The simple wooden door creaked open, spilling a rectangle of bright morning light into the dim hut.

  Bi Kan emerged, his body moving with a new, fluid economy as he stretched his arms high above his head.

  A satisfying chorus of pops and cracks echoed from his spine and knuckles before he let out a long, deep yawn. The air felt crisper, the world sharper, the very Qi around him a more vibrant and welcoming presence.

  "It's been a week since I've been in seclusion," he murmured, a slow, triumphant smile spreading across his face as he felt the dense, potent energy circulating through his newly expanded meridians.

  "I've finally reached the 7th Stage of the Qi Sensing Realm."

  The rapid advancement was a testament to Senior Sister Jinyan's terrifying skill. After he had gathered the rest of the information from Xiong Zhan, he had approached her, his pouch of Spirit Stones considerably lighter, and requested her finest pills.

  She had demanded a hefty price, but it was well worth it. Now, he was a different class of cultivator entirely.

  His smile faded as his thoughts turned to the information he had bought so dearly.

  "Hah… Hao Yu, huh?" The name settled in his mind, a heavy stone in a quiet pond.

  "Someone at the Meridian Opening Realm." He knew, with a cold certainty, that a direct confrontation would be suicide.

  His gaze drifted to his own hands, a silent acknowledgment of the secret that lay dormant within his Soul Sea.

  I don't think I'll be able to contest a man like that unless I pull out the black sword. Even then, it'll only work if he and I are alone… and if he's underestimating me.

  The thought was a grim one; victory depended not just on his hidden strength, but on his enemy's arrogance.

  Which is highly likely, he reasoned. After all, I'm two entire realms below him.

  CRASH!

  The ground shuddered. A powerful shockwave, accompanied by the sound of splintering earth, ripped through the training grounds. Bi Kan’s head snapped forward, his eyes widening. There, in the center of a newly formed crater, stood Ying Xia. S

  he held her spear triumphantly, its tip still buried deep in the fractured ground, her small frame radiating a newfound power.

  "Hehe! I've really become so powerful!" she declared, her voice ringing with a joyous, unshakeable confidence.

  She yanked the spear free, leveling it at Bi Kan. "Bi Kan! Spar with me! HURYAHH!"

  Oh… I forgot, he thought, a flicker of genuine surprise in his eyes as he felt her aura.

  It was no longer the faint glimmer of a novice but the steady, circulating pulse of a Stage 3 Qi Sensing cultivator.

  He had given her a pill or two from his own limited stock.

  For some unknown reason, she can take two pills without suffering any Qi demons or fluctuations. She's really lucky.

  Or maybe, he mused, a wry smile touching his lips, her stomach is just an empty void?

  "Haha! You're so powerful right now, Xia!" Xiong Zhan called out, his voice laced with a teasing admiration.

  "I bet you can kill Renge boy here in a single slash!"

  Nearby, Wen Renge, who had been watching her practice with a look of pure adoration, gulped audibly, though his admiration for her only seemed to expand. Hah… the lover boy's still hung up on her, Bi Kan thought, shaking his head.

  Just then, the door to the merchant's hut opened. Xia Jinyan emerged, a practical travel bag slung over her shoulder, her fiery orange eyes focused and distant.

  She was leaving.

  "Zhan," she called out, her voice cutting through the morning air, "how long are you going to stay here for? Aren't you going to come with?"

  Xiong Zhan, who had been observing Ying Xia’s progress with a proud grin, rubbed his chin. "As much as I'd love to return to the sect," he said, his gaze lingering on the girl, "seeing Xia's progression is much more worthwhile. I'll stay a little longer, Senior Sister."

  An exasperated sigh escaped Jinyan’s lips. "Fine," she said, her tone final.

  "I'll be on my way then." She caught Bi Kan’s gaze and gave him a short, almost imperceptible nod before turning and walking towards the village gates, her golden hair a brilliant splash of color against the dusty path.

  "That bastard's still unconscious," Wen Renge breathed out, shaking his head as he watched her go. "He won't be able to see her off."

