The air inside the abandoned Iron Rose Guild Headquarters, once silent and sterile, now thrummed with dangerous, external pressure. The Golden Fist, a master of the Foundation Realm, was assaulting the Tier-5 shielded bunker.
"He's using pure physical force, mixed with controlled Qi output," Anya hissed, her eyes glued to the security console. The Qi Tracing Device—the silver ring Kai had forged for her—glowed faintly on her finger, translating the enemy's movements into readable data patterns. "He's attacking the eastern quadrant's blind spot. He's looking for the residual Qi trace from your forge, Kai."
Kai stood in the center of the vast chamber, the Celestial Forge Blade hilt cool and perfect in his hand. He was now a Peak-Stage Foundation Cultivator. He was one stage, one massive barrier, away from the true authority of the Qi Condensation Realm.
"The Forge is silent, Anya. The Veil Shield is masking my presence," Kai stated, his voice steady. His mind, refined by the final Breakthrough Pill, was calm and analytical. "He won't find me. He's trying to intimidate me into leaving the shield."
Suddenly, the massive ferro-concrete wall on the east side buckled inward with a thunderous CRUNCH.
"He breached the structural integrity! He's focusing kinetic energy through his Foundation Qi! He's in!" Anya shouted, grabbing a data-rifle and moving into a defensive position behind the heavy power conduit.
A figure stepped through the ruined wall—a man of imposing height, clad in simple, practical armor, his hands bare and radiating a ferocious, golden light. This was The Golden Fist. His presence alone crushed the air out of the chamber, his Peak-Stage Qi a suffocating, hostile domain.
[TARGET: THE GOLDEN FIST (PEAK-STAGE FOUNDATION)]
Threat Level: IMMINENT CULTIVATION FAILURE.
Ability: Absolute Kinetic Qi Control (Can turn Qi into physical concussive force).
Objective: Eliminate Host and secure the Star-Forge System.
"The anomaly reveals itself," the Golden Fist boomed, his voice resonating with powerful, cultivated authority. He ignored Anya, his eyes locked solely on Kai. "The Ascendant Elders send me to retrieve the Core Crystal and eliminate the one who crippled Zero-Seven. Prepare to surrender your life, thief."
Kai activated his Tier 2 [QI PURITY DOMAIN]. A subtle, clean blue spiritual field radiated from his body, clashing instantly with the Golden Fist's oppressive, golden Qi.
[QI PURITY DOMAIN (TIER 2) ACTIVATED. HOSTILE QI SUPPRESSION: 30%. OFFENSIVE CAPABILITY: INITIALIZED.]
The Golden Fist flinched, his eyes widening slightly. "Pure Qi? Impossible! No Foundation-Stage cultivator should have Qi this clean! Who are you?"
"I am the consequence of your corporation's corruption," Kai retorted, raising the Celestial Forge Blade hilt.
He released his Peak-Stage Qi into the hilt. The metal instantly responded, consuming Kai's stored Essence and manifesting a blade of pure, shimmering blue light—the solidified energy of his unique celestial Qi.
[WEAPON: CELESTIAL FORGE BLADE (TIER 5) – ACTIVE.]
The Golden Fist roared, infuriated by the sight of the legendary-grade weapon. He launched his attack—a devastating, focused punch aimed directly at Kai's Dantian.
"GOLDEN FIST IMPACT!"
The blow was a blur of golden light and kinetic force. Kai knew he couldn't block it.
"Left, 12 degrees! He's aiming to disrupt your core stability!" Anya shouted, her Qi Tracing Device giving her instantaneous, data-driven analysis.
Kai moved instantly, utilizing the Tier 3 [STELLAR LEAP] to teleport a short distance to his right. The Golden Fist's punch impacted the air where Kai had been, and the resulting shockwave pulverized the concrete wall behind him.
"He is too fast, Anya!" Kai shouted, the proximity of the blast still rocking his senses.
"Your shield, Kai! His kinetic force is physical, not digital!" Anya commanded.
Kai activated the Veil Shield. He focused his Peak-Stage Qi into the shield, not for stealth, but for defense.
[VEIL SHIELD (TIER 5) – KINETIC DAMPENING PROTOCOL ACTIVATED.]
The Golden Fist charged again, releasing rapid, hammer-like strikes. Kai met the first blow with his Celestial Forge Blade.
K-CHNNGG!
The impact was immense. The blade, composed of pure, refined Qi, did not shatter. It held. But the kinetic force transferred through the hilt, sending a violent shockwave up Kai's arm. He was thrown back, skidding twenty feet across the polished floor.
[HOST HEALTH: 70%. MERIDIANS SUSTAINING STRESS DAMAGE.]
"You have a fine weapon, anomaly! But your control is amateur!" The Golden Fist sneered, his golden Qi roaring.
