Chapter 23 – The Bitter Sweetness of Advancement
The pale light of dawn spilled into Ren Moxi's courtyard, illuminating its silent expanse of frost-glazed pines, layered black stone paths, and the lone stone chamber in its eastern corner.
Inside, Jian Tian sat cross-legged upon a woven spiritual straw mat, his face tranquil yet tense. His inner qi roiled like an untamed river, swirling relentlessly through his meridians as he anchored it into his dantian's foundation.
Days passed in seclusion. His hair grew dishevelled, and his robes clung to his back with dried sweat. But his eyes remained shut, focus unwavering.
Until—today.
A crisp snap echoed within his mind. The chaotic qi currents abruptly calmed, merging into a vast, serene sea within his core.
His eyes flew open, sharp with newfound clarity. He felt his limbs filled with a power both profound and refreshing.
Finally… I've stabilised my Early Foundation Establishment realm.
His lips curled into a wide smile. He sprang to his feet and stretched his arms upward, feeling taller somehow. His bones felt harder, his skin tougher, and his senses sharper than before.
Bing Yue-jie is at Mid Foundation Establishment, so I'm only one sub-realm below her now…
He laughed quietly to himself, a childish glee welling up in his chest.
Heh… finally, your Little Brother is not so far behind anymore…
Suppressing his grin, he approached the open courtyard with careful dignity.
Bing Yue stood poised upon the icy training platform. Her sword, Frost Moon, flickered with shimmering ice qi as she practised her cultivation technique:
Frost Moon Sword Codex – Form Twenty-One: Ice Lotus Petal Rain.
A swirl of pale blue petals spiralled around her blade as it sliced through the chilled air with elegance and lethal precision. Her black hair fluttered softly around her porcelain-like face, untainted by even a single drop of sweat.
Jian Tian's eyes shone as he watched her.
Beautiful… so beautiful…
No, focus! I'm only one sub-realm below her now. I must speak with calm maturity befitting a Foundation Establishment cultivator.
Suppressing his eagerness, he approached with deliberate composure.
"Good morning, Bing Yue-jie," he greeted, voice gentle yet brimming with pride.
She paused mid-form, her sword tip sinking lightly onto the frost-glazed platform. Her pale blue gaze swept over his aura, sensing his newly stabilised qi.
"Congratulations," she said softly. "You've stabilized your Early Foundation Establishment."
His heart soared. Praise from Bing Yue-jie was more nourishing than a thousand pills. But before he could revel in the moment, her next words fell like a crashing glacier.
"I advanced to Late Foundation Establishment two days ago," she continued calmly. "Master gave me a Frostheart Ice Origin Pill to refine."
Jian Tian blinked at her, frozen in place.
"…Frostheart… Ice Origin Pill…?" he whispered.
She nodded lightly. "Yes. It refined my ice attribute meridians, allowing me to stabilise late stage foundation in a single night."
…One night?!
Jian Tian felt something in his chest crumble into fine ash.
He had spent twenty-one days of gruelling seclusion, nearly burning out his meridians to stabilise his Early Foundation Establishment. And she… she leapt an entire sub-realm with a single pill and a night's meditation.
His mouth opened and closed like a stranded carp.
Bing Yue flicked her sword, dispersing the last of her frost qi with silent elegance. "Continue working hard," she said, before turning away to resume her training.
Jian Tian stood rooted on the spot, shoulders slumping.
This is unfair… so unfair…
I finally reached Foundation Establishment… and now she's Late Foundation Establishment while I'm still Early…
He clenched his fists, tears almost forming in his eyes.
No… I can't let it end like this. I need a pill too. Master has to give me one!
With trembling indignation, he stormed towards Ren Moxi's alchemy chamber at the courtyard's western edge. His master sat behind a long blackwood table, calmly arranging azure vials filled with misty blue elixirs. Frost qi rippled around him like a silent tide.
"Master!" Jian Tian wailed, voice echoing through the chamber. "I want a Frostheart Ice Origin Pill too!"
Ren Moxi didn't even look up as he continued arranging his vials.
"Hmm?"
Jian Tian stomped forward, slamming his palms onto the table. "Bing Yue-jie advanced to Late Foundation Establishment with one pill! Why didn't you prepare one for me too? That's unfair!"
Ren Moxi placed the final vial in line before raising his gaze, face expressionless as always.
"Unfair?" he asked mildly.
"Yes!" Jian Tian shouted, voice cracking. "You're my master too! Why do you only care about Bing Yue-jie's cultivation?!"
Ren Moxi stared at him silently for a long, heavy moment. Jian Tian felt sweat gather at his temples under his master's cold gaze.
Finally, Ren Moxi spoke.
"Your cultivation attribute is different," he said calmly, picking up a jade slip and flicking it lightly onto the table.
