Kaelen never imagined that within the cold, crystal-clear waters of the secluded pool, someone would be bathing—let alone a stunningly beautiful girl. The scene that unfolded before his eyes was like a painting brought to life, ethereal and dreamlike.
Earlier that night, Kaelen had been making his way back to the Mystic Dawn Pavilion, his robes torn and stained with blood and dust after a harsh battle. He had taken a detour through the wild mountain paths to avoid detection, following a narrow trail that led to a quiet river nestled deep within the range.
The secluded pool, shimmering under the moonlight, seemed the perfect place to wash away the grime. He approached it with little thought, removing his outer robe and crouching at the edge to rinse the blood from his hands.
But just as he began, his gaze shifted—and there, not ten paces away, was a girl bathing in the center of the pool.
Similarly, the girl had not expected that, on such a quiet moonlit night, someone would wander into this remote, wild mountain range. And not just anywhere—but right to this very pool, appearing directly before her.
Both were stunned, frozen in place.
Then, a piercing scream shattered the silence of the night, echoing far into the distance, startling birds that took flight in frantic bursts.
Startled by the sudden cry, Kaelen nearly jumped. His face flushed red with embarrassment, and he quickly turned away, stammering, "I... I didn't see anything!"
The girl, however, was already overwhelmed with shame and fury. Her dark, lively eyes blazed with indignation. Like a spirit of water and wind, she leapt gracefully from the pool, her slender hand reaching out to summon her robes from a nearby boulder. They flew into her grasp as if guided by unseen force, and she dressed with lightning speed.
"You lecher! Prepare to die!" she shouted, her voice sharp with anger. Her delicate hands moved in swift, elegant patterns—forming seals that shimmered with mystical power. The energy of the surrounding world stirred violently, rushing toward her as golden runes appeared mid-air, floating around her body.
"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"
Seven or eight golden glyphs, transformed into streaks of radiant light, shot toward Kaelen like divine arrows.
Sensing the shift in spiritual energy around him, Kaelen instantly detected the incoming threat. The air behind him seemed to shiver with killing intent.
The girl had used elemental arts to condense her energy into attack glyphs, drawing upon the metal essence of the Five Elements. The force was enough to empty the spiritual aura of the surrounding area, each beam of golden light carrying tremendous destructive power.
Kaelen turned around calmly, his cold gaze locking onto the girl. The golden streaks closed in.
Each beam radiated a chilling aura, sharp as divine weapons. Kaelen's eyes narrowed.
"Elemental techniques from the Ithryan Order?" he murmured in mild surprise. This girl had actually mastered the art of summoning metal-elemental energy through glyphs—surely a true disciple of that ancient sect.
"But I already said I didn't mean to," Kaelen said, his voice low and almost sincere, trying once more to defuse the situation.
But the glyphs kept coming.
A flicker of coldness flashed across his face. His body stiffened. The gentleness vanished.
"But I suppose... people like you only respond to power."
He let out a low snort and threw a single punch forward. At that moment, immense power surged from within him, and his skin emitted a faint, five-colored glow.
"Boom!"
The sheer force of his punch stirred a whirlwind, scattering dust and pebbles across the ground. The golden beams, sharp as blades, were crushed and dissolved in the air before they could touch him.
"She only has cultivation at the fifth level of Awakening Realm. How naive," Kaelen thought coldly.
The force of his punch didn't stop—it surged forward like a tidal wave, crashing toward the girl.
Shocked, she instinctively danced backward. Her hands moved like butterflies fluttering among flowers, forming more glyphs around her. In an instant, a golden dome of light enveloped her like a bell-shaped barrier.
"Bang!"
Kaelen's punch collided with the golden shield. The glyph barrier shuddered violently before shattering into glowing fragments. With a startled cry, the girl was flung backward, crashing into the water with a loud splash.
The glyphs guarding her were obliterated, dissolving back into ambient energy.
Kaelen had no intention of prolonging the encounter. Even with a thousand explanations, he could never justify this situation. So, the moment she was blasted away, he turned and vanished into the night.
"Splash!"
The girl landed in the water again. A moment later, she burst from the surface in a torrent of water, but the poolside was already empty—her so-called "lecher" had vanished without a trace.
Furious, she sprang onto the cliff beside the pool and searched the area, but saw nothing but moonlight, trees, and silence. Not a soul remained.
"That damn pervert! Even if you hide at the ends of the earth, I'll find you, gouge out your eyes, and tear you limb from limb!" she screamed, her face twisted in rage, her beauty tinged with lethal fury.
But in her rage, she failed to realize something crucial: that "pervert" was far stronger than she was. Even if they crossed paths again, she would likely still be powerless against him.
Far away, hearing the echo of her curses, Kaelen could only chuckle bitterly.
"Who would've thought I'd stumble into such... unfortunate luck? But alas, not mine to enjoy."
Still, his heart wasn't entirely at ease. That girl wasn't ordinary—so young, yet using genuine glyph-based elemental arts? She must have a powerful background.
But so what? She couldn't possibly identify him. He hadn't used elemental techniques of the Mystic Dawn Pavallion, but rather, ancient martial arts long forgotten by the world.
With that, his anxiety faded.
He dashed through the mountains with incredible speed, faster than ever before thanks to his strengthened cultivation.
The cool mountain air refreshed his mind as he ran. Subtle elemental energy, almost imperceptible, flowed from his blood and gathered within his meridians—refining his body from within.
He had not yet noticed, but transformation had already begun—his ancient martial art triggering the cycle of refining essence into qi, then into his own elemental core energy.
This change was slow but real, beginning the process of bodily rebirth—blood, bone, and muscle nourished by the five elements.
The path of martial cultivation was one that defied fate. It began with flesh, then moved inward—bone, marrow, and blood, until the very essence of the body was transformed from within and without.
Such was the legacy of the ancient martial path, one his lineage had pursued for generations.
Soon, the outer walls of Mystic Dawn Pavilion appeared in the distance, its towering gates shining faintly under the veil of moonlight.