"Beyond the walls, the sky widens, and so does the killing field."
Part 1: Into the Quiet Wild
Li Wei left Stone Lantern Town with no farewell, only a pack, a sword, and silence in his step.
The hills beyond the eastern ridge unfurled like ripples of mist. Ancient pines loomed tall, roots gnarled like sleeping beasts.
Here, the world was quieter than even the town.
No gossip. No footsteps. No weight of eyes.
Only birdsong. Wind in leaves. Occasionally, the distant cry of a spirit beast.
He traveled from dusk till dawn, eating sparingly, cultivating in short bursts between rest and motion. His stamina lengthened by the Longevity Technique, he walked for hours where others might collapse in half.
Longevity Technique – Proficiency: (153/200) – Minor Success
Each night, he practiced his unnamed sword form under the moon.
The air was colder here. Cleaner. Sharper.
Unnamed Sword Technique – Proficiency: (23/100) – Beginner
The wilderness was unkind, but honest.
And that made it safer than people.
Part 2: Blood Among Pines
Three nights out, in a pine clearing near the shattered remains of a roadside shrine, Li Wei caught scent of copper.
He followed it.
Two corpses lay slumped beneath the boughs—robes scorched, blood dried in black pools. One wore the sigil of a minor sect, now unrecognizable under ash.
A third body stirred.
A girl, barely conscious, leaned against a broken trunk. Her blade—shattered at the hilt—lay by her side. Her breathing was shallow, and her robes torn.
She raised her head weakly as he approached.
"Don't... come closer," she rasped, hand glowing faintly.
But the light flickered.
And died.
Li Wei saw the faint aura around her chest—a flickering spirit root. But her core was damaged. A low-level cultivator, perhaps mid-Qi Condensation.
She tried to rise. Failed.
Then passed out.
Part 3: Mercy in Silence
He should have walked away.
Trouble clung to cultivators like flies to meat.
But her wrist bore a crescent scar. A brand.
The same crescent as the bounty letter.
Was she hunted? Or hunting?
He sighed and knelt beside her, binding her wounds with cloth soaked in Longevity-infused water. He reset her fractured wrist, wrapped her ribs, and covered her with his spare cloak.
She shivered. But didn't stir.
He didn't speak. Didn't ask.
He simply kept watch.
Part 4: Ashfire Comes
The next night, Li Wei sensed them.
Two figures moving fast. Trained. But not careful.
They followed the faint blood trail the girl had left. One held a curved sickle; the other, a black iron dart.
He moved to intercept.
In the pine shadows, he struck first.
The dart-wielder barely turned before Li Wei drove a flat palm into his throat, then snapped his leg at the knee. Bone crunched. No sound escaped.
Bone-Cleaving Form – Proficiency: (26/200) – Minor Success
The other man turned to run—but Li Wei's blade caught his shoulder, driving deep.
He didn't kill him.
But he took the jade token from his sash before letting him crawl away.
An emblem marked in burnt red:
Ashfire Covenant
A rogue faction. Known for trafficking forbidden pills and secret killings.
He returned to the clearing.
The girl hadn't stirred.
Part 5: A Name in the Dark
Near dawn, her eyes fluttered open.
Pain first. Then awareness.
She tried to sit up, but he placed a hand lightly on her shoulder.
"Rest. You're not safe."
She stared at him. Then whispered:
"You killed them."
He didn't respond.
Her gaze sharpened.
"They were after me. I... I stole from the Ashfire."
Li Wei didn't blink.
"What?"
"Information. Documents. They killed my team. I need to reach Fogridge Crossing."
She gritted her teeth.
"If I die with it, they win."
Li Wei remained silent for a long while.
Then stood.
"Two days east," he said. "At dawn, we move."
She blinked.
"Why help me?"
He paused.
Then answered, simply:
"Because I was watched too."
[Experience Panel]
Name: Li Wei
Age: 23
Cultivation: Martial Dao – Postnatal Realm (Early Stage)
Skills:
• Longevity Technique – Proficiency: (153/200) – Minor Success
• Butchering – Proficiency: (120/200) – Minor Success
• Swordsmanship – Proficiency: (113/200) – Minor Success
• Bone-Cleaving Form – Proficiency: (26/200) – Minor Success
• Unnamed Sword Technique – Proficiency: (23/100) – Beginner
End of Chapter 10