  Bi Kan watched her receding figure, a sudden, frustrating thought striking him.

  Shit… I forgot to ask which sect she comes from. A brief flicker of panic was immediately followed by a wave of calm realization.

  But then again, I bet she wouldn't have told me anyway.

  His gaze drifted back to the training grounds, where Xiong Zhan was already correcting Ying Xia’s stance.

  Oh, wait. I can still ask old Zhan right there.

  Weeks ago, in the small, resilient village that had become their temporary sanctuary, a familiar argument was brewing under the midday sun.

  "Huh? You're not coming with us, Ran Ji?" Mi Shui’s hands were planted firmly on her hips, her brows furrowed in a thunderous expression of disbelief.

  "Are you insane? You're basically a walking corpse held together by stubbornness and spit! Come back to the sect, and you'll be treated properly!"

  Beside her, Ming Mei took a small, placating step forward, her hands clasped together anxiously.

  "Your wounds are still fresh, Brother Ran Ji," she said, her voice a soft, concerned murmur. "Do you really intend to keep exploring the forests alone?"

  Ran Ji ran a hand through his messy hair, his gaze avoiding theirs as he stared out at the vast, untamed wilderness.

  He gently touched his chest, a phantom ache a grim reminder of the captain’s devastating blow. "Yes," he said, his voice quiet but firm.

  "I can't go back like this. I still want to explore some opportunities along the way."

  "DIDN'T YOU SAY YOU'LL CULTIVATE DILIGENTLY FROM NOW ON?!" Mi Shui’s shriek cut through the air, so sharp and furious that a few nearby villagers shivered, instinctively glancing around for an enemy attack.

  Ran Ji finally met her gaze, a flicker of conflict in his own. "I am. This is me being diligent. I need to find my own fortuitous encounters, to temper myself. Mark my words, I promise I'll return if I don't find anything."

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

  Mi Shui spat on the ground, a gesture of pure, unadulterated contempt. She crossed her arms, her glare intensifying. "Hmph! You abandon us like this?! Aren't you going to at least be a man and protect us on the way back?"

  A bead of sweat traced a path down the back of Ran Ji’s neck. "With my injuries?" he countered, a wry, self-deprecating smile on his lips.

  "You two are leagues stronger than me right now. I'd just be a burden you have to drag all the way back."

  After some more back and forth, with Mei’s gentle pleading and Shui’s fiery accusations, Ran Ji’s resolve remained unbroken.

  He finally took his leave, a solitary, limping figure disappearing into the vast green expanse, while Mei and Shui, their small party now even smaller, began their own long and weary journey back towards the sect.

  The campfire crackled, its flames a lone beacon of warmth and life in the deep, oppressive quiet of the viper-infested woods. Dong Kai, the newly ascended Inner Disciple, rose to his feet, his rugged features illuminated by the dancing light. "Fought a Body Tempering expert with only Qi Sensing disciples?" he said, shaking his head with a mixture of awe and disbelief as Ran Ji finished his tale. "You're lucky to be alive."

  Ran Ji, who had stumbled upon their camp an hour before, simply nodded, gratefully accepting a piece of roasted meat from one of the other disciples. "Well," Dong Kai continued, his grin returning, "another hand is always welcome. You can indeed help us fight off these vipers, but do be careful. They're quite tricky."

  Ran Ji cupped his fists. "Thank you, Senior Brother, for your advice!" He crossed his arms, his gaze turning distant as he stared into the flames.

  "Also," Dong Kai added, his expression turning serious, "I've heard from a brother in another squad that they've captured a bandit and have begun interrogating them. They have a theory that the main fortress is nearby, somewhere in these hills."

  He took a step forward, his shadow looming large in the firelight. "So if you encounter any more of them, please do tell us immediately. Even if it's not our mission, it's our job as disciples of a righteous sect to abolish all evil…"

  His voice swelled with a genuine, almost theatrical fervor. He jabbed a finger towards the heavens, the pale moonlight shining down upon him, illuminating the earnest fire in his eyes.

