The forest returned to silence after the Spirit-Devouring Bamboo Tiger's retreat.

Only drifting motes of qi remained, swirling like leftover thunder.

Li Ming stood among them, still holding the faintly glowing crystal—the Spirit Core.

It pulsed with twin colors: soft azure and deep violet, yin and yang circling like patient predators.

Yin Qing crossed her arms. "You're not seriously going to refine that here, are you?"

He tilted his head. "Why not?"

"Because this entire area is soaked with unstable qi! You could implode your meridians!"

He examined the crystal again. "Then I'll implode quietly."

"Li Ming!"

He sighed. "Fine. I'll do it where imploding is less distracting."

---

A few hours later, they reached a secluded cliffside cave overlooking the misty valley.

The others stood guard outside while Li Ming sat cross-legged within, Spirit Core resting on his palm.

He exhaled once, steadying his breathing.

The air stilled. His aura condensed, calm as moonlight over still water.

Bai Guo perched on a rock. "Be careful, descendant. That core was born from imbalance—too much yin and yang in one form."

"Then balance it," Li Ming murmured, "like tea and bitterness."

"Please stop comparing life-threatening cultivation to beverages."

He ignored the bird and pressed two fingers to the core.

---

The reaction was instant.

Energy flooded outward, raw and heavy, pushing against his spiritual channels like tidal waves.

Lightning flickered behind his eyelids.

The cave trembled.

Outside, Yin Qing felt the pulse.

Her expression tightened. "That idiot's actually doing it."

The Evil Path disciples scrambled.

"Is he ascending?!

"No," she said sharply. "He's either stabilizing—or detonating politely."

---

Inside, Li Ming's consciousness expanded.

The Spirit Core unraveled, its twin energies spiraling opposite directions.

Yin—the devouring cold of silence.

Yang—the burning pulse of life.

He guided both with surgical control, not forcing, not suppressing—just letting them breathe.

One hand drew a faint circle, forming the shape of a lotus in the air.

He'd done this before: aligning chaos through simplicity.

But this time, something deeper stirred—beneath instinct, beneath wit.

If all energy seeks balance… then perfection isn't dominance. It's harmony without control.

The realization cut through his mind like a blade of light.

---

A thin ring of spiritual flame appeared around him—not destructive, but clean, pure.

The violent energy of the core softened, compressing into his dantian.

The flow synchronized.

Yin and Yang no longer fought.

They danced.

Outside, Yin Qing's eyes widened as the cave illuminated.

"His qi—it's stabilizing the entire valley!"

Indeed, the unstable currents of the forest were quieting—trees straightening, mist dissolving, even distant beasts bowing instinctively.

---

A loud crack echoed from within the cave.

Then silence.

The disciples held their breath.

Moments later, Li Ming stepped out—robes untouched, expression faintly dazed, like someone who'd just woken up from a long nap and accidentally rewritten the laws of energy flow.

Yin Qing stared at him. "...Did you just break through?"

He blinked, checked his pulse, and nodded mildly. "Seems like it."

"To what realm?"

He frowned thoughtfully. "Not sure. Feels like the same as before, but quieter."

Bai Guo squawked. "That's because you compressed your foundation! You refined dual energy into a single flow—

Li Ming blinked. "Half a realm?"

"Half a realm that no one in history managed without exploding!"

He shrugged. "Good balance, then."

Yin Qing buried her face in her hands. "You're going to give me a heart deviation."

---

Later that night, the group camped beside the valley.

Azure Sky disciples whispered among themselves. "Did you see it? His qi—smooth as flowing ink." "I thought he was just lazy…" "Turns out he's terrifying while lazy."

Evil Path students had their own version. "He refined a beast's core while sitting like a monk!" "He didn't even chant! I call that demonic efficiency."

Yin Qing sighed. "You've somehow impressed both sides again."

He poured himself tea. "Balance achieved."

"Don't get smug."

"Too late," he said, and the faint smile that followed made her want to hit him—and maybe applaud.

