The skeleton began to disintegrate. Its form shimmered and dissolved into countless motes of dust, starting at the torso and ending at the skull. Just before it vanished completely, Xue San had a strange and lingering impression that the skeleton was smiling at him. In that fleeting instant, a voice echoed through the cavern—distant, distorted, as though it traveled from a time long buried beneath ages of silence. Yet the words were mangled, torn by interference and weakness.
But from Xue San's perspective, only disjointed fragments reached him: "…me…my…k…your…du… …the…rry…Clan!"
A sudden, unimaginable pain lanced through his mind, after hearing heating this, obliterating thought and sense. The world wavered, tilted, and then faded to black. Overwhelmed, Xue San slipped into unconsciousness.
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In a faraway place among the stars, inside a temple made of bones, two figures stood. One was an old man who resembled a mummy, while the other was a middle-aged man who appeared to be in his forties.
"Venerable Golden-Gate, the patriarch sent me here, but there doesn't seem to be any change to the seal," said the middle-aged man. "You've been here for too long; maybe you just imagined it," he added as an afterthought.
"Humph! Listen here, you moron," the old man snapped. "I have been tending to this seal since before you were born. You have no idea how terrifying that bastard was, and he had that wretched woman by his side. Even the tiniest oversight could be our downfall."
Although the middle-aged man felt offended, he did not dare to show it. After all, this venerable figure before him was a cultivator who had taken part in the great war that ended the Fourth Epoch and began the Fifth. He was a legendary being, the leader of one of the most powerful and fearsome forces in the Chaosverse.
"Venerable Golden-Gate, I assure you we take this problem very seriously," said the middle-aged man. "As you know, that world shattered into countless fragments. We've found many, but some remain hidden between the folds of space and time. It's extremely difficult to locate them, and as time passes—"
Before he could finish, the old man interrupted, "Yes, yes, I already know. Who do you think recovered most of them? It was my Golden Gate. Now go back and tell the others that I want a meeting."
"With whom?" the middle-aged man asked.
"All of them," the old man said sternly.
"All?" The middle-aged man hesitated. "I'm afraid that will take a great deal of time. Some of the esteemed ones are in seclusion, and the Flame Emperor is at a critical stage in his forging. I'm afraid it will be—"
"Five hundred years," the old man interrupted. "Tell them that's the limit I'm giving. I need all of them here within five hundred years."
The middle-aged man was stunned by Venerable Golden-Gate's seriousness, but he clasped his hands and bowed, accepting the order. "Yes, Your Excellency."
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Xue San woke with confusion etched across his face. What… what the hell was that? He tried to recall what had happened. "I went in, found that strange skeleton, then it moved. After that, it said something…" But attempting to remember triggered a stabbing pain in his head. He grasped his temples, dropping to his knees as agony flared behind his eyes.
After a few moments, the pain subsided. Without further hesitation, he fled that cavernous chamber, left the cave, and kept running for nearly twenty minutes. Only when he felt a safe distance away did he slow, panting and cursing under his breath.
"Shit. Why is all this weird stuff happening to me?" he barked, irritation and fear mingling in his voice. Ever since he'd arrived at the sect—no, even before that, since meeting that old bastard who tricked him—his life seemed to have spiraled into chaos. "FUCK!" he swore, as if cursing fate itself. In just half a year, he'd experienced more harrowing events than all the people of Silverberry Village combined.
He paused outside the cave, working to calm himself down. "I should return to the city first," he decided, glancing at the intricately carved spatial ring. "I shouldn't wear it for now. It might cause more trouble than it's worth." This time, he chose not to hurry. He rested, changed into clean clothes—he wasn't foolish enough to wander into town spattered with blood—and, as a result, the journey back to Darkwood City took nearly a week. At last, he returned.
The moment he entered, he felt the city's mood had shifted drastically. The streets were packed with guards from nearly every major clan in Darkwood, and a grim pall seemed to hang over everything. Not wanting to stand out, Xue San slipped quietly through the crowd and headed straight for the inn where he'd stayed previously. There, he booked a room for ten days, paid, and settled into a quiet corner of the dining hall, hoping to overhear the latest rumors.
"I never really liked that Lin Han fellow. That bastard deserved whatever he got," one man remarked a few tables away. He raised his cup, as if toasting some unknown avenger.
"Not so loud, you fool!" hissed his friend. "The Lin Clan is like a hornet's nest now—they'll kill anyone who even whispers about Lin Han's death!"
"But don't you think it's suspicious that the Dan Clan arrived here so quickly?" asked another, lowering his voice. "There's a rumor going around that it was their young miss who did it."
"Impossible," said his companion. "She was already at the 8th stage of Qi Condensation, a one-star Alchemist, and a direct descendant of the Dan Clan. What would she gain by killing him?"
"Still, the Dan Clan showing up so fast is odd," the other pressed. "Maybe they rushed here the moment her life jade shattered."
At his table, Xue San let out an inward sigh of relief. His plan had worked, diverting suspicion onto Dan Qing. But that the Dan Clan had arrived so promptly made him anxious. Had he slipped up somewhere? Nothing came to mind.
