Elder Su looked at Qin Yuan.
"Was that your full strength?"
Several ears immediately stretched toward them.
Qin Yuan answered without hesitation.
"No."
The hall became even quieter.
Elder Su's eyebrow lifted.
"At least pretend to be humble."
"I was answering the question."
"That is exactly the issue."
Qin Yuan looked around the training hall once.
"This place is useful."
"Of course it is useful."
"I may return later."
"You will need a combat training authorization attached to your apprentice badge."
"Can I apply?"
"You are already under my supervision. I will approve it."
Qin Yuan nodded.
"Thank you, Elder Su."
Elder Su studied him.
"Where are you going now?"
"Out."
"Out where?"
"Into the city."
Her gaze became faintly suspicious.
"You just caused enough noise for half the association to start gossiping, and your plan is to leave?"
"That is why I should leave."
A faint pause.
Then Elder Su laughed once.
Softly.
Dangerously.
"You are either very sensible or very troublesome."
"Probably both."
Several nearby apprentices stared at Qin Yuan as if he had just poked a sleeping tiger.
Elder Su's smile sharpened.
"Go. But do not die. I dislike wasting effort."
"I'll try not to."
"That was not a joke."
"I know."
Qin Yuan gave a brief bow.
Then he turned and left the training zone.
Behind him, the whispers exploded only after the doors closed.
"What was that?"
"He is a seven-star alchemist and fights like that?"
"Did he use a hidden combat art?"
"No, that looked like foundation and raw control."
"Who said he was just a furnace genius?"
"Someone is going to dig up his background by tonight."
Elder Su watched the closed door for a moment.
Then she turned toward the gray-robed elder.
"Do not let anyone bother him."
The elder blinked.
"You are protecting him already?"
"I am preventing idiots from testing him and embarrassing the association."
"That sounds like protection."
"It sounds like maintenance."
The elder smiled.
"Of course, Elder Su."
Elder Su gave him a cold look.
The smile vanished.
"Yes. Maintenance. Very reasonable."
Outside the training zone, Qin Yuan walked through the Pill Association's main corridor.
For the first time in several days, he left the association grounds.
The moment he stepped past the outer gate, Jadefall City opened before him again.
The air outside felt different.
Louder.
Messier.
More alive.
Floating transport lanes wrapped around high towers. Mana-screen advertisements flashed across glass walls. People hurried across bridges, some in academy uniforms, some in sect robes, some in business suits marked with family badges. Spirit-net drones projected news panels in midair.
A huge screen across the street showed an advertisement for a luxury cultivation chamber.
BREAK THROUGH IN COMFORT.
PRIVATE ORIGIN QI FILTRATION.
THREE-PATH COMPATIBILITY.
FIRST HOUR HALF PRICE FOR REGISTERED ACADEMY STUDENTS.
Qin Yuan ignored it.
His mind was already elsewhere.
Rumors of a beast gathering. Strange energy fluctuations outside the city. Monstrous beasts moving in patterns that did not match their instincts.
To most people, it sounded like danger.
To Qin Yuan, it sounded like every cliché treasure ground, inheritance cave, sealed ruin, hidden pocket space, and "coincidentally opened ancient opportunity" he had ever read about.
Of course, that did not mean he was stupid enough to rush over with a sword and heroic music playing in the background.
That kind of thinking got people killed.
Much less a Spirit Master, Arcane Master, or Body Master, Qin Yuan was not even certain he could safely fight a 9th layer Spirit Opening cultivator yet.
If he exposed all his combat potential too early, and if the wrong people noticed, his current strength would not be enough to ignore the consequences.
His position inside the Clearbell Eastern Three-Path Pill Association was safer than before. Elder Su valued him. Elder Mu supported him. His seven-star apprentice status gave him respect, protection, and resources.
But safe did not mean untouchable.
If someone schemed against him using several Origin Core experts, or worse, a single Origin Sky expert, all his talent would only make him more valuable to trap.
Qin Yuan understood that clearly.
Staying inside the association and developing steadily was the safest option.
But safe was slow.
Too slow.
His talent system rewarded effort, pressure, danger, and real experience. If he locked himself in a comfortable room and only refined pills, his growth would still be monstrous by ordinary standards, but not enough for his ambition.
