Episode 3

After leaving the hidden chamber, Lin Feng carefully tidied the lower library as though nothing had happened. He concealed the cracked shelf in a dark corner, then arranged books in front of it so the hidden door was completely invisible.

Once his work was done, he grabbed a lantern and walked outside. Tonight, he didn't head for the servants' dormitory. Instead, he made for a small cave on the slopes behind the academy.

The cave wasn't large — barely enough room for one person to sit cross-legged. He'd discovered it three years ago while fleeing from a senior's bullying, and since then it had become the only place where he could feel safe.

By the time the sun began to rise, Lin Feng was still sitting cross-legged inside the cave. His mind buzzed with excitement, because for the first time in his life, he could actually cultivate.

The Basic Cultivation Manual he'd once read in the library laid out the first step clearly: *Feel the qi in the air. Then draw it into your body. Guide it through your dantian, following the path of your meridians.*

It sounded simple enough. But for someone with a Chaotic Spiritual Root like his, even the step of "feeling qi" had always been impossible.

Now, everything was different. He could immediately sense the nine-colored vortex spinning inside his dantian. The Chaos Dragon Scroll had merged perfectly with his spiritual core, transforming a dantian that had once been nothing but chaos into something harmonious.

He followed his instincts — or perhaps it was the scroll's knowledge slowly integrating with his consciousness.

And he felt everything.

Lightning qi from the storm clouds gathering above the mountain peaks.

Fire qi from the rising sun.

Water qi from the dew clinging to the leaves.

Earth qi from the stone beneath him.

Wind qi from the gentle morning breeze.

Light qi from the sunlight.

Shadow qi from the cave's darkness.

Spatial qi from the empty air itself.

And beneath all of it, chaos qi — subtle, undetectable, the invisible thread binding every element together.

Lin Feng didn't draw in just one type of qi. He drew in all of them at once. The energy flowed into his body through the pores of his skin, coursing through his meridians without resistance — none of the rejection he'd experienced for years on end.

All that qi gathered in his dantian, where the nine-colored vortex spun. And there, something miraculous happened.

The different types of qi didn't clash or repel each other. Instead, they spiraled together in perfect harmony, like an orchestra playing a flawless symphony.

Lightning and fire complemented each other. Water and earth balanced one another. Wind and light reinforced each other. Shadow and space filled each other's gaps. And chaos... chaos was the conductor that unified them all.

Lin Feng felt the power growing — slowly, but steadily. His dantian, which had held only a tiny vortex, began to expand. Pure qi accumulated, forming the foundation of his cultivation.

Sweat beaded on his forehead. The process was far more exhausting than he'd imagined. Each cycle of drawing qi from the outside, purifying it in his dantian, and circulating it through his meridians drained him further.

But Lin Feng didn't stop. Not after ten years of being mocked for failing at the most basic act of cultivation.

The sun traced its arc across the sky and began tilting toward the west. Still, Lin Feng didn't move from his first cultivation session.

When he finally opened his eyes, the sky was growing dark. His body was drenched in sweat, and for the first time in his life, Lin Feng felt true power.

He raised his hand, and with a flicker of concentration, a tiny spark of lightning danced at his fingertip. Then fire. Then water. One by one, every element answered his will.

"Qi Gathering Realm, First Layer," Lin Feng murmured, barely able to believe it. In a single day, he'd reached a level that took ordinary cultivators weeks — even months — to achieve.

But of course, he was no ordinary cultivator. He was the bearer of the Chaos Dragon Scroll.

Lin Feng finally stood, his legs trembling slightly from sitting so long. He needed to think carefully about his next move.

Because even though he could now cultivate, he was still only at the First Layer of the Qi Gathering Realm. Zhao Ming was already at the Third Layer. Bai Yun had reached the Ninth Layer. And those were just inner disciples. What about the core disciples who had already broken through to the Foundation Establishment Realm?

If Lin Feng suddenly revealed his ability to cultivate, everyone would grow suspicious. They'd start asking questions, and sooner or later, someone would uncover the truth about the scroll.

He couldn't let that happen — not until he was strong enough to protect himself.

"I have to keep pretending to be a worthless servant," he decided. "At least for the next few months. Train in secret, grow stronger bit by bit, until the time is right..."

But even as he said it, Lin Feng knew this wouldn't be easy. Pretending to be weak when you were actually strong required extraordinary discipline.

Especially when people like Zhao Ming kept grinding you under their heel.

Over the following weeks, Lin Feng fell into a new routine. During the day, he remained an ordinary servant. But every night, once he was certain everyone was asleep, he slipped out and made his way to his secret cave. There, he cultivated relentlessly. And his progress was extraordinary.

By the end of the first week, he'd reached the Third Layer of the Qi Gathering Realm — the same level Zhao Ming had taken three years to achieve.

Second week: Fifth Layer, surpassing the majority of inner disciples.

Third week: Seventh Layer. Just two layers below a genius like Bai Yun.

Each breakthrough brought deeper understanding of the Nine Dragon Orchestration. Knowledge from the scroll revealed itself gradually, like a book whose pages multiplied with every level he ascended.

Lin Feng learned that the Orchestration wasn't merely about absorbing all the elements. That was far too simple. The Orchestration was about harmony — making every element work together to create something greater than the sum of its parts.

Each element had its strengths and weaknesses:

Lightning was fast and destructive, but difficult to control.

Fire was powerful and aggressive, but burned through qi rapidly.

Water was flexible and healing, but lacked direct offensive power.

Earth was stable and defensive, but slow.

Wind was nimble and capable of creating illusions, but physically weak.

Light purified and protected, but faltered against shadow.

Shadow was perfect for stealth and silent killing, but weakened in bright places.

Space could manipulate distance and dimensions, but was incredibly difficult to master.

And chaos unified everything, but demanded perfect balance across all elements.

Lin Feng practiced his first technique — the "Basic Three Element Harmony," a combination of fire, water, and earth. A foundational technique from classical cultivation, but enhanced with the Orchestration's touch.

The result: an energy burst three times more powerful than what a normal cultivator at the same level could produce.

He also discovered something fascinating. Because he absorbed all elements simultaneously, he had none of the usual elemental weaknesses. Fire cultivators were vulnerable to water. Earth cultivators were vulnerable to wood. But Lin Feng could adapt. If an enemy used fire, he could counter with water. If an enemy used earth, he could counter with wood.

This flexibility was his greatest advantage.

But it came at a price.

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