation with that Azure Cloud Sect prodigy, Lin Feng – it had all amplified the legend, and thus my power, exponentially.

I ran a hand over my abdomen, feeling the unfamiliar, satisfyingly hard ridges of muscle there. My body was now as solid and defined as carved jade, a subtle but constant reminder of my transformation. My internal Xue Qi reserves, too, now felt vast, potent, thrumming with a restless energy. New levels of speed, strength, resilience… it was an intoxicating cocktail.

My good mood, however, sobered slightly as I recalled the moments of genuine, heart-stopping peril from the day before.

That little shit, Lin Feng.

For all his youthful arrogance and easily bruised pride, his talent with Earth Qi was undeniably prodigious. All of his spells were truly powerful, far more so than I would have expected from a mere "Qi Gathering" novice – and that final earth-titan technique, reeking of a power that far surpassed his supposed Qi Gathering Eighth Stage cultivation… was beyond impressive.

But when his earlier, treacherous earth-hand technique had dragged me under, when the very ground of the arena had compressed with that sickening, bone-crushing intent…

That had been close.

Far, far too close.

At that precise moment, I had only been at the "Martial Grandmaster" level; an impressive plateau, yes, but one freshly advanced only moments before by the initial wave of belief generated from defeating the three local masters.

It was strong, certainly – but not nearly strong enough to withstand being buried alive and systematically crushed by a Qi Gathering Eighth Stage genius wielding a technique that felt, frankly, like it was cast by someone in the low Foundation Establishment realm.

Trapped.

Suffocating.

Entombed with what felt like tons of unyielding earth pressing in from all sides, the taste of dust and despair filling my mouth…

I had done the only thing I could think of: I'd sub-vocalized an assertion for the System's benefit: a frantic, desperate bluff that my Xue Qi cultivation had advanced beyond the Martial Grandmaster level… to any damn thing that could get me out of that living tomb.

I recalled the familiar, chillingly calm System prompt that had appeared in my mind's eye in response:

[Warning: Belief Insufficient For Manifestation]

[Utilize Stored Belief Points?]

[Y/N]

The same binary choice I'd faced when kidnapped by those bandits while enroute from Fallen Star City.

A choice between oblivion and a System-fueled miracle, paid for in the hard-earned currency of others' faith.

The answer, of course, was obvious.

"YES! YES!" I had screamed internally, the desperation a raw, tearing thing in my chest.

[Acknowledged.]

[-587,350 Belief Points]

[Manifestation Initiated]

…

[New Xue Qi Cultivation Level: Martial Grandmaster --> Diamond Body (Stage One)]

A new power had surged through me then, an incandescent, roaring tide – only a bare fraction of a second before Lin Feng's technique would have turned me into bloody, unrecognizable paste.

Fortunately, whatever my new Diamond Body stage was…

It was strong.

Discount Superman was a fair assessment.

I flexed my fingers, feeling the latent power thrumming beneath my skin. I could likely shatter steel with my bare hands now, without even needing to actively channel Xue Qi for reinforcement. Ordinary blades, arrows, even most low-grade spirit weapons… would likely simply ping off or break against my skin now. By Earth standards, I was definitely bullet-proof – at least to the smaller-caliber rounds.

And the ability to freely condense Xue Qi into temporary platforms in mid-air, allowing for a form of rapid, unpredictable, three-dimensional flight… (a technique I'd "invented" in a conversation with Stumpy, which had received a significant upgrade in capability after the breakthrough)… well, that was a delightful, game-changing bonus.

But it was the skill upgrades that have ultimately made the difference.

I was liberally, and with increasing creativity, making up entire martial arts styles from scratch – drawing on half-forgotten memories of Earth's action movies, snippets of historical martial traditions, stories the original Jiang Li had heard while growing up… and all of those skills were beginning to have synergistic effects I had not originally anticipated.

Case in point: the technique I'd used to finally incapacitate young Feng – that silent, delayed disruption of his meridians triggered remotely at the end of the fight… that had been a carefully considered, System-perfected application of a theory I'd been developing for a little while now: a beautiful, terrifying fruit born from the unexpected synergy of my rapidly accumulating knowledge.

It had started subtly, this dawning understanding. The more I'd "learned" from my daily conversations with the increasingly bewildered Feng the Stump – the intricate details of human (and cultivator) anatomy, the precise pathways of Qi circulation from acupuncture charts, the subtle balances of energies from mortal herbalism, the endless, diverse principles of countless mundane martial arts – the more these disparate threads of knowledge began to weave themselves together in my mind.

But the true catalyst had been the practical application of my knowledge as a 9th Level Talisman Grandmaster. Wouldn't you know it, the difference between the 1st and the 9th levels of Grand-mastery hadn't just been about learning to draw fancier squiggles on paper. No, it had fundamentally altered my perception of the nature of Qi itself: of the very fabric of this world. I had begun to perceive the intricate, invisible patterns of energy that flowed through everything – rocks, trees, the air itself, and, most fascinatingly, through living beings. People, cultivators, spirit beasts… in a very real sense, they were all just incredibly complex, mobile, self-replicating talismans. Each being was a vessel of contained energy; their blood vessels and meridians – intricate, living formations; their acupoints – the natural nodes and junctures where Qi could be influenced, amplified, or, indeed, disrupted.

This new perspective, this fusion of biological understanding and profound energetic insight, had sparked an idea: a theoretical technique of exquisite, terrifying potential. If a person could indeed be analogized to a living talisman, could one not – with sufficient precision and understanding – inject a minute wisp of one's own Qi – Xue Qi, in this case – into their system through precisely targeted acupoints?

And if that injected Qi could then be subtly controlled … well, the possibilities were vast.

My new knowledge whispered of the potential.

A subtle disruption of their Qi flow at a critical moment, causing a technique to falter, a defense to crumble.

A more aggressive internal surge, perhaps, to cause temporary paralysis, or even to overload and damage organs.

And at its most potent, its most insidious… a targeted strike against the core meridians themselves, a way to cripple a cultivator's foundation, to silence their power, perhaps even permanently, without leaving more than a pinprick on their skin.

A whisper-touch death, delivered with a lightest contact and a smile.

Of course, knowing something like this was theoretically possible and actually doing it were two vastly different propositions. For anyone else, even a seasoned cultivator with a deep understanding of meridians and Qi control, developing such a technique to a point of reliable, controllable efficacy would have taken years – and, more likely, decades – of painstaking research, dangerous experimentation, and countless, potentially fatal, trial-and-error attempts. The sheer precision required, the depth of understanding of countless physiological and energetic variables… it was a monumental undertaking.

For anyone else, that is.

For me, though?

Ah, for me there was the ultimate, glorious shortcut: the System.

And my ever-so-helpful, if somewhat traumatized, "research assistant": Feng the Stump, or Stumpy as I've started to occasionally call him.

