It had been three days since Lu Mao first managed to circulate his Qi properly through the Eight Gate Circulation Technique. In those three days, his progress had been obvious even to himself. What once felt like trying to push a river through a needle now felt like guiding a calm stream through familiar paths. His Qi moved more smoothly, gathered more quickly, and rested more comfortably inside his dantian.
The change was undeniable.
He could now sit down, breathe slowly, and feel Qi gathering almost on its own, flowing into his body through his pores like mist being drawn into dry earth. Sometimes he did not even need to focus hard; simply sitting quietly would cause the surrounding Qi to drift toward him as if he were a small whirlpool in a still lake.
His Qi pool had grown noticeably. His physical strength had also improved — his steps were lighter, his reactions faster, and his awareness sharper. When he moved, he could feel power coiled within his muscles. When he looked around, he noticed small details he would have ignored before: the way leaves trembled before falling, the faint movement of insects in grass, the subtle shift of air when someone walked behind him.
These were all qualities useful for cultivators, especially those trained for combat.
But Lu Mao was not a warrior.
He was a thief.
And that was the problem.
Most Qi circulation techniques were designed for combat cultivators — people who fought head-on, who relied on strength, endurance, and explosive power. The Eight Gate Circulation Technique was especially like that. It strengthened the body, increased raw power, and expanded Qi reserves. It made a cultivator tougher, stronger, and more durable in battle.
But Lu Mao's martial techniques were different.
His Phantom Doubles, his Doppelgänger movements, his surprise attacks, his stealth techniques — these relied on speed, precision, deception, and energy manipulation. They required fine control over Qi, not just a large quantity of it. They required sudden bursts of movement, silent steps, misdirection, and flowing energy control.
Despite his Qi increasing, those techniques had not improved much.
He could accumulate Qi, but he could not use it in ways that enhanced his thief-style combat.
And that made him uneasy.
If he continued like this, he might become strong in raw power, but his true skills would stagnate. He would not become the kind of cultivator he wanted to be.
And yet… he still continued practicing the Eight Gate Circulation Technique.
Because Senior Mo had made him choose this path.
The ancient voice that lived somewhere within him — the voice that spoke like a ruler who had seen the rise and fall of worlds — had guided him to this technique. Lu Mao did not fully understand why, but he trusted that there was a reason.
However, strangely, Senior Mo had been silent for the past two days.
No guidance.
No voice.
Nothing.
It felt strange, almost empty.
Still, his Qi generation kept becoming easier and faster. The Eight Gate circulation path that once nearly killed him to establish now felt natural, almost effortless. When he circulated Qi, he could feel it rushing through his meridians like wind through open valleys.
He was absorbing Qi faster than before.
Much faster.
His Qi pool was growing quickly, and he could feel that he was slowly approaching the Spirit Accession Stage.
But without improving his actual combat abilities, he felt like he would be useless to the guild.
So that afternoon, instead of cultivating in his room, Lu Mao went to the mountain near the guild — a place where disciples often came to cultivate in nature.
The mountain was quiet and covered with tall trees and patches of wild grass. The air was cleaner there, filled with the scent of earth and leaves. A narrow path led to a small clearing where sunlight filtered through branches and painted moving patterns on the ground.
Lu Mao found a large ancient banyan tree, its roots twisting into the earth like coiled dragons and its wide branches spreading like a green roof above the clearing. The shade beneath it was cool and peaceful, and the wind carried the sound of birds and rustling leaves.
He sat beneath the tree and began circulating his Qi.
Time passed quietly.
After practicing for a while, he lay down on his back in the shade, hands behind his head, looking at the branches above him swaying gently in the wind. Sunlight slipped through the leaves and moved slowly across his face.
He listened to the birds.
He listened to the wind.
He listened to the leaves whispering.
Sometimes he came here not just to cultivate, but to escape the constant pressure of training, competition, and expectations. Here, for a short time, he could breathe freely and let his mind rest.
He closed his eyes.
And then he heard it.
A voice.
Ancient. Calm. Distant.
"Son… the time has come for you to realize your strength."
Lu Mao's eyes opened immediately.
"Master…?"
"Come."
Suddenly, Lu Mao felt a powerful pulling force on his consciousness. It felt as if something had grabbed his mind and was dragging it downward into deep water. Darkness surrounded him, and he felt himself falling endlessly.
He had experienced this before.
He knew what was happening.
He was being pulled into his inner world.
The darkness slowly faded, and soon he stood once again in the vast space inside himself — a place that would leave anyone speechless.
At the center of this inner world stood a massive pillar of golden Qi, rising from the ground to the sky like a column holding up heaven itself. The pillar radiated immense energy, and golden light flowed within it like liquid sunlight.
Around this golden pillar floated ninety-nine massive vaults, orbiting slowly like planets around the sun. They were enormous, dark, and silent, each one covered with ancient inscriptions that seemed to move slightly when looked at directly.
Standing there, Lu Mao felt like an ant in front of mountains.
The voice of Senior Mo echoed through the vast space.
"You have accumulated enough Qi. Soon you will enter the Spirit Accession Stage and access this inner world more easily. But before that… you must increase your strength."
Lu Mao looked up at the golden pillar and spoke respectfully.
"Yes, Master. But despite my Qi increasing… I am still weak when it comes to actual strength and combat."
A soft laugh echoed through the space.
"Hahaha… I know what is troubling you. And I know you are confused about why I made you choose the Eight Gate Circulation Technique."
Lu Mao immediately looked up.
"What is the reason, Senior?"
Senior Mo's voice became deeper and slower.
"What I am about to tell you may change your understanding of cultivation completely. So listen carefully."
Lu Mao became serious.
"In your world, many cultivation techniques exist. Different sects, different guilds, different manuals… but almost all of them share one problem."
