A week passed. Li Yao's life settled into a grueling rhythm. By day, he would scavenge for materials, his System-enhanced senses making him a master of finding value in waste. He avoided the main thoroughfares, sticking to shadows and alleys, his sharpened senses often warning him of patrolling guards before they saw him.
By night, he would cultivate. The [Breath of the Primordial Awakening] was now second nature. He could feel his dormant meridians slowly, agonizingly, coming to life. They were no longer brittle glass but were becoming like tough, flexible vines. His Spiritual Core, once a faint spark, was now a steady, pea-sized ember of light in his dantian.
His body was healing. The bruises had faded to a sickly yellow, his ribs only ached with sudden movement, and his dislocated shoulder was fully functional, though still weak. His regeneration progress had reached 32%.
But his progress in the Early Sub-Realm was slowing to a crawl. The garbage-tier resources could only take him so far. He was hitting a wall, a bottleneck created by the low quality and quantity of energy he was absorbing.
"Analysis: Host has reached the peak of the Early Sub-Realm using current resource methods. A qualitative improvement in energy source is required to condense scattered Qi and progress to the Mid Sub-Realm."
He knew what that meant. He needed a real spirit herb. Or a Spirit Stone. The two copper coins a day he sometimes earned from his crude salves wouldn't buy a sliver of a low-grade stone for months.
He was contemplating his next move when he heard a commotion near the entrance to the Vermin's Nest. Peering from his hideout, he saw Gor, the miner, along with two other rough-looking men, confronting a slimmer, well-dressed young man who looked utterly out of place. The young man had a haughty expression and carried a small, locked satchel.
"You said you had the payment, Lin," Gor growled. "We risked our necks getting that 'Ironwood Sap' from the forest's edge for you. Where are our Spirit Stones?"
The young man, Lin, sneered. "The quality was inferior. It was barely worth the single Low-Grade Spirit Stone I already gave you as an advance. Consider the debt paid."
"That wasn't the deal!" one of the other miners shouted, stepping forward.
Lin took a step back, but his sneer didn't fade. "Do you know who my uncle is? He's an outer disciple of the Soaring Cloud Sect! Touch me, and you'll all be feeding the demon beasts by sunrise."
The miners hesitated, fear warring with fury on their faces. The power of the sect was an absolute deterrent.
Li Yao watched, his mind working. Ironwood Sap. The System immediately provided data.
"Ironwood Sap: A Low-Grade Earth-Wood attribute material. Used in foundational body tempering and low-level formation arrays. Prone to rapid spiritual degradation if not stored in a Jade container within 12 hours of harvesting."
Lin's satchel was made of cheap leather.
An idea, dangerous and audacious, sparked in Li Yao's mind. This was an opportunity. A huge risk, but a potential leap forward.
He stepped out of the shadows, his movements calm despite his racing heart.
"Gor," he said, his voice steady.
All four men turned to look at him. Gor looked surprised. Lin looked annoyed.
"The rat speaks," Lin scoffed. "Run along, beggar."
Li Yao ignored him, keeping his eyes on Gor. "He's cheating you. The sap you brought him. If it was harvested more than half a day ago and stored in that bag, over half its spiritual energy has already dissipated. It is inferior now. But it wasn't when you gave it to him."
Lin's face went pale. "You! Shut your mouth! What would a slum rat know about spiritual materials?"
"Technique Suggestion: [Qi Perception Pulse]. A low-energy emission to actively probe the spiritual density of an object. Can be channeled through the fingertips."
Li Yao took a step closer to Lin's satchel, raising his hand subtly. He let a tiny, invisible wisp of his Qi brush against the leather bag. The feedback was immediate—a weak, muddled energy signature, exactly as the System predicted.
"The energy inside is weak and disordered," Li Yao stated, his voice gaining confidence. "It was strong when they gave it to you. He waited for it to spoil so he could claim it was worthless and keep the rest of your payment."
The revelation hung in the air. Gor and the other miners turned their furious gazes back to Lin, their fear of the sect momentarily overshadowed by the raw injustice.
"You lying, thieving snake!" Gor roared.
Lin panicked. He shoved the satchel into Gor's chest. "Fine! Take your worthless sap! But you'll regret this! All of you!" He turned and fled, his haughtiness replaced by terror.
Gor caught the satchel, then looked at Li Yao with a new, profound respect. The other miners were staring too.
"How... how did you know?" one of them asked.
Li Yao just gave a faint, weary smile. "I know garbage." He looked at the satchel in Gor's hands. "The sap is mostly spoiled, but it's not useless. I can... probably still make something out of it. If you let me have it, I can make salves for all of you. Better than the last one. Enough to heal those mining injuries twice as fast."
It was a gamble. He was claiming the spoils of a conflict he'd just介入.
Gor looked at the satchel, then at his comrades, then back at Li Yao. This scrawny kid had just faced down a sect-connected bully and won without throwing a punch. He saw past the bruises and rags and saw a sharp, unnerving intelligence.
He tossed the satchel to Li Yao. "It's yours. And you..." He pointed a thick finger. "You stick with us. We'll get you the materials. You make the salves. We'll handle the... business." A grim smile spread on his face. "No more two copper coins."
Li Yao caught the satchel, his heart pounding. It wasn't a Spirit Stone, but it was a massive step up from crushed petals. It was a partnership. A foundation.
He had just acquired his first allies, and his first real supply line. The slow, meticulous construction of his power base had truly begun. The race against time was on, and he had just found a slightly faster pair of shoes.