Wei Lin watched the battle unfold before him with growing concern. The initial exchanges had been impressive enough - Ke Yin matching Chen Wu's techniques with surprising skill. But now something had changed. The air itself seemed to grow heavier as Chen Wu's earth-attributed qi began to pour forth.

"Watch carefully," Wei Ye said, his eyes never leaving the combatants. "This is why there are stages in the Qi Condensation realm."

Wei Lin frowned, not liking the oppressive pressure radiating from Chen Wu. It reminded him uncomfortably of the few times he'd witnessed 6th Stage Qi Condensation cultivators displaying their power. The difference between stages wasn't just about raw numbers - it was about quality of energy, about reaching fundamental breakthroughs in how qi could be wielded.

But Chen Wu was only supposed to be at the peak of the 5th Stage...

"Father," he started to say, but Wei Ye cut him off with a sharp gesture of his hand.

"Good instincts," Wei Ye commented as Ke Yin narrowly avoided the stone hand that erupted from the ground. "Your friend has a natural talent for combat."

Wei Lin nodded absently, struggling to track the increasingly rapid exchanges. Even with his Third Stage cultivation, the movements were starting to blur together. How was his father, a mortal, managing to follow the battle so easily?

"Don't get distracted," Wei Ye chided. "Watch carefully. Chen Wu will end it now."

Wei Lin's frown deepened as he watched Chen Wu suddenly launch himself forward like a boulder from a siege weapon. He didn't care about losing the thousand spirit stones - he just didn't want to see his friend seriously injured. Chen Wu was clearly done holding back.

Then something impossible happened. Just before Chen Wu's devastating strike could connect, Ke Yin... vanished. Not in the usual blur of high-speed movement, but genuinely disappeared, as if he'd never been there at all.

Wei Lin heard his father's sharp intake of breath. "That aura..." Wei Ye muttered, eyes widening.

What followed happened so quickly that Wei Lin could barely process it. Ke Yin reappeared, unleashed a devastating combination of attacks, and then... explosions. When the dust settled, Chen Wu lay defeated in a crater.

Wei Lin turned to see his father’s reaction, but instead of expecting to see disappointment from losing both bets, he noticed a different look in his father’s eyes.

A look he knew all too well.

***

Chen Wu coughed again, still leaning heavily on my shoulder. Despite the beating he'd just taken, he managed a weak smile. "That's the first time anyone's used my earth qi against me quite like that," he admitted between labored breaths.

"The earth provides more than just defense," I replied, remembering some of Elder Molric's lessons about elemental interactions.

Before Chen Wu could respond, Wei Ting's voice cut through the settling dust. She hurried over, her elegant robes somehow remaining spotless despite the debris-filled air. "Ke Yin! Are you hurt? Let me see—"

"I'm fine, Auntie Wei," I assured her with a slight bow, careful not to let Chen Wu fall. "Really, I wasn't injured."

She gave me a skeptical look before turning her attention to Chen Wu, who looked like he might collapse at any moment. Those explosions hadn't been for show - I'd put everything I had into them, knowing I needed to end the fight quickly before the blue sun's energy faded.

"Chen Wu! Sit down before you fall down. Liu Chen, fetch my medicine box from the main house."

"Rocky…get…faster!" Rocky rumbled, carefully setting Liu Chen down before lumbering toward the house with surprising speed for a fifteen-foot stone giant.

"No, Rocky, wait—" Wei Ting called out, but the guardian was already gone, his heavy footsteps sending tremors through the ground. She sighed. "I suppose I should be grateful he's using the path this time instead of going through the walls."

"He's learning," Liu Chen said proudly. Then his eyes widened as he turned to me. "Brother Ke Yin, that was amazing! When did you learn to explode things? Can you teach me? Not for robbery!" he added quickly. "Just for... um... self-defense?"

"Liu Chen!" Lin Mei scolded, though I caught her hiding a smile.