"They are incomplete."
Lu Mao was shocked.
Even Heaven-Earth Circulation techniques used by major sects were considered powerful and orthodox methods. The Golden Sparrow Guild itself was one of the strongest guilds, and even they used similar circulation systems.
To call those techniques incomplete was almost unbelievable.
Senior Mo continued.
"The Qi circulation methods in your world lack balance. A true circulation method must strengthen the body, expand the dantian, increase Qi generation speed, improve energy manipulation, and enhance special attributes depending on the cultivator's path."
"But the techniques in your world improve only one or two aspects. They are fragmented. Broken. Incomplete."
"In my eyes… they are not just below average."
"They are crude."
Lu Mao stood silently, his entire understanding of cultivation shaking.
Then he asked slowly, "If that is true… then why did you let me choose the Eight Gate Circulation Technique? Won't it limit my growth?"
Senior Mo's voice echoed from somewhere far away in the vast space, as if it came from all directions at once.
"You are correct. In its current form, this technique would limit your growth."
"But compared to the others, it was still the best choice for you."
Lu Mao frowned slightly.
"This technique has something crucial for your path. It strengthens the body, expands meridians, and allows absorption of Qi from the surrounding environment at a high rate. It is difficult and puts a heavy burden on the body, which is why it is usually used by warrior-type cultivators."
"For someone like you — a speed-based fighter — spatial dantian circulation techniques would normally be better."
Lu Mao nodded slightly.
"But here is the truth," Senior Mo continued.
"When this technique is complete… it can do both."
"It can increase Qi generation faster than almost all techniques in your world. And once completed, it will allow you to enhance both thief-style techniques and warrior-style combat."
"You will not need to choose between speed and strength."
"You will have both."
Lu Mao's eyes widened.
If that were true, he would become extremely dangerous. Someone fast like a thief but strong like a warrior would be very difficult to fight against.
He immediately asked, "Senior… how can I complete this technique?"
Senior Mo was silent for a few seconds, as if thinking about something very old.
Then he spoke slowly.
"Lu Mao… it is time I show you the legacy you have inherited."
"Place your hand on one of the ninety-nine vaults."
Lu Mao looked at the floating vaults around him. He floated upward slowly and approached one that was roughly his height, though it still looked like a floating fortress made of dark metal and stone.
He placed his hand on it.
Immediately, the vault began absorbing Qi from his body.
Violently.
It was like a thirsty beast suddenly drinking water after a long drought. Lu Mao tried to pull his hand back, but a powerful force held him in place. His Qi began draining rapidly, then his energy, then even his strength.
He felt weaker and weaker.
Just when he thought he would collapse, the draining stopped.
The vault, which had been completely black, slowly changed color into a dark bronze, and the inscriptions on it glowed faint blue.
Lu Mao quickly floated back, breathing heavily.
"What was that, Senior?"
"That," Senior Mo replied calmly, "was you unlocking your potential."
"Now close your eyes and think of the Qi circulation method you practice."
Lu Mao closed his eyes and thought about the Eight Gate Circulation Technique — the paths, the Qi flow, the breathing rhythm, the meridian pathways.
He wished for it to improve.
He wished for it to become stronger.
Suddenly, the bronze vault began to vibrate. The inscriptions on it lit up, and glowing golden words began forming in the air in front of Lu Mao's closed eyes, like scriptures being written by invisible hands.
Then the vault door opened.
The golden words were pulled into the vault in a spiral, like a storm swallowing leaves. The vault began humming loudly, its inscriptions flashing again and again as if something inside was being reforged.
Lu Mao opened his eyes and watched in shock as the glowing words were absorbed into the vault. The door slowly shut again, and the entire vault trembled as if something inside was trying to break free.
Suddenly, Lu Mao felt his blood boiling.
Energy surged through his body. Light burst from his eyes and mouth as if his body could not contain the power flowing through him.
He felt his meridians expanding.
He felt new pathways forming.
He felt Qi moving in ways he had never felt before.
Among the ninety-nine vaults, one had turned bronze. The other ninety-eight remained black.
The blue inscriptions on the bronze vault glowed brightly before slowly dimming.
Still shaken, Lu Mao asked, "Senior… what just happened?"
Senior Mo replied calmly.
"Congratulations. You have barely unlocked your first vault."
"And with it, your Eight Gate Circulation Technique has been restored to its original form."
"It is now called…"
"Seventeen Meridians of Eternal Circulation."
Lu Mao repeated the name slowly in his mind.
Seventeen Meridians of Eternal Circulation.
Just hearing the name made it feel ancient and powerful, as if it belonged to an era far older than anything he knew.
He closed his eyes again instinctively, and suddenly knowledge began flooding into his mind — unfamiliar meridian paths, new circulation routes, deeper Qi control methods, breathing techniques, energy manipulation principles.
The knowledge felt ancient.
Profound.
Dangerous.
It felt like something that could shake mountains and split the sky if mastered completely.
Floating in his inner world, Lu Mao crossed his legs and sat in the air, entering a cultivation pose as he began understanding the new technique.
His expression became calm.
Focused.
Steady.
Senior Mo's voice echoed through the vast inner world one more time.
"I, Mo Tianze, witness the birth of a new inheritor of the Order of the Seven Realms."
"For those who have wronged the will of the Eternal Throne…"
"They will one day be judged."
Outside, under the shade of the banyan tree on the mountain, Lu Mao slowly opened his eyes.
The wind moved through the leaves above him.
Birds were still chirping.
Everything looked the same.
But his eyes were different now.
In the depths of his black eyes, a new light had appeared — calm, sharp, and steady, like someone who had just glimpsed a much larger world.
And for the first time, Lu Mao felt that his journey had truly begun.