All it had taken was two of our "long conversations" in the quiet solitude of his comfortable, Qi-sealed cell. I had laid out my theory, described the effects with the passionate conviction of a true believer, selling my performance for an audience of one… I had explained the intricate acupoint targets, the precise pressures needed, the subtle methods of Xue Qi injection and dormant control, all as if it were knowledge passed down from my own Master.

Feng, by now, was starting to believe almost anything I said with reflexive, almost pathetic, eagerness. His initial skepticism had long since been ground down by an unending series of "impossible" demonstrations. He was my perfect, captive audience.

And so, with his BQT 6 belief (apparently recovering and not always degraded due to coercion) focused on my claimed mastery of this newly "revealed" ancestral technique… an almost instant, flawless, system-perfected mastery of the "Meridian Disruption Art" (a suitably understated name, I thought) was mine.

There was no need for years of study, nor risky experiments.

Just pure, unadulterated, belief-fueled competence.

The application against Lin Feng had been the Art's first true field test. Those initial, seemingly random finger jabs during our first close-quarters exchange hadn't been random at all, of course. Each one had been a precise, almost imperceptible injection of my Xue Qi into key meridian junctures.

The final snap of my fingers was merely an additional bit of theatrics – the injected dormant Qi had always been under my control, needing only half-a-dozen or so seconds of focused intent to activate: wreaking havoc on internal systems, collapsing any ongoing techniques, and – if I willed it – even crippling my target outright.

The System truly was a road to unfathomable power. Wielding it was a heady feeling. If I could already do this much after barely three weeks of use, what could I do after a year? A decade?

… A century?

The thought of it was almost too much to consider.

Almost.

+++

A couple of hours later, I had summoned Jin Bao and Lin Ruolan to the newly-rechristened Main Conference Room. The large, polished darkwood table was currently bearing neat stacks of ledgers, abacus beads clicking softly as Ruolan made some final calculations, and a selection of fragrant spirit and mundane teas that Jin Bao had procured from one of our newly acquired teahouses in town.

"Well?" I began, leaning back in my ridiculously comfortable, high-backed chair.

"It's been a bit over a week since the Auction. The dust from my young apprentice's little performance has settled. The Jiang Family Fair was, by all accounts, a roaring success. So… let's hear the initial reports. Ruolan, you first. How are our… esteemed clients…?"

Lin Ruolan, the epitome of quiet competence, looked up from her ledger, a rare, almost imperceptible flush of excitement on her usually composed features.

"Master, the response to the Auction has been… overwhelming. Simply overwhelming!"

Her voice, usually professional and tightly-controlled, held a note of genuine awe now.

"Since the conclusion of the auction – and, particularly, since the martial exhibition yesterday, communication talismans have been buzzing non-stop. The influential families we have made contact with in Fallen Star City, representatives of various merchant guilds, even inquiries from minor cultivation sects in the neighboring territories… they are all expressing profound interest in business partnerships with you."

She indicated a separate, alarmingly thick stack of inscribed bamboo slips.

"As you instructed, Master, I have been politely accepting all preliminary orders for the goods showcased at the fair as well as those… rumored… to be within your purview after the Fallen Star auction. Thus far, we have confirmed orders totaling… over a million taels of silver, and well over six hundred thousand low-grade spirit stones."

I raised an eyebrow.

"In one week? For what, precisely?"

"A wide variety of goods, Master," Ruolan continued, consulting her notes. "Various quantities of the non-spiritual luxury goods – mostly silks of various colors, glassware, and spices demonstrated during the Fair; spirit wines you listed on the catalog – including pre-orders for bottles of the Asura Blood Wine you've sold a sample of at the auction. Numerous requests for those 'stealth' storage rings that can't be easily detected as such. A significant number of inquiries for custom-inscribed talismans… And, of course, a steady stream of orders for various base spirit materials, the well-known staple for the Jiang family – high-purity spirit jade, various grades of refinement ores, and even some of the more common spirit woods… albeit in rather large quantities."

A million taels of silver.

Six hundred thousand spirit stones.

Significantly more than the entire annual tax revenue of Qingshan Town before my arrival, I wagered.

And all of this was generated essentially from thin air – from carefully crafted belief. A very promising start.

"Excellent, Ruolan. Continue to accept all reasonable orders. I will personally ensure Jin Bao's newly acquired warehouses have… sufficient stock… to meet demand." I gave her a pointed look referencing the mysterious "soul space" story I told her and Jiang Yue a week ago.

She nodded.

"Of course, Master. The… supply lines… are indeed proving remarkably efficient."

I then turned to Jin Bao, who was practically vibrating with a nervous, excited energy.

"And on the local front, Jin Bao? How are our Qingshan ventures faring? The Jiang Exchange Houses? The various businesses you've been so diligently acquiring?"

Jin Bao bowed deeply, his face wreathed in a smile that threatened to split his cheeks.

"Young Master! The new Jiang Exchange Houses are working wonderfully! The 'Jiang Notes' you designed have caught on with astonishing speed! At first, it was only our own employees using them, but now… now almost every shopkeeper in Qingshan accepts them – none dare to question the face of Young Master Jiang and his ability to exchange the notes on demand! Besides, the convenience, the security of the concept… they love it!"

He briefly paused, taking a sip of the team to help clear his throat.

"Local businesses, especially those now under your benevolent umbrella, are reporting sales figures unlike anything they've ever seen!" he continued, his voice rising with enthusiasm.

"And those foods you introduced are still causing a sensation. The taverns serving your 'beers,' the bakeries attempting to replicate the 'pizza' with local ingredients, the Jiang licensed street vendors selling those… hamburgers and 'ice cream'… they are all constantly swamped! As you've ordered, we pay even our contractors extremely well, with the lowliest of the temporary workers – like the construction laborers now building the new housing, warehouse, and entertainment districts – still making at least five taels of silver per day! The people increasingly have spending money, Young Master – real money, for the first time in their lives – and they are very eager to spend it!"

…

"But…" he hesitated, his smile faltering slightly, a flicker of profound bewilderment crossing his features. He exchanged a quick, uneasy glance with Lin Ruolan.

"But?" I prompted, my internal alarms beginning to prickle. "Is there a problem, Jin Bao?"

"Well, Young Master… it's… it's not a problem, precisely," he stammered, wringing his hands. "More of a… a mystery. A wonderful mystery, to be sure, but… that is to say...."

Ruolan chimed in, her voice hushed.

"Master, the local sales are indeed at record levels. We are moving unprecedented volumes of goods through all the Jiang-owned storefronts, and the Exchange Houses are constantly busy, with Jiang Notes flowing out and, occasionally, being exchanged back for their base metals. However…"

She paused, choosing her words carefully,

"…our stocks, Master. They don't seem to be… diminishing."

Jin Bao nodded vigorously.

