The journey from the Su Clan to Greenfang City was one of the longest Su Liana had ever endured. She had left her closed-door training in a fit of righteous fury, the guilt she carried a cold, heavy stone in her stomach. She had made a promise to the strange young man from another world, a promise she was now convinced she had failed to keep. Her father's casual dismissal of Karma's fate had only fueled her resolve. He may have no spiritual energy, no power, but he is still my responsibility. She had come to the city expecting to find him suffering, perhaps even on the brink of death, and was prepared to face her failure head-on.
She went straight to the Information Guild. The head guild master, a grizzled, old man with a twinkle in his eye, greeted her with a respectful bow. "Lady Su, a pleasant surprise. What can this humble one do for you?"
"I am looking for a young man. He is about twenty five, with an unusual aura. I was told he went missing in the Greenfang Forest."
The guild master smiled knowingly. "Hmm, I am not sure if this is the same person but I have a person in mind. Recently a young man single-handedly brought in a haul that put our hunters to shame and sold to a friend of mine."
Su Liana felt a wave of relief. He was alive. He was more than alive; he was thriving. The cold stone of guilt in her stomach began to melt, replaced by a warm, unfamiliar feeling. Her heart, so used to the stoic calm of a cultivator, pounded with a strange mix of joy and pride. He survived!
But as the guild master went on to describe Karma's rapid ascent in strength and his comfortable lifestyle, that warmth turned into a fiery anger. The narrative she had built in her mind—of a lost, struggling boy she had to rescue—crumbled. In its place was the image of a young man who, she now believed, had abandoned his loyalty to her the moment he found his own path. He had not suffered; he had prospered. She had been worried sick about him, had left her training, had defied her father, and for what? Because she was a kind, benevolent protector?
The warm, protective feeling curdled into a bitter, cold rage. She felt foolish and betrayed. He never came back looking for her, not even after gaining some power. He didn't even try to meet her. The shame of her own misplaced anxiety and the sting of his perceived disloyalty filled her with a need to confront him. She found his inn and went to his room, her anger a cold, hard shield against the lingering guilt.
As soon as Karma entered his room, he felt a chill creep up his spine. It had been a long, hard day of hunting and navigating a world he barely understood. All he wanted was a warm bed and a moment of peace. Instead, the very air seemed to crackle with an elegant, silent power that belonged to the person inside. He jaw dropped when he recognized who it was.
Su Liana sat on the edge of his bed as if she owned it, her posture perfect, her snow-white robes flowing around her like a living mist. A faint, almost imperceptible smirk played on her lips as she watched him from across the room. The silence stretched between them, thick and suffocating, until she finally broke it.
"I'm... impressed. You've not only stepped onto the path of cultivation but have already reached the Blood Tempering stage. One step from becoming a true cultivator."
Karma's jaw, which had already dropped in shock, fell a little further. How could she possibly know his cultivation level? Why did she sound so angry? A wave of pure dread washed over him as he had a brief exchange with Mira about his concealment.
"Mira, didn't you say that because of the reward you gave me, I am able to conceal my cultivation?"
"Yes, Master? But it won't completely mask your cultivation level, only a few minor realms. But A high-level cultivator would be able to easily see through it, especially if they are a few major realms above you."
"Ah… is that so?" The color drained from his face. She had to be a powerful cultivator. Also he decided to be careful as many will be able to see through his strength easily.
His mind racing, he continued "Lady Su, how… how did you know I was here?"
"Don't be naive," she said, her voice sharp as a blade. "Did you truly think you could make such a name for yourself in the Information Guild's den and not have the news reach me? It was a simple matter to track your location."
She began to pace, her movements full of a contained fury. "I'm here because I thought you were abandoned here. I thought you were trapped in a forest that could have killed you a thousand times over. For days, I agonized over the guilt of what might have happened." She stopped, her eyes, usually so serene, now blazing with cold fire. "But it seems my concern was misplaced. You didn't just survive; you thrived. You found a path to cultivation, a fortune, and a comfortable life... all without so much as a thought of returning to the one you swore loyalty to."
Her words, intended to wound, struck Karma like a physical blow. He had not "thrived." He had survived. Every single step had been a desperate, lonely battle. The "comfortable life" she spoke of was a simple bed and a roof over his head, a world away from the luxury of the Su Clan. His pride, built from the blood and sweat of a thousand near-death encounters, felt cheapened, reduced to a parlor trick. She didn't see the fear he had fought, the exhaustion he had pushed through. She saw a disloyal dog. The humiliation, combined with the raw, lingering pain of her family's betrayal, snapped something inside him.
