With his resolve set, Yun Che took out the gray-white stone bead and began his first closed-door cultivation within the Cold Breathing Cavern.

  Time flowed silently away amid absolute stillness and endless cycles of regulated breathing. In the mountains, there were no calendars; when the cold finally waned, one no longer knew how many years had passed. In the blink of an eye, beyond the secret realm, spring and autumn had already turned twice.

  During these two years, Yun Che’s daily life followed an extremely rigid routine. Within the dream realm of the stone bead, he comprehended the incantations of the Mystic Frost Qi Condensation Art, repeatedly practicing the techniques “Subtle Guidance” and “Breath Concealment.” In reality, he consumed Ice Condensation Pills, guiding refined icy spiritual energy to temper his body, while using Spirit Snow Water as a supplement and regulator to his dream cultivation. With no distractions in mind, he found no sense of tedium.

  Two years in the secret realm—under the tenfold temporal acceleration of the stone bead—meant that he had, in truth, been in seclusion for nearly twenty years.

  The icy spiritual energy here was dense and exceptionally pure, something Yun Che felt deeply. Though still far inferior to the miraculous spiritual dew within the stone bead, when cultivating in reality, the concentration and activity of the ambient spiritual energy far exceeded that of the outer menial quarters by more than tenfold. It was indeed of tremendous benefit to the cultivation of the Mystic Frost Qi Condensation Art.

  After breaking through that unique “early-stage Qi Condensation” (by his own standards), his cultivation speed noticeably slowed. In the twelfth year of dream-time, he sensed that the peculiar power within him—fused with void light motes—had once again filled to a certain “saturated” critical point. No matter how he breathed and circulated it, the total amount seemed unable to increase further. Thus, he began attempting to mobilize that power, striking at the next invisible “threshold.”

  After several failures, in the thirteenth year of the dream, accompanied by a deeper level of spiritual introspection and power integration, that membrane shattered in response. The embryonic vortex within his dantian expanded and solidified severalfold, its rotation accelerating, and its control over the scattered power throughout his body markedly strengthening. His body felt lighter, his five senses sharper, and his mastery over the “Subtle Guidance” technique rose to an entirely new level of precision. He knew that he had crossed yet another threshold, entering a new stage.

  Yet what followed was fresh confusion and stagnation.

  After that, another seven years passed in dream-time. He felt that the power of this new stage had long since been polished to perfection, reaching the “peak” of its current tier. But whenever he attempted—according to the descriptions of the fourth layer of the Mystic Frost Qi Condensation Art—to guide his power into deeper “condensation” and “qualitative transformation,” he would invariably encounter, at the most critical moment, an obscure and ineffable “resistance.”

  It was not a lack of power, nor a misunderstanding of the incantations. Rather, it felt as though the very nature of the unique power within him was fundamentally “incompatible” with the traditional spiritual energy refinement path described in the technique. It was as if an invisible barrier—resilient and indistinct—stood firmly in his way, refusing to let him “break through” by conventional means.

  What puzzled him even more was that this new stage he currently occupied—let it tentatively be called the “second tier”—seemed to possess no traditional “limit.” Even when he felt he had reached its peak, with no further quantitative growth, the power fused with void light motes continued, at an exceedingly slow and almost imperceptible pace, to become ever more refined, constantly nourishing and reshaping his body and spirit. Were it not for his clear self-awareness that he remained within this tier, the subtle improvements in body and mind alone might have led him to believe he had already broken through.

  “Could it be… that my cultivation path differs fundamentally from the orthodox Qi Condensation tier system? That the so-called ‘bottlenecks’ and ‘breakthroughs’ follow an entirely different set of rules for me?” Yun Che pondered deeply, yet found no answer. Lacking any point of reference, he could only set the doubt aside and continue consolidating his foundation, honing his techniques.

  That day, the last drop of Spirit Snow Water was used up. In his storage pouch remained only a solitary gourd, within which was sealed the portion of “Spirit Marrow Original Liquid” buried at the very beginning—soaked in the stone bead for the longest time, nearly congealed into a gelatinous state. The memory of nearly bursting apart from consuming a single drop back then filled him with lingering fear; he had kept it hidden ever since, daring not touch it lightly.

  After a moment’s hesitation, Yun Che suppressed the thought of using this “dangerous item.”

  “This substance’s spiritual power has likely accumulated to a terrifying degree—far beyond what my current realm can withstand. I’ll wait until my cultivation is higher, or my control over my own power more refined, before attempting it.”

  He stood up, stretching his body, stiff from long periods of sitting cross-legged. Walking to the cave entrance, he grasped the ice-forged lever and pushed upward.