"Yes! That's exactly it, Young Master! It's the strangest thing! Take the 'Olde Spice House' we acquired. They sold nearly their entire inventory of exotic spices yesterday. This morning, the store manager wanted to send a team to the back warehouse to begin restocking from our central reserve… only to find that the shelves were already full again! Brim-full! As if nothing had been sold at all! He swears on his ancestors' graves he sent no-one to do the restocking overnight."

"And it's not just the goods, Master," Ruolan added, her brow furrowed. "The Jiang Exchange Houses… they've exchanged tens of thousands of taels in silver and copper in exchange for golden coins, on demand. And yet, when the accountants do their nightly tallies, the physical silver and copper reserves in the vaults don't ever seem to decrease proportionally. It's as if the metal coins are simply… appearing in the vaults as needed. Or, when the Jiang Notes are exchanged… as if the notes themselves are somehow generating their own backing."

She leaned in, a look of concern on her young face.

"The staff… they are starting to whisper, Master. Some say it's a miracle, a blessing from the Heavens themselves upon your enterprises. Some say they've seen goods just… appear – in the backs of the stores, or in warehouses… whenever they happen to be needed. Order after order goes through, transaction after transaction is completed, and yet the inventory, the reserves of your businesses… never seem to diminish."

I maintained an expression of calm, benevolent amusement, though inwardly, a profound sense of mingled wonder and existential dread was beginning to take root.

I should have anticipated this.

I should have expected it even on the first day, when the chests of gold coins I used as my "props" at the market never seemed to run out – without any specific prompting from myself beyond the overall "eccentric and wealthy Young Master" performance.

I should have expected it when I was able to manifest spirit wine inside the cellar of one of my businesses despite being physically nowhere near it.

I should have expected it when I could – even now – feel the System working in the background to manifest gods-know-what in my name.

The world seeming to slow down as my Qi-reinforced mind worked on overdrive, and I focused inward, accessing the System interface, specifically the stream of background notifications that I had, I now realized, unconsciously trained myself to relegate to the periphery of my awareness – like a constant, low humming noise that one eventually tunes out.

My internal breath caught.

It wasn't just a hum anymore.

It was a roar.

An enormous, unending, almost overwhelming flow of near-constant "pings," a veritable flood of notifications scrolling endlessly across my mind.

[Remote Qualified Belief Detected] [Belief Source: Qingshan Citizen Designated #34,782, BQT 1 Met!] [Analyzing Belief: Jiang Exchange House Possesses Item: One 'Jiang Note' (1000 Copper). [Threshold Met! Manifestation Initiated!] [Manifestation: Complete - Jiang Exchange House #3 Till.] [+1 Belief Points]

[Remote Qualified Belief Detected] [Belief Source: Traveling Merchant Designated #97, BQT 1 Met!] [Analyzing Belief: Vendor Possesses Item: One serving 'Frozen Sweet Cream (Sunfruit Swirl)'] [Threshold Met! Manifestation Initiated!] [Manifestation: Complete - Jiang Refreshment Pavilion Stock.] [+2 Belief Points]

[Remote Qualified Belief Detected] [Belief Source: Warehouse Foreman Lee, BQT 1 Met!] [Analyzing Belief: Warehouse Inventory Contains Item: Ten Bolts of Blue Jiang Silk] [Threshold Met! Manifestation Initiated!] [Manifestation: Complete - Central Warehouse #1.] [+0.5 Belief Points]

And on and on it went, thousands upon thousands of tiny, almost infinitesimal belief transactions, each one tied to a specific item, a specific customer, a specific Jiang-owned business.

It wasn't just the goods I was consciously manifesting for specific performances. It was everything.

Every loaf of bread sold in a Jiang-owned bakery.

Every measure of rice.

Every tool.

Every scrap of cloth…

As long as the customer believed the item existed and was available for purchase from one of my establishments, the System was apparently taking the initiative and… auto-filling the order, manifesting the item directly into stock, drawing upon that individual – and, sometimes, collective – ambient belief of my customers.

The System, it seemed, recognized the stores I directly owned as extensions of me. As a part of my domain.

And if they were part of me, then it stood to reason that then they, too, could receive belief directly from those who interacted with them.

Belief, it turned out, not only worked remotely, but institutionally, as long as the anchor point – the owner, the brand…

Was me.

A profound sense of wonder, almost childlike in its intensity, washed over me.

This was… incredible! Mortal belief, the simple, everyday faith of common people that a product existed and could be bought, seemed more than sufficient to conjure an endless stream of mortal, non-spiritual items.

I had, quite by accident, created a perpetual motion machine of commerce, an engine that could generate limitless mundane wealth from the very idea of consumption.

But then, hot on the heels of that wonder, came a wave of equally profound, bone-chilling horror.

What would happen – not if, but when – powerful cultivators found out about this? This… abomination against the natural order of commerce and resource scarcity? When some meticulous Golden Core alchemist, some paranoid Nascent Soul sect master, looked into the sudden, impossible prosperity of Qingshan Town, into the Jiang family's inexplicable abundance – into the utter lack of sufficient physical trade going in and out of town – and made the correct, terrifying deduction that I, Jiang Li, was at the epicenter of this impossible phenomenon?

They would be unlikely to settle for intellectual curiosity.

They would be unlikely to settle for polite inquiries.

They could, with some plausible likelihood, kidnap me, drag me to some lightless dungeon, and try to torture the secrets of the sophisticated and cheap translocation formations (for what else could plausibly explain goods appearing out of nowhere?) out of me – piece by agonizing piece.

Should I turn it off?

Could I even turn it off?

It seemed to be happening on autopilot now, a background process humming away without any conscious input or control from me. Every time someone, somewhere in Qingshan, placed an order for a mundane good at a Jiang establishment, every time they handed over a Jiang Note with the belief that it held value, they believed that good, that value, existed – and the System immediately made it so.

Ending my businesses in Qingshan, shutting down the flow of goods, reverting the town to its previous state of impoverished misery… was that now, perversely, the selfish, and arguably the safest, thing to do for my own long-term survival? I could choose to cut off the miracle, eliminate the anomaly, and fade back into obscurity as just another eccentric – if unusually wealthy – Young Master.

But, even as the thought formed, I knew I wouldn't do it.

Hurting all of these people, snatching away the hope and prosperity I had so recently, so dramatically, bestowed upon them… not to mention deliberately working against the carefully constructed reputation of the benevolent, eccentric, larger-than-life benefactor I was trying to build – a reputation that was crucial for generating the high-quality belief I needed for my own advancement… I would never bring myself to abandon all of that.

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

Leo Maxwell, for all his cynicism, still had a shred of that actor's desire for an appreciative audience, for leaving a positive legacy. And as for Jiang Li… Jiang Li was tired of being weak, of being at the mercy of others.

No.

Retreat was not an option.

Damn the torpedoes – full speed ahead!

The only way to continue, the only way to survive this escalating madness, was to go forward. To become so powerful, so well-connected, so untouchable, that no one – not even a Nascent Soul Stage Old Monster – would dare to question or inquire into the source of my miracles.

