The six spirit stones in Li Yu's possession felt like smoldering coals in his small hut. They were a tangible representation of the new, fragile alliance he had formed with Uncle Wei. The old man, seeing that Li Yu was gifted in taking care of fish and had always helped him out, had become his silent protector.
This protection manifested in small, subtle ways. Li Yu was often assigned to the less physically demanding tasks. Tasks such as mending nets or observing the breeding ponds, under the guise of "letting the lucky brat watch over the hatchlings." At mealtimes, an extra piece of salted fish or a slightly larger portion of rice would mysteriously find its way into his bowl.
To the other laborers, it simply looked like the old caretaker had taken a liking to the quiet, hardworking orphan. Some thought he was taking Li Yu under his wing to teach him before he eventually retired himself. This unspoken pact gave Li Yu a precious sense of security that allowed him to focus even more intensely on his cultivation.
The barrier to the Sixth Stage of the Body Tempering Realm was proving to be the most difficult one yet. His nightly absorption from the Iron-Skinned Piranhas provided a steady stream of high-quality Qi, but he could feel that it wasn't enough to force a breakthrough. He needed a powerful, concentrated burst of pure energy to shatter the bottleneck. He needed the spirit stones.
One night, with a sliver of moon hanging in the inky sky, he decided it was time. He sat in his hut, the door barred, and carefully arranged the six low-grade spirit stones in a small circle in front of him. He placed his hands over them, his palms facing down, and activated the «Myriad Rivers Returning to the Sea Art».
Instead of reaching out to the lakes, he focused his will entirely on the stones. A powerful suction force, originating from the red Koi in his dantian, pulled at the energy within. The spirit stones began to glow, and streams of spiritual energy, far purer and more potent than anything he had absorbed from the demonic beasts, flowed into his palms. The energy was so pure it was almost crystalline. A cool, soothing river that surged directly into his meridians.
His body, already tempered to the peak of the Fifth Stage, eagerly drank in the power. He guided the torrent of Qi, letting it circulate through the pathways laid out by his cultivation art, each cycle strengthening and widening his meridians. The energy slammed against the invisible barrier to the Sixth Stage again and again, like waves crashing against a stubborn reef.
The first spirit stone dimmed, its energy exhausted, and crumbled into grey dust. Then the second, and the third. The barrier began to show hairline cracks. With the power of the fourth stone, the cracks widened, and a profound sense of pressure built within his dantian. He pushed the energy from the final stone into the assault.
With a deep, internal boom that resonated throughout his body, the barrier shattered.
A tidal wave of power erupted from his dantian, flooding every corner of his body. It was a qualitative leap. The Qi in his meridians was no longer just a flowing river; it was denser, heavier, carrying a weight and power that was leagues beyond the Fifth Stage.
His «Abyssal Leviathan Physique» activated on its own, greedily absorbing the overflowing vitality. He felt his internal organs being nourished, his bone marrow producing blood that seemed to hum with energy, and his senses expanding to an incredible degree. His absorption range instantly doubled, now extending to a sixty-foot radius.
He focused inward on his spirit. The blood-red Koi had grown another half-inch. It was now noticeably larger, and a single, faint golden thread had appeared along its spine, running from its head to its tail. It was a minuscule change, almost unnoticeable but Li Yu knew it was a sign of a profound evolution taking place.
Li Yu opened his eyes, a wisp of turbid air escaping his lips. He was now a cultivator at the Sixth Stage of the Body Tempering Realm. At eleven years old, his cultivation level was equal to that of a senior outer disciple like Brother Chen. It was a terrifying thought. He quickly suppressed the aura of his breakthrough, the «Myriad Rivers Returning to the Sea Art» wrapping his presence in its familiar, fish-like camouflage.
His newfound peace was soon disturbed. The entire Green Mountain Sect was buzzing with excitement. Banners were hung and the main plazas were cleared. The annual Outer Sect Examination was approaching. It was the most important event of the year for the thousands of outer disciples, a chance to display their strength, earn rewards, and possibly, for the truly exceptional, be accepted as an inner disciple under the tutelage of an elder.
While the menial laborers were not eligible to participate, mainly due to their poor cultivation for their age, the event still affected them. The demand for high-quality demonic beast meat and ingredients skyrocketed as disciples sought to bolster their cultivation before the big day. The Aquatic Pens became a hub of activity.
One afternoon, a group of five outer disciples swaggered down the main walkway, their green and white robes immaculate, their expressions arrogant. They were led by a tall, sneering youth whose cultivation was at the fourth Stage of Body Tempering. Li Yu recognized him instantly, and his heart sank.
It was Li Jie, the hunter's son from Clearwater Village. The boy who had awakened the Grade Four snapping turtle spirit.
Over the past year, Li Yu had occasionally heard whispers about the talented new disciples from the latest intake, and Li Jie's name had been mentioned. He had become a follower of a more powerful senior disciple and was known for his arrogance and bullying nature.