  "And be heroes!"

  One of Dong Kai’s companions let out a soft, almost inaudible sigh, a sound of long-suffering familiarity.

  Ran Ji simply stared, a flicker of admiration in his own weary gaze. Their main headquarters are near..? he thought, his own resolve hardening.

  "You said you fought with a Body Tempering Realm captain, right?" Dong Kai asked, snapping Ran Ji from his thoughts.

  Ran Ji nodded, leaning closer to the fire. "Yes. He was a monster."

  "The one they encountered," Dong Kai continued, his voice dropping to a low, grim tone, "the one leading this whole operation… was at the Meridian Opening Realm."

  The fire crackled, spitting a shower of sparks into the air. For a moment, the world seemed to go silent.

  The color drained from Ran Ji’s face, his soul feeling as if it had been ripped from his body. The memory of the captain's single, devastating punch, a ghost that still haunted his meridians, was a gentle caress compared to the impossibly vast, crushing weight of this new revelation. To imagine a power entire realms beyond that…

  He doubled over, a violent cough racking his frame, and threw up into the bushes.

  "Hah… hah…" He fell to his knees, his entire body aching with a phantom agony, his hands clutching his head as if to keep it from splitting apart.

  That… Body Tempering bastard was already… too much! A Meridian Opening expert..??!!!

  A long, snaking line of cloaked figures marched through the oppressive gloom of the forest, their heavy boots squelching in the mud. They were a grim river of men, pulled from their scattered missions of plunder and enslavement, their faces hidden in the shadows of their hoods, their usual boisterous energy replaced by a confused, resentful silence.

  "Hah, I thought we were safe since we were in the eastern area," one of them grumbled, his voice a low whisper that was swallowed by the rhythmic tramp of their march.

  "To think the boss would assemble us with such urgency."

  Another cloaked figure beside him spat on the ground, the sound a wet smack in the quiet woods.

  "What's more troubling is why we're being sent to this second fortress. Why not the main one?"

  A lazy, drawn-out yawn came from behind them, making the two gossiping bandits turn their heads. A man, his posture lax and his movements languid, simply shrugged. "Hahh… Don't you know? This is the fortress where Boss Hao Yu's cousin resides."

  Their eyes grew wide, a new layer of fear mixing with their confusion. "A cousin… of the boss..?" the first bandit breathed, his voice barely a whisper. "How ruthless is he?!"

  Another lax yawn came from the cloaked figure. "Calm down," he drawled, his tone one of weary experience.

  "He's much more lenient than the boss." T

  he words were meant to be reassuring, but they only served to deepen the chill in their bones, a silent testament to the absolute terror their true leader inspired.

  The rhythmic drip… drip… drip… of water was the only sound in the cold, damp cellar, each drop tipping the bucket just over the brim with a soft splash that echoed off the stone walls.

  Heavy footsteps descended the stairs, their deliberate tread a grim finality.

  Hao Yu stood looming over a figure shackled in chains, his gaze falling upon the gored and battered face of the Outer Disciple who had abandoned his comrades.

  "He's already dead," Hao Yu stated, his voice flat, tinged not with anger, but with a profound disappointment.

  "How unfortunate." He snapped his fingers. Two bandit guards emerged from the shadows, their movements silent and practiced as they began to unchain the lifeless body.

  "Toss him in the river," Hao Yu commanded, turning away from the corpse. "Let the current carry our warning. Those sect fiends will know not to mess with us any longer."

  He ascended the steps and settled into his makeshift command seat, a heavy wooden chair that seemed to absorb the room's oppressive gloom.

  "So," he asked, his calm yellow eyes settling on the bandit who had overseen the interrogation, "did that coward speak before his heart gave out?"

  The bandit bowed low, his hands clasped together respectfully. "Yes, Boss," he confirmed. "He mentioned that he fled his peers due to fear of being found. His luck truly was against him."

  Hao Yu’s fingers tapped a slow, steady rhythm against the arm of his chair. "Anything else?"

