You Win

Aji went on and on about everyday matters, every word brimming with simple longing.

Li Yuan eagerly opened the cloth bundle. Inside were two fourth-grade demon cores, both far superior in quality to the previous ones.

One was wood-aspected, the other fire-aspected. Their surfaces had undergone simple treatment, leaving only faint traces of demonic aura.

He immediately returned to his room, clutching the two demon cores as he began trying to communicate with the Bronze Palace in his sea of consciousness.

This time, the refinement and absorption went even more smoothly. The pure energy within the two demon cores was transformed by the Bronze Palace, and Li Yuan felt the true qi inside him surge like a boiling river, vast and turbulent, relentlessly crashing against that invisible barrier.

Rumble!

A soft sound came from the depths of his soul. Some shackle had broken, and Li Yuan's senses instantly became incomparably clear. He could see his own blood and qi flowing slowly through his veins like mercury.

He could hear the faint rushing of true qi through his meridians. With a thought, he could precisely control every tremor of muscle, every thread of true qi's flow.

The Minute Detail Realm had been achieved!

The immense energy continued to propel his cultivation upward, finally stabilizing firmly at the middle stage of the Minute Detail Realm.

At the instant of his breakthrough, he saw the Bronze Palace deep within his sea of consciousness once more. Compared to before, the palace's phantom seemed a little more solid, while the radiance upon its surface had become gentler and brighter.

The tightly shut bronze gates seemed to have opened by another narrow sliver. Behind them lay a vast, ancient aura, carrying a boundless and majestic Dao essence.

Li Yuan slowly opened his eyes. His gaze was clear and profound, while his aura was rounded and restrained. Gone was the sharpness that had leaked from him in the Essence Drawing Realm; in its place was a touch more calmness.

In merely a few days, he had broken through realm after realm, reaching the middle stage of the Minute Detail Realm. Such speed would have terrified countless so-called geniuses if word got out.

Seeing that he had advanced safely, the aura watching over him from the shadows relaxed slightly. It lingered on him for a moment before slowly fading away.

New Year's Eve, the year's end.

The academy was cold and deserted, but in Mr. Mo's small courtyard, a lavish spread of food and wine had been laid out for once, steaming with heat.

Mr. Mo had changed into a clean gray robe and sat across from Li Yuan with a gentle expression.

"During the New Year, families reunite. Since you have no home to return to, have a drink with this old man."

Li Yuan respectfully poured him a cup of warmed yellow wine, then filled his own cup as well.

"Thank you, sir, for your care." He held the cup in both hands, warmth stirring in his heart. This senior, who seemed solitary and indifferent, had actually taken great care of him.

The two silently ate several bites of food and drank a cup of wine. Faint crackles of firecrackers drifted in from beyond the window, making the courtyard seem all the more empty and quiet.

"Your cultivation has advanced rapidly these past few days. That is a good thing," Mr. Mo suddenly said blandly. "But the path of cultivation is like building a tower. If the foundation is not firm, no matter how quickly the tower rises, it will be nothing more than a castle in the air. Once wind and rain come, it will collapse in an instant."

He raised his eyes to Li Yuan. His gaze was clearly gentle, yet Li Yuan felt as though he had been seen through completely.

"One may borrow external aid in cultivation, but one must not become dependent on it. Shortcuts may be taken, but one must know when enough is enough."

"True strength comes from control over one's own power, from understanding the Dao laws of heaven and earth, and even more from tempering one's state of mind. No number of shortcuts can buy these things."

Li Yuan's heart shook, and the hand holding his wine cup paused slightly. He understood the meaning behind Mr. Mo's words.

No matter how fast he advanced, he had to beware of an unstable foundation. He could not blindly pursue speed; he also had to focus on tempering himself.

Could he have noticed something?

Countless thoughts flashed through Li Yuan's mind, but Mr. Mo's expression remained unchanged, as though he were merely offering ordinary advice from an elder to a junior.

"This student... will remember your teachings, sir."

He suppressed the turmoil in his heart and answered solemnly.

Mr. Mo's words had indeed awakened him. His explosive growth in cultivation these past days had filled him with wild joy, causing him to neglect the need to consolidate his foundation properly.

The Bronze Palace was indeed miraculous, but cultivation was ultimately his own affair. Relying too heavily on external objects was no long-term path.

