The morning sun bathed Shenxian Sect's towering walls as Tian Jue, Huan Tao, and Xu Lin descended the mountain path. Their robes were worn, still carrying faint traces of battle, but their steps were steady. Behind them, the forest mist seemed to cling, as if reluctant to let go of its challengers.
By the time they reached the Sect Mission Hall, word of strange movements within the Million Beast Range had already spread. Disciples gathered in murmuring clusters, exchanging rumors about increased demonic energy and fiercer beasts appearing closer to human paths.
Tian Jue walked up to the counter calmly, presenting the jade mission token. The hall deacon, a middle-aged cultivator with a stern expression, inspected the report and froze slightly when he read the details.
"This was… supposed to be a moderate-level hunt," the deacon muttered, eyes narrowing. "Peak Qi Refinement beasts should not have been this concentrated in the outer perimeter, let alone early Foundation Beasts."
He tapped his brush against the mission scroll, adding annotations. Then, after conferring with another elder in the hall, he returned the token to Tian Jue.
"The mission difficulty has been formally revised to High-Level Danger for outer disciples. As the one who completed it under these circumstances, you will receive additional contribution points. Take note—the sect has issued a public notice: the lower hills of the Million Beast Range are shifting. From this day on, all outer disciples are to exercise extreme caution."
The announcement was pinned onto the mission board a moment later, and whispers immediately surged.
> "So it's true—the beasts are pushing closer."
"No wonder there were emergency flares…"
"Who dared to finish such a mission?"
A few eyes turned toward Tian Jue and Huan Tao, but their quiet demeanor kept unnecessary attention at bay.
After formalities, they left the hall and found a quiet courtyard to divide their spoils. The harvest was bountiful: beast cores piled like shining gems, bundles of herbs neatly tied, and three vials of blood essence glowing faintly under the morning light.
Tian Jue was practical.
He kept the blood essence for physique refinement.
Huan Tao claimed two high-grade beast cores for her cultivation base.
Tian Jue set aside several rare herbs for his herbalist studies.
The rest—fangs, hides, bones, and lesser herbs—they carried to the sect exchange market.
A merchant disciple weighed the materials and handed them a pouch heavy with contribution tokens. The number was higher than expected, due to the unusual demand for beast materials after the recent outbreak.
On their way back, Tian Jue glanced at Huan Tao. "Keep some of your tokens hidden. When sect markets shift, prices for cores and herbs will spike. No need to let others know we profited well."
Huan Tao smirked, "You sound like an old merchant, not a seven-year-old kid."
Tian Jue only chuckled, but inside, he was already calculating—every token mattered for upcoming breakthroughs and for the inner disciple trial in six months.
The sect pathways were lively as disciples bustled about exchanging spoils and rushing to hear the latest mission hall announcements. Tian Jue and Huan Tao walked side by side, the clinking of the token pouch heavy in Tian Jue's sleeve.
After a moment of quiet, Tian Jue spoke, his tone casual yet deliberate.
"Do you think Xu Lin is someone we should place our trust in? Someone worth our favor?"
Huan Tao's ears twitched slightly before she answered. Her voice carried a note of certainty, almost like she'd thought of this before.
"He is. Xu Lin always pays his debts, no matter how small the favor. That kind of man… even if he's plain, he's dependable. More than that, he's not isolated. His circle of friends extends beyond the sect—he's connected to people in the surrounding city too. He knows how to build bridges where others only build walls."
Her eyes flashed with a rare sharpness as she glanced sideways at Tian Jue.
"I think you can afford to give him some favors. They'll return to you sooner than you expect."
Tian Jue's lips curved faintly into a smile. Sharp as ever, she caught it.
By the time they reached the courtyard gates, Huan Tao's demeanor shifted back to its usual brightness. She stretched her arms toward the sky, tail flicking in satisfaction.
"It was a fun expedition," she said lightly, though there was a warmth under her tone.
Tian Jue nodded, a small genuine smile forming.
"Yeah. A great harvest this time. I wouldn't mind taking on another mission with you."
Her tail gave a sudden wag, betraying her mood. She ducked her head with a bashful grin, then almost skipped the last few steps, waving as she darted toward her own residence.
Tian Jue stood there for a breath longer, the smile lingering on his face before it slowly faded into thought.
