From Death To Dominion

Ye Xian weighed the pouch of gold in his hand, his brows twitching slightly. Twenty gold coins for a single vial? This old fox is clearly trying to fleece me.

Still, he maintained a calm expression, offering a polite but knowing smile.

"Twenty gold? Senior, isn't that a little steep? I've seen similar poisons go for ten, maybe twelve gold at most. Surely, you wouldn't take advantage of a young cultivator in need?"

The elderly alchemist chuckled, stroking his thin beard as he leaned forward. His half-lidded eyes gleamed with amusement.

"You have a keen eye, young man. But tell me, where exactly did you see such a fine paralytic venom for ten gold?" He gestured at the vial on the counter. "This isn't some diluted roadside concoction—this is an enhanced venom, refined three times over. Just a drop can weaken even a seasoned warrior."

Ye Xian remained unfazed. "Even so, twenty gold is daylight robbery. How about fifteen?"

The old man sighed dramatically, shaking his head. "Fifteen? Youngster, do you think I'm running a charity? Eighteen is the lowest I can go."

Ye Xian narrowed his eyes slightly, pretending to hesitate. He glanced around the dimly lit shop, noting the other shelves lined with potions and rare medicinal ingredients. Clearly, this man was doing well for himself.

"Seventeen, and I'll buy two vials," he countered. "That's still a hefty profit for you, and I won't have to take my business elsewhere."

The alchemist's grin widened, his amusement deepening. He tapped his fingers rhythmically against the counter, as if pondering Ye Xian's offer.

"Seventeen each?"

Ye Xian gave a firm nod.

The old man suddenly burst into laughter, shaking his head as he waved a dismissive hand. "No, no, no. If you don't want it at twenty, feel free to leave. I don't lower my prices for every clever brat who tries to haggle."

Ye Xian almost scoffed. Shameless old man! He was never planning to lower the price in the first place!

Still, Ye Xian knew when he was beaten. He had already scoured the entire market, and this was the only alchemy shop carrying what he needed. If he left now to look elsewhere, he would likely find similar prices—or worse, waste precious time.

Suppressing the urge to curse, he exhaled through his nose and nodded. "Fine. I'll take both."

The alchemist's grin widened even further as he leisurely counted the coins before handing over the vials.

"If you're interested," he added slyly, "I also have rarer poisons—venoms that mimic illnesses, powders that dissolve into food without a trace—"

"Maybe next time," Ye Xian interrupted smoothly, tucking the vials into his sleeve before turning to leave.

As Ye Xian made his way back to the Ye Clan estate, his thoughts remained sharp and focused.

Poisons to weaken. Traps to restrain. Tactics to outthink.

Raw strength alone was never enough to guarantee survival in this world. No matter how talented or determined a cultivator was, arrogance could lead to an early grave.

He had witnessed it firsthand—seen mighty warriors fall, not because they lacked power, but because they believed their cultivation alone made them invincible.

He had once been one of them.

In his past, he too had believed that sheer talent and effort would be enough—that if he just pushed forward with determination, he could overcome anything.

But reality had been cruel. The world had no mercy for the naive, and hard lessons had been carved into his bones.

But that was the past.

Now, he understood the truth. Strength was important, but so was foresight, adaptability, and preparation. A cultivator who relied solely on their cultivation level was like a blind warrior swinging a sword in the dark—powerful but vulnerable, just waiting to be struck down by someone more cunning.

The upcoming mission—a simple escort job on the surface—was bound to have hidden dangers. He wasn't foolish enough to think it would go smoothly.

There would be threats.

Magical beasts lurking in the wilderness.

Bandits preying on cultivators.

Schemes and rivalries brewing among his supposed allies.

And with his current level—only at the Second Stage of Ki Refining—he would likely be the weakest in the group.

That meant he had to stay three steps ahead.

The paralytic venom and machenical traps were just part of precautions. He still needed to plan his escape routes, observe his teammates, and prepare countermeasures for anything unexpected.

