Rebirth of the Weakest

11: The Pill That Started a Rivalry

News of the Beast Blaster spread through the Grand Le Clan faster than Ken expected. Wherever he went, someone was already talking about the strange weapon that fired Beast Qi like a martial technique. Some disciples called it a miracle. Others dismissed it outright as a useless toy that could never replace real cultivation. A few elders had apparently started arguing about it behind closed doors, which Ken found more amusing than concerning.

He paid the rumors little attention. At the moment, he had better things to focus on, namely a thick book on herbs and medicinal properties, and the quiet courtyard outside his home.

Morning breeze drifted through the flowers his mother had planted years ago. Lady Le Li knelt nearby, carefully watering each one, and the sight of her moving around freely again still caught Ken off guard sometimes. Not long ago she had spent most of her days confined to bed, too weak to manage even this much.

"You have been reading since dawn," she said without looking up. "Should you not take a break?"

"I will," Ken said, "right after this chapter."

She glanced at the pages full of herb sketches and shook her head, amused. "When exactly did my son turn into such a diligent scholar?"

Ken nearly laughed out loud at that. *If she knew half of it, the memories, the dragon goddess currently living rent free inside my soul, she would probably assume I hit my head harder than anyone realized.*

"I just do not want to stay weak anymore," he said instead, honestly enough.

Her expression softened into something warmer. "You have already become someone I am proud of."

The words landed harder than he expected, settling somewhere in his chest he had not realized was still a little raw.

For a moment neither of them spoke, and the silence stretched comfortably between them, the kind that did not need filling.

Then footsteps broke it. A young servant hurried into the courtyard and bowed.

"Young Master Ken, Elder Mei requests your presence at the Pill Pavilion."

Ken blinked. "The Pill Pavilion? Right now?"

"She said it is important," the servant confirmed.

Once the servant left, Lady Le Li raised an eyebrow at him. "What exactly did you do this time?"

"Honestly," Ken said, standing, "not a clue."

*Fame reaching the Pill Pavilion already,* Mirinda's voice noted from inside his soul space, faintly amused.

"I am hoping that is a good thing," Ken said under his breath.

*Depends entirely on how much trouble you end up causing today,* she replied.

He could not exactly argue with that logic.

By the time he reached the Pill Pavilion, the place was already crowded. A cluster of disciples stood outside the main hall, whispering to each other, and the moment they spotted him, their eyes lit up like he had personally shown up wearing a sign.

"That is him."

"The one who built that strange weapon."

"Elder Mei called for him personally, apparently."

Ken ignored the attention and stepped inside.

The hall smelled of drying herbs, cool and quiet after the noise outside, wooden shelves stacked floor to ceiling with bottles and ingredients. Elder Mei stood near the center, several disciples in green robes gathered around her.

One of them, a sharp-eyed young man with an expression that suggested he already knew he was the smartest person in the room, watched Ken enter with open skepticism.

"So this is the famous Le Ken," he said. "Level twelve, and everyone acts like it is some kind of miracle."

Ken cupped his fists politely toward Elder Mei, ignoring the jab entirely. "Elder."

"You arrived quickly," she said, pleased.

"You called for me."

"I did." She gestured toward the gathered disciples. "The pavilion is holding a small assessment today. The Sect Examination sits one year out, and I want an honest picture of everyone's progress." Her eyes settled directly on him. "Including yours."

Ken understood immediately. This was a test, and judging by the mood shifting through the room, everyone else understood it too.

The sharp-eyed disciple, Sun Jian apparently, crossed his arms. "Elder, he only joined the pavilion recently. How can a beginner sit for the same assessment as the rest of us?"

"Talent does not check how long someone has been studying before deciding to show up," Elder Mei said, entirely unbothered.

The room went quiet at that.

Sun Jian studied Ken more carefully, weighing the rumors against the boy standing in front of him. A Panther spirit. A Beast Flame. A forging talent that supposedly built something the pavilion had never seen before. It was enough to make anyone curious.

And clearly, more than a little jealous.