"What? It was really cool! Did you see how he went all glowy and then BOOM!" Liu Chen punched the air enthusiastically, nearly losing his balance in the process.

Wei Guang caught him by the back of his robes before he could fall. "Careful there, little warrior. Though I have to agree - that was quite a show." He gave me an appraising look. "I don't suppose you'd be willing to explain exactly how you managed that disappearing trick?"

"Just a movement technique," I replied with a slight smile, noting how Wei Ye's eyes sharpened on me.

Rocky returned then, carefully carrying a delicate-looking box in his massive stone hands. He moved with exaggerated care, like a child tasked with carrying something precious.

"Thank you, Rocky," Wei Ting smiled, accepting the box. "You're very gentle with delicate things."

Rocky's craggy features shifted in what might have been a pleased expression. "Try... be... careful," he rumbled slowly.

"Here, stick out your arm," Wei Ting instructed Chen Wu as she began pulling various bottles and bandages from the box. "And no arguing about treatment - I saw that blast hit you directly."

"Yes, madam," Chen Wu replied meekly. Even elite combat instructors, it seemed, knew better than to argue with Wei Ting when she was in healing mode.

"Remarkable," Wei Ye said, approaching me while his wife fussed over Chen Wu. "Truly remarkable. You know, I don't often admit to being wrong, but I clearly underestimated you." His smile was warm but there was something in it that made me feel uncomfortable. "Perhaps we could discuss your future plans? The Wei family is always looking to invest in promising talent."

"Father—" Wei Lin started to protest, but Wei Ye held up a hand.

"Let me finish. Young master Ke Yin, I'm prepared to offer you a very generous arrangement. Full sponsorship of your cultivation resources, access to our family's technique library, a position as our primary combat instructor..." He paused for effect. "And of course, a starting salary of ten thousand spirit stones per month."

Liu Chen's jaw dropped. "Ten... ten thousand?" he whispered to Rocky. "That's enough spirit stones to feed you for a year!"

I kept my expression neutral as I considered the offer.

"Master," Azure's voice echoed in my thoughts, "something feels off about him. He tracks qi movements like a cultivator, yet I detect no cultivation base."

"Either he has some method of concealment," I replied mentally, "or he's hiding something else entirely. Either way, I'm not signing myself over to someone I don't trust."

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The offer itself was incredibly generous on the surface - the kind of opportunity most outer disciples would kill for. Access to premium cultivation resources, techniques, and more spirit stones than I could earn in years at the sect.

"The Wei family's resources are impressive for the mortal realm, but they're limited,” Azure noted. “They have no cultivators above the Elemental Realm in their employment."

"Because they can't retain them," I replied mentally. "Or won’t. Money can buy resources, but advancement beyond the Elemental Realm requires more than just material wealth."

My thoughts drifted to Elder Molric and our experiences in the Two Suns world. The difference between having a true mentor and merely having access to resources was like the difference between reading about swimming and having someone teach you in the water.

Some insights could only be passed down through direct guidance.

"The contract would likely be bound by heavenly dao," Azure added. "Making promises that could limit your future choices would be unwise, especially to someone whose true nature we can't verify."

He was right. Wei Ye was offering substantial immediate benefits, but I could see the invisible chains attached. The Wei family would invest heavily in my development, but only along the path that benefited them. They needed a powerful guardian, not someone who might eventually outgrow their ability to contain.

The Azure Peak Sect was different. Yes, being an outer disciple meant struggling for resources now, but the path upward existed. Inner disciples, core disciples, elders - each rank opened new doors, new knowledge, new possibilities.

The sect had cultivators in the Stellar Realm and beyond, masters who could guide disciples toward true transcendence.

Wei Ye was trying to tempt me with earthly riches, but I'd glimpsed something far greater - the path to creating a universe. What were spirit stones compared to that?

"Thank you for the offer," I said politely, "but I must decline. My path lies with the Azure Peak Sect."