  Ka… rrrrrumble—

  The heavy ice barrier slowly rose, and long-unseen daylight and frigid air rushed in together. Sunlight struck the crystalline ice walls, refracting dazzling halos of light. Yun Che narrowed his eyes, taking a moment to adjust.

  Looking down into the ice valley below, he could see dozens of figures scattered about—some meditating alone, others gathered in small groups, conversing in low voices. Clearly, they were disciples who had cultivated in seclusion for too long and had come out to relieve their solitude.

  After a brief pause, Yun Che circulated the Breath Concealment Technique to its current limit, suppressing his cultivation fluctuations to a level only slightly stronger than “drawing qi into the body” (roughly equivalent to mid-to-late first layer of orthodox Qi Condensation). Then, with a shift of thought—

  An invisible yet precise force formed beneath his feet, lifting his body lightly off the ground. Like a fallen leaf borne by a gentle breeze, he drifted slowly toward the valley floor.

  The “Subtle Guidance” technique—after nearly twenty years of repeated tempering in the dream realm—had long since been mastered to perfection, nearly becoming instinct. Where his mind went, power followed, its control exquisitely refined. Using it for short descents or low-altitude gliding felt as natural as breathing. He was confident that even at high speeds, he could maintain stability. Such control could only be achieved through decades of single-minded refinement of a foundational “minor technique”—something few cultivators would ever be willing to devote such time to.

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

  To avoid drawing attention, he deliberately slowed his descent. No sooner had he steadied himself at the valley floor than a shrill, mocking voice rang out from the side:

  “Well, if it isn’t our ‘cliff-jumping genius’ Yun Che? Two years in seclusion, and you finally look somewhat presentable. You can even ‘float’ down the ice wall yourself now—no need for some senior brother to ‘lend a hand’ anymore?”

  Yun Che turned his head. Not far away, atop an icy rock, stood Yun Han in dark-cyan inner disciple robes, arms crossed, his face openly filled with contempt and ridicule. Beside him sat several other disciples—one in white, another in gray—both wearing expressions of amused spectatorship.

  The white-robed youth was none other than Sun Li, previously close to Yun Han and likewise from an elder’s lineage. He let out a snort and chimed in, “Junior Brother Yun, honestly, staying in this Cold Abyss Secret Realm is a waste of resources for you. Why not go back to your menial quarters and throw your weight around among the registered disciples? At least you’d get a taste of being ‘above others.’ Here? Heh—being bottom-ranked is still aiming too high for you.”

  Yun Che’s divine sense swept over them almost imperceptibly. Yun Han’s aura was well-condensed, his icy spiritual fluctuations distinct—by orthodox standards, likely mid-to-late third layer of Qi Condensation. His progress was indeed not slow. As for Sun Li, his aura was even stronger, faintly brushing against the threshold of the fourth layer.

  What surprised Yun Che, however, was that he could perceive their spiritual strength and general circulation state with relative clarity. Stranger still, by comparison, he faintly felt that the solid vortex within his own dantian and the unique power flowing through his body were—both in “quality” and “quantity”—not inferior to theirs. In fact, there was a sense of greater depth and restraint.

  “Is my perception flawed? Or is the Breath Concealment Technique affecting my judgment? Or perhaps…” Doubts stirred within him, yet his expression remained calm and silent, revealing nothing.

  “Yun Che,” Yun Han stepped forward, chin raised arrogantly. “Two years ago at the minor competition, you at least had the sense to hide, knowing you weren’t my match. But trash is trash no matter where it hides. I’m the ‘Rookie Champion’ of our cohort—what about you? Just a menial head who scraped by on some unsightly luck!”

  Sun Li casually kicked an empty cold-jade bottle to Yun Che’s feet and drawled, “Junior Brother Yun, since you’ve got nothing better to do, go fetch a bottle of Cold Marrow Water from the icefall over there. Be quick about it. If I’m in a good mood, I might even give you a tip or two on first-layer Qi Condensation.” His tone was filled with condescension and mockery.

  Yun Che’s gaze calmly swept over the jade bottle, then lifted to Sun Li. He still said nothing.

  “What? Not convinced?” Sun Li’s brows shot up as he stood, spiritual energy subtly surging around him. “Senior Brother Qin Shuang has said it himself—within the secret realm, ‘sparring exchanges’ between disciples are permitted. If you’re feeling itchy, I don’t mind putting in a bit of effort to help you ‘stretch your bones’ and teach you what hierarchy means!”

  “Enough!”

  A cold, sharp shout rang out from high upon the ice wall. In the next instant, a black figure flashed down like lightning, revealing the upright figure of Qin Shuang. His face was frosted over, his gaze sweeping across Yun Han, Sun Li, and the others like blades of ice.

  “Yun Han, Sun Li. Instead of cultivating diligently to break through sooner, you gather here to make noise and bully a junior with weaker cultivation. Is that something to be proud of?”

  His voice was not loud, yet it carried unquestionable authority.

  Yun Han and Sun Li’s expressions changed slightly. Clearly, they were quite wary of this core disciple responsible for supervising the secret realm. They shot Yun Che a fierce glare, then grudgingly fell silent and stepped back.

  Qin Shuang turned his gaze to Yun Che, his tone equally stern. “Yun Che, since you’ve entered the secret realm, you should know time is precious. Rather than wasting it in pointless standoffs, return and cultivate diligently. The iron law of the cultivation world is this: strength is the foundation; all else is illusion.”

  Yun Che lowered his head. “This junior accepts your guidance.” After a pause, as if gathering courage, he raised his head and asked, “Senior Brother Qin, this disciple has a question. In Qi Condensation cultivation, if one feels they’ve reached the peak of a layer, with spiritual energy abundant, yet repeatedly fails to advance to the next layer’s incantation—encountering an inexplicable resistance not due to lack of power—what might be the cause?”

  Yun Han couldn’t help but snort. “With your patchwork trash aptitude, touching the peak of the first layer is already sheer luck, and you’re dreaming of the second? Utter nonsense!”

  Qin Shuang ignored the interruption. He looked at Yun Che, a faint probing glint flashing in his eyes. Yet with Yun Che’s Breath Concealment Technique operating flawlessly, all he perceived was a thin, unstable layer of early-stage spiritual energy. After a moment of contemplation, he spoke:

  “Failure to break through a bottleneck can stem from many causes—impure spiritual energy, unfocused intent, flawed comprehension of the incantations, or insufficient strength of the physical body and meridians. As for the ‘inexplicable resistance’ you mention… it may relate to an unstable foundation or insufficiently refined control over spiritual energy. The first three layers of Qi Condensation emphasize accumulation and expansion. One must temper spiritual energy until it responds like an extension of one’s limbs, in deep harmony with body and soul, before advancement will occur naturally. Do not rush or act rashly, lest you damage your foundation.”

  His tone softened slightly, though his expression remained serious. “Your aptitude is lacking; thus, you must be even more grounded. After returning, circulate the basic cycles more often, stabilize your current realm, and attempt finer control of your spiritual energy. Perhaps then you may find an opportunity for breakthrough. As for the rest…” His gaze lingered meaningfully on Yun Che. “Those are not matters you should concern yourself with at present.”

  “Many thanks for Senior Brother’s guidance.” Yun Che bowed again, committing Qin Shuang’s words and demeanor firmly to memory.

  Qin Shuang said no more. Turning to the group, he commanded, “Disperse and return to cultivation!” With that, his form blurred into a streak of light and vanished atop the ice wall.

  Yun Han and the others exchanged a few low words before dispersing as well, their looks toward Yun Che still far from friendly.

  Yun Che bent down and picked up the cold-jade bottle at his feet, then walked to the edge of the ice valley. There, a cold spring surged forth from cracks in the ice wall, converging into a clear, bone-chilling stream that emitted faint spiritual energy—the Cold Marrow Water. He silently filled the bottle, but did not return immediately. Instead, he used the spring water to wash his face.

  The icy water pierced his skin, jolting his senses awake.

  “An unstable foundation? Insufficient control?” He mulled over Qin Shuang’s words, recalling his own anomalous perceptions and that peculiar “bottleneck.”

  “Perhaps… what I need is not to ‘break through’ according to the Mystic Frost Qi Condensation Art, but to truly understand how my power should be defined—and where my path truly lies.”

  He gazed at his blurred reflection in the spring, his eyes deep and contemplative.

  “The Cold Marrow Water… might be worth a try.”

  Weighing the jade bottle in his hand, a new plan took shape in his mind. The resources of this secret realm were not limited to Ice Condensation Pills alone. This Cold Marrow Water, imbued with ice-aligned spiritual essence—combined with the stone bead—might yet bring about new changes.

  He turned, looking up at his cave high upon the ice wall. Standing by the cold spring, his figure seemed solitary, yet uncommonly steadfast.

  Two years of silence were not an end. Confusion and challenge, too, heralded new possibilities. In this frozen secret realm, the path that belonged to him alone still awaited exploration—and conquest.

  path is different.

  When orthodox techniques can no longer define his realm, should he force himself to fit the system, or carve out a cultivation path of his own?

  ?? Should Yun Che take the risk and try the Cold Marrow Water next?

  ?? Has his cultivation already stepped beyond the traditional Qi Condensation framework?

  Your thoughts might just point the way forward.