He walked dreamily down the dirt path toward his hut, his mind adrift in thoughts of the future. The System wanted him to complete the tutorial quest, but could he really do it? What if he didn't—
≪ Alert ≫
Failure will be met with death.
His breath hitched. What?
≪ Alert ≫
You will die.
No — no, he stopped, frozen. This must be a lie.
≪ Alert ≫
Abnormality detected. Elevated pulse and heart rate observed.
The System recommends initiating meditative actions to restore calm and stabilize physiological state. Please proceed with grounding techniques to ensure optimal performance and mental clarity.
He paused, eyes drifting up to the vast, indifferent sky. Death. The word snaked in his mind. Could it truly be real? A threa t as vague as mist? And yet… he himself had said it: the System was seldom wrong. No — never wrong.
It would kill him. That, he understood with certainty.
How? He had no idea. Maybe it would be quick, like the fall of an executioner's blade. Or maybe… maybe it would be excruciating. Pain so deep his bowels might spill out, his limbs torn one by one, his brain scooped clean out like—
Pow!
Before he could finish the thought, the ground lurched up to meet him, and the world spun. He was thrown forward— forward— forward, his face landing squarely in the dirt road. He practically kissed it.
A voice, rougher than most men's, practically spat on him as he lay sprawled on the dirt. "Stop standing in the middle of the road, have you—" The sharp words were cut off by a sudden gust of wind that howled down the path.
Another voice — sharp, squeaky, and absurdly pompous — broke in with biting disdain. "How dare a senior bully their juniors?" it thundered, condescending and shrill.
As he lifted his face and slowly peeled himself off the dirt, it dawned on him just what he'd stumbled into during those few accidental seconds he'd spent face-down in the road, taking a vacation.
Cai Lin. Of course. It could only be her — the one who had swatted him to the ground like an insect.
There she stood, unmissable, her fiery red hair blazing like an angry sunset. Cai Lin was no dainty, delicate figure. Muscular arms, thicker than his thighs, were crossed over a chest as solid as a wall. Her fists looked like slabs of iron, rough as meat hammers. She was massive, more muscular than any woman he'd ever imagined, more beast than woman, really. Weren't women supposed to be tender, soft, fair? But not Cai Lin. Strong as an ox, broad as a bear, and possessed of a bull's temper that flared as bright as her hair.
But fortunately, her nose wasn't flaring at him this time. Her blazing glare, her metaphorical horns, were leveled at another figure — a thin woman with a rounded face, sporting a chopped hairstyle and wearing rugged, martial clothing. The rough cut of her eyes lending her a slightly angry expression.
Mei Lin.
He assumed, at least.
He'd heard the two were hardly on good terms, and Mei Lin's intervention wasn't likely out of the kindness of her heart. More likely, she had come to spi—
WHOOSH!
With a single flick of her wrist, Mei Lin's fan swung open, and the winds obeyed. They surged upward, twisting and swirling around her in fierce, whirling gales that spiraled higher and higher.
Cai Lin responded with a snort, planting her feet firmly in the dirt. She launched herself forward, her fiery red hair whipped wildly in the storm Mei Lin summoned. As Mei Lin swung her fan in an arc, a vicious blade of wind hurtled toward Cai Lin. But Cai Lin anticipated it, diving low to the ground and rolling forward with surprising agility, evading the blast by a hair's breadth. She was up in a flash, her eyes locked onto her target.
Mei Lin's fan snapped shut, only to open again with a quick flick, sending another sharp gust that cut through the air like a blade. Cai Lin leapt sideways, twisting her body in midair to narrowly avoid the razor-sharp winds. Her feet barely touched the ground before she was forced to dodge again, Mei Lin's fan weaving another whirlwind that howled toward her. Cai Lin bent backward in a fluid motion, her back nearly parallel to the ground as the wind screamed past her.
There was no time to rest. Mei Lin's arm arched overhead, and with a graceful sweep, she unleashed a fierce vortex that spiraled straight at Cai Lin. Cai Lin grinned, her teeth flashing, as she darted to the right, then to the left, in a series of quick, explosive movements. She was closing the gap, her form low and balanced.
Then, finally, the climax came—
≪ Alert ≫
Fight analysis is nearing completion. Combatant profile of subject Mei Lin 34% complete, combatant profile of subject Cai Lin 67% complete. Preparing predictive modeling for Cai Lin's next move.
...
Cai Lin is projected to execute an Opportunist Strike combined with the Earth-Shattering Fist Style to penetrate Mei Lin's Incomplete Windshell defense.
He blinked in shock. What? Could the System really do this? Analysis? Profiles? Predictions? He barely had time to grasp the massive implications this could hold for his own abilities before he saw it unfolding, exactly as the System described.
The System was never wrong.
Cai Lin launched herself into the air, dodging a slicing wind blade with ease, her fist drawn back. His eyes widened as he watched her fist harden, turning dense and gray as if made of stone — the unmistakable mark of the Cai Family's hereditary technique, Earth-Shattering Fist Style.
And Mei Lin? She hadn't yet gathered enough power to form a complete windshell around her, the barrier only half-formed. Her eyes flickered in alarm, as she swung her fan, but it was too late—
"𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐛𝐞 𝐞𝐧𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡."
Before he could comprehend. Before he could register. Before he could even see what had happened, Cai Lin was already careening through the air, her body slamming into the ground and skidding across it, tearing up the dirt track as she was flung meters from where she had stood. Mei Lin's fan clattered to the ground with a thud, and she followed just moments later — though not nearly as hard as Cai Lin.
And there—
A figure—
A hateful figure—
Jian Chen. The grandson of Elder Jian.
What just happened?
≪ Alert ≫
Activating playback of the previous situation. Running combat analysis…
The world seemed to freeze. His vision went dark for a split second, panic rising as fear gripped him. Was he… blind? But before he could dwell on it, the world sharpened into clarity once more, and he saw everything replayed, slowed down to an impossible pace, each moment laid bare.
Jian Chen had appeared out of nowhere, descending from the sky with Hundred Hidden Steps, a technique of breathtaking speed. In one smooth motion, he spun in midair, delivering a precise kick to the head, that caught Cai Lin off guard, sending her hurtling sidewards. Using the momentum of his turn, Jian Chen fluidly redirected his movement, blocking Mei Lin's fan at her wrist before she could strike. His free hand shot forward like a spear, his fingertips aimed directly at her temple, incapacitating her in a single blow.
And then, in a heartbeat, the playback ended, and the world resumed its normal pace. Jian Chen stood there, unruffled, with the ease of someone who had simply swatted away two irritants.
And then—
Their eyes met. Zhen's gaze, wide with shock, locked onto Chen's. Chen's eyes were dark — no, black, or nearly so, such an inky shade of brown that they seemed to devour the light around them, like the eyes of death itself. He didn't even bother to acknowledge Zhen beyond a disdainful sneer.
Why?
Why, indeed. He wanted to know. Chen always seemed to harbor a particular disdain for him, an almost theatrical hatred that seethed just beneath the surface like over-boiled soup. Was it because Chen was simply… evil? Some people were born that way, it seemed — spiteful, hateful, drawn to hurt those around them without reason or remorse.
"You should run along, Little Qiu," Chen said, his voice a low, venomous murmur.
And that he did.
≪ Alert ≫
Sub-quest unlocked.Challenge Cai Lin tomorrow at the Martial Hall Training Grounds and beat her in a one-on-one combat challenge.Rewards:+ Cai Lin's respect (potential ally)
+ 100 Merit Points
Failure condition is a loss in the duel. However, no penalties will be incurred for failure, as this is a sub-quest within the tutorial phase.