The word lingered.
More.
Lin Xuan did not move.
He sat in silence long after the voice faded, his breathing slow, his body still.
But his mind—
Was not.
More what?
The question had already been answered.
Not in words.
But in memory.
Blood on his hands.
The dull resistance of flesh.
The way the chaos inside him had… steadied.
Not completely.
But enough to notice.
"…So that's the price."
His voice was barely audible.
The presence within him did not respond.
But it did not deny it either.
Lin Xuan opened his eyes.
The oil lamp had burned out.
Darkness filled the room.
Slowly—
He stood.
His body still ached.
His meridians still throbbed faintly.
But beneath that—
There was something else.
A subtle clarity.
Not strength.
Not yet.
But direction.
Morning came with a thin mist.
The lower courtyard was quieter than usual.
Not silent—
But subdued.
Lin Xuan stepped outside.
And immediately—
He felt it.
The shift.
Eyes followed him again.
But not the same as before.
Less mockery.
More caution.
"He's the one…"
"I heard he didn't hesitate…"
"Careful around him…"
Lin Xuan walked past them.
Unbothered.
Inside—
He observed.
Fear spreads faster than respect.
He noted it.
Stored it.
"Twenty-five."
The scarred man didn't look at him this time.
Just spoke.
Lin Xuan nodded.
Picked up the bucket.
No words.
The work began again.
But today—
He pushed further.
Not just physically.
Mentally.
Each step—
He measured.
Each breath—
He controlled.
Each movement—
He refined.
By the tenth trip—
His arms burned.
By the fifteenth—
His legs felt heavy.
By the twentieth—
His vision blurred slightly.
But he did not slow.
Because now—
He understood something.
Pain was not the limit.
The mind was.
"Still going?"
A voice came from the side.
Lin Xuan turned slightly.
Chen Rui stood there again.
Watching.
"…Yes."
Chen Rui tilted his head slightly.
"…Why?"
A simple question.
But not a simple answer.
Lin Xuan thought for a moment.
Then—
"…Because stopping doesn't change anything."
Chen Rui studied him.
Longer this time.
"…No."
He said quietly.
"It doesn't."
A pause.
Then—
"…But continuing does."
Lin Xuan didn't respond.
He already knew.
By the twenty-fifth trip—
He finished.
This time—
His body trembled slightly.
But he remained standing.
The scarred man approached.
"…You're improving."
Lin Xuan said nothing.
The man looked at him for a moment.
Then—
"…Another task tonight."
Lin Xuan's gaze lifted slightly.
"…Same as before?"
The man smiled faintly.
"…Better."
Night fell faster than usual.
The sky was thick with clouds.
The air—
Heavy.
Lin Xuan stood at the edge of the courtyard again.
Waiting.
This time—
He already knew what it meant.
Footsteps approached.
Three figures.
Familiar.
"Come."
No explanation.
No hesitation.
They moved.
The forest felt different tonight.
Darker.
Quieter.
As if something had already been decided.
The clearing they reached—
Was not the same as before.
This one—
Was wider.
And this time—
There were two figures.
Both bound.
Both kneeling.
Both alive.
Lin Xuan's gaze sharpened.
"…Two?"
The scarred man nodded.
"Progress."
One of the bound disciples lifted his head weakly.
Recognition flashed in his eyes.
"…you…"
Lin Xuan didn't respond.
The second one struggled faintly.
"…please… don't…"
The words echoed.
Familiar.
Unchanged.
Lin Xuan stood still.
The blade was handed to him again.
This time—
He didn't hesitate to take it.
The weight felt different.
Not lighter.
But known.
"…Why two?"
The question came calmly.
The scarred man shrugged.
"Because one isn't enough anymore."
Silence.
Lin Xuan looked at the two figures.
Then—
Slowly—
He stepped forward.
The first one—
Was already broken.
Barely conscious.
Easy.
The second—
Was watching him.
Eyes wide.
Terrified.
"…please…"
Lin Xuan stopped in front of him.
Looked down.
Studied him.
This is what it becomes.
The thought returned.
Clear.
Unavoidable.
Inside—
The presence stirred again.
Stronger this time.
Closer.
Watching.
Waiting.
Lin Xuan inhaled slowly.
Then—
Without warning—
He turned.
And drove the blade into the first one.
Fast.
Clean.
No hesitation.
The body jerked—
Then stilled.
Silence.
The second one screamed.
"NO—!"
The sound echoed through the forest.
Sharp.
Raw.
Lin Xuan didn't react.
He pulled the blade free.
Turned.
Stepped toward the second.
The man struggled harder.
Desperate.
"…I'll do anything… please…"
Lin Xuan crouched slightly.
Met his eyes.
For a moment—
He said nothing.
Then—
"…So would I."
The blade moved again.
This time—
There was no pause.
No hesitation.
No apology.
Just action.
When it was over—
The forest fell silent again.
Lin Xuan stood there.
The blade in his hand.
Blood dripping slowly to the ground.
His breathing—
Steady.
Behind him—
The scarred man laughed.
Low.
Satisfied.
"…Now you understand."
Lin Xuan didn't turn.
Didn't respond.
Because inside—
Something had changed.
Not broken.
Not lost.
Refined.
The chaos stirred again.
Violent.
Hungry.
And for the first time—
It didn't feel foreign.
It felt like his.
That night—
When he sat down to cultivate—
The Qi came instantly.
The elements surged—
But this time—
They aligned faster.
Stronger.
And at the center—
That presence—
Moved.
"…better…"
Lin Xuan's breath slowed.
"…This is what you want."
Silence.
Then—
"…this is what you are…"
The words echoed.
Deep.
Unavoidable.
Lin Xuan did not deny it.
Did not accept it.
He simply continued.
Because now—
He understood something clearly.
Power did not come from purity.
It came from what you were willing to become.
And he had already taken the first steps.
There was no going back.
Only forward.
And deeper.
Into something far more dangerous—
Than he had ever imagined.