Chapter 85 – Desperate Measures

  The candles in Mei Lian’s residence had long since burned down to stubs, leaving only the moonlight to spill through the large windows to illuminate the room. A faint wind stirred the warm air within, bringing with it the smell of summer flowers from her small courtyard outside.

  She sat in the center of her cultivation room, cross-legged on a woven mat with her sword resting across her lap as the Elders had taught her during her lessons. Her face was furrowed in frustration and covered in a sheen of sweat.

  Her robes clung to her skin, soaked from the effort of endless hours of cultivation. The Qi in her Dantian surged again, wild and fierce, as it slammed repeatedly into the invisible wall that barred her from the 4th Level of Qi Condensation.

  Each time it did so, her body shuddered from the effort, and it felt as if her bones were breaking and flesh tearing.

  ‘Come on!’ Mei Lian thought, and her teeth clenched in anger and frustration at her inability to break through. Her meridians trembled under the pressure, and her breathing was coming in shallow bursts.

  The pressure inside her was nearing a breaking point. She gathered her Qi once again, guiding it along the perfected paths through her meridians, and struck at the bottleneck once again.

  This time, the barrier cracked, and a surge of pain followed.

  Mei Lian gasped as her body suddenly convulsed. The Qi she had gathered in order to break through roiled and rampaged throughout her Dantian, and there was a backlash that followed her meridians.

  Her sword rattled in her lap as a burst of pale light flickered around her for a moment. The uncontrolled Qi damaged her room, sending her furniture and personal items flying in all directions.

  Mei Lian spat out a mouthful of blood before she collapsed forward, her palms catching her just before her face hit the floor. She was panting from the exertion, and each breath sent pain shooting through her chest.

  It took a long time for her Qi to finally settle, and she was balanced on a knife’s edge as she waited.

  The breakthrough had finally come, but it was incredibly fragile and unstable. Her cultivation base wavered, uncertain and tenuous, as if it could collapse at the slightest misstep.

  “I barely managed it.” Mei Lian whispered as she slowly climbed to her feet and made her way to a nearby chair. Righting the piece of furniture from where it had fallen over, she collapsed into it.

  The elation of success was short-lived as doubt crept in immediately after. She had pushed herself too hard, too quickly. She was now in the 4th Level of Qi Condensation, but would require months, if not longer, to recover and stabilize her new cultivation level.

  ‘If I have this much trouble reaching the 4th Level, what about the 5th?’ Mei Lian thought to herself.

  Reaching the 5th, 7th, and 9th levels of Qi Condensation were said to be the most difficult stages as the bottlenecks kept most Disciples from progressing further. It wasn’t just about the need to gather higher quality spiritual energy, which all stages required, but the expansion of the Dantian.

  If Mei Lian struggled to reach the 4th Level, which wasn’t known for its harsh bottleneck, how would she manage the 5th?

  ‘Jun De.’

  She thought of her Senior Brother and the way he was always calm and in control, smoothly progressing through the stages of cultivation without trouble. She admired him so much and wanted to follow in his footsteps as he soared upward.

  But here she was, barely crawling where he had run.

  Her gaze dropped to the sword that lay on the ground where she had dropped it after her breakthrough. She reached down and picked it up, wincing at the weight as her finger tightened around the hilt.

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  “I’m not talented, not like him. How can I stand next to him when I’m so much weaker? If I keep going like this, I’ll never catch up.” Mei Lian whispered.

  She closed her eyes and drew in a deep breath to settle her emotions that were quickly threatening to overwhelm her. There was sadness, anger, and even jealousy over Jun De’s talent, all mixed together.

  Then, Mei Lian recalled her last mission she had taken beyond the Sect. It had been in a remote village nestled in the hills. She had been tasked with hunting a level 1 Qi Condensation Spiritual Beast that had been attacking the farmers there.

  But what stood out the most was what she overheard. An old cultivator was speaking to the travelling merchant in hushed tones. The merchant was informing him of recent events and how cultivators were practicing a new method that would increase a person’s cultivation regardless of talent.

  It was a forbidden method, one that had been hidden by the Sects for a long time. The merchant had claimed that they had tried to stamp out its existence in order to maintain the hegemony of the Sects, but had seen its effects for himself.

