Cade scaled the rock wall to his right in a few short bursts, serrated cords of muscle flexing beneath the bare skin of his back. He traversed diagonally over two hundred feet in less than a breath of time, then leaped to catch a narrow rocky jut. Letting momentum swing his body around it, he shifted his weight and perched lightly on top like a great vulture. The wide stone shelf now stretched eighty feet below him, three small silhouettes visible in the distance.

  He chose this particular spot for its tall indentation, perfect for concealing himself from the cautious eyes of the incoming cultivators while still allowing a clear view of their movements. One assassin constantly watched their back, another scanned ahead, and the last combed the mountain face for hidden threats. They stepped carefully, heads constantly swiveling, their gazes wary and alert. Without spiritual fluctuations, they could only rely on their heightened senses to detect other cultivators.

  Despite her enhanced hearing, Jade was unaware of Cade’s ascent; such soft sounds were drowned out by the powerful wind currents hammering the mountain. Hiding within the crack, she could perceive nothing other than a small section of the cloudless sky, and her anxiety began to rise. She wanted to observe the situation but was too scared to ignore his words. Her strength lay primarily in the Black Sun battle arts. Without spiritual qi, she was no match for a single body cultivator in late Skeletal Reinforcement, let alone three. Despite many close-combat sparring sessions, she had never faced someone who wanted to end her life at any cost. Worst of all, she knew that if her life was at risk, her Master would interfere, likely dying as a result. So she stayed put, gritting her teeth in silent frustration.

  High above the wide shelf, Cade’s blood had already begun to simmer, a tide of boiling rage rising in his mind. Over the last several days, he’d had plenty of time to get to know Jade. She could be stubborn, downright infuriating, and quick-tempered—but she was also compassionate and fiercely loyal, traits that reminded him of his mother. The thought of someone trying to kill her under his watch stirred his most violent instincts, awakening the brutal and unforgiving Asura nature within him. It was a beast that had to be reined in; if let loose, it would easily turn a minor confrontation into carnage.

  He impatiently flexed his fingers, observing the approaching group, his body pressed into the shallow nook. Two men and a woman. He could only tell she was female because of her sizable chest; her frame was broad and bulging with muscle, matching the two large men next to her. The assassins were dressed in hooded dark robes, their faces covered with scarves, Sword Dao collars locked around their necks. It quickly became obvious they only had a vague idea about their target’s location. Whatever secret method they used to contact the person keeping an eye on Jade from the outside, it didn’t allow for swift and unlimited communication. They were surely armed, but since any use of weapons meant immediate disqualification, they’d likely hold them in reserve.

  Cade knew that compared to him, the assassins were far better trained. If not for the collars, he wouldn’t be facing them with nothing but his fists. Body refiners possessed immensely powerful physiques that far outclassed those of qi cultivators, but without spiritual qi, they too couldn’t unleash their full strength. Neither could he, though for different reasons. However, he still had blood qi ignition and his disabling pulse, both of which could be used without alerting the Sword Dao overseers. While the enemy had a notably higher cultivation rank, which would greatly dampen the pulse’s effectiveness, even a small disruption could open a priceless window for him to strike.

  The moment had finally arrived. As Cade moved, he flicked a small stone to attract attention. At the same time, he silently dropped toward the assassin in the middle, injecting a trickle of blood qi into the two small bumps on his back to steer himself against the furious winds. While he couldn’t use his Blood Wings here, he could still benefit from the natural laws preserved within those two fleshy spots.

  All three assassins tensed when the stone clattered against the rock, turning sharply towards the source of the noise. It was an instinctual reaction rooted in survival, extremely hard to unlearn. One of them—whether by pure coincidence or instinct—suddenly looked up. Cade could see his eyes widen in terror, mouth opening to warn his comrades. Unfortunately for him, he was the one in the middle.

  A leather boot slammed into the man’s shoulder, carrying the full weight of Cade’s 500-pound frame. More than a dozen bones in his upper body shattered like cheap porcelain trinkets. His spine cracked with a series of loud snaps, unable to resist the immense crushing forces as his knees slammed into the ground. Cartilage burst under the pressure, and both femurs fractured in dozens of places, unable to bear the colossal strain. The man—now a mutilated wreck—howled through waves of torturous pain as he collapsed face-first, driven by the Asura’s unforgiving momentum.

  Cade angled his fall just enough to avoid pulverizing the assassin completely. His body pushed through the surprised cultivators with little resistance, costing them a precious moment to regain their balance. The impact was nothing his body couldn’t handle, especially after the middle assassin partially cushioned the landing. As he tumbled along the shelf, his eyes caught a flash of movement—the two remaining figures sprang into motion. He immediately ignited blood qi in his arm, unleashing a devastating palm strike against the stone floor. The sound cracked like a whip, and the whole shelf vibrated. A pit a dozen inches deep formed where his palm had slammed down, stone dust rising in choking clouds. Cade’s body twisted at a near-right angle, the force of the strike propelling him forward, uncoiling like a spring as he shot toward the mountain.

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  This was enough to delay the two sprinting body cultivators, forcing them into a sudden shift of direction. Cursing, they now eyed him warily as they tried to maintain focus through their acquaintance’s chilling screams. Despite their mental training, it was hard not to be distracted by the sight of his mangled body, broken ribs protruding like bloody daggers as it twitched in the corner of their vision.

