Yang sat in lotus position on his meditation platform, hands forming the Soul Contemplation mudra. His breathing followed the prescribed rhythm. Seven counts in. Six counts out. Forty-nine breaths per hour, maintained with mechanical precision.

  It had been some days since he'd started attempting to awaken his Inner Eye. His routine had become rigid, almost obsessive. Wake before dawn. Meditate for hours trying to access his inner eye, focusing on the darkness behind his forehead. Then switch to normal qi cultivation, drawing energy into his dantian to advance his realm as high as he could before the Inner Eye opened. Practice talismans until his fingers cramped. Leave the cave only for breakfast and dinner, bringing along an extra bun or some easy to carry food back to his cave for lunch.

  He only left the cave for the food hall and quickly came back in. The isolation was necessary. He needed every available hour for practice.

  Even Ye Xuan had noticed. They'd crossed paths three days ago near the food hall, and Ye Xuan had laughed good-naturedly.

  "Brother Yang, you've become a cultivation madman!" Ye Xuan had called out cheerfully. "I haven't seen you at any of the gatherings. The other disciples are starting to think you've turned into a hermit."

  Yang had smiled apologetically and made excuses but hadn't changed his habits. There was too much to do. Too much progress to make.

  He was almost at the second stage of Qi Condensation now. His dantian was filling steadily, the qi growing denser with each cultivation session. Perhaps another week or two and he'd break through to the second stage.

  But he knew that once he opened his Inner Eye, his cultivation speed would be reduced dramatically. From that point forward, he'd be cultivating with seventy percent of his qi going into his Sea of Consciousness instead of his dantian. His physical cultivation would slow to a crawl while his soul strengthened.

  That's why he was pushing so hard now. Building his qi base as high as possible before the switch happened. Every stage he could reach before awakening the Inner Eye was a stage he wouldn't have to struggle through later with reduced efficiency.

  Yang maintained his focus on the darkness behind his forehead. The sense of depth came more frequently now. Almost every meditation session produced at least a few moments where the darkness seemed to extend infinitely inward. But he still hadn't seen the luminescence the manual described. Still hadn't glimpsed the Sea of Consciousness itself.

  Days or weeks, the manual had said. He was well into the "weeks" portion of that estimate already.

  His stomach growled, breaking his concentration slightly. Yang glanced toward the cave entrance. It was almost time for dinner.

  He carefully released the mudra and stood, stretching out the stiffness. His legs protested as circulation returned. He'd been sitting for perhaps six hours straight this session.

  As Yang made his way to the food hall, his thoughts turned to something that had been worrying him for weeks now. Li San.

  It had been months since Yang had sent the letter informing Li San of his admittance to White Cloud Sect. Months without any reply. No message. No news. Nothing.

  Yang knew that letters could take weeks or even months to arrive. But this silence felt wrong. Had something happened to Li San? Was he hurt? Or had the letter simply never arrived?

  The worry gnawed at Yang constantly. Li San was his brother in all but blood. The person who'd traveled with him from Yunxi Village to the cultivation world. They'd promised to stay in contact, to share news of their progress.

  But there'd been nothing.

  Yang reached the food hall and collected his dinner. Rice, vegetables, and some kind of spirit beast meat that smelled delicious. But he barely tasted it as he ate, his mind occupied with concerns about Li San.

  After finishing his meal and collecting some steamed buns for tomorrow's lunch, Yang made a decision. He wouldn't return to his cave immediately. Instead, he made his way to the outer sect hall.

  Senior Brother Bo Yu was there, as always, manning the counter with patient efficiency. He looked up as Yang approached and smiled warmly.

  "Junior Brother Yang! It's good to see you out and about. I heard from Junior Sister Wei Wei that you've been spending all your time cultivating."

  Yang bowed respectfully. "Senior Brother Bo Yu, congratulations on your advancement. I heard you successfully reached the seventh stage of Qi Condensation."

  Senior Brother Bo Yu's smile widened with genuine pleasure. "Ah, thank you, Junior Brother. Yes, the closed-door cultivation was successful. The breakthrough came more smoothly than I'd expected."

  "I'm very happy for you, Senior Brother. You've worked hard for it."

  "We all work hard here," Senior Brother Bo Yu said modestly. Then his expression grew more observant. "But you didn't come here just to congratulate me, did you? You look troubled. Is something wrong?"

  Yang hesitated, then nodded. "Senior Brother, I'm worried about my brother. Li San. The one I mentioned before, who joined the sword sect. He is in Azure Sword Sect"

  "I remember, although I don’t believe you told me he was in Azure Sword Sect" Bo Yu said, his tone encouraging. "What's concerning you?"

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  "It's been months since I sent a letter telling him I'd joined White Cloud Sect," Yang explained. "Months without any reply. I know the postal system is slow, but this seems too long. I'm worried something might have happened to him."

  Senior Brother Bo Yu's expression softened with understanding. He leaned forward slightly, his voice kind. "Junior Brother, I can understand your worry. But let me ease your mind if I can."

  "Please, Senior Brother. Any insight would be helpful."

  "Postal service is very fast for cultivators as we use either seals or flying messengers to carry messages to major cities, it's just that most sects aren't as unrestrained as White Cloud Sect when it comes to their disciples' personal affairs," Senior Brother Bo Yu began. "We're somewhat unusual in that regard. We allow outer sect disciples considerable freedom to manage their own correspondence, to maintain connections outside the sect."

  He paused, then continued. "But Azure Sword Sect is much more strict. If your brother is just at Qi Condensation stage, he will hardly have the means of getting a letter sent here. Azure Point City is very far away, and most sects don't bother organizing the logistics of sending posts from disciples like White Cloud Sect does."

