Zhen Wu sat motionless on the meditation platform.
His posture was perfect. His back was straight, hands were resting on his knees, breathing deep and even.
From the outside, he appeared completely calm. A picture of focused cultivation, undisturbed by the world.
Two days and four hours had passed since he entered the room.
His progress toward Stage 2 was substantial. Perhaps ninety seven percent complete. Just a few more hours of steady cultivation would push him over the threshold.
The golden dome surrounded him, smaller now, condensed as his dantian was filled with processed true will.
Everything seemed normal.
Then his breathing hitched.
A bead of sweat formed on his forehead.
Then another.
Within seconds, sweat covered his entire face, dripping from his chin onto his robes.
His throat worked, swallowing hard.
'Something is wrong.'
His eyes snapped open.
His pupils shrank to pinpoints.
The flow of true will had reversed.
Not just stopped. It reversed.
The refined true will he'd spent two days accumulating in his dantian was being forcibly extracted from his body. Pulled out through his meridians in the wrong direction, against the natural flow.
It felt like his insides were being torn apart.
Blood filled his mouth.
He spat it onto the floor. Crimson splattered across the white jade floor.
'Someone is sabotaging the formation.'
His spiritual sense reached outward, trying to take control of the room's formations.
Nothing.
He had no authority. The formations didn't respond to his commands at all.
'No. This isn't sabotage. Someone has completely replaced the formation's control mechanism.'
He forced himself to remain still, to continue cultivating despite the pain.
If he stopped now, the sudden cessation might cause even worse damage. His meridians were stretched taut, true will flowing in both directions simultaneously.
He tried to draw in new true will from the environment.
Nothing entered.
The surrounding air was empty. Completely devoid of any true will.
But that was impossible. The room had true will stones embedded in the walls, constantly releasing energy. Even if the formation stopped working, residual true will should still remain.
Unless...
'The stones are empty? No. The servant replaced them yesterday. I sensed it.'
More blood rose in his throat.
He spat again, a larger quantity this time.
'Not good.'
His meridians were beginning to rupture. Small tears formed along their inner walls as the reversed flow dragged against tissue meant to carry energy in only one direction.
Text appeared in his vision.
[WARNING: HOST PHYSICAL CONDITION CRITICAL]
[MERIDIAN DAMAGE: 47%]
[INTERNAL BLEEDING: SEVERE]
[RECOMMENDATION: CEASE CULTIVATION IMMEDIATELY]
[CONTINUING WILL RESULT IN SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE]
Zhen Wu ignored the system completely.
Stopping now would be worse. The reversed flow would continue regardless. At least if he kept cultivating, he maintained some small measure of internal circulation, preventing complete collapse.
Blood poured from his mouth now, not just droplets but a steady stream.
His vision began to blur at the edges.
[MERIDIAN DAMAGE: 58%]
[WARNING: APPROACHING IRREVERSIBLE THRESHOLD]
He gritted his teeth, blood staining them red.
'Just hold on. Someone will notice. Someone must notice.'
Outside the room, in the servant quarters, a young woman named Xiao Fen sat monitoring the formations.
Her job was simple. Watch the indicator stones. If any turned dark, it meant the formations were failing and needed attention.
All the stones had been glowing steadily green for two days.
Then, without warning, three of them flickered.
Green became yellow.
Yellow became red.
Red became black.
Then from black it turned to green instantly.
Xiao Fen's heart stopped.
Sensing something wrong, she shot to her feet and ran.
The main hall was fifty zhang away. She covered the distance in seconds, bursting through the doors.
"Elders! Elders! Something is wrong with the formation in room two!"
Her voice echoed through the chamber.
For one second, nothing happened.
Then space rippled.
Three figures materialized simultaneously.
Supreme Elder Feng appeared first, his expression sharp.
Elder Bai manifested beside him, face grave.
And a third figure, a woman with yellow hair tied in an elaborate bun. She was Elder Yang.
