Riu Xian landed lightly on the polished floor of the main hall, the towering arches of Azure Radiance Peak's central structure casting long shadows around him. The hall, usually bustling with activity, was eerily silent, the air thick with a palpable tension.

Xiao Ming, his master, stood in the center of the hall, her usually serene face etched with worry. Her silver hair, normally braided with intricate precision, was slightly disheveled, a few strands escaping to frame her face. Her hands were clasped tightly in front of her, her knuckles white.

Riu Xian approached and bowed deeply, his crimson sword, still strapped to his back, a silent presence. "Master," he said, his voice respectful but laced with concern. "You summoned me. You said it was an emergency concerning my junior sister?"

Xiao Ming's shoulders slumped slightly as she turned to face him. Her eyes, usually sparkling with an inner light, were clouded with a deep, unsettling anxiety. "Riu Xian," she began, her voice unusually strained, "it's Qinge'er. She... she's suffered a qi deviation."

Riu Xian felt a jolt, like a physical blow. Qi deviation. The words echoed in the silent hall, each syllable a hammer blow to his composure. It was every cultivator's worst nightmare, a catastrophic disruption of the body's spiritual energy, capable of causing irreparable damage, even death. He knew that Qinge'er was still in the Qi Gathering Realm, making the situation even more precarious. At such an early stage of cultivation, qi deviation could be fatal.

"When you presented me with the Supreme-grade technique," Xiao Ming continued, her voice catching slightly, "I realized it was perfectly suited for Qinge'er. The Thousand Shard Frost Blade technique, with its emphasis on intricate ice-elemental control, was an ideal match for her innate affinity." She paused, her gaze drifting towards a closed door at the far end of the hall, her expression filled with a silent, heart-wrenching pain. "She was so eager to master it. It should have been a triumph, not... not this."

Riu Xian's mind raced. The Thousand Shard Frost Blade... that was the name she'd given the technique he had found. He remembered the delicate, almost ethereal movements depicted in the scroll, the way they seemed to conjure ice and frost from thin air. It was powerful, yes, but also incredibly demanding, especially for someone still in the Qi Gathering Realm.

"She was making remarkable progress," Xiao Ming continued, her voice barely above a whisper. "But then... a few weeks ago, while you were still in seclusion, it happened. A sudden, violent surge of uncontrolled qi. She collapsed. She's been... unresponsive ever since."

A heavy silence descended upon the hall. Riu Xian could feel the weight of Xiao Ming's unspoken fear, the crushing responsibility she bore as both master and a mother figure. The sect was already stretched thin. The sect leader, Xiao Ming's father, and his wife were in deep seclusion, a critical stage of their own cultivation that couldn't be interrupted. And his senior brother, Li Wei, the one usually relied upon in such crises, was far away, unreachable, having severed all forms of communication to focus on his experiential training in the outside world.

Xiao Ming took a deep breath, her shoulders straightening slightly, her gaze hardening with a newfound resolve. "The inner sect competition is just in a few days," she said, her voice gaining strength. "Your Senior Sister, Mei'er, has reached the later stage of Core Formation. She is determined to win the first prize: the Heaven-Mending Pill, to aid her breakthrough to the Nascent Soul Stage."

Riu Xian knew the pill. It was a legendary treasure, renowned for its ability to significantly boost a cultivator's power, paving the way for a breakthrough to the next major realm. For someone like Mei'er, on the cusp of reaching the Nascent Soul stage, the pill could be invaluable. However, it wouldn't do anything to help someone suffering from qi deviation.

"While that pill is crucial for Mei'er's advancement," Xiao Ming said, her voice thick with emotion, "it won't help Qinge'er. Only one thing can save her now. And... if she's not cured within six months, the damage will become permanent. She'll be reduced to a mortal, forever unable to cultivate."

Riu Xian's heart clenched. Six months. The deadline loomed, a heavy weight added to an already perilous mission.

"Master," Riu Xian said, stepping forward, "what can I do?"

Xiao Ming's eyes, though still filled with worry, held a flicker of hope. "There is one possibility," she said, her voice low and urgent. "A remedy, though it's a desperate one. The Mad Honey."

Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

Riu Xian's brow furrowed. He remembered their conversation when he had first joined the sect, the discussion about secret realms and the strange, technology-filled world devoid of spiritual energy.

"But Master," he said, his voice filled with concern, "that realm... it suppresses cultivation. I would be reduced to a mere mortal. How could I possibly retrieve the honey in such a state? And... shouldn't you be the one to go? You're far more powerful than I am."

