CHAPTER 162: 162-

Coldwind City, Eastern Ravine:

The usual serenity of the Eastern Ravine was shattered.

Where moments before had hung the profound quietude of deep cultivation, punctuated only by the faint, resonant hum of active qi wells, now echoed with the clamor of confusion and discontent.

The sound, sharp and discordant against the mountain’s stillness, seeped into Cave #7, disturbing Elder Joshua Fang from his meditative trance.

He opened his eyes as he felt the rhythmic pulse of energy he’d been attuned to, the very lifeblood of the cultivation caves, felt... thin and distant.

With a fluid motion, he rose as his simple grey robes whispering against the rock floor, and stepped out into the ravine’s central path.

The scene before him was one of burgeoning chaos.

Disciples, their faces etched with frustration and disbelief, clustered near cave entrances, their voices overlapping in a rising tide of complaint.

"...just gone!" A young man near Cave #3 slammed his fist against the rock face, wincing immediately after.

"Where’s the abundance of qi? It’s like breathing stale attic air inside!"

"Same here!" A girl from Cave #5 gestured wildly. "I was on the brink of a breakthrough! But the smell made me fail. Argh!"

Near the entrance to Cave #1, a younger disciple, perhaps only twelve, sat slumped against the wall, shoulders shaking.

Tears tracked clean lines through the dust on his cheeks. "M-my merit points..." he choked out between sobs, looking utterly lost.

"All those chores... and life threatening tasks... all gone! For this? It’s a scam! A complete scam!" His raw despair cut through the general grumbling, drawing sympathetic and anxious glances.

Elder Joshua’s presence, radiating calm authority, began to register.

Heads turned, voices lowered.

He strode forward, his gaze sweeping over the distressed assembly.

He didn’t shout; his voice, when he spoke, was deep and resonant, carrying effortlessly over the din and instantly commanding silence.

"Peace," he intoned, holding up a weathered hand. "Calm yourselves, disciples of the Fang."

He met their worried eyes, his own expression grave but steady. "This disruption has been noted. Those of you who had secured time within these caves, and particularly those actively cultivating when the anomaly occurred, your investment and your interrupted progress are recognized by the Clan."

He paused, ensuring his words sank in. "Worry not. The Clan will address this. Resources will be allocated, mechanisms will be inspected, and the cause will be found and rectified with all due haste. Consider your merit points secured; appropriate restitution or rescheduling will be arranged."

His gaze sharpened slightly, emphasizing the finality. "Until such time as the qi wells are restored and verified, access to the Eastern Ravine cultivation caves is suspended. Effective immediately. Please return to your quarters or assigned duties. Await further announcements."

A collective sigh, part relief, part lingering disappointment, rippled through the juniors.

Murmurs of "Yes, Elder Joshua," and "Understood, Elder," replaced the earlier complaints.

They bowed, some deeply, others with distracted haste, and began to disperse, moving back down the ravine path in small, subdued groups, casting backward glances at the now-useless caves.

Elder Joshua watched them go, the lines around his eyes deepening with concern.

Vanished? Diminished?

he thought, a flicker of surprise beneath his usual composure.

The Clan Head didn’t tell me anything about this..

The rustle of silk on stone announced another arrival.

Elder Chen Fang, his expression a mix of curiosity and mild alarm, approached.

"Elder Joshua?" he inquired, his sharp eyes taking in the deserted cave entrances and the lingering tension in the air.

"What caused such an uproar? The commotion reached the Spirit Pond Area."

Joshua turned, gesturing towards the silent cave mouths. "Elder Chen. The qi wells, it seems, have failed. Diminished to near nothingness, or vanished entirely. The disciples were... understandably distressed. I’ve suspended access."

"Failed?" Elder Chen’s eyebrows shot up. "The new wells? How is that possible?"

He peered towards Cave #1, his senses reaching out. "Have you inspected?"

"Not yet. I was about to," Joshua replied.

"Mind if I accompany you?" Chen asked, his scholarly curiosity now fully engaged.

"Two pairs of eyes, and senses, may discern more than one."

"Of course. Your insight is welcome," Joshua nodded.

Together, the two elders moved towards the nearest cave, Cave #1.

Inside, the difference was palpable.

Gone was the thick, vibrant energy that had hummed in the air, replaced by a cavernous silence and a distinct chill.

The faint, residual luminescence that usually clung to the walls was absent.

Elder Joshua placed a palm flat against the central formation stone.

Where before a powerful thrum would resonate up his arm, now there was only cold, inert rock.

He closed his eyes, extending his spiritual sense deep into the cave’s structure.

Nothing. A void where potent energy had recently flowed.

Cave #2 was the same. Utterly inert. Cave #3 offered a faint whisper, the barest echo of warmth against Joshua’s palm, like the dying ember of a once-raging fire.

"Here," he murmured to Chen. "A trace. But useless for cultivation."

Elder Chen, beside him, ran his fingers along a vein of crystal in the wall. "Indeed. Faint. Barely perceptible. Insufficient even for the most basic exercises."

His brow furrowed in concentration. "No signs of structural damage. No residue of external tampering that I can detect... It’s as if the source itself was simply... turned off."

They moved systematically through the remaining caves.

Cave #4: dead.

Cave #5: dead.

Cave #6: another faint whisper, weaker even than #3.

Cave #7, where Joshua had been meditating: now merely a cold, silent chamber.

Cave #8: dead.

Cave #9: the faintest, most pathetic glimmer, snuffed out almost as soon as they registered it.

They went on for all the caves untill they emerged back form the 50th cave, back into the muted daylight of the ravine, Elder Joshua let out a slow breath, his expression grim.

The scale of the failure was evident.

"None of reserves remain," he stated flatly. "What little is left is literally unusable. The wells are clearly depleted at this point."