Inside the quiet cultivation room, Ren Wei sat cross-legged on the cold stone floor. He had planned to shut his eyes and dive into meditation once more—but just as his breathing steadied, a crisp chime echoed in his mind.
Ding!
Side Quest Detected.
He opened his eyes slowly, curiosity flashing in them. With a thought, the translucent system interface unfolded before him.
> Side Quest: Break the Pride Before the Battle
A representative of the Four Great Families has issued a challenge. Defeating them will serve as both statement and signal.
Rewards: "Soulsteel Talisman" — A defensive artifact capable of shielding you against attacks up to the Nascent Soul Realm.
Penalties: None.
Note: You have 24 hours to accept this challenge.
Ren Wei chuckled under his breath.
"So they're sending someone ahead, huh?" His voice was laced with confidence. "A warmup before the main event... fine by me."
He reached out with his spiritual sense and tapped 'Accept.'
The quest interface updated immediately:
> Side Quest: Break the Pride Before the Battle
Time Remaining: 7 Days, 17 Hours, 53 Minutes
Rewards: Soulsteel Talisman
Penalties: None
Ren Wei waved his hand, and the system window dissipated like mist. Rising to his feet, he called out calmly:
"Su Yao."
Within moments, the soft sound of footsteps neared. Su Yao entered the cultivation room and bowed.
"Yes, young master?"
"I'm going into deep cultivation," Ren Wei said. "Don't disturb me for five days, no matter what."
Then, with a rare hint of a smile, he added, "But after that... I'll expect the best meal you've ever made."
Su Yao blinked, then gave a gentle laugh, covering her mouth with her sleeve. "Of course, young master. I'll make sure it's worthy of a war hero's return."
She bowed once more and exited quietly, leaving Ren Wei in silence once again.
He sat down slowly, folding his legs beneath him. The air around him trembled faintly as he activated his core techniques, drawing in Qi like a whirlpool.
---
Day 1
The sun had barely begun to rise over Azure Fang City when the Qi within Ren Wei's courtyard shifted. Inside the cultivation room, a low hum resonated from the gathering formation etched into the ground—pulling ambient spiritual energy into dense streams. Ren Wei sat motionless, his posture flawless, his focus razor-sharp. Each breath he took was deep, deliberate, and filled with weight. As the hours passed, his Immortal Emperor Physique responded with quiet efficiency, converting the incoming Qi into solidified reserves. His meridians pulsed faintly beneath the skin, veins glowing like subtle rivers of light. Outside the room, even the air felt different—heavier, more reverent, as though the world itself held its breath in respect.
Day 2
The second day of cultivation arrived not with stillness, but with silent turbulence. Deep within Ren Wei's core, the accumulated Qi pressed against the bottleneck of his current realm, testing its limits. His skin was coated in a faint sheen of sweat, yet his face remained tranquil. Iron Blood Meditation stabilized his breathing, while Heaven-Flaying Vein Scripture guided the Qi's violent surges into order. Echo Fang, resting at his side, began to vibrate lightly, reacting to the storm of spiritual energy swirling in the room. Outside the cultivation chamber, birds avoided the courtyard entirely. Even the trees seemed to bow slightly inward—as if the very flow of nature was bending around a growing power. In the heart of it all, Ren Wei sat with unshaken resolve, his spirit preparing for war.
---
Day 3 of Cultivation
The third day of Ren Wei's cultivation began beneath the muted rhythm of spiritual wind brushing against the stone walls of the villa. Inside his formation-rich cultivation room, he sat immovable like a mountain, drawing in threads of spiritual energy from every direction.
Unlike the first two days, where his body and mind sharpened steadily, today the process slowed into something denser, more abstract. The Qi entered his meridians in smaller amounts, but condensed more intensely. Every breath felt like sipping molten iron—slow, weighty, and vital.
Even the flow of time seemed to hesitate around him.
By evening, the refinement of his inner Qi had deepened, but the bottleneck to the third level remained firm. His Immortal Emperor Psychic absorbed Qi faster than normal cultivators, but even then, the Foundation Establishment Realm wasn't easily conquered.
Ren Wei didn't speak. His silence was focus, and his stillness was a declaration of war on stagnation.
---
Dawn of Day 4
At the break of dawn, Ren Wei opened his eyes.
A faint haze of Qi shimmered across his skin, but his brows furrowed. Despite three days of uninterrupted focus, the progress was slower than expected.
> "Half the road to Level 3…" he muttered to himself, lips barely moving. "Foundation Establishment Realm is… something else."
He leaned back slightly and sighed, then reached into his spatial ring and retrieved one of the pills he had personally crafted. The faint green shimmer of the spiritual pill danced with refined purity—ten times stronger than what Han Crest had provided.
> "One week without a breakthrough won't cut it. I need the Form Three unlocked now."
Without hesitation, he swallowed the pill.
The Qi exploded within him like a dormant volcano reawakened. He closed his eyes once more, sitting in the center of his cultivation array. The herbs embedded in the floor vibrated as the formation absorbed the surge and redirected it into his core.
Hours passed.
Then, just as sunlight began bleeding through the windows, the system's mechanical chime rang out crisply in his mind:
Ding!
Foundation Establishment Realm Level 3 achieved.
Ash Vein Fang – Form 3 unlocked.
Ren Wei opened his eyes. They gleamed with new power. No longer simply a cultivator preparing for battle—he had crossed another threshold.
Without a word, he brought up the system interface to see what the new Form Three could truly offer.