The forest road had grown quiet again.
But this silence was different from the peaceful calm of the earlier morning.
Now it carried tension.
Five men stood across the narrow dirt path ahead, blocking the travelers' way. Their clothes were worn but sturdy, the kind often used by people who lived outside the protection of cities. Each of them carried some form of weapon—short swords, crude spears, or heavy knives.
Bandits.
Chen Yu's grip tightened around his wooden staff.
Only a few hours ago, he had felt proud after surviving the fight against the spirit wolf.
But facing other humans was different.
Spirit beasts acted on instinct.
Humans… could be unpredictable.
The bandit leader stepped forward slightly.
He was a tall man with a rough beard and sharp eyes that constantly moved between Zhao Ren's sword and the two horses.
"Well then," the man said casually, "I'll say it one more time."
His voice carried confidence born from experience.
"Leave your supplies here and walk away."
Chen Yu whispered under his breath.
"They really expect us to just give everything up."
Zhao Ren's expression remained calm, but his hand had already moved toward the hilt of his sword.
Lin Tian stood slightly behind them, watching silently.
To him, the situation was not particularly threatening.
But it was… informative.
This world's social structure appeared predictable so far.
Power gathered in cities and sects.
Outside those areas, law weakened.
And in the gaps between authority and wilderness—
People like these bandits appeared.
Zhao Ren stepped forward.
"You've chosen the wrong travelers to rob," he said calmly.
The bandit leader smirked.
"Have we?"
His eyes focused on Zhao Ren more carefully now.
A faint ripple of spiritual energy surrounded Zhao Ren's body.
The bandit's smile faded slightly.
"Oh," he said.
"A cultivator."
Behind him, two of the other bandits shifted nervously.
But the leader did not retreat.
Instead, he laughed.
"Well, that explains the sword."
Zhao Ren remained still.
"You should leave."
The bandit leader tilted his head.
"And why would we do that?"
Zhao Ren's voice became colder.
"Because I am an officer of Iron Ridge City."
The name caused a small reaction among the bandits.
Iron Ridge City controlled this entire region.
Even bandits knew better than to provoke its authority without reason.
But the leader only shrugged.
"That city is three days away."
He gestured around the forest.
"And out here… no one cares about titles."
Chen Yu felt his stomach tighten.
"That's… actually a good point," he muttered quietly.
The leader's eyes then shifted toward Chen Yu.
"And who's the kid?"
Chen Yu straightened slightly.
"I'm… a cultivator too."
The bandits burst out laughing.
"A cultivator?"
One of them pointed at Chen Yu's wooden staff.
"With that stick?"
Chen Yu's face turned red.
But Lin Tian noticed something interesting.
Even though Chen Yu looked embarrassed—
He did not step back.
His breathing remained steady.
His stance still followed the structure Lin Tian had taught him.
Fear existed.
But it did not control him completely.
"Progress," Lin Tian thought.
The bandit leader wiped tears of laughter from his eyes.
"Well, little cultivator," he said mockingly, "maybe you can show us your strength."
Chen Yu glanced briefly at Lin Tian.
Lin Tian gave a small nod.
The meaning was clear.
Do not avoid the challenge.
Chen Yu stepped forward.
His heart was racing again.
But he remembered the earlier fight with the spirit wolf.
That fear had felt just as strong.
And he had survived.
"I… I'm not afraid of you," Chen Yu said.
The bandits grinned.
"Oh really?"
One of them stepped forward.
He was larger than Chen Yu and carried a heavy iron blade.
"Let's see about that."
Zhao Ren watched quietly.
He did not intervene immediately.
Instead, he observed Chen Yu carefully.
This was clearly another test.
The bandit rushed forward suddenly.
His sword swung downward in a rough but powerful strike.
Chen Yu's mind reacted instantly.
Too fast.
He almost froze—
But Lin Tian's voice appeared calmly from behind him.
"Step right."
Chen Yu moved.
The blade slammed into the dirt beside him.
"Now counter."
Chen Yu swung his staff.
CRACK!
The wood struck the bandit's forearm.
The man shouted in pain and stumbled backward.
The other bandits stopped laughing.
The leader narrowed his eyes.
"Not bad."
The injured bandit growled and charged again.
This time he swung horizontally.
Chen Yu remembered Lin Tian's lessons.
Balance.
Structure.
Breathing.
He ducked under the blade and struck upward with the staff.
THUD!
The blow hit the man's ribs.
The bandit collapsed to one knee.
Zhao Ren raised an eyebrow.
"For someone who just started cultivating… that's impressive."
The bandit leader's expression hardened.
"Enough games."
He drew his own weapon.
Unlike the others, his blade carried faint spiritual energy.
Chen Yu immediately sensed the difference.
"That guy… he's stronger."
Zhao Ren nodded slightly.
"He's a Body Tempering cultivator."
The leader smirked.
"Looks like someone here understands power."
Chen Yu's confidence wavered.
He had only just begun Body Tempering.
Against someone who had trained for years—
The difference could be huge.
Lin Tian stepped forward slightly.
Chen Yu looked at him nervously.
"Senior…"
Lin Tian spoke calmly.
"Observe his stance."
Chen Yu blinked.
"What?"
"Observe."
The bandit leader charged.
His movements were faster than the previous attacker.
His blade cut through the air toward Chen Yu's shoulder.
Chen Yu stepped backward quickly.
The strike barely missed him.
Lin Tian continued speaking calmly.
"His energy circulation is unstable."
Chen Yu tried to focus.
It was hard to analyze anything while someone tried to cut him in half.
The bandit attacked again.
This time Chen Yu blocked with his staff.
CLANG!
The impact pushed him backward.
But Chen Yu did not fall.
Lin Tian's voice remained steady.
"His breathing becomes uneven after two attacks."
Chen Yu suddenly noticed it.
The bandit's chest was rising faster.
"Now attack his left side."
Chen Yu stepped forward.
He swung the staff toward the bandit's ribs.
The man tried to block—
But his reaction was slower than before.
THUD!
The strike landed cleanly.
The bandit staggered backward.
Chen Yu pressed forward instinctively.
Another strike.
Another impact.
Finally the leader fell onto the ground.
The forest road became quiet again.
The remaining bandits stared in disbelief.
Their leader… defeated by a village boy with a wooden staff.
Zhao Ren laughed.
"Well done."
The bandits quickly dragged their injured companions away.
Within seconds they disappeared into the forest.
Chen Yu stood frozen again.
Then he slowly turned toward Lin Tian.
"I… I actually won."
Lin Tian nodded.
"Yes."
Chen Yu suddenly laughed.
"That felt amazing!"
Zhao Ren mounted his horse again.
"You're learning quickly."
Chen Yu scratched his head.
"That was mostly Senior Lin's instructions."
Lin Tian looked toward the trees where the bandits had fled.
Another small piece of this world had revealed itself.
Human greed.
Human conflict.
And the fragile balance between strength and survival.
They resumed traveling along the forest road.
The sun was slowly descending toward the horizon now.
Iron Ridge City was still two days away.
But Chen Yu's journey as a cultivator had already begun changing him.
And Lin Tian continued watching everything carefully.
Because each battle…
Each mistake…
Each human decision…
Revealed another detail about how this world truly worked.