My bones still burned.
The Vein Reversal Technique wasn't a reward. It was a warning.
My blood felt heavier now. My body stronger. But the pain was still threading through my nerves like coiled wire.
[Ki Nodes: 24/108 Opened.]
[Trait Gained: Bone-Hardened Vessel.]
Pain resistance increased. Internal durability enhanced.
I flexed my hand. Skin split. Healed. Split again.
No spiritual root. No bloodline.
Now I didn't need one.
"You're adapting fast," the System rasped. "That's good. You'll need it for what comes next."
"More enemies?"
"No."
"An audience."
I felt it before I saw her—Qi pressure, like a weight hanging off my lungs. She wasn't running. She walked through the blood-soaked trees like she owned them. And maybe she did.
A white boot crushed a skull beside the corpse pit.
She wore black and crimson armor, polished and sharp-edged. Her sleeves bore the Silver Fang insignia—a mark reserved for Sect Enforcers. Not outer disciples. Not even core. This was someone with the power to kill without permission.
Name: Luo Shiran
Rank: Enforcement Elite – Red Fang Sect
Stage: Mid-Foundation Realm
Body Count: Confirmed 321
Her eyes landed on me—mud-stained, blood-slick, still crouched over a half-devoured corpse.
She didn't flinch.
"You're not supposed to be alive," she said coldly.
"Five outer disciples dead. Energy traces disrupted. Unauthorized System signature. Want to explain?"
I stood up slowly.
My shirt stuck to my back. My fingers were still red.
"They slipped," I said. "All five."
A flicker of amusement touched her lips. Just barely.
"Cute. But if you don't give me a better answer, I'll drag your spine back to Elder Tian myself."
The mention of that name flipped something in me.
I wasn't ready to fight her. Not yet.
But I could plant a seed.
"Tell him his sins are walking."
Her expression stilled. Like I'd said something she wasn't allowed to hear.
"What did you just—?"
[System Alert: High-Level Threat Detected.]
Warning: Survival Probability – 4.8%
Auto-Escape Protocol: READY
The air bent.
Her aura expanded.
And then—
[Blood Echo Step: Overcharged.]
My body moved on instinct. My feet hit the dirt. Trees blurred past me.
She cursed behind me—too slow. My System-enhanced body didn't need style. Just survival. My body twisted between trunks, breath low, muscles locked in sprint mode.
The voice inside me chuckled.
"You picked a good first enemy."
I didn't stop running until my legs buckled and the trees thinned into a dead ravine. I collapsed beside a half-buried skeleton wrapped in rotted silks.
"I need time," I gasped. "I need strength."
[Agreed.]
[Auto-Escape Cooldown: 12 hours.]
[New Objective Generated: Ascend the Outer Sect Ranking Trial.]
Kill, absorb, and rise through the ranks.
Top 3 gain Inner Sect access… and Elder Tian's attention.
"He'll see me soon enough," I muttered.
"I want him to."
The System whispered one last thing before going quiet.
"Then prepare to climb, monster."