The world was silent around her.
Within the stillness of her room in the inner disciple quarters, Alice sat cross-legged, eyes shut, heart steady. A soft glow pulsed from her body, and Qi in the air gathered around her like rivers converging at the sea.
The time had come.
She reached into her storage ring and retrieved two items:
— Two Tier 1 High-Grade Qi Enhancing Pill
— A Tier 1 High-Grade Foundation Stabilizing Pill
She swallowed the Qi Enhancing Pill, and heat surged through her veins like wildfire. She clenched her fists, suppressing the pain as her meridians trembled from the sheer force of Qi rushing through them.
> "I've walked through blood and shadow… This is nothing."
Her dantian churned. The vortex within it expanded, spiraling with power.
She focused her mind inward, guiding the chaotic Qi to form the foundation—an invisible core that signaled the boundary between the Qi Condensation Realm and the next step.
The Foundation Establishment Realm.
It was a wall few ever climbed… and fewer crossed alone.
Her memories flashed:
— The face of the girl whose body she now wore, broken and left in the forest.
— The betrayal in her past life, dying with a dagger in her heart.
— The masked jobs as Red Phoenix.
— The battles. The nights. The fire.
All of it burned inside her.
> "No one owns me. Not this world, not the last."
With a sharp inhale, Alice slammed her will forward. The swirling Qi condensed into a bright core deep within her dantian, locking into place with a burst of spiritual force.
A shockwave spread out from her body, shaking the wooden floor and rattling the windows.
She had broken through.
Qi flowed through her like a tranquil sea now—stable, vast, deep.
The Foundation Establishment Realm wasn't just stronger—it was different.
Her senses sharpened. Her body felt lighter, more responsive. Her control over Qi was no longer a fight against resistance, but a natural extension of her will.
A small, triumphant smile touched her lips.
But it wasn't over.
She immediately swallowed the Foundation Stabilizing Pill, sitting still once more as the medicinal power calmed her internal energy. Her core pulsed rhythmically, stabilizing, rooting her power like a tree planting its roots deep into the earth.
Hours passed.
When she finally opened her eyes, they glowed with a quiet intensity.
> "It's done."
She stood up, feeling reborn.
No longer a Qi Condensation cultivator.
Now—an expert of the Foundation Establishment Realm.
And with this, she was no longer just a skilled assassin hiding her strength.
She was a true contender for the capital's stage, a force the world would soon recognize.
She walked to the window, looking out over Yuan City. The sky had darkened into a canvas of stars.
Somewhere out there, her enemies still walked free.
She would find them. In this life or the next.
But first…
> "It's time I prepare for the capital."