The scent of blood still lingered in the grove, heavy and metallic, mingling with the crisp fragrance of bamboo leaves swaying overhead. Chen Lu Tian stood still for a moment after Mei Xinyue disappeared into the depths of the forest, his eyes tracing the path she had taken. Her parting words replayed in his mind, along with the smirk that hinted at both challenge and curiosity.
She will remember me.
The wind shifted, carrying with it the sound of distant movement too deliberate to be the random rustling of animals. His senses, sharpened by the surge of power from reaching Body Tempering Stage 8, caught the faintest hint of qi signatures. Someone was watching.
He glanced down at the panther's carcass. The ironhide pelt was valuable, the beast's core even more so. The system's glow pulsed faintly in his vision, drawing his attention to the essence stored within.
[Essence available: 43% toward next breakthrough.]
[Recommendation: Host should seek a high-grade opponent to complete advancement to Qi Refining Realm.]
A small smile touched his lips. "I suppose patience isn't my style."
With a quick motion, he removed the panther's core and slipped it into his spatial pouch. The body he left behind bait for whatever lurked in the shadows. Then he began to walk, slow and deliberate, deeper into the grove.
The bamboo thickened ahead, its tall stalks blocking out much of the light. Here, the ground was softer, layered with fallen leaves. The faint sound of breathing reached him controlled, yet betraying the presence of life.
"You've been following me for the last hundred steps," Lu Tian said, his voice calm but carrying a cutting edge. "Show yourself, or I'll make you regret hiding."
A rustle to the left, and a figure stepped into view. He was young, perhaps twenty, dressed in dark green robes marked with a curling serpent emblem. His eyes were narrow; his lips twisted in a smirk.
"You're quicker than I thought," the stranger said. "Chen Lu Tian, right? The 'crippled young master' who miraculously isn't crippled anymore?"
Lu Tian's eyes narrowed. "You have me at a disadvantage. Name yourself before I lose interest."
The man gave a mocking bow. "Zhao Feng, inner disciple of the Serpent Fang Sect. My master has an interest in you."
The name stirred something in Lu Tian's inherited memories a minor sect in the northern territories, known for their use of poison and ambush tactics. Not dangerous to the great powers, but deadly to the careless.
"And why," Lu Tian asked slowly, "would your master care about me?"
Zhao Feng's smirk widened. "Because crippled young masters who suddenly leap realms in days are suspicious. He thinks you've stumbled upon something valuable. I'm here to confirm that and to take it."
Zhao Feng's qi flared, the air around him rippling faintly. Body Tempering, Stage 9 one step above Lu Tian's current realm, but without the system's augmentation.
The system's voice chimed in his mind.
[Optional Quest: Defeat Zhao Feng of the Serpent Fang Sect]Reward: 300 SP, Poison Resistance +5%, Serpent Fang Palm Technique
Lu Tian's grin was sharp. "You couldn't have brought me a better gift."
Zhao Feng didn't waste time. His form blurred as he lunged, palm aimed at Lu Tian's chest. The stench of venom filled the air.
Lu Tian pivoted, letting the strike pass close enough to feel the wind, then countered with a dagger slash. Zhao Feng twisted, the blade grazing his sleeve but missing flesh.
"You're fast," Zhao Feng admitted, "but not fast enough."
He struck again, his palm glowing faintly green. Lu Tian ducked under the blow, his free hand snapping up to grab Zhao Feng's wrist. A surge of raw force amplified by the Heaven Swallowing Art sent the man stumbling back.
"Not fast enough for you," Lu Tian said, "but more than enough for trash like you."
They clashed again, Zhao Feng's movements becoming more erratic, snake-like, designed to confuse and misdirect. But Lu Tian's perception cut through the feints, reading each shift of weight, each twitch of muscle.
A sudden opening and Lu Tian struck. His dagger pierced Zhao Feng's shoulder, drawing a sharp cry.
[Target essence absorbed: Zhao Feng – Body Tempering Stage 9.]
[Cultivation base: Qi Refining Realm – Stage 1 achieved.]
Power flooded him, warm and intoxicating. The Qi Refining Realm felt different the energy within him was no longer raw and unstable, but refined, flowing like a river through his meridians.
Zhao Feng's eyes widened. "You, you broke through mid-fight?!"
Lu Tian's grin was predatory. "That's right. And now"
He drove his fist into Zhao Feng's chest. The man flew back, smashing through a cluster of bamboo stalks before hitting the ground and coughing blood.
"Go back to your master," Lu Tian said, turning away. "Tell him the cripple he's watching will one day step on his neck."
But Zhao Feng never replied. The system's glow confirmed what Lu Tian already sensed the man's heart had stopped.
By the time Lu Tian returned to the Chen estate, the sun was low in the sky. Word of his deeds in the forest had already begun to spread the slaying of the Ironhide Panther, the defeat of a Stage 9 cultivator. Servants whispered, elders speculated, and his father's absence from the clan hall seemed even more pointed.
As he crossed the courtyard, an elder intercepted him. Elder Chen Wu, a wiry man with keen eyes.
"Young master," Chen Wu said cautiously, "the patriarch wishes to see you. Now."
Lu Tian followed without a word.
In the main hall, his grandfather, Chen Guang, sat alone, his expression unreadable.
"You've caused quite the stir," the patriarch said. "The Xu Clan has sent an envoy. They will arrive tomorrow."
Lu Tian's eyes darkened. "Good. I was hoping for that."
Chen Guang's brows lifted slightly at the cold certainty in his grandson's voice. "Be careful, Lu Tian. You've grown quickly too quickly. That draws attention, and attention can kill as surely as a blade."
Lu Tian gave a thin smile. "Then let them come. I'll show them that the heavens no longer favor the Xu Clan."
The old man studied him for a long moment, then nodded slowly. "Very well. Tomorrow, we'll see what the Xu have to say. Rest tonight. You'll need your strength."
That night, under the plum tree, Lu Tian sat in meditation. The Qi Refining Realm's energy pulsed through him, steady and potent. He thought of Xu Lianhua's cold dismissal, Mei Xinyue's fierce smile, Zhao Feng's shocked eyes in his final moments.
"This was only the beginning" he smirked.