The wind whispered through the orchard as Li Qingyu and Lin Ziyan stood over the beast's corpse, the tension of battle fading into silence.
Beyond the shattered trees, a crooked shack leaned awkwardly against an ancient spiritwood. Something about it tugged at Li Qingyu's instincts — not danger, not exactly. But... wrongness.
He stepped forward.
Ziyan sheathed her sword. "That place gives me a weird feeling."
"It's not the shack," Li Qingyu muttered. "It's what's under it."
They approached cautiously. The door creaked open with a touch — revealing nothing but an empty space, half-collapsed crates, and moldy straw. Just as Ziyan started to speak—
> DING!
Hidden Life Signature Detected.
Spiritual fluctuation suppressed by formation seal.
Qi Signature: Late Body Tempering… fluctuation spike detected—First Qi Realm under extreme stress.
Li Qingyu's eyes narrowed. "There's someone beneath us."
Ziyan stepped back. "Trap?"
"No," Li Qingyu said, crouching. "Buried alive."
With a swift movement, he pressed his palm to the floor. His qi surged into the rotted boards — stone shifted, earth cracked.
A hidden trapdoor revealed itself.
The moment he flung it open, a blast of stale air and faint blood spilled upward.
A small cellar, half-collapsed, flickered with dim blue formation lines. Inside, curled against the far wall, a young man sat chained, wrists bloodied, eyes closed — unconscious but breathing.
His clothes were noble-cut, though torn and soaked. A faint sword lay at his side, snapped at the hilt. What stood out wasn't the condition — it was his stillness, the calm in his face despite the pain, and the powerful fluctuation of compressed sword qi locked within his meridians.
"Who the hell seals sword intent in a kid this young?" Ziyan muttered.
Li Qingyu dropped in without hesitation.
He pressed two fingers to the youth's wrist.
> DING!
Target Identified: Shen Rui
Innate Sword Vein – Grade: Heavenly Foundation
Potential: High. Current Cultivation: First Qi Realm (Suppressed)
Condition: Poisoned – Minor Spirit-Breaking Toxin. Seal Imposed by Crude Restraining Formation.
Stability: Falling. Intervention Required.
"This formation wasn't made to trap him," Li Qingyu said coldly. "It was made to destroy him slowly."
Ziyan's expression darkened. "Who does this to a cultivator?"
"Someone scared of his talent," he replied.
Without another word, he summoned his system interface. The Qi Purification Pulse reward he'd saved glowed faintly.
> Use system item: Qi Purification Pulse – 1 remaining?
> Yes.
Li Qingyu pressed his palm to the young man's chest.
A radiant surge of cleansing qi swept through the boy's body, washing out the poison, dissolving the crude seals, and reigniting the core meridians.
Shen Rui gasped — his eyes snapped open.
Sharp. Clear. Sword eyes.
He sat up shakily, disoriented. "You... who are you?"
Li Qingyu offered his hand.
"Li Qingyu. Sect Master of the Eternal Radiance Divine Sect."
Shen Rui blinked. "I don't know that name."
"You will," Li Qingyu said. "More importantly, I know you. Or at least what you're capable of."
The young man studied him. "You risked resources and time on someone you don't know."
"I'm investing in someone who hasn't realized his own worth yet."
Shen Rui lowered his gaze. "My family—once a noble sword clan. Now nothing. I came here searching for herbs, hoping to trade for cultivation pills. But I was captured by bandits and sold to a rogue cultivator. He wanted to experiment on my Sword Vein."
Li Qingyu's expression turned cold.
Ziyan kicked a broken jar across the cellar. "Let me guess. They ran before we got here?"
The young man nodded. "They feared someone strong was coming."
"Smart," Li Qingyu muttered. "But not smart enough."
He looked back at Shen Rui.
"I won't force you to join. But the Eternal Radiance Divine Sect needs a foundation. Steady. Sharp. Disciplined."
Shen Rui bowed from the floor, arms trembling.
"I swear, on my sword, to follow you. Until my blade is broken or my purpose fulfilled."
> DING!
Inner Disciple Recruitment Complete: Shen Rui
+200 Sect Reputation
System Feature Unlocked: Inner Disciple Trial Grounds
Auto-triggered Side Quest: Clear the Bandit Cultivator's Camp (Recommended Level: Late Qi Gathering+)
Ziyan crossed her arms. "You sure know how to make dramatic recruits."
Li Qingyu helped Shen Rui to his feet. "We're not done. He's not the only victim."
He turned toward the forest's edge — where faint smoke and qi residue lingered.
"They have a camp," he said grimly. "And we're going to raze it to the ground."