Xiao Ming's expression didn't falter. "That realm," she said, her voice firm, "is a fragment of a mortal universe. It follows different laws. You must find a way to adapt, to think like the original inhabitants of that world. They must have had their own methods for obtaining the honey. You must discover their ways."

She paused, her gaze intense. "As for me going... I can't. As an elder of Azure Radiance Peak, and with the competition so near, my presence is required here. There are matters that need my attention, arrangements that only I can oversee. It falls to you, Riu Xian. I know this is a dangerous and unorthodox request. But Qinge'er's life hangs in the balance. She is just at the beginning of her cultivation journey. While you are still new to the sect, you have shown remarkable talent and dedication. You grasped the Blazing Phoenix Fist and even improved upon it in a short time. This is a mission I entrust to you." Xiao Ming declared, officially assigning the task. "Retrieve the Mad Honey, and I will reward you with 100 mid-grade spirit stones."

Riu Xian's thoughts raced. One hundred mid-grade spirit stones. It was a significant sum, enough to replenish his dwindling supply and fuel the boat for emergencies. He badly needed those stones. He thought of the high-grade spirit stones, perhaps a hundred of them, sealed within his boat, a legacy of the Supreme Elder, untouchable until he reached a higher cultivation level. It was frustrating to have such wealth within reach, yet be unable to use it. And then there was Qinge'er, his junior sister, lying unconscious, her life in peril, with only six months left before she lost her cultivation forever. He felt a surge of sympathy for her, a fellow cultivator struck down before she could even truly begin her journey.

He took a deep breath, a sense of determination hardening within him.

"Master," he said, his voice firm, resolute, "I accept. I will retrieve the Mad Honey. I will do my best to save Qinge'er."

Xiao Ming's shoulders relaxed slightly, a faint smile gracing her lips. It wasn't a smile of joy, not yet, but a smile of relief, of gratitude.

"Thank you, Riu Xian," she said softly. "I know I'm asking a lot." She gestured towards a small, intricately carved wooden box on a nearby table. "Inside that box is a detailed map of the region surrounding the secret realm. It also contains notes from my sister's research, including her observations on the local flora and fauna, and her theories about the Mad Honey's location."

Riu Xian walked over to the table and picked up the box. It was surprisingly light, but he could feel the weight of its contents, the weight of a life hanging in the balance.

Xiao Ming continued, her voice taking on an informative tone. "The secret realm is about 6,000 miles from here. Traveling on foot or by sword would take far too long. You could use your flying sword, but given your current cultivation, that might not be the most practical. I can, however, provide you with one high-grade spirit stone to activate the sect's secret teleportation array. It will take you to the nearest town to the secret realm. From there, you'll have to find your own way back."

One high-grade spirit stone. It was a significant expenditure, a testament to the urgency of the situation. Riu Xian couldn't help but think again of the sealed stones in his boat. If only he could access them...

"Remember, Riu Xian," Xiao Ming added, breaking through his thoughts, "time is of the essence. The longer Qinge'er remains in this state, the more difficult it will be to heal her, even with the Mad Honey. Six months is all we have."

Riu Xian nodded, his mind already racing, planning. He would need to prepare, to gather information, to devise a plan to navigate a world without spiritual energy, a world where he would be stripped of the power he had come to rely on. He opened the box. Inside, nestled on a bed of crimson silk, lay a rolled-up map and a thick, leather-bound journal filled with neat, precise handwriting.

He carefully unrolled the map. It depicted a rugged, mountainous landscape, crisscrossed with rivers and dotted with strange symbols he didn't recognize. A particular area, high in the mountains, was circled in red, with a single word written beside it in elegant script: "Hive."

He glanced at Xiao Ming, his eyes questioning.

"That," she said, her voice low, "is where my sister believed the Mad Honey could be found. A place called 'Hive.' According to her notes, it's a treacherous climb, even for a seasoned cultivator. Without your spiritual energy..." She let the sentence hang, the unspoken challenge clear.

Riu Xian traced the red circle with his finger, his mind already working, piecing together a plan. He would need to study the map, memorize the terrain, understand the challenges that lay ahead. He would need to read the journal, glean every bit of information he could.

"Master," he said, his voice determined, "I will leave immediately. I will study these materials, prepare myself as best I can, and then I will enter the realm."

Xiao Ming nodded, her eyes filled with a mixture of hope and apprehension. "Be careful, Riu Xian," she said softly. "This mission is unlike anything you've faced before. You will be vulnerable. But I have faith that you will do your best."

Riu Xian met her gaze, his own filled with a quiet resolve. He bowed deeply, then turned and walked towards the exit of the hall, the wooden box clutched tightly in his hand.