---

That night, while the others slept, Li Ming opened his palm again.

The Spirit Core had vanished, but in its place… a faint lotus-shaped mark glowed.

He studied it quietly, then whispered to himself:

"Not Dao. Not philosophy. Just… cultivation done right."

Then he closed his eyes—and for once, didn't sleep.

He meditated, calm and aware, finally cultivating seriously.

The forest bowed in silence.

----

(Part-2)

When Li Ming finally opened his eyes, the cave air still shimmered with heat and frost at once.

He stretched his fingers; the faint lotus mark pulsed once, then sank into his skin.

"Done," he murmured.

Bai Guo puffed up his feathers. "Done?! Descendant, do you even comprehend what you've just achieved?"

"Yes," Li Ming said. "Clean cave. Balanced core. Mild headache."

The bird nearly fell off its rock. "You compressed your Nascent Soul foundation! That's not something you dust off afterward!"

"Then I'll dust it gently," he replied, standing and brushing imaginary dirt from his sleeve.

---

Outside, the others were still watching the sky in horror, expecting thunder tribulation.

When Li Ming stepped out completely fine, several disciples flinched like they'd seen a ghost.

Yin Qing narrowed her eyes. "Well?"

He blinked. "Balanced. Peaceful. Hungry."

She stared. "Hungry?"

He nodded solemnly. "Cultivation burns calories. Deep enlightenment burns more."

The nearest Evil Path student hurried to fetch food, terrified of denying an enlightened appetite.

---

Moments later, a steaming pot appeared before him.

The moment the lid lifted, blue-violet steam curled upward—qi-infused stew that somehow smelled like both sin and serenity.

Bai Guo's eyes bulged. "Wait—don't—"

Li Ming took a bite.

The air rippled.

Every beast within a mile radius whimpered and lay flat.

Yin Qing gaped. "You just cooked spiritual pressure into the soup!"

He frowned. "Tastes normal."

"Normal for you," she hissed. "For everyone else it's liquid enlightenment!"

Sure enough, one brave disciple sniffed the broth and instantly broke into tears of moral clarity.

---

Word spread within minutes.

By evening, both sects had quietly lined up with bowls.

"Senior Li Ming, just a spoonful—my bottleneck is stubborn."

"Please, Grandmaster of Cuisine, I—"

"Stop calling me that," Li Ming interrupted, but they were already meditating mid-bite, glowing faintly blue or violet.

Yin Qing pinched the bridge of her nose. "Congratulations. You've accidentally founded the Dao of Soup."

He gave her a flat look. "We agreed not to call things Dao."

"Fine," she said. "Then you've invented Nutritional Enlightenment."

"Much worse."

---

Later that night, when the crowd finally dispersed, Yin Qing found him sitting by the cliff again, looking at the stars.

His aura was utterly calm, flowing like still water—no pressure, no flare, just… depth.

"You changed," she said quietly. "Not stronger—denser. Like your qi's gained gravity."

Li Ming nodded. "Compression refines everything. My Nascent Soul resonates cleaner now. The next breakthrough will come naturally—eventually."

"You're seventeen," she muttered. "'Eventually' for you probably means next week."

He chuckled. "Then I'll plan for breakfast first."

---

Bai Guo fluttered down beside them. "Descendant, you realize this event will be exaggerated beyond sanity by morning, right?"

Li Ming didn't look away from the stars. "Let them. The truth is boring."

"Boring?" the bird screeched. "You balanced dual-qi, pacified a valley, and invented enlightenment stew!"

He shrugged. "That's Tuesday."

Yin Qing groaned softly. "Remind me to never travel with you again."

He smiled faintly. "You say that every time."

---

Far below, the valley glowed faintly with residual light—neither righteous nor demonic, but balanced.

The same kind of balance that now rested within him.

Not a new realm. Not heaven's blessing.

Just stability earned through focus.

And, apparently, soup.

To be continued...

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