Xian Tiandi woke late in the morning, his body still heavy with exhaustion. Sunlight stread through the window of his room at the inn. He’d pushed himself hard last night, depleting his spiritual energy to dangerous levels.
He sat up slowly and assessed his condition. His dantian felt empty, like a dried well. His ridians ached from the massive circulation of chaos energy. But nothing was permanently damaged. A few days of rest and cultivation would restore him completely.
’The Five Elent Lotus is secure,’ he thought with satisfaction.
He reached into his spatial ring and withdrew the treasure carefully. The lotus glowed softly in his hands, its five petals each radiating a different elental energy. Fire, water, earth, tal, and wood rged in perfect harmony.
This treasure wasn’t for his qi cultivation. It was specifically for body refinent, designed to strengthen the physical form through elental tempering. When he broke through from Qi Condensation to Foundation Establishnt realm, he’d use the lotus to simultaneously advance his body cultivation from Force Condensation to the next stage.
But that breakthrough couldn’t happen yet. Timing mattered. He needed to enter the Four Symbols Sect first and establish himself before making such a significant advancent.
For now, he’d focus on consolidating his current realms. Peak Qi Condensation and peak Force Condensation both required stabilization after last night’s intense combat.
Xian Tiandi stored the lotus safely back in his spatial ring and began circulating his spiritual energy. The cultivation technique flowed through his ridians, slowly gathering ambient spiritual energy from the air. It was a gentle process, focused on recovery rather than advancent.
Hours passed. The sun climbed higher in the sky, reaching its zenith. Xian Tiandi remained seated in ditation, his breathing slow and steady. Spiritual energy gradually refilled his dantian, drop by drop.
A knock on his door interrupted his cultivation.
"Young master Xian," a servant’s voice called. "Elder Feng requests your presence for the midday al."
Xian Tiandi opened his eyes. His spiritual energy had recovered to about sixty percent capacity. Not ideal, but acceptable. He stood and stretched, feeling his muscles protest slightly.
"I’ll be down shortly," he called back.
He changed into fresh robes, simple but well made. The clothing marked him as a mber of the Xian Clan without being ostentatious. He checked his appearance in a small bronze mirror, ensuring nothing seed out of place.
When he descended to the inn’s dining area, Elder Feng and Elder Ming were already seated. Both were Xian Clan elders who’d accompanied him to Crimson Lotus City for the sect enrollnt. Several clan servants attended them, bringing food and drink.
Elder Feng was a stern man in his sixties, his beard streaked with gray. He’d reached Foundation Establishnt realm decades ago and served as the clan’s primary instructor for younger generation cultivators.
Elder Ming was younger, perhaps forty, with sharp eyes that missed nothing. He handled clan security matters and had been charged with ensuring Xian Tiandi’s safety during the journey.
"You slept late," Elder Feng observed as Xian Tiandi sat. "Unusual for you."
"I was consolidating my cultivation," Xian Tiandi replied smoothly. "The last few days before sect entry are critical."
It wasn’t entirely a lie. He had been cultivating, just not for the reasons they assud.
Elder Ming poured tea for everyone. "The city is in an uproar this morning. Did you hear about the disturbance at the ancient ruins last night?"
Xian Tiandi kept his expression neutral. "I heard so commotion in the streets earlier. What happened?"
"No one knows exactly," Elder Feng said. He took a sip of tea before continuing. "There was Golden Core level combat detected. Massive spiritual energy fluctuations. But when investigators arrived, they found nothing. No bodies, no evidence. Just scorched earth and damaged structures."
"Strange," Xian Tiandi said mildly.
"The Four Symbols Sect is investigating thoroughly," Elder Ming added. "They’re questioning all cultivators currently in the city. We may be interviewed as well."
Xian Tiandi nodded. "Of course. We have nothing to hide."
The al arrived. Rice, vegetables, and at dishes were laid out on the table. They ate in relative silence, each lost in their own thoughts.
Elder Feng eventually spoke again. "I received word this morning. The sect enrollnt ceremony has been moved forward. It will take place tomorrow instead of three days from now."
Xian Tiandi looked up sharply. "Why the change?"
"Security concerns, apparently," Elder Ming explained. "The incident at the ruins has everyone on edge. The sect wants all new disciples inside their protective formations as soon as possible."
’They’re worried about infiltrators,’ Xian Tiandi thought. ’Smart. But they don’t realize so infiltrators are already inside. Or they know already.’
"We should prepare to depart at dawn tomorrow then," Elder Feng said. "The sect is half a day’s journey from the city. We’ll need to leave early to arrive in ti for the ceremony."
Xian Tiandi agreed. "I’ll be ready."
They finished their al and dispersed to their respective rooms. Xian Tiandi returned to his chamber and resud cultivating. He needed to restore as much spiritual energy as possible before tomorrow.
The afternoon passed slowly. Spiritual energy flowed through his ridians in steady cycles, refilling his dantian gradually. His body also recovered, the Force Condensation realm physique repairing minor damage accumulated during combat.
Evening arrived. The sun set, painting the sky in shades of orange and red. Xian Tiandi opened his eyes and assessed his condition again. His spiritual energy had recovered to roughly eighty percent. His body felt strong and responsive.
Good enough.
He stood and perford a series of movents, testing his physical capabilities. Punches, kicks, defensive stances. Everything flowed smoothly. The exhaustion from last night had mostly faded.
A knock ca at his door again.
"Young master, a visitor from the Four Symbols Sect has arrived," a servant announced. "She’s requesting to speak with all cultivators staying at this inn."
’Here it cos,’ Xian Tiandi thought. ’The investigation.’
"I’ll co down imdiately," he said.
He descended to the ground floor where a small crowd had gathered. The inn’s other guests, mostly rchants and travelers, stood nervously to one side. Elder Feng and Elder Ming were present, along with the clan servants.
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