The breakthrough into the Qi Condensation Realm was a silent, world-altering event that no one but Li Yu was aware of. To the sect, he was still the talented Junior Steward, a Seventh Stage Body Tempering disciple diligently working his way up the ladder. But in the secluded reality of the Azure Serpent Lake, a fundamental shift had occurred. Li Yu was no longer just a boy with a strong body; he was a true cultivator, a master of his own burgeoning power.
The following three months were a period of intense, focused integration. His days remained a carefully constructed facade. He would oversee the lake's operations, his presence a calming balm on the powerful beasts, and practice the «Azure Water Scripture» in the open, allowing his "official" cultivation to climb to the Eighth Stage of Body Tempering. This steady, impressive progress was more than enough to satisfy the expectations of his master and keep any prying eyes from looking too closely.
His nights, however, were dedicated to mastering the tools of his new realm. The first was the «Flowing Water, Still Shadow» spirit art. He would stand on the dark, glassy surface of the lake, his Beast Bag at his waist, and practice the intricate techniques described in the jade slip. At first, his creations were crude. A shield of water would be a clumsy, splashing wall. A blade of ice would be misshapen and brittle.
But his control, honed by his profound foundation and the precise demands of the «Myriad Rivers Returning to the Sea Art», was unparalleled. Soon, his mastery grew. The water shield became a silent, swirling vortex that could deflect thrown stones with barely a ripple. He learned to draw the moisture from the air, creating a thick, disorienting mist at a moment's notice, a perfect tool for evasion and concealment. His ice blades became things of lethal beauty—long, impossibly sharp, and as clear as diamonds, capable of silently piercing through a thick wooden plank before melting away into nothing.
His most important training, however, was with his companion. He was a beast tamer, and it was time he truly acted like one. Every night, he would release Crimson from the Beast Bag. The powerful Marsh-Drake, now fully grown and radiating the aura of a peak Rank 3 Spirit Beast, had become his perfect sparring partner.
Their coordination began clumsily. Li Yu would try to direct Crimson's attacks, but their timing would be off. He would create a shroud of mist, only for Crimson to charge through it blindly. But their spiritual link was deep and true. Through it, they learned to communicate not with commands, but with intent. Li Yu didn't need to tell Crimson to attack; he simply had to project the feeling of an opening, the idea of a pincer movement.
They developed a deadly synergy. Li Yu would use the «Rippling Shadow Step» to evade and draw an opponent's attention, his movements fluid and unpredictable. As the enemy focused on the elusive boy, Crimson would erupt from a shroud of mist like a green thunderbolt, its powerful claws and corrosive spit a devastating surprise attack. Conversely, Crimson's sheer physical presence could pin an opponent down, forcing them to defend against its furious assault, creating the perfect opportunity for Li Yu to strike from the shadows with a silent ice blade or a crushing «Deep-River Seal».
During this time, he also began to truly understand the nature of martial spirits in combat. He would spar with Brother Kai, who, at Li Yu's request, would manifest his own spirit—a sturdy, Rank 3 Earth-Shelled Crab. When Brother Kai activated his spirit's power, a thick, yellow light would envelop his arms, dramatically increasing their defensive power, allowing him to block Li Yu's (heavily suppressed) strikes. It was a direct fusion of the cultivator's and the spirit's power. Li Yu realized that Jian Feng had been a fool, a novice who had only just entered the Qi Condensation Realm and had not yet learned to truly utilize his own spirit. The next opponent he faced might not be so foolish.
The expected retaliation from Elder Jin's faction did not come in the form of a direct confrontation. It was far more insidious. A series of "inspections" began at the Azure Serpent Lake. Core disciples, all loyal to Elder Jin, would arrive unannounced, citing sect regulations and demanding to scrutinize the account books, the health of the beasts, and the quality of the water. They were searching for a mistake, a single flaw they could use to impeach Li Yu and embarrass Elder Ning.
