"How long will you keep staring at me?" I said, looking at Mei, who stood just outside the ring of eggs, watching.
"As long as you want, Young Master," she said, without a hitch in her voice.
*It's already midnight, huh...* Not entirely surprised by the time.
"I want to rest," I said, standing from my meditation spot.
Mei approached and helped me out of my outer garment, gracefully as ever, then bowed and left, closing the door quietly behind her.
I headed to my bedroom after a quick shower.
The Next Day
At Suchen Peak
I stood there meditating before dawn, waiting for training to begin. After a while—
"Young Master Zaitian. It's time." Elder Mo Xuan approached quietly, hands clasped behind his back.
"Good morning, Elder Mo Xuan." I stood and gave him a respectful bow.
"How was your break?" Flat, no warmth in it at all.
"Not bad," I said, keeping my gaze steady.
Without further conversation, we began the day's training.
"Last time, I gave you a task — lifting that stone." He pointed to the rock I'd struggled with before.
"Do you know why I gave you that task?" He stroked his beard, something he was clearly fond of doing.
*The System told me to picture the stone in my sea of consciousness — to stay calm, not lose concentration. Which means...*
"You wanted me to stay calm and steady at all times. Like the rock." I kept my expression neutral as I said it.
"Not bad. From here on, your training intensifies. Time isn't on your side."
He waved a hand, and I found myself standing on a high mountaintop, the sun scorching directly overhead.
"Horse stance," he said, settling onto a rock.
I dropped into position without hesitation. The moment I did, a heavy pressure settled over me — not overwhelming, but present.
"The pressure will increase over time. What you're feeling now is the aura of an expert at the peak stage of the 2nd Foundation Establishment realm. It'll only grow from here." He cleaned his sword with careful, deliberate attention.
*So this is what the peak stage of the 2nd Foundation Establishment realm feels like.*
*System, what stage am I actually in right now?* Curious, a little hopeful, since I knew I was at the 2nd Foundation Establishment realm — just not sure whether early, mid, or peak stage.
*Early stage of the 2nd Foundation Establishment realm, Young Master.*
A few breaths later, the pressure spiked without warning — straight to the peak of Foundation Establishment.
I nearly lost my footing entirely, but held, even as the weight pressed down like a small mountain had settled directly on my shoulders.
Mo Xuan smiled at me — the kind of smile that made it very clear he was about to enjoy this far more than I would.
"I want to see your limits, Zaitian. Show me." A grin, right as the pressure jumped again — straight to the early stage of the 1st Nascent Soul realm.
The moment it landed, it felt like a thousand small mountains had piled on at once.
My knees buckled slightly under it, teeth grinding hard enough that blood started seeping from the corner of my mouth.
*Hold on, host — don't kneel. Your bloodline won't tolerate weakness. Don't kneel,* the System said, all seriousness now.
*I'm holding it. I think I'm about to give in already,* I managed, voice tight, every word costing something.
Mo Xuan's grin widened slightly. That frightened me more than the pressure did.
The aura climbed again — the 5th Nascent Soul realm now — the weight multiplying a hundredfold, genuinely unbearable.
"How are you doing, Young Master?" A playful smile that I found utterly infuriating.
I was about to curse him, silently, with everything I had.
*Don't, host. Remember the task. No cursing, no foul language,* it said, playful enough that it was clearly enjoying my suffering.
*Curse you, System. Curse you,* I raged internally.
"I'm... fine," I forced out to Mo Xuan, through sheer will alone.
"If you say so." The aura spiked one final time — the peak stage of the 9th Nascent Soul realm — thousands of times heavier than anything before it.
Something inside me cracked, which heated up my body slightly. *System. What's happening — please don't tell me that's my soul cracking.* A cold chill ran down my back.
*Something definitely cracked — but it's not your soul. It's the bloodline seal. It's leaking energy now, helping you resist, which in turn is strengthening both your body and your control,* it said, genuine surprise and excitement creeping into its voice.
Mo Xuan's full attention snapped to me the instant the seal cracked. He gave me another wide, delighted grin — the look of a man thoroughly enjoying himself at someone else's expense, nothing more sinister than that.
"You'll stay here for the next three hours, letting your body adapt to the pressure. It'll strengthen your bloodline control in the process."
*So this is what the peak stage of the 9th Nascent Soul realm actually feels like. Which means Princess Xue went easy on me back then.*
*Definitely. She was saving you some face,* the System chuckled at my realization.
I didn't respond, just stayed quiet.
Three hours of pure misery for me — thoroughly entertaining, apparently, for both the System and Mo Xuan.
My body slowly adjusted to the pressure, enough that I could move a little by the end of it — according to the System, a genuinely impressive feat.
Mo Xuan waved his hand, and the pressure vanished all at once, dropping me to the ground with a thud.
"Twenty minutes' break, Young Master. Use it well." He disappeared, calm as ever.
*So this is how my training will be for the next nine months* I gave a helpless chuckle.