Kai stood, holding the blade. He saw the truth: the Golden Fist's Qi was immense, but it was crude, entirely dedicated to kinetic force. Kai's Qi was smaller, but pure.
"Anya, I need a disruption. Hit the main power conduit—target the highest energy frequency you can find!" Kai ordered.
Anya didn't hesitate. She fired her data-rifle at the massive, dormant fusion conduit behind the Golden Fist. The rifle's pulse caused the ancient conduit to overload, releasing a massive, chaotic surge of raw, unrefined electrical and thermal energy.
The Golden Fist, focused entirely on Kai, was momentarily caught in the crossfire. He shielded himself instantly, his golden Qi enveloping him in a defensive shell.
[CHAOTIC ENERGY RELEASE DETECTED. WINDOW OF OPPORTUNITY: 3 SECONDS!]
Kai seized the moment. He activated the ultimate, refined power of his Peak-Stage realm—the offensive capability of his Qi Purity Domain.
> EXECUTE ACTION: QI PURITY DOMAIN – ASSAULT PROJECTION.
Kai didn't move. He simply extended the clear, blue energy of his domain, focusing it directly at the Golden Fist's golden shield.
The two energies met—Chaos versus Purity. The pure, clean Qi acted like a cosmic solvent, instantly dissolving the structure of the Golden Fist's crude, defensive shell.
The golden shield vanished. The Golden Fist stared in genuine horror, naked before Kai's attack.
"Impossible! That purity... it's elemental!" he gasped.
Kai launched himself forward, the Celestial Forge Blade aimed at the Cultivator's core.
"This is the consequence of the Star-Forge, Master Cultivator!" Kai roared.
The blade sliced through the Golden Fist's armor and plunged into his Dantian. The resulting explosion was not a burst of fire, but a cascade of pure, golden Qi, instantly released and flooding the chamber.
[TARGET ELIMINATED: THE GOLDEN FIST.]
The Golden Fist collapsed, his body now lifeless, the golden energy gone. But the immense, refined Qi he had cultivated for decades was now free, saturating the shielded chamber.
[WARNING! MASSIVE, UNSTABLE QI SURGE DETECTED!]
[HOST DANTIAN REACHING SATURATION POINT! INITIATING EMERGENCY CULTIVATION!]
Kai stood amidst the spiritual storm, the massive golden Qi of his defeated enemy slamming into his own purified core. His Peak-Stage Foundation barrier, already stressed, shattered under the immense pressure.
K-THOOM!
The chaotic Qi was instantly captured and purified by the latent energy of the Celestial Forge Blade, which channeled the massive golden influx directly into Kai's newly broken core. The golden Qi of the enemy was transformed into Kai's own clean, boundless blue Essence.
[HOST HAS ACHIEVED: QI CONDENSATION REALM (INITIAL STAGE)!]
[MERIDIANS: 75% CLEARED. QI CAPACITY: MASSIVE INCREASE.]
Kai staggered, his consciousness expanding to encompass the entire building. He could feel the complex circuits of the Tier-5 shield, the micro-vibrations of the city far above. He was no longer just a strong man; he was a true Cultivator.
[QUEST: REGIONAL THREAT ESCALATION SUCCESSFUL.]
REWARDS GRANTED:
Host Advancement: QI CONDENSATION REALM (Initial Stage).
Core Skill Unlock: [QI CONDENSATION DOMAIN] (Tier 1 – Environmental Qi manipulation unlocked).
Artifact Upgrade: CELESTIAL FORGE BLADE Permanently imbued with Golden Fist's essence (Attack power +50%).
Anya rushed to him, her eyes shining with manic excitement. She grabbed his arm, feeling the staggering density of the new Qi radiating from his core.
"Qi Condensation," she whispered, her voice laced with awe and a touch of fear. "You did it, Kai. You killed a master and achieved true power. Nexus Corp just lost a Peak-Stage asset and gained a Qi Condensation enemy."
She pulled him toward the exit, her hands firm. "We have to go. They will know his signal vanished. We move the training base now. And Kai, I have one final request before we enter the next phase."
She stopped, looking him directly in the eye, the proximity demanding a final, critical answer.
"You promised to forge me a permanent Qi Enhancement Artifact. Do it now. In this moment of your ascension, I want my bond to your power to be absolute."
Kai, his mind now operating at an incredible speed, nodded. He held out the Celestial Forge Blade and the Qi Tracing Device (Anya's ring).
"The cost is high, Anya," Kai warned. "It requires all your remaining Essence, and a permanent, symbiotic link to my Dantian's Qi signature. The Forge will grant you immense power, but your fate will be irrevocably tied to mine."
Anya didn't hesitate. She looked down at the ring on her finger. "Forge it. I trust your power, Kai. I am ready to pay the price."