The Second Step

The sun hung low in the sky, casting long shadows over the rough, jagged terrain. Zhao Feng stood alone, his back to the others, the wind tugging at his robes. His hands, held in a meditative stance, rested lightly before him. He felt the deep pulse of his Qi thrumming through his body, the steady beat of a heart that seemed to sync with the very world around him. Yet, it was not enough. His breakthrough was still incomplete, and the strange energy that had manifested within him was still settling into his core.

The jade slip he had taken from the ruins had left him with more than just knowledge—it had left a shift in his very being, an underlying pressure that hinted at untapped potential. The way his Qi flowed now felt different, as though it was more attuned to his own flesh, his very cells, rather than the environment around him. The shift wasn't drastic, but Zhao Feng could feel it. His body had begun to respond to his cultivation method in a way it never had before.

Since that moment in the ruins, where his breakthrough had first begun, Zhao Feng had found that every time he tried to tap into his Qi, he felt a faint resistance, like a wall just beneath his skin. His Qi was purer now, finer in quality, but it was still somewhat rough, unrefined. It was as if the jade slip's guidance had opened a door to a new path—one that would take far more effort to walk than what he had previously known.

This new cultivation method, grounded in the refinement of Qi through his own body and willpower, felt more taxing. Unlike the usual approach of external cultivation, which drew on the surrounding energies, Zhao Feng found that he could no longer rely on the world around him. Instead, he had to dig deeper into his own life force, his blood, his very essence. The process was painful. Every time he tried to guide his Qi into a more focused state, it felt like his body was being stretched, stretched to the very limits of what it could endure. His veins felt like they were about to snap, and his muscles burned as if they had been rubbed raw.

Despite the pain, Zhao Feng knew this was his path. This was how he would rise above the others. This was the foundation upon which his strength would be built, a strength not derived from external sources, but from his own will.

The wind swirled around him, and Zhao Feng opened his eyes, feeling the tremor of his Qi inside. The sense of control was still fleeting, but it was there. It had not dissipated, and that gave him hope. He could sense it, deep within his chest—a quiet resonance that felt both natural and foreign. His Qi didn't feel like it was just flowing—it felt like it was moving with him, in harmony with his body. This harmony, though subtle, was a glimpse of what his cultivation could become. It was not just about power. It was about precision. Control. A quiet mastery that few cultivators ever truly achieved.

As he breathed in the mountain air, Zhao Feng began to push deeper into his cultivation. His mind sharpened, and he focused on the sensation of his Qi. He had learned to cultivate through his senses, guiding the flow through his meridians and dantian. But now, with the influence of the jade slip, he sought something beyond mere control. He began to feel the resonance of his own cells—the subtle vibrations that made up his body. His Qi was him. It wasn't something he simply commanded from the outside; it was a force he now commanded from within.

A deep tremor ran through him as he focused, bringing the energy from his legs up through his body, channeling it toward his core. The jade slip's guidance was becoming clearer, but its lessons were not fully revealed to him yet. He could feel a pulsing pressure in his chest, as if something inside him were being refined with every breath. His heart raced, but this time, it wasn't out of fear. It was the rush of power.

But Zhao Feng wasn't just cultivating for strength. He was testing himself. With every step he took in this uncharted territory, he could feel the weight of his destiny pulling him forward. He knew that the jade slip's teachings held more than just the power to refine his Qi—it held the secret to his future. This was how he would become the Sovereign he was destined to be.

The trees around him swayed in the wind, their branches creaking with the rhythm of nature. But for Zhao Feng, the world had quieted. The cacophony of noise and life had dimmed, replaced by the sharp clarity of his inner focus. His senses extended outward, sweeping over the land. For the first time, he felt connected to the environment—not as a part of it, but as an entity in tune with it. His Qi could sense the faintest disturbance in the air, the slightest shift in the wind. It was not just an instinct; it was a new way of seeing the world.

"Zhao Feng."

