Li Yu returned from the library not with the haste of a disciple who had found a quick fix but with the contemplative air of a scholar who had grasped a profound principle. He walked directly to the Lunar-Tide Clam grotto where Brother Kai was pacing anxiously. The stress of the past few days having etched new lines onto his weary face.
"Junior Steward!" he exclaimed, his voice a mixture of hope and desperation. "Did you find anything?"
Li Yu nodded, his expression serious. "I believe I have, Senior Steward. The ancient texts speak of a principle of balance. These clams are creatures of extreme Yin. In our attempt to create a perfect environment for them, we have created an imbalanced one. They are not sick; they are starved of a crucial opposing energy. They need a source of gentle, pure Yang vitality to anchor their life force."
Brother Kai went into deep thought. The concept of Yin and Yang was something high-level alchemists and formation masters usually dealt with. "Yang vitality? Like from a Sun-Stone or a fire-attribute beast? That would kill them! The energies are too violent."
"Precisely," Li Yu agreed, validating the steward's knowledge. "It cannot be a violent source. It must be a living, gentle source. A creature whose Yang energy is based on vitality, not elemental fire."
"I believe the life force of a healthy draconic-blooded beast would be perfect. Its vitality is strong but not scorching. It is the energy of life itself."
A spark of understanding ignited in Brother Kai's eyes. "The Marsh-Drake!"
"Exactly," Li Yu said with a calm nod. "My contracted companion, the Crimson-Gill Marsh-Drake. Its vitality is potent. I propose we set up a temporary energy-guiding formation. We will bring the drake into the grotto and use the formation to draw a gentle stream of its vitality into the clams' pool. It will be a slow, nourishing process."
The plan was a bit audacious and something neither of them had tried or done before. However, it was rooted in a logic that made it so it should work. It was also a good excuse for Li Yu to conduct his experiment in privacy.
The grotto would need to be sealed to prevent the delicate energies from escaping and no one should dare to interrupt the personal disciple of Elder Ning while he was performing such a crucial and high-stakes procedure. If something went wrong because they did, they would have to take the blame and costs for it.
Brother Kai was a man with quick efficiency and within hours everything was already arranged. The Lunar-Tide Clam grotto was sealed from the outside with the two inner disciple guards standing vigil. They were under strict orders from Brother Kai not to let anyone near.
The dozen massive clams lay dying in their pool, their grey shells a testament to the sect's failure to raise them correctly. At the far end of the grotto, the Crimson-Gill Marsh-Drake laid patiently. Its powerful presence is a stark contrast to the fading life force of the clams. The drake trusted Li Yu but its intelligent eyes were watching its master's every move.
Li Yu did not set up any complex formation. He simply drew a few symbolic lines on the ground with a piece of chalk, a placebo for anyone who might ask questions later. Then he walked to the center of the grotto, halfway between the drake and the clams and sat down.
This was the moment. He was about to walk a razor's edge and he hoped he was correct.
He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. First, he extended his spiritual link to his drake. 'Be calm. Rest. Lend me your presence but not your strength.' The drake rumbled in understanding and settled down, its aura becoming a passive, watchful shield.
Then, he turned his full attention to the task at hand. He focused his will and the air in front of him shimmered. The blood-red Koi spirit materialized, more solid and vibrant than ever before. The two golden threads on its body seemed to pulse with an inner light and it radiated a Yang energy so pure, so potent, it was like a miniature sun of life itself.
"Go," he whispered, a command sent through his spirit.
The Koi swam through the air and hovered directly over the pool of dying clams. It opened its mouth, and instead of absorbing, it released. A gentle, golden-red mist of pure vitality, the very essence of its being, rained down upon the clams.
The effect was instantaneous. The moment the mist touched their dull shells, the clams shuddered. A collective, desperate sigh of relief echoed in Li Yu's spiritual sense. They were creatures dying of thirst in a desert and he had just given them a divine nectar. They began to absorb the Yang energy greedily, their fading life forces reigniting like embers fanned by a strong wind.
But the law of balance was absolute. As they absorbed the potent Yang, their own bodies, in a desperate attempt to maintain equilibrium, began to passively exude the excess Yin energy they had accumulated. A cold, pure, and incredibly dense mist of moonlight-like Qi began to rise from the pool, filling the grotto with a chilling, ethereal energy.