"Delusional!" he roared, the word a raw, unfiltered expression of his fury. "You think you can just come here and mock me? What did you expect? That I would sit in that forest and wait to die like a loyal dog?! You speak of loyalty, of betrayal? You were the one who dragged me here, ripped me from my world, and then abandoned me! I didn't run away. I survived! And for that, I owe you and your Su family nothing!"
The silence that followed was a physical entity, heavy and suffocating. Karma's chest heaved, his vision blurred with unshed tears of rage and humiliation. But as the fire of his outburst began to recede, a cold, bone-deep terror took its place. He had done it. He had spat in the face of a powerful lady. He had no power, no allies, and now, no one to beg for mercy. The silence was his executioner, and he stood frozen, waiting for the killing blow.
Su Liana's eyes, which had been so full of fury moments before, now held a strange, complicated mixture of emotions—shock, pain, and a flicker of… understanding? Her lips, pressed into a thin line, gave no hint of her thoughts. The silent moment stretched on, agonizingly long, until she finally broke it. "Good, very good," she whispered, her voice barely audible, devoid of its previous sarcastic tone. "You have indeed found your own way and doesn't need my help." With that, she turned and left the room, her robes rustling softly behind her.
Karma stood there for a long moment, completely bewildered. "Ha! that's it?" he mumbled to himself. He had been so prepared to die, to face some terrible punishment, but… nothing. He felt a wave of relief wash over him, but it was quickly replaced by a new panic. He was truly alone now. The thread connecting him to this world, his only backer in this terrifying world, was severed. But then, a cold resolve settled in. He didn't need them. He had his skills. He could become strong on his own, and one day, he would find his way back to his planet.
**************
Meanwhile, Su Liana hadn't left the inn. She had simply taken a room on the floor below, her mind a whirlwind of conflicting emotions. Her anger at his words was real, a sharp sting of wounded pride, but his outburst had been the final piece of the puzzle. He hadn't run away. He had been left behind. The realization made the guilt she felt even heavier. She had come here expecting to find a coward who had abandoned his post, but instead, she had found a survivor, a young man who had not only endured but had thrived despite her family's neglect. She decided to watch over him, to make sure he was safe, and to give herself time to think. She still couldn't believe her father had been so callous, so dismissive of her responsibility.
The next day, with his mind still a churning sea of anger and humiliation, Karma returned to the Information Guild. The memory of his outburst and Su Liana's final words gnawed at him. He needed to understand this world, to find a place for himself that wasn't reliant on her, on anyone. He purchased the most expensive scroll—a comprehensive guide to the Eastern Continent—hoping to gain some clarity.
As he devoured the information, a new kind of shock, far deeper than his recent humiliation, took hold. The scrolls laid bare a reality far grander and more terrifying than he could have ever imagined. The Desolate Lands, which had seemed so vast and dangerous, were nothing more than a provincial backwater, a minor region in the shadow of the Eastern Continent. The Su Clan, the mighty force he had believed to be a pinnacle of power, was merely a small fiefdom, an insignificant tributary to a minor sect.
Then, a name appeared that made his blood run cold: the Azure Edge Pavilion. The scrolls described it as the undisputed number one sect, a true behemoth whose influence spanned the entire Eastern Region and beyond. He had heard the name from Su Liana's own lips. She wasn't just a disciple. She was a Core Disciple, a person of unimaginable status and power within this world's true apex.
The world tilted on its axis. His recent "triumphs" in the forest, his newfound power, his angry outburst—it all felt small, pathetic. He hadn't just insulted a powerful young lady; he had foolishly spat in the face of a terrifying force he couldn't even begin to comprehend. The cold resolve he had felt moments before evaporated, replaced by a desperate, gut-wrenching need to find her. He had to apologize, to swallow his pride, before the universe itself corrected his foolishness.
With nowhere to go and no clue where Su Liana had gone, he decided to do the one thing he knew how to do now—hunt. He went into the Greenfang Forest, his senses on high alert. Something felt different today. The beasts seemed stronger, more numerous. He noticed creatures he had only ever seen in the deeper parts of the forest now wandering near the outer edges. The air hummed with a subtle, dangerous power. He shrugged it off, assuming it was due to the approaching storm season. He did not know that because of the green orb, stronger monsters were held back and now with it gone, they no longer had to fear anything and charging towards the human settlement.