He did not want to become a genius.
He wanted to become someone who stood so high that the word genius sounded childish.
Qin Yuan walked through the bright afternoon streets of Jadefall City with that thought steady in his mind.
Flying sword lanes cut through the air overhead. Spirit-energy buses hummed along glass bridges. Mana-screen advertisements flashed over the sides of towers, selling everything from cultivation chambers to moonlight spell supplements.
A massive ad showed a smiling young man swinging a sword through mist.
JADEFALL MIST SWORD SECT PUBLIC COURSE REGISTRATION OPEN.
BEGINNER MIST SWORD ARTS.
DISCOUNT FOR STUDENTS AND CERTIFIED ASSOCIATION TALENTS.
Qin Yuan glanced at it once.
Then kept walking.
He needed arts.
Not low-level scraps.
High Common Rank at minimum.
Perfect Common Rank if he could find them.
Speed.
Stealth.
Explosive combat strength.
Speed allowed him to dominate weaker enemies and escape stronger ones.
Stealth allowed him to come and go as he liked.
Explosive combat strength allowed him to kill before trouble had time to grow legs.
He wanted a Perfect Common Rank sword too, but that was probably wishful thinking.
Perfect Rank was not some decoration attached to a product label. Whether it was a pill, weapon, cultivation art, spell, body method, or formation, Perfect Rank represented a level of refinement that pushed the category itself to its limit.
A Perfect Common Rank pill could sometimes rival a Low Earthen pill in usefulness.
A Perfect Common Rank art could outperform a Low Earthen Rank art in certain areas, despite Earthen Rank normally being used by Origin-class cultivators.
That was the scary part about perfection.
It was not just stronger.
It meant someone had understood something others had not.
Even Qin Yuan had only produced a Perfect Common Rank pill after his talents had advanced greatly, and that pill had been based on a basic formula.
At higher stages, Perfect Rank would only become rarer.
Still, rare did not mean impossible.
And now, unlike before, Qin Yuan had money.
He also had status.
When he entered the Jadefall Licensed Art Exchange, no one looked at him like a poor branch family nobody.
The building itself was shaped like a vertical library made of black spirit-glass. Floating shelves drifted behind transparent walls, each shelf protected by layered formations. Projection crystals hovered beside sealed art tablets, replaying fragments of old masters performing sword strikes, movement steps, breathing arts, and qi circulation techniques.
At the entrance, a young receptionist in a silver uniform looked up.
"Welcome to Jadefall Licensed Art Exchange. Please present your purchase authority and identity bracelet."
Qin Yuan raised his wrist.
The scanner passed over it.
The receptionist's professional smile froze for half a second.
"Clearbell Eastern Three-Path Pill Association… seven-star apprentice alchemist?"
Her tone changed immediately.
Not exaggerated.
Not flattering.
Just sharper.
More careful.
"Apprentice Qin, welcome. Are you looking for alchemy-related methods, self-defense arts, or auxiliary spiritual techniques?"
"Combat arts," Qin Yuan said.
The receptionist blinked.
Then she smiled again.
"Of course. What path focus?"
"Martial. Sword. Movement. Stealth. Burst offense."
"Rank preference?"
"High Common Rank minimum. Perfect Common Rank if available."
The receptionist's eyes moved once.
Not with disdain.
With surprise.
"Perfect Common Rank arts are limited. Most are either incomplete, restricted, or extremely specialized."
"That's fine."
"Budget?"
Qin Yuan calmly gave a number.
This time, her expression almost slipped.
"Please wait a moment."
She tapped the desk twice. A circular formation lit beneath her fingers, and three projection panels appeared in front of Qin Yuan.
The first listed movement arts.
The second listed sword arts.
The third listed concealment and assassination-adjacent arts.
Qin Yuan scanned them quickly.
Most were useless to him.
Not because they were bad.
Because they were ordinary.
Fast Step Art. Gale Sprint Art. Silent Breath Art. Quickdraw Sword Method. Three-Point Pierce. Cloud Drift Movement. Low Wind Shadow Step.
Decent names.
Decent effects.
Too shallow.
Then his eyes paused on one entry.
PERFECT COMMON RANK ART — WINDLESS SKY VEIL ART.
