The sun bore down on the border city like a furnace, its heat clinging to armor and skin alike. Ash walked beside Lian Rou and Yan Qing, his gaze sweeping the treeline beyond the city's barrier walls.
They weren't alone—six teams in total had been dispatched on patrol rotations to suppress nearby beast activity.
But something hung in the air.
Too quiet.
Too still.
Ash could feel it, a pressure like a lingering echo from the forest's heartbeat. Shen Mu's whisper curled into his mind.
> "The ape still lingers in this region."
Ash's eyes narrowed.
> "I know."
---
Lian Rou – Quiet Shift
Lian Rou marched with silent intensity. Since the night Ash saved her, she had spoken little—but she had watched him closer than ever.
She had reported the incident to the sect guards, naming the Tier 5 Golden Bone Ape, but not once did she mention Ash's presence.
> "He saved me… but that power isn't normal," she thought, fingers brushing the hilt of her saber. "He's not who he pretends to be."
Still, something had shifted. Her steps no longer held disdain when walking beside him.
Just caution.
---
Yan Qing – Unaware
"Another boring patrol," Yan Qing muttered. "We've only fought one beast today. These points aren't gonna earn themselves."
Ash didn't reply.
His grip tightened around his blade.
Suddenly—the sky darkened.
Leaves exploded upward as trees crashed inward.
A booming roar cracked through the air.
> "Get down!" Ash shouted.
The Golden Bone Ape tore through the treeline like a boulder, its eyes blazing with primal fury. Its target?
Yan Qing.
She froze. Her spirit shield flared too slow, too thin.
Ash moved.
In a blur, he tackled her sideways—just before the ape's claw slammed down where she had stood.
Boom!
The impact cratered the dirt, sending shockwaves through the squads.
Yan Qing gasped beneath him. "W-What the—!?"
Ash pulled her up, his back to the ape. "Run! It's not something we can kill."
Sect disciples scrambled in every direction, some drawing weapons, others freezing under the beast's aura.
Lian Rou stood her ground beside Ash, saber drawn.
> "It's targeting the weakest again," she said calmly. "That beast's cunning is above normal Tier 5s."
Ash glanced at her. "Then we distract it."
She nodded.
> "Together."
---
The Counter
As the ape swung again, Ash surged forward—not directly, but sideways, drawing its attention with a spirit-enhanced leap. Mrit's essence surged through him.
He slashed at its ankle—not to kill, but to enrage and mislead.
The ape roared, turning toward Ash.
Lian Rou capitalized, striking at its wrist, severing a tendon with precise movement only a high-bloodline cultivator could manage.
The beast howled, retreating two steps.
"Now!" Ash shouted.
Sect formation crystals activated, surrounding the ape in a partial cage long enough for all squads to retreat to safer ground.
The beast thrashed once more before disappearing back into the forest.
---
Aftermath
Disciples gathered, shaken but alive.
Ash knelt beside Yan Qing, who was still pale.
> "You okay?"
She nodded. "I… yeah. Thank you, Ash. You saved me."
Ash smiled faintly. "Don't make it a habit."
Lian Rou stood off to the side, arms crossed, her gaze fixed on Ash—not with hostility, but calculation.
> "Again," she thought. "He acted too fast. Too sure. That wasn't an average Root Forging reaction."
And yet… she said nothing.
---
Closing Scene – A Warning from Shen Mu
That night, Ash sat in meditation while Vulcan polished a blade behind him and Mrit snorted quietly.
Shen Mu's voice whispered:
> "This cannot continue. These acts draw attention. Even now, you are being watched."
Ash opened his eyes.
> "Let them watch."
In the back of his mind, the third spirit still waited in slumber. Soon, he would wake it.
And when he did—the throne would no longer be small.
---