"Elder," Sun Jian said, a thin smile creeping in, "if he wishes to participate, let him. Though he should understand alchemy is nothing like fighting."

*He wants me to fail publicly,* Ken thought, keeping his expression carefully neutral. *Unfortunately for him, that is not really part of my plan today.*

Elder Mei clapped once, and the herbs for the task appeared across the table.

"Refine a Spirit Recovery Pill," she announced.

A few disciples visibly relaxed. Not an especially advanced formula, though still demanding enough for a true beginner to stumble on.

*A Spirit Recovery Pill,* Mirinda said, amusement threading through her voice. *You mastered this one months ago, young Ken.*

*Then this should not take long,* he thought back, allowing himself a small private smile.

Furnaces lit one after another across the hall, flames blooming from stored Beast Qi, heat rolling steadily through the room. Ken called on the Recreation Flame, and the crimson fire immediately drew every eye in the hall, disciples still not quite used to seeing a Beast Flame answer to someone his age.

He placed the herbs into the furnace with calm, deliberate movements, watching them dissolve slowly into liquid, impurities separating away with almost no wasted motion. His control was smooth enough that even Elder Mei's eyebrows lifted slightly.

*That is not the work of a beginner,* she thought, watching closely.

Across the hall, Sun Jian's frown deepened. Something about the whole thing did not sit right with him. Nobody moved with that much confidence on their first real assessment.

The minutes stretched on. Disciples finished one by one, some pills forming cleanly, others collapsing into failed sludge with a hiss of disappointment.

Then it was Ken's turn.

He steadied his breathing, let the Recreation Flame burn brighter, and watched the medicinal liquid condense into something solid. A rich, unmistakable fragrance rolled out across the hall, noticeably deeper than anything the earlier attempts had produced. Heads turned without anyone needing to be told.

The pill finally formed. Ken opened the furnace and let it drop into his waiting palm.

Silence swallowed the room.

Elder Mei stepped closer, inspecting it carefully, and her eyes widened.

"High grade," she said.

The words landed like a small explosion. Sun Jian went completely still. A few disciples actually gasped, because a high grade Spirit Recovery Pill, on a first assessment, from someone barely settled into the pavilion, simply did not happen.

Elder Mei studied Ken with fresh interest, like she was reconsidering everything she thought she knew about him. "Who taught you this?"

Ken hesitated. *I could hardly say a literal dragon goddess is currently living inside my soul, coaching me between naps.*

"I studied on my own," he said instead.

Nobody in the room fully believed that, Elder Mei included, though her expression suggested she also understood everyone kept a few secrets close.

"Very good," she said finally, allowing a small smile.

Sun Jian's jaw tightened. He had spent years carrying the title of the pavilion's young genius, and today a newcomer had taken every ounce of attention in the room without even trying particularly hard. The feeling sitting in his chest was not a pleasant one.

Once the assessment ended, disciples crowded around Ken, asking questions, wanting a closer look at the pill. For the first time since joining, he actually felt like he belonged somewhere in these halls instead of just tolerating them.

Walking home that evening, the sky bled orange above the rooftops, and Ken turned the high grade pill over in his palm, still faintly warm.

*You have improved,* Mirinda said, something like pride in her voice.

"Still plenty left to learn," Ken admitted.

"You do," she agreed. "But today was a solid start."

He looked out toward the horizon, thinking about how quickly the Sect Examination was approaching, how many stronger opponents waited somewhere past that deadline, how many new dangers he had not even encountered yet.

*Still,* he thought, allowing himself a small grin, *today proved something worth holding onto. I am not just getting stronger in a fight. I am actually improving at everything I put my hands to. Even if half the time I am winging it based on secondhand advice from a goddess with questionable patience for my questions.*

For the first time in a long while, the future ahead of him looked genuinely exciting instead of simply survivable.

What Ken did not notice, walking home with the sunset at his back, was Sun Jian still standing inside the Pill Pavilion, watching him go with a dark, calculating expression.

A new rival had arrived, uninvited and entirely too talented for comfort.

And Sun Jian had absolutely no intention of settling for second place.