Under the meticulous management of Brother Kai and the supernatural intuition of Li Yu, they found nothing. The beasts were healthier than ever, the facility was run with perfect efficiency, and the books were immaculate. Each inspection ended in quiet frustration for the challengers, and only served to bolster Li Yu's reputation as a flawless steward.
But Li Yu knew this was just the prelude. The probing attacks had failed, which meant a direct assault was inevitable. It came on the fourth month after his breakthrough, on a day when the sky was a brilliant, cloudless blue.
Two disciples descended into the valley, not on a crane, but on foot, their steps heavy and deliberate. The one in the lead was a tall, powerfully built young man with a grim, scarred face. This was Ma Long, a core disciple at the Second Stage of Qi Condensation, known for his brutal, direct fighting style. His companion was a smaller, wiry disciple with shifty eyes, a First Stage cultivator named Zhao Wei.
They did not come with accusations or demands for inspection. They came with a formal challenge token, issued by the Disciplinary Hall.
"Li Yu!" Ma Long's voice boomed, devoid of any courtesy. "My junior brother, Jian Feng, has accused you of a dishonorable sneak attack that injured his meridians. He has issued a formal challenge to a life-and-death duel in the sect's Arena of Judgment. As his senior brother, I am here to deliver it."
It was a transparent, malicious lie. But a formal challenge, once issued, could not be refused without a catastrophic loss of face for both the disciple and their master. Elder Jin had finally made his move, forcing Li Yu into a public confrontation he could not escape.
"A life-and-death duel?" Brother Kai stepped forward, his face a mask of fury. "Against a Second Stage Qi Condensation expert? Junior Brother Li is only at the Eighth Stage of Body Tempering! This is not a duel; it is an execution! The Disciplinary Hall would never sanction such a thing!"
"Oh, but they did," Zhao Wei said with a slimy grin. "Senior Brother Ma has graciously agreed to suppress his cultivation to the peak of the Body Tempering Realm for the duel. It will be a 'fair' fight between disciples of the same generation."
It was a perfect trap. To the sect, it would look like a fair fight. But everyone with real knowledge knew it was anything but. A cultivator who had already condensed their Qi Core possessed a fundamentally different quality of power. Even when suppressed, their True Qi was purer, their control was finer, and their combat experience was on another level entirely. It was like asking a master swordsman to fight a strong child with a wooden sword of the same weight—the advantage was still immense.
Li Yu looked at the challenge token, then at the arrogant, confident faces of the two disciples. He knew that this was the moment his master had warned him about. The arrows of his enemies had arrived.
"I accept," Li Yu said, his voice calm, cutting through Brother Kai's furious protests.
The Arena of Judgment was a massive, grim-looking platform carved from black stone, situated in a valley used for settling intractable disputes. By the time they arrived, a crowd had already gathered. News of the duel had spread like wildfire. Elder Jin's faction was here in force, their expressions triumphant. Disciples loyal to Elder Ning looked on with worry. And in the center of it all was Li Jie, his face a mask of ecstatic, hateful glee.
Li Yu stepped onto the platform. Ma Long faced him from the other side, a cruel smirk on his scarred face. An elder from the Disciplinary Hall stood as a referee.
"The rules are simple," the elder announced. "The duel is to the death, but a surrender will be honored. Senior Brother Ma Long has agreed to suppress his cultivation to the Tenth Stage of the Body Tempering Realm. Are both combatants ready?"
Ma Long cracked his knuckles. "Ready to teach this whelp the meaning of respect."
Li Yu simply nodded, his hand resting on the Beast Bag at his waist.
"Begin!"
Ma Long did not hesitate. He roared, and a brilliant, crimson light exploded from his body. Behind him, the ethereal image of a massive, ferocious Flame-Mane Lion appeared. This was his martial spirit. "Taste the power of a true cultivator!" he bellowed. He didn't just manifest his spirit; he fused with its power. A shimmering, reddish aura enveloped his fists, and the air around them sizzled with intense heat. He was using his spirit's attribute to enhance his own attacks.
