He waved his hand, summoning his disciple badge from his storage ring. Holding it out to Han Yujie, he said, "Elder Han, please deduct the payment for this sword."

  As Han Yujie took out her dark golden elder badge to begin the deduction, a thought suddenly clicked in Li Yan’s mind. "Maybe I should buy one more weapon…"

  Just as her badge began to glow, he quickly spoke up. "Elder Han, wait a moment. I want to buy one more item."

  His gaze shifted back to the Tier-3 artifacts. This time, he wasn’t looking for another sword.

  "Let’s see… Shields, bows, spears, tridents, daggers, axes, gauntlets, hammers, whips, fans…" he mentally noted, eliminating each one.

  "The shield’s unnecessary. The fan and whip—no. Hammer and axe—don’t fit my style. The bow—no. Spears… hmm, that could work."

  He stepped forward and picked up one of the finer-looking spears among the three available there. It had a balanced weight and sturdy craftsmanship. After examining the shaft and the spearhead, he gave a small nod of approval. "Not bad."

  But just as he was about to finalize his choice, something else caught his eye in the corner of the shelf.

  Curious, Li Yan gently placed the spear back and picked up the gauntlets instead. Their dark blue metallic surface shimmered under the soft glow of the Qi lamp. Patterns of black and silver wove across their frame, making them appear both elegant and fierce.

  Though clearly used, they bore no signs of damage—only a fine layer of dust hinted at past battles.

  He studied the gauntlets closely. "Not a single dent… Well-kept. I’ve been meaning to start training in body-tempering technique anyway. A weapon that complements physical strength will be useful."

  Having made his decision, Li Yan extended his disciple badge once more. "Elder Han, please deduct the payment for both weapons."

  Han Yujie blinked, momentarily surprised. Her brows lifted slightly as her gaze moved between the sword and the gauntlets—two entirely different paths of combat. Most cultivators chose one discipline and specialized; very few cultivated both weapon mastery and physical combat.

  She wanted to ask what he was planning, but sensing Li Yan’s confidence, she let the question slide. With a gentle nod, she tapped her elder badge against his disciple badge, and 250 Shadow Points were deducted.

  "Done," she said softly.

  Li Yan cupped his fists respectfully. "Thank you for your help, Elder Han."

  "You’re always welcome, Li Yan," she replied with a warm smile.

  Without further delay, Li Yan turned and strode out of the treasury, his new sword and gauntlets resting within his ring.

  His steps were steady as he made his way toward the peak of the Core Mountain—toward the top floor, where the sect leader Ji Hong’s personal chamber was housed.

  At the sect leader’s chamber, Ji Hong welcomed Li Yan with a warm nod as he entered. Without another word, he handed over five ancient books, each wrapped in layers of protective cloth.

  "As promised," Ji Hong said, his deep voice carrying quiet authority. "These books contain the insights of cultivators who once possessed Superior-Level elemental affinities. Study them well."

  Li Yan accepted the bundle with both hands, stored them in his storage ring, and bowed respectfully. "Thank you, Elder Ji. I will return them once I’ve studied them thoroughly."

  After that, Li Yan left the sect leader’s chamber, closing the door softly behind him, and made his way straight back to his residence.

  With a flick of his hand, the five ancient books floated out from his spatial ring, gently settling onto the table before him. Their bindings, worn yet resilient, radiated a quiet weight—each one steeped in forgotten centuries of power and wisdom.

  These were no ordinary manuals. They contained records of legendary cultivators who once wielded Superior-Level elemental affinities—beings who had transcended the known limits of cultivation of this realm and rewritten the rules with their very existence.

  Li Yan carefully unwrapped the protective cloth encasing the first volume. The moment the aged fabric slipped away, he was greeted by the earthy aroma of old parchment—a scent he had come to associate with hidden truths and sacred knowledge.

  His fingers brushed over the rough, timeworn covers, feeling the history etched into every fiber.

