That made him pause. A path beyond even the most exalted rank spoken of on this continent, one requiring him to survive a trial most never lived through at all. He filed the thought away; that was not an issue at the moment.
"Martial Qi realm, then, will be my first goal." He settled more comfortably at the table, already anticipating the manual Xiaoxiao would hand him. "I assume I currently sit below any ranked realm at all, given the dantian only opened yesterday."
"Correct, Master. You have not yet reached any ranked realm. Opening the dantian is only the first step. Cultivation from here builds the qi needed to reach the Martial Qi realm properly, assuming you follow the manual and do not attempt to rush the process."
"How long will that take?"
"Difficult to say without more information, Master. It may take days. It may take months. The speed depends heavily on your constitution, which we have not yet tested." A brief pause followed, thoughtful rather than hesitant. "I would suggest testing it soon, so we know what we are working with. Some constitutions absorb qi quickly and advance in a matter of days. Others require far longer, regardless of effort or dedication."
Li Yan nodded slowly, filing the suggestion away as another task to see to before the day grew much older. "How do we test it?"
"There are methods within the space for that, Master, though most require specific tools or a controlled environment to produce a reliable result. I would rather not rush the process and give you a false reading. Better to wait until we have proper privacy and the right materials at hand."
"Fair enough." Li Yan reached for the scroll Xiaoxiao had already placed in his palm, turning it over once before setting it aside on the table. "Regardless of what my constitution turns out to be, I still intend to sit the sect examination."
"A wise decision, Master, even setting your constitution aside entirely. The Nine Jade Sect holds resources far beyond anything available to us here, whatever wealth Hu Bai has already handed over—cultivation manuals, more advanced than what I currently carry. Training grounds built specifically to accelerate a disciple’s progress. And, more importantly for your immediate goals, a proper master to teach you apothecary, assuming your attribute allows for it."
That last point settled something firmly in his mind. He had a space full of pills, formulas, and manuals, more wealth in raw materials than most sects likely held in their own vaults, and none of it would matter without someone qualified to teach him how to use it properly. A finished pill sitting untouched in storage did him no good if he never learned to make more of it himself, especially once his current supply ran dry.
"Then the sect examination remains the priority." Li Yan rose from the table, restlessness beginning to creep back into his limbs. "Constitution testing first, once we find the privacy for it. Cultivation second, whatever pace my body allows. And the examination itself, the moment the sect opens its doors to new candidates."
"A sound plan, Master, though I would add one point in its favor." Something almost pleased colored the reply. "Given your connection to Hu Bai, and by extension to the imperial family itself, I suspect the sect will show you rather more attention than an ordinary candidate might otherwise receive. Whether that attention proves useful or draws unwanted eyes remains to be seen."
Li Yan considered that a moment, the weight of his engagement settling differently now that he understood exactly whose name stood attached to it. Useful, certainly, in the ways that mattered. Dangerous, in ways he suspected he had not yet fully begun to understand.
"We will manage whatever comes of it." He crossed toward the window, drawing the shutters open enough to let a thin line of light spill across the floor. "One matter at a time, Xiaoxiao. Constitution first."
"You do not need to worry about privacy, Master. I just remembered we have the page." Xiaoxiao’s voice carried a note of quiet certainty. "Whatever your consciousness does within the space, your physical body outside will mirror it. If you cultivate there, anyone watching your body here will see only a man sitting still in meditation. They will assume you are cultivating in the ordinary sense, nothing more."
Li Yan settled cross-legged onto the bed, drawing a slow breath before letting his awareness sink inward, past the boundary he had first crossed the previous morning, back into black soil that glittered like crushed stars beneath endless drifting mist.
"Test my constitution first." He kept his tone even, though something restless stirred beneath it. "I want to know exactly what I am working with before I waste time cultivating blind."
"As you wish, Master."
A soft pulse of energy gathered around him, gentle at first, then sharpening into something that read every corner of his spiritual form at once. Xiaoxiao fell silent through the process, longer than usual, long enough that Li Yan began to wonder whether something had gone wrong.
"Xiaoxiao?"
"Forgive me, Master. I needed a moment." Something had shifted in her voice, disbelief threading through words that usually carried nothing but confidence. "You are a heavenly genius. Not merely gifted, Master. Beyond that. Your spirit root is black, but that’s not all. There are traces of green and blue at the base. You most likely have a mutated spirit root, which lets you tap into four attributes, depending on how you train them."
Li Yan sat with that a moment, turning the words over slowly. "Is it that good?"
"Good does not begin to cover it." A pause followed, weightier than before. "This is the sort of constitution that draws entire sects into bidding wars, Master. Should the Nine Jade Sect learn what you truly carry, they would not merely accept you. They would fight to keep you, and worse, other sects would learn of it and fight to take you from them. You would become a prize contested across the entire continent before you had any real strength to defend yourself with."
Li Yan shook his head; being familiar with Hu Bai was alone enough to draw attention. If they found out his ability, he would be watched constantly.
"It seems like I will have to give up being a famous heavenly genius for a quiet life as a trash disciple."