When Tian Jue pushed open the gates of his courtyard, the familiar serenity washed over him. The faint fragrance of spirit soil drifted on the breeze. He strolled toward the small patch where he had carefully transplanted herbs—Cloudsilver Vine curling upward, Thunderroot's jagged leaves humming faintly with latent qi. Several stalks already showed signs of ripening; in just a few days, they would be ready to harvest.
He stood there for a while, hands behind his back, drawing a slow breath. My roots… these small seeds will be my real foundation in the sect.
Stepping inside his home, he stripped off his dusty robe and scrubbed away the grime of travel, feeling the aches of battle slowly ease in the hot water. His thoughts, however, refused to calm.
The hammer… Silver Guard.
He replayed the scenes of the inheritance ground—the weight of the massive hammer in his grip, the resistance in his wrists each time he tried to channel strength into precise arcs. Against the beasts in the outer range, it was manageable, but under the pressure of the trial, his lack of finesse became glaring. The weapon still outpaced his control.
Then another realization tightened in his chest.
Level twenty-four at before the mission and after that increase to thirty. My physique leaped, my spiritual power surged, and the system even revealed a new function.
He finished his bath and dried himself, pulling on fresh sect robes. Sitting cross-legged on the edge of his bed, he exhaled slowly, summoning the translucent blue light of the system. The familiar panel shimmered before his eyes—stats that had once crawled upward now shining with intimidating numbers.
But it was not the numbers that drew his gaze. It was the new tab pulsing softly at the edge of the interface.
[Deduce]
His fingers itched as he hovered over the function, heart hammering in anticipation.
If this is what I think it is… then my golden finger has finally revealed itself.
The corners of his mouth tugged upward, excitement barely contained. His body trembled faintly, saliva threatening to leak from the corner of his lips as his mind surged with possibilities.
The glowing [Deduce] icon pulsed invitingly before Tian Jue's eyes. His breath quickened. If this function can merge techniques…
Without hesitation, he selected the Star Void Scripture and the Ninefold Tempering Heavenly Frame.
The system's calm chime echoed:
[Warning: Integration of Martial Techniques depends on cultivator's personal insight. If lacking, system will consume cultivator's spiritual power to supplement.]
Tian Jue's heart sank. "Wait—cancel!" He swiped desperately at the panel, but the interface remained unyielding. The warning flickered away, and a grinding sensation erupted in his mind.
His thoughts accelerated, as though a torrent of stars and thunder hammered into his consciousness. Within a minute, his dantian's reserves plummeted; spiritual power drained like water from a cracked jar. His skull throbbed, pressure building until it felt as if his head would burst apart.
Panicked, Tian Jue fumbled into his pouch, hands trembling until his fingers closed around a jade vial. He uncorked it with his teeth and tipped it—just a small sip of Spirit Nourishing Milk. Cool essence spread down his throat, easing the pain by a thin margin.
But the process didn't stop. The system dragged his mind deeper.
His meridians screamed under the strain, eyes reddening as the veins on his forehead bulged. His vision blurred, hot liquid dripping down his upper lip—blood.
"Damn… it won't… stop!" he hissed, his voice hoarse.
Another five minutes crawled by. His spirit sea felt like it was being shredded into threads, the brilliance of constellations and the iron will of tempered bones colliding in chaotic streams. Unable to endure, he tilted the vial again, gulping down a large mouthful of the precious Spirit Nourishing Milk.
Ding! Ding! Ding!
Notifications flooded his vision, dozens, hundreds—yet none of them registered as his teeth clenched hard enough to draw blood.
At last, after ten excruciating minutes, the storm subsided. Tian Jue slumped back, hair disheveled, his robes damp with sweat. His nosebleed stained his sleeve as he raised trembling hands to brush the panel.
The final notification floated serenely in front of him:
[Integration Complete]
New Martial Technique: Stellar Tempering Body Scripture (Fragmentary)
A hybrid technique bridging physique refinement and qi cultivation. Incomplete. Further deduction possible.
Tian Jue's lips curled in a faint, delirious smile as his eyelids sagged. "So this… is the golden finger of protagonists…"
His body collapsed sideways onto the bed, consciousness teetering on the edge of fainting, the system's glow fading around him.