  Sitting down on the couch, he opened the first book. The pages crackled softly beneath his touch, revealing exquisite portraits, detailed elemental diagrams, and flowing ancient script.

  From the very first line, the text pulled him in—stories of power that defied comprehension, cultivators whose elements bent the heavens, shattered battlefields, and reshaped entire regions.

  Unlike before, Li Yan didn’t use his Spiritual Sense to absorb the contents quickly. No—he read slowly and intentionally. These weren’t manuals to skim through.

  They were blueprints of a forgotten level of cultivation—knowledge that required understanding, not just memorization. Every line was precise, and every word carried hidden meaning.

  Time slipped away unnoticed, measured only by the scratching of his quill as he recorded notes—reflections, connections, insights. The first volume was enlightening. The second was even more enlightening.

  It explored forgotten rituals, obscure breathing techniques, and meditative practices that bordered on the mystical—some seemingly impossible without rare environmental conditions.

  By the time he reached the halfway point of the third book, Li Yan had read about eleven cultivators. Each possessed a superior-level affinity—light, fire, lightning, water, earth—but…

  Not a single one wielded the Darkness element affinity.

  Li Yan paused. His brow creased. The quill froze mid-stroke as silence filled the room. "Nothing. Not one."

  Despite all the recorded brilliance, there was no precedent for him—no guidance, no path to follow.

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  He leaned back against the couch, eyes closing as he exhaled slowly. The silence that followed was heavy, not tranquil—a silence filled with thought, with realization.

  "No shortcuts," he murmured. "No trail to follow… only me—and the abyss."

  When his eyes opened again, they carried a calm, sharpened focus. This was the truth he had unearthed. While others followed in the footsteps of legends, his path would have to be carved from the void itself.

  And forging such a path demanded more than talent.

  It demanded solitude.

  It demanded scars.

  It demanded the strength to create where no knowledge existed.

  And Li Yan was ready.

  His eyes hardened as he picked up the third book once more. After finishing it, his gaze fell upon the last two volumes—their worn covers almost humming with ancient weight. Without hesitation, he reached for the fourth.

  This time, he read faster. With the foundation from the earlier books already engraved in his mind, the complex theories unfolded naturally. Concepts flowed like rivers merging into a vast sea.

  Diagrams ignited understanding, passages resonated with clarity. His quill danced swiftly across parchment, recording everything—formulas, philosophies, hidden meanings.

  Then, as he turned a halfway page in the fifth and final book, something changed.

  His hand froze.

  A name—barely visible through faded ink.

  A symbol—etched in looping strokes—sharp yet fluid.

  And beneath it—an illustration of a battlefield swallowed by shadow.

  Li Yan’s eyes narrowed. A rare, subtle smile formed on his lips. "Finally… someone with a Superior-Level Darkness affinity."

  The calm in Li Yan’s expression cracked just slightly, revealing a flicker of genuine anticipation. He leaned closer, the faint reflection of parchment glimmering in his sharpened gaze.

  The passage was brief, fragmented by age and time, yet it pulsed with hidden meaning. It spoke of a lone cultivator from a forgotten era, a master of darkness not through destruction, but through profound comprehension. His power wasn’t in casting shadows—it was in becoming them.

  What followed sent tremors through Li Yan’s mind.

  Shadow Manipulation. Phantom Mirage. Umbral Density Suppression.

  They weren’t recorded as techniques in the traditional sense. There were no steps to memorize, no stances, no chants. Instead, they were described as awakenings—forces born from resonance, from surrender to the very essence of darkness.

  Li Yan realized then that cultivation wasn’t just about control. It was about alignment.

  These weren’t abilities to be learned. They were truths to be understood.

  He had read of countless abilities tied to other superior elements: Lightning’s tempestuous wrath, Earth’s unshakable strength, Fire’s blazing will, Water’s flowing dominion. Yet none of them resonated with him.

