Eyes in the Dark
The probe did not retreat.
It pressed against the thin boundary of Kai's chamber like cold fingers against glass—searching, prying, testing for weakness.
Kai did not move.
His breathing remained slow. His posture unshaken. Only within his mind did the storm gather.
[System Notification]
Spiritual Probe Analysis Initiated…
– Source: External, mid-stage Qi Condensation or higher
– Signature masked
– Intent: Reconnaissance
– Recommended Response: Concealment or counter-intrusion
Counter-intrusion? Kai's thoughts sharpened.
He let his Qi settle into a low hum, reducing its outward fluctuation. The chamber dimmed as he suppressed his aura, shrinking it inward like a turtle withdrawing into its shell.
The probe slipped closer.
It brushed the outer layer of his wards—thin constructs he had carved into the stone with careful strokes of Qi over the past two nights. To an untrained eye, they were nothing. To a careless intruder, they were bait.
Kai whispered inwardly,
"Now."
The system responded instantly.
[Auxiliary Function Activated: Qi Signature Distortion]
– Simulating unstable meridian fluctuations
– Projecting false bottleneck instability
– Leakage pattern: Critical
Kai forced a tremor into his breath. He guided his Qi into jagged, chaotic pulses—exactly as the system suggested. From the outside, it would appear as though he had pushed recklessly toward a breakthrough and damaged his foundation.
The probe reacted.
It pressed harder, greedily, trying to confirm the weakness.
And then—
Kai snapped his fingers.
The ward he had hidden beneath the stone flared silently. Not an attack—just a mirror.
For the briefest instant, the intruding spiritual thread was reflected back upon itself.
Not enough to injure.
Enough to trace.
[Data Captured]
Residual Qi Signature Logged
Affinity: Fire-aspected
Emotional resonance: Hostility, impatience
Probability match: Crimson Fang faction – 63%
Kai exhaled softly.
So it's them.
He let the chaotic display continue a moment longer—just enough to sell the illusion—then gradually stabilized his breathing. The probe hesitated, then withdrew.
Silence returned.
But the air felt different now.
The Hunter's Patience
Kai opened his eyes.
"They think I'm reckless," he murmured. "Good."
He reviewed the captured signature carefully. Fire-aspected Qi tended to be aggressive, volatile. The Crimson Fang faction was known for techniques that burned fast and bright.
If they believed he was destabilizing himself chasing power, they would grow bold.
Bold enemies made mistakes.
He turned his focus back inward.
[Cultivation Tracker Update]
– Absorption Efficiency: 79%
– Meridian Recovery: 92% stabilized
– Bottleneck Pressure: Increasing
– Estimated Breakthrough: 28–40 days
Still too slow.
Kai's gaze drifted to the worn manuals taken from his fallen opponents. Most were crude—direct, forceful techniques. Inefficient. Wasteful.
But one thin booklet had caught his eye earlier.
A breathing method.
Incomplete. Likely a fragment of a larger art. Its diagrams were flawed, but its principle was interesting—cyclical compression of Qi before release, creating denser output.
Kai studied it carefully.
Then he smiled faintly.
"Not release," he whispered. "Retention."
If Qi could be compressed and not expelled—if it were folded inward repeatedly—it might increase density within the dantian itself.
Dangerous.
But efficient.
System Simulation Requested.
[Simulation Running…]
Risk of Meridian Fracture: 37%
Risk reduced to 18% with controlled pacing and system-assisted micro-adjustments
Potential Breakthrough Projection: 12–18 days
Kai's pulse quickened.
Twelve days.
That was a gamble worth taking.
Compression
He began slowly.
Drawing Qi in through breath and pores, cycling it through his meridians once—twice—three times. Each cycle he tightened the spiral, compressing the flow slightly before guiding it back to his dantian.
On the fifth cycle, pain sparked.
On the seventh, sweat poured down his spine.
On the tenth—
His dantian trembled.
The sensation was unlike ordinary cultivation. Instead of filling a vessel, it felt like compacting a star. Pressure built steadily, a dense hum vibrating through bone and blood.
The system's voice threaded through the strain.
Micro-adjust left channel.
Reduce intake by 3%.
Stabilize heart rhythm.
Kai obeyed without hesitation.
Hours blurred.
By the twentieth compression cycle, his entire body quivered. His teeth ground together as cracks of white pain lanced through his abdomen.
He almost stopped.
Almost.
But then he felt it—
Not expansion.
Density.
His Qi no longer felt like mist.
It felt like steel.
[Cultivation Tracker Update]
– Qi Density: Increased by 11%
– Absorption Efficiency: 83%
– Breakthrough Projection: 9–15 days
– Warning: Sustained strain approaching safe threshold
Kai laughed softly despite the pain.
"Approaching," he whispered. "Not exceeding."
He eased back slightly, allowing stabilization.
Control. Always control.
Ripples in the Sect
Elsewhere within the Sect of Nine Peaks, tension coiled tighter.
In a courtyard lit by flickering lanterns, three Crimson Fang disciples knelt before a tall figure clad in red-trimmed robes.
"You're certain?" the figure asked quietly.
"Yes, Senior Brother. His aura fluctuated violently. He's forcing a breakthrough."
A long silence followed.
Then a thin smile.
"Good. Let him cripple himself."
The figure turned, revealing sharp eyes burning like embers.
"When his foundation cracks, we strike."
Back in the stone chamber, Kai's breathing finally steadied.
He could feel the difference now. Every thread of Qi responded faster. Moved cleaner. Struck harder.
He rose slowly to his feet.
Testing.
A single step forward—
Phantom Step.
His figure blurred.
Not faster.
Sharper.
He reappeared near the opposite wall, foot landing without a sound.
[Technique Efficiency Increased: Phantom Step – 14% refinement]
Kai's lips curved.
"They're waiting for weakness," he murmured.
His eyes hardened like tempered blades.
"Then I'll show them progress."
He extinguished the spirit stones' fading glow and returned to his seated position.
Outside, enemies prepared their knives.
Inside, Kai compressed another cycle.
The chamber trembled faintly—not from instability, but from pressure contained.
Nine days.
If the heavens did not interfere—
He would break through.
And when he did—
The hunters would discover that the prey had grown fangs.