Three days passed in the utter solitude of the guest tower. Li Yu remained in his private cultivation chamber, his entire being consumed by the new, electrifying path that had been revealed to him: the path of the soul.
He spent every waking moment in his inner world, his consciousness floating in the abyss-black ocean of his spiritual core. He practiced the «Leviathan Heart Sutra» relentlessly, not to increase his cultivation, but to feel its resonance with his soul. He could guide its currents, he could feel its power, but he could not yet truly command it.
On the fourth morning, he finally emerged from his seclusion. A look of deep, thoughtful contemplation was on his face. He understood now that this was not a problem that could be solved by brute force or a few days of intense thought.
It was a profound mystery that would require time, inspiration, and a deeper understanding of his own dao. Such insights were not found in a quiet room, but in the dynamic, ever-changing world of action and interaction. It was time to rejoin the world.
He found Mo Ling waiting for him in the courtyard, her own aura now completely stabilized at the 8th stage of the Foundation Establishment realm. Her newfound power, combined with the ancient wisdom she had inherited, gave her a presence that was both sharp and profound.
"My thoughts have settled for now," Li Yu said with a friendly smile. "I find myself… restless. I have been meditating on theory for too long and feel that my own practical combat skills have grown dull." He looked at her, a new, eager light in his eyes. "I was hoping I might be able to spar with your clan's disciples. It is a common practice to hone one's techniques, and I am eager to learn from your clan's renowned martial prowess."
Mo Ling's eyebrows rose, a slow, intrigued smile touching her lips. "You wish to spar with us? Guest Elder, our clan's fighting style is… aggressive. Brutal. We do not hold back."
"I would not expect you to," Li Yu said. "But to make it a fair test, a true measure of skill, I have one condition. All participants will suppress their cultivation to the peak of the Qi Condensation realm. A battle of pure technique and where a lot of people would be able to take part."
The idea was immediately accepted. She led him to the clan's grandest sparring arena, a massive, circular pit surrounded by tiers of black stone seating. The news of the Honored Guest's request spread like wildfire, and within the hour, the arena was packed with curious and eager Asura Clan disciples.
Li Yu was given a simple, unadorned practice staff of heavy ironwood. His first opponent was a burly, 5th-level Foundation Establishment disciple who grinned ferociously as he suppressed his cultivation. "An honor, Guest Elder!" he roared.
The moment the match began, Li Yu took the initiative, just as he always did. He attacked. His style was rough and direct, a series of powerful, overwhelming blows with his staff aimed to simply crush his opponent's defense. It was the style of a cultivator used to having a vast, insurmountable advantage in raw power. But here, at the same cultivation level, his opponent was not so easily overwhelmed. The burly disciple met his attacks with a ferocious, demonic style of his own, their staffs clashing in a shower of sparks. Li Yu's raw power was still greater, but his technique was unrefined. He won, but it was a clumsy, forceful victory, not an elegant one.
He won his second match, and his third, in much the same fashion. He was a battering ram, and while effective, the disciples watching could see the lack of true finesse in his movements. Then, on his fourth match, he faced a lithe, wiry disciple whose weapon was a strange, three-sectioned staff.
Li Yu charged forward with his usual overwhelming offense. But the disciple didn't meet him head-on. He danced back, his weapon a confusing, unpredictable whirlwind. Li Yu's powerful, direct strikes were met with glancing blows that redirected his momentum, throwing him off balance.
He was a raging river, and his opponent was a willow tree, bending but never breaking. Frustrated, Li Yu overextended himself in a powerful attack, and the disciple saw his opening. The end of the three-sectioned staff whipped around Li Yu's own weapon with a sharp crack, yanking it from his grasp, in the same motion he brought his weapon right in front of Li Yu's face.
Li Yu stood there, disarmed and defeated, a look of genuine surprise on his face. Then, he simply laughed, a sound of pure, unadulterated enjoyment. He gave the surprised disciple a deep, sincere bow. "A brilliant technique! I have never seen a weapon wielded with such creativity. You have shown me a lot. Thank you for the lesson."
This act, more than any of his victories, was what truly won the hearts of the Asura Clan disciples. He was not an arrogant, untouchable genius. He was a true martial artist, one who found as much joy in a well-fought loss where things could be learned as in a victory. The disciples, seeing his sincerity, swarmed him, eagerly discussing techniques and strategies. He was no longer just an honored guest; he was one of them.
He spent the next few days in a state of joyful obsession. He fought from dawn till dusk. He began to change. His rough, overwhelming attacks, born from a long period of having superior power, began to transform. He started to little by little incorporate the fluid, defensive movements he had learned from his losses.
His offense became just a bit less about brute force and more about timing, precision, and control. His style evolved, becoming a deep, powerful, and unpredictable current, still aggressive but now tempered with a fluid grace. He wouldn't deviate too much from what his strengths were and taking full advantage of them but he was learning and rounding off some of the rough edges. He still lost occasionally to his opponents, but he won more and more, and every single match, win or lose, was a lesson that sharpened his skills.
After several days of honing his own skills, he made a new request. He wanted to visit the clan's beast taming hall for a different kind of practice.
The next day, he stood in a different, larger arena, this one with reinforced walls and powerful defensive arrays. Across from him stood Mo Ling, a confident smirk on her face. Her Shadow-Stalker Panther, radiating a new, dangerous vitality, stood beside her.
"A beast battle, Guest Elder?" Mo Ling asked, her competitive spirit rekindled. "An interesting choice. Let us see how your beasts fare against one of my clan's finest."
