"A blade unsheathed in silence can still leave blood in its wake."
Part 1: The Brewing Storm
The town smelled of tension.
Since the bone coin and Old Wen's warning, Li Wei moved with precision—faster, quieter, sharper.
He no longer trained in the open yard. He now practiced under the moon, on rooftops, in the damp shadows behind the butcher shed.
Each movement of his unnamed sword form refined footwork from the Bone-Cleaving Form with the grace of cleaving flesh, not air.
He remained hidden. But the wind around Stone Lantern Town had shifted.
There were too many strangers. Too many silences in crowded places.
Unnamed Sword Technique – Proficiency: (6/100) – Beginner
He hadn't named it. But it was his.
Part 2: The Invitation
Three cultivators set up a sparring ring in the town square.
They wore matching sashes of embroidered white silk—but no sect crests.
One called himself Yan Qi. A handsome youth with silver-thread hair, smug eyes, and a narrow longsword that flashed more than it bit.
They fought for show, beating down local hopefuls and pretending to offer tips.
"We're here to share the way of the sword!" Yan Qi announced.
But Li Wei saw it clearly.
They were baiting someone.
That night, as Li Wei cleaned bone from the chopping table, a silver coin clinked onto the wood.
"You cut cleanly, butcher," Yan Qi said. "That takes control."
He smiled with teeth.
"One exchange. Tomorrow. In the square."
Then he leaned in and whispered:
"Or I come back for your hands."
Part 3: The Rooftop Exchange
Li Wei didn't appear at the square the next day.
He wasn't there when Yan Qi flexed his blade before a gathered crowd. He wasn't there when the challengers mocked.
But as the sun set, Yan Qi took a private path behind the temple, muttering curses.
He never reached the far street.
Li Wei dropped beside him on the rooftop—silent, like mist.
Yan Qi barely had time to draw his sword before a flash of silver streaked across his chest.
Steel met steel once.
Then a cut sliced across Yan Qi's sword arm. Another across his thigh.
Li Wei moved not like a swordsman—but like a butcher.
Each strike held no flourish. Only intention.
The duel ended in six breaths.
Yan Qi dropped to one knee, blood dripping. His sword lay clattering at his side.
Li Wei sheathed his own blade—an unadorned, worn iron saber—and placed a bone shard against the man's cheek.
"Tell whoever sent you," he said, voice flat, "the blade cuts, but never talks."
Then he vanished into the mist.
Part 4: The Quiet Exit
That night, he returned home for the last time.
Old Wen was waiting. He said nothing. Just handed Li Wei a bundle wrapped in smoked leather:
Travel map across southern river towns. Dried spirit herbs mixed with pig marrow for recovery. A sealed envelope with no name.
Li Wei bowed low. Wen simply turned and began sharpening a cleaver.
"Not all blades dull with time," he muttered.
"Some only wait."
Part 5: A Path Beyond Stone
At dawn, Li Wei passed beneath the east gate, wearing a simple gray cloak.
No one noticed. No banners waved.
He looked like a tradesman. A poor traveler.
But his blade was sharp. His mind clearer than ever.
He did not know what lay beyond the roads.
Only that he would not wait for danger to come to him.
Not anymore.
[Experience Panel]
Name: Li Wei
Age: 23
Cultivation: Martial Dao – Postnatal Realm (Early Stage)
Skills:
• Longevity Technique – Proficiency: (144/200) – Minor Success
• Butchering – Proficiency: (117/200) – Minor Success
• Swordsmanship – Proficiency: (104/200) – Minor Success
• Bone-Cleaving Form – Proficiency: (18/200) – Minor Success
• Unnamed Sword Technique – Proficiency: (13/100) – Beginner
End of Chapter 9