Becoming more powerful, with all possible haste, had just reached an entirely new, and terrifying, level of urgency.

…But I still needed to answer my subordinates' questions.

I waved a dismissive hand.

"My dear Jin Bao, my ever-excellent Ruolan," I said, my voice smooth, reassuring. "You are witnessing the benefits of advanced… logistics. My Jiang family is merely testing a new translocation method I invented involving novel teleportation formations… linked between various warehouses as well as a… certain central, undisclosed repository. I do not need to tell you how revolutionary this concept is. How amazing it would be to be able to bypass lengthy trade routes in commerce, to bypass the time delay and risks associated with long journeys, to make the goods appear directly where they are needed. All forms of mundane transportation – roads, rivers, and, in time, even flying boats – would become obsolete!"

I leaned in, lowering my voice to properly emphasize the gravity of the situation.

"If you must know, my dear Jin Bao, this was the very reason why I came to this backwater Qingshan in the first place. This small frontier town was to become a testbed, a proof of concept for the formation system before it was implemented in other places on a wider scale. But for now… the existence of these formations are, of course, highly secret."

I let my gaze sharpen slightly.

"I trust everyone involved, every clerk, every warehouse manager, every servant, will be taught to understand the profound importance of discretion in this matter. These are secrets not meant to be spread widely – not yet. Make it clear to them, Jin Bao. There will be… dire consequences… for anyone foolish enough to gossip or attempt to pry into matters that do not concern them. Attracting unwanted attention from the wider world with tales of 'miracles' will inevitably result in that world paying us some very unwanted attention in return. If that were to happen…"

I let a hint of ice enter my tone,

"…all of the gossips would lose their very lucrative, very comfortable high-paying jobs, at the absolute minimum. Perhaps a far worse fate – such as them or their families being kidnapped and tortured for what they know – could be in store if the wrong ears were to overhear their foolish tongues. While they work for me, they can indeed enjoy a life of great wealth and privilege – but only if they learn to keep their mouths shut about my secrets."

Jin Bao, looking immensely relieved to have an explanation (however objectively implausible it may have been), bowed deeply, sweat beading on his forehead.

"Y-yes, Young Master! O-of course, Young Master! Discretion will be absolute! I will personally make sure all understand the true… gravity… of the situation!"

Ruolan, too, seemed to accept my explanation, though a thoughtful, speculative glint remained in her eyes. She suspected I could be lying – or not telling the whole truth – but recognized that it wasn't her place to care or press for the specifics.

+++

I opened my mouth to continue the discussion – when, suddenly, there was a blur of motion from the open window overlooking the courtyard. Before I could even register a threat, before my newly honed reflexes could even begin to react, Big Sis Yue was suddenly there, standing before me, her expression an unreadable, unsettling mixture of exasperation, profound worry, and something akin to grudging, almost reluctant admiration.

She didn't say a word.

She simply grabbed me by the scruff of my expensive silk robes – not roughly, not with any intent to injure, but with an undeniable, irresistible Foundation Establishment strength that brooked no argument whatsoever – and, with a muttered, "We need to talk, Little Li. Privately," she flew out of the open window, dragging me unceremoniously with her.

I yelped, a most undignified sound, as we soared through the early afternoon sky, her Foundation Establishment Qi a powerful, buffeting wind around us, pressing the air from my lungs.

She headed, with unerring speed, towards the dense, marshy wetlands that bordered the Azure Serpent River a few li outside Qingshan's perimeter.

She landed us, with surprising gentleness considering the abruptness of our departure, in a small, secluded clearing amidst a dense thicket of towering reeds and ancient, moss-draped trees whose gnarled roots delved deep into the murky water.

The air here was thick, almost cloying, with the humidity of the marsh, the deafening, orchestral chirping of a million cicadas, the resonant, guttural croaking of unseen frogs, and the rich, loamy scent of damp earth and blooming, unseen flowers.

It was surprisingly… peaceful, almost primeval, despite the rather dramatic circumstances of our arrival.

Yue released me, and I stumbled slightly, regaining my balance and dignity. She stood with a rigid stance, her expression stern, her eyes glinting with a dangerous light.

"Alright, brat," she said, her voice devoid of its usual teasing warmth.

"You got a weapon? A staff, a spear, anything of decent quality that won't shatter at my first touch? Or are you planning to try and fight me off with those fancy kicks and that ridiculous mask too?"

I raised an eyebrow, smoothing down my ruffled robes.

"Fight you, Big Sis?" I asked, injecting a note of wounded innocence into my voice. "Is this some new, particularly aggressive form of Jiang family bonding that I wasn't previously aware of?"

She crossed her arms, looking entirely unamused.

"…Yes, I have a few upper-midgrade spears," I said, deciding that compliance was probably the wiser course of action for the moment. "I've got a Wood, a Frost, and a Metal-aligned one. Any particular preference?"

She gestured for me to get on with it, while the System pinged in the back of my mind, manifesting her BQT 7 belief into usable artifacts in my storage.

Shrugging, I pulled forth a spear of shimmering, ice-blue crystal, its shaft seemingly carved from a single, flawless piece of some kind of frozen bone, its wicked, barbed tip radiating a faint, almost imperceptible chilly aura. The "Frost-Forged Serpent Spine Spear," according to the System's instant, if somewhat grandiose, designation – materialized in my hand with a soft shing. It felt perfectly balanced and unnaturally cold to the touch, humming with a barely suppressed power.

Yue whistled in appreciation, her eyes appraising the spear with a warrior's professional interest, noting its quality.

"Good. Decent make. Strong enchantments. Now, get into a stance. This is for your own damn good."

Before I could even properly settle my feet into a defensive posture, before I could even begin to comprehend her intent… she attacked.

There was no warning, no preamble, just a blur of dark green motion and the glint of her own familiar, black, battle-scarred spear tip aimed directly at my throat with terrifying, Foundation Establishment speed.

I blocked the blow with my own spear artifact, the impact of the blow creating an almost visible shockwave that blew away water droplets from the surrounding grass and scared away a flock of nearby birds.

To both our surprises, I managed to keep up with her – at first.

My new Diamond Body (Stage 1) was truly formidable. It granted me physical prowess that seemed to match even Big Sis' Mid-Stage Foundation Establishment physique – at least in terms of raw reaction speed and explosive power.

Our spears clashed together repeatedly, a shower of icy blue and earthy brown sparks erupting in the humid air, the impact sending shivers of resonant energy through the damp ground beneath our feet.

I skillfully parried her initial thrusts, spun, and actually managed to land a glancing blow on her shoulder with the butt of my own weapon, forcing her back a step, my Xue Qi-enhanced strike surprisingly potent even against her cultivator's guard.

For a fleeting moment, I felt a surge of exultation – I was holding my own against Big Sis Yue!

