A week passed quickly.
During that time, Yuan remained in quiet cultivation within his cave, eyes closed, breathing steady. It was a calm and peaceful week, one where he could feel the subtle stirrings of his next breakthrough, the faint momentum of growth beginning to take shape.
But that tranquility was suddenly shattered by a loud voice echoing through the sect grounds, drawing Yuan from his meditative state.
"To all Inner Sect disciples, this is Grand Elder Wu. Report to the Sect Hall on the seventh floor. Be there precisely when the sun reaches its highest point!"
The voice was gentle and composed, but the weight behind it was unmistakable.
Yuan opened his eyes slowly. He already had a good idea of what this gathering was about.
The war was coming.
Whether it would begin tomorrow, in a week, or a month, it no longer mattered. It was no longer a distant possibility. It would happen. Soon.
He exhaled deeply and closed his eyes again, preparing to return to his cultivation.
But before he could fully settle into a meditative state, a soft pulse ran through the alert rune he'd crafted specifically for messages from Ming Ze had activated.
His eyes snapped open.
"Blood Red?" Yuan muttered, narrowing his gaze at the glowing rune hovering before him.
That was the highest alert level, far above the dark blue he had assigned to the war's announcement. Blood Red was reserved for only the most severe circumstances: events involving certain death or irreversible consequences.
Yuan stood up immediately.
Had he misjudged the situation? Or had something else entirely happened?
Without hesitation, he adjusted the folds of his green robe and sealed the cave's entrance with a formation.
Then, without looking back, he stepped into the snow-covered path, heading toward whatever storm awaited him.
The weather was still snowy, but now only traces of snow remained, gathered in the corners of walkways, not in the middle. It seemed the sect had something in place to prevent the snow from blocking the main paths. Though the air was still cold, it was bearable for Yuan.
As he approached the familiar wooden house, he spotted Ming Ze already standing outside. When he saw Yuan, Ming Ze smiled warmly, as usual.
By the time Yuan reached the door, Ming Ze had already stepped inside and was preparing tea. But Yuan wasn't in the mood for tea today.
He spoke directly, cutting through the usual greetings.
"So, what's so important that we needed to meet right away?"
Hearing his tone, Ming Ze sighed and nodded.
"Boss Yuan, you've probably already heard Grand Elder Wu's announcement, but my master told me what it's really about. He said that the Five Families have officially declared war on all Seven Sects."
Yuan remained calm, nodding slowly."Yes, I already know that. Anything else?"
Ming Ze's eyes widened in surprise.
Shocked! He had expected panic or at least concern, but Yuan was completely composed. He stared blankly for a moment, then laughed nervously.
"So Boss Yuan already knows about the war? Well, that makes things easier, less for me to explain!"
He looked genuinely relieved, but as he glanced at Yuan's impatient expression, he quickly continued.
"Since you already know about the war, then... do you also know that the Five Families have two Peak Marrow Essence cultivators as their family heads?"
Yuan's eyes narrowed, a flash of shock finally breaking through his calm facade.
"Two Peak Marrow Essence cultivators?" he repeated. Then, with urgency in his voice, he asked:
"What kind? Are they Bright Marrow cultivators? Glowed? Or Refined?"
Ming Ze blinked, confused.
"Bright? Glowed? Refined?"He tilted his head slightly, trying to make sense of the terms."What are those?"
The question stunned Yuan for a moment. Then he realized, of course Ming Ze didn't know.
He hadn't even reached the Bone Forging or Meridian Awakening stage yet, so it made sense that he was unfamiliar with the titles within the Marrow Essence realm.
Yuan took a breath and began to explain.
"At the Bone Forging stage, cultivators are refining and strengthening their physical bodies, you already know that, right?"
Ming Ze nodded.
"Then you should also know that within Bone Forging, there are four sub stages, based on the quality of body refinement. The first is Bright Bone Forging, the most basic. Then comes Glowed Bone Forging, followed by Refined Bone Forging, and finally, the rarest, Special Bone Forging."
Again, Ming Ze nodded along, listening carefully.
Yuan continued.
"To reach the Marrow Essence stage, you need to first reach the peak of your current Bone Forging level and break through. But here's the catch, if you break through while you're only a Bright Bone Forging cultivator, you become a Bright Marrow Essence cultivator. That makes you the weakest among Marrow Essence cultivators."
