A sharp, unceremonious kick landed squarely on Bi Kan’s cheek, the impact jarring him from the depths of his deep slumber

  Thud.

  His body tipped over the edge of the mattress and hit the wooden floorboards with a dull, heavy sound.

  The expected explosion of agony never came.

  Instead, there was just a persistent, low-grade throb, a deep hum of torment that had become as natural as his own heartbeat.

  Pushing himself up with a slow, deliberate motion, Bi Kan stood. A long, controlled breath escaped his lips, a thin plume of steam in the cool morning air.

  "Phew…" He turned, his gaze falling upon the perpetrator still sprawled across the bed, a shock of pink hair fanned out across his pillow. "Xia…"

  It took a significant portion of his willpower not to walk over and knock some sense into her sleeping form. He refrained, a grim thought steadying his hand.

  I doubt she's ever truly off guard.

  He took another moment to assess his own state.

  The pain… it had become background noise, a constant companion he had simply learned to ignore.

  He took a seat on the floor, legs crossing into a meditative posture, and began to cultivate, drawing the ambient energy of the world into his strained vessel.

  Feeling the cool threads of Qi flow through his meridians eased the tension in his shoulders by the smallest fraction.

  The rigid line of his back relaxed, and his posture, which had been coiled with pain, became lax.

  His eyes opened once more, finding himself adrift in the silent, placid ocean of his soul.

  There was no magnificent, slumbering presence this time.

  The Celestial Wolf was nowhere to be seen.

  There was only the endless, dark water and a single item floating at its center, causing small, concentric ripples to spread out into the void.

  Bi Kan’s focus narrowed on it, his gaze intense. It was a spectral page, shimmering as if torn from a book that did not exist.

  Upon its surface, two words glowed with a cold, hateful light: Li Family.

  All of you will be crushed by me.

  With the promise cemented in the core of his being, he opened his eyes again, the wooden walls of the hut replacing the endless sea.

  The bed was empty. Xia was gone.

  "Where did she run off to now?" he muttered, a flicker of irritation crossing his face. "Couldn't even wait for me to finish?"

  Just then, his nose caught a whiff of a delicious, savory aroma drifting from outside.

  Roasting meat. He stood, the low-level ache in his body a familiar sensation now, and headed towards the source.

  The hunter village was alive, a small cook-out already in full swing.

  Lin scurried past, a heavy bag of charcoal clutched in her small hands, her expression one of grim determination as she dropped it by the grill.

  "I've got it," she announced to the cooks, her sharp eyes daring them to fail. "You better not have burnt the last batch. I didn't dirty my hands just for you to turn my efforts into ash."

  A hunter with a thick mustache let out a booming laugh. "You really are blunt… Dai! How'd your daughter turn out like this? She's the complete opposite of you!"

  Dai, tending to a massive spit, just chuckled. "No, no, you should have seen me in my younger days! I was pretty ruthless!"

  Taking in the lively scene, Bi Kan stepped forward and, without a word, snatched a piece of freshly cooked boar meat from a platter.

  He popped it into his mouth, chewing thoughtfully. "Mhm… it tastes good."

  A heavy thump-thump-thump from behind made him turn sharply.

  Ying Xia was hauling the carcasses of two massive cows and a wild boar over her shoulder, dropping them near the fire with a ground-shaking thud.

  "Phew! This is probably enough for lunch!"

  The village kids swarmed her, their eyes wide with awe. "W-Woah! Is this all for us, Big Sis?! Thank you!"

  She planted a hand on her hip, looking genuinely dumbfounded by the question. "What? No. This is for me. My lunch."

  A small boy tilted his head. "W-What?! You can fit all that inside your belly, Big Sis Xia?"

  She smacked a fist against her chest, the impact creating a resounding thud. "Of course! How else do you think I grow these juicy muscles of mine!"

  Another kid leaned in, squinting. "But Big Sis doesn't have big muscles… but you do look athletic!"

  "Hey, Xia. So that's where you were." Bi Kan made his way over, a grumpy look etched onto his face. "Why didn't you wait for me? I was only out for a few hours."

  Ying Xia threw her head back and let out a loud, unrestrained laugh before shaking her head. "Out for only a few hours? You must be joking, Bi Kan."

  She landed a hard, resounding smack on his back that made him stumble. "You were in deep meditation for almost three days!"

  Bi Kan took a step back, the laughter and the noise of the village fading into a dull roar in his ears. His eyes widened. "Three… days…"

  He raised his hand, staring at it as if for the first time, trying to feel the richness of his Qi, the density of his vessel.

  No… nothing has changed. I don't feel anything different—

  A cold realization washed over him.

  Ah. The pain.

  It wasn't gone.

  He had just grown used to it, his body and mind normalizing a level of agony that would have crippled him a month ago.

  "I went overboard…" His mind finally caught up, the lost time hitting him like a physical blow. "Three days. I have no time to waste."

  His sharp eyes fixed on Xia, who was already tearing a leg off a roasted boar. "Can you grab my furnace for me? It's in our dorm."

