The villa remained still.
Outside, the world whispered of Ren Wei's disappearance. Inside, time had no meaning — only progress.
> *Ding!*
> **Main Quest Reminder: "Make Her Wait" – Time Remaining: 1 day 23 hours**
He didn't flinch. He sat cross-legged on a formation he carved himself. Spirit herbs were crushed into incense, the **Blood-Nectar Recovery Pill** resting neatly by his side. The Qi-Gathering Array below him pulsed faintly — crude, but stable.
> "Three days? I'll take two."
---
At school, rumors bloomed like mold.
> "Ren Wei's not coming back."
> "He's scared of Li Xuan. Can't blame him — one slap and he'll be eating dirt again."
Mei Rou deleted every message that came to his device.
Su Yao scoffed at the gossip, standing at the villa's gate like a statue.
But Ren Wei was far from absent.
Within the chamber, his skin steamed. Qi surged into him like a storm forced into a bottle. His veins glowed faintly beneath the flesh, lines of force pressing against their limits.
He bit down, drew blood, and pushed harder.
> *Ding!*
> **Qi Refinement Level 7 Achieved**
> *Stat Boost: +2 Physical Strength, +3 Qi Resistance*
> *Side Effect: Soul Fatigue – Duration: 2 Hours*
His chest rose and fell like a man halfway through drowning — and still diving deeper.
> "It's not enough."
The gossip turned cruel.
> "Li Xuan's already celebrating."
> "Maybe he ran back to the slums."
Su Yao gritted her teeth. Mei Rou didn't speak, but the flicker of spiritual energy in her fingers hinted at frustration.
Even Sheng Lian said nothing.
Only a single Lian Sect spirit crane landed by the window and left behind an empty scroll.
One mark.
A message without words:
**"Still waiting."**
---
Ren Wei cracked his knuckles.
> "Then I'll make you wait forever."
He inhaled sharply. Qi burned through his meridians like molten iron. His bones screamed. The very formation beneath him cracked.
> *Ding!*
> **Qi Refinement Level 8 Achieved**
> *Warning: Advancement Exceeds Local Physiology*
> *Backlash Risk: 12%*
Lightning flared in his chest — not real lightning, but a memory of power. A flicker of something lost and ancient surged beneath his skin.
> *Ding!*
> **Main Quest Completed: "Make Her Wait"**
> – Reward: [Fragmented Bloodline Resonance]
> → Passive Gained: **"Primordial Resilience"**
> → *Qi Recovery +25% when injured. Resistance to suppression effects increased.*
---
He stood.
His shirt clung to his skin. Sweat steamed from him. The herbs were burned to ash, and the formation had died… but he had risen.
Qi Refinement Level 8. In two days.
He walked to the window, where dawn broke beyond the mountains.
The horizon looked small now.
> "Two down..."
> *"One more to break."*
The third dawn broke like a blade through the clouds.
From within the meditation chamber, the door creaked open. Su Yao stepped inside quietly, but the moment her eyes fell on him, she froze.
Ren Wei stood still — yet it felt like the entire villa was holding its breath.
His Qi wasn't wild. It was perfectly still, terrifying in its calm. As if nature itself didn't dare ripple without his permission.
> "You... broke through again?"
Mei Rou, standing behind Su Yao, whispered without meaning to.
> "Two levels... in two days…"
Ren Wei opened his eyes. They glinted like tempered steel.
> *Ding!*
> **Qi Refinement Level 8: Achieved**
> *Stat Points Allocated: +2 Qi Flow, +3 Physical Fortitude, +1 Willpower*
> *Ding!*
> **Main Quest "Make Her Wait" – Completed Early (2 Days)**
> *Reward: Passive Skill – [Heaven-Defying Growth]*
> *→ Gain increased comprehension rate and 10% EXP boost during closed-door cultivation.*
> "One more," he muttered. "Then I tear the sky."
---
He walked through the gates of the academy that morning without his uniform — only black robes, loose hair, and a strange calm wrapped around him.
Students fell silent as he passed.
Some lowered their heads. Others couldn't help but stare.
> "That's... Ren Wei?"
> "He was hiding his strength…?"
Even the instructors looked up from their scrolls.
> *Ding!*
> **Passive Skill Activated: \[Threatening Aura]**
> *→ Enemies with lower cultivation feel instinctive unease.*
Liang Fei's former lackeys, once bold, turned away the moment Ren Wei's gaze drifted their way.
---
In a distant wing of the city, a Li Family servant ran up the spiral tower to report.
> "Young Master Xuan, that brat… he's changed."
Li Xuan, clad in silver robes, brushed the dust from his blade.
> "Changed?"
> "Qi Refinement Eight. And... he carries himself like—"
Li Xuan scoffed.
> "Let him carry a crown if he wants. I'll still snap his spine like a twig."
But behind the door, an elder's voice rang out:
> "Be cautious. If he continues like this, the ancient seals might notice."
---
Deep beneath the academy's central pagoda, a white-robed old man lit a stick of incense.
He held a jade tablet with names carved into it.
> "Ren Wei..."
He etched the name beneath a short list:
**Candidates to Watch**
> "Two rapid ascents... and Dao qi traces from an unknown source. The boy walks against the natural rhythm. The heavens might respond."
He placed the tablet back in its case — next to one wrapped in chains.
---
The Heaven's Ring Platform was nearly full.
Dozens of students, elders, merchants, and even rogue cultivators had gathered. Word had spread fast — a no-name boy challenging Li Xuan? Ridiculous. Entertaining. Impossible.
And yet…
The crowd fell silent as Ren Wei walked up the steps, robe fluttering, eyes locked forward.
At the center stood Li Xuan, sword drawn and waiting. He smirked.
> "Didn't run after all?"
Ren Wei didn't speak. He only stepped forward until they stood a breath apart.
Two Qi auras collided. Sparks danced across the stone floor.
> "You're not the same rat from last week," Li Xuan said.
Ren Wei's lips curled.
> "And you're not the sky. Just another wall I'll break."