  Not like this.

  Only Darkness felt real—alive—calling to him.

  By late afternoon, the sunlight outside dimmed, and long shadows stretched across the sect grounds. Theory gave way to practice.

  Li Yan rose and moved to the center of the empty room in his quarter. Lowering himself to the floor, he crossed his legs and closed his eyes. A deep breath filled his lungs, slow and deliberate, until even the rhythm of his heartbeat seemed to fade into silence.

  His awareness turned inward.

  Not to logic. Not to calculation.

  But to instinct—pure, wordless instinct.

  Within his Qi Core, two forces coexisted.

  Darkness—mature and dominant—coiled like liquid night, thick and deliberate, covering nearly two-thirds of the core. It pulsed with a deep, resonant hum, a presence that demanded both reverence and comprehension.

  Fire—youthful and patient—burned within the remaining third, a gentle ember beneath the weight of its darker sibling. The flame of life. The heartbeat of passion. Waiting quietly for its time.

  Li Yan observed the Darkness. And then—he listened.

  Not with his ears, but with his spirit.

  He descended inward—into that abyss—not empty, but full. Full of whispers, full of echoes, full of power waiting to be heard.

  This was the beginning, not of imitation, but of creation.

  He didn’t seek to command the darkness. He didn’t seek to resist it. He Understands.

  With his eyes closed and his mind still, he allowed the darkness to respond. It rose slowly, wrapping around him like a breathless tide, folding him in its unseen arms.

  This wasn’t brute-force cultivation—it was communion—a silent dialogue between his will and the element’s nature.

  "So this is how he did it… not by overpowering the element, but by surrendering to its nature."

  As if in answer to his realization, the air shifted.

  The shadows stirred.

  The temperature dropped—not sharply, but gradually, like twilight swallowing the last trace of day. The corners of the room darkened, the light thinning as if drawn away by unseen hands.

  And then—he felt it.

  Resonance.

  Not within his body, but in his soul. A silent harmony between his spirit and the element.

  It began as a stream of Qi flowing through his meridians—cold yet smooth. But the deeper he sank, the clearer it became: this wasn’t mere cultivation. It was something refined. It was weaving silk through a needle’s eye—threading awareness through the smallest spaces of existence.

  The Darkness Qi beneath his skin no longer felt wild. It felt aware.

  It pulsed—alive, intelligent, responsive.

  He wasn’t manipulating shadows anymore. He was communicating with them.

  The Superior-Level affinity wasn’t just about destruction, but depth. Real strength lay not in how much darkness one could unleash, but in how precisely one could shape it.

  The shadows weren’t tools.

  They were extensions of him—his thoughts, his will, his reflection.

  With steady breath, Li Yan began to practice the first ability:

  Shadow Manipulation

  He guided the shadows in the room—not with force, but with intent shaped by comprehension. His will led, and the shadows followed—not instantly, but eagerly, like a loyal beast recognizing its master.

  At first, the shadows moved clumsily—serpents without purpose, slithering across the room floor.

  But then, slowly, their motions refined.

  A dagger formed—thin, sharp, gleaming with spectral sheen—then a spear—coiling from the ground like a midnight flame. A wall rose beside him, curved like a shield, rippling with defensive energy.

  Each manifestation emerged not through raw power, but through comprehension. The darkness answered his focus with quiet precision.

  Every motion felt right. Every creation resonated with instinct.

  This was true mastery—control through harmony, not domination.

  Time slipped by unnoticed. Each repetition grew smoother, every transition sharper. The oppressive darkness that had once filled the room now ebbed and flowed under his will—refined, disciplined, obedient.

  By the time Li Yan concluded his practice, the chamber had returned to its ordinary light.

  Yet something had changed. The air felt different—alive. His Qi lingered in the room like a silent presence… watching. Waiting.

  Li Yan exhaled slowly, calm and centered. "Not bad… It’s starting to take a more perfect shape."