Three days passed.
The soft wind drifting across the Jade Wind Pavilion carried the scent of blooming spirit grass and morning dew. Songbirds chirped gently from nearby peach trees, and sunlight filtered through the paper windows of Shadow's new residence, painting golden patterns on the polished wooden floor.
Inside, Shadow stirred.
His eyes fluttered open slowly, adjusting to the gentle morning light. A dull ache pulsed through his chest, but the all-consuming pain he had felt before was gone. Thick bandages crisscrossed his torso and arms, and the air was tinged with the sharp aroma of healing herbs.
He sat up, groaning softly as his muscles protested the movement. Swinging his legs off the bed, Shadow looked toward the nearby table.
Resting on its surface were several items: the silver token of the Inner Sect, the jade pill bottle gifted by the Sect Master, and a small pouch filled with shimmering spirit stones.
A faint smile touched his lips.
"I'm still alive," he murmured. "And I have work to do."
---
After washing and changing into a clean inner sect robe of dark green silk embroidered with silver leaf patterns, Shadow took a few minutes to explore the rest of his new home.
The two-story residence was built with spirit jade stone and darkwood, modest yet refined. A central courtyard featured a tranquil bamboo grove and a koi pond fed by a spiritual spring. A meditation room overlooked the garden, while a small indoor cultivation chamber emanated a faint pulsing warmth.
Shadow inhaled deeply, centering himself, then stepped into the cultivation room. He placed the pouch of spirit stones in a precise circle around his bed and sat cross-legged in its center.
From the jade bottle, he retrieved the **Lower Grade Barrier Breaking Pill**, studying it briefly. It shimmered faintly with golden light and carried the faint scent of pine and lightning.
"No turning back now."
He swallowed the pill.
Immediately, heat exploded through his body.
Molten energy surged through his meridians, expanding, burning, transforming. His dantian roared to life. Sweat broke across his forehead, and his teeth clenched from the strain. With trembling hands, he pulled several **lower-grade spirit stones** from the pouch and began drawing their energy into his core.
Thunder rolled within him.
His muscles tore and reknitted. Bones cracked, then fused stronger. His blood coursed like storm-touched rivers, and lightning danced under his skin.
Then—
**BOOM!**
A deep pulse of thunder erupted from within him, rippling through the chamber and disturbing the still pond outside.
Shadow exhaled.
His eyes opened slowly.
**Fifth Level of the Foundation Realm.**
A calm, quiet pride stirred in his heart.
"Step by step," he whispered. "I'll reach the peak on my own terms."
---
By midday, he made his way through the inner sect to the towering spires of the **Martial Arts Pavilion**—a sacred building layered in darkwood beams and jade pillars. Spirit carvings of beasts and ancestors lined the path leading to the entrance, where stone lanterns glowed with spiritual fire.
Above the gate, a phrase carved in ancient runes read:
**"Strength is the vessel. Insight is the path."**
Inside, the scent of incense and parchment filled the air. Scrolls lined the walls, and delicate spirit threads hummed with restrained power.
Behind the counter sat an elder with drooping white eyebrows, a narrow face, and a demeanor of lazy intelligence. He looked up with squinted eyes.
"Name?"
"Shadow," he replied respectfully. "Newly promoted to the Inner Sect."
The elder yawned. "Ah… the one who tamed lightning and slayed a demon. You're here for the high-grade reward, I assume?"
Shadow nodded. "Yes, Senior."
The elder pulled a bronze tablet from under the counter and placed it before him. Runes shimmered to life, forming a floating list of martial techniques.
"Only the titles are shown. You get one choice, no second thoughts. Choose wisely."
Seven glowing names hovered above the tablet:
### High-Grade Wood Element Martial Arts:
**1. Verdant Heaven Bloom** – A technique that blooms spiritual flowers from the user's body, each petal carrying toxins or healing properties. Useful in crowd control and regeneration.
**2. Emerald Storm Fang** – Channels wind and wood Qi to form serrated green spears that spiral and pierce from any direction. Lethal and unpredictable.
**3. Whispering Willow Dance** – A footwork and blade technique mimicking the sway of willows. Grants high evasion and deceptive counter-attacks.
**4. Forest Heart Requiem** – A spiritual song played through resonance of Qi that disrupts enemies' mental focus and weakens cultivators of weaker willpower.
**5. Thunderroot Vortex** *(Hybrid: Wood/Thunder)* – Summons spiraling roots from beneath the user's feet, crackling with thunder Qi. Explodes in a vortex of force, immobilizing and electrocuting enemies.
**6. Sovereign Vine Bind** – Controls living vines conjured from Qi to trap and crush targets. The vines grow stronger the longer they restrain an opponent.
**7. Sylvan Gatefall** – A high-level summoning technique that opens a spiritual gate from the forest realm, releasing a beast made of bark and energy to fight alongside the user.
Shadow's eyes flickered as he analyzed each name and its essence.
"Verdant Heaven Bloom… too passive. Emerald Storm Fang... powerful, but wild. Whispering Willow Dance... elegant, but not enough stopping power. Forest Heart Requiem? Dangerous, but specialized."
He paused at **Thunderroot Vortex**. His Qi stirred subtly.
"A wood-thunder hybrid… that matches my path. Offensive and rooted."
Still, he hesitated.
"Senior," he said, bowing slightly. "May I request access to the Pavilion's second floor? I wish to study—not take—the medium-grade wood techniques."
The elder raised an eyebrow. "You want to study scrolls you can't even claim?"
"Yes," Shadow said firmly. "I want to understand how they're built before I select mine."
The elder snorted. "Curious boy. Most grab and run. Fine. Two incense sticks of time. No copying."
Shadow bowed deeply. "You honor me."
"Up the right staircase. Be gone."
---
The second floor was cloaked in quiet power. Floating bookshelves circled a central meditation platform. Scrolls of ancient ink lined the shelves. Gentle whispers of Qi drifted like wind through trees.
Shadow moved slowly, absorbing the feeling of the place.
He stopped before a scroll titled *Vine Pulse Flow*, opened it gently, and studied its diagrams—Qi veins flowing like rivers, rotating energy nodes, spiritual arrays built in mirrored sequences.
Every technique here was more than just violence. They were *philosophies*—reflections of nature, discipline, and harmony.
He closed his eyes and visualized each flow, each strike, seeing how the energies adapted.
When the elder finally called, "Time's up!", Shadow descended, bowing once more.
"I'm ready."
The elder nodded. "Your choice?"
"Thunderroot Vortex."
The tablet pulsed. One scroll floated from the shelves into a jade box, sealed with a sigil.
"Study it well," the elder said, his tone softer now. "Understanding is the first step to mastery. But power must follow."
Shadow accepted the scroll.
"I'll do more than master it," he said quietly. "I'll make it my own."