Dusk fell gently over Ren Wei's villa, painting the courtyard in soft amber light. Inside the cultivation chamber, silence reigned, broken only by the faint rustle of his robes as he opened his eyes.
He sat there for a moment, unmoving, gaze heavy with thought. Then he slowly pressed two fingers against his wrist, searching.
"…Still mid-level Grandmaster," he muttered. "No system prompt… So no breakthrough yet."
He let out a slow breath and reached beside him. A small wooden chest, carved with faint protective runes, lay nestled against the wall. He opened it carefully. Inside were **five pills** — one gleaming with silvery ripples, the mark of Lian Sect's craftsmanship, and four others, more modest but potent, **crafted by his own hand**.
Ren Wei narrowed his eyes slightly. "Five pills… Should be enough to push me to the peak," he murmured. "Perfect Grandmaster… maybe even a spare pill left behind."
He stared at the lone pill from Sheng Lian for a long moment before closing the lid and resting it on his lap.
"Two weeks left until the duel," he whispered to himself. "If I push hard enough… Golden Core isn't impossible."
He picked up one of the pills, held it between his fingers like a blade, then closed his eyes and began drawing in the Qi. The chamber darkened as spiritual energy thickened once more.
---
Far away, in the stately and coldly lit halls of the **Han Crest**, Han Suiren sat cross-legged beneath a mural of the ancestral phoenix.
Around his stood four elders, their voices clashing like unsheathed swords.
"The Lian Sect will interfere—"
"He killed Junyu. The families won't stay quiet—"
"Should we call for ancestral arbitration?"
Han Suiren raised his hand. "Enough."
The room quieted.
Just then, the doors opened. Another elder stepped inside — tall, aged, yet eyes sharp as ever. The others recognized him instantly and bowed before quietly taking their leave.
Only Han Suiren and the elder remained.
"Come," he said, gesturing to the seat beside him. "Sit, Elder Haoran."
**Gu Haoran**, one of the oldest and most respected voices of the Han Clan, nodded and took his place.
He looked at him, his gaze unreadable.
"That brat, Ren Wei…" he began. "What's your stance, Suiren? Will you support him fully — at least until he reaches Golden Core? Or… have you turned away?"
Han Suiren leaned back slightly, his expression unreadable.
Gu Haoran's voice grew firmer. "Because if you won't… I've already decided. I'll take him as my disciple. If I do that, no one — not even Wei Wuxian — will dare to touch him."
Han Suiren laughed, not with mockery, but with strange fondness. "You see your younger self in him, don't you?"
The old man didn't answer. He simply stood after a moment and looked toward the setting sun.
"I won't let that child die," he said at last. "Not while I still breathe."
Then he turned and left the hall.
Han Suiren remained in silence, his thoughts deeper than his words. His hand rested over her heart as the evening shadows lengthened.
---
*Second Day's Dusk*
The sun dipped once more beyond the horizon, casting warm streaks of red-orange light across the villa. Inside the sealed chamber, silence reigned — until the stillness was broken by a crystalline chime.
> **Ding!**
> *Foundation Establishment – Level 6 achieved.*
Ren Wei's eyes opened slowly, golden strands of Qi still swirling faintly around his pupils before fading.
He exhaled, voice quiet.
"One day… one layer."
He glanced down at the small chest resting beside him. The pill from Sheng Lian was now spent — all that remained were his own: humble in appearance, yet burning with determination.
Without hesitation, he reached in, took one between two fingers, and placed it into his mouth.
The medicinal Qi hit like a rising tide, flooding his veins.
He closed his eyes again, silently whispering to the System:
"Let's see how far I can push this."
---
*Third Day's Dusk*
> **Ding!**
> *Foundation Establishment – Level 7 achieved.*
His laughter echoed within the chamber, sharp but restrained.
"Golden Core… it's not a dream anymore," Ren Wei murmured, brushing back a few strands of hair matted with sweat. His breathing was steady, but the aura around him had grown **denser**, almost metallic in taste.
He didn't pause. He simply pulled out the next pill from the chest — another one forged by his own hands.
The flame hadn't burned out yet.
Eyes shut. Qi rose. Cultivation continued.
---
*Fourth Day Begins*
> **Ding!**
> *Host has reached Foundation Establishment Realm – Level 8.*
Ren Wei opened his eyes again. This time, there was no murmur, no comment.
Just silence.
Then, a smirk.
"That's enough sitting," he muttered. "Time to move."
With a flick of his mind, the **System Inventory** shimmered — and from the light, **Echo Fang** manifested in his hand, its black blade humming softly in greeting.
He rose from the stone floor, stretched slightly, and walked toward the exit of the cultivation room.
"It's been a while since I heard your voice," he whispered to the saber.
Outside, the villa was still cloaked in early morning shadows.
But something was shifting.