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Chapter 3 - Chapter 3: Blood in the Bamboo Grove

The taste of power lingered in Chen Lu Tian's veins. The Ironhide Panther's essence had been rich not just raw strength, but resilience, the kind that could make a man stand against a storm and not bend.

Xu Lianhua sheathed her sword and made to leave the clearing. She didn't even glance back at him.

"You have your hunt," she said coldly. "Stay out of mine."

Lu Tian gave her a half-bow, mocking in its politeness. "Then allow me to wish you safety on your way, Lady Xu."

She disappeared into the bamboo with the grace of falling snow, leaving him alone with the panther's carcass. The system's voice echoed in his mind.

[Host cultivation: Body Tempering, Stage 6.]

[Essence reserves: sufficient for immediate advancement to Stage 7 upon next absorption.]

Stage 7. He had been crippled yesterday and now he stood only two steps from breaking into the Qi Refining Realm. The thought made his blood sing.

He turned deeper into the forest. The wind here was cooler, the air thick with qi. The sound of trickling water reached his ears, and he followed it until the trees opened into a small glade. A stream ran through the clearing, its banks lined with pale blue flowers that seemed to glow faintly.

He wasn't alone.

A woman stood at the edge of the stream, kneeling beside an unconscious man in blood-stained robes. She worked quickly, binding his wounds with strips torn from her own dress.

Her beauty struck him instantly not the cold, distant beauty of Xu Lianhua, but something warmer, fiercer. Her long black hair was tied in a high tail, and her eyes, sharp as a hawk's, darted to him the moment he stepped into view.

"Who are you?" she demanded, one hand going to the hilt of the curved saber strapped to her back.

Her voice carried authority and from his inherited memories, he knew her name. Mei Xinyue. The only daughter of General Mei Qingshan, famed commander of the Northern Frontier. A warrior through and through.

"I could ask the same," Lu Tian replied, raising an eyebrow. "But I think I already know. General Mei's daughter, yes? Your reputation precedes you."

She frowned but didn't lower her guard. "If you're here for trouble, you'll find it quickly. This man is under my protection."

Lu Tian's eyes flicked to the wounded man his breathing was shallow, his chest wrapped in hastily applied bandages.

"What happened to him?"

"Ambush," she said tersely. "A bandit troop. I killed most of them, but a few got away. They'll be back."

Almost as if summoned by her words, the sound of snapping branches echoed from the treeline. Figures emerged seven of them, all wearing mismatched armor and carrying crude weapons. Their leader, a scar-faced man with a heavy cleaver, grinned when he saw her.

"Well, well, well the little Mei cub is still here. Hand over the herbs you took from the ruins, and maybe we'll let you and your boy toy live."

Xinyue's eyes blazed. "You'll leave with your tongues still in your mouths if you walk away now."

The bandits laughed until Lu Tian stepped forward.

"Unfortunately for you," he said, his tone casual, "I've been meaning to test something."

Scar-face smirked. "And who the hell are you?"

"Chen Lu Tian," he said simply.

The name seemed to mean nothing to them good. Their underestimation would be their undoing.

The first bandit lunged, swinging a rusted sword. Lu Tian's hand shot out, grabbing the man's wrist and twisting until the bone cracked. A sharp kick to the chest sent him flying into the bamboo, breathless.

The others hesitated, glancing at each other.

"Kill them both!" Scar-face roared.

They came at once, but Lu Tian was already moving weaving between them like a shadow, his dagger flashing. A slash to the thigh dropped one, a thrust under the ribs silenced another.

[Target essence absorbed: Bandit Cultivator, Body Tempering Stage 4.]

[Cultivation base: Body Tempering, Stage 7.]

The surge of power was immediate. His movements grew sharper, faster, each strike more precise than the last.

Xinyue fought beside him, her dual sabers a blur of steel. The two of them cut through the bandits like wheat before a scythe.

Scar-face realized too late that the fight was lost. He turned to flee but Lu Tian was already there, blocking his path.

"I told you," Lu Tian said softly, "I wanted to test something."

His dagger plunged into the man's chest.

[Target essence absorbed: Bandit Leader, Body Tempering Stage 5.][Cultivation base: Body Tempering, Stage 8.]

The world seemed sharper again. The air tasted richer, the sounds clearer. Only one step remained before the Qi Refining Realm.

When the last bandit fell, Lu Tian wiped his blade clean and turned to Xinyue. She was breathing hard but uninjured, her eyes fixed on him with a new wariness.

"You're no ordinary 'crippled' young master," she said slowly.

"Not anymore," he replied with a faint smile.

She studied him for a long moment, then sheathed her sabers. "You have skill. And you saved my life and his." She nodded to the unconscious man. "I'll remember that."

Lu Tian inclined his head slightly. "Do as you wish. But remember this the next time you're in danger; I might not be passing by."

She smirked faintly. "Then I'll just have to make sure we meet again."

As they parted ways at the edge of the forest, Lu Tian felt the corners of his mouth curve upward. Mei Xinyue bold, beautiful, and deadly was exactly the kind of woman he wanted at his side in this life.

And if the system continued to feed him strength at this rate, the day was not far when he could claim not just her, but the power to stand above everyone else in the Eastern Continent.

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