  The bandit raised his head, his own voice dropping as if revealing a precious, dangerous secret. "He mentioned an assassination attempt… on a certain disciple."

  The tapping stopped. Hao Yu’s pupils constricted to sharp pinpricks before dilating wide, a flicker of genuine, predatory interest in their depths.

  "Oh?"

  The bandit fortress was a living, breathing entity, its population swelling by the hour. A constant river of cloaked figures flowed through the main gates, a grim tide of men pulled from their scattered outposts, their usual boisterous energy replaced by a confused, resentful silence.

  They were an army being assembled, and the sheer, overwhelming presence of their numbers was a palpable thing.

  High on a wooden balcony overlooking the sprawling, muddy grounds, Hao Fu leaned against the railing, a wide, triumphant grin plastered on his face.

  He watched the influx of his cousin's forces, the sight a potent balm to his own bruised pride.

  "It's like we have a full-blown army!" he laughed, the sound a low, confident rumble. "Haha! Those sect fiends will be pissing their pants soon enough!"

  "Hmm, I wonder if it'll truly be enough."

  The whisper came from behind him, a quiet, contemplative sound that was swallowed by the wind. Hao Fu turned, his grin faltering slightly as he met the calm, yellow eyes of his cousin. "Cousin." He looked Hao Yu up and down, noting the deep, troubled lines around his eyes. "You look troubled. Are you having second thoughts?"

  Hao Yu stepped forward, placing his own hands on the railing. His gaze swept over the scene below, the watchtowers manned by bored-eyed guards, the muddy pens where slaves toiled, the endless sea of tents, and a faint, nostalgic smile touched his lips.

  "This… scenery," he mused, his voice distant. "To think it all started with a measly group… when I was a teenager."

  A small chuckle was heard beside him. "Indeed, cousin," Hao Fu said, his own pride swelling at the acknowledgment of their shared history. "You've made quite the following."

  Hao Yu’s eyes slowly narrowed, the nostalgia evaporating, replaced by a cold, pragmatic dread. "We'll be hunted down after," he stated, the words a flat, final judgment.

  Hao Fu let out a long, weary sigh. "So what?" he countered, his own fatalism a stark contrast to his cousin's worry. "They dare infiltrate our lands, so we fight. We either fight now, or we die while running. In the end, we lose."

  Hao Yu rubbed his temples with his fingers, the tips sinking into his flesh as if trying to physically press the thoughts away. "I'm just being paranoid," he said, the words a hollow attempt to reassure himself. "Haha… after all, if we kill every single one of them, we can still live in the shadows."

  Below them, amidst the constant flow of arriving bandits, a different kind of movement caught the attention of the guards. A small group of four Qi Sensing Realm bandits exited the gates, holding up a stone emblem carved with the head of a snarling wolf. "Huh," one of the guards muttered, scratching his head. "I thought all missions were on halt while we were gathering."

  His thoughts were interrupted by the hurried clatter of hooves. A lone rider on a sweating horse galloped towards the gate, holding a sealed letter aloft. "Make way!" he roared, his voice urgent. The guard, his head spinning from the constant, confusing activity, simply sighed and untied the ropes, letting the messenger pass before closing the heavy gates once more.

  Miles away, a trio of tattered, exhausted figures became visible at the edge of a small, fortified village. They moved with the slow, weary gait of men who had been hunted for days, their robes torn, their faces etched with exhaustion and paranoia.

  From behind the sturdy wooden walls of the village, a small kid peered his head over the palisade. "A-Are they here to kill us..?" he whispered, his voice trembling.

  A gentle hand rested upon his head, and a calm, reassuring voice answered. "Rest assured, little one. Those three aren't evil. Judging by their robes, they belong to a sect… they're cultivators."

  Gu Moyu, his own face a grim mask of weariness, came to a halt before the village gates, his two injured comrades, Zhou and Ma Niu, flanking him like loyal, broken hounds. He took a deep breath, his voice ringing out, clear and steady despite his exhaustion.

  "We are from the Jade Pathways Sect!" he called out. "We wish to rest here for the time-being!"