But that elation was, alas, brutally short-lived.

Jiang Yue was not just physically strong; she was a seasoned, intelligent warrior, a cultivator and veteran of countless life-or-death battles – with spirit beasts and worse things found within and near the desolate Frontier ruins. She quickly adapted to my new physical abilities… and then began to incorporate her own Ling Qi techniques, the true hallmark of a cultivator's power. Her spear movements became fluid, unpredictable, imbued with a faint, shimmering, almost translucent aura – Spear Intent, I recognized with a gasp.

Countless quasi-illusory spear phantoms – each one feeling chillingly real and quite deadly – lashed out from her main weapon, feinting, jabbing, creating a disorienting, three-dimensional barrage that was almost impossible to track, at least with my current senses.

She projected sharp blasts of her earthy Foundation Establishment Qi, not meant to kill, but certainly more than enough to sting and disrupt.

She utilized subtle, almost invisible movement techniques, allowing her to shift her angle of attack with bewildering speed.

My purely physical prowess – greatly augmented though they may have been – quickly began to falter against this multi-layered, Qi-infused assault.

It didn't help that she seemed close of breaking through to the Late Foundation Establishment – and thus, her Qi reserves were far deeper, far more vast than my current capacity.

Without doubt, Jiang Yue could easily sustain this level of intensity for hours at a time. I, on the other hand… was already beginning to feel the strain, even after the first few minutes.

Slowly, methodically – but with an undeniable, almost casual efficiency – she proceeded to beat the ever-living shit out of me.

It wasn't malicious, not truly. There was no killing intent at all in her strikes.

But it wasn't gentle either.

It was a lesson, delivered with the blunt, uncompromising honesty of a true warrior. Each parried blow rattled my bones, sending jolts of pain up my arms.

Each near-miss left a stinging welt on my skin from the displaced Qi, a phantom caress of her superior firepower.

She was teaching me, in the most visceral way possible, about the true, terrifying gap between a powerful Martial Artist, even one as "Diamond-bodied" as myself, and a skilled, battle-hardened Foundation Establishment Cultivator.

She was showing me the limitations of Xue Qi against true Ling Qi mastery.

After what felt like an eternity of relentless, exhausting combat – though it was probably closer to four or five hours of continuous, high-intensity sparring – we were both sprawled on the damp, reed-strewn earth: bruised, battered, and gasping for breath like landed fish.

I was, by far, in worse shape. Every muscle in my body screamed in protest, my fine silk robes were torn and caked with mud… and, I suspected, I had more than a few impressively colorful bruises developing beneath them.

Yue, though breathing heavily, her brow beaded with sweat, looked more exhilarated than truly exhausted – a wild, predatory gleam in her eyes. She could probably go again if prompted.

I shuddered despite myself.

She propped herself up on an elbow, looking down at me with a mixture of lingering annoyance and a grudging, almost proud, respect.

"Damn it, Little Li!" she panted, a small smile playing on her lips. "Don't you ever scare me like that again!"

I groaned, every inch of me protesting the movement as I tried to sit up. "Scare you? You're the one who just tried to turn me into a spear-kebab! What in the nine hells was that all about?"

"Don't play dumb with me, brat," she snapped back, her smile fading, her expression turning serious again.

"I wasn't born yesterday. And I can certainly put two and two together. It's obvious that you're Shadow."

I attempted a weak, unconvincing protest,

"Shadow? Who's Shadow? Big Sis, I think all that enthusiastic spear-twirling has muddled your otherwise brilliant—"

Her unamused voice, sharp as her spear tip, cut me off.

"Save it, Li! You've established that your cultivation could advance with impossible speed. You went from a pathetic Stage Two to the Peak of Stage Nine of Qi Gathering in, what, a few weeks? Miraculous. Impossible. But you did it! Yet, just before the auction in Fallen Star City, when you let me examine your cultivation up close, you were, according to my senses, still well below the Martial Grandmaster realm in terms of Xue Qi. On the other hand,"

her gaze sharpened,

"if you were truly Shadow's teacher, as you so theatrically proclaimed to that entire arena yesterday, you would have been vastly stronger, by necessity, even back then. The timelines simply don't add up, Little Li… unless you are Shadow. You've shown me that "stealth technique" of yours. I know you are capable of suppressing your outward Ling Qi aura so that the audience wouldn't notice it. You were absent from the VIP box while Shadow was fighting. You and Shadow share the same height and build… All of the facts point to the obvious conclusion that you are Shadow – and don't you dare insult my intelligence by pretending otherwise."

She sighed, running a hand through her sweat-dampened, cropped black hair.

"I'm not angry that you are Shadow, Li. Honestly? That level of skill, that raw, untamed power you displayed… it was beyond impressive. Astounding. Breathtaking, even. What makes me furious, what had my heart trying to beat its way out of my chest, is how recklessly you risked your life in that arena against that 'little shit' Lin Feng. And for what? Applause? A bit of local fame?"

She paused, taking a deep breath, seemingly trying to center herself before continuing.

"And then, as if that wasn't foolish enough, you then had to go and thoroughly, publicly, piss off the entire Azure Cloud Sect by humiliating their prize genius, their future hope! Do you even comprehend the face they lost, Li? Their number one genius lost spectacularly to a mere mortal martial artist. They'll be a cultivator laughingstock for generations! They will want to retaliate. Don't you understand the hornet's nest you've kicked?"

I started to mumble something about Lin Feng cheating first, but she waved it away.

"That," she said, her voice dropping, becoming deadly serious now, "as stupid and shortsighted as it was, isn't even the worst of it. Your life… all of our lives, in fact… they are in mortal danger now, Little Li. Far more than you realize. Do you even comprehend why?"

I frowned, genuinely confused.

"Because… of the Azure Cloud Sect? Or that Elder Yue Qingxue? She seemed… intrigued, more than angry, at the end."

Yue shook her head, a grim, almost haunted look on her face.

"No. The Sect won't forget what happened. But it's much, much bigger than that, Li. It's because you, as Shadow, have demonstrated a power comparable to a Foundation Establishment cultivator… as a martial artist. And, whether it's true or not – because you then said Shadow was your student, the world, or at least the parts of it that pay attention to such things, now believes you, Jiang Li, may possess the means, the method, of teaching other mortals to achieve that same level of power. Without needing rare spiritual roots. Without needing decades of painstaking Ling Qi cultivation."

She leaned closer, her eyes burning with an intense, urgent light.

"Little Li, in this Empire, for every one cultivator who manages to reach even the mid-stages of Qi Gathering, there are at least fifty, probably closer to a hundred, serious martial artists training diligently, day in and day out, dreaming of power. And that number could be infinitely higher if resources were allocated differently, if a clear path to that power was laid out for them. Why? Because any mortal, with enough dedication, enough grit, and some basic herbalist support, has the potential for martial arts achievement to some degree. Xue Qi is inherent in the blood of every human, in the very act of living."

