The storm raged within, but the villa was still.
Ren Wei sat unmoving, surrounded by a gentle haze of Qi. His skin glistened faintly under the moonlight filtering through the high windows. The Heaven's Dust Pill lay untouched inside his system panel — a sealed reward, waiting for the final climb.
Time blurred. Night passed into day, and still, he did not rise.
A full day and night later, his eyes opened.
> Ding!
Foundation Establishment Realm Progress: 33%
Stage: Core Convergence
Meridian Restructuring Complete (Partial)
He exhaled slowly, a line of blood trailing from the corner of his lip — not from injury, but from pressure. His spirit surged, but the threshold remained distant.
His eyes gleamed — not with frustration, but clarity.
> "Good."
---
Elsewhere — Inside a Shadowed Hall of the Zhao Family Estate
Wei Wuxian stood like a monument carved from the past, arms folded as four heirs of the great families glared at him across a lacquered stone table.
Li Zhengyu's elder brother, Li Mingyuan, slammed a palm down.
> "Why announce the duel to the city?! Why give him a month to prepare?!"
Another heir — Zhou Feiyang of the Thunderclap Sect — leaned forward, voice cold.
> "Are you mad, Wei Wuxian? You saw the Heaven's Ring. That boy... he evolves like a cursed beast."
The third, Qin Shuren, didn't speak. He simply narrowed his eyes.
Wei Wuxian didn't flinch.
> "You brought me back to erase your shame."
"Not to assassinate a child."
He took a sip from a white ceramic cup, then set it down calmly.
> "You want me to kill a legend in the dark?"
"No. I will beat him in broad daylight. Before the city. Before the sky."
> "I gave him a month..."
"Because I want him at his strongest."
His voice dropped lower.
> "And during this month, I will walk the Azure Fang City."
"And defeat every Grandmaster that stood in my way fifty years ago."
He turned, wind rippling his cloak as he walked out.
> "When I return, he won't be dessert."
"He'll be the ashes that follow."
The four heirs said nothing.
But in their silence... fear took root.
---
Inside the Villa — Night
Ren Wei sat cross-legged in the secluded cultivation chamber. A soft blue glow radiated from the spirit formation etched into the floor beneath him, drawing in faint tendrils of Qi from the surroundings.
His breath slowed… deepened.
> Ding!
Progress toward Foundation Establishment: 60%
A faint smirk curled on his lips.
> "Still not enough."
He opened his eyes briefly. The Heaven's Dust Pill floated gently in the system's inventory space, untouched, surrounded by swirling lines of spiritual energy.
> "I won't waste it on halfway efforts. Not yet."
Ren Wei closed his eyes again, tightening his posture. Outside, the moon passed silently across the heavens, unnoticed by the one who sought to surpass them.
---
Four Great Families' Inner Chamber — Azure Fang City
The atmosphere in the hidden pavilion was tense, lit only by the shimmer of floating lanterns that cast long shadows against the walls.
"He's beaten two Grandmasters already!" roared the Zhao Family's second elder, slamming his palm on the jade table.
The heir of the Qin Family scoffed. "Wrong. One Grandmaster… and one Master."
Murmurs rippled across the room.
Mo Shen, the calm and calculating heir of the Mo Family, leaned forward, his voice razor-sharp.
> "That so-called Grandmaster— Bai Hengen —was a fraud. Everyone knows his Foundation was unstable. He forced his breakthrough. He was never truly at that level."
Someone chuckled darkly. "And yet, Ren Wei shattered him in public. That humiliation alone makes him dangerous."
A shadowy voice from the far end of the room added,
> "The real threat isn't his current power… It's his growth rate."
"Monstrous," Mo Shen murmured. "If he's already challenging the edge of Foundation Establishment at seventeen… what will he be in a year? Or five?"
A cold silence followed.
Then, the Zhao elder whispered,
> "Should we inform him?"
---
Han Crest — Dueling Platform
A thunderclap of Qi tore through the sky as two sabers clashed. One a pure silver arc; the other, a swirling green flame.
Wei Wuxian stood centered, barely breathing hard. Before him, Han Zhanglei, one of the three Peak Grandmasters of Han Crest, staggered back.
Blood trailed from his lip.
Han Suiren sat on the high seat, watching in silence. As the cultivator in the sect who had stepped into the Golden Core Realm, he had no intention of interfering.
Han Zhanglei roared, unleashing a spiraling saber technique with both hands.
Wei Wuxian did not move.
He whispered.
> "Second."
A flick of his fingers—and an explosive burst of Qi shattered Han Zhanglei's technique mid-air, throwing him off the platform and slamming him into the barrier behind the crowd.
Silence.
One of the elders caught the wounded man mid-flight, lowering him gently.
Han Suiren finally raised his cup.
> "Two duels in a week. Well done, Wuxian."
Wei Wuxian turned, blade humming quietly as he sheathed it.
> "They're still just warm-ups."
Behind the elder dais, seated without a word, was a figure draped in plain grey robes.
No name. No presence. Just pressure.
The medallion on his chest bore a single etched word: Silence.
Whispers passed from disciple to disciple.
> "That's… the one. The Perfect Half Immortal."
> "He's the reason Wei Wuxian disappeared fifty years ago."
The shadowy figure didn't blink.
But Wei Wuxian paused for just a moment before leaving the stage… as if he could feel that silent gaze digging into his soul.