[Scene: Deep Forest – Dusk Hours]
The forest grew denser with each step. Ancient roots twisted like serpents, and the trees above blocked out the sun, letting in only fractured light.
Max walked ahead cautiously, fingers brushing the rough bark of trees. His breathing was slow, rhythmic. Just as Old Wu taught—pull in Qi from the world, draw it through the channels.
The Lotus Flame Seed Breathing Technique activated silently within him, and the Qi in the air responded like mist to a magnet, swirling into his body in gentle streams.
But something felt off.
The wind had gone still.
Even the birds no longer sang.
"Something's watching me."
He turned slowly—and a growl answered.
From the shadows leapt a beast, twice the size of a man, fur like molten iron, and eyes glowing with a poisonous green hue. Its tusks gleamed like curved knives.
Ironhide Fangboar.
A mid-tier beast known to shred lesser cultivators and pierce reinforced stone walls. This was no mere creature — it was a Spirit Beast in the early Qi Manifestation stage.
And Max?
Still in Qi Initiation.
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[Scene: Combat – Forest Clearing]
The beast charged. Trees cracked as it thundered forward.
Max leapt aside — not with trained grace, but raw survival instinct.
"I can't match it head-on… Think, Max!"
He gathered Qi to his core, and for the first time, directed it not just into his body—but through it. His hand slid to the fan strapped to his back.
"Lotus Flame… ignite!"
A violet flame burst to life at his fingertips, and with a flick of his wrist, the Void Fan opened wide — not physical yet, but outlined by energy and intent.
WOOOMPH!
He slashed through the air — the fan casting out a semicircle of violet flame. It singed the boar's side, earning a screech of pain.
But it wasn't enough.
The boar twisted mid-run, and smashed its tusks toward him.
Max blocked with the fan — and was sent flying into a tree. Bark exploded, and air was knocked out of him.
Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.
His arms trembled.
"I'll die if I hesitate again."
He looked up — and for a split moment, something changed.
The lotus mark on his chest shimmered faintly… and his perception of the world slowed.
Time didn't stop — but it bent.
The boar's next charge looked slower. Each movement had a trace of Qi line visible to his eyes, showing where it would move next.
"This is… Time Affinity?"
No time to question it. He moved.
Step left. Pivot. Drop. Slash.
The fan sliced across the beast's flank — this time deeper, leaving a seared scar of violet energy.
The boar shrieked — injured, yes, but furious.
It raised itself, preparing a devastating charge.
Max knew it was all or nothing.
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[Scene: Final Strike]
He dug his feet in, breathed deeply, and channeled all his Qi into one final slash.
The violet flame condensed along the edge of the fan until it pulsed with an otherworldly gleam.
"If I'm meant to be chosen… then let my will be known—now!"
He stepped forward.
LOTUS FLAME – FIRST EMBER STRIKE!
The fan carved through the air in an arc of blazing violet light. The forest lit up as though dawn had arrived. The attack hit the beast's exposed neck.
There was a flash.
A boom.
And then — silence.
The beast collapsed, steam rising from the gash that nearly split it in half.
Max stood panting, the fan dissolving from his grip, Qi completely spent.
He fell to one knee.
⸻
[Scene: Moments Later – Still in Clearing]
"You… survived it," came Old Wu's voice.
Max didn't look up. "Barely."
"Barely is more than most."
Old Wu approached, eyes inspecting the scene — the fanboar's corpse, the burn patterns, the unnatural flame residue.
He crouched next to Max and placed a hand over his back.
"Your channels expanded slightly. And that attack… it held a trace of Law."
Max blinked. "Already?"
"Not mastery," Old Wu said. "But the Origin Pathline has begun to pulse within you. When emotions align with will, and will aligns with power — sometimes, the rules break."
Max smiled faintly, half-conscious. "That… sounds like cheating."
Old Wu chuckled. "Call it a gift. Now rest. You've earned your first kill."
⸻
[Scene Shift: Far Away – Ancient Spire]
Within a starless hall, seven figures stood around a hovering flame. One by one, symbols on its surface lit up.
Then, a final one appeared — a violet lotus surrounded by flame.
The tallest figure spoke.
"The Origin Child has awakened."
Another hissed.
"Then the countdown has begun."
⸻
[End of Chapter 4]