Qichen hesitated for a moment, then made a decision—not to crush the object. His stomach growled in protest, and he grimaced slightly. With no food in sight, and no strength to waste, he tightened his grip around his abdomen and started trudging deeper into the mountain range, hoping to find something edible, or at the very least, some water.
But just as he was about to take a step forward, an awful, putrid stench assaulted his nose. His face twisted in revulsion as he instinctively looked down at himself. What he saw made his scalp tingle. A thick, black, slimy mass coated his entire body, reeking so badly it made him want to gag. He hadn't noticed it before—everything had happened so fast. But now that he was finally still, with no immediate danger threatening his life, the stench became unbearable. The nausea nearly overwhelmed him.
"Disgusting…" he muttered to himself, fighting the urge to vomit.
Trying not to think about it, he turned and headed deeper into the forest, hoping to find a river where he could wash off the filth. Each step felt heavier, both from hunger and from the sheer discomfort of the black grime clinging to him. After about an hour of slow, arduous walking, he finally saw signs of movement in the distance—a group of people.
Relieved, he started to move toward them. But before he could get close, one of the guards noticed him and scowled.
"Stop right there!" the man barked, waving a hand in front of his nose. "Don't come any closer!"
Qichen halted in confusion. He hadn't even spoken yet.
"Ugh, what's that smell?!"
"Is it a beast?"
"No, it's a person… I think."
Similar reactions followed from the rest of the group. Each one backed away the moment they caught a whiff of him. They acted as though he carried a deadly plague, covering their faces and yelling at him to keep his distance.
Qichen's expression tightened, but he couldn't argue. He reeked. Every time he approached someone, they either shouted at him or glared warily, treating him like a contagious disease. Some even reached for their weapons, warning him not to take another step.
He sighed. Still no river. Still no food.
Just as he was about to give up and continue in another direction, voices drifted toward him from nearby.
"Miss, I think we should be cautious and wait for the lord to arrive," a male voice said with nervous urgency. "We still don't know what caused the entire mountain range to go so strangely quiet. Even during those ten hours… those who entered ran out moments later, terrified."
Qichen perked up at the mention of ten hours. That was how long he had blacked out. He crept forward quietly, trying to get a better look.
"Enough!" a girl's voice snapped back. "We're wasting time. I'm not afraid. Not even the four major families would act recklessly with so many eyes watching. We need to find the cause—and if it's a treasure, just imagine what kind of treasure could have caused all this!"
"But Miss!" the man protested again, more anxiously this time. "Even an expert in the Innate Realm passed out inside. A true Innate! That's not something we can just ignore. Whatever happened wasn't normal. Not even a Qi Formation expert could enter during those ten hours."
"I said I've already made up my mind!" the girl snapped. "If the four families get there first, do you know what will happen? Even my father won't be able to stop them. This could tip the balance of power entirely!"
The man fell silent, clearly alarmed by the implications.
Then, abruptly, the girl's tone sharpened.
"Who's there?" she called out, her voice suddenly laced with vigilance. She turned sharply toward Qichen's direction, her eyes narrowing.
Her shout immediately triggered a reaction from the others. The guards stepped forward, alert and wary, hands on their weapons. Qichen froze in place, heart racing. He hadn't made a sound—how had she noticed him?
But now that he had been spotted, there was no point hiding. If he stayed hidden, they'd just assume he was spying. Taking a deep breath and trying to look as non-threatening as possible, Qichen stepped out from behind the tree line.
As soon as he came into view, the entire group visibly recoiled.
The girl's expression shifted to horror as she covered her nose with both hands. "Ugh! What is that?!" she exclaimed, stepping back quickly.
A moment later, the young man next to her did the same, eyes watering from the smell. The guards followed suit, expressions twisting in disgust as they waved the air in front of their faces.
"Stay back!" the girl shouted, her words muffled by her covered nose. She sounded so ridiculous that Qichen might have laughed—if he wasn't so humiliated.