  Yang felt some of the tension in his chest ease. "So you think he simply can't send letters? Not that something's wrong?"

  "Most likely," Senior Brother Bo Yu confirmed. "Azure Sword Sect focuses heavily on sword cultivation and combat training. They're not concerned with disciples maintaining social connections. Your brother is probably spending all his time training, and even if he wanted to write to you, he'd have no easy way to send the letter."

  He smiled reassuringly. "It's not that he's forgotten you or that something terrible has happened. It's just that other sects operate differently from ours. He likely received your letter and was happy to hear from you, but has no way to respond."

  Yang nodded slowly, absorbing this information. It made sense. Different sects had different priorities. White Cloud Sect valued well-rounded development and allowed disciples personal time. But Azure Sword Sect being first one of the top ten major sects, could afford to be more demanding of their disciples' time and attention.

  "Thank you, Senior Brother," Yang said, bowing again. "That does ease my worries considerably."

  "Of course, Junior Brother. Is there anything else troubling you?"

  Yang hesitated, then decided to purchase more supplies while he was here. "Actually, Senior Brother, I need to buy more talisman paper. I've run out again."

  Senior Brother Bo Yu's eyebrows rose with amusement. "Again? Junior Brother, you go through talisman paper faster than anyone I've seen. How many are you practicing?"

  "I've achieved ninety-nine percent success rate with illumination talismans," Yang said. "So now I'm moving on to more complicated talismans."

  "Excellent progress," Senior Brother Bo Yu said approvingly. He called over to Senior Sister Wei Wei, who was working at another part of the counter. "Junior Sister, can you get some talisman paper for Junior Brother Yang?"

  Senior Sister Wei Wei looked up and smiled when she saw Yang. "Junior Brother Yang! Still practicing hard, I see."

  "Always, Senior Sister."

  She disappeared into the storage room and emerged a moment later with several bundles of talisman paper. "How many do you need?"

  "Five bundles, please," Yang said, calculating how long they might last him.

  Senior Sister Wei Wei arranged the bundles on the counter as Yang handed over the payment and accepted the wrapped bundles. "Thank you, Senior Sister."

  "What talismans are you planning on working on now?" Senior Sister Wei Wei asked curiously.

  "Defensive ones, mostly," Yang replied. "I thought they'd be more practical than offensive talismans at my cultivation level."

  Senior Brother Bo Yu nodded approvingly. "Smart thinking. Defensive talismans are always useful and less likely to backfire spectacularly if you make mistakes while learning."

  "That's what I thought as well, Senior Brother."

  Yang was about to take his leave when Senior Sister Wei Wei spoke up again. "Junior Brother, are you planning to sell more talismans soon? Your illumination talismans were well-made. I'm sure you could earn good points once you master some defensive ones."

  "I'm not sure yet, Senior Sister. I'm focusing more on cultivation right now."

  "Of course, cultivation comes first, "Senior Brother Bo Yu interjected. "But don't neglect your talisman skills entirely either. Having a supplementary profession is valuable, especially one you're clearly talented at, since you can earn a lot of points this way and buy resources for your cultivation"

  Yang nodded, though inwardly he felt conflicted. Normally he would be concentrating purely on his cultivation, as that was always the priority. Cultivation came before everything else. That's what all the elders and senior brothers taught.

  But for the last couple of days, he'd felt an indescribable urge to improve his talisman skills. He didn't know why, and that terrified him more than anything.

  His inner instincts had never led him astray. They'd saved his life countless times. But they'd also never been this vague before. Usually, they gave him clear danger warnings or pulled him toward specific choices. This was different. Just a persistent feeling that he needed to get better at talismans.

  But no indication of why. No sense of what threat was coming or when he'd need these skills.

  Yang wished the inner instincts could be more indicative of the what, where, and how. But he was still grateful since most people didn't even have that much. Most cultivators walked blind, making decisions based purely on logic and available information. Yang at least had his instincts to guide him, even when they were cryptic.

  "Junior Brother?" Senior Brother Bo Yu's voice broke through Yang's thoughts. "Are you alright? You seem distracted."

  Yang forced a smile. "I'm fine, Senior Brother. Just tired from cultivation. I should get back to my cave and rest."

  "Don't push yourself too hard," Bo Yu said kindly. "I know you're working hard to advance, but burning yourself out helps no one. Make sure you're eating properly and sleeping enough."

  "I will, Senior Brother. Thank you for your concern."

  "And don't worry about your brother," Senior Brother Bo Yu added. "I'm certain he's fine. Azure Sword Sect is strict but not cruel. He's probably progressing well in his cultivation and thinking of you even if he can't write."

  Yang bowed to both Senior Brother Bo Yu and Senior Sister Wei Wei. "Thank you both for your help and advice."

  He left the outer sect hall with his bundles of talisman paper, his worries about Li San partially eased but his unease about the talisman urge still present.

  As he walked back to his cave through the evening air, Yang decided he would trust his instincts. He'd spend extra time on talismans.

  Whatever was coming, whatever reason his instincts had for pushing him toward talisman creation skills, he'd be ready for it.

  Yang reached his cave and stepped inside. The familiar space welcomed him. Meditation platform. Shelf with his manuals and supplies.

  He set down the talisman paper bundles and looked at the Heaven-Refining Soul Sutra sitting beside his meditation platform.

  Tomorrow he'd continue trying to awaken the Inner Eye and building his qi cultivation. Along with practicing defensive talismans.

  The path ahead was demanding. Multiple priorities pulling at his attention already. But Yang would manage it all. He had to.

  Because his instincts were warning him that he'd need every skill he could develop.

  And Yang had learned long ago to trust those warnings.