Li Yu smiled and summoned his own companion. With a shimmer of watery light, Crimson appeared, his Flood Dragon form coiling in the air. Both beasts were at the peak of Rank 4. The battle that followed was a magnificent display of elemental power and predatory instinct. The Panther was a ghost, its attacks coming from unseen angles, but Crimson was a being of pure, flowing power, filling the arena with a swirling mist and using his innate control over water to counter every move. In the end, Crimson's sheer vitality and the purity of his energy won out.
The Asura Clan beast tamers, who were watching with intense interest, noticed it immediately. "The Flood Dragon… its spiritual energy is so pure," one muttered. "And its stamina… it's far greater than any other Rank 4 beast I've seen."
Li Yu engaged in several more beast battles, using Volt & Jolt against a pair of equally-ranked Obsidian-Clawed Hounds, and even bringing out one of his Aegis turtles against a ferocious Magma-Crawler. In every match, his beasts displayed a level of power and resilience that was simply a cut above their opponents. The tamers, their professional curiosity overriding their awe, finally approached him.
"Guest Elder," the head tamer said with a deep bow. "Your beasts… they are magnificent. Their foundations are incredibly solid. Is there some secret you would be willing to share?"
Li Yu smiled, happy to share his knowledge. He gave them simple, practical advice about ensuring their living environments were rich in the correct ambient energies and their habitat suited them. He provided information he knew freely and without restraint.
It was the same basic principles he used in his own menagerie, and while he did not mention the miraculous effects of the Koi's Sanctuary itself, a large factor in his battle beasts being a cut above, the advice was sound, practical, and interesting to the demonic cultivators, who had always focused on aggressive, power-infusing methods. They listened with rapt attention, their respect for him growing even deeper.
He too learned a great deal from them as well, their unique methods and approaches to raising beasts was insightful and furthered his knowledge. There was always more to learn, only those that kept an open mind and can adapt with it will further their path.
It was at the end of a long week of this intense, joyful training that the outside world finally intruded once more. It was an intrusion caused by his own request however. He had asked the clan leader to let him know of there had been any events happening around the area. Li Yu realized during his time here that he really doesn't have much information on the happenings around him, a fetal flaw. It was something he needed to correct, having an intelligence branch of the golden shell company. It would have to wait as he didn't have anyone he could put in charge of it right now.
Clan Lord Mo Jian summoned him to the main hall, his expression grim. "My friend," he began, his voice a low rumble. "I have just received a disturbing report. It concerns the stability of this area in the territories."
He unrolled a large map. It depicted a vast, mountainous region. "This area," he said, tapping a finger on a cluster of jagged peaks known as the Ironmaw Range, "has always been a chaotic, lawless land, home to a dozen different, warring bandit tribes. But it is also the only safe passage through the mountains for hundreds of miles. Commoners, small clans, and low-level merchants rely on it for their survival. It has always also been a training ground for the area, there has always been balance between everyone."
"What has happened?" Li Yu asked.
"The tribes are no longer warring," Mo Jian said grimly. "In the past month, a new power has risen. A mysterious, unknown expert has appeared. He has either crushed or forcibly unified all the bandit tribes under a single banner. He now calls himself the 'Bandit King of the Ironmaw'."
He looked at Li Yu, his eyes full of a new worry. "This King is a ruthless and ambitious man. He has completely sealed off the mountain pass. No one is allowed through. The flow of goods, food, and people has been cut off. The smaller villages in the foothills are beginning to starve. The local clans are being strangled. While our own high-level trade can fly over such obstacles, the common people cannot. He is creating a crisis, a cancer of chaos and suffering in the area."
"Have the local sects not responded?" Li Yu inquired.
"They have," Mo Jian said with a sigh. "The Iron Heart Sect, a righteous sect that governs the lands just east of the range, sent a punitive expedition to restore order. Their Sect Leader, a man at the 1st level of the Core Formation realm, personally led the charge."
He paused, the next words heavy with foreboding. "He was defeated. The Bandit King, whose identity and cultivation are still unknown, met him in single combat and utterly crushed him. But he did not kill him. He allowed the Iron Heart Sect to retreat, but only after they paid a tribute of seventy-five percent of their entire sect's treasury."
The message was clear and terrifying. The Bandit King was not just powerful enough to defeat a Core Formation expert; he was so overwhelmingly confident that he saw more value in bankrupting his enemies than in killing them.
"Since then," Mo Jian concluded, "no one else has dared to challenge him. The territories are in a state of fear, and a tyrant is preying on the weak, causing immense suffering. While some call us demonic cultivators, we still care about the life of common people, especially those in our area."
Li Yu looked at the map, his eyes tracing the lines of the Ironmaw Range. His week of peaceful, joyful training was over. He had no personal stake in the tolls or the blockade. But his core desire was to live a peaceful, quiet life. And the one thing he had learned from his recent adventures was that the chaos of the world had a way of spreading.
A tyrant left unchecked, a region destabilized by suffering… these were the kinds of problems that grew until they eventually reached his own doorstep. Dealing with such a thing was not an act of heroism; it was an act of proactive self-preservation. It was weeding the garden of the world to ensure its thorns did not one day choke his own peaceful valley.
"Unchecked cruelty is a plague," Li Yu said, his voice quiet but firm. "And it is bad for the long-term stability of the region, which is, in turn, bad for business." He looked up at Mo Jian. "This Bandit King… is a problem that needs to be resolved."
Li Yu was eager to test his strength. Ever since he found his two path dao and made advancement after advancement in body and cultivation he hasn't had a real chance to test his strength. He was eager to use this new bandit king as a test dummy against his power.
He currently couldn't gauge his strength, probably somewhere in the upper core formation was his thoughts but he didn't know. He didn't think the bandit king would be able to beat him, confidence and some arrogance from having grown stronger.
This would allow the golden shell company to further spread their influence and allow him to stretch himself.