Li Yu had created a self-contained Yin-Yang vortex and he was sitting directly in its center. He activated his two heaven-defying techniques simultaneously.
The «Myriad Rivers Returning to the Sea Art» roared to life. The crimson Koi became a terrifying vortex, its primary function of devouring reasserting itself. It targeted the pure, cold Yin energy rising from the clams. This Yin energy was the perfect catalyst to temper his spirit and push his cultivation base over the final hurdle in this realm. He guided the torrent, slamming it against the celestial wall of the Tenth Stage. The barrier, which had been immovable began to crack and groan under the assault of this perfectly opposing energy.
At the same time, he activated the «Abyssal Leviathan Physique». His body became the crucible where the two extreme energies met. The pure Yang vitality from his Koi spirit and the pure Yin energy from the clams surged through his meridians, clashing, annihilating and reforming him on a cellular level. It was a pain beyond description. A feeling of being simultaneously burned by the sun and frozen by the cold. His bones creaked, his muscles tore and his organs trembled on the verge of collapse.
He now had a better understanding of the path of his physique. The First Level, 'Scaled Skin,' had tempered his flesh. The Second Level, 'Leviathan Bone,' had reforged his skeleton. Now, the chaotic energy from the Yin-Yang clash bypassed his exterior and focused inward, on his very core. It was a hammer to forge his internal organs.
He could feel his heart, lungs, and liver being pulverized and rebuilt. Infused with a dark and resilient vitality that mirrored the crushing pressure of the deep abyss. This was the Third Level: 'Kraken's Heart.' It aimed to grant his organs the legendary resilience of the mythical sea monster, making them incredibly resistant to shock and damage while dramatically boosting his stamina and recovery.
While his body was being reforged, his Qi cultivation reached its climax. With a final, soul-shaking CRACK, the barrier to the Tenth Stage of Body Tempering shattered completely. A vast, boundless power filled his dantian. He had reached the Great Perfection.
Due to both of his techniques working together, his Qi was no longer like it was a liquid; it was a thick, viscous sea, each drop containing an explosive amount of power. He was now at the absolute pinnacle of the Body Tempering Realm. Soon he would be ready to take the step into Qi Condensation at any time.
The process lasted for six agonizing and glorious hours. When it was over the grotto was calm again. The Koi spirit, looking slightly translucent but unharmed, returned to his dantian. The Lunar-Tide Clams were no longer grey and dying. Their shells shimmered with a healthy, pearlescent luster and the Yin energy they radiated was now stable and calm. It was easy to see that they were saved..
Li Yu sat, his body aching but thrumming with an unprecedented level of power.
Qi Cultivation: Tenth Stage Body Tempering (Great Perfection).
Body Cultivation: «Abyssal Leviathan Physique», Third Level (Kraken's Heart).
He had made a monumental leap in a single night. He suppressed his new power, the «Myriad Rivers Returning to the Sea Art» wrapping his presence once more, making him appear as a weak, Third Stage Body Tempering disciple to the outside world.
He stood up and his bones were settling with soft powerful clicks. He felt an incredible, explosive strength coiled in his limbs. A strength that had no outlet. He had the power of a young leviathan but he didn't know how to fight. He could smash a boulder with a single punch but in a real fight against a skilled opponent he would be a clumsy giant.
His master's rough words echoed in his mind: Strength is the only true status. If you are weak, you will be devoured. He now had the strength. But he was still, in a practical sense, weak.
He walked out of the grotto, leaving behind a revived batch of clams and a very confused Marsh-Drake. Brother Kai and the guards were outside waiting for him, their eyes then looked behind him and they saw the healthy sheen on the clams in the pool behind him.
Li Yu simply gave a tired and knowing smile. "The principle of balance," he said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "They should be producing pearls again within the week. And the quality should be… improved. We will have to revamp their environment now that they are healed. Some steady source of Yang energy for them in order to maintain balance. I will let you procure the said item for them."
He then left them to clean up and restore everything to how it was. He was headed not for his residence but for the library. He had a new urgent need. His foundation was becoming stronger and stronger. Now, it was time to build an arsenal. He needed techniques. He needed to learn how to unleash the monster he was becoming.