The voice of Raik snapped Zhao Feng out of his reverie. He turned to see the older cultivator approaching him, his expression unreadable.

"You've been at this for hours," Raik said, his tone neutral. "Your concentration is impressive, but you need to rest. You'll burn yourself out."

Zhao Feng met Raik's gaze, but he didn't immediately respond. Raik's concern was well-meaning, but Zhao Feng was no longer sure that rest was what he needed. He had reached a point where the exhaustion of his body no longer held the same meaning. This cultivation, this new power, was far more intense than anything he had ever experienced. But with it came a new sense of purpose.

"I'll be fine," Zhao Feng finally said, his voice steady. "I need to keep pushing. The more I do, the closer I get to understanding it."

Raik eyed him skeptically but didn't argue. "Just don't push yourself too hard," he said. "We've got a long journey ahead, and your body can only handle so much."

Zhao Feng nodded, but as Raik turned away, he couldn't shake the feeling that something had shifted between them. Raik's concern was genuine, but Zhao Feng could tell that the older cultivator had started to notice the growing distance between them. Zhao Feng wasn't just growing stronger; he was growing more detached, more focused on the path ahead.

As Raik walked back to the rest of the group, Zhao Feng turned his attention back to his cultivation. His Qi still surged beneath his skin, feeling both overwhelming and soothing at the same time. But now, Zhao Feng understood something crucial. It wasn't about brute force. It wasn't about getting stronger faster. It was about mastering the flow, understanding the intricacies of his Qi, and bringing it into perfect balance with his body.

Every time he cultivated, he learned something new. A new way to refine his Qi. A new way to feel the pulse of his lifeblood. But there was more to be discovered, and Zhao Feng knew he had only scratched the surface. He had broken the wraith formation, survived the ruins, and awakened his latent power—but now, the true challenge had begun.

Zhao Feng closed his eyes once more, allowing the flow of Qi to settle around him. As the day began to slip into dusk, he knew that his journey had only just started. The world was vast, filled with dangers and opportunities alike. But Zhao Feng's resolve had never been clearer. He would not be a mere participant in the world's conflicts. He would be the one who shaped them.

And to do that, he would have to continue pushing forward, no matter what it took.

His cultivation would be his foundation. His willpower, his guide.

This was just the beginning.

---

The sun had long dipped beneath the horizon, leaving the sky tinged with the last traces of light. Zhao Feng stood still, his chest rising and falling with steady breaths, as he continued to channel his Qi. The world around him had quieted into the deep silence of the mountains, yet within him, there was a storm—a storm of power slowly gathering and expanding.

Though his cultivation was still in its early stages, Zhao Feng could already feel a difference. His Qi was no longer something foreign or just a force that he could wield when necessary. It had become an extension of himself, an intrinsic part of his being. It flowed seamlessly through his veins, as natural as the blood in his body. But now, with the jade slip's influence, there was something deeper. A call from within himself, a pull that felt ancient and powerful, urged him to continue refining and reshaping his Qi. This method was far from conventional, and Zhao Feng realized that every shift in his cultivation method was a step toward an unknown horizon—a horizon that promised unparalleled strength, but one he had yet to fully grasp.

With each successive breath, Zhao Feng reached deeper, pulling from his core to refine his Qi further. The jade slip had whispered of a deeper connection to the lifeblood of his body. The technique had already started to redefine his cultivation foundation, but now, it was as if his body was a forge, and the Qi was the flame. He felt a searing heat as he channeled more of his own will into the Qi. His skin tingled with the sensation of the energy coursing beneath it, and the lines of his meridians began to glow faintly as his Qi fused with the very fabric of his body. The process felt almost like alchemy—his Qi, his blood, and his body all becoming one in a dance of refinement.

This wasn't a simple cultivation of power. This was a cultivation of self, a merging of his very essence with the force he wielded. Zhao Feng had known that his cultivation would require patience, but the jade slip had shown him the deeper layers of refinement, of mastering the subtle harmonies between his body and Qi. It was difficult. The pain was constant, a reminder that the path he had chosen was not an easy one. But each moment of discomfort pushed him closer to mastery.