Due to the vast cultivation resources he had gotten for being the senior disciple's dog, he was able to advance swiftly. The early stages of cultivation are more of a battle of resources than talent. Li Yu had hoped to avoid him, to remain an unseen ghost in the massive sect. But fate seemed to have other plans for him.
"You there! Old man!" Li Jie shouted at Uncle Wei, not even bothering to use a respectful title. "My senior brother is preparing for the examination. We need five of your best Jade-Gilled Perch. And don't try to cheat us with your subpar stock."
Uncle Wei, who had faced down inner disciples when the rules of the sect was on his side, did not flinch at the boy's arrogance. "The best stock is reserved for the sect's elders, Young Disciple. You can have your pick of the standard grade, as per sect rules," he said, his voice flat.
Li Jie's face flushed with anger. "Do you know who my senior brother is? Are you looking for trouble, old man?"
As he postured, his eyes scanned the area and landed on Li Yu, who was quietly mending a net nearby, his head bowed. Li Jie squinted, a look of disbelief followed by cruel amusement spreading across his face.
"Well, well, what do we have here?" he sneered, walking over to Li Yu. "I thought I smelled something pathetic. It's the orphan, Li Yu. The boy with the pretty pet fish spirit."
His cronies laughed. Li Yu's heart turned to ice but he kept his expression placid, his head down. "Young Master must be mistaken," he said in a small voice.
"Mistaken? I'm never mistaken when it comes to trash," Li Jie spat. He jabbed a finger at Li Yu's chest. "So this is where you ended up. A fish-gutting slave. It suits you. Tell me, has your little red carp learned any new tricks? Can it splash water on command?"
Li Yu remained silent, his hands clenching the net tightly. He could feel the power thrumming in his body, a deep sea of energy that could shatter every bone in Li Jie's body with a single touch. But he held it back, chaining the leviathan within. Exposing his power here, over a petty insult, would be suicide.
"What's the matter? Cat got your tongue?" Li Jie taunted, enjoying the feeling of power. He wanted to provoke a reaction, to show his dominance. "Working here all day, you must be good at handling fish. Let's see how you handle being one!"
With a vicious shove, he pushed Li Yu hard, aiming to send him tumbling off the walkway and into the lake of Green-Scaled Carp. To Li Jie, it was a harmless prank, a way to humiliate the boy from his past.
But he had made a grave miscalculation. He had pushed a boy, but what he had shoved was a mountain.
To the onlookers, what happened next was a blur of clumsy luck. As Li Yu was shoved, his foot seemed to slip on a loose plank. His body twisted in a strange, awkward way with his arms flailing. He looked like he was about to pinwheel into the water, but at the last second his other foot landed securely. He stumbled a few steps, spun around and ended up perfectly balanced, not a single hair out of place. It looked like the luckiest, most ungainly save they had ever seen.
Only Li Yu knew the truth. The moment Li Jie pushed him, his body had reacted with the instincts honed by the «Abyssal Leviathan Physique». The shove, which should have sent him flying, felt like a gentle nudge.
He had instantly adjusted to the force, shifting his center of gravity and with a series of minute, almost invisible muscle contractions, completely neutralized the momentum. The "stumble" was a deliberate, executed performance to mask his inhuman balance and control.
Li Jie stared, his mouth slightly agape. "You… how did you…?"
"Careful, Young Master," Li Yu said, his voice still small and subservient but with an edge as cold as the deep sea. "The planks are slippery here. Someone nearly died here not long ago."
Before Li Jie could respond, Uncle Wei stepped forward, his wrinkled face set like stone. "That's enough, Young Disciple. Take your fish and go. Or I will report this incident of a disciple assaulting a sect worker to the Disciplinary Hall."
Li Jie's face turned red, then pale. Assaulting a menial worker was a minor offense, but a mark on his record right before the examination was something he couldn't afford. He shot Li Yu a look filled with venom and hatred. "This isn't over, trash."
He and his followers grabbed their fish from a terrified laborer and stormed off. From a boy in a village to now living like a king, the whole thing had completely warped his personality, not that it was good to begin with.
Li Yu stood silently, his heart finally calming down. He had weathered the storm. But as he watched Li Jie's retreating back and from the events he had seen while being here a new realization occurred to him.
He had been content to hide, to cultivate in the shadows and gather his strength. He believed that was the path to safety. But today had taught him a valuable lesson that woke him up. As long as he was a menial laborer, a slave in the eyes of the strong, he would never be truly safe. Any arrogant disciple could torment him, even kill him over a whim, and face minimal consequences.
True safety didn't come from just hiding anywhere. It came from having a position and enough strength so someone like Li Jie would never dare to even look at him the wrong way. He didn't need to stand out but he couldn't just be a nobody either. He had been wrong in his original idea, thinking that he could just be just a laborer.
He looked past the smelly lakes and crude huts, his gaze settling on the distant, cloud-wreathed peaks where the true power of the Green Mountain Sect resided. The Outer Sect Examination was for disciples.
Perhaps, just perhaps, there was another way. A path through the Beast Taming Hall. A path that would allow him to turn his unique gift into legitimate, recognized skill. Granting him a decent position that he was looking for and he himself would provide the strength needed.