  She looked up, her chewing momentarily forgotten. Her expression soured as if he'd just insulted her cooking. "What? I'm not your errand girl! Go get it yourself!" she scoffed, taking another massive bite.

  This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

  Bi Kan shook his head, his voice laced with a weary pragmatism. "You're the one who has a spatial ring, not me. It's more efficient."

  She swallowed, pointing the greasy bone at him. "Don't think I don't know what you're trying to do, you bastard." Her eyes narrowed into a ferocious glare. "You're just lazy."

  "Fine, fine," he said, raising his hands in mock surrender. "I'll go get it myself. I was only asking since I'm so terribly tired, but I guess my good friend Xia doesn't care about my well-being."

  He turned and began to walk away, his pace deliberately slow and his shoulders slumped in a perfect imitation of a weary, abandoned soul.

  "Hah! You think that'll work on me?!" she shouted at his back. "Get me some napkins while you're at it! I need to wipe my beautiful spear clean!" She stuck her tongue out, a final act of mockery before he disappeared from view.

  As he walked the familiar path back towards the sect's main grounds, his hand slipped into the inner pocket of his robes. His consciousness dipped into the Soul Sea, his spiritual fingers brushing past herbs, manuals, and a certain black sword before closing around a thin, paper talisman.

  It's not exactly at the level of the Soaring Eye… but it will have to do.

  With a subtle flex of his fingers, a faint flicker of Qi pulsed from his palm. The talisman crumbled into fine, weightless dust within his sleeve, its power dissolving into his senses. A small frown creased his brow. I can't use talismans beyond the most basic ones. My control is still too crude.

  The effect settled in. The world didn't zoom out into a god's-eye view, but it sharpened. The rustle of leaves a hundred paces away became distinct, the distant murmur of voices became clearer, and he could feel the faint, individual auras of disciples moving about like dim lanterns in the distance.

  "Definitely not the Soaring Eye…" he murmured, glancing up at the sky. "But I can sense them. I'm nearing the Outer Sect."

  Reaching the Outer Disciple Courtyards, Bi Kan quickened his pace, his heightened senses allowing him to navigate the crowds with ease, weaving around a brewing duel without a second glance. He made his way to his dorm, his hand locking around the simple wooden doorknob. He pulsed a familiar thread of his Qi into the handle, feeling a faint click from within the lock before the door swung open.

  His vision landed on the singular object that mattered. Sitting in the corner, dented and scorched but loyal, was his furnace.

  His hand reached out, and with a thought, the cumbersome furnace vanished from the room, settling into a quiet corner of his Soul Sea. He felt a flicker of relief. Good. Now to get back.

  As he turned, he caught wind of something new through the talisman's effect. A presence. Still, waiting. Just down the stairs.

  It's different from an Outer Disciple's aura. Stronger. More condensed.

  He closed the door behind him with a soft click and made his way down the corridor. He was stopped at the top of the stairway.

  An Inner Disciple stood there, blocking his path, their calm, steady gaze fixed directly on him.

  The man blocking his path had spiky, dark blue hair that seemed to defy gravity, jutting upwards like jagged shards of obsidian.

  His eyes were a pristine, unnerving red, holding a sharp, analytical light that swept over Bi Kan’s form.

  "You must be the Outer Disciple, Bi Kan."

  An Inner Disciple, Bi Kan thought, the pieces clicking into place.

  No wonder his Qi is so much more potent.

  He immediately adopted the mask of a respectful junior, folding his hands and bowing his head slightly.

  "This Junior Brother greets his Senior. To what do I owe the pleasure?"

  What does he want? Is he looking for a fight? One of Si Gun's friends? Or something else entirely?

  The questions raced through Bi Kan’s mind, his paranoia coiling like a serpent in his gut.

  "I'm here for that genius girl I've been hearing about." The Inner Disciple’s hand moved to his hip, his thumb hooking over the hilt of his sheathed blade.

  "The one causing a storm in the Outer Courts."

  The blade was a fine work of metal, its scabbard wrapped in dark leather, and Bi Kan could feel a strange, humming power emanating from it.

  It was a good weapon, but it's quality wasn't anything like the Ra Family's gift.

  "You're looking for a genius girl?" Bi Kan asked, his expression a perfect picture of polite confusion.

  "Do not play naive with me, Junior Brother," the disciple cut in, his voice sharp. "You can't fool me. I know you two live together. Who else could be the genius but that Pink Whirlwind brat?"

  Bi Kan’s eyes narrowed, the polite mask hardening into a cold, unreadable slate. "This Junior doesn't know what this Senior is talking about."

  The temperature on the stairway seemed to drop several degrees.

  The casual animosity thickened into a palpable tension that began to bleed out into the courtyard below.

  Disciples practicing their forms slowed, their heads turning.

  "H-Hey, is a fight about to break out between those two?" someone whispered.

  Just as the Inner Disciple's hand tightened on his sword, another figure stepped onto the stairs, calmly positioning himself between them.

  He had a mop of curly brown hair and a pair of simple glasses pushed up on his nose.

  He adjusted them with one finger, his gaze fixed on the Inner Disciple.

