Two hooded figures could be seen moving silently through the city of Greenforest, located within the Amberfall Empire. These figures were Adam and Selene.
Both were gathering information, as Selene didn't have many details about the location of the abandoned tomb they were searching for. She guided Adam through the city's alleys, doing their best to avoid drawing any attention.
As they tried to remain unnoticed, a gang prowling the area spotted them.
"Well, well, what do we have here?" said the apparent leader, a bald, overweight, unpleasant-looking man with a grin full of yellowed teeth.
Adam couldn't see his appearance, but he couldn't shake a feeling of unease. It had been a long time since he had interacted with other people, and now it seemed they were in trouble.
Selene stayed silent as they were surrounded. None of the gang members appeared to be cultivators. They had likely approached because they didn't sense any spiritual pressure or powerful aura indicating a high cultivation level. That level of power was rare in Greenforest. The gang assumed they were ordinary people and planned to rob or worse.
Coming to this conclusion, Selene finally spoke, ignoring the gang members.
"Adam, it's time for you to put into practice what you've learned over the years," she said in her beautiful voice, intentionally turning the situation into a valuable lesson for him.
The gang swallowed hard at the sound of her voice, and their leader's grin turned lecherous, his expression speaking for itself.
"Looks like it's our lucky day. We'll have plenty of fun with you before selling you to a brothel… unless you'd rather become our personal toy," he said, his gang nodding with creepy smiles, undressing her with their eyes.
Hearing this, Adam turned pale. He considered himself a calm person, but after hearing how they spoke to Selene, he decided these men wouldn't live another day.
Although Adam had never killed anyone, not even a beast, Selene had taught him that the path of cultivation was a bloody road where one must trample others to avoid being crushed.
What better situation to overcome his hesitation than eliminating this filth? If it was for Selene, Adam wouldn't hesitate to kill thousands like them.
Adam didn't use weapons since his blindness made them impractical, and he found gauntlets cumbersome. His combat style was based on hand-to-hand techniques, leveraging his supernatural physical strength and the martial training Selene had given him.
Without a word, he lunged toward where he'd heard the leader's voice, moving at an almost imperceptible speed. Before they could react, he struck the man's face with such force that it shattered nearly all his remaining teeth, along with several jawbones, sending him flying several feet from the impact.
The gang froze momentarily, stunned by what had just happened. However, they quickly regrouped and attacked, armed with improvised weapons.
Adam didn't waste any time. He charged at them before they could surround him. Selene had trained him for many situations, and this was one of them.
One gang member swung a rusty sword at him, but Adam sensed the faint air disturbance it created and dodged the attack. The man attempted to strike several more times, but Adam's speed left him frustrated. Seizing an opening, Adam kicked his supporting leg, toppling him. Once the man hit the ground, Adam delivered a precise blow to his neck, leaving him writhing as he exhaled his final breath.
Adam paused momentarily, aware he had just killed someone. He thought he'd feel guilt, but strangely, he felt nothing—just indifference, as if he had squashed an insect.
"Is this how cultivators feel?" he wondered.
Meanwhile, the remaining gang members didn't remain idle and managed to surround him. Still, Adam didn't panic. He knew Selene would step in if things got out of hand, but he didn't want to disappoint her.
He grabbed the rusty sword from the ground and prepared for their attack. As they closed in, all attacking at once, Adam felt a swirl of spiritual energy around him. He leapt ten feet into the air, evading their strikes, and hurled the sword at one of them. He knew he'd hit his target when he heard the man's groan as the blade pierced his abdomen.
The remaining gang members realized something was wrong with Adam. Defeating a few of them could be attributed to training and physical ability, but jumping ten feet and throwing a sword with such precision was beyond what an ordinary human could do. If they had known he wasn't even using his eyes, they might have lost all composure.
"You… you're a cultivator!" one of them stammered, trembling. Of the original six gang members, only three remained. It was only a matter of time before they met the same fate as the others.
Desperate, one of them tried to negotiate.
"I don't know why you're hiding your cultivation level, but if you let us go, we'll forget this ever happened. You should know we're part of the Blood Tiger gang, and our leader is a cultivator too. It wouldn't be wise to make an enemy of him if you're an outsider," he said, attempting intimidation, knowing it was his only chance of survival.
"If you had offended me, perhaps I would have considered it, but you've done something unforgivable and will pay for it," Adam said coldly, his killing intent unmistakable.
The gang members, realizing their threats had failed and escape was impossible against a cultivator, launched a desperate attack.
Now more confident after killing two of them, Adam faced them head-on. In just a few exchanges, he dispatched the remaining gang members with ease.
Unbeknownst to Adam, the gang leader had been trying to crawl away, barely managing due to his injuries. He might have escaped if Adam had been alone since he couldn't see. However, just as the man thought he might make it, an overwhelming pressure crushed him, breaking most of his bones and leaving him in unimaginable pain.
Selene, showing no further interest in him, left him to die slowly from his wounds, like a wild animal, as she turned to Adam.
"You did well, but this isn't over yet."
Adam didn't understand what she meant. Before he could open his mouth to
ask, a voice interrupted them.
"Stop right there, criminals!"