Li Wuji stood before his modest tent, the morning breeze lifting the flaps like a silent herald. The scent of this morning’s bone broth still lingered in the air, faint but grounding. His wounds, though sealed by dicinal salves and sheer will, were not fully nded. But need drove him forward. Not for food, not for warmth, but for power.
He glanced at the palm of his hand, fingers curling slightly. There was strength, but not enough. Not nearly.
"Qi alone is not victory." He recalled the ancient axiom, one whispered by wandering cultivators and bone-pickers alike. "A refined spirit in a weak body is a sword forged of salt." His Qi cultivation had made great strides—swirling rivers of spiritual energy now moved with purpose in his ridians. But the body? Still flesh, still fallible.
That beast core... it must be enough to push into the first star of the Body Refinent path. He allowed the thought to settle like iron within his heart. The White Wolf’s core, cold as mountain death and potent with raw essence, was now in his possession.
The levels of Body Refinent were no re hierarchy—they were walls between mortals and gods:
[Body Refinent Beginner]
[Body Refinent Novice]
[Body Refinent Master]
[Body Refinent General]
[Body Refinent Lord]
[Body Refinent Sage]
And each level split thrice into star-ranks. Even now, he had yet to scratch the surface. He was a warrior in na only—a scholar carrying a blade. But this journey... this hunt... it would change that.
Outside, footsteps crunched against the packed soil. ~ Chi Tang arrived, leading several hardened n who bore the marks of seasoned caravan warriors. Their gazes were hard, their backs straight beneath the weight of stuffed rucksacks and bundled weaponry. They halted before the tent like soldiers summoned before a general.
"Li Wuji," Chi Tang called out, arms folded across his chest. "These are the n at your disposal. I’ve packed the items you requested, and rations enough for a fortnight, should your journey ander beyond intention."
Li Wuji rose slowly, bowl set aside. His eyes locked with Chi Tang’s—ice eting flint. "I require nothing else," he replied coolly, brushing dust from his sleeve. "Though... the woman from yesterday might yet be useful."
Chi Tang’s brow rose slightly. "Yuan Yi?" His voice betrayed a flicker of surprise. "You did not strike as a man prone to keeping company. What use could she possibly serve?"
Li Wuji’s lips curled into a subtle smirk. He offered no answer.
Chi Tang frowned, but chose not to pry. "Very well," he muttered. "I shall summon her and make the arrangents. She will be discreet. Efficient. I trust that is satisfactory?"
Li Wuji gave a curt nod.
Within the hour, the group stood gathered at the western edge of the caravan. Trees lood like ancient watchers beyond the periter, their branches whispering in the morning wind. Yuan Yi soon erged from the far end of camp, her black hair bound tightly, twin blades strapped across her back.
"Apologies for any delays, my lord," she said, her voice calm. "I’ve taken asures to ensure I won’t hinder your pace."
Li Wuji offered her a glance, nothing more. "Let us see if your steps match your words."
With a sharp whistle, he motioned the group forward. The warriors fell into formation, though so cast skeptical glances toward Yuan Yi. Others eyed Li Wuji with concealed unease.
As they pressed into the dense arms of the Qianlong wilderness, conversation sparked behind him.
"Brother Shao," one of the younger warriors whispered, barely loud enough to disturb the brush. "I don’t trust this Li Wuji character."
The elder man beside him nodded slowly. "Keep your eyes sharp. n like him carry more blades in shadow than at their side."
The suspicion didn’t escape Li Wuji’s notice. He strode through the bramble with asured ease, the branches parting around him as though fearful to touch his robes. Let them doubt, he thought. I require neither loyalty nor admiration—only obedience... and distance enough to think.
His pace increased. The group grunted in protest. Yuan Yi was the first to respond, springing forward like a cat through the underbrush.
"Don’t lag behind!" she barked, her voice crisp with authority. Leaves snapped beneath her boots. ~
The warriors exchanged curses and heaved their gear as they tried to match Li Wuji’s unrelenting rhythm. One stumbled on a root, another gasped as thorns caught his sleeve.
"By the heavens," the younger warrior panted. "Is he so sort of Ox demon? How does he not tire?!"
Yuan Yi grit her teeth, her muscles burning with effort. Sweat rolled down her temple. Still, she pressed forward. I will not fall behind. I will not be seen as weak.
Li Wuji halted in a sudden clearing. Sunlight trickled through the canopy above, dappling the moss-covered stones in gold. He turned, eyes scanning the stragglers.
"We’re nearly there," he said, a rare edge of enthusiasm in his voice. Yuan Yi arrived monts later, chest rising and falling in rapid rhythm.
Li Wuji’s eyes settled on her, expression unreadable. She’s keeping up. Not gracefully, perhaps, but with determination that shas even seasoned n. He watched the warriors in the rear: gasping, cursing, near collapse. But not her.
Interesting...
Yuan Yi’s gaze flickered toward him—defiant, but not proud. She had pushed beyond exhaustion, not for glory, but for proof.
Her body is leaner, perhaps weaker... but her core is solid. He could see it in the way she moved, in the way she ignored pain and refused distraction. Physical strength was only part of cultivation. Endurance, flexibility, willpower—they mattered just as much. Sotis more.
She could beco sothing greater, if tempered right.
He looked away, hiding the thoughts behind a mask of command. "Form a periter," he ordered the n. "Rest, drink, but stay alert. The deeper we go, the less rcy the forest will show."
Yuan Yi sat against a tree, unstrapping her blade to clean it with asured care. She glanced up at Li Wuji once, but said nothing.
He watched her from the corner of his eye. She does not seek comfort. Only purpose. Such hunger is rare. Rarer still in one unshaped by greed.
"I must keep her alive," he murmured to himself. "With the right teachings... she could surpass them all."
He turned his gaze toward the deeper thickets ahead. The place where the White Wolf had last been seen. Where danger nested in every shadow.
The path forward was perilous—but so was the path to power.
Li Wuji smiled.
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