  The rest of the details had been vague, but it had been enough for the seed of an idea to take root in Mei Lina’s heart.

  And now, when she was exhausted and frustrated, that seed blossomed into something stronger.

  “What good am I if I cannot stay by his side? Why should I be cautious if I’m going to be left behind?” Mei Lian murmured.

  Her grip tightened on her sword until her knuckles turned white.

  She didn’t commit to making a decision, but the path forward for her was beginning to take shape.

  While Mei Lian was considering her future and recovering from her breakthrough, an awkward scene was taking place in Lin Yue’s residence. The sun was shining brightly, and the summer heat was broken only by a small breeze that stirred the spiritual herbs in her well-tended garden.

  Despite the high temperature, there was a definite chill in the air as two young women conversed.

  Lin Yue and Shen Ruolan sat across from each other, and a pot of tea steamed between them. The fragrant tea was calming and refreshing, but completely at odds with the tension in the air.

  As the host, Lin Yue poured the tea into cups with an elegant grace, but promptly scalded her fingers as she felt the intense glare from Shen Ruolan, who was watching her.

  “Ah!” Lin Yue winced, shaking her hand slightly and trying not to look flustered.

  Shen Ruolan raised an eyebrow and shook her head.

  “First time serving tea?” She asked mockingly, and Lin Yue blushed slightly. Lin Yue cleared her throat and forced a polite smile to appear on her face.

  “No, I was just distracted. I don’t get many visitors.” Lin Yue responded.

  They sipped their tea in silence for a long moment before they both spoke simultaneously.

  “So, about Jun De-”

  “You and Jun De-”

  They both froze, and this time Shen Ruolan’s cheeks had a slight pink colour appear. As a guest, it was only proper to allow Lin Yue to speak first. She gestured for the other woman to begin.

  “How do you know Jun De?” Lin Yue asked.

  “He came to Yunlai City, and I showed him the markets. Then, we travelled together on my father’s ship on an expedition against the Demonic Cultivators. He saved my life.” Shen Ruolan explained. She paused for a moment while Lin Yue took a sip from her cup.

  “He is also my betrothed.” Shen Ruolan added.

  Lin Yue nearly spat out her tea and managed to swallow it instead. Coughing, she placed her cup down with shaky hands while Shen Ruolan looked pleased at the reaction her words had.

  “I…what?” Lin Yue stammered, and Shen Ruolan’s smile widened.

  “Jun De has not been made aware of the fact yet, but my parents have agreed that he is suitable for me. It is all but settled.” Shen Ruolan said proudly.

  Lin Yue took a moment to gather her thoughts, while Shen Ruolan leaned back in her chair and lifted her own teacup to her lips. Lin Yue hated to see the smug look on the other woman’s face, and the fact that she took Jun De’s agreement to a betrothal as expected.

  “I do not imagine it will be. Jun De is committed to the Dao and is not currently seeking a permanent Dao Companion. He told me so after we spent the night together.” Lin Yue said, carefully timing her words for when Shen Rulan’s teacup was pressed against her lips.

  She hoped Jun De would forgive her for the small, white lie she told about him. They hadn’t discussed their future together, or if Jun De was seeking a companion.

  Truth be told, she had been the driving force of the situation by coming to his room that night and undressing for him. Lin Yue was unsure if Jun De would have acted otherwise.

  It was Shen Ruolan’s turn to sputter and choke on her tea, and she didn’t manage to entirely keep it from dribbling from her lips and staining her dress.

  “…What did you say?” Shen Ruolan managed to say, and her tone threatened violence.

  “I believe you heard me.” Lin Yue replied, taking immense pleasure in seeing the other woman on the back foot.

  Shen Ruolan visibly forced herself to calm down, taking several deep breaths and placing her tea cup on the table carefully so that she didn’t have another accident with it.

  “Putting aside the fact that I believe you to be a liar, Jun De’s past does not bother me. It is only his future that I care about. He is, and will continue to be, mine.” Shen Ruolan said, and her voice was as hard as steel.

  The two young women stared at each other, and a disciple who happened to be passing outside Lin Yue’s residence on his way to his own home felt the intense killing intent coming from within.