Supreme Elder Feng's eyes fixed on Xiao Fen.
"Which room?"
"Two! Young Master Zhen Wu's room! The formation indicators all went black then instantly turned green!"
Both Supreme Elder Feng and Elder Bai's pupils contracted to pinpoints.
They vanished.
Space blurred and they reappeared outside room two.
The door was sealed, the formations had an unfamiliar feel about them.
Supreme Elder Feng's composure cracked entirely. His face went pale.
Elder Bai looked equally shaken, though his expression held something else beneath the shock. Something harder to read.
They glanced at each other.
"Someone replaced the internal formation." Supreme Elder Feng said, voice tight. "Placed their own formation on top of the original."
Elder Yang materialized beside them a moment later, her spiritual sense already probing the door.
"This is high level work. Whoever did this knew exactly how to circumvent our security measures."
All three elders' spiritual sense left their body.
They attacked the formation directly, trying to break its structure. If they used their cultivation technique it would immediately crack, but in doing so it will likely kill Zhen Wu.
The formation resisted.
One minute passed.
Two.
Three.
Sweat appeared on Supreme Elder Feng's forehead. Even Elder Yang's breathing grew labored.
Elder Bai's face remained calm, but his hands trembled slightly.
Finally, with a sound like a shattering glass, the formation broke.
Supreme Elder Feng grabbed the door and yanked it open.
The scene inside was grim.
Blood.
Everywhere.
The white jade floor was covered in it, a pool spreading from the center platform. Blood stained the walls in spray patterns. Blood soaked the meditation cushions.
And in the middle of it all stood Zhen Wu.
His entire body was covered in crimson. Blood dripped from his hair, his face, his hands. His robe was so saturated it appeared black in places.
But he stood upright.
His posture was straight. His expression was cold, empty, as if this were an everyday occurrence.
No pain showed on his face. No fear.
Behind the elders, Xiao Fen peeked through the doorway and immediately turned away, hand over her mouth, fighting the urge to vomit.
The three elders stood frozen for three full seconds, processing the sight.
Then they moved to help.
But before they could take a step, Zhen Wu spoke.
"I am deeply sorry that I've concerned the three elders with such a minor matter."
His voice was steady, almost warm.
He spread his arms slightly, looking down at himself as blood continued to drip from his fingertips.
"As you can see, the situation was somewhat... messy."
The casual tone, delivered while standing in a pool of his own blood, was surreal.
Supreme Elder Feng's expression shifted rapidly. Shock, then concern.
He extended his spiritual sense, examining Zhen Wu's condition thoroughly.
Meridians damaged but not destroyed. Internal organs bruised but functional. Shockingly blood loss somehow was not severe.
There was no sign of imminent danger.
Supreme Elder Feng's gaze shifted sideways, studying Elder Bai and Elder Yang with sudden suspicion.
Zhen Wu noticed the look.
He spoke again, his tone shifting to concerned warmth.
"Do the elders know what happened?"
The question was innocent, genuine sounding.
As if the blood covering him from head to toe was purely cosmetic.
Supreme Elder Feng's expression hardened with shame.
"We have just arrived. It seems someone modified the formation and took control without our knowledge."
His voice carried weight. This was a failure. A security breach that nearly killed the sect's most valuable asset.
Zhen Wu's expression didn't change, but internally his thoughts were cold.
'A formation of this level shouldn't have the power to forcefully extract refined true will. And even if it somehow did, it shouldn't have taken three elders several minutes to break. The formation was too weak.'
His mind worked through the implications rapidly.
'I see. Someone used a Lingyuan.'
Lingyuan.
A term from the higher realms, rarely discussed in lower cultivation circles.
It referred to a special power unique to each cultivator. The result of fusing one's soul with one's spiritual root completely, creating abilities that transcended normal techniques.
Most cultivators never achieved Lingyuan. It required perfect soul root synchronization, and above all, a deep understanding of the Dao.