Jian Tian snatched it up and read:
[Prescription – Nine-Refinement Foundation Pill Materials]
1x Frostvein Crystal Root (70 years minimum) 2x Silver Snow Spirit Core (Grade 2 minimum) 3x Arctic Blue Lotus Petals 1x Glacial Flame Orchid
Ren Moxi continued arranging vials as he spoke indifferently:
"The pill you need is the Nine-Refinement Foundation Pill to stabilise and refine your mixed attribute qi. Bring me these materials. Then I will refine it for you."
Jian Tian blinked, lips trembling.
"…Bring… materials myself…?"
Ren Moxi's gaze sharpened slightly. "Or remain Early Foundation forever."
Jian Tian sprinted down Dragon Tale Peak's stone steps with renewed vigour, his long robes flapping wildly behind him. Cultivators turned to stare as he charged through outer sect pathways, nearly tripping over loose gravel in his haste.
Finally, he arrived at the grand obsidian gates of Black Starmoon Commercial Pavilion's Alchemy Division. Towering pillars of black stone inlaid with silver moon engravings loomed above him, and the rich scent of spirit herbs filled the air.
He burst through the entrance, startling the reception disciple.
"I need these materials!" he gasped, slapping the jade slip onto the stone counter. "Quickly!"
The apprentice, a sleepy-looking boy with drooping eyelids, picked up the jade slip and read it carefully. His eyes widened, and he called for the stockkeeper.
Within minutes, four jade boxes were arranged before Jian Tian. Frost mist billowed from their cracks, filling the hall with biting cold.
"That will be two hundred and twenty low-grade spirit stones," the apprentice said politely.
Jian Tian's jaw dropped so hard it nearly dislocated.
Two hundred… and twenty…?!
He fumbled through his storage pouch. After dumping everything onto the counter – a few chipped talismans, three mid-grade mortal coins, and a handful of low-grade spirit stones rolled out.
The apprentice cleared his throat awkwardly.
"Honoured customer, you're… one hundred and ninety short."
Jian Tian's lips quivered.
What do I do…? Wait…
His eyes brightened with cunning. He leaned forward conspiratorially.
"Brother… we're fellow cultivators. We walk the same Dao… can't you give me a discount? For karmic virtue?"
The apprentice blinked slowly. "No."
Jian Tian pressed further, eyes brimming with pitiful tears. "I'll sweep your courtyard for a month!"
"No."
"Wash your master's feet for a week!"
"No."
"I'll sell my junior brother!" he screamed desperately, then froze.
…Wait. I don't have a junior brother yet…
He sighed, despair flooding him anew.
Before Jian Tian could begin offering his kidneys, a composed, elegant voice rang out.
"Jian Tian? What are you doing causing a ruckus here so early?"
He spun around to see Manager Fang Qiu of the Alchemy Division approaching, robes embroidered with silver star-moon patterns rustling softly.
"Manager Fang Qiu!" Jian Tian cried out, tears streaming down his face. "Please… lend me one hundred and ninety spirit stones… just this once!"
Fang Qiu raised an eyebrow. "And why should I?"
"I… I need it to catch up to my Bing Yue-jie! She advanced to Late Foundation Establishment while I was in seclusion! Please… my Dao heart will collapse if I remain this useless forever!"
Fang Qiu studied him for a silent moment before sighing.
"Very well. I will cover the balance for you," he said, gesturing for the apprentice to pack the boxes.
Jian Tian nearly cried from gratitude. But before he could thank him, Fang Qiu leaned closer, lowering his voice.
"In return, I need your help to contact your master. There is a girl under my care, Feng Xue. Her inner heat constitution is growing unstable. If your master could refine a pill to suppress it, it would prevent her qi deviation."
Jian Tian blinked, nodding fervently. "Yes! Yes, I'll tell Master immediately when I return!"
Fang Qiu straightened with a faint smile. "Good. Take your materials and go."
Clutching the jade boxes to his chest, Jian Tian bolted out of Black Starmoon Commercial Pavilion, laughter echoing behind him like a triumphant madman.
Bing Yue-jie… wait for me. This time, I'll catch up to you for sure!
As he ran, his heart felt light, his steps firm. The cold dawn wind whipped his hair back as he imagined himself standing proudly by Bing Yue's side, his cultivation equal to hers, perhaps even surpassing her one day.
Then… she'll finally look at me with admiration instead of her usual cold pity…
His eyes gleamed with determination.
And Master… just you wait. When I advance my realm and catch you, I'll make you call me, my genius first disciple!
He froze mid-step.
…Wait… he's cultivation realm…
And his cultivation is so deep and vast… even if I spend ten lifetimes, I'll never catch up…
He sighed dramatically, shaking his head at the cruelty of life as he continued sprinting up to their courtyard.
From her training platform, Bing Yue watched Jian Tian's distant silhouette dart up the steps with comedic desperation.
So noisy…
She flicked her Frost Moon Sword lightly, condensing an arc of frost qi that sliced a perfect crescent into the morning mist. A faint, fleeting smile touched her lips before it vanished behind her serene composure.