Wei Ye's eyebrows rose. "The sect? Boy, do you know how long it takes most disciples to earn even a hundred spirit stones through sect missions? We're offering you—"

"Father, stop," Wei Lin interrupted firmly. "Ke Yin isn't interested in leaving the sect."

"But—"

"And if you keep pushing," Wei Lin continued, "you might damage our relationship with a future Azure Peak Elder."

Wei Ye's mouth snapped shut. He studied me with new eyes, clearly reassessing his assumptions. After a long moment, he sighed and reached into his robes.

"Very well. A deal is a deal." He produced a small jade box, ornately carved with wind patterns that seemed to shift in the light. "Your wind essence, as promised."

I accepted the box carefully, feeling the subtle vibrations of the elemental energy contained within.

"An interesting choice of cultivation method," Wei Ye mused. "The World Tree Sutra... I don’t think anyone has ever successfully cultivated it."

"Brother Ke Yin is special!" Liu Chen declared loyally. "He can do anything!"

"Anything except teach you to make explosions," Lin Mei added dryly.

"Aw, but—"

"No explosions," Lin Mei, Wei Ting, and I said in unison.

Rocky rumbled something that sounded suspiciously like agreement, causing Liu Chen to pout. "Even you, Rocky? Traitor."

Wei Ye chuckled, then produced another pouch that clinked promisingly as he handed it to Wei Lin. "Your winnings, son.”

Wei Lin turned and tossed the pouch to me. "Here - you earned it."

"What?" I said as I caught it in my right hand.

"I bet Father a thousand spirit stones that you'd win," Wei Lin explained. "Since you're the one who actually did the work, the winnings should be yours."

"I... thank you." I weighed the pouch thoughtfully. I'd never held this many spirit stones at once before.

"Maybe now you can actually afford something when we go shopping," Wei Lin teased, earning himself a punch in the arm from Lin Mei.

"Don't be rude!" she scolded. "Some of us weren't born into merchant families."

"No, no, he has a point," I said with a slight smile. "Though I think I'll save these for something important rather than blow them all on expensive tea."

"That was one time!" Wei Lin protested. "And it was an investment! That tea merchant still gives me priority access to his best stock."

"Only because you embarrassed yourself so thoroughly trying to haggle that he felt sorry for you," Wei Guang added helpfully.

As the siblings began to bicker, I turned the jade box over in my hands. Inside was the key to the next stage of my cultivation - pure wind essence, the final element I needed.

"Master," Azure's voice echoed in my mind, "with this, we can finally begin creating the terrain in your inner world."

I smiled slightly. Yes - this was just the beginning.

Cultivation wasn't just about gathering elements or increasing power. It was about creation itself, about building something entirely new.

"First," I thought back, "we should probably let Wei Ting finish fussing over everyone. I have a feeling she won't let any of us leave until she's satisfied we're not secretly injured."

"A wise precaution," Azure agreed. "Though I noticed you're being rather humble about how easily you handled Chen Wu."

I glanced at the combat instructor, who was now enduring Wei Ting's motherly attention with admirable stoicism. "Well, I did basically have a time dilation chamber to power up before the fight," I thought back. "A month in the Two Suns world and having an additional magic system gave me quite an advantage. Wouldn't be fair to diminish his reputation when I had that kind of preparation."

"True,” Azure then paused for a second. “Master…there's something else you should know. When you combined the two sun energies, Wei Ye seem to have recognised the aura. He mumbled something under his breath and his entire demeanor changed."

That caught my attention. During the fight, I'd only registered that Wei Ye could somehow track my movements despite claiming to be a mortal. I'd been too focused on Chen Wu to notice anything else.

"What exactly did he say?"

"I couldn't catch it clearly, but his reaction was... significant. He went from seeing you as a talented Qi Condensation disciple to viewing you as something else entirely."

I watched Wei Ye from the corner of my eye, noting how he hadn't stopped studying me since the fight ended.

"Just what I needed - more mysteries about the Wei family patriarch,” I sighed. "I can't wait to get out of here. Too many secrets in this household, and not the good kind."