Sha paused, gathering her thoughts.

"But true spirit cultivation? The path to becoming a cultivator like me, like those in the Great Sects? That requires a good spirit root. And those," she gestured vaguely, a sweep of her hand encompassing the vast, indifferent world, "are as rare as phoenix feathers, as mythical as dragon scales."

"Just look at yourself! The original you," she continued, her voice relentless. "A five-element piece of trash spirit root, a cosmic joke played by the Heavens. Not even powerful, ancient cultivation families, with their centuries of selective breeding and hoarded resources, can guarantee their children will be born with excellent, or even serviceable, spiritual roots. Failures, like you were before your rather fortuitous encounter with that Immortal, are tragically common. And among the general populace, the teeming millions of mortals? 'Good' spirit roots – the kind capable of smoothly reaching Foundation Establishment, let alone Golden Core or beyond – are literally one in a million. Perhaps even rarer still!"

Her gaze was blazing now, intense with the depth of meaning she was trying to convey.

"Now, consider that most of those one-in-a-million children will go undiscovered their entire lives, their potential untapped, withering on the vine. And the tiny, infinitesimal fraction that are discovered? Those who are brought into the sects or taken in by cultivation families? Many of them will perish before they reach their full potential: they could die from common dangers, illness, and accidents during their perilous journeys, be cut down by rivals or torn apart in the jaws of a spirit beast, experience crippling Qi deviation during cultivation, or… they may simply… end up in an environment where they don't receive enough resources or the right mentorship to advance significantly."

Her voice dropped to a near whisper, filled with a chilling gravity.

"Think about it, Li! In this entire Azure Dragon Empire of ours, which spans most of this enormous continent and is home to hundreds of millions, perhaps even billions, of people, there are merely a handful – maybe two or three hundred total – Golden Core level cultivators. As for the number of Nascent Soul level cultivators, those titans who can reshape landscapes with a mere gesture, who can live for over a thousand years? Across the entire Empire, there are surely no more than two or three dozen, if that. And what are they doing, these demigods among men? They're busy trying to secure rare resources to advance even further; or else, they are plotting against their equally powerful rivals, playing the great, silent game of Imperial politics; or, more often than not, they are locked away in deep seclusion for decades and centuries at a time, meditating upon their Dao and oblivious to the rest of the world. They can't be everywhere at once. They are simply too few. Too uncaring. Too remote."

"So then… just who is it that actually enforces the current cultivation dynasty's power?" she pressed, her gaze unwavering.

"Who maintains the order, the rigid hierarchy, that keeps spirit cultivators at the absolute top of the food chain, ruling unchallenged over countless mortals? It's the Foundation Establishment level cultivators, Li! Those are the guys who handle the day-to-day control of the Empire's teeming millions. Men like City Lord Zhang Wei – his Mid-Stage Foundation Establishment cultivation was more than sufficient to keep a frontier town of over a hundred and fifty thousand people completely under his control… by himself, with only a handful of Qi Gathering subordinates to handle the grunt work. And this is the case in the rest of the Empire as well! Most of the Empire's elite guards, most of its important regional officials – the tax collectors who ensure the Imperial coffers remain full, the trade regulators who control the flow of commerce, the magistrates who dispense Imperial justice – all of these key positions… are usually filled by Foundation Establishment cultivators. Or, for less critical posts, even by the higher-stage Qi Gathering practitioners."

She continued dramatically. Solemnly.

"And this system, this pyramid of power, works. It has worked for millennia… because even a lowly Early Stage Foundation Establishment cultivator is vastly, overwhelmingly stronger than any random group of fifty 'mortal' martial artists they might encounter… A simple defensive art can repel any mundane weapon. A single Qi-based attack, cast at range, can down scores of closely grouped opponents while one is safely floating in the air, comfortably out of their reach."

She took a deep, shuddering breath.

"But… what if that were to change, Li? What if it became known, truly known and believed, that common Martial Artists – without needing a rare spirit root, without needing decades of resource-intensive Ling Qi cultivation – could also potentially reach a level of power comparable to Foundation Establishment? Or… maybe even beyond that? Your performance yesterday… was undeniable proof that this was possible for at least one person…"

She looked me dead in the eye, her gaze, somehow, full of both admiration and disgust.

"…And you, with your grand pronouncements, then claimed you could teach this power, that Shadow was your disciple. Given how many more Martial Artists can be produced, how many more of them exist compared to the handful of true spirit cultivators… do you now realize what you've done, you foolish, reckless, infuriating cousin? A single, solitary Shadow would be no threat to the established order, true… but what if there were suddenly a hundred of them? A thousand? A million? What would you do, if you were among those in power, when you heard that someone possessed a method to make such a thing possible?"

I recoiled in horror, my heart threatening to escape my chest, as I considered the implications. "I would… stop at nothing to get my hands on that power…" I paused, before finishing the thought "or to prevent my rivals from gaining control of it."

"YES, Little Li! Now, do you understand?" she exclaimed, "Your very existence, if what you implied in the arena is true and replicable, threatens the entire established order! It threatens the absolute supremacy of cultivators over mortals that has persisted on the Continent for tens, if not hundreds of thousands of years – across countless dynasties!"

"So, what do we do now, Big Sis?" I asked, with mounting dread. "How do we… fix this?"

Her voice was raw now, filled with an undercurrent of fear and resignation I had never heard from her before.

"We… will all be incredibly lucky if the stories of Shadow, and of his mysterious Master, get written off as a potent mix of provincial exaggeration and, perhaps, a monstrously powerful, one-in-a-million martial talent who just so happened to encounter – and best – an overconfident, if talented, Qi Gathering stage kid. It has been known to happen before… though quite rarely. Or, perhaps, most people will just think that Shadow was a unique, unrepeatable prodigy – a fluke of nature whose astonishing abilities can't be so easily replicated, or taught."

She gripped my arm then, her fingers digging into my flesh, her eyes blazing with a desperate urgency.

"But if they think – even for an instant – that you, Jiang Li, genuinely possess the means, the method, of consistently and reliably training more people to be like Shadow… you can rest assured: the Empire, the major sects, cultivator clans, and every single established power with a vested interest in maintaining the status quo of spirit cultivator supremacy, will surely move to capture you – or kill you. And everyone else close to you. Simply to gain control of that method, to prevent that method from ever spreading. The alternative, for them, would risk too much chaos, too much upheaval. It would risk their entire way of life. Their entire world."

"I sure hope you understand now, Li," she finished, her voice hoarse. "We can only pray this blows over, that people dismiss it as a local spectacle, a ridiculous tall tale from the provinces. But don't you dare act so recklessly again – not without consulting me, dammit! Another 'exhibition' like the one you gave yesterday, especially if it were given in a more prominent area like Yuhang City… and we will all be lucky to be simply and quickly killed, rather than ending up in some lightless, forgotten Imperial dungeon where they try to torture the secrets of your training methods out of us first – for decades – before finally granting us the mercy of death."