After finishing his meal, Xue San retired to his room. He intended to examine the pills he'd collected and attempt to cultivate the Shadow Veil Art. He couldn't help feeling disappointed in the Soaring Sky Sect. The public lessons were a joke, and while the public library was excellent, it demanded too many contribution points. For someone not born into a cultivation clan, clawing his way out of the outer sect seemed nearly impossible. If he had known earlier what spiritual sense truly was and how dangerous its careless use could be, he would never have acted so recklessly.
Unbeknownst to Xue San, his spiritual sense was far stronger than what was normal for a Qi Condensation cultivator. Even Dan Qing—considered gifted by her clan's standards and known for her remarkable spiritual perception—had only been able to cover a mere thirty feet (around nine meters). And that was considered impressive, given the Dan Clan's reputation in matters of alchemy and spiritual finesse.
He looked over the pill bottles, feeling a mixture of caution and excitement. He had gained quite a collection: thirty Poor-Grade Qi Gathering Pills, fifteen Low-Grade, fifteen Mid-Grade, seven High-Grade, and, most precious of all, one Peak-Grade Qi Gathering Pill. He also possessed five of those poisonous pills, ten Fasting Pills, the vile Evil Kinblood Ghostfire Pill, and two others whose purpose he couldn't identify. After some comparison, he recognized one as a Mindstream Pill, but the other remained a mystery. There were also vials of various powders, which he decided to shelve for later investigation.
For now, he would focus on the Shadow Veil Art. Its ability to disguise his cultivation base could be invaluable upon his return to the sect. He decided against cultivating further until he mastered it. Only then, hidden under the veil, would it be somewhat safer to progress in his cultivation.
He sat down to cultivate, but as he called upon his spiritual sense, his eyes snapped open in shock. There, near his dantian, he "saw" the jade-green token floating, now fully visible to him. Uncovered by the skeleton's hand, it radiated vitality. The token bore the symbol of an ancient tree with interwoven roots and branches forming five concentric circles, representing five stages of transformation and a deep bond with nature. "Beautiful," he whispered, astonished and baffled by its presence within him.
But soon his wonder soured into frustration. "Just what the hell is going on?" he groaned. If only he had a teacher or the backing of a cultivation clan, he might realize how blessed he truly was.
"Forget it," Xue San grumbled. "I'll deal with it later." Ignoring the token, he focused on cultivating the Shadow Veil Art. Within five days, he had mastered its initial form. He could not yet become invisible to the naked eye, but he could disguise his spiritual sense and cultivation base well enough.
Relieved, he turned his attention to the Qi Gathering Pills, planning his future growth. He decided to save the Poor and Low-Grade pills for future trade; he needed gold, after all. Four more days passed as he used the Mid and High-Grade pills to advance to the 6th Stage of Qi Gathering. However, the cost was steep: all his Mid-Grade pills and six High-Grade pills had been consumed in the effort.
"How many pills will I need if I keep going like this?" he lamented. His heart was heavy with both accomplishment and worry, uncertain of what awaited him next.
"I should complete the sect's mission and return," Xue San thought. "But first, I should explore this city properly." Despite his recent transformation into a colder, more indifferent person—changes that had come about in an alarmingly short time—he still retained a boyish curiosity that burned bright whenever he encountered something new.
With that spark leading him on, Xue San wandered through the city's avenues and alleyways, eager to discover its secrets. He spent the day drifting from busy markets to dimly lit side streets, from renowned restaurants to hidden tea houses and humble roadside stalls. No corner escaped his gaze. He did not forget his family, either. For his sisters and mother, he selected beautiful dresses that shimmered like moonlight on water. For his father, he chose a fine hunting bow crafted from the tendon of a Moon-Shadow wolf, a one-star magical beast. Though it was not cheap, he knew they would cherish these gifts when he finally met them again.
By the time he returned to the inn, dusk had spread its gentle hues across the sky. He climbed the stairs to his room, intending to rest before setting out to find the spirit ginseng the next day. Yet, upon entering, he froze. A letter lay waiting on his bed. How had it gotten there? His room was protected by a formation key that only he possessed—an arrangement that even the inn's master could not override.
If the master himself hadn't placed it there, then this was trouble indeed. Running an inn of this caliber required cultivation at least at the mid-stage of the Foundation Establishment Realm, making the proprietor no ordinary figure. For someone to bypass such safeguards and slip in unnoticed, they would have to be powerful enough to erase Xue San as easily as snuffing out a candle.
A chill crept across his skin. He opened the letter carefully, feeling as though unseen eyes studied him from the shadows. The note read:
"Greetings, young friend. We invite you to a private gathering, where we will discuss the possibility of you joining the Blood Moon Guild as a Surface-Level member. If you are interested, please come to the abandoned building behind the Singing Sparrow Wine House at midnight tomorrow. At that time, we will explain everything. Following our discussion, there will be a small exchange event featuring information and resources for sale. Rest assured: your anonymity and safety are fully guaranteed by the Blood Moon Guild during the proceedings. However, be warned—should you attempt to disclose this meeting to anyone, you will be eliminated."
Xue San lowered the letter, his mind racing. This Blood Moon Guild could penetrate layers of protective formations and slip past a seasoned innkeeper's defenses without raising so much as a whisper. They were clearly no ordinary organization. Yet, he found himself intrigued by the promise of an exchange event, especially the chance to acquire valuable information. With such formidable backers guaranteeing his safety, what reason did he have to refuse?
He considered for a long moment, then put the letter in his ring.