He raised both hands in surrender. "Sorry… I didn't mean to startle anyone. I was just passing through." He forced a sheepish smile, but with his face covered in sludge, it only made him look creepier.
The young man studied Qichen for a moment, then scoffed. "Qi Condensation… level one?" He frowned, unimpressed. Even without knowing Qichen's exact age, he could tell the boy was likely younger than the girl he served. Still, he dismissed him instantly. "You're barely worth a glance."
He turned away with disinterest, but then looked back with disdain. "Get lost. You stink worse than a demonic beast."
Qichen nodded. He wasn't about to argue with that. He turned to leave without complaint.
"Wait!" the same young man suddenly called out.
Qichen turned around, confused. "Didn't you just tell me to leave?"
"You're coming with us," the young man said, smirking. "If we run into danger, we'll throw you at it first. Maybe your smell will scare whatever it is away."
Qichen's eyes narrowed. "No thanks," he said flatly. He turned around again, this time walking off with purpose.
The young man's smile disappeared. His expression turned cold. He reached for his sword, but the girl stopped him with a glance.
"Li Jiang, let it go. We're wasting time. The four families may already be ahead of us."
Li Jiang clenched his jaw in frustration but obeyed. "Hmph. Next time, you won't be so lucky," he muttered under his breath as they walked off.
Qichen sighed in relief. Once again, he was alone. Still no river. Still no food.
Frustration gnawed at him, and he was about to curse aloud when suddenly—his scalp tingled.
He reacted instinctively, leaping aside.
Boom!
A burst of flame exploded on the spot he had just stood. Dirt and debris flew everywhere, and a smoldering crater was left behind.
From the shadows of the trees, a large beast stepped into view. It had the body of a tiger, with stripes like flowing lava and glowing eyes that burned like embers. Qichen recognized it instantly.
"A Flame Shooting Tiger," he whispered.
It was a demonic beast known for ambush tactics, condensing its demonic qi into deadly fireballs to kill prey in one strike. It only attacked when it was certain it could kill.
But this time, it had failed.
The tiger's eyes widened in surprise—but then, like everyone else, it flinched and raised one paw to its nose. Disgust flickered in its glowing gaze, and it snorted as though offended.
Qichen stared at the beast. "…Even you?"
The Flame Shooting Tiger hesitated. But when it noticed Qichen's weak aura, it licked its lips and pounced. It wasn't about to give up its prey, no matter how bad it smelled.
Qichen dodged again, barely escaping the beast's claws. But he knew he couldn't keep evading forever. He had no techniques, no formal training—he was just a menial disciple.
But he wasn't helpless.
Without pausing, he clenched his fist and punched.
Crack!
The tiger flew backward, howling in pain.
Qichen stumbled back, wide-eyed. His fist throbbed, but he wasn't hurt. The black filth that had covered his hand was gone, revealing clean, uninjured skin beneath.
"It's the twelve-colored light…" he murmured. "It must've done something."
On the other side, the Flame Shooting Tiger stood shakily, one paw trembling. Its claws were broken, blood seeping into the ground. Fear replaced the hunger in its eyes.
Demonic beasts had tougher bodies than humans, and this one was a realm above Qichen. But it had been wounded—badly.
The beast turned and tried to flee.
"Oh no you don't," Qichen growled. "You tried to eat me. Now you're dinner."
He sprinted after it. Under normal conditions, he'd never catch it, but with its injury, it was just slow enough.
After five minutes of relentless pursuit, he caught up.
The Flame Shooting Tiger sensed death closing in and turned to strike—but it was too late.
Boom!
Qichen's punch connected with the side of its head. The beast's body went limp instantly, a bloody crater where its skull had been.
Panting and drenched in blood, Qichen stood over the body. A strange satisfaction filled him.
"Finally…" he said, lips curling into a tired smile. "Something to eat."