  All Cade needed was a sliver of confusion. As his body uncoiled, his feet pushed off the stone wall with a short, controlled burst of strength, enough to send him hurtling toward both assassins but not so much that they’d all tumble off the shelf. The sudden reversal caught them completely off guard, as that kind of agility wasn’t something cultivators in the second tier could hope to match, not even at the peak of the realm. The man, running slightly ahead of the woman, hesitated momentarily, his mind unable to decide whether to dodge the wild, bare-chested man or meet him head-on.

  The woman, however, didn’t hesitate. Her shoulder slammed into the distracted man, whom she hadn't expected to slow down in that pivotal moment. Cursing spitefully, they both briefly lost balance and stumbled forward. In that moment, Cade unleashed his disabling pulse. At such close range, even their superior cultivation couldn’t prevent it from taking hold. Their eyes glazed over, legs trembling beneath them. For the Asura, this short lapse was more than enough. Igniting a quarter of his blood qi, he seized their heads and smashed them together like two large walnuts.

  The male assassin’s temple cracked with a sharp, audible snap. Cade seized his neck, yanking him in as his upper back coiled, then drove his head forward with a savage brutality usually repressed beneath his human mask. The entire front of the man’s face collapsed with a meaty crunch. Though excruciating, for a body refiner, this was not yet a fatal wound.

  The woman remained dazed, her vision blurred. As she blinked, a grinning, bloodthirsty fiend flashed before her eyes—the last thing she saw before a thick forehead slammed into her own. The brutal impact caved in her skull, snapping her head backward with a grisly tear of her neck muscles. Her vision went black.

  But Cade wasn’t done. After throwing both bodies to the ground, he immediately tore out their pre-cores, leaving bloody holes in their navels. He then fed both assassins a small pill and walked towards the mangled man, who now lay in complete silence. His mind had probably given up after reaching its pain threshold, but he was still breathing. Body refiners were extremely tough. Cade fed him a small pill and, without any ceremony, ripped out his pre-core. He had a full bottle of stasis pills, alongside many other types of medication. They weren’t expensive in Kettle, as their ingredients were local and didn’t require spiritual herbs. He was used to carrying various life-saving pills in case Gorgo got seriously hurt.

  Cade sent all three pre-cores into storage, then turned towards the ledge, clearing his throat. “I know at least one respected Senior from Shadow Dao Palace can hear me. I fed all three disciples a second-tier stasis pill. It should keep them in a mostly unchanged state for around two weeks. If you'd like to recover their pre-cores, you can seek me out after the trial. I won’t rip you off; let’s say half a million crystals for all three. A bargain, really. If you try to force me, though…” Cade extended his hand, clenching his fist in a crushing gesture, “...don’t blame me for severing their paths.”

  Was it bold? Yes. Was it dangerous? Definitely. But he needed crystals—the more, the better. Since Shadow Dao Palace didn’t want to mess with Sword Dao directly, he was counting on the monastery’s protection.

  With this matter settled, he sat on a nearby rock, taking out a large jug of water and some linen towels. As he began cleaning himself, he heard Jade calling out to him. “Cade, are you alright?!”

  “I’m fine,” he shouted back, quickly throwing on his longcoat. The skin on his upper body was so thin, his half-naked form resembled an anatomy map. When his muscles moved, their serrations flexed like edges of serrated knives—inhumanly sharp—a detail that only became noticeable up close, and one he’d rather not have to explain. As he wiped the blood from his face, he watched her small figure descend from the crack, leaping the last fifteen feet. She then burst into a sprint, stopping right in front of him to stare wide-eyed at the bodies. Her gaze returned to him, scanning him from head to toe.

  “Cade, the blood…”

  “It’s not mine. I’m not hurt,” he said with a small smile, wiping away the last of the blood smears.

  Jade breathed out in relief. “Are they dead? Wait… did you tear out their pre-cores?!” she exclaimed, covering her mouth. Damaging someone’s cultivation was taboo, considered little different from killing them outright. Many would rather suffer a quick death than lose their cultivation and watch their enemies encircle them like a pack of starving wolves.

  “I fed them stasis pills, so they only appear dead. For a body refiner, this kind of damage is nothing. Anyway, to answer your question, yes, I removed their pre-cores. I’ll sell them back to their sect. After reimplantation, they’ll be back to assassinating in no time,” he said, a touch of dry humour creeping into his voice. “Well, maybe not that fellow,” Cade added, nodding toward the crushed assassin’s disfigured form. “He should consider changing occupations. His luck clearly isn’t very good.”

  The princess gave him a flabbergasted look.

  “I’m a bit poor, and my needs are vast,” he said, spreading his hands in mock helplessness, an innocent grin stretching his lips.

  Jade blinked with disbelief and was about to open her mouth when she saw his eyes narrow. After spending six days with Cade, she knew well what that meant.

  “This place sure is lively for a huge fucking mountain,” the Asura said, his voice hardening as he tossed the bloodied rags aside and slowly turned around. “It seems we have more company."

  Rising Stars might actually be within reach. Wow.