  "Trying to intimidate the Outer Courtyard by threatening one of our own?" he asked, his voice loud and clear, carrying across the entire area.

  It was a spark in a tinderbox. Hearing his words, other Outer Disciples began to move, their individual training forgotten as they formed a loose, supportive circle at the bottom of the stairs.

  "Yeah! Just because you have a higher status doesn't mean you can push us around like that!" a disciple shouted, emboldened by the numbers.

  A low hum filled the air as dozens of them began to pulse their Qi. It was a chaotic, unrefined wave of power, but there was strength in its sheer volume. The combined pressure made the arrogant Inner Disciple take an involuntary step back, his eyes wide with disbelief.

  "You bastards are asking for a quick death," he hissed, his face contorting into a mask of pure fury. "Fine. I shall personally deliver every single one of you into the Cycle of Reincarnation. May you live your next lives as rats, so you learn your place!"

  SWOOSH!

  His blade left its sheath in a blur of silver light. It pulsed with an immense, power, a violent aura that slammed into the Outer Disciples' collective pressure and shattered it like glass.

  His Qi washed over them, a suffocating wave of heat and malice that made them stagger, their bravado evaporating in an instant.

  Just as the aura-tinged blade was about to unleash its deadly power, a pressure far greater descended from above.

  A focused, crushing weight, as if a single finger from the heavens had pressed down upon the arrogant Inner Disciple's shoulder.

  The stone tiles beneath his boots spiderwebbed with cracks.

  His knees buckled, and the violent Qi erupting from his sword sputtered and died.

  "A-Agh! Who the hell are yo—" His threat choked in his throat as his eyes followed the simple, elegant hand on his shoulder up to the face of the man holding him down.

  It was a face of impossible beauty. Soft brown hair flowed like silk, framing delicate, almost feminine features.

  His lips held a natural pink sheen, and his eyes, a soft, inviting green, were currently regarding him with the detached curiosity of a predator examining its prey.

  "Y-You're… Su Mingzhe!" the Inner Disciple stammered, his arrogance completely shattered by a wave of pure terror. "The youngest of the Junior Elders!"

  Bi Kan stood his ground, his heightened senses now screaming warnings that made the Inner Disciple's threat feel like a child's tantrum.

  They're always watching. But this one… not only are his looks deceiving, but his eyes are also predatory. He's far too young… he surpasses even Pia Xin.

  Su Mingzhe, the prodigy who had become a Junior Elder at nineteen, now stood at twenty-two. His gaze shifted from the pinned disciple, sliding over to lock onto Bi Kan.

  A slow, enchanting smile curved his lips.

  "I don't like it when someone tries to analyze me from the ground up," he said, his voice a smooth, melodic hum.

  "Don't you know that's inappropriate? Are you trying to seduce me, little boy?"

  Bi Kan’s breath caught in his throat. His senses went haywire, a primal instinct screaming that he was no longer the observer, but the observed.

  I'm being seen… as prey.

  His eyes narrowed, a faint crimson hue bleeding into their edges as his hand twitched, instinctively moving towards the hidden black sword in his Soul Sea.

  N-No! He caught himself, his mind racing. It's a technique! A spiritual pressure meant to provoke a reaction, to see what I'll do!

  "M-Martial Uncle…" Bi Kan forced his posture to relax, his head bowing respectfully. "Please stop. I mean no disrespe—"

  Su Mingzhe's eyes widened, the predatory calm shattering in an instant. "U-Uncle…?" The word escaped his lips in a shocked, bated breath.

  "I-I'm not that old, young disciple! Call me Senior Brother at the very least!"

  His face flushed a deep, vibrant red as he yelled at Bi Kan, his composure completely gone. "Does this Senior Brother really look like an Uncle?!"

  Bi Kan was completely dumbfounded. The pressure vanished, replaced by a baffling, almost comical display.

  What is he talking about?! It's just seniority! You're a Junior Elder, of course you're a Martial Uncle!

  At least… the terrifying pressure is gone.

  Bi Kan looked closer. The Junior Elder was now pressing his palms against his own flushed cheeks in an exaggerated, theatrical pout.

  No.

  A faint, almost imperceptible yellow tint glowed in the depths of Bi Kan’s eyes.

  This isn't right. The reason my senses aren't screaming anymore is because he wants them to be quiet.

  He's trying to lower my guard, to gauge how easily I can be fooled.

  His pupils dilated, his focus sharpening on Su Mingzhe with an intensity that belied his placid expression.

  I'm not that easy to manipulate. But for him to ignore me, I must act oblivious.

  Just as Bi Kan committed to the mask of the naive junior, Su Mingzhe’s entire demeanor snapped back.

  The pout vanished. The blush faded as if it had never been there.

  The soft green eyes turned as hard and cold as jade once more.

  His focus was once again locked onto Bi Kan, and his perfect lips moved, forming two silent words that were for Bi Kan and Bi Kan alone.

  "I know."

  Bi Kan’s senses exploded, his breath catching in a sharp, uneven gasp.

  The world seemed to tilt on its axis. W-What…?