Chapter 16 – Rainfall, Tea, and the Seventh Kill

The soft pitter-patter of rain fell upon Dragon Tale City like a quiet zither, weaving veils of silver mist across tiled roofs and bamboo groves. In the southern edge of the city, within a modest courtyard residence rented by Ren Moxi, the fragrance of mountain tea drifted gently under the dawn drizzle.

Ren Moxi sat in his sandalwood chair within the pavilion, a steaming cup resting lightly in his hand. His pale gray robe, embroidered with black cranes, rustled softly each time he moved. His golden hair cascaded loosely down his back, and his half-closed eyes glimmered with distant thoughts as he sipped the hot tea.

"Three months…"

His voice was soft, almost inaudible under the rainfall. Steam curled around his sculpted features, making him appear like an immortal wrapped in drifting clouds.

Beside him, Bing Yue moved with quiet grace, arranging a simple breakfast tray of millet porridge, pickled lotus stems, and steamed river carp sprinkled with chopped ginger roots. Her cultivation aura pulsed calmly from her dantian, radiating a serene coldness that harmonized with her delicate beauty.

Ren Moxi raised his eyes briefly, sensing her cultivation stage. A faint curve touched his lips.

"Mid Foundation Establishment stage already. The Ice Phoenix Manual suits your innate ice spiritual root well."

Bing Yue lowered her head deeply, her eyes bright with gratitude.

"This is all because of Master's generosity… The manual… and the pills you refined for me…"

Indeed, three days ago, Ren Moxi had given her three shimmering azure pills: 'Icy Jade Meridian Pills'. Each pill nourished her meridians, stabilized her cultivation base, and ignited the potential of her ice-aligned veins.

Ren Moxi waved his hand lazily, sipping his tea again.

"With your aptitude, you would've reached it in a few years. I merely accelerated what was inevitable."

Despite his dismissive tone, Bing Yue's heart warmed. Three months ago, she was a slave in tattered robes, abandoned by her clan and sold to Black Starmoon's market. Now, she stood under the tutelage of a mysterious supreme master, her path growing colder and clearer with each passing dawn.

She set the breakfast tray down before him and poured a fresh cup of tea, her fingers trembling only slightly with reverence.

Meanwhile…

Far from Dragon Tale City's serene morning, Jian Tian was soaked to his bones in mud and rainwater. His once-white robe clung to his lean frame like wilted lotus petals, and his hair, once neatly tied, hung like a wet broom down his back.

He panted heavily, bracing himself against a massive tree trunk, glaring at the massive corpse before him.

The beast – a Steel-Backed Porcupine – lay sprawled in the muddy clearing, its metallic quills shattered and scattered like broken spears.

"Ha… haha… I… I almost died again…"

Jian Tian laughed weakly, collapsing onto the wet grass with a muddy splurt. For nearly an hour, he had been dodging its quill barrages that tore trees apart like paper. Each time, he barely avoided becoming a human pincushion.

He lay on his back, the rain washing over his flushed face. Beside him, his Dragon Blood Sword gleamed dully under the overcast light, its crimson blade streaked with both beast blood and forest mud.

"Seven missions completed…" he whispered between ragged breaths. "Three more to go, and I'll finish the ten-mission order from Master."

After each mission, he consumed one 'Qi Condensation Emerald Pill', a pill Ren Moxi had gifted him before sending him off to train. The pill accelerated qi circulation and strengthened his meridians, allowing his cultivation to progress steadily.

"Without Master's pills, I'd still be stuck in early Qi Refining…"

Indeed, after three months of relentless hunting, Jian Tian's cultivation had risen to mid Qi Refining stage. His muscles were lean and wiry, his sword swings crisper and more stable, and his eyes now glimmered with a steady inner light.

He slowly pushed himself to his feet, wiping muddy water from his brow, and sheathed his Dragon Blood Sword. Despite exhaustion gnawing at his bones, his spirit burned fiercely.

"I've mastered three forms now…"

He recited each in his mind:

Dragon Severing First Form: Falling Dragon Slash – A heavy vertical strike that cleaved with the weight of a descending dragon.

Second Form: Wyrm Tail Sweep – A sweeping horizontal arc that severed enemies in a spinning dance of crimson.

Third Form: Azure Draconic Pierce – A lightning-fast thrust imbued with qi to pierce scales and armors alike.

But today… after this seventh mission… he felt the Fourth Form on the cusp of comprehension.

"Dragon Severing Fourth Form: Tyrant Dragon Breaker…"

He steadied his breath, assuming the wide horse stance described in the manual. Rain dripped from his nose. His soaked robes stuck uncomfortably to his thighs. As he raised his sword upward in preparation for the abrupt slash, he wobbled.

"Why does this stance feel like squatting to lay an egg…?"

He clenched his teeth, recalling Ren Moxi's cold gaze and faintly disdainful remarks every time he failed.

"I'm the weakest. The weakest…"

Gritting his teeth harder, he inhaled deeply, qi coursing from his dantian to his limbs. In a single fluid movement, he slashed upward with explosive force. The blade cut through the downpour with a shrill shhiing, creating a vacuum arc that sliced a nearby tree trunk cleanly in half.

Jian Tian stood frozen, rain dripping down his face, mouth agape.

"…Did I… just cut a tree in half… with a single upward slash…?"

Then a wide grin split his muddy face. He raised the Dragon Blood Sword high and roared triumphantly into the storming heavens.

"HAHAHA! I DID IT! TYRANT DRAGON BREAKER!!!"

His roar startled several birds from the trees above. Spinning the sword around his body dramatically, he slipped on the mud and fell face-first into a puddle with a loud splurt.

He lay there unmoving for several moments, letting cold mud seep into his collar and undergarments.

"…I swear… cultivation manuals should come with a warning about faceplants…"

In Dragon Tale City, Ren Moxi sipped his morning tea quietly as rainfall drummed upon the bamboo roof. Bing Yue finished arranging the breakfast and knelt beside him gracefully.

"Master," she said softly, her breath visible in the chilly morning air. "Will… Young Lord Jian Tian be safe?"

Ren Moxi's golden eyes flickered with an unreadable light.

"If he dies while hunting Tier 2 beasts, then he is more worthless than I thought."

Bing Yue lowered her gaze with a small smile. Despite his cold words, she knew her master cared in his own distant way.

She poured him another cup of steaming tea, its fragrance mingling with petrichor from the gardens. Her fingers paused briefly over the teapot.

"Master… you gifted him the Qi Condensation Emerald Pills, yes?"

"Hn." Ren Moxi nodded faintly. "They will keep him alive for now. Until he reaches at least Foundation Establishment… then his fate will depend on his own choices."

He drank the tea, savoring its bitter undertones. Rain continued to fall softly, washing the courtyard in silver veils. His spiritual senses faintly brushed against the wilderness far beyond the city walls, feeling a flicker of Jian Tian's fluctuating qi as it stabilized after breakthrough.

And so, under the silent weeping of heaven's drizzle:

A supreme master sipped bitter tea with unshakable calm.A frost-hearted maid nurtured her newfound strength with the Ice Phoenix Manual and the Icy Jade Meridian Pills, her frosty aura glowing with promise.And far away, a boy with a dragon-blooded sword laughed, cried, and flailed in muddy puddles – forging himself upon the ruthless anvil of life and death.

Their intertwined fates coursed forward like a roaring river, destined to sweep them into storms of blood, slaughter, and brilliance.

But for now… the only storm was the quiet rain falling upon bamboo leaves, the taste of hot tea upon tired lips, and the echo of a young cultivator's triumphant laughter piercing the gloomy forest skies.