Within the Lu Clan, time did not pass quietly.
It accumulated.
Like pressure beneath stone.
For early-stage Qi Refining disciples, the rule was absolute:
Do not leave the mountain.
Not until one reached the mid-stage Qi Refining Realm—the first stage where a cultivator could barely claim the right to survive beyond the clan's protection.
Ten years were given.
Few needed that long.
Fewer still… shattered expectations.
Lu Yanshi cultivated in fire and struggle.
Lu Yanxi cultivated in silence and life.
Lu Yanhai… cultivated in something no one dared name.
Years passed.
Seasons turned.
And slowly—
The generation began to take shape.
The First to Break Through – Lu Yanhai (Year One)
When Lu Yanhai stepped into the mid-stage Qi Refining Realm in just one year, it didn't inspire others.
It unsettled them.
"He's not cultivating," one disciple whispered once.
"He's… becoming something else."
After that day, fewer people walked near his cave.
Even fewer spoke his name loudly.
The Gentle Bloom – Lu Yanxi (Year Three)
Three years later—
Lu Yanxi broke through.
Her advancement was quiet.
Natural.
The entire grove around her bloomed at once, spirit herbs swaying as if bowing to an unseen rhythm.
A wave of calm energy spread outward.
A passing disciple stopped mid-argument with his friend.
"…Why do I suddenly feel like apologizing to everyone I've ever offended?"
His friend nodded solemnly.
"…I just forgave my ex."
Yanxi simply opened her eyes.
And smiled.
The Relentless Flame – Lu Yanshi (Year Four)
But before her breakthrough—
Lu Yanshi had already become… a problem.
Not for the elders.
For the disciples.
The Terror of Sparring Grounds
At first, it was normal.
Healthy.
Encouraged.
Disciples sparred to grow.
To sharpen skill.
To test limits.
Lu Yanshi followed that rule.
At the beginning.
She fought.
She lost.
She learned.
She fought again.
And then—
Something changed.
The first time she lost to a fellow disciple, she nodded, wiped the blood from her lip, and said:
"Again."
They fought again.
She lost.
"Again."
By the fifth match, her opponent was sweating.
By the eighth, he was exhausted.
By the tenth—
He was begging.
"I concede! I concede!"
Yanshi tilted her head.
"…You won."
"…Yes!"
"So why are you conceding?"
"…Because I want to live."
She thought about it.
Then nodded.
"Rest for an hour."
He nearly cried in relief.
One hour later—
She came back.
"Again."
A Reputation is Born
Word spread quickly.
Winning against Lu Yanshi was no longer an achievement.
It was a curse.
A tall disciple once bragged loudly:
"I defeated her in three moves!"
The entire room went silent.
Someone whispered:
"…You should leave the clan."
"…Why?"
"…You don't have much time."
He didn't understand.
Until that evening.
Yanshi found him.
"Three moves," she said calmly. "Teach me."
They fought.
And again.
And again.
And again.
By the next morning, the once-proud disciple was lying flat on the ground, staring at the sky with hollow eyes.
"I was wrong," he muttered.
"No one wins."
The Evolution of Fear
By the second year—
Disciples had developed survival strategies.
If you see Lu Yanshi → turn around immediately
If she calls your name → pretend you didn't hear
If she makes eye contact → run
One disciple even carried a shovel at all times.
"…Why?" someone asked.
He replied seriously:
"If she catches me, I'm digging my own grave first to save time."
The Elders' Reaction
Deacon Lu Tao once witnessed a scene where five disciples simultaneously jumped into a pond upon seeing Yanshi approaching.
He rubbed his temples.
"…This is not normal."
Lu Chanxi, standing beside him, chuckled.
"It's efficient."
"Efficient?!" Tao snapped. "She's traumatizing them!"
Chanxi shrugged.
"They'll either grow stronger…"
He glanced at the trembling disciples in the water.
"…or faster at running."
Yanshi's Breakthrough (Year Four)
By the time Yanshi reached her breakthrough—
No one was surprised.
They were relieved.
"Finally," one disciple said weakly.
"She'll stop now, right?"
Another shook his head slowly.
"…You don't understand her at all."
When her aura erupted—
Crimson qi surged like a battlefield reborn.
Her tiger roared, its body evolving further under her influence.
And for the first time—
She won without effort.
Her opponent fell in a single exchange.
Yanshi stood still for a moment.
Then frowned.
"…Too easy."
The surrounding disciples froze.
"…Oh no," someone whispered.
She turned.
Slowly.
"Next."
The Fifth Year – A New Balance
By the fifth year—
Everything had changed.
All three had reached the mid-stage Qi Refining Realm.
Yanhai — untouchable
Yanxi — unreachable
Yanshi — unavoidable
The disciples had adapted.
They avoided Yanhai out of instinct.
They respected Yanxi out of peace.
And they feared Yanshi out of experience.
A Quiet Intersection
One evening—
As the sun dipped low—
Yanshi walked toward the inner mountain.
For once—
No one followed.
No one hid.
No one ran.
Because they knew—
She wasn't looking for them.
She stopped at a distance.
Ahead—
A quiet grove.
Soft light.
Flowing life qi.
Yanxi.
And beyond that—
Deeper shadows.
Heavier presence.
Yanhai.
Yanshi crossed her arms.
"…Took you long enough," she muttered.
From the grove, Yanxi smiled gently.
"You could have waited peacefully."
Yanshi scoffed.
"That sounds boring."
From the shadows—
A quiet voice emerged.
"I agree."
Yanhai stepped forward.
The air shifted instantly.
Three paths.
Three forces.
Finally—
Standing in the same place.
And far away—
Unseen—
The elders watched.
Because the moment they had been preparing for…
Had arrived.