He had been reckless once, but never again.

Betrayal had nearly cost him everything before.

Deception had left him bleeding, broken, and alone.

The scars they left behind were reminders—lessons carved deeper than any sword could cut.

He would never be caught off guard again.

He would never trust blindly again.

The past had shaped him, but it would not define him.

He was no longer the same person who rushed into battle, believing his raw potential would carry him through.

Now, he would fight smart.

Now, he would fight prepared.

Now, he would never be betrayed again.

And when the time came, he would win.

And Ye Xian had every intention of surviving.

By the time Ye Xian returned to his courtyard, night had fully settled over the land. The moon hung high in the sky, casting a silver glow that bathed the estate in an ethereal radiance.

A gentle breeze carried the delicate scent of blooming flowers, while the occasional chirping of insects added a tranquil melody to the quiet night.

Inside his room, Ye Xian sat cross-legged on his bed, his breathing slow and controlled. With a thought, he activated the Reverse Taiji Projection—a treasure of unfathomable power, both his greatest asset and an enigma he had yet to fully unravel.

Beneath him, a profound diagram materialized, resembling a vast yin-yang formation. Within it, two fish-like manifestations of energy—one shimmering with silver moonlight, the other as dark as the abyss—swam in an endless cycle, mirroring the cosmic balance of creation and destruction.

Reaching into his storage pouch, he retrieved a thousand Ki stones—his spoils from the gamble with Steve. With a single flick of his wrist, he scattered them across the bed.

The once-lustrous stones rapidly dimmed as ethereal Ki threads emerged from them, intertwining like delicate strands of silk before being drawn into the projection.

The moonlight and obsidian fish flicked their tails, guiding the refined energy into Ye Xian's meridians. A surge of pure Ki flooded his dantian, igniting a fire of progress within his cultivation.

Standing at the peak of the Second Stage of Ki Refining, he could feel himself teetering on the edge of a breakthrough. His meridians pulsed with power, his body humming with the intoxicating sensation of transcendence.

Yet, just as he anticipated stepping into the Third Stage, everything came to an abrupt halt.

His cultivation… had stopped advancing.

What the hell?!

Ye Xian's eyes snapped open, his expression frozen in disbelief.

With the sheer amount of Ki stones he had absorbed, he should have long since broken through—not just barely reaching the Third Stage, but advancing well beyond it.

Yet, no matter how much energy had surged through him, it stubbornly refused to push past the final threshold.

A deep frown formed on his face as he immediately activated his spiritual sense, scanning his dantian for any abnormalities.

What he found left him momentarily speechless.

The absorbed Ki hadn't vanished—it had undergone an entire transformation. Instead of simply accumulating and pushing him to the next stage, the energy had been compressed and refined, tempering his cultivation in a way he had never seen before.

Where once his Ki had the formless nature of mist, it had now condensed into a denser, almost liquid-like state. His foundation had been reinforced, his reserves deepened, but at the cost of an exponentially greater demand for resources.

A realization dawned on him.

This… this is the effect of the Reverse Taiji Projection.

Unlike conventional cultivation techniques that merely accumulated Ki to advance realms, this technique followed a completely different path.

It didn't just increase his cultivation—it refined his very essence, ensuring that every stage he reached was far more powerful than that of an average cultivator.

This meant that while he remained at the Second Stage of Ki Refining, his combat strength had already far surpassed others at the same level.

His Ki was purer, denser, and carried a strength that would allow him to fight those at higher stages with ease.

Even his physical body felt the effects of this transformation. His meridians, once fragile pathways for Ki, had grown wider, tougher, and more resilient. His dantian had expanded, capable of storing even greater reserves of energy. The benefits were undeniable—but so was the cost.

If reaching the Third Stage already demanded thousands of Ki stones, then what about the later realms? The Ki Warrior Realm? The Element Disciple Realm? The Element Master Realm? Would he need tens of thousands, or even millions, of Ki stones just to continue his journey?

A wry smile crept onto his lips.