Xuanyan sat beside the waterfall base, legs crossed and maintaining an upright posture, with steady, even breathing. Mist swirled gently around him, clinging to stone and skin alike, while the constant cascade of water muffled quieter sounds. This creates a calm, almost deceptive sense of peace, blending the mountain’s natural rhythm.
To an ordinary observer, he would have appeared fully imrsed in ditation, his body still, defences lowered. His spiritual circulation flowed in a calm, disciplined loop, qi regulated to a stable rhythm that betrayed no urgency.
His awareness continues to extend outward, wide and delicate, overlapping the terrain in multiple layers. Each shift in air, every fluctuation of qi not originating from the mountain, and any presence daring enough to impose its rhythm on the land was quietly observed and organised.
Xuanyan had known for so ti now that he was not alone.
The mountain shift made him feel it. The intrusion was subtle yet inelegant – qi moving impatiently, presences pressing instead of blending. Soone lingered above, trying to recover strength while pretending not to exist.
Xuanyan kept his eyes shut, instinctively knowing there was no need to see. Fear never once crossed his mind
---
High above, Chen Wuji sat on a thick branch, leaning his back against the trunk while channelling spiritual energy through his ridians. Despite his efforts, his breathing remained uneven and irritation simred beneath his concentration as he assessed his reserves.
Still not enough.
He crushed a low-grade spirit stone in his palm, drawing out what little refined qi it contained and forcing it into circulation. The improvent was marginal, but it was enough to keep going.
His gaze drifted downward again. The target remained seated near the waterfall, deep in ditation, too relaxed—despite being hunted by two organisations. Chen Wuji hesitated for a mont, weighing his options. Ultimately he knew the safest and wisest move was to contact captain Haru first.
But the longer he watched, the more that thought lost its weight.
He had a clear advantage on the stage-more combat experience and instinct that seed even sharper. If things went awry, retreat would be effortless. With my assassination technique, stealth in this terrain would be second nature. With a confident smile, I won’t lose him, he muttered before raising to his feet.
He dropped from the tree without a sound, landing in a low crouch before straightening smoothly. The concealnt technique cloaked around him seamlessly as he moved, extinguishing all signs of presence and breath
A sense of excitent gently erged despite his strict discipline.
---
At this mont, Xuanyan’s eyes opened calm and focused, and the air seed to tighten at once.
Chen Wuji felt this change instantly.
His instincts scread, spine tightening as a chill raced through him. He slowed, easing backwards with careful precision, aware that sudden movent would only expose him further. His mind scrambled to reassess, searching for signs he had missed.
Did he sense ? No—there was no fluctuation...
anwhile, Xuanyan stretched lazily, rolling his shoulder and cracking his joints softly. He yawned without restraint, the sound echoing lightly over the water as if he had just woken from a deep sleep.
"That was a good rest," he muttered, rolling his shoulders. "I should get ambushed more often."
Damnation, what kind of lunatic sleeps through an ambush?
Chen Wuji couldn’t believe this man. Was he really sleeping? While two organisations were hunting him down? His jaw tightened, irritation creeping in whether he liked it or not.
Xuanyan, on the other hand, bent carefully at the waist to maintain his balance and loosened his neck muscles to relax. He reached for his sword. The blade slid free with an unhurried whisper of steel, catching a dim light.
He took a few asured steps across uneven, withered ground, planted his feet, and adjusted his grip until it felt perfectly aligned. Then, with a calm focus, he closed his eyes.
Don’t tell he is about to start practising now. Chen Wuji didn’t blink; every muscle tensed as he watched, making it clear Xuanyan was truly making this difficult.
The thought barely ford in Chen Wuji’s mind before Xuanyan moved. The sword swept sideways in a clean, controlled arc, slicing through the air with absolute precision, its blade catching the light as it cut through the space. In that sa instant, space itself seed to fold and warp around him.
Xuanyan vanished—not blurred or obscured, but gone as if the mountain itself had exerted its might to erase him from existence.
Chen Wuji’s pupils contracted sharply, a flicker of shock crossing his face as his mind lagged behind the sudden absence. Before panic could take hold or he could react, Xuanyan reappeared beside him, as if summoned by so unseen force.
The sword’s swing was identical to the one he had begun before vanishing—perfectly uninterrupted, the blade completed its arc, leaving no ti to prepare or respond.
A dull, resonant thud echoed through the dense forest, heavy with finality. Xuanyan’s feet pressed firmly into the damp earth as he completed the movent, exhaling slowly in a controlled, steady breath.
A wet splash echoed softly as sothing liquid struck the nearby stone, splattering into a small, dark pool. He gradually lowered his sword, its blade now slick with blood that stread steadily, crimson and glistening, from the sharp edge, pooling into the shallow depression on the ground below.
Chen Wuji took one unsteady step before his body folded. His head hit the ground separately, eyes wide, already empty of understanding.
Xuanyan looked at the body. For several seconds, his thoughts were blank. No satisfaction followed or relief. Just stillness, as if the world around him had briefly stopped moving. The strain finally caught up to him.
A hollow, searing pull ripped through his ridians, forcing a shallow ragged breath from his lungs. Xuanyan’s brow furrowed faintly as he instinctively assessed the damage.
Executing Heavenbound Imprint Shift and Heaven-Listening Guard at the sa ti had drained him far more violently than expected. His spiritual reserves had plunged to a dangerous level in a single exchange.
If I had layered Silent Heaven Draw on top of that...He abruptly cut the thought off, grounding himself as he steadied his breathing. His eyes refocused on the body.
This was the first person he had killed.
The severed head lay a few ters away. Xuanyan watched it in silence, waiting for sothing—revulsion, triumph, regret. Anything.
Nothing ca.
Perhaps it was because the man had intended to kill him as well.
Or perhaps he simply hadn’t learned yet what he was supposed to feel.
---
Reviews
All reviews (0)