She paused contemplatively.

"And that's assuming the demonic cultivators don't get to us first – as you may have heard, some of them have techniques to capture and torment one's very soul. Not even death would be an escape then!"

I lay there on the damp earth, the scent of crushed reeds and stagnant water filling my nostrils, Yue's terrifying words echoing in my mind.

I understood.

Oh, I understood perfectly.

I… may have acted too hastily with those grand "Shadow is my disciple" pronouncements.

The implications, now that she had laid them out so starkly, were far-reaching and genuinely, existentially terrifying. I had, in my relentless quest for more belief and power, inadvertently painted a massive, glowing target on my own back – and on the backs of everyone associated with me.

Having imparted her lesson, Big Sis left me to my contemplations, literally flying away into the sunset.

I would have to find my own way back home.

+++

Later that night, bruised, aching, and deeply sobered by Yue's words, I returned to my chambers. I had dismissed Jin Bao and Lin Ruolan for the night, craving solitude to process the day's whirlwind of events. I needed to think, to strategize, to understand the new, far more dangerous game I was now playing.

As I entered my bedroom, the soft glow of the ever-burning night-pearls illuminating the familiar, luxurious furnishings, I froze. My heart lurched, then once again began to hammer against my ribs like a trapped bird.

She was there.

Elder Yue Qingxue of the Azure Cloud Sect.

She was not in her usual, pristine white and azure sect robes. Instead, she wore a flowing, form-fitting gown of a delicate, somewhat translucent baby blue silk, embroidered with subtle, shimmering white frost flower patterns that seemed to catch and refract the moonlight from the open window.

It clung to her incredible figure in a way that was both elegant and shockingly, undeniably, sexy.

Her gorgeous black hair was partially undone, cascading over one pale shoulder like a waterfall of shimmering passion.

She was lounging, with a casual, almost predatory grace… upon my bed, one slender leg drawn up slightly, her chin resting on her hand, her icy blue eyes fixed on me with an unreadable, unnerving intensity.

The air in the room had dropped by several degrees in temperature, carrying with it the faint, intoxicating scent of winter plum blossoms.

She was a vision of ethereal, almost otherworldly beauty, and an aura of profound, dangerous allure radiated from her like a palpable force.

I swallowed audibly, my mouth suddenly dry.

Leo the actor, the part of me that appreciated high drama and a stunning female lead, might have given her a standing ovation for the sheer theatricality of her entrance.

Jiang Li, however – the one who had to deal with the reality of a Peak Foundation Establishment cultivator of unknown intent lounging on his bed in the dead of night – was acutely, painfully aware of the overwhelming danger he was in.

I forced myself to bow, to maintain some semblance of composure, though my voice – when I finally found it – was a little more strained, a little higher pitched, than I would have liked.

"Esteemed Senior Yue! I… I truly didn't expect to see you here this evening. Is… everything alright?"

A stupid question, I immediately realized. Of course, everything wasn't "alright."

She rose from the bed with a slow, deliberate grace, each movement a symphony of controlled power and subtle suggestion designed – I had no doubt – to draw even more attention to the breathtaking curves of her figure beneath the clinging silk.

Her voice, when she spoke, was no longer the cool, distant tone of a Sect Elder, but a low, husky murmur, a silken caress that sent pleasant shivers up my spine.

"Everything is… intriguing, Young Master Jiang. Most intriguing indeed."

She took a step towards me, her eyes never leaving mine.

"I find myself with a private proposal for you… And I do hope," her lips curved into a slow, knowing, utterly predatory smile, "that you'll be inclined to hear me out."

I was completely off-balance, my usual gift of speech, my carefully constructed personas, utterly failing me in the face of this direct, overwhelming display of feminine power and cultivator mystique.

I could only nod mutely, feeling like a particularly stupid, mesmerized rabbit.

Her smile widened.

"Simply put," she began, her voice like silk infused with frost, "I have never, in all my years, encountered a talent quite like yours before, Young Master Jiang. At a mere nineteen years of age, my senses tell me – and my senses, I assure you, are rarely mistaken – that you have not only reached the very Peak of the Qi Gathering Stage, your spiritual energy remarkably pure and dense for your current level, but you have also clearly achieved – or perhaps even surpassed,"

she emphasized the word, her eyes gleaming with an almost hungry light,

"the level of a Martial Grandmaster. And, as if that were not enough to rewrite all known conventions of cultivation, you have also managed to train an absolutely incredible disciple in this 'Shadow.' Truly, Young Master Jiang, you are a collection of delightful impossibilities."

Finding a sliver of my usual snark, a defense mechanism kicking in, I managed a weak quip,

"Indeed, the contest in the arena was quite spirited, wasn't it, Elder. It seems my humble disciple Shadow found your esteemed student, Lin Feng, to be a most determined opponent – though the outcome of the match was, perhaps, less ambiguous than some might have hoped. I do trust young Master Lin is recovering well from the… rigors of that exchange?"

If my jab bothered her, she didn't let it show in the slightest. Her smile merely widened, taking on a hint of genuine amusement.

"Indeed, Young Master Jiang," she said, her tone relaxed, almost flirty, which was even more disconcerting coming from this icy paragon of cultivation.

"And I don't hold what happened in the arena against your disciple, or you, in the least. Little Feng has been a sheltered genius from a very young age and isn't particularly accustomed to losing, especially not so… comprehensively. He needed to learn the valuable, if painful, lesson that this world of ours is a vast and wondrous place – and one where someone stronger, more cunning, or more talented than oneself can always be found. Please, do thank your disciple for me, for teaching my impetuous student that lesson so thoroughly. Lin Feng will not underestimate an opponent again, I assure you."

"…My pleasure, esteemed Elder," I replied, my internal warning bells now screaming at full volume.

"But something tells me you didn't seek me out in my bedchamber at this late hour merely to exchange pleasantries about the… educational value of our respective disciples' little scuffle."

She laughed then, a low, seductive sound like the chiming of frozen crystal bells in a winter wind. It made the butterflies in my stomach flutter with a mixture of excitement and sheer terror, sending an exhilarating, dangerous shiver up my spine.

"Oh my, so eager, Young Master Jiang."

Her eyes glittered, holding a depth of knowledge and desire.

"Very well. Let us dispense with the coy pretenses and get to the heart of the matter, shall we? Tell me, how did you enjoy the… special gift… I arranged for you at the Myriad Treasures Pavilion in Fallen Star City?"

My blood ran cold, and I froze internally, though I hoped my outward composure remained intact.

"So… you were the enigmatic, anonymous 'admirer' who sent me that bottle of concentrated Silent Meridian Frost?" I asked, my voice carefully neutral.

Her smile was slow, satisfied, and utterly devoid of apology.