He paused briefly, letting that sink in before continuing.
"A Bright Marrow Essence cultivator is only slightly stronger than a peak Refined Bone Forging cultivator. But if someone breaks through at the Glowed level, they become a Glowed Marrow Essence cultivator, which is significantly stronger. A Glowed cultivator could easily kill a Bright one. And as for Refined or Special Marrow Essence cultivators?"
Yuan gave a soft chuckle.
"They could slap a Bright Marrow Essence cultivator to death without even using full strength. So, do you see how important that distinction is?"
Ming Ze's eyes widened with awe.
"Wow..." he breathed. He was clearly fascinated by Yuan's deep knowledge of stages far above his own and shocked that no one had ever explained this to him.
He searched his memory, but couldn't recall his master ever mentioning anything about Bright, Glowed, or Refined cultivators
He shook his head slowly."My master never said anything like that. He just called them Marrow Essence cultivators and left it at that."
Yuan let out a quiet sigh.
This only deepened his frustration.
He realized he didn't even have a clear understanding of the power levels within his own sect. He had never truly seen the elders, the grand elders, or the sect head in action.
And with his cultivation still too low, he couldn't properly gauge their strength just by sensing their presence once or twice.
Only if they fought... maybe then, he could guess, even though barely.
"Anyway," Yuan said, shifting the topic, "is there anything else besides the war you wanted to tell me?"
Ming Ze paused, thinking for a moment before something came to mind.
"Well... I'm not sure how important this really is, but I overheard my master speaking with another elder. They said the auction is very important and shouldn't be missed. Other than that, no, nothing else."
Yuan nodded, then took his leave. As he walked back toward his cultivation cave, his thoughts lingered on the war.
Along the way, he passed the staircases that led to the higher floors of the sect. As he glanced at them, a thought came to mind.
"If I've already decided to join Li Yun's team, I should let him know now."
With that, Yuan turned around and began ascending the stairs, taking his time as he climbed up to the third floor. Soon, he arrived at Li Yun's door and gave it a firm knock.
Surprisingly, Li Yun opened the door almost immediately.
"Hello, Brother Yuan. It seems you've already made your decision!"
Li Yun sounded cheerful, a wide smile on his face. Yuan nodded.
"Come in, come in, to my humble cave," Li Yun said, stepping aside.
Yuan entered. Just like last time, the interior remained unchanged, modest, clean, and welcoming.
He took the same seat as before, while Li Yun moved to prepare some spiritual tea. After pouring a cup for Yuan, he served himself as well and sat down, taking a sip with clear satisfaction.
Watching how happy Li Yun was, Yuan couldn't help but feel a small flicker of suspicion. But for now, he chose to trust him, there was no reason to believe Li Yun had any ill intent.
So, Yuan took a careful sip of the tea.
To his surprise, this tea had a subtle effect, it stimulated his cultivation.
He could feel it loosening the resistance in his blood slightly. His blood had already reformed and strengthened to the standard intensity of someone at 80% fusion, but this tea weakened that resistance just a bit.
With this minor boost, Yuan estimated he might gain another percent of progress within the next week, slightly accelerating his pace.
"Good tea," Yuan said, prompting an even brighter smile from Li Yun, who let out a light chuckle and nodded.
"It should be. It was prepared by a high stage alchemist in the Bone Forging stage afterall!"
Yuan raised an eyebrow in surprise.
So this spiritual tea was crafted by a Bone Forging stage alchemist? That certainly explained the noticeable effect on his blood circulation. With a small smile, he took a second sip and nodded again in approval.
"Indeed, it's very helpful for my cultivation. I must thank Brother Yun for this opportunity."
With that, Yuan gave a respectful half-bow and saluted.
"Hahaha!" Li Yun laughed, shaking his head in amusement."What's there to thank and salute me for, Brother Yuan? If you bow to me like that, how could we still call each other brothers? Forget the etiquette, just accept this as a small gift."
Yuan straightened his back and gave a simple nod.
"Then I shall thank Brother Yun."
A few moments of comfortable silence followed as both sipped their tea. Then Li Yun glanced over, his gaze steady but hopeful. "So… what's your decision?"
"My decision?" Yuan voice echoed in the cultivation cave, watching as Li Yun took another relaxed sip of tea.
He gave a small smile of his own before replying.
"I've decided to follow Brother Yun and become your right hand."