Classification: Movement / Concealment / Aura Suppression.
Path: Martial.
Requirement: High Spirit Sense recommended. Wind affinity recommended but not mandatory.
Warning: Difficult to cultivate. Low success rate. Previous buyers reported slow progress without wind-attribute Spiritual Root or high comprehension.
Recorded Projection Included: Yes.
Qin Yuan selected it.
The receptionist looked at the screen.
"Apprentice Qin, that one is… unusual."
"Explain."
"It is technically Perfect Common Rank, but not because it has high combat power. Its value is in concept and foundation. At beginner mastery, it reduces footstep sound and breathing disturbance. At minor mastery, it allows the cultivator to conceal aura through atmospheric blending. At major mastery, it uses surrounding airflow to mislead Spirit Sense."
"And higher?"
The receptionist hesitated.
"According to the record, if cultivated to completion, the user can temporarily enter a state called One With Wind."
Qin Yuan's eyes sharpened.
"Meaning?"
"The body becomes partially wind-like. Movement speed rises greatly. Physical presence becomes unstable. You can blend into natural air currents and become extremely difficult to lock onto."
She paused, then added, "The record also claims it can lay a conceptual foundation for the future state of One With the World, but honestly, most buyers considered that part sales exaggeration."
Qin Yuan's heart moved slightly.
One With the World.
That was not something a small Jadefall City art exchange should casually mention.
Even if the explanation was shallow, even if the art only touched the edge of that concept, it was valuable.
Very valuable.
"I'll take it."
The receptionist nodded.
"Understood."
Qin Yuan continued selecting.
High Common Rank sword art — THREADLIGHT SEVERING SWORD.
Focused on clean, thin sword qi, precise killing lines, and weak-point cutting.
High Common Rank burst technique — FLASH MERIDIAN BURST.
Temporarily accelerated Spirit Qi circulation through the legs, arms, and sword hand for explosive movement or attacks.
High Common Rank defensive movement art — REED-BENDING EVASION.
A flexible dodging method designed to survive heavy blows by yielding, redirecting, and shifting body weight.
High Common Rank killing art — THREE-BREATH EXECUTION FORM.
A brutal close-combat method that focused on finishing an opponent within three breaths after creating an opening.
Qin Yuan also purchased several lower-cost supporting manuals. Not because he needed their full contents, but because comparing arts helped his comprehension.
Sometimes the fastest way to understand a good art was to see what bad arts failed to do.
Finally, he visited the weapon floor.
There, the difference between money and status became even more obvious.
The attendant did not try to sell him a shiny decorative blade. He did not recommend some "young genius package" with a useless sword and overpriced maintenance plan.
Instead, after hearing Qin Yuan's needs, he brought out five sealed sword cases.
"Apprentice Qin, Perfect Common Rank swords are not available for direct sale today. Even if one appears, it usually enters auction or gets reserved by sect disciples. These are the best High Common Rank options currently available."
The first sword was light, thin, and fast.
Too fragile.
The second was heavy, broad, and strong.
Too clumsy.
The third had a fire-attribute formation.
Useful, but too attention-grabbing.
The fourth was beautiful, polished silver with cloud patterns across the blade.
Overpriced.
Then Qin Yuan picked up the fifth.
It was a dark gray sword with faint blue lines running along the fuller. Its shape was simple. No exaggerated guard. No decorative gems. No noble crest. The balance was slightly forward, but not enough to slow the wrist. When Qin Yuan circulated Spirit Qi into it, the blade gave off a soft hum instead of a bright glow.
The attendant smiled.
"Cloudline Sword. High Common Rank. Not flashy, but stable. It sharpens Spirit Qi flow and supports thin sword qi. Good for speed-type and precision-type sword arts."
Qin Yuan swung once.
The sword cut through the air silently.
Not perfectly.
But close.
"This one."
By the time Qin Yuan left the exchange, the sun had already begun to sink behind the city towers.
His purchases were stored inside a licensed spatial pouch, each sealed with ownership formations and legal purchase tags.
The cost was high.
Very high.
Enough that the old Qin Yuan would have stared at the number until his soul left his body.
The current Qin Yuan only felt satisfied.
Resources existed to be turned into strength.
Anything else was just decoration.