"But of course, it was I, Young Master Jiang! Special Frost constitutions such as yours and mine are quite rare, you know – at least, outside of the direct lineage of the Imperial Family itself. Why, for a time, I even thought myself to be the only one possessing such a refined elemental affinity in this entire backward Azure Province! When little Chen babbled of your poisoning and subsequent recovery to one of my more… attentive… informants… well, I simply had to see for myself! Such a unique specimen, such a rare flower blooming in this provincial dung heap, certainly warrants… personal attention from me – wouldn't you agree?"

She paused, her gaze lingering on me with an intensity that felt almost like a physical touch.

"Although… I must admit, I expected you to carefully and painstakingly refine that highly concentrated essence bit by bit, over many months… Not to… drink the entire bottle in one go, right there in your room – like a common alcoholic downing cheap wine! You… certainly have a dramatic, if somewhat reckless, way about you, Young Master Jiang."

She licked her lips then, a slow, deliberate, and utterly captivating gesture.

"I'll be blunt, Jiang Li," she said, her voice dropping to a more serious, compelling tone, the earlier flirtatiousness underscored now by an undeniable ambition.

"I want to recruit you. Directly. As my personal disciple."

I blinked.

"Your… disciple, Esteemed Elder?"

"Indeed," she affirmed, her eyes gleaming.

"Think about it carefully. I am already among the strongest cultivators in this entire province. Soon enough, with the aid of certain… catalysts… and, perhaps, a little inspiration from my newest disciple, I will undoubtedly break through to the Golden Core realm – and, it will surely be a high grade Golden Core, capable of eventually reaching the Nascent Soul stage, or even beyond. My potential shall be unlimited – and I shall elevate you and your family along with me."

She closed the distance between us, her face alight with a mix of passionate emotions.

"Imagine it, Jiang Li. Imagine the distinct honor and unparalleled opportunity you would have as a direct disciple of a Golden Core powerhouse. Moreover,"

her eyes shone with a fierce, almost fanatical light,

"I am, as you may have heard whispered, slated to be the next Sect Mistress of the Azure Cloud Sect itself. Our current Sect Master, currently at the Golden Core stage, is nearing the end of his allotted lifespan. His Qi is failing, his time drawing short. My ascension into his place is… all but inevitable now."

She took a graceful step even closer, her presence, her unique frosty aura, filling the room, making the very air crackle with a subtle, thrilling energy.

"With my personal power, and soon, the full might of the entire Azure Cloud Sect behind you, who then would dare to oppose you? Who then would dare to trouble your family? With my backing, the Jiang Clan would be free to expand its operations without fear, without hindrance, across the entire Empire. Join me, Jiang Li! Become my disciple – and I will deliver unto your family a level of protection far greater than any mere engagement with the declining, pathetic Su clan could ever have managed."

Her gaze sharpened, a predatory glint entering her icy blue eyes. Then, her demeanor shifted to a sultrier, more seductive tone yet again. She continued her slow approach, moving subtly behind my back, closing into touching distance.

"Or, is it personal power that can truly sway your ambitious heart? Let us be perfectly honest with each other, Young Master Jiang. Your family – for all their apparent wealth and recent good fortune – simply isn't equipped to properly nurture a Frost Cultivator of your caliber. They cannot offer you true Dao insights into the profound nature of Frost. Nor can they provide you with spells and cultivation techniques that are truly compatible with your extraordinary constitution, ones that will unlock your full potential…"

"…But I can," she whispered.

She reached out a slender, pale hand, her fingers like carved ivory – and lightly touched my chest, directly over my heart. A merest trickle of her exquisite "liquefied" Frost Qi – the refined, potent essence of a Peak Foundation Establishment expert on the very cusp of Golden Core – flowed from her fingertip and into my meridians.

It felt both shockingly, breathtakingly cold, a jolt that threatened to freeze my very blood – and yet, at the same time… intensely, addictively, exhilaratingly pleasurable.

I gasped involuntarily, my body arching slightly, a physical tremor of ecstasy running through me.

Her voice was a seductive, almost hypnotic whisper, her breath misting softly close to my ear, carrying the faint, intoxicating scent of winter plum blossoms.

"I know the Frost element… intimately, Jiang Li. Perhaps more intimately than any other cultivator outside of the Imperial Family itself. As my direct, and most favored, disciple, I can provide you with… personal guidance. I can show you worlds you've never even dreamed of… share insights into the deepest mysteries of the Dao of Frost,"

-- another, slightly stronger, more insistent surge of her intoxicating Qi coursed through me, a wave of pure, icy bliss that made my knees feel physically weak, prompting another involuntary, shuddering gasp, --

"that you would never, ever find anywhere else."

She withdrew her hand, stepping back slightly, coming around to face me again, her eyes alight with a knowing, confident amusement at my obvious… reaction.

"Think carefully, Young Master Jiang. Such personal, one-on-one guidance from a soon-to-be Golden Core Master, one who possesses the necessary knowledge and, perhaps, the only ability in this region to truly foster the growth of your extraordinary constitution… this is not an offer that is made lightly. Nor, I suspect, is it one that can be lightly turned down – not without profound, and perhaps… regrettable… consideration."

I struggled to recover my composure, my mind racing, my meridians still singing with the lingering echo of her intoxicating power.

"I… I greatly appreciate the incredibly generous offer, esteemed Senior Yue," I finally managed, my voice perhaps a little hoarser than I intended.

"It is… overwhelming, to say the least. Although, I would dearly like to discuss such a momentous decision with members of my Jiang family before I commit. Do you… require an answer right away?"

It was a stalling tactic, a desperate bid for time to think, to analyze this terrifying – but at least theoretically tempting – proposition.

Elder Yue Qingxue beamed, a dazzling, radiant smile that did little to hide the predatory, possessive gleam in her eyes.

"Oh, but of course, Young Master Jiang! Please, do discuss it amongst your family! Take your time. I am confident that they -- and you -- will reach the… correct… decision."

She paused, her smile taking on a sharper, more impatient edge.

"But do not dally too long. The Azure Cloud Sect will soon conclude its annual recruitment drive for this year. And I… I will soon be entering a period of deep seclusion to attempt my breakthrough to the Golden Core realm."

I recalled, with a sinking feeling, that such a seclusion period could typically take anywhere from several months to – sometimes -- even years of diligent, uninterrupted meditation.

"This offer, this unique, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity… it may not remain on the table forever, Young Master Jiang."

She gave me one last, lingering, unreadable look – and then, with a graceful turn, she seemed to… melt into the shadows of my room and disappeared in a burst of frosty snowflakes, leaving behind only the faint, chilling scent of winter plum blossoms and the lingering, intoxicating echo of her power in my still-humming meridians.

I was left alone, my heart pounding against my ribs like a war drum, my mind reeling from the sheer audacity of what I just witnessed, the terrifying allure of her offer, and the monumental implications of the decision that I would soon have to make.