But some exceptional individuals manifested it earlier.
If someone had used Lingyuan to create that formation, it would explain its power.
Zhen Wu's gray eyes fixed on Elder Yang.
Elder Yang's expression tightened.
She spoke quickly, deflecting his gaze.
"Zhen Wu, whoever did this clearly resents your talent. Reaching Body Refinement Stage 2 in just one week is unprecedented. Such speed inevitably breeds jealousy."
Zhen Wu's expression grew colder.
The deflection was obvious. She sensed his gaze and wanted to advert the attention so the two elders wouldn't notice Zhen Wu's suspicion.
Supreme Elder Feng noticed Zhen Wu's shift in demeanor and spoke immediately.
"What happened today is my fault entirely. From this moment forward, Zhao Lin will be accompanied by an elder at all times when guarding you. Double protection."
As he spoke, Elder Bai's jaw clenched.
His teeth ground together audibly, the sound like stone scraping stone. His hands, hidden in his sleeves, were clenched so tightly his fingernails drew blood from his palms.
But his face remained calm, grandfatherly.
"A wise decision, Supreme Elder Feng. The boy's safety must be absolute."
Before anyone could respond, another presence entered the room.
A young man, perhaps appearing thirty years old, with handsome features and confident bearing. His robes were the finest quality, marked with gold threading that denoted the highest authority.
Sect Leader Wei Shuren.
His voice was warm, concerned, perfectly modulated.
"I heard there was an incident. Young Master Zhen Wu, I'm deeply concerned about your situation. Please know that I will work personally with the elders to find the culprit and bring them to justice."
The words were sincere sounding.
But Zhen Wu could tell they were false.
The sect leader's eyes held no real concern.
'He's acting. But whether he was involved or simply doesn't care remains to be seen. It wouldn't been far fetched.'
Analyzing Zhen Wu with his spiritual sense, he determined that Zhen Wu was in no immediate danger. Thus, Wei Shuren turned to leave, bowing respectfully to the elders.
"I'll begin the investigation immediately. This breach cannot stand."
As he turned, his gaze lingered on Elder Yang for a moment longer than necessary.
Just a fraction of a second. But everyone in the room noticed.
Elder Yang's expression didn't change, but something flickered in her eyes.
Then Wei Shuren was gone, vanishing in a blur of motion.
Supreme Elder Feng stepped forward.
"We need to get you to the Healing Halls immediately. Repair your meridians as soon as possible to avoid permanent damage."
Elder Bai and Elder Yang moved to flank Zhen Wu, supporting him on either side despite his protests that he could walk.
They left the blood soaked room and began moving through the Cultivation Halls corridors.
Fifty zhang from the exit, Zhao Lin materialized in front of them.
His face went white when he saw Zhen Wu's condition.
"Young master! I... this is my fault. I should have been more vigilant. I should have detected the change in formation . I failed you completely."
His voice cracked with genuine anguish.
Zhen Wu raised one blood covered hand and placed it on Zhao Lin's shoulder.
"Brother Zhao, what happened was not your fault. The formation was tampered with at a level beyond what any guard could detect. Even the elders didn't notice until the damage was already done."
His tone was warm, reassuring.
"You've protected me faithfully. This incident changes nothing about my trust in you."
Zhao Lin's eyes glistened slightly, but he bowed his head.
"Thank you, young master. I swear this will never happen again."
The group continued toward the Healing Halls.
Zhen Wu walked between the elders, his mind working constantly despite the pain.
'Someone in the sect has a Lingyuan. Someone powerful enough to bypass elder level security. But more importantly, someone who wants me dead.'
His expression remained calm, unreadable.
'And now they know I survived.'
Blood continued dripping from his fingertips as they walked, leaving a trail of crimson behind them.
The investigation would begin soon.
And Zhen Wu would be watching very carefully to see who looked relieved when they learned he'd survived.
And much more who looked disappointed.