He charged forward, his speed incredible, his fists leaving trails of heat in the air. He was a meteor of pure, destructive power.
Li Yu's expression remained calm. As Ma Long closed in, he activated the «Flowing Water, Still Shadow» art. He didn't create a shield. He stomped his foot, and a thick, dense mist instantly erupted from the ground, shrouding the entire platform in a disorienting white fog.
"Cowardly tricks!" Ma Long roared from within the mist, but his charge faltered, his vision completely obscured.
Li Yu moved. The «Rippling Shadow Step» made him a ghost in the mist. He circled his opponent, his movements silent and fluid. Ma Long lashed out wildly, his flaming fists sending waves of heat through the fog, but he was striking at shadows.
From the edge of the mist, Li Yu sent a volley of razor-sharp ice blades, their azure light barely visible in the fog. They shot towards Ma Long's back.
Ma Long sensed the danger and spun around, his flaming fists shattering the ice blades into clouds of steam. "You can't hide forever!"
"I don't need to," a calm voice said, seemingly from all directions at once.
While Ma Long was distracted by the ice blades, Li Yu had acted. He channeled his True Qi into the Beast Bag. "Crimson, now!" he commanded through their link.
From the thickest part of the mist, a green blur erupted with a furious hiss. The Crimson-Gill Marsh-Drake, its powerful Rank 3 aura unleashed, slammed into Ma Long's side. The core disciple, caught completely by surprise, was sent tumbling across the platform, the fiery aura around his fists flickering.
The crowd gasped in shock. A contracted beast! And a powerful one at that!
Ma Long scrambled to his feet, a look of genuine fury and surprise on his face. Crimson hissed and lunged again, its claws extended. Ma Long, now prepared, met the assault, his flaming fists clashing with the drake's tough, scaly hide. The battle was a chaotic whirlwind of fire and fury.
But this was the opening Li Yu had been waiting for. While Ma Long was completely occupied with the powerful drake, Li Yu emerged from the mist behind him like a phantom. His face was a mask of cold concentration, his hands forming the first seal of the «Deep-River Seal».
He channeled the full power of his First Stage Qi Condensation foundation into the strike. A dark, heavy light enveloped his palm.
Ma Long, sensing a mortal danger, tried to turn, but Crimson locked its powerful jaws onto his leg, holding him in place for a single, crucial second.
Li Yu's palm struck Ma Long squarely in the center of his back.
Crushing Current.
There was no loud explosion. There was only a dull, sickening thud.
Ma Long's eyes went wide with disbelief. An impossibly heavy, deep, and penetrating force bypassed his physical defenses, bypassed his suppressed Qi, and slammed directly into his internal organs. He felt his Qi Core crack, and his meridians shatter.
He let out a choked cough, a spray of blood erupting from his lips. The fiery aura around him extinguished. He collapsed to the ground, his body convulsing, defeated.
Li Yu stood over him, his expression cold, the mist slowly dissipating around him. He recalled Crimson, who gave a triumphant hiss before dissolving into light and returning to the Beast Bag.
The entire arena was utterly, completely silent.
A disciple at the Body Tempering Realm had just defeated a core disciple from the Qi Condensation Realm, even with his cultivation suppressed. It was a monumental victory, a feat that spoke not just of power, but of tactics, a powerful beast, and a single, terrifyingly decisive strike.
Li Yu looked at the stunned referee, then at the horrified faces of Elder Jin's disciples, and finally, at the pale, trembling face of Li Jie.
"He has surrendered," Li Yu said, his voice echoing in the silence.
He turned and walked off the platform, leaving behind a broken opponent and a legend that had just been forged in fire and ice. The hidden dragon had shown its claws, and the entire Green Mountain Sect had felt their sharpness.