I Level Up By Making Enemies

The chamber did not become warmer after the greeting. If anything, the qi in there made Lin Feng more aware of his own rough circulation.He kept his fists cupped and his back straight.

Sect Master studied him for a long moment.

”Raise your head.”

Lin Feng did.

”You produced repeated results at Qi Condensation Level 3,” the Sect Master said.

Lin Feng chose his words with care. ”I did what i can”

”Yes.” The Sect Master stepped away from the desk and walked a short line across the room.

”Many disciples can endure training. But only fewer ones can convert inferior conditions into outcom. And you’re among the few who can do it.”

Then the Sect Master stopped.

”There is something about you,” he said.

Lin Feng’s blood paused. If anyone in the sect could see through him and his secret, it would be the man standing before him.

His fingers stiffened behind the salute.

The Sect Master continued. ”You remind me of myself at your age.”

”...Sect Master?”

”I was not the most gifted root in my generation,” What I had was the refusal to remain where other people told me I belonged. I climbed through fmethods my seniors called improper. Watching you on the assessment, i felt like watching myself when i was your age.”

Lin Feng lowered his fists, then recovered enough balance to let a thin edge of mischief back into his voice.

”If Sect Master climbed through improper methods, the elders might not be a fan of you either.”

Yue Qingfeng glanced over, unoffended. ”That is because they are elders. An elder’s duty is to preserve standard. A sect master’s duty is to decide when standard is being used to avoid responsibility. You should not confuse the two, and you should not become reckless merely because I am not easily provoked.”

”I would never,” Lin Feng said.

”You would,” Yue Qingfeng replied. ”You already are. That is why you are standing here.”

He returned to the desk and placed one hand on the wood.

”Your public condition remains unchanged. One hundred days. You need to increase your Qi condensation to 8. Fail, and the recommendation is void. On that point, the elders are not wrong. A foundation that cannot rise under pressure should not occupy Inner Sect space.”

Lin Feng nodded once. ”I accept that.”

”Good. Because acceptance is not the same as capability.” Yue Qingfeng’s gaze sharpened.

”Your combat effectiveness is already higher than your realm deserves. That means your growth is unbalanced. You extract force from confrontation and decision, but your qi routing is still wasteful. If you continue climbing only through matches and minor tasks, you may reach higher numbers with a cracked foundation. That will fail verification even if you somehow reach Qi level 8.

Lin Feng went quiet. That matched what he had already begun to feel on East Mist Terrace. Winning exchanges and building a stable realm were not same.

”So,” he said slowly, ”You called me here to tell me I need better methods.”

”Yes.”

”And not from East Mist Terrace.”

”East Mist Terrace is diluted on purpose,” Yue Qingfeng said. ”It improves outer boundary disciples by inches. You do not have time for those.”

He took a sealed command slip from the desk and set it at the edge, within Lin Feng’s view but not yet within his hand.

”There is a place outside the sect called the Veiled Orchid swamp.”

Lin Feng frowned slightly at the name.

”It is a sealed meditation ground under the management of the Orchid Veil Sect. An all female sect. Men are not ordinarily permitted to enter. Beasts nest in the outer fog and deeper paths. Disciples from Orchid Veil use it for forced breath compression and foundation correction. Many come out improved. But some do not come out cleanly at all.”

Lin Feng’s eyes lit with interest despite himself. ”And I would be allowed in?”

”With my recommendation token and a temporary guest seal,” Yue Qingfeng said. ”Not as a disciple of Orchid Veil nor as a favored guest. As an external pressure candidate under strict restriction. You will remain in the permitted paths, supply your own survival, and cultivate under that disordered density until your qi either becomes cleaner or breaks enough to prove the elders right.”

Lin Feng looked at the command slip. ”The elders will never approve this.”

”They will not be asked to approve the truth,” Yue Qingfeng said.

That brought Lin Feng’s gaze up fast.

Yue Qingfeng’s expression remained calm. ”To the hall, you will be marked as suspended from local grounds and dispatched on a long external mission. Several elders will conclude that I have removed a disturbance from their sight and placed you where failure is likely. They will be pleased.”

Lin Feng stared for a second, then slowly smiled.

”Sect Master intends to let them enjoy themselves.”

”I intend to reduce wasteful argumentS,” Yue Qingfeng said. ”If you return with nothing, their pleasure becomes justified. If you return at Level 8 with a stable foundation, they can’t object anymore. Either outcome is clearer than another month of politics.”

It was cold reasoning. Lin Feng respected it more because of that. He also tested the edge one more time. ”If I die in a women’s sect’s forbidden swamp, the reports will become very creative.”

Yue Qingfeng gave him a flat look. ”Then do not die. You are not being sent there to collect romantic rumors. You are being sent there to correct your qi under lethal pressure. If your mouth creates an inter sect incident, I will not protect you from Orchid Veil’s response.”

”Clear,” Lin Feng said, and this time most of the mischief receded. Most.

He took the command slip when Yue Qingfeng finally pushed it forward. The seal on it looked different, marked with private authority rather than public registry status. Under it was a second, narrower guest seal meant for transfer.

”Travel light,” Yue Qingfeng said. ”Do not announce the destination. Inform only those who must manage your absence. When you leave tomorrow, local records will show external suspension and long mission status. From that point, the hundred days belong entirely to you.”

Lin Feng cupped his fists again. ”Yes, Sect Master Yue.”

Yue Qingfeng studied him once more, as if matching the young man in front of him against an older memory that no longer existed in the same form.

”Remember there are many here who would love to see you failing. But as i said here is something about you. Whether it becomes worth the exception is not my burden alone. Carry it yourself.”

The door seals loosened behind Lin Feng in silent dismissal. He bowed, turned, and left the chamber with the command slip closed hard in his palm. Outside, the ordered density of the upper air felt suddenly distant compared to the path now set before him.