And the rewards were beginning to show. Zhao Feng could feel the shift within his body as his Qi grew denser, purer, more stable. His meridians stretched wider, accommodating the increased flow with less resistance. The pressure within his chest intensified as he forced his Qi to refine further. His senses heightened as he felt every inch of his body respond to the cultivation, every fiber of muscle, every pulse of his blood. The more he refined, the more in tune he became with the natural flow of energy within him.

It was a subtle change at first, but Zhao Feng knew it was significant. His cultivation no longer felt like an external process, something he merely controlled from the outside. It felt like an inner transformation, an evolution of self. His body was no longer just the vessel for his Qi—it had become the very source, the wellspring that he drew his power from.

Despite his progress, Zhao Feng could sense that he had not reached the end of the road. The path before him was still murky, veiled by the unknown. The jade slip had only granted him a glimpse of this technique's potential. The refinement was incomplete. He had not yet mastered the true depth of the power it could offer. But the foundation had been laid, and that was enough for now.

His concentration wavered for a moment, and with it, the connection to his Qi began to fray. The calm storm inside him rippled, and for a second, Zhao Feng felt his connection to his energy weaken. His body immediately rejected the influx of Qi as his mind struggled to keep up with the speed at which it was being refined. The sensation was akin to a sharp snap, like a string pulled too taut, threatening to break under the pressure.

Zhao Feng staggered slightly, but his control snapped back in place as quickly as the disturbance had occurred. Sweat dripped from his brow, and his heart raced, but he steadied himself. The pain was intense, but it wasn't unbearable. He was used to pushing through limits, and he would do so again now. This was the price of progress—the cost of pushing beyond what was known.

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, focusing again. The pain was an old companion, one that he had long since learned to accept. Now, it was a reminder that he was on the path to something far greater.

It was at that moment that a ripple of energy disturbed the air around him. A low hum echoed in the distance, faint yet unmistakable. The hair on the back of his neck stood on end as his senses sharpened. The pulse of energy was like a beckoning whisper, a distant call to something far off in the mountains.

Zhao Feng's Qi surged as he instinctively tuned into the source of the energy. His mind expanded outward, scanning the surrounding landscape with sharp focus. He had grown accustomed to reading the energy in the air, but this sensation was different. It wasn't the usual Qi fluctuations he had encountered—this was a distinct pulse, a beacon that seemed to resonate with the very essence of his cultivation.

The energy source was deep within the mountain range, far beyond the path they had traveled. It was powerful—unnervingly so—and there was a strange familiarity to it. Zhao Feng could feel the resonance tugging at him, pulling at the depths of his Qi. It was as if this energy recognized him, just as the jade slip had. The pull was almost magnetic, like a whisper from the past, urging him to come closer.

Zhao Feng's heart raced again, but this time, it wasn't from exhaustion. It was from anticipation. The feeling gnawed at him, an undeniable urge to investigate this mysterious force. Could it be connected to the ruins they had left behind? Or was it something more?

He quickly gathered his thoughts and began to move, his steps swift and purposeful. The pulse of energy was growing stronger with each step he took, urging him onward. He could not ignore it. This was a sign—a call from the very core of his cultivation. Perhaps this was what the jade slip had been leading him toward—a deeper understanding of his own power, a connection to something far greater.

As he navigated the rugged terrain, his mind raced. This pulse of energy was unlike any force he had encountered before. It felt ancient, primal, and strangely comforting, like a long-lost part of himself that had been waiting to be discovered.

With each step, Zhao Feng's Qi flowed steadily within him, his body and energy in sync. He didn't need to look at the path ahead—he could feel the way, guided by the pull of the energy. This was more than just curiosity. This was destiny calling, a force that had been waiting for him to discover it.

And so, Zhao Feng pressed forward into the night, the energy of the mountains guiding him, as his cultivation journey entered its next phase.