"It is good that you remember." Mr. Mo said no more and raised his cup. "Come, a toast. Tomorrow is the first day of the new year. The academy will hold a rite, so do not be late."

"Yes."

The two continued eating. Outside, the night deepened, and the sound of firecrackers rose and fell. Yet Li Yuan found it difficult to calm his heart again.

Mr. Mo's words had struck him like an alarm bell. Blindly pursuing greater strength was not the proper path. What he needed to do next was temper himself well.

After the New Year festivities, Li Yuan gathered his thoughts and devoted himself wholly to consolidating his foundation and polishing his cultivation.

He no longer hurried to seek new demon cores. Instead, he repeatedly tempered his middle-stage Minute Detail Realm cultivation.

Every day before dawn, he practiced basic boxing forms in the courtyard, carefully experiencing the release and withdrawal of every fraction of force, as well as the coordination between true qi and flesh.

In his spare time, he read a great number of basic cultivation texts, approaching their meanings from another angle. Each time, he gained fresh insights.

With Mr. Mo's tacit approval, he also began attempting some basic Minute Detail Realm techniques provided by the academy, such as the Light Wind Step and the Breath Concealment Technique.

These techniques were not of high grade, but they were comprehensive. He learned them very quickly, often grasping their essence within a day or two. Yet he advanced steadily, never greedily seeking quantity or speed, always practicing them again and again.

When the New Year break ended, the students gradually returned to the academy. All thirteen members of the Pivot Star Class gathered together, sizing one another up and discovering changes in each other.

Clearly, none of them had wasted the more than half-month holiday.

Wu Yu had successfully broken through to the Essence Drawing Realm, and his aura had become much steadier. Yu Ling'er, Chu Yunhe, and the others had also improved their cultivation.

However, when everyone sensed the rounded, restrained aura around Li Yuan, their hearts all jolted.

"The Minute Detail Realm?"

Chu Yunhe narrowed his eyes, a flash of surprise passing through them. He considered himself exceptionally talented and had his family's resources behind him, yet he was only at the late stage of the Essence Drawing Realm, barely touching the threshold of the Minute Detail Realm.

Li Yuan had actually overtaken him and entered the Minute Detail Realm directly. Moreover, judging by the solidity of his aura, he had clearly not just broken through.

"Brother Li, you..."

Wu Yu gaped in shock, his face filled with disbelief. He had fought tooth and nail just to enter the Essence Drawing Realm, while Li Yuan had already stepped across the threshold of the middle three realms?

"Brother Li, isn't your cultivation speed a little too terrifying?" Yu Ling'er exclaimed playfully. "Are you even going to let the rest of us live?"

Shen Lian held his saber and gave Li Yuan a deep look before saying nothing and returning to his cultivation.

News of Li Yuan's breakthrough into the Minute Detail Realm stirred wave after wave of commotion throughout the Pivot Star Class and even among the entire freshman cohort.

Some envied him, while others were astonished. Their fighting spirits were ignited in an instant, and under the immense pressure Li Yuan brought, they began cultivating with even greater frenzy.

Every day, the martial grounds and training rooms were packed to the brim, the atmosphere blazing hot.

Amid this wave of cultivation fervor, Wang Shixuan came to Bamboo Listening Lodge once again.

This time, a trace of anxiety could faintly be seen between his brows.

"Cousin, Grandfather has done all he can to mediate, but the court's laws are strict," he said, forcing out a smile. "If Uncle is truly exiled to Lingnan, I fear his chances of survival will be one in ten thousand."

Li Yuan sneered inwardly. The Wang Family had finally revealed the dagger hidden in their map, intending to use Li Chongwen to threaten him.

Unfortunately for them, they had miscalculated.

"The court's laws must naturally be obeyed. If Father committed a crime, he should be punished." Li Yuan's tone remained calm and unruffled. "As a son, what can I do when loyalty and filial piety cannot both be fulfilled?"

"Fine. You win."

Wang Shixuan sneered and nodded before flicking his sleeve and leaving. He had finally seen Li Yuan clearly: his heart was hard as iron, and he repaid every grievance in full. In the future, he would surely become a formidable enemy of the Wang Family.

Li Yuan let out a breath of relief, but when he turned